Help! The cunning and treacherous minister and I were reborn together!

The moon shines brightly over the nine streets, and the Milky Way hangs low over the earth.

The candlelight in the vast city of Shengjing gradually died out, leaving only the rustling of the wind.

Yuan Zhi was undressing when she suddenly heard the door creak. Thinking it was the wind, she hurriedly tied her belt and went to close the door.

To her surprise, just as she rounded the screen, a burly man reeking of alcohol burst through the doorway. She gasped for breath and quickly backed away. The man saw her, grinned widely, and approached with a lewd smile.

She backed away, extinguishing the candle flame as she did so.

"Get out of here now, and you might save your life! My husband is the commander of the Leopard Guard, and my father is an official in the Ministry of Revenue. If you dare to touch me, they will surely tear you to pieces!"

The man chuckled lewdly and strode inside while taking off his clothes.

"Little wench, who are you trying to fool! If your husband and father were high-ranking officials, would they let you live here alone? Stop struggling, let me pamper you. If you serve me well, I'll take care of you from now on!"

Seeing that this man was incredibly audacious and could not be scared away at all, Yuan Zhi could only stall for time and look for an opportunity to save himself.

"Master supports me, but how much money does he have? If it's less than what I have, I won't stand for it!"

The man was completely captivated by her calling him "this humble servant," marveling at his good fortune that day—he'd stumbled upon a stunning beauty while climbing over the wall, and a rather wealthy one at that!

The man rubbed his hands together. "Tell me first, how much do you have?"

Yuan Zhi reached behind her back, grabbed the vase, and whispered, "This servant has..."

The man didn't hear clearly, took two steps forward, and asked, "How much?"

Yuan Zhi seized the opportunity, swung the vase, and smashed it against the man's head.

boom--

The man cried out in pain, shook his head, and lunged forward in a rage.

"You bitch, you dare hurt me! I'll make sure you're dead tonight, or I'll change my surname to yours!"

Yuan Zhi gripped the mouth of the vase, the sharp point pointing at him, and swiftly thrust it forward. The man grabbed her wrist and twisted it forcefully. Yuan Zhi's eyes blurred with pain, but she still refused to let go.

The man lost his patience and punched her in the stomach. Yuan Zhi groaned and bent over, her body weak and limp, large beads of sweat falling to the ground along with shards of porcelain.

The man threw her onto the bed, loosened his belt, and bent down to rip off her clothes.

Yuan Zhi kicked the man in the groin, and while he was rolling on the ground, she quickly ran out the door.

Xiao Zonggang jumped down from the wall and saw Yuan Zhi running towards the courtyard gate in disheveled clothes. He quickly went over and placed his hand on the door bolt.

"what--"

Yuan Zhi screamed, her face streaked with tears, and pressed herself tightly against the door. She was terrified, knowing she couldn't escape today, and only one thought occupied her mind.

Don't kill her!

“Child, it’s me.”

Xiao Zong wanted her to take her hands off her ears, but Yuan Zhi covered them even tighter.

The man inside came running out, cursing. Xiao Zong's eyes narrowed, and he instantly understood what had happened. He pulled the wooden stick from the door latch and walked towards the man with a grim face.

The man remembered the woman saying she had a husband; could this be the man?

He backed away. This man was tall and imposing; he knew he couldn't beat him. Maybe he should beg for mercy first!

"Brother, it's all a misunderstanding. I just came here..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Zong struck him on the head with a stick, and with a loud thud, reddish-brown blood spurted from the man's nostrils.

The man knelt down, and Xiao Zong struck him again. Blood flowed from the top of his head, down his forehead and nose, splitting his fleshy face in two.

Xiao Zong kicked the corpse over, turned back, and found that Yuan Zhi was gone.

He went out to search for her, running through two streets, and finally found her shivering under a broken basket in an alley.

"It's alright, it's alright, don't be afraid, it's me."

Yuan Zhi's eyes were filled with despair, her almond-shaped eyes brimming with tears, making it impossible to see the person's face clearly. But that voice had echoed in her ears countless times—serious, teasing, angry, helpless…

And then there are those who are extremely anxious.

She sobbed and threw herself into his arms, bursting into tears as he comforted her.

"Xiao Zong, I thought... I thought I was going to die, sob sob sob..."

Xiao Zong hugged her tightly, rubbing his face against her dark hair. The joy of regaining her was mixed with lingering fear, which made his eyes sting.

He picked her up and, instead of returning to her rented house, headed to a luxurious courtyard not far from here.

Yuan Zhi cried herself to sleep in his arms until she was exhausted. She slowly woke up when a warm current enveloped her body.

"This is where?"

She jumped up in response.

"Don't be afraid, this is the house I bought."

Xiao Zong held her shoulders and gently pressed her back down.

He continued, "I originally wanted to be closer to you, but I never expected it would actually come in handy."

Yuan Zhi looked uncomfortable. "Why did you help me bathe? You don't mean you think I have something going on with that man, so you want to..."

Xiao Zong lowered his gaze, pinched her chin, and demanded, "What are you thinking? Explain yourself!"

“...Verify the chastity.” Yuan Zhi’s voice was barely audible.

Xiao Zong, with a cold face, tossed down the cotton handkerchief and said, "Wash it yourself!"

What did she take him for? He saved her in a life-or-death situation, was it for that damned chastity?!

The door slammed shut, startling Yuan Zhi. She wondered what she had done to offend him. She picked up a cotton handkerchief and rubbed her body, her eyes reddening again.

The water gradually cooled, and Xiao Zong still hadn't returned. Yuan Zhi got out of the bathtub, picked up a dry cotton towel to dry herself, and looked around, but didn't see any change of clothes.

She wondered, could he be outside?

She had only taken two steps barefoot when the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside. Startled, Yuan Zhi quickly hid behind the screen.

The screen made of gauze could hardly hide anyone. Xiao Zong glanced at it and handed over the clothes.

"Get dressed and come out. I'll be waiting for you in the inner room."

Yuan Zhi bit her lip and took the items, only to find that there were only three pieces: a bodice, underpants, and a gauze dress.

She dressed herself neatly and shuffled to the bedside, "Why isn't there an outsider..."

Before she could finish speaking, he grabbed her arm, and she felt dizzy. When she came to her senses, she was already lying on the bed.

"What are you doing?"

Xiao Zong didn't reply to her. He lifted her bodice, scooped out some ointment from the bedside, rubbed it in his palm to warm it, and then applied it to her affected area.

Yuan Zhi's lips moved, about to speak, but Xiao Zong retorted.

"Shut up!"

She looked at him with a wronged expression, her lower abdomen receiving his massage, warmth building up, and her icy limbs gradually warming up as well.

After Xiao Zong finished massaging her, he asked, "Where else is she injured?"

Yuan Zhi pointed to her mouth, indicating that she couldn't speak. Xiao Zong's eyes darkened, and he applied some ointment to her lips. Yuan Zhi hurriedly said that her mouth wasn't injured.

As if he hadn't heard her, he continued to apply the ointment to her lips, then leaned down and sealed them with a kiss.

The cool ointment melted in her mouth, and Yuan Zhi felt as if she had eaten a mouthful of mint leaves; her tongue was numb and she lost all feeling. Their breaths mingled, and their desire was intense. Gusts of cool air rushed into her stomach, and she couldn't help but shiver.

Xiao Zong immediately withdrew his hand, wiping the water stains from the corner of her mouth with his fingertip, his expression mournful.

"Your words just now hurt me. Consider this kiss as a way to heal my wounds."

"sorry."

He helped her bathe to check on her injuries, nothing more. But she, once again, misinterpreted his good intentions.