The Ji family is now, to put it bluntly, a scattered mess.
Even though everyone appears harmonious and calm on the surface, underneath, each person harbors their own intentions.
Regardless of whether the Ji family faces punishment this time, they will undoubtedly be diminished.
Previously, the women in the manor vied for military achievements of their men. Now that the men are gone, their competition naturally turns to hard cash.
With Ji Zibi nearing the age for marriage, a respectable match requires respectable wealth.
If there's money to be made, why not?
Even if the Ji family members look down on Eldest Daughter, it has nothing to do with her, as long as she gets along with Eldest Daughter.
Xiao Jingzhu carefully put away the banknotes before looking at Ji Zibi and saying, "You go out and busy yourself with Eldest Sister. Don't worry about things in the manor; Mother is here. Mother will surely take good care of Eldest Daughter."
Ji Zibi nodded, "In that case, Eldest Sister will have to trouble Mother."
"From now on, Eldest Daughter is family. We don't need to speak as outsiders."
That night, after seeing Ji Zibi off, Xiao Jingzhu lay in bed, barely sleeping.
Now that the Ji family is in decline, finding a stable and wealthy backer is more important than anything.
However, Xiao Jingzhu also understood that while she hadn't mocked Eldest Daughter as much as others over the years, she had never approached her. If she were to suddenly show favor now, it might alarm her.
After much deliberation, as dawn broke, Xiao Jingzhu quickly got up, gathered all her valuable jewelry, and hurried towards Cloud Courtyard.
Instead of approaching Eldest Daughter directly, it would be better to go through the First Madam first, making it a natural progression.
As the day for Grand Tutor Zhao's birthday banquet loomed, Lin Wanyun was also up early making arrangements.
However, she had always been simple and lacked expensive jewelry. Just as she was worrying about how to present herself for her daughter, Fourth Madam Xiao Jingzhu arrived.
One had to admit, Fourth Madam had truly come to the rescue this time.
Yet, facing Xiao Jingzhu's overtures, Lin Wanyun took it as a sign that the Fifth Prince's gifts had forced the Ji family to view her daughter in a new light. This further solidified her resolve to have her daughter return to the Fifth Prince's mansion.
After arranging the jewelry, Lin Wanyun looked at her maid and said, "Go fetch Yongmei."
Xiao Jingzhu, keeping her wits about her, specifically sat on the divan, not wanting to leave, hoping to gather information for Eldest Daughter.
As it turned out, she overheard something significant.
That afternoon, Xiao Jingzhu left Cloud Courtyard and hurried into Zhao Courtyard.
Ji Zizhao was not surprised by Fourth Madam's arrival.
Though the fourth daughter was often absent from the manor, she had always been filial. Now that the Ji family was in trouble, the fourth daughter would naturally offer money to Fourth Madam. If Fourth Madam was intelligent, she would understand the principle of switching allegiance; if she truly didn't understand, Ji Zizhao had other methods prepared.
Everyone in the Ji family now had their own schemes. To unite them, winning them over one by one was crucial.
"I always knew Eldest Sister-in-law and Eldest Daughter had a deep mother-daughter bond, but I didn't expect Eldest Daughter's maid to be so close to Eldest Sister-in-law," Xiao Jingzhu said from her chair, her words carrying a double meaning.
Ji Zizhao smiled at Xiao Jingzhu, "To have Fourth Aunt care so much truly puts my mind at ease. I only hope Fourth Aunt doesn't go to too much trouble on my behalf."
There were no questions, no accusations, only humble gratitude.
Xiao Jingzhu breathed a sigh of relief, yet another breath was held.
With a single sentence, she could disarm someone and make them feel comfortable.
This Eldest Daughter was truly remarkable.
"Today, I heard Yongmei say that the Fifth Prince's mansion's Luohong secretly sent her a message, asking her to find an opportunity to accompany Eldest Daughter out for leisure, with the real intention of creating a chance for the Fifth Prince to meet Eldest Daughter." Xiao Jingzhu understood the First Madam's urgency to have Eldest Daughter return to the Fifth Prince's mansion, but she felt this approach was rather imprudent.
Even with the marriage beforehand, Eldest Daughter was seeking a divorce before even stepping foot into the Fifth Prince's mansion.
If they were to secretly meet now, would Eldest Daughter's reputation be at stake?
It was said that the Fifth Prince was weak and cowardly, but he couldn't possibly do something so thoughtless.
Ji Zizhao knew Fourth Madam was deliberately giving her a heads-up. She smiled and nodded, "Thank you for the reminder, Fourth Aunt. I will remember."
Seeing Eldest Daughter's modest and courteous demeanor, Xiao Jingzhu felt very pleased.
No wonder she was able to earn so much money; her conduct and speech were beyond reproach.
After a short while longer, Xiao Jingzhu rose to take her leave.
As she walked out of the courtyard, she made up her mind. Based on Eldest Daughter's sincere and attentive conduct, she was firmly committed to supporting Eldest Daughter.
Ji Zizhao had not expected the Fifth Prince to resort to such clandestine maneuvering.
It seemed she would have to carefully consider how to deal with the Fifth Prince.
For several days, the capital city of Sheng remained as peaceful as ever.
Chen Gang sent a secret message: those black-clad men from that day had not set foot in the Xuan Yi Pavilion again.
This brought relief to Ji Zizhao.
As long as that man stopped causing trouble for Xuan Yi Pavilion, she was willing to go her separate ways.
In the blink of an eye, it was the day of Grand Tutor Zhao's birthday banquet.
Early that morning, Fourth Madam sent someone to quietly relay a message: First Madam had already risen and would personally assist Eldest Daughter with dressing and makeup today.
Ji Zizhao knew her mother wanted to make a grand appearance for her, but she didn't want to attract too much attention.
Before her mother arrived, Ji Zizhao asked Xinlan to help her with a simple wash and change. By the time Lin Wanyun entered with maids carrying jewelry and clothes, Ji Zizhao was already in the carriage.
Zhao family's birthday banquet was grand, with prominent figures from Sheng capital attending to celebrate.
Before noon, carriages were seen everywhere on the streets heading towards the Zhao residence.
Zhao family servants stood on either side of the street, pre-announcing the arrival of carriages with identifying signs to prevent impostors from trying to gain connections and to avoid neglecting esteemed guests.
Ji Zizhao leaned back on the divan in the carriage, resting her eyes, but her mind was still calculating.
The Zhao family had always been indifferent to the Ji family. Their sudden invitation now made one have to speculate about their motives.
Ji Zizhao's fingers tapped rhythmically on her knees. She wanted to know what the Zhao family was planning. Most importantly, she needed to ascertain the Zhao family's attitude today, so she had to find a way to test the waters...
The smoothly moving carriage suddenly braked sharply.
Qingzhu landed steadily and quickly opened the carriage door to check if her young lady had been bumped.
Ji Zizhao waved her hand, about to say she was fine, when she heard a flirtatious laugh, "I was wondering who was so blind, and it turns out to be the notorious good-for-nothing of the capital."