At two quarters past the Hour of the Snake, everyone returned to the Ji household in orderly fashion.
With the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, Ji Ziyan, in charge of the household affairs, dared not be negligent. Fearing that the servants sent out to procure supplies might swindle her on the prices, she decided to go herself first to check the cost of ingredients in the imperial city.
Ji Zizhao, thinking of her third sister who had been confined to the Zhao residence since entering the Zhao family, sent Nanny He to accompany her third sister when she went out.
When Ji Zizhao finished her affairs and returned to Zhaoyuan, she received a letter from Sun Zhiting.
Although the imperial court had agreed to establish medical clinics and apothecaries in the counties around Luoyi, the initial investment was not much, comprising only basic medicinal materials.
By the time Sun Zhiting sent someone to deliver the letter, all the medicinal herbs had been loaded onto carts.
Even the physicians recently recruited had already been settled onto carriages.
Ji Zizhao calculated that the Fifth Prince should be nearing Luoyi by now. Even if Ji Zibi were to depart now, she would not encounter the Fifth Prince. It was then that she had Qingzhu deliver a message to her fourth sister.
After Qingzhu left, Ji Zizhao opened the map of the area around Luoyi, sent by her fourth sister, and began to examine it.
This time, the Fourth Prince had already secured several barren mountains near the county for her. Although she would have to give 40% of the rent for the land to the imperial court after harvesting, this business was still a sure profit.
However, finding people who understood medicinal herbs and could also comprehend the terrain proved somewhat difficult.
After much thought, Ji Zizhao rose, walked around her desk, and picked up her brush to write a letter to Chen Gang.
Not many physicians were sent this time. To retain them, she would have to offer them the greatest benefits.
Of course, Ji Zizhao had no intention of coercing them.
Ji Zizhao simply instructed Chen Gang in the letter to tally all the medicinal land and then distribute the earnings based on the area of medicinal land each physician supervised. In other words, if the harvest was good, they would earn more.
Ji Zizhao further instructed Chen Gang to directly recruit villagers in the county to cultivate medicinal herbs. No one understood the local terrain and geography better than these villagers who lived off the land. Of course, these villagers who joined in cultivating medicinal herbs would also receive a share.
However, their share would be one-tenth lower than that of the physicians who supervised the medicinal herbs.
For every illness, there is a cure.
Medicine is the simplest form of connection with a cure.
The same principle applied now: mutual benefit was the easiest way to integrate physicians and villagers quickly.
This was akin to one illness having an enemy, and one thing conquering another.
When Qingzhu entered, Ji Zizhao had just finished writing the letter.
Upon hearing that her fourth sister had already departed, Ji Zizhao handed the letter to Qingzhu. "You must hurry to catch up with Fourth Sister and have her deliver this letter to Chen Gang."
Just as Qingzhu, clutching the letter, was leaving, Zhaoyuan erupted in chaos.
"Ji Zizhao, come out! You killed my mother, and now you're pretending nothing happened?"
The voice was extremely sharp. The maid, Shuiling, who had been pouring tea for Ji Zizhao, trembled, spilling most of the tea.
Ji Zizhao immediately recognized Jin Xueyan's voice but remained seated in the room, unmoved.
Shuiling looked through the window at the cousin who had already stormed into the courtyard and quietly asked, "Miss, do you require me to inform the Old Madam?"
"No need," Ji Zizhao replied curtly. She then rose and walked into the inner room. Since she couldn't sleep anyway, she decided to take out a medical book and read quietly.
"Ji Zizhao, you know you're in the wrong now and are hiding. Did you ever think about retribution when you killed my mother? I'm telling you, you are a menace! A jinx! Anyone who gets close to you will have bad luck!"
"Don't think you can hide from me now. Will you never come out again? Ji Zizhao, I'm telling you, I will make your ugliness known to everyone in the city!"
"Ji Zizhao, come out! Come out!"
In the courtyard, Jin Xueyan shrieked and cursed as if throwing a tantrum.
The lowly servants who were doing odd jobs stayed far away, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.
However, such words were like tickling to Ji Zizhao.
In this life, who was perfect?
Ji Zizhao never considered herself perfect.
Nor did she deign to be.
Jin Xueyan's voice was piercing and grating, like a cat scratching.
Shuiling was both angry and anxious, but as long as her young lady remained silent, she dared not do anything.
From dawn till dusk, Jin Xueyan cursed until her throat was hoarse. Her vision swam from lack of oxygen, and if not for the maid supporting her, she would have collapsed onto the ground.
She hadn't expected Ji Zizhao to be so patient, enduring a whole day without coming out. However, the longer Ji Zizhao remained unseen, the more convinced Jin Xueyan felt that she was in the right.
Her mother had been ruined and killed by Ji Zizhao.
In the room.
When Ji Zizhao heard the noise outside subside, she called Shuiling over. "Go and fetch a chair for the young cousin, and brew a pot of tea. Be sure not to let anyone say I was rude to my cousin."
Shuiling nodded and quickly instructed the servants to brew tea and bring a chair.
Jin Xueyan, feeling lightheaded and unsteady in the courtyard, vaguely saw someone place a chair behind her and thoughtfully set up a small table with hot tea beside it.
The maid who was supporting Jin Xueyan had come with her from the Jin family.
There were already quite a few concubines among the young masters in the household, and while there was no shortage of infighting, none could compare to the eldest young lady of the Ji family. Not only did she remain silent and unseen the entire time, but she also prepared a chair and hot tea for the instigator.
This was truly a case of attacking without a fist, and striking without moving a hand!
Jin Xueyan looked at the chair behind her, then at the hot tea beside her, her heart pounding with rage.
Others might as well have punched cotton, but she had punched into a tidal wave. Not only did she fail to harm the other party in the slightest, but she also choked herself.
"Waaah—!"
Jin Xueyan could no longer hold back and burst into loud sobs.
Nanny He, having just returned to the mansion with the Third Young Lady, heard the commotion from Zhaoyuan.
Ji Ziyan was also startled and quickly summoned the gatekeeper to inquire. "Has something happened at Eldest Sister's place?"
The gatekeeper lowered his head. "Replying to Third Young Lady, the young cousin has returned and has been causing a scene at Eldest Young Lady's residence for half a day."
Ji Ziyan frowned upon hearing this.
Their cousin had been doted on and spoiled by their aunt since childhood, resulting in her inability to distinguish right from wrong.
Hearing the intermittent shouts from Zhaoyuan, Ji Ziyan turned to leave.
Nanny He quickly stopped her. "It's best if this old servant goes back. Third Young Lady should first go and give instructions to the steward."
Ji Ziyan knew that the household was not what it used to be. Even if those who entered later were blood relatives of the eldest uncle, they could never truly be of one heart with them.
To put it bluntly, they all regarded each other as outsiders.
"Since that's the case, Nanny He, please hurry back. If Eldest Sister needs me, then Nanny He can come find me." With Jin Xueyan already causing trouble, if she were to get involved, who knew who would benefit from watching the show from behind the scenes.
Nanny He nodded. "Third Young Lady, rest assured, this old servant understands."