51. Marry a husband
After a group of corrupt officials who accepted bribes were purged from the Xuanyuan clan, the prestige of the Xuanyuan clan was severely damaged, and the power of the emperor and the power of the foreign relatives could be balanced.
Although it was unknown how long the balance would last, some people felt relieved when they saw Mother Cheng's face becoming increasingly grumpy as she attended court.
Xuanyuan clan was Xuanyuan Ying's paternal clan, so he had to give face to Cheng Guomu. He certainly could not punish him directly. When someone pleaded for mercy because the amount of money he embezzled was small, Cheng Guomu looked up at Xuanyuan Ying.
The mother and son looked at each other in the noisy court.
According to the laws of the Ling Kingdom, anyone who embezzled or accepted bribes exceeding 100 taels of silver would be beheaded in public to serve as a warning to others.
This plea for mercy is also nonsensical, it is just the instruction of Cheng Guomu.
Yun Zhihe glanced at Mother Cheng and saw the gaze between Mother Cheng and Xuanyuan Ying.
If Xuanyuan Ying couldn't do this evil thing, then Yun Zhihe would come.
Yun Zhihe stepped forward. "Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, corruption and bribery have become rare. In recent years, treacherous and corrupt officials have been afraid to act because of Your Majesty's majesty."
"But who would have thought that someone could deceive his superiors and subordinates, and amassed wealth for years without knowing who was protecting him."
She spoke "I don't know who will protect me" word by word, and it was obvious that there was something else behind her words. Mother Cheng paused and looked at her with a sharp look in her eyes.
Mother Cheng took a deep breath and stopped talking.
If they want to protect these people, then they have to find out the person who is protecting them behind the scenes. This is obviously a threat to the Xuanyuan family. Although the Xuanyuan family has a deep foundation and is not easy to shake, if they lose Xuanyuan Ying's trust, there will be some trouble.
Xuanyuan Ying and the Xuanyuan clan lived and died together, relied on each other, yet also confronted each other.
The dust has settled, and several corrupt officials have been punished according to law.
The corruption case was over, but another case that followed was where did the huge sum of money come from?
Although the matter was reported, Xuanyuan Ying did not pass down the case. Obviously... he did not want Yun Zhihe to investigate further.
But in just a moment, they met again and walked side by side with Yuanzi Luo. Both of them looked normal and even smiled, like friends walking together, but Yuanzi Luo's voice was soft.
"Madam Yun has made great achievements recently. She is truly glorious. I would like to congratulate Madam Yun on her continued advancement."
"Thank you, Madam Yuan."
Yun Zhihe answered calmly, obviously not caring much.
But Yuanzi Luo suddenly paused, then looked at her, his voice slightly lowered.
"Madam Yun has been too conspicuous lately. Everyone knows your goal. I can say I admire you..."
Her voice grew softer, and the emotion in her eyes was unclear. "Just one piece of advice, don't get in the way."
Yun Zhihe paused, but there was no emotion on his face, only a hint of solemnity in his eyes.
Perhaps it was because the two of them were political enemies on a daily basis, but they were walking together today, and the atmosphere seemed wrong. Several court officials cast strange glances at them.
Before Yun Zhihe could speak, someone came over and stood between the two of them without saying a word, speaking in a clear voice.
"Madam Yun, my carriage broke down today. Could you give me a ride?"
Yun Zhihe paused, looked at Wen Yanhe who had squeezed in, and nodded.
"Of course."
He thought the two of them had something to say to each other, so he came to help.
Yuanzi Luo obviously understood what Wen Yanhe meant. He curled his lips slightly and said something meaningless.
"Mrs. Yun's peach blossoms are truly flourishing."
Wen Yanhe paused, then turned and smiled, looking at Yuanzi Luo.
"So, the original lady is not flourishing? If you want to enjoy the peach blossoms, you should do so in spring. Why are you discussing them in late autumn and early winter?"
"Oh right...it's bitterly cold at the border, Madam Yuan, I'm afraid you've never seen peach blossoms, have you?"
He expressed slight surprise.
Yuan Ziluo sneered, unable to help but lower his eyes, and quickly begged for mercy, "Master Wen's words are full of sarcasm, and it can be regarded as a testimony to the young master's eloquence. Yuan is unable to argue, so I'm leaving."
Wen Yanhe paused, looked at her departing back, and his expression became cold.
Officials always speak in a roundabout way. Wen Yanhe's words were sarcastic and mocking Yuanzi Luo for meddling in other people's affairs.
Logically, she should have refuted it, but she let him point out the sarcasm, clarified his gender, and attributed the "clever talk" to her husband, obviously saying that Wen Yanhe was no match for a man, who was sharp-tongued. In the end, she begged for mercy and left, leaving Wen Yanhe unable to reason with her anymore.
On the surface, she was the one who fled, but in fact, it was Wen Yanhe who lost.
He was furious at her few words of tolerance and plea, and he pursed his lips and frowned slightly.
Young Master Wen relies on his eloquence, but he hasn't been so angry for a long time.
Yun Zhihe also understood the meaning of her words, realized the victory or loss in this tit-for-tat, and looked at Wen Yanhe with a smile.
"But it's been a long time since I saw Master Wen get humiliated."
Wen Yanhe paused, pursed his lips, his face was handsome, but there was no smile on his face, and his voice was clear.
"I thought Madam Yun was bullied by Madam Yuan, so I rushed here. Now she's smiling. It's obvious that the two of them were having a great conversation."
"Why would this humble official bore himself?" He laughed again and looked at Yun Zhihe, "Madam Yun, you should go look for Madam Yuan."
"Of course, there are many romantic opportunities. Even Madam Yuan, a political enemy, can fall under Madam Yun's charm. Really..."
"Ahem."
Seeing that his words were getting more and more outrageous, Yun Zhihe coughed twice and interrupted his nonsense.
She felt somewhat helpless, and the two of them walked side by side towards the carriage at the palace gate.
Wen Yanhe, a young man from a noble family, has a slim figure and a tall and graceful stature. When she walks, she exudes dignified elegance and grace. She walks gracefully and with great grace. Because of her extraordinary appearance, she has won the hearts of many young officials.
Seeing the two of them walking side by side, some slightly hostile gazes fell on Yun Zhihe.
Yun Zhihe obviously sensed it, chuckled, and said softly, "Just now I said that I have a lot of peach blossoms, and now I see that Master Wen has a lot of peach blossoms too."
Wen Yanhe paused, pursed her lips, and wanted to refute, but suddenly pursed her lips and stopped talking.
...Are you angry?
Yun Zhihe was a little confused.
She had just made a joke and didn't expect the joke to be so offensive. Wen Yanhe stopped answering and Yun Zhihe sighed lightly.
She really didn't know what the gentlemen liked, and she didn't know how to offend him. The two of them were silent all the way and got into the carriage again.
This time, Master Wen did not refuse Yun Zhihe's outstretched hand, and followed her strength to get on the carriage.
The two sat opposite each other. Yun Zhihe supported his head and looked at Master Wen who was sulking across from him. He thought deeply about what he had just said, but could not find any offensive words.
After thinking about it, I decided to apologize.
"just……"
Before she could speak, Wen Yanhe raised his eyes to look at him. In an instant, the rippling falling snow came into his sight, which was extremely beautiful.
His profile was illuminated by the sunlight outside the curtain, with fragmented light. His nose was tall and white, his eyes were slightly red, and he asked softly.
"...Are you serious and don't care about me?"
Yun Zhihe suddenly paused, and the apology he wanted to say was completely stuck in his throat.
Wen Yanhe's anger just now was not directed at Yun Zhihe, but at herself.
Her words were a joke between friends, but she only treated him as a friend and was not jealous for a moment. Her voice was flat but also teasing.
Wen Yanhe felt very uncomfortable.
At this moment, he looked into Yun Zhihe's eyes, his eyes were fragmented, like a white fox monster, wearing jade-colored white clothes, clear, unique and extremely beautiful.
Those words echoed in Yun Zhihe's mind, "Are you serious? You don't care about me?"
She didn't know how to answer and was extremely confused for a moment.
Does this count as a confession...?
For a moment, the carriage was silent.
Wen Yanhe looked into her eyes stubbornly, seeing the confusion and shock in her eyes, and slowly lowered his eyelashes.
He glanced at the pastries on the coffee table, concealing the emotions in his voice, and spoke softly.
"It's just a joke, Madam Yun, don't worry too much."
Yun Zhihe finally came back to her senses and looked up at her in a daze.
"You, just now..."
“…Just kidding.”
Wen Yanhe didn't look at her directly, and said in a hoarse voice, "After all, I am a beautiful man, and everyone wants to marry me. I also think that Madam Yun and I are childhood sweethearts, so she must be happy with me."
"Fortunately, there isn't one, otherwise I would have to deal with another love-struck girl."
He said this without changing his expression and in a gentle tone, but his fingertips were clenched and white as he gripped the jade fan.
"This young master only wants to test you. After all, there are rumors in the capital that Madam Yun is not interested in men. I'm afraid she is just polishing the mirror."
"It seems that there is some progress in polishing the mirror."
After hearing what he said, Yun Zhihe's expression became confused again.
It seems that I can't cope with this huge amount of information.
Finally, as the carriage swayed in turns, she came to a dazed conclusion: Wen Yanhe had an unknown narcissistic side, and the rumors in the capital were absurd.
In the end, she couldn't bear it any longer, so she sat in the Yun Mansion and asked Azhi to go out and find out something.
The information that Ah Zhi brought back brought a hint of rift to her usually calm face. Because of her meritorious service, all the young men in the capital came to throw themselves at her, and matchmakers also came to her every day to propose marriage, but she rejected them all.
As a result, there were rumors that she was not interested in men and was just a mirror polisher.
However, the rumor was a little outrageous. It even said that Cui Mingyu and she were a couple. It said that Cui Mingyu was unruly and had many servants. She had a fruitless love relationship with him as his best friend, and she had no feelings for him, which was why she became so cold and aloof from men.
Yun Zhihe didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he heard this, but Azhi laughed so hard that she couldn't breathe, and she laughed with every word she spoke.
Yun Zhihe rubbed his forehead, sighed softly, and figured out some things.
At her age, she has no choice but to get married. It is time for her to get married eventually.
Yun Zhihe stared at a certain place and thought for a long time, then looked up and asked Azhi.
"Azhi, do you think I should get married?"
"……ah?"
Azhi was a little confused.
She was thinking hard, her brows slightly furrowed. The reason she hadn't married before was that she hadn't established a career. Now she was successful in her career and rising steadily. At such a young age, she was already a fourth-rank official. It was obviously unreasonable to use that reason again. No wonder there were rumors that she was a mirror grinder.
So, how about getting married?
She has already moved out of the palace and established her own life. Although the Yun Mansion is relatively small compared to the houses of other dignitaries, it is still a magnificent house. Uncle Wang is old, and it is already difficult for him to manage the affairs of the Yun Mansion.
Marrying a man and taking charge of the affairs of the Yun Mansion can just offset those ridiculous rumors.
Although she doesn't have a loved one, she believes that feelings can be cultivated, and it's not too late to cultivate feelings after her husband gets married.
Treating each other with respect and treating each other with dignity and integrity is the ideal life for a wife and husband for literati.
Yun Zhihe paused, then looked up at Azhi with determination.
"Azhi, I want to get married."
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