Chapter 66: Hu Bugui
The master has not returned home for many days, and the first one to get restless is naturally Li Wenqin.
Even though she knew some secrets, she just felt that Wen Youqing was indecent and had used some tricks to get this child.
To this child, after all, it was Cui Junji's child. She looked at Shen Laixi who was writing obediently...
Such a good child, who has lived under someone else's roof since childhood and has a gentle and humble temperament. If such a private matter were known, I wonder what he would think.
Suddenly, she thought of her mother-in-law. Although she was not a mother-in-law... since the Wang family fell, her mother-in-law had the bearing of a mistress. Her own children were always away from home, so she should do her part.
Li Wenqin took her youngest son and Shen Laixi to pay their respects to her mother-in-law. Her youngest son asked softly, "Can we not go?"
As a mother, no one wants their children to suffer injustice, and she understood her sons' reluctance to pay their respects. But it was the rule, and she had to go. Besides, her once aloof mother-in-law had become much more friendly since the fall of the Wang family.
Li Wenqin bent down and said softly, "Mother-in-law just lost a relative, she's sad, so her temper is understandable, isn't it?"
The younger son wrung his hands, still unwilling to go.
"Look, what would happen to you if your father and mother were gone?"
"Father and Mother must be here!" the youngest son said anxiously, as if he was afraid that Li Wenqin was really missing.
Shen Laixi took Li Jue's hand and said, "Let's go pay our respects to our mother-in-law and make her happy."
The commotion surrounding the greetings was within her expectations. It was the first time Cui Wangshi met Shen Laixi. She was startled at first, her pupils trembling, but she said nothing. She simply calmly let the two juniors eat some cakes.
Suddenly, Cui Wangshi said earnestly: "You and your husband are one. You must bear the responsibility for any foolish things he does."
An outstanding man from aristocratic family has countless people taking care of all kinds of things for him. It doesn't matter even if they know what they have done.
After seeing her mother-in-law's reaction, Li Wenqin understood - Cui Junji must have told Cui Wangshi everything, and everyone knew Shen Laixi's life experience.
But why was she so unable to accept it? Was it just because she loved her husband? No, that wasn't right.
"This child is very obedient. If it was my daughter-in-law's child, I don't know how much worry I would have saved." Li Wenqin sighed.
"You raise him and he will be your child. When Zihe comes back, I will ask for a reward for you." Cui Wangshi understood that Cui Junji would definitely recognize this child, so she had to think of a legitimate reason first to prevent Cui Junji from being criticized.
But Cui Wangshi did not notice the gloomy look her daughter-in-law gave Shen Laixi.
—
Before the rainstorm, Wen Youqing had already finished drawing the blueprint and handed it to Cui Junji, saying solemnly, "I dare not be careless. This blueprint must be reviewed by the officials and craftsmen of the Ministry of Works for joint discussion."
Cui Junji naturally distributed the drawings, and no one dared to disobey Cui Junji's orders.
So, for the two weeks after the Yellow River rainstorm, Wen Youqing often sat by the window, waiting for news, her gaze lost in thought at the emerald green leaves of the sycamore trees in the courtyard. She wore a simple, elegant light green dress, with no ornaments in her hair, looking like an ordinary woman.
"Miss, it's time to take your medicine." The maid Xiao He walked in with a bowl of thick black medicine, her tone cautious.
Wen Youqing didn't turn around, but just asked softly: "Is there any news outside today?"
Xiao He put down the medicine bowl and said in a carefree manner, "Miss, don't worry too much. The rainstorm last month was also very heavy. The dam has held back the water. Relax and take good care of your body first."
Yes, I have tried it last month. Except for a small problem at a sharp turn, everything else is fine.
Wen Youqing felt a little relieved, took the medicine bowl, and drank it all in one gulp. The medicine was bitter, making her feel nauseous, so she quickly stuffed a dried apricot into her mouth.
Cui Junji had specially asked a renowned doctor to prescribe this medicine, claiming it could treat coldness and yin deficiency in the body. However, every time she drank it, she would become drowsy and take a short nap.
While she was drowsy, she seemed to hear someone whispering.
"The refugees from the Yellow River are just outside Beijing. Why haven't you told her the truth?"
"What do you mean, I said the young master won't peel your skin off?"
The sound was so tiny, like crickets chirping under the bed, so noisy that it kept people awake.
After an unknown amount of time, Wen Youqing suddenly woke up, her entire back soaked with sweat. Xiaohe hurried to help her change her clothes. But Wen Youqing's fingers suddenly tightened, grabbing her underwear and saying, "Refugee, why are you here in the suburbs of Beijing?"
It was like a heavy hammer hitting her. Xiao He and the other maids knelt on the ground, not daring to breathe.
"Fuck!" Wen Youqing hadn't cursed for a long time. Disbelief and panic made her rush out of the door. The servants and maids who tried to stop her were also beaten out by her.
As the door opened, Cui Junji came in and hugged Wen Youqing around the waist.
The door slammed shut in front of Wen Youqing again.
"Cui Junji! Let me down! What's happening in the Yellow River? Why are there refugees again?"
Cui Junji walked very quickly without saying a word. As soon as he entered the room, he threw her onto the couch and closed the door with his foot.
He was wearing court robes and had obviously just come here after court.
He noticed Wen Youqing's red and swollen eyes, and instantly lost all his temper. He put his clothes on her first to prevent her from catching a cold.
"Crying?" He walked over to her and said in a gentle voice, "These little things are all due to the poor supervision of the people below. What does it have to do with you..."
"I want the truth!" Wen Youqing looked up at him, her eyes filled with anger, shock, and panic, but her voice was already choked with sobs: "The Yellow River has burst its banks again. It's my design that's wrong, isn't it? I've harmed so many people..."
Cui Junji sighed and gently pulled her into his arms. "How could it be your fault? I asked someone else to submit the blueprints to me before, and that person rose to prominence thanks to that piece of paper. How could it be your fault? The problem this time is that your blueprints are too intricate, and those experienced craftsmen in the Ministry of Works couldn't understand them, so they made many unauthorized changes during construction. Although I tried my best to supervise, I can't do everything myself."
He pulled a document from his sleeve. "Look, this is the disaster report the court just received. Those corrupt officials not only tampered with your design, but also withheld building materials, passing off inferior materials as good ones. Now a catastrophe has occurred, and no one is responsible."
Wen Youqing took the document with trembling hands. The figures on it were shocking: seven counties affected, thousands missing, tens of thousands displaced...
Maybe it was because she was too angry, but she felt dizzy and almost fainted.
"You were personally supervising this, how dare they!" she said, suddenly bursting into tears, "How dare they? This is life-saving money. If we all die, we should die together!"
Cui Junji patted her back gently and said, "Don't blame yourself. Today at court, the emperor has issued an order to investigate corruption in the Ministry of Works."
He paused, his tone heavy with sorrow: "It's just that those people have already destroyed the evidence and shifted the blame onto those insignificant people. Don't worry, I will make them all come out on their own."
Wen Youqing looked up suddenly: "Then what? Kill them and pay with their lives, or dismiss them and investigate without any loss?"
Seeing that she didn't trust him so much, Cui Junji sighed inwardly, but still gently wiped away her tears, "Don't worry, evil people need evil people like me to deal with them."
That night, Wen Youqing tossed and turned in bed. In a trance, she seemed to hear the roar of water and see countless people struggling and crying for help in the flood.
She knew she had developed a stress disorder after the fire. It wasn't that she was a saint, or that she was concerned about the country and the people, she was simply afraid. The sudden transformation of those people into zombies was her nightmare.
At some point, when Cui Junji finished washing up and was getting ready for bed, he saw Wen Youqing curled up in the corner of the bed, trembling all over.
"Are you having a nightmare?" His voice was particularly gentle in the darkness. He gently hugged Wen Youqing's body, allowing her stiff body to relax slightly.
Wen Youqing clutched his hand tightly as if it were a lifeline, and her words remained as tough as ever, "I'm fine, just a little cold."
"Don't be afraid, I'm here." Cui Junji leaned over and gave her a light kiss on the forehead without any lust.
Wen Youqing didn't refuse - in this lonely and desperate moment, he was her only support. "Let them live a life worse than death! Promise me."
"Okay, I promise."
In the days that followed, Cui Junji came to the villa every night, bringing news from the outside world. Each piece of news made Wen Youqing more desperate: the disaster was worsening, the court was furious, and the calls for accountability were growing louder.
"Today, the Emperor was furious and demanded severe punishment for those responsible," Cui Junji said solemnly one evening. "Li Shoucheng and his gang, who submitted the blueprints, jointly submitted a petition claiming they shouldn't have falsely claimed your blueprints. They've only constructed according to your drawings on both occasions, and they're shifting all the blame onto the deceased."
There are actually people who are so shameless. Wen Youqing's face turned pale and he glared at him: "Isn't he your retainer? How can he be so shameless?"
"I was tricked too. It was planted by the Xie family. His surname is Li. I thought..." Cui Junji explained hurriedly. Today in the court, he responded with a sneer and a question. Facing the person in front of him, he could only explain clearly.
What should I do? I can't stand up and defend myself, otherwise I would be guilty of deceiving the emperor. Wen Youqing pondered. Faking her own death and living in seclusion is a serious crime. If discovered, not only would she be doomed, but Cui Junji would also be implicated, making her next plan even more difficult to achieve.
"Don't worry, I've found some evidence." Cui Junji took out a scroll of documents from his sleeve. "This is the list of materials used during the construction. It's obviously inconsistent with your design. But I need more time..."
Seeing that he hesitated to speak, Wen Youqing asked anxiously, "What else do you need?"
"Your original blueprint." Cui Junji looked at her. "The original blueprint you left behind, which no one else can understand, contains all the calculations and detailed designs. If we can find it, it will prove that Li Shoucheng and his team tampered with the design. If they plagiarized, the blueprint would have to be identical to yours."
Wen Youqing was stunned. She did still have the original blueprint, hidden in her little secret box. No one else would know about it...
She suddenly became alert. The blueprint existed, but he must have thought it was thrown away as a draft, because her secret box was full of her notes, things from another world, how could Cui Junji know?
"How...how do you know there's an original picture?"
She needed to know, and if the answer was definite, she would "bite" him to death.
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