The Imperial City, the Ji Family.
The sun rose in the east, its morning light resplendent.
As dawn broke, sunlight spilled onto the mansions atop the dragon-shaped roof decorations, their green tiles and golden eaves glittering.
The old madam was an early riser, and the servants in the main courtyard were already quietly busy. Su Dan Novel Network.
While the servants in the main courtyard were sweeping the courtyards, smoke was already rising from the Zhaoyuan courtyard.
The servants in the main courtyard stared blankly.
They recalled that the eldest young lady had stayed up until the third watch last night, how could she be up already?
In the Zhaoyuan courtyard, Ji Zizhao, her head covered in sweat, handed the sandbags wrapped around her legs to Xinlan and, panting, entered the main house.
Inside the house, Nanny He had already prepared a copper basin, towels, and fragrant soap. Seeing her eldest young lady enter, she began to serve her.
Nanny He was Ji Zizhao's wet nurse.
She was someone Ji Zizhao trusted.
When Ji Zizhao did not want Nanny He to follow her to the Fifth Prince's residence and be constrained, she had arranged for Nanny He to go to her mother's side. Unexpectedly, Nanny He had rushed back to serve her upon learning of her return.
While combing the eldest young lady's hair, Nanny He habitually shared the latest news from the Imperial City. "The matter of the assassin this morning has already spread throughout the city. I heard some people took the opportunity to spread rumors that the Ji family was involved with the assassins. Fortunately, the eldest young lady had the household spread counter-rumors last night, so the public sentiment is favorable now. It's just that some foul-mouthed people are saying that the Ji family is facing one misfortune after another."
Nanny He was very indignant.
Ji Zizhao, however, remained calm and composed. "It's pitiable, but we're still better off than those stabbing us in the back."
Nanny He frowned. "Do we need to send someone to investigate who is spreading the rumors?"
"No need. They are just some despicable wretches hiding in the shadows. The Ji family's foundation is unstable, and it's inevitable that some people will want to take advantage of the situation. The priority now is to stabilize the overall situation."
To shoot the horse, one must first shoot the rider; to capture the thief, one must first capture the king.
The Ji family was currently branded as the culprit of the defeat at Luoyi. Even though the Emperor was still waiting for the Second Prince to bring back the military records before deciding the Ji family's punishment, the defeat at Luoyi was a fact, and the Emperor's dissatisfaction with the Ji family was a foregone conclusion.
As above, so below. If the Emperor was dissatisfied with the Ji family, then everyone in the court would want to step on the Ji family.
Thinking of the contemptuous attitude of the Fengtian Prefect towards the Ji family yesterday, Ji Zizhao clenched the wooden comb in her hand.
"Nanny He, has grandmother woken up?"
"I heard she has woken up. After all, today is the day for the eldest young lady to formally take over."
Taking over was a rule that had been passed down in the Ji family for a hundred years.
The Ji family was a prominent household in the Imperial City, and their descendants, even after marrying, would remain in the mansion.
The successive leaders of the Ji family would first brief and arrange household matters with the masters of each courtyard on the first day, which was called taking over.
Nanny He inserted a jade hairpin into the dark, dense hair, then said with concern, "I heard the eldest madam is also returning today. The eldest madam has always been difficult to deal with, so the eldest young lady must be careful."
The old madam of the Ji family had only one daughter, Ji Ruyun, in her lifetime.
To secure a good future for Ji Ruyun, the old madam had early on used all the Ji family's glory to arrange for her to marry the legitimate eldest son of Marquis Xuanping, who was now also the legitimate heir.
Unfortunately, Marquis Xuanping was only hereditary and had no real power in court. The family had to live off their savings.
Now that Ji Ruyun was returning out of the blue, there could only be two reasons.
Either she was continuing to help Marquis Xuanping's residence drain the Ji family.
Or she had come to put her in her place.
However, regardless of the reason, Ji Zizhao was not alarmed.
Or rather...
It was just the right time for Ji Ruyun to return.
"Nanny He, go and call Xinlan here."
"Yes."
Nanny He lifted the curtain and walked out. After a while, Yongmei entered with a smile.
"Eldest Young Lady, what is this?" Yongmei, as if presenting a treasure, placed the jade pendant in her hand on the rosewood dressing table.
Ji Zizhao looked at the patterns on the jade pendant, her eyes filled with coldness. "Is this what you went to the Fifth Prince's residence to retrieve?"
"I did not see the Fifth Prince yesterday, but I heard that the head steward of the Fifth Prince's residence, Miss Luohong, told me that the Fifth Prince did not truly want to divorce the eldest young lady. Seeing the eldest young lady in danger yesterday, she directly went to the Fifth Prince, who then gave her this jade pendant, hoping it would ensure the eldest young lady's safety." Yongmei's eyes flashed with pride and satisfaction. Few maids had the opportunity to speak with Miss Luohong.
"Yongmei, what are you doing!" Xinlan, who had just entered, was both angry and surprised. She rushed over and reprimanded, "A jade pendant is a personal item. Regardless of the reason, you cannot accept it on behalf of the eldest young lady, especially since the eldest young lady has already divorced the Fifth Prince!"
Divorce might be ridiculed, but accepting gifts in private was a serious matter that could damage one's reputation!
If this matter were known to people in the Imperial City, how could the eldest young lady ever live her life?
Yongmei retorted righteously, "What kind of divorce is it without a divorce letter?"
"I didn't realize that when my private affairs became your business to decide," Ji Zizhao threw the wooden comb in her hand onto the dressing table.
With a "crack!", Yongmei, startled, knelt on the ground.
"Eldest, Eldest Young Lady..." Yongmei still wanted to try and get the eldest young lady and the Fifth Prince back together, but seeing the eldest young lady's eyes, which seemed to pierce like a cold wind, she swallowed the words back into her throat.
"Before I return, send the jade pendant back, and then tell the Fifth Prince that Ji Zizhao is not blessed enough to accept his affection. I request that the divorce letter be sent to the Ji family as soon as possible, so that we can both have our clear names back." Ji Zizhao did not understand why the Fifth Prince, who had belittled her so much, was still clinging to her.
However, these were no longer within her scope of consideration.
If he kept his gentleman's promise, so be it. If he insisted on a fight to the death, the outcome for the fish was unknown, but the net would surely be torn.
Yongmei, kneeling on the ground, watched the eldest young lady's retreating figure. She could not understand why the eldest young lady was so heartless. It was said that a day as husband and wife meant a hundred days of kindness, yet the eldest young lady was so stubborn.
Looking again at the jade pendant on the dressing table, Yongmei bit her lip and hurried out of the door.
No matter what, she had to inform the Fifth Prince first.
Xinlan stepped out of the courtyard and said softly, "Yongmei is young. Eldest Young Lady, please don't be angry with her."
Yongmei had been sold to the Ji family at the age of six. Because she was not valued by Nanny Xu in the main courtyard, she was often beaten black and blue by the servants in the main courtyard. Ji Zizhao happened to witness this, so she asked her mother to ask the old madam to bring Yongmei to the Zhaoyuan.
Six years had passed in the blink of an eye. It would be false to say that Ji Zizhao had no feelings for Yongmei.
She just hoped that Yongmei could see the situation clearly, so that their master-servant relationship could have a good ending.
At the entrance of the main courtyard, the nanny attending Ji Ruyun stood proudly.
Ji Zizhao stopped and carefully instructed Xinlan, "Go back to the courtyard and get all the deer antler velvet that grandfather brought back from Youzhou in previous years. Then, you will help me perform a play..."
Xinlan listened carefully and felt as if she had died once. "Eldest Young Lady, you are going to..."
"Handle it carefully. Leave the rest to me." Ji Zizhao patted Xinlan's hand and walked towards the main courtyard first.
The Ji family was in trouble, and everyone had a responsibility.
Ji Ruyun had helped Marquis Xuanping's residence take so much from the Ji family for so many years. It was time for her to spit it all out.