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

Xiao Zong sighed: "Yuan Zhi, you know I am cold-hearted by nature. If I didn't really like you, why would I indulge you and forgive you time and time again!"

You resent my relationship with Consort Zheng and have tried every means to distance yourself from me. But you must understand, if I wanted to keep you by my side, even His Majesty couldn't. I'm letting you go so you can see clearly as an observer that my relationship with Consort Zheng is merely one of gratitude!

He stroked her long hair. "And you, what are your feelings for me? From beginning to end, have you ever loved me?"

"I……"

Yuan Zhi was speechless. She wanted to say that she had been moved, but that person was the fifth daughter of the Yuan family in this life, not the Imperial Concubine Yuan who had lived two lives.

He fell in love with the naive and innocent girl in this life, not with the emperor's favorite concubine with whom he had fought his entire life.

Life is unpredictable, and fate plays tricks on us. Why bother with this kind of love affair?

"Never mind." Xiao Zong smiled bitterly. "Tell me where else you're injured."

Yuan Zhi stretched out her arm and said softly, "Wrist."

"I must have owed you something in my past life!"

He muttered something, applied the ointment, and rubbed it in for her.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Zhi turned her face away, concealing the disappointment in her eyes.

After all that fuss, it was almost dawn, so Yuan Zhi quickly made room for him.

"You still have to attend the morning court session. Take a nap for a while, I'll wake you when it's time."

Xiao Zong lay down, saw her sitting, and pulled her into his arms.

"There are maids outside, you don't need to worry about them. You've been frightened all night, go to sleep!"

Yuan Zhi nodded, nestled against his chest like a kitten, and soon fell asleep.

She slept very soundly and didn't get up until after noon. She put on her shoes and slowly opened the door.

Two maids stepped forward, "Madam is awake? We'll help you with your toilette!"

The two women left for a moment, then returned carrying a copper basin, soap, cotton cloth, and other items. One maid helped her wash her face, while the other went to fetch her clothes.

"Madam is beautiful and has a great figure. Master is so lucky!" the maid said enviously as she helped her remove her gauze dress.

"Mmm, and her skin is so white, like milk skin!" another maid chimed in.

Yuan Zhi blushed, "Please stop praising me. I... I'm not his wife now. You can call me Madam Yuan."

The two maids were bewildered. What did "not now" mean? Did it mean she was the master's mistress, to be replaced only after the mistress died?

“Since Madam Yuan lives in the main house and is such a perfect match for Master, she is certainly worthy of being the mistress of the household. Madam, please don’t refuse, otherwise how will we explain it when the neighbors ask?”

"Yeah yeah!"

The two were too enthusiastic, and Yuanzhi couldn't object, so she could only acquiesce to their way of addressing her.

While they were eating, the maid said, "By the way, before the master left, he instructed that since the madam has woken up, she doesn't need to go back to the old house; he will handle everything."

Yuan Zhi nodded and gave each of them two taels of silver ingots.

"I'm sorry that you couldn't sleep well last night because it was so late."

The two women returned the silver, saying, "The wages you pay, sir, are higher than those of the maids in wealthy households. We are very content and cannot accept any more of your money!"

Yuan Zhi understood that they were afraid Xiao Zong would find out and they would lose their jobs.

She laughed and said, "Don't worry, the master won't know. Even if he did, with me here, he wouldn't dare to do anything to you!"

The two maids exchanged a smile, picked up the silver, and curtsied with beaming smiles: "Thank you, Madam!"

After leaving the manor, Yuan Zhi went to Wei Yan Tower. She wasn't feeling well that day, so she helped out for a while before going upstairs to relax.

Worried that Luo Mei wouldn't be able to find her when she returned, she wrote a letter with Xiao Zong's address attached and asked Jiang Bai to deliver it to the winery.

She dared not go back to the rented house. For the time being, she would stay at Xiao Zong's place for a few days.

No sooner had Jiang Bai left than Chu Lanyin arrived with her uncle.

Yuan Zhi was dumbfounded. The hunched-over, incoherent, dark-skinned man before him was actually Chu Xia, the eldest son of the Marquis of Changping, who was once a genius and the most outstanding man in the capital!

Seeing her reaction, Chu Lan couldn't help but feel sad: "It's hard to accept, isn't it! When I first met him, I had the same reaction as you. When I was young, my father and uncles were afraid of upsetting my grandfather, so they rarely mentioned my eldest uncle at home. I could only piece together what my eldest uncle looked like from the snippets of conversations they exchanged with the ladies of the court."

In my imagination, he was tall, handsome, and exceptionally talented—a man whose beauty was unforgettable at first sight. But when I actually saw him, I found he bore absolutely no resemblance to the person in my mind. He was filthy, disheveled, timid, and utterly repulsive!

Yuan Zhi helped them both sit down. "The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. I can understand you. But he is your family. No matter what he becomes, he will always be your closest relative!"

Chu Lanyin smirked, "The ridiculous thing is, it took me three days to understand this! My anger stemmed from vanity; I forgot that family isn't for showing off. I shouldn't use his suffering to criticize his appearance. I should be there for him, protect him, and ensure he has a worry-free life. That's what true family is!"

Yuan Zhi stroked her head and said, "You've grown up."

"Grown up! Grown up! Hehe, grown up!" Chu Xia shouted along with a silly grin.

Yuan Zhi chuckled, "Let's not be sad anymore. It's truly an honor to meet the legendary Young Master Chu today. Let's eat and drink well, and not leave until we're drunk!"

"Eat meat! Eat meat!" Chu Xia slapped the table and shouted excitedly.

Chu Lan wiped away her tears and said with a smile, "Yes, we're having meat today!"

Yuan Zhi instructed the maid to serve the best wine and tea, and to bring out all the signature dishes.

Bring out all the signature dishes, especially when the restaurant is this busy?

That's twelve dishes!

The maid hurried downstairs, silently praying that the head chef wouldn't get angry.

As the sun sets and its afterglow shines obliquely, the delicious dishes on the table steam, a scene of ordinary, everyday life.

Yuan Zhi opened the "Chaojinque" wine bottle. "This is imperial wine personally named by His Majesty. Please try it!"

She poured a cup for Lan Yin and herself, but worried that the wine would interfere with the medicine Chu Xia was drinking, so she poured him a cup of tea instead.

Chu Xia, displeased, pointed at their cups and said, "I want to drink!"

Yuan Zhi was in a dilemma. Chu Lanyin thought for a moment, took the wine cup, and poured him a little bit.

"Uncle, please don't tell anyone! If Father and Grandfather find out I took you drinking, they'll beat me to death!"

Chu Xia rolled his eyes, his voice suddenly rising, "I know, it's... a secret!"

"Yes, it's a secret! Heaven and earth know, the three of us know, and no one else can tell!"

Yuan Zhi lowered her head and chuckled to herself. These two were just like two little kids!

She sighed, "I was hoping to get drunk with you, but now it seems you'd better watch your step! Otherwise, if you get drunk and get beaten up, and the Marquis of Changping's mansion comes after me, there won't be anyone to plead for you!"

Chu Lan clinked glasses with her, saying, "Sister-in-law, please don't curse me now!"

"Xiao Zong and I are divorced. Don't call me sister-in-law anymore, just call me Sister Yuan!"

"I've heard that when you and your cousin went hunting in the spring, you slept under the open sky, your love was passionate and intense, more dramatic than any opera!"

Yuan Zhi was incredulous. "How could a young lady like you hear such vulgar language?"

“Miss Sun’s mother said,” Chu Lanyin said, her eyes sparkling, her hand covering her lips, “She also said that your neck was bitten by your cousin and bled. Is that true?”

Yuan Zhi touched his neck and said stiffly, "It's fake."

Chu Lanyin smiled meaningfully; this didn't seem fake. But her sister-in-law was easily embarrassed, so it was best not to expose her.

thump—

After finishing his drink, Chu Xia slumped onto the table, muttering something under his breath.

"No...no more dreams of Tusu wine, the night is still young with the lamp burning."