Things had progressed to such a point that Ren Jun was already as good as dead.
Once the Dali Temple concluded its investigation, Ren Jun would surely lose his head.
The heavy losses sustained in the battle of Luoyi meant that no matter how angry the Emperor was, he wouldn't want to decapitate his own son. However, it was now clear that Ren Jun's head alone was insufficient to placate the Emperor's fury. Naturally, the entire Ren family behind Ren Jun became the necessary remedy to calm the Emperor's lingering wrath.
Madame Ren and the Old Madam Ren exchanged glances, feeling as though they were facing a formidable enemy, filled with dread and unease.
Indeed, how could they have forgotten that this matter was no mere trivial skirmish? It involved the lives of all the male members of the Ji family, and the annihilation of hundreds of thousands of troops!
Madame Ren was already stunned, her mind a complete blank.
Old Madam Ren looked again at Ji Zizhao, who sat in the main seat, feeling a tremor in her chest.
Such a subtle yet inevitable consequence could be seen through and articulated by a young girl at a single glance…
If her grandson possessed even half the capability of the Eldest Daughter of the Ji family, he might not have fallen into such a predicament.
“Then, why has the Eldest Daughter of the Ji family summoned this old woman?” Old Madam Ren spoke again, her tone laced with a respect and caution that even she herself did not notice.
“Ren Jun is currently saying nothing, merely believing that this will protect his family behind him. It is a pity he still cannot see the current situation clearly. His silence will only prolong the Emperor’s wrath. If he were willing to speak out about the entire truth and thus beg the Emperor for leniency, as a wise ruler, the Emperor would naturally not continue to vent his anger upon the members of the Ren family.”
Had the Ren family not come calling, Ji Zizhao would have overlooked the most crucial point.
These days, she had only cared about who was being interrogated by the Dali Temple, but had paid no heed to the attitudes of those being interrogated. However, the Fifth Prince had clearly noticed Ren Jun’s refusal to speak, which was why even when she had mentioned Ren Jun’s name to him a few days ago, the Fifth Prince had remained composed.
Ji Zizhao had been solely focused on finding evidence from the Fifth Prince, forgetting that the so-called evidence should actually be with the Second Prince.
It was precisely this that the Fifth Prince was anxious about and could not control.
Therefore, as long as Ren Jun spoke, there would be sufficient evidence to implicate the Fifth Prince and the Second Prince in their secret collusion and schemes!
Of course, Ji Zizhao would not say these words to the Ren family.
The Ren family only needed to know that, “Once Ren Jun confesses all he knows, I, on behalf of the Ji family, will personally plead for him, thus providing a double layer of security for the Ren family.”
Old Madam Ren looked at Ji Zizhao gloomily, “Why should this old woman trust you?”
Ji Zizhao picked up her teacup and took a sip, smiling nonchalantly, “Now, besides the Ji family, who else can intercede with the Emperor for the Ren family? What other recourse do you think the Ren family has to speak well of such a heartless and fallen house?”
Old Madam Ren: “……”
Damn girl, is her mouth poisoned?
How can she be so vicious!
Ji Zizhao continued to sip her tea while gazing at the scenery outside the main hall, suppressing all her inner turmoil. Given the avarice and selfishness of the Ren family, if they sensed any benefit to themselves, they would surely retaliate fiercely.
She couldn't rush.
She had to remain steady.
To prevent anyone from disturbing or eavesdropping on the conversation in the main hall, Nanny He had sent away the other servants in the courtyard.
When Xin Lan entered the courtyard, she saw only Qing Zhu and Lian Ju standing nearby.
Upon seeing Xin Lan, Qing Zhu walked over and asked, “What are you doing here?”
Xin Lan whispered, “The weather is getting colder, and Yong Mei has been crying in the woodshed, saying she's cold. I'm worried she'll freeze. I wanted to ask the young lady if she could speak to the old madam and have Yong Mei released.”
As soon as Qing Zhu thought of the disgusting things Yong Mei had done, her expression remained unchanged, “The young lady is busy right now and doesn’t have time to waste on such trivial matters.”
Xin Lan originally wanted to say, Yong Mei grew up with them, how could she be a trivial matter?
However, before she could speak, a roar came from the main hall, “How can my Ren family be dictated by your Ji family!”
Xin Lan then realized that things were also unsettled on the young lady’s side, so she did not dare to linger, and quickly turned to return to the woodshed.
Yong Mei, who was locked in the woodshed, whispered to Xin Lan as soon as she saw her, “What did the young lady say?”
Xin Lan shook her head listlessly, “I didn’t see the young lady.”
Yong Mei couldn’t believe the young lady could be so heartless. It was a pity that the Fifth Prince was still infatuated with such a young lady. Did someone so cold and heartless deserve him?
Xin Lan, worried that Yong Mei would blame the young lady, explained softly, “It’s not that the young lady doesn’t care, it’s that the young lady is busy right now. It seems there are people in the courtyard, I heard they might be from the Ren family.”
Ren Jun had practically grown up by the side of the Old Master of the Ji family, so everyone in the Ji family recognized him.
Yong Mei’s heart skipped a beat, “You said it was Ren Jun’s family?”
Xin Lan nodded, “I only heard them call themselves the Ren family. I didn’t hear anything else clearly. However, when I came back, I heard the servants in the mansion say that the Ren family had come today to plead for help, hoping our Ji family could save them.”
Yong Mei’s face was still looking at Xin Lan, but her mind was already in a turmoil.
After the Fifth Prince sobered up that day, he not only did not revile her for acting as the young lady but also promised to take responsibility for her. It was just a pity that the Ji family’s affairs had not yet concluded, and that Ren Jun refused to confess all his crimes. However, the Fifth Prince had sent people to persuade him to confess several times, but he did not expect the Ren family to always remain outside the gate of the Dali Temple. Thus, the Fifth Prince had instructed her to immediately notify him if she heard that Ren Jun’s family had come to plead for mercy, so that he could send someone to persuade Ren Jun to confess.
Yong Mei did not care whether Ren Jun had truly betrayed the Ji family; she only wanted to go to the Fifth Prince’s mansion quickly.
After much deliberation, Yong Mei suddenly grabbed Xin Lan’s hand through the wooden window of the woodshed, “Sister Xin Lan, I suddenly remembered that Miss Luo Hong mentioned outside the woodshed that day that the Fifth Prince seemed to be leaving soon. Let me go out and see the Fifth Prince. Otherwise, if the Fifth Prince really leaves and doesn't wait for our young lady, what will our young lady do?”
Xin Lan thought for a moment, “The young lady has always had her own plans.”
Yong Mei tightened Xin Lan’s hand and pleaded urgently, “The young lady appears cold, but she has a warm heart. If the young lady doesn’t go to the Fifth Prince’s side as a concubine, it’s because she’s worried about the Ji family. But now that the Ji family is fine, how can she sacrifice her lifelong happiness again!”
Xin Lan wanted to say something, but all she could think of was how well the young lady treated them.
Their young lady was truly good, a master difficult to find even with a lantern.
Seeing Xin Lan waver, Yong Mei spoke again, “I promise to be quick and come back, and absolutely no one will find out. Sister Xin Lan, please agree to me this one time, all for the sake of the young lady’s future happiness.”
Seeing that the urgency in Yong Mei’s eyes was not feigned, Xin Lan finally made up her mind and said, “Then you must be quick.”
With that, she opened the door in front of Yong Mei.