Chapter 33 Reunited After a Broken Mirror, Like the First Meeting 3: I Wish to Be Married to Chi Yanzhou...
Lu Yuan knelt on the ground and loudly proclaimed his innocence. How could he possibly do something that would exterminate three generations of his family? Even if he were given ten thousand lives, he wouldn't dare.
Everyone knows that he worked diligently as Minister of War, doing whatever the emperor said. Although his achievements were not outstanding, he also did not cause any major problems.
The fact that the Ministry of War's weapons were switched must have been framed by someone.
Lu Yuan thought bitterly: Who wants to harm him!
However, the weapons were transported from the capital to the border, passing through various administrative stations along the way. Furthermore, the escort team that returned recently and the official documents from the Ministry of War did not mention any unusual phenomena along the way, indicating that the weapons were switched when they were not checking.
Thinking of this, Lu Yuan realized that something was amiss. He could only imagine that even the Sage might have noticed it.
He bears responsibility for this matter. The fact that the weapons were secretly switched, leading to a major defeat at the border, suggests that there was a traitor within the Ministry of War. Now that the Ministry of War's guilt is undeniable, he also bears responsibility and can no longer deny his innocence.
When exactly did the Ministry of War become infiltrated by a mole?
He actually betrayed his country and colluded with the enemy for personal gain. If he found this person, he would want to kill his ancestors for eighteen generations.
Lu Yuan was still kneeling on the ground, but his head was already buried low in the floor.
His face still showed tears, but he changed his words: "Your Majesty is wise and discerning. I would never betray Yongping. However, this matter was also due to the Ministry of War's negligence and poor management, which gave the villains the opportunity to switch the weapons. The Ministry of War is guilty, and I, Lu Yuan, deserve to die even more. I beg Your Majesty to punish me. But the most urgent task is to find the traitor hiding in the Ministry of War."
Lu Yuan spoke earnestly and with a sincere and loyal attitude.
Even if the matter involved the Ministry of War, it would be better for him to be demoted or exiled to a remote area than for his whole family to lose their heads.
Zhao Hanhong sat high at the head of the table, and the others dared not look directly at the emperor. They could not guess what he was thinking at that moment. The emperor's power and anger were too much for them, his subjects, to bear.
The three men were worried about Lu Yuan, who was kneeling on the ground, but the emperor had not yet spoken and his attitude was unclear. How could they know how to speak up for Lu Yuan?
Moreover, since it concerns important matters on the border, they cannot easily speak up.
For a while, the council hall was completely silent, so Wang Fei, who was not afraid of the sage, could calmly look around and wait for the sage to issue an order for a thorough investigation.
Just three days ago, the case of the murder at the Cui residence was still unresolved. The criminals had acted too discreetly, and the law enforcement department had no clue whatsoever.
If we were to thoroughly investigate the Ministry of War now, I fear it would be too much of a move, causing unrest among the people and harming the country. If the mole within the Ministry of War were to become aware of this and destroy the evidence beforehand, it would be impossible to pursue the matter further.
Only a handful of people know about this right now, so it can be done in secret. If word gets out, they are the ones who should be most suspicious.
Zhao Hanhong hadn't spoken yet, leaving his subordinates to speculate wildly. His expression was unreadable, his earlier anger had subsided, and no one knew what he was really thinking.
While people were talking below, he took off the gold and jade thumb ring from his thumb, held it in his hand, and played with it, turning it and carefully stroking the dragon pattern on it.
Zhao Hanhong's eyes were filled with gloom. Recently, one incident after another had occurred. First, there was the tip of the iceberg of the salt mine smuggling incident, then the Cui family's incident, and now the border defeat involving the Ministry of War. All of these were closely related to the imperial court. The mastermind behind them really didn't mind the trouble. I'm afraid he has a bigger scheme.
The blueprints recently developed by the Ministry of War are still classified. If someone else wants to change weapons, they will definitely make an exact copy. You should know that after a new weapon is developed, it will take a long time for the blueprints to be obtained after it is disassembled. In other words, some people had the idea of changing weapons months ago, or even earlier.
Who has such great power to use people within the Ministry of War to obtain blueprints and then purchase large quantities of pig iron to manufacture inferior weapons in exchange?
Even within the imperial court, few could achieve this level of skill...
Zhao Hanhong's expression instantly darkened. How many people in his court were watching him? How many traitors or people who sold out their country were there?
Zhao Hanhong's expression darkened further, his aura turning cold and sharp.
"I do not know when the news of the court was made known to the outside world, and when the latest weapon blueprints of the Ministry of War were leaked. The Ministry of War has failed in its duties and committed the crime of weapons being replaced, yet no one noticed? The Ministry of War is so useless! Due to the Ministry of War's mistake, a defeat was made on the border, resulting in the loss of four thousand elite soldiers and one general. Let us not discuss the fault for now, but wait until the matter is investigated before we decide how to punish them."
"If this matter is leaked, I will punish the perpetrator severely."
Zhao Hanhong thought that he could not move the people in the Ministry of War at the moment, as it concerned the border and his people, and it was urgent to find out the truth.
He said, "Lu Yuan, please recount in detail what happened in the Ministry of War in the past month. The Ministry of War will cooperate with the Enforcement Department in the investigation."
"Wang Fei, I'm only giving you ten days to give me a result. If you fail, I'll take your heads as an apology."
The tenth day was the most extreme date that Zhao Hanhong had allowed after some flexibility.
He didn't care what methods Wang Fei used, as long as he didn't arbitrarily arrest or falsely accuse people or cause deaths.
Use it as you see fit.
——
Cui Mansion, Yutang Courtyard.
After that day, Cui Fuyu was in a coma for two days. Not only did she not wake up, but she also developed a fever, which nearly terrified the Cui family and Chi Yanzhou.
They also worried that her fever meant something was wrong, and that if she didn't wake up for a long time, she would become critically ill.
Thinking that something had happened to her again, they sent someone to the palace to invite Physician Chu to come and take a look.
Only then did they learn about the wound healing process and that occasional fever was normal. She instructed the maid to frequently change the wet wipes on Cui Fuyu's forehead, and after adjusting the prescription, she had the maid prepare the medicine for Cui Fuyu to take. Only after her fever subsided did Physician Chu leave.
During the day, Chi Yanzhou would stay in Cui Fuyu's room for the entire day, doing many things himself.
Chi Yanzhou wanted her to see him at first glance.
Men and women should not be too close to each other, so at night, maids would serve them.
Chi Yanzhou's status in the Cui residence remained highly sensitive, and no one in the residence looked at him strangely or made things difficult for him.
Everyone treated him with respect and courtesy, and even Zhao Ying and Cui Shihai made him feel at ease staying there.
It was as if Chi Yanzhou was also a member of the Cui family.
Yesterday at the end of the 5-7 PM, Cui Fuyu woke up from his deep sleep.
The entire mansion was transformed from its gloomy atmosphere!
At this moment, Cui Fuyu leaned against the headboard, propped up by a soft pillow behind her, slowly eating the porridge that Chi Yanzhou had personally fed her. The injury on her back was still healing, and it would probably take more than a month to fully recover.
She has great difficulty getting up, and even the slightest movement will aggravate her wounds, often causing her to grimace in pain. She still needs the help of Juning and Zhujin.
When I can't sleep at night because of the pain, I have to take some addictive painkillers to fall asleep.
My energy and spirit are much better today, and my complexion is slowly recovering.
She looked at Chi Yanzhou with a smile in her eyes. Now she no longer needed to let Chi Yanzhou live in the villa, and she didn't have to run back and forth between the two places.
Chi Yanzhou fed her spoonfuls of porridge, asking, "What are you thinking about?"
"Of course I'm thinking about us. We haven't had a proper talk since I woke up." She looked earnestly into Chi Yanzhou's eyes. After these two incidents, she had learned some lessons.
When there are problems between lovers, they need to communicate well, and if there are misunderstandings, they should be explained clearly in time.
You shouldn't just keep asking the other person to give; that's taking.
Chi Yanzhou was stunned for a moment, then smiled.
It seems his young lady has learned her lesson from the incident.
“Ayu, it’s all in the past. Let bygones be bygones. Now we cherish each other. My family is poor and I’m afraid I’m not good enough for you. I want to pass the imperial examinations first so I can give you something better.” Chi Yanzhou said solemnly, “After I pass the examinations, I will ask my uncle and aunt to marry you. I want to give you all the proper betrothal gifts. Even if I have to marry into the Cui family after the marriage, I will do whatever you want!”
"Ayu, I love you and want to live a simple life with you."
It seems that he and Cui Fuyu never formally expressed their feelings for each other.
Chi Yanzhou's words at this moment revealed his true feelings; he had always wanted to spend his life with Cui Fuyu.
It was true before, and it will be true in the future.
After Chi Yanzhou revealed his feelings, he felt uneasy and his heart was pounding. His eyes were fixed on Cui Fuyu, a glimmer of hope flashing across them.
Cui Fuyu looked at his somewhat boyish appearance and chuckled softly, "Chi Yanzhou, actually I've had feelings for you for a long time, but I didn't realize it before, and then I hurt you."
As she said this, she lowered her head silently, her voice low and deep: "Chi Yanzhou, I'm sorry."
"I apologize for everything, including their seeking your help, my casual remark about playing with you, and threatening you with your mother!"
A casual remark made while drunk at a palace banquet ended up hurting Chi Yanzhou the most.
She actually sensed something the next day, but since Chi Yanzhou didn't say anything, she pretended not to know... Little did she expect that the misunderstanding would only grow bigger.
Cui Fuyu realized that her biggest flaw was probably in her relationship with Chi Yanzhou.
Chi Yanzhou had simply been indulging her all along.
She suddenly looked up, staring intently at Chi Yanzhou, her attitude solemn: "Chi Yanzhou, we can get engaged first, and you can become the Cui family's son-in-law after you pass the imperial examination!"
Unbeknownst to her, her words had startled Chi Yanzhou again, and Cui Fuyu saw the disapproval in Chi Yanzhou's eyes.
Cui Fuyu thought that Chi Yanzhou was still questioning her sincerity.
She raised her finger and swore: "Heaven above, I, Cui Fuyu, vow to marry Chi Yanzhou, our love unwavering. If I break this promise, may the heavens punish me..."
Chi Yanzhou didn't give her a chance to finish her sentence, nor did he allow her to make such a vicious oath.
He was clearly just worried and pondering her engagement, so how did it become that he didn't trust her when it came to Cui Fuyu?
He shook his head: "Alright, then you must have the matchmaker come to the Chi family as soon as possible to present me with a betrothal letter!"
Chi Yanzhou spoke the following words almost word by word, which made Cui Fuyu's ears turn red.
Chi Yanzhou rarely saw her shy, and his smile grew even wider.
Cui Fuyu was displeased. "The porridge is getting cold, Chi Yanzhou. I'm not full yet."
This conversation allowed the two to understand each other's feelings and they agreed that Chi Yanzhou would become the son-in-law of the Cui family.
The knot in Cui Fuyu and Chi Yanzhou's hearts was untied, and they made up completely!
Meanwhile, outside the gate of the Cui residence, someone dressed in slightly tattered and dirty clothes was furtively watching the area around the gate.
She is like a mother.
Ru Niang was disheveled and her face was completely black, making her look completely different from her original appearance. She now looked like a beggar.
What did she go through in just half a month?
At this moment, her eyes were dull, and she seemed to have multiple wounds on her body. Ru Niang looked around very vigilantly, hiding at the slightest disturbance.
Seeing that no one was around, Ru Niang quickly knocked on the gate of the Cui residence. "I am Ru Niang. I request an audience with Miss Cui. I regret my decision."
As she spoke, she suddenly became emotional, as if triggered by a shock, and burst into tears. She truly regretted escaping from the Cui residence.
She deserves what she has today...
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Author's Note: This is a transitional chapter. The two lovers have a sweet talk [kissing emoji] and if word gets out, the male lead is willing to become a live-in son-in-law!
I'm waiting for everyone's comments and nutrient solution! [doge emoji with rose in hand] (Please, nobody's around lately, it feels like I'm playing a single-player game [please])
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