Yang Lang felt his chest heave, his anger surging.
He never knew that all these years, his sister’s seemingly cheerful demeanor had hidden such unspoken hardships!
Yet, these resounding words fell on the Old Madam’s ears as nothing more than idle chatter.
“As the eldest legitimate daughter of the Ji family, one must be skilled in both literary and martial arts, capable of both yielding and standing firm. Look around, which of the younger generation of Ji daughters are not like this? Your current complaints, are they not simply an attempt to shirk your responsibilities?” the Old Madam’s words were laced with mockery, her cold gaze showing no trace of emotion.
The First Madam, Lin Wanyun, was overcome with grief and forced a bitter laugh, “Since you care so much about the Ji family’s reputation, why have I never seen you contribute anything to the family? In the past, you only knew how to hide behind the men of the Ji family, enjoying the admiration of others. Now that the Ji men are gone, you wish to hide behind my daughter and live in comfort? You constantly speak of how a Ji family member ought to behave, but what have you truly done for the Ji family yourself!”
Though the First Madam, Lin Wanyun, had married into the Ji family at seventeen, she had been raised under her mother’s enlightened tutelage. Now, her every word was a sharp, incisive pearl, striking the Old Madam's face with alternating shades of blue and white.
The Old Madam had never known that her usually gentle eldest daughter-in-law, when provoked, could be so formidable.
Knowing that further entanglement would only lead to her own disadvantage, the Old Madam stubbornly declared, “My Ji family has raised you mother and daughter for years, yet you have turned out to be ungrateful wretches. Today, I state this here: as long as I live, you will never receive a divorce letter from my hands!”
The First Madam, Lin Wanyun, though deeply sorrowful, could no longer shed a tear.
The Old Madam, seeing the First Madam, Lin Wanyun, utterly defeated, lifted her chin with pride and, supported by Nanny Xu, prepared to leave.
Yang Lang, witnessing the Old Madam’s unreasonable behavior, could no longer restrain himself and stepped forward, “May I request Old Madam Ji to please stay.”
The Old Madam stopped impatiently, “As Master Yang is currently a guest of the Ji family, he should know his place.”
The unspoken meaning was: you have no right to speak.
Having already spoken, Yang Lang would not retreat due to a mere warning, “I have heard that the Heir of Marquis Xuanping has safely returned to his residence?”
“Marquis Xuanping has always been favored by His Majesty, so my son-in-law’s safe return is only natural.” A layer of glory spread across the Old Madam’s face, yet she made no mention of requesting the Yang family’s help.
However, just because the Old Madam did not mention it, did not mean Yang Lang would not. “When Old Madam Ji pleaded with me to write to my father to intercede for the Heir of Marquis Xuanping, you promised me one condition. Old Madam Ji is renowned throughout Sheng Huang City, and I trust she will not go back on her word.”
The Old Madam froze, suddenly overcome by a sense of foreboding.
At the time, she had only wanted to quickly help her daughter rescue the eldest young master of the Jin family, so she hadn’t thought too deeply and had agreed to Yang Lang’s request. Now, Yang Lang was bringing it up again at this very moment…
Could it be?
Yang Lang gave the Old Madam no time for further deliberation, delivering a death sentence, “I want my sister’s divorce letter.”
The Old Madam: “……”
Why was her vision darkening?
Yang Lang had not intended to be so absolute. Initially, he had planned for his sister to quietly seek the divorce letter from the Old Madam Ji, thus preserving the goodwill between the Yang and Ji families.
But now…
There was no longer any need for such restraint!
The Old Madam suppressed her panic and glared at Yang Lang, “The Ji family is currently in distress. We should be united as one family. Yet, Master Yang, you are here attempting to elope with the mistress of my Ji family. I hear that Madam Yang is a scholar; is this the cultivation of a learned person?”
Yang Lang was not swayed by this false accusation, “If Old Madam Ji goes back on her word, I will not hesitate to publicize this matter and let the citizens of Sheng Huang City judge for themselves.”
The Old Madam’s legs felt weak, and she nearly stumbled and fell on the spot.
She stared at Yang Lang in disbelief, her anger making her breathing ragged.
This was no learned and polite gentleman!
This was clearly a ruffian from the streets, utterly unreasonable!
A person lived their life for their reputation. If Yang Lang truly made this public, her reputation in her later years would not only be tarnished, but her face would be utterly lost!
But if she were to let the First Madam Lin Wanyun and Ji Zizhao go, what would become of her?
At her age, how could she possibly shield the Ji family from harm!
The Old Madam was unwilling to agree, yet she dared not openly refuse.
Caught in this impossible dilemma, with danger from all sides, she felt her eyes darken and her mind go numb!
“Old Madam, Old Madam, something terrible has happened!”
A young servant from the gate ran in in a panic, not even bothering to bow, and pointed towards the entrance, shouting, “A large number of imperial guards have suddenly arrived at the gate! The eunuch leading them says all the masters of our Ji family are to go to the front courtyard to receive an imperial decree!”
The Old Madam’s legs trembled again, and if not for Nanny Xu’s timely support, she would have collapsed.
The Emperor issuing an imperial decree at this moment… even a fool would understand the reason behind it!
The First Madam, Lin Wanyun, knelt on the ground, her gaze vacant, showing no reaction.
The Old Madam, looking at the unsupportive First Madam Lin Wanyun, felt a surge of anger. Just as she was about to order someone to drag Lin Wanyun to the front courtyard, she saw Yang Lang calmly step in front of Lin Wanyun.
Their eyes met. Yang Lang’s expression was righteous and stern.
The Old Madam’s gaze faltered, and the words at the tip of her tongue were swallowed back down.
“Old Madam, what should we do?”
“Old Madam, the people from the palace are still waiting at the gate.”
“Old Madam…”
The repeated inquiries gave the Old Madam a splitting headache.
The First Madam Lin Wanyun was right. She had always enjoyed the glory by hiding behind the men of the Ji family. In recent days, she had comfortably enjoyed her leisure under Ji Zizhao’s protection.
Now, as the burden truly fell upon her shoulders, the Old Madam finally understood how heavy it was.
It was so heavy that she could barely breathe.
Yet, the palace attendants were waiting at the gate. If the Ji family did not appear, those people might barge in, and then all the glory the Old Madam had prided herself on for years would be stripped away.
The Old Madam gritted her teeth. Despite her extreme reluctance, she turned and walked towards the front courtyard.
She had thought that with the First Madam Lin Wanyun and Ji Zizhao to shield her, she could escape unscathed.
But now…
After calculating everything, the sword had been placed directly on her own neck.
The various Madam’s of the Ji family watched the Old Madam’s distant retreating figure and quietly slipped back into their rooms.
The Second Madam, Yu Fenglan, helped the First Madam Lin Wanyun up, “Eldest Sister, please stop crying. Old Madam has always cared about appearances; she will surely give you the divorce letter.”
The Fourth Madam, Xiao Jingshu, frowned, “An imperial decree arriving from the palace at this time is likely a charge of wrongdoing. Although Old Madam did not ask Eldest Sister to appear, as long as the divorce letter is not given, Eldest Sister is still the mistress of the Ji family, and Sister Zhao is still the eldest legitimate daughter of the Ji family, the one in power!”