Ji Zizhao looked at Jin Xueyan, who was acting so righteously, and felt that every second spent standing there was a waste of time.
"Since it's a trap set by my cousin with great effort, it would be selfish of me not to help," Ji Zizhao said to Shuiling, who was standing by. "Go, personally escort the young lady to the main courtyard, and then send word to the Jin family."
Shuiling nodded and quickly released her grip on the maid's hair.
Upon hearing this, Jin Xueyan's eyes lit up, and she forgot about the pain. "Ji Zizhao, you are indeed guilty. If you hadn't caused my mother's death, why would you help me?"
Ji Zizhao let out a dry chuckle and personally helped Nanny He to turn and enter the house.
The Jin family maid who had accompanied Jin Xueyan had eyes so swollen she could barely open them. Watching the eldest young lady of the Ji family turn and leave, she trembled uncontrollably with lingering fear.
As soon as this eldest young lady of the Ji family stepped out, she started slapping and kicking. What kind of guilty conscience behaves like this?
Is this how a guilty conscience is supposed to act!!
Seeing that her own young lady was being led away by the maid from the Ji family's courtyard, the Jin family maid dared not stay any longer. She hurried out with her head bowed.
One mistress and one servant, their clothes disheveled, their faces swollen like pig heads.
Jin Xueyan and the Jin family maid, their hair looking as if struck by lightning, shocked all the servants in the manor.
Even Nanny Xu from the main courtyard widened her eyes in astonishment, "This young lady from the cousin's side, she is..."
Shuiling had no intention of giving Jin Xueyan a chance to play the victim. She spoke first, explaining the whole story, and then left without looking back.
Nanny Xu was truly surprised that the eldest young lady had sent the person to the main courtyard. Thinking of the old madam inside, who refused to see anyone, she felt her head was about to explode.
Jin Xueyan, however, did not notice Nanny Xu's distress and took a step forward, intending to go inside. "Nanny Xu, please find me a clean set of clothes, and ask the maids in the courtyard to comb my hair. I want to see my maternal grandmother first."
Nanny Xu quickly stepped forward to block her. "Young lady from the cousin's side, the old madam has been heartbroken and unable to sleep because of the matter concerning the eldest aunt. She has just fallen asleep..."
Jin Xueyan paused. "You're saying my maternal grandmother doesn't want to see me?"
Sweat beaded on Nanny Xu's forehead as she replied, "The old madam has truly just fallen asleep. Perhaps young lady from the cousin's side could visit her another day. This old servant will surely convey your filial piety to the old madam."
Even if Jin Xueyan's brain was not sharp, she knew that "sleeping" and "feeling unwell" were just excuses.
However, she, who had always come back with her mother and acted imperiously, had never been refused entry by her maternal grandmother.
Suddenly, Jin Xueyan was thrown into a panic.
Her mother was the one her maternal grandmother had doted on and raised since childhood. Now she had returned to seek justice for her mother. By all rights, her maternal grandmother should have sided with her, even giving her all the love she had for her mother.
But, but why was she not even allowed to enter the door now...
Before Jin Xueyan could figure it out, someone from the Jin family arrived.
Shuiling had rushed straight to the Jin family after leaving Jin Xueyan. When she knocked on the door, she used all her strength, and when she spoke, she almost shouted. By now, everyone knew that the young lady of the Jin family had gone to the Ji family to cause trouble.
This matter, if viewed narrowly, was Jin Xueyan's own lack of judgment. If viewed broadly, it was the Jin family's poor upbringing. Who would dare to marry a girl who dared to run wild at her maternal grandmother's home?
Marquise Xuanping was not unaware that Jin Xueyan had come to the Ji family to cause a scene; she had deliberately let it slide.
Her own son was heartless, not even appearing at his wife's funeral. If this were to spread outside, wouldn't the Jin family be gossiped about? Therefore, Marquise Xuanping had tacitly allowed Jin Xueyan to return to the Ji family.
But now, it had turned out like this. Someone from the Ji family had directly approached them, and the things they said made it seem as if they were afraid others wouldn't know about the Jin family's poor upbringing.
Marquise Xuanping was so angry her face turned as black as a pot. She trembled almost all over and ordered a nanny by her side to go to the Ji family to fetch the person.
With Marquise Xuanping gnashing her teeth, the nanny who came to fetch her would naturally not be polite either. In just a few words, she had someone carry Jin Xueyan away.
Upon her return to the Jin family, Jin Xueyan did not fare any better. She was directly confined to her courtyard by the nanny attending her grandmother.
Kneeling in the center of the courtyard, Jin Xueyan's mind was still a blur.
She had no idea how things had turned out this way...
The maid who knelt beside her, thinking of the smile on the eldest young lady of the Ji family's face as she left, suddenly felt a chilling cold all over her body.
Could it be...
The eldest young lady of the Ji family had already predicted this outcome!
Ji Zizhao had indeed predicted it long ago, or rather, such a simple matter did not require any effort to predict.
Jin Xueyan was an unmarried daughter, and the rules of a noble family like the Jin family were strict. Any female member leaving the manor required a record by the gatekeepers.
However, the Jin family, knowing full well that Jin Xueyan had come to the Ji family, did not stop her. Was this not intended to remove the label of indifference from the Jin family's head?
Since the matter was so obvious, Ji Zizhao naturally could not comply with the Jin family's wishes.
Ji Zizhao brought the ointment to the inner hall. Nanny He, who was lying on the couch, quickly tried to get up. "Miss, this is not permissible, not permissible..."
Ji Zizhao pressed Nanny He's shoulder and said softly, "Nanny has served for over ten years, and I am only applying medicine to you once. What is not permissible about it?"
Nanny He wanted to say something more, but Ji Zizhao had already applied the ointment to the injured area.
Her waist hurt terribly, but her heart was also filled with a heavy sadness.
"Miss is so kind to this old servant, yet the old madam can just abandon the young lady from the cousin's side so easily. Alas..." Nanny He had lived for half her life and could discern many things. She just hadn't expected the old madam to be so heartless.
Ji Zizhao remained silent.
Her grandmother knew very well how her eldest aunt had died.
Perhaps Jin Xueyan was right. Her grandmother felt guilty about her eldest aunt's death, but Jin Xueyan had misunderstood one point. A selfish person like her grandmother, after feeling guilty, would evade rather than compensate.
For her grandmother now, seeing Jin Xueyan reminded her of the daughter she had abandoned. How could she possibly see Jin Xueyan again?
Nanny He sighed again. "If the young lady from the cousin's side knew all this, she might not be able to accept it."
"There is never any word in this world that can make one suddenly enlightened or have an epiphany. The only shortcut is to fall yourself to know the pain and the pitfalls. If you can stand up, then you stand up. If you are utterly defeated, it can only be said that you are merely that much."
If Jin Xueyan wanted to climb higher, she had to be prepared for the possibility of being outmatched.
Ji Zizhao would not prevent Jin Xueyan's determination to rise, but the prerequisite was not to scheme against her.