The box that wet nurse Xu brought also quietly held a vermilion hairpin.
The hairpin body was crystal clear and bright, its shaft carved with lifelike peacocks, making it appear even more delicate. Several tassels crafted from pure gold dangled gently, swaying with the breeze blowing in from the window, occasionally emitting a noble sound.
This vermilion hairpin was far more precious than the one Ji Zizhao had had Shuiling make.
It was rare for the Old Madam to spend such a large sum. This hairpin would have made any daughter of the Ji family happy for a long time, yet Ji Zizhao remained completely unmoved.
In fact, a strong sense of aversion grew in her heart.
When she attended the funeral for the Ji family's men that day, Ji Zizhao had seen clearly: among the luxuriant hair of the young woman on the second floor of the teahouse, there was an identical vermilion hairpin.
Many things, Ji Zizhao’s silence did not mean she was truly ignorant.
It was rare for one to feign ignorance in life, and she simply did not wish to shatter the peace before her.
However, her grandmother had repeatedly tested her limits, prancing on the lowest rung of her tolerance.
Ji Zizhao picked up the vermilion hairpin from the box, a chill wind blowing through her heart.
Her grandmother wanted her to wear this hairpin to the palace, and coincidentally, someone else had an identical one...
This suggested that her grandmother was already intending to bring the secrets hidden in the dark into the light.
Clearly, this hairpin was paving the way for it.
She suspected that the moment she entered the palace wearing this vermilion hairpin, someone with an identical hairpin would appear, and then, step by step, they would perform a show of sisterly affection with her.
Seeing the eldest daughter lost in thought, wet nurse Xu continued to praise the Old Madam, "This vermilion hairpin was specially commissioned by the Old Madam from Jin Ding Zhai at great expense. The eldest daughter is... Oh dear!"
Before wet nurse Xu could finish speaking, she suddenly saw Ji Zizhao’s hand holding the hairpin slip.
"Crack!"
With an extremely crisp sound, the vermilion hairpin fell to the ground and shattered into several pieces.
Wet nurse Xu: "..."
It hadn't even been warm in her hand, and it was already broken?
Ji Zizhao’s eyes showed panic, and she quickly crouched down to pick it up. "What should I do? It's all my fault. I have failed to live up to my grandmother's earnest intentions and kindness. If my grandmother finds out about this, how will I explain myself..."
Ji Zizhao seemed to reach out to pick up the vermilion hairpin that had broken into pieces, but whether it was due to extreme panic or self-blame, her movements were not gentle. Her plump fingertips were actually cut by the shattered hairpin, drawing blood.
Wet nurse Xu, who was biased towards the eldest daughter, now seeing her blaming herself to the point of bleeding from her fingertips, quickly bent down to help her up. "Is the eldest daughter alright?"
Ji Zizhao’s eyes welled up with tears, filled with immense grievance. "Even if my finger were broken, what of it? As long as the vermilion hairpin my grandmother gave me could be restored, it would be fine. I am useless, having needlessly let down my grandmother's good intentions."
Wet nurse Xu looked at the eldest daughter, so filial and sensible, and her heart ached even more, filled with indignation.
The Old Madam wanted the eldest daughter to wear this hairpin to the palace, not just to give Ms. Renran over there an opportunity to gradually gain prominence, so that she could slowly build a reputation in the imperial city and then gradually push her way into the Ji family.
Lately, the pressure from that side had been too intense, and the Old Madam, unable to resist, had resorted to a desperate measure.
Wet nurse Xu had always sympathized with the eldest daughter, and compared to the eldest daughter, who always considered the Ji family and kept them in her heart, what skills did Ms. Renran have besides a sweet tongue?
The more she thought about it, the more indignant she became. Wet nurse Xu lowered her voice and said, "Eldest daughter, you need not panic. On the day of entering the palace, this old servant told the Old Madam that you were wearing this hairpin. In reality, whether you wear it or not, the Old Madam will not see."
Ji Zizhao was stunned. "Really?"
Wet nurse Xu smiled and said, "What is there not to be alright with? Eldest daughter, rest assured, this old servant will keep this matter strictly confidential."
Although Ji Zizhao was relieved to hear this, the thought of disappointing her grandmother and wasting her grandmother's kindness still made her unable to hide her self-reproach.
Wet nurse Xu truly saw it in her eyes and felt it in her heart. Such a sensible and filial eldest daughter, why were the Old Madam's eyes solely on Ms. Renran?
Thinking that she had to report back to the Old Madam, wet nurse Xu comforted Ji Zizhao a few more words before hurrying out.
The sadness and emotion in Ji Zizhao's eyes gradually faded. She took out a bag of silver fragments and said, "Shuiling, go and see wet nurse Xu out."
Shuiling immediately understood her young lady's intentions. She quickly took the silver and chased after her.
Wet nurse Xu truly did not intend to accept the young lady's silver, but Shuiling's little mouth kept praising wet nurse Xu's kindness, and more importantly, she said that without wet nurse Xu today, who knew how long her young lady would have been blaming herself. She cajoled wet nurse Xu until she was beaming with smiles, and finally tucked the silver into her embrace.
Even after leaving Zhaoyuan, wet nurse Xu was still murmuring about the eldest daughter's goodness.
Look at the eldest daughter's demeanor, how could that Ms. Renran compare?
Shuiling returned to the room and saw her young lady still fiddling with the vermilion hairpin that had shattered into several pieces. However, at this moment, a chilling coldness filled her eyes.
Ji Zizhao handed the hairpin to Shuiling. "Go and have this hairpin repaired, and personally take it to the Flower Street."
Flower Street, that was the imperial city's famous red-light district.
Shuiling blinked. "I've heard that place is always turbulent. Aren't you afraid I'll lose it, my lady?"
Ji Zizhao curled her lips, but there was no trace of a smile in her eyes. "Most of the women there have had difficult lives. It's likely that some people would never be able to afford such a fine item in their lifetime. If they happened to find it, it would be an act of charity."
Shuiling already understood her young lady's intentions and, without further ado, took the box.
Ji Zizhao understood that the Old Madam being able to plot against her clearly indicated that the pressure from the other side was intensifying.
Over the years, the Old Madam had secretly supported that side, and her affection for them had long surpassed that for her own Ji family children. Ji Zizhao was aware of this, but at that time, her grandfather and father were still alive, and she did not want to meddle in family affairs, nor was she bothered to.
As long as her grandmother did not disrupt this peace, she would continue to turn a blind eye.
But if that side were to be unruly and insist on entering the Ji family, then she could not be blamed for showing no mercy.
No one could harm her mother.
Absolutely no one!
There was a commotion at the door. It was wet nurse He, parting the curtain to enter.
Ji Zizhao suppressed the chill in her heart and gently instructed, "Later, find some excuse to release Yongmei from the woodshed."
With the Empress Dowager's funeral, the Fifth Prince would surely make a move. It was hard on the Fifth Prince who had been so concerned about Yongmei. After all, they were husband and wife. Ji Zizhao would naturally offer him a helping hand in his time of need.