At this moment, Ji Zizhao sat leisurely on the soft couch, composed and steady, her earlier panic and helplessness nowhere to be seen.
Even with her slow reaction, Luo Hong knew she had been tricked.
However, leaving like this was something Luo Hong was unwilling to accept.
Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, Luo Hong calmed down. But before she could speak, she saw the curtain on the inner side being lifted, and Qing Zhu emerged from within.
"Miss, the bedding has been prepared." Qing Zhu stood by Ji Zizhao's side, looking refreshed and breathing evenly. Not only was she uninjured, but she didn't even have a scratch on her body.
Luo Hong, unwillingly, looked at the hands hanging by Qing Zhu's side. They were clean, with no scabs or stitches!
How was this possible?!
Luo Hong stumbled back in shock, shaking her head in disbelief.
Sa Meng would never lie to His Highness, so why was Qing Zhu standing before her unharmed?
Seeing Luo Hong's expression, the Fengtian Prefecture Magistrate's already unsettled heart sank to the bottom. Before Luo Hong could speak again, he preemptively apologized, "Princess Ronghe, please forgive me. I merely heard that the Fifth Prince was scared into unconsciousness by an assassin and, in my haste, came without proper investigation. It was my fault for not investigating carefully..."
The Fengtian Prefecture Magistrate's attitude was clear: he wanted to take the blame for Luo Hong.
After all, she was someone from the Fifth Prince's retinue; he absolutely could not afford to offend her.
But the Fengtian Prefecture Magistrate's wishful thinking was not something Ji Zizhao intended to grant.
"Didn't Miss Luo Hong just insist that she personally saw the thief enter our Ji family's residence?" Ji Zizhao's dark eyes, bypassing the Fengtian Prefecture Magistrate, fixed directly on Luo Hong.
Luo Hong clenched her fists and said with a heart full of indignation, "Perhaps I saw wrongly."
"Miss Luo Hong's single sentence of 'seeing wrongly' almost made our Ji family appear as murderers of the Fifth Prince. When the men of our Ji family were still alive, they were framed by the Second Prince. Now that our Ji family is left with only widows, we still cannot find peace. Must our Ji family truly be so easily bullied!"
Ji Zizhao's words were quite serious.
Especially by bringing up the Second Prince, it implied that the Fifth Prince and the Second Prince were in cahoots.
Luo Hong's heart ached with anger, but with no proof, she could not retaliate. Fearing that the matter would spread and affect the Fifth Prince's reputation, she could only swallow her pride and ask, "How does the Eldest Daughter of the Ji family wish to resolve this matter?"
Ji Zizhao remained silent.
Although Luo Hong was malicious, the true culprit was the Fifth Prince.
Having already been defeated by Ji Zizhao repeatedly, Luo Hong had lost any interest in further conflict.
However, while Ji Zizhao was weary, the other female members of the Ji family were still full of righteous indignation.
Eager to tear Luo Hong apart, the Ji family women saw her as an opportunity, their eyes red.
Not only did you trespass into our Ji family, but you also attempted to slander us with harming a prince. Now that the truth is out, you still stand there with such arrogance.
Pah!
Who gave you the nerve?
Third Mistress, Yin Wenying, spoke first, "You can leave, but only after kneeling and kowtowing to admit your mistake."
Second Mistress, Yu Fenglan, quickly whispered, "Third Sister-in-law, isn't that too much? She's someone from the Fifth Prince's side..."
Ji Zixiu looked helplessly at her mother, "Mother! Look at Third Aunt, can't you learn to be a bit more assertive?"
Second Mistress Yu Fenglan pinched Ji Zixiu, "What are you interfering for? No matter how bad she is, she's still someone by the Fifth Prince's side..."
"The Fifth Prince now is helpless even against Sister Zhaojie, so how can we afford to offend him?"
Ji Zixiu: "..."
"You're willing to be a pushover and think it's reasonable?"
Eldest Mistress, Lin Wanyun, knew that anger couldn't be vented indiscriminately, but if this matter were to simply pass, how would the female members of the Ji family hold their heads high in the future? "We will not make things difficult for Miss Luo Hong. As long as Miss Luo Hong is willing to apologize, today's matter will be considered settled. Likewise, I hope this is the last time."
Luo Hong's eyes widened in disbelief, never expecting the Ji family to make such an outrageous demand!
"I was bestowed upon the Fifth Prince by Consort Xi. What right does your Ji family have?"
Luo Hong had served Consort Xi since childhood. Because of her efficiency, she soon gained Consort Xi's trust and was then honorably sent out of the palace to accompany the Fifth Prince.
It could be said that although Luo Hong was a servant, she had never been so trampled upon.
Now, a mere Ji family, how could they dare?!
The name Consort Xi weighed heavily on the Ji family women, making it difficult for them to breathe.
She was a figure in the palace who stood on equal footing with Empress Zhong. While provoking the Ji family might not have been enough weight, offending Consort Xi certainly was.
Eldest Mistress Lin Wanyun was also apprehensive, but faced with Luo Hong's provocation, she still slightly lifted her chin, refusing to yield.
Her daughter had divorced the Fifth Prince. Regardless of the personal grudges between the Fifth Prince and the Ji family, solely concerning today's events, if Luo Hong were to leave the Ji family with her head held high, how would her daughter face people in the future?
"That day at the gates of the Fifth Prince's mansion, I thought I had made myself very clear. I fear Miss Luo Hong's memory is not good, so if that's the case, I will say it again: Consort Xi is of noble status, and our Ji family can only look up to her. But no matter how Miss Luo Hong brandishes Consort Xi's name, she is still just a servant attending to her master."
How could Ji Zizhao not understand her mother's intentions?
Although she didn't feel the need to regain her dignity by relying on a defeated opponent, she couldn't always let her mother worry.
Looking at Luo Hong, who stood rigidly in place, Ji Zizhao's eyes were deep and serene. "If Miss Luo Hong insists on alarming Consort Xi, then our Ji family is not afraid to escalate this matter to the imperial palace. At that time, who is right and who is wrong will be decided by His Majesty."
"You!" Luo Hong was so angered that her chest heaved violently. She pointed a trembling finger at Ji Zizhao.
Ji Zizhao calmly met Luo Hong's furious gaze, wiping the blood from her hands with a handkerchief.
Since the Fifth Prince had sent Luo Hong here, he had prepared for her to face retribution.
Otherwise, why wouldn't the Fifth Prince have personally witnessed the assassin, but instead relied on Luo Hong to testify?
It was a pity that the bystander sees clearly, while the player is blinded.
Luo Hong naturally understood that this matter could not possibly alert the imperial palace. Therefore, no matter how unwilling she was, she could only suppress all the anger in her heart.
"Today's events are my fault, this servant. I implore Princess Ronghe to be magnanimous and overlook my transgressions." Luo Hong lowered her head, her hands tightly clenching her skirt, her entire face burning with shame.
The Ji family women watched as the usually overbearing Luo Hong, before Sister Zhaojie, truly lowered her noble head. Their faces remained somewhat composed, but their hearts were bursting with joy.
If it weren't for the deep night, if it weren't for the quiet late hours, they would have loved to beat gongs and drums, letting the entire imperial city witness this once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.
How many jaws would drop in astonishment!
To make Luo Hong, who always held her head high, willingly bow her head...
Sister Zhaojie's ability...
Just now!