The Minister: Cold by Day, Hot by Night-Chapter 33: Soiling Lu Zhan’s Robe

Hearing their story, Ouyang Lei and his two companions couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the couple’s plight.

The two were childhood sweethearts. If not for Little Cui’s snobbish brother and sister-in-law, they would have long been married and living a happy life together.

But—

Ouyang Lei frowned and said in a deep voice, "So because Guo Yong treated you that way and filled you with hatred, you two conspired that night to steal the soldier’s dagger, kill Guo Yong, and frame the soldier for it."

Lady Zhong wept, shaking her head as she explained, "Before that night, we’d never thought of killing Guo Yong. It’s because he wasn’t human! The night before the soldier came to stay, Guo Yong tortured me relentlessly. He even forced me and Ah Xiang... to do *that* in front of him. We felt worse than dead. But even after we did what he demanded, he threatened to torture our child when he was a little older, making him suffer just as we did.

We were terrified. That’s why we decided we had to kill him..."

Ouyang Lei and his companions were shocked by what they heard.

’That Guo Yong truly was worse than a beast. Torturing the two of them wasn’t enough; he even had designs on their child.’

"Then you never thought of running away? Or reporting it to the Government?"

"How could we not have thought of it? But where could we have run? Little Cui and Guo Yong had a marriage certificate, registered with the Government. We had nowhere to run. Reporting it would have been useless, too. Guo Yong had connections in the Government," Ah Xiang said dejectedly.

"So, the two of you plotted to kill Guo Yong the next day. To give Lady Zhong an alibi, you had her return to her parents’ home while you hid in the inn, waiting for an opportunity. As it happened, a soldier came to stay that night. With Lady Zhong gone, Guo Yong lacked his usual ’entertainment’ and started drinking with the soldier instead.

And when Guo Yong got drunk and went back to his room, you stole the soldier’s blade, killed Guo Yong, and framed the soldier for it?" Ouyang Lei said, his tone a mix of anger and disappointment.

Ah Xiang lowered his head in shame. "I didn’t want to frame the soldier at first. But I was afraid the Government would investigate and find me and Little Cui. I’m not afraid to die myself, but I didn’t want Little Cui and our child to be implicated because of me. I am the one who wronged the soldier. But none of this has anything to do with Little Cui. I was the one who killed him, and I was the one who framed the soldier."

Ouyang Lei and his companions sighed heavily. While they sympathized with the couple, they were also vexed by Ah Xiang’s actions.

"You were the victims, and your plight is deeply sympathetic. But you used the wrong method and framed a soldier, nearly costing an innocent man his life."

"It was all my idea, it had nothing to do with Ah Xiang! He has always been a kind man. If it weren’t for me, he would never have suffered all this. Please, sir, spare Ah Xiang! Let me pay for Guo Yong’s life with my own," Lady Zhong pleaded desperately.

"No, it was all my idea. I’m the one who killed Guo Yong, so I should be the one to pay for it with my life. I beg you, sir, show mercy beyond the bounds of the law and do not involve Little Cui.

Our child is so young! He can’t lose his mother!" Ah Xiang said with anguish, then began kowtowing forcefully to the three of them. BANG! BANG! BANG!

Ouyang Lei found it hard to bear, especially when he saw the few-months-old baby in Lady Zhong’s arms. For a moment, his resolve wavered.

But he quickly regained his clarity.

He said in a low voice, "While Lady Zhong did not kill Guo Yong, she knew about it, which makes her an accomplice. Afterward, she concealed the truth and harbored you, causing an innocent soldier to be wrongly convicted. Your lives are lives, but is the soldier’s life not a life? According to the laws of the Great Chen, even those who know of a crime and fail to report it must be punished!"

’Wrong is wrong. They must face the strict punishment of the law.’

’Otherwise, how would that be fair to the soldier who was framed?’

At this thought, the last trace of pity in Ouyang Lei’s heart faded away.

Ah Xiang’s face turned ashen.

But Lady Zhong firmly grabbed his hand. "Brother Ah Xiang, if we must die, our family will die together. We couldn’t be together in life, but at least we can be together in death."

Ah Xiang turned to look at her, then nodded heavily. He reached out and pulled her and the child into his arms. "Mm!"

Looking at the couple’s deathly pale faces, Ouyang Lei finally couldn’t hold back. He gave a light cough and said, "Although Lady Zhong failed to report the crime and harbored the true culprit, she won’t be sentenced to death. At most, she’ll receive a caning and be imprisoned for three months."

...

「Capital City, Duke Dingguo Mansion.」

Ever since Lady Wei had spoken to Zhi Wan about taking on a live-in husband, Zhi Wan had taken the matter to heart.

Although her aunt had told her not to worry about Silver, she still wanted to earn some for herself.

She had previously considered selling her art albums to a bookstore, but the idea was delayed by the Fu family’s flower viewing banquet. Later, she injured her hip and had been cooped up in her room recovering.

On this day, she felt her hip was no longer sore. She even had Shuang’er check it, and the bruising had faded. So she decided to take her art album and head out to a bookstore to inquire.

When Shuang’er learned she was going out, she wanted to accompany her, but Zhi Wan refused.

"Your injuries haven’t fully healed yet, so you shouldn’t be running around. I’ll just have Dongxiang go with me today."

Shuang’er had no choice but to give up.

Zhi Wan took her art album and left the mansion with Dongxiang.

She went directly to the bookstore where Ouyang Zhenzhu had taken her to buy storybooks.

The bookstore was called He Xu Bookstore. It was a large, two-story establishment that sold all kinds of books and had quite a few customers.

Zhi Wan didn’t let Dongxiang follow her inside, telling her to wait outside the door.

As soon as she entered the bookstore, she went straight to the manager and stated her purpose.

The bookstore manager looked at her with some surprise.

Although her face was covered by a veiled hat, he could tell from her voice that she was a young lady.

After looking through the art album Zhi Wan handed him, the manager dropped his casual attitude and invited her into a private room to talk.

When Zhi Wan came out of the bookstore again, she was still in disbelief.

’Things had gone so smoothly.’

All of her paintings had been sold. Moreover, the payment Manager Jin offered was quite substantial.

It was her first time selling her art, and since they were such risqué drawings, she had been afraid no one would buy them. That was why she had only brought ten today.

But to her surprise, he had bought all of them after looking them over and even gave her one hundred taels of Silver.

Manager Jin even said that if she had more similar drawings, he would buy them too, and urged her to draw more and bring them over as soon as possible.

She had only come to test the waters today, but she never expected the bookstore would actually buy them.

After calming down, Zhi Wan felt a surge of joy.

’If the bookstore continues to buy my drawings, I can save up Silver quickly. Supporting my own live-in husband shouldn’t be a problem then.’

Dongxiang, who had been waiting outside the bookstore, saw Zhi Wan come out and walk ahead with her head down. She quickly hurried to catch up. "Miss."

Zhi Wan stopped in her tracks. Only then did she remember Dongxiang was waiting for her. "Sorry for making you wait so long," she said apologetically.

Dongxiang shook her head. "I didn’t wait long. But Miss, is something on your mind?"

Zhi Wan smiled. "No."

She was in a good mood, and seeing a street vendor selling sugar paintings, she bought three.

She gave one to Dongxiang, kept one for herself, and saved the last one for Shuang’er.

Dongxiang looked at the delicate sugar painting in her hand, somewhat reluctant to eat it.

"Go on and eat it. It’ll melt if you don’t," Zhi Wan reminded her.

The one she held was in the shape of a butterfly and looked incredibly beautiful.

’In truth, she was a little reluctant to eat it herself.’

Because she ate it slowly, the sugar painting was still whole when they returned to the Duke Dingguo Mansion, though it had gotten a bit thinner.

After getting out of the carriage, Zhi Wan held up her sugar painting and prepared to enter the mansion gates.

But just as she was about to step over the threshold, someone came walking out from inside.

Zhi Wan was startled and quickly dodged aside.

Though she managed to avoid a collision, the sugar painting in her hand brushed against the person’s robes.

Lu Zhan hadn’t expected to run into anyone either.

He looked down at the sticky sugar stain on the front of his robe, his handsome brows furrowing slightly.