My Husband Became the Most Powerful Minister - Chapter 2

Once they got into the carriage, before the small talk could even settle, Yao Qianxue couldn’t help but steer the conversation to the main topic.

She was as curious as the onlookers in the capital, her tone reserved yet mixed with concern, and within that concern was a hint of excitement.

“Xiao Ci, you… what exactly is going on with that Cao Shizi?”

Yao Qianxue’s father was Helan Ci’s uncle, serving as a deputy minister in the Ministry of Revenue, so she had met the Duke Cao Shizi, Li Ting, a few times.

That Cao Shizi was the only son of the Duke Cao matriarch, extremely favored since childhood, handsome and of noble birth. He spoke with a nasal tone and looked at people with his chin raised, making it rare for officials below the fourth rank to see his face directly. Of course, this did not stop many young ladies from wanting to marry him and become the Shizi’s wife.

However, if the lower beam is not straight, one can imagine the upper beam’s condition*.

According to Yao Qianxue’s understanding, Madam Cao of the Duke Cao family never considered ordinary official daughters for her son; all the candidates she presented were either wealthy heiresses or royal relatives. For instance, this time, the unfortunate match with Princess Yunyang involved dozens of carts of clothing and a dowry that could be described as a ten-mile-long bridal procession. Although Princess Yunyang herself was not exceptionally beautiful, she was considered fair-looking and gentle, so it was expected that Cao Shizi would have no complaints.

Who would have thought that the once proud Li Ting would now be in such a state?

Rumor has it that he even attempted to threaten his life several times to resist this marriage arrangement. The Cao family. The Cao family’s strict rules were enforced a few times before he finally compromised and agreed to the marriage. Of course, no one expected that he would change his mind on the day of the wedding.

The girl beside her turned her head in a daze and softly asked, “Hmm?”

The voice was light and gentle, like the sound of shattered jade, yet it carried a hint of captivating tenderness.

Yao Qianxue was momentarily taken aback and hesitated, saying, “Xiao Ci, if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine.” She unconsciously soften her voice, as if afraid that a louder tone might shatter the person in front of her.

“Uh, it’s not that…” Helan Ci snapped back to reality, seemingly unsure of how to respond. “What do you want to ask?”

“Well, it’s about you and that Cao Shizi…”

Helan Ci replied in a nonchalant manner, “We don’t know each other.”

Yao Qianxue was taken aback, “Ah? Then he…”

Helan Ci pulled his emotions away from that fleeting glance, thought for a moment, and concluded, “I have only seen him three times in total, all at banquets. We made eye contact once, but we never spoke a word.”

“Privately… not even once?”

Helan Ci replied firmly, “No.”

“…So what on earth is he going crazy about?”

Helan Ci looked speechlessly at the top of the carriage shed for a moment before finally responding, “Cousin, if you find out anything, remember to let me know.”

Yao Qianxue, after her shock, couldn’t help but ask again, “What about your father…”

Helan Ci shrugged and replied, “He was furious. You know how my father is, cousin; he always thinks that since I grew up without a mother or a proper upbringing, I’m not disciplined enough. He believes that because of this, I must have given others an opportunity to take advantage of me, so he originally ordered that I be confined for a month.”

“And you…”

She was currently sitting in the carriage that had just left the estate, so that order clearly hadn’t been enforced.

Helan Ci held up her delicate, untainted face, as if it might transform into that of a fairy at any moment, and said, “We had a huge argument, and the magistrate from the nearby Dali Temple thought there was a murder at our place, almost sending the servants over in the middle of the night.”

Yao Qianxue swallowed hard, unable to imagine, and asked, “…And then?”

“My father stormed off to the Censorate this morning, looking like he plans to submit at least fifteen or sixteen memorials to impeach the Cao family in the next few days.”

The carriage felt a bit stuffy, and Helan Ci took off her veil hat to fan herself, casually saying, “Aside from poor parenting, it’s no surprise that in these noble households, the unscrupulous servants bully the common people, greedily pocketing money and indulging in extravagance.”

Her gesture was not particularly graceful.

But it was proven that regardless of the posture or movement, it mainly comes down to the face.

Her flawless complexion, as smooth as cream, appeared like a fleeting vision amidst the swirling white gauze, exuding an ethereal aura, radiating a clear light, like a magnificent lotus in full bloom. She was so breathtakingly beautiful that it felt almost sacrilegious to look at her for even a moment longer, yet one couldn’t help but want to gaze again.

When Helan Ci said this, Yao Qianxue felt a pang of empathy.

Not to mention the Cao family’s estate; just the other day, a servant at the Li Guifei’s brother, the Pingjiang Marquis’s residence, killed someone and only paid a bit of money to settle it. It was brushed aside. Who told Li Guifei that she is currently favored by the Emperor, and the second prince is also in his good graces?

Helan Ci placed her veil hat on her knees and said, “Someone came from the Cao family’s residence last night.”

Yao Qianxue was startled, “What did they come for?”

Helan Ci slowly smiled, as if finding it amusing: “Probably to remind me not to harbor delusions. Even if the shizi of the Cao family and the princess of Yunyang are not meant to be together, it has nothing to do with me.”

Yao Qianxue was dumbfounded: “This is just too… shameless! Do they really think everyone would want to marry that Li Ting?”

Helan Ci nodded in agreement: “I’m also puzzled as to why everyone thinks I want to marry that good-for-nothing.”

“Good-for-nothing?”

“Have you seen his poetry from the last Seeking Plum Banquet? It was just a pile of flowery language, completely incoherent, a long piece that made no sense at all, clearly showing a simple mind. And…” Helan Ci paused, emphasizing, “his handwriting is terrible.”

If the noble families of the Marquis rely on their lineage and wealth, then the official families judge based on talent and ability. Even if a son of a high-ranking official fails to enter the government through the imperial examination, while it may not be openly discussed, behind the scenes, people will think that his descendants are unambitious and look down on them—this is quite common, and can even disregard the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children.

At first glance, Yao Qianxue felt that the evaluation standard of Helan Ci seemed to make sense.

Although the sons of noble families can also rely on favoritism to inherit titles and hold official positions, in the Dayong Dynasty, those who truly held power were all civil officials who had risen through the imperial examination, and the cabinet was exclusively composed of Hanlin scholars.

“But…” Yao Qianxue thought for a moment and said, “The Cao family’s wealth is quite substantial.”

—Ordinary women don’t concern themselves with such matters when getting married; whether their husbands are successful is simply not important. Marrying into a noble family means endless glory and wealth, and as long as the husband is presentable and can write a couple of poems, isn’t that enough?

Helan Ci was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, “The yellow and white objects are indeed very tempting, but they are not worth me trading myself for.”

The carriage rolled along as the two chatted, arriving at the entrance of Jueyue Temple.

Today, Jueyue Temple was bustling with people, quite lively.

The monk in charge of receiving the female visitors was familiar with them; he kept his head down and did not look at Helan Ci, guiding the two young ladies while explaining, “The ones outside are this year’s candidates for the imperial examination. Three years ago, a guest here won the top place, so recently, there have been more scholars coming to pray.”

Of course, some were simply here for the excitement with Helan Ci, and that goes without saying.

After finishing their prayers, Yao Qianxue couldn’t contain her excitement: “Shall we take a stroll around the temple later?”

One couldn’t blame her; in this day and age, which young lady from a respectable family hasn’t been influenced by the popular plays circulating in the streets, especially ones like “The Peony Pavilion” and “Romance of The West Chamber”?**

In those scripts, passing the imperial examination is depicted as easy as eating and drinking, with every young scholar portrayed as handsome and talented, inevitably stirring the hearts of budding young women.

Even just a moment ago, Yao Qianxue was still talking about the wealth of the Cao family, but when she encounters a refined and charming young man, she can’t help but steal a few more glances. Who doesn’t harbor a bit of romantic fantasy about talented scholars and beautiful maidens in their hearts?

Helan Ci didn’t intend to go out and attract attention, so she smiled slightly and said, “If my cousin wants to go, then go ahead. I’ll wait for you here.”

The monk led Helan Ci to a side room in the auxiliary hall to rest. She hadn’t slept well last night due to the commotion caused by the people from the Cao Guo family. The maid, Shuang Zhi, was waiting outside, and she was just about to take a short nap. Before she could sit down, she suddenly heard a noise coming from under the offering table.

A person suddenly crawled out from beneath the offering table.

Helan Ci: “……..!?”

She reacted quickly and immediately took a step back.

The man was dressed luxuriously, but his once handsome face was now bruised and battered, looking like a pig’s head. His eyes were filled with sorrow, and his tone was mournful as he took a step forward: “Miss Helan, I finally get to see you.”

It was indeed the Cao shizi, Li Ting, who was rumored to be punished by the family rules of the Cao family.

In the small room, there is only two people, the scene was simple yet more terrifying than seeing a ghost in broad daylight.

Helan Ci immediately turned to leave, but a hand reached out from beside her ear, firmly pressing against the door, no matter how hard she pulled, she couldn’t budge it. The man’s voice was close to her ear, increasingly sorrowful: “Don’t be angry with me. The ceremony isn’t complete; I haven’t married her…”

His low voice carries a sense of intimacy.

The man scent brushed past her ear, and Helan Ci was startled. She instinctively moved aside, forcing herself to calm down, and said in a slow tone, “Young Master, we have no prior acquaintance, so where does this come from? Please, let me go.”

To her surprise, the other party seemed determined, not only refusing to move but also looking at her softly, saying, “…Has someone in my household made things difficult for you? I don’t want to marry her; I only want to marry you…” His gaze was intense, filled with obsession and deep affection. “I will never compromise; I… will never let you down!”

The last sentence was spoken with a firm conviction.

Helan Ci: “…???”

Can someone explain this to her?

Perhaps Helan Ci’s shock was too evident, as the pig-headed Li Ting stood beside her, as Pig Head Li Ting stood beside her, took out a few envelopes of peach-colored love letters from his pocket, and unfolded them with great care: “These are the ones you wrote to me; I’ve kept them close…”

Upon seeing the high-quality peach blossom paper that she could hardly bear to buy, Helan Ci realized that the other party must have mistaken her for someone else.

Her tone instantly relaxed: “These are not written by me.”

Pig Head Li Ting sighed softly: “I know you don’t want to admit it now…”

Fearing that he might become angry out of embarrassment, Helan Ci tried to speak gently: “This really isn’t my writing; shizi must have mistaken it.”

Her handwriting wasn’t even that ugly.

As she spoke, she tugged at the door, but even though Helan Ci had been gentle enough, she still managed to provoke him.

Li Ting, the pig-headed one, grasped her wrist tightly, suppressing his anger, “Are you really that eager to leave? Do you have any idea how much effort I put into coming to see you! I turned down a beautiful princess, ended up like this, and almost lost my position as heir—all for whom! Is your affection for me so fragile that it can’t withstand a little wind and rain?”

Helan Ci: “…..”

Helan Ci’s face was expressionless: “…Let go.”

On the wrist that rivals frost and snow, a faint red imprint was left behind.

“I won’t let go, I won’t just let go, I also want to—” he pretended to bow his head.

Before he could finish speaking, Helan Ci forcefully raised her knee and struck upward with all her might. With a pained grunt, the pig-headed Li Ting immediately lost his grip.

He would never have expected that the delicate and beautiful girl in front of him would resort to such a crude tactic.

Helan Ci also didn’t anticipate that this outrageous self-defense technique would actually work.

Without a moment’s pause, she pushed the door open and stepped outside.

There was no one outside; she guessed that the young monk had likely been bribed by Li Ting to bring her to such a remote room. She lifted her skirt and ran a few steps, only to realize that her stamina was lacking; she couldn’t run far, and she didn’t know the way. Being alone was truly unsafe.

Li Ting’s voice came from behind her.

In an instant, she made a decision. Helan Ci pushed open the door to a nearby room and quickly slipped inside.

Almost simultaneously, Li Ting, gritting his teeth in pain, chased out of the room.

Helan Ci had just breathed a sigh of relief when she turned around and found herself face to face with a pair of peach blossom eyes that seemed to smile yet not a smile.

The elegant young man in pure white robes seemed to realize he had been abrupt and respectfully cupped his hands in greeting. His movements were as graceful as drifting clouds and floating robes, silent yet composed, with his back straight and his figure tall. His actions flowed like a gentle stream, exemplifying the very essence of propriety—thorough yet devoid of any hint of stiffness or pedantry. Instead, he bore the dignified air of a noble scion, as pure and refined as a clear breeze under the moonlight.

“Miss Helan, it’s been a long time since we last met. How unfortunate to interrupt your rendezvous.”

The voice was clear and refreshing like sweet spring water.

The tone was polite and courteous, yet Helan Ci could distinctly detect a hint of mischievousness in it.

1. “If the lower beam is not straight, the upper beam will also be crooked.” This saying is often used to describe a situation where bad behavior or misconduct at a lower level leads to similar problems at a higher level. It implies that the actions of those in positions of authority are influenced by the behavior of those below them.
2. These two are popular stories which feature temple as romantic settings.