Yi Ye Bao Fu

Chapter 290 A Touch of White in the Crowd

The street became progressively more crowded.

Ever since Ji Zongyou returned to the Ji family, he had been acting tyrannically in the red-light district.

However, if someone was truly wealthy, even if they were difficult to deal with, people in the district would tolerate them.

The problem was that Ji Zongyou had little money in his pockets, and his arrogance knew no bounds.

While the Ji family was indeed not as glorious as before, Ji Zongyou still had Rong He Princess vouching for him. His constant boasting, "Rong He Princess is my sister, if you dare disrespect me, see how my sister deals with you when she returns," had intimidated everyone in the district.

Who in the capital didn't know that the eldest daughter of the Ji family, after her divorce, not only escaped punishment from the Emperor but was also bestowed the title of Rong He Princess?

So, as the people of the district dared not speak out, news suddenly spread that Rong He Princess had publicly beaten the Ji family's young marquis. Naturally, the people flocked to witness the spectacle.

Especially when they personally saw Ji Zongyou being dragged out of the wine house by Qing Zhu, the onlookers' eyes widened in shock.

"It's really that young marquis from the Ji family!"

"Didn't they say this young marquis and Rong He Princess had a relationship closer than siblings? What happened now?"

"Who knows? Maybe it's all a show for us. Even if Rong He Princess is biased, she still has to maintain appearances."

Standing on the street, Ji Zizhao clenched her fists within her sleeves, her heart burning with rage.

Not only had he caused her mother's death, but he was shamelessly using her name to commit wicked deeds and parade himself around...

Madam Gu had truly raised a good son!

If she couldn't make this beast bleed on the street today, she wouldn't be called Ji Zizhao!

Ji Zizhao lowered her gaze slightly, a murderous aura emanating from her eyes. "You call me sister now, but I don't know when I gained a brother like you."

Ji Zongyou, struggling on the ground as if close to death, pleaded, "Sister, sister, please listen to me. I am truly your brother, your biological brother. Our father had me and my sister with my mother. Fearing that the First Madam would be sad if she knew, he hid us, my mother, and my sister on the outskirts of the city. All these years, every time I thought of you, tears flowed endlessly, but I didn't dare to come to your door and displease the First Madam..."

In the Yu Lin Kingdom, with its open customs, it was normal for men to have multiple wives and concubines.

If the principal wife deliberately obstructed this, it would be considered a transgression of the "Seven Severances"!

Even now, he was still slandering her mother.

Ji Zizhao's dark eyes grew even more somber, and her words were firm and resonant. "While Mother and Father were alive, whatever your excuses might have been, they are irrelevant now. But now that Mother has just passed away, you rush through the gates of the Ji family. If you truly considered others, how could you have committed such heinous acts!"

Ji Zongyou never expected that a woman like Ji Zizhao would be so sharp-tongued.

He was so cornered that he could barely catch his breath, let alone speak.

The crowd in the red-light district listened and suddenly understood.

What Rong He Princess said was true. When the Ji family had the young marquis incident, Rong He Princess was still in Luo Yi.

The two were separated by tens of thousands of miles; where could such sibling affection come from?

Moreover, the remarried wife who had just returned home was quite heartless. The former principal wife of the Ji family had barely passed away before she brought her children to occupy their place.

"I heard that today is the day the Ji family's remarried First Madam is hosting a banquet."

"Is it too soon to be hosting a banquet today..."

"If you count carefully, it hasn't been long since the first seven days after the Ji family's former principal wife passed away."

On the street, the gazes of the people gradually shifted from fear to contempt, mixed with a strong sense of disgust.

Especially the women who worked in the red-light district, they almost gagged.

As women themselves, they could most empathize.

Looking at the former principal wife of the Ji family now, and then thinking of themselves, if someone were to usurp their place above them just seven days after their passing, they would surely be furious in the afterlife.

The shift in the crowd's sentiment was precisely Ji Zizhao's objective.

Now that the play was almost over, Ji Zizhao could no longer tolerate Ji Zongyou bothering her. She immediately looked at Qing Zhu and gave another order, "Beat him! Until he has only one breath left."

Qing Zhu received the command and immediately drew the sword from her waist.

The sharp blade glinted coldly in the sunlight.

Ji Zongyou was terrified. As Qing Zhu drew her sword, he struggled to get up and tried to flee.

His stumbling steps made it impossible for him to escape.

But just as Qing Zhu was about to pursue him, a small pebble whizzed through the air...

It landed precisely on Ji Zongyou's knee.

In pain, Ji Zongyou once again collapsed to the ground in disarray.

Qing Zhu dragged Ji Zongyou back to the original spot, tightened her grip on the long sword, and struck his knees.

Ji Zizhao, however, stared at the inconspicuous small stone on the ground, stunned.

She subconsciously looked up and saw a graceful figure in white standing among the crowd opposite.

His white robe was immaculately clean.

The dark embroidered cloud patterns on it seemed to drift like an immortal in the sunlight, exuding an unattainable nobility.

Their eyes met, and Xie Jinglan nodded slightly with an open demeanor.

Ji Zizhao subconsciously averted her gaze and unconsciously adjusted her semi-transparent gauze skirt.

Even Ji Zizhao was surprised by this small, petty gesture.

But she quickly attributed it to having stayed here for too long, where habits could be subtly influenced.

"Ahhh... Ahhh..."

Ji Zongyou's screams echoed throughout the entire red-light district.

Qing Zhu had practiced martial arts since childhood, so her strength was not to be underestimated. Even using only the flat of the sword, Ji Zongyou's knees began to ooze blood.

Seeing the clear bloodstains, the people on the street finally believed that Rong He Princess was not putting on an act.

Precisely because of this, they also believed that Rong He Princess was unaware of Ji Zongyou's wickedness.

"Sister, I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong, please spare your brother's life..." Ji Zongyou was truly panicked, or rather, he had no choice but to panic.

The sword struck fiercely, each blow merciless and unforgiving...

This was truly an attempt to beat him to death!

Ji Zizhao, however, said with an impassive face, "Continue beating!"

"Slap slap slap... Slap slap slap..."

The speed at which Qing Zhu's sword fell increased.

Ji Zongyou was in extreme pain. His bloodshot eyes glared at Ji Zizhao, and he gritted out through clenched teeth, "Ji Zizhao, you, you remember this, I, I am the only male heir of the Ji family. If, if I truly die, the Ji family will never let you go..."

Before he could finish speaking, there were two crisp cracking sounds.

Ji Zongyou's knees were completely shattered, and blood flowed all over the ground.

Looking at Ji Zongyou, he fainted from the pain.