Chapter 74 Ignoring

Ji Jinghe gazed at her silently, his eyes growing even darker, the sadness he rarely showed suddenly becoming apparent.

"Why? Is there something I didn't do well enough..."

No.

Yu An: "It was my fault for not thinking things through. I was too impulsive to agree to come here with you. Your business is your business, and mine is mine. The Chu family's business is none of your concern."

“I heard that you rushed into the fire to find me that day. You didn’t have to do that. Instead of worrying about buying me food, you should have taken care of yourself instead of having everyone tell me that you were injured.”

Ji Jinghe opened his mouth, but before he could utter a sound, the person in front of him turned around and went back.

After that, the two rarely spoke to each other on the way back to the capital.

Two months had passed since I last saw him, and Chu Zhuo'an had managed to keep the house in perfect order.

She only then realized that Xu Jingshu had come during the time she was away.

"What is she doing here?" Yu'an asked curiously.

Chu Zhuoan: "He didn't say anything, he just left some gifts and left."

Baozhu packed her things, saying with disdain, "Nobody comes here unless they have a reason. Who knows what they're here for..."

Xu Jingshu is now married. Ji Shu said that her husband is a newly appointed official in the court.

Thinking about it carefully, she probably came to the Chu residence to ask for something, and definitely not to see her.

After resting at home for two or three days and fully recovering from the fatigue of the journey, I received an invitation from the Wang family.

"Wang Wan'er handed it to me." Baozhu handed the invitation to Yu'an after she finished reading it.

Yu'an put down her needlework, picked it up to look at, and put it down after a few glances.

She and Wang Wan'er had a bad relationship since childhood, and she had no intention of getting involved in their affairs.

"When I went out to buy thread yesterday, I ran into the Yan family. I heard that Miss Yan will also be there."

Baozhu folded the clothes. "I was just about to go, so I bought some nice silk thread to give as a gift."

She couldn't participate in court affairs, so if she wanted to find any clues, she really had to start with matters concerning women in their private quarters. Evidence wouldn't come to her if she stayed at home; she had to go out herself.

After much deliberation, Yu'an accepted the invitation and went.

The old water-flowing wine cups left on East Street were no longer usable due to the cold weather, so they were repaired. People warmed themselves by the stove and ate hot pot, which was quite a pleasant thing.

Yu An dressed up a little and got off the carriage. Wang Wan'er came to greet her with her entourage.

"Look at our Lady of Imperial Decree, she truly lives up to her reputation as a woman who dares to beat the drum to appeal to the emperor. She is dressed plainly, yet she has the air of an iron lady."

Wang Wan'er spoke eloquently, with a hint of teasing, which still made people feel uncomfortable.

Yu An was too lazy to argue. She glanced at the venue, straightened her clothes, and said naturally, "I'm no longer a titled lady. I'm divorced."

Everyone paused for a moment.

Wang Wan'er was dressed in bright colors, and her small face, surrounded by fluffy red fox and sable fur, showed surprise. She was stunned for a few seconds before she could speak clearly.

"Chu Yu'an, are you out of your mind?"

Unable to find Yan Rongxue in the crowd, Yu An glanced at Wang Wan'er and walked inside.

Wang Wan'er sneered: "Chu Yu'an, I really admire you. You gave up such a good life and insisted on going back to the Chu family."

The Ji family was living such a good life, not to mention how promising Ji Jinghe's future was. If it were anyone else, they would have been scrambling to get in. But she, on the contrary, got divorced.

Wang Wan'er: "What tricks are you playing? You were so happy when you wanted to marry Ji Jinghe, how come you want to get a divorce after only two years?"

Yan Rongxue was chatting with others in the pavilion when Yu An glanced at her casually and found a seat near her.

"That's strange. Just a few days ago we heard that Censor Ji was collecting the best materials in the entire capital, and today we hear he's getting a divorce? Miss Chu, you must be kidding us..."

Yu An raised the warmed wine and took a small sip, then raised an eyebrow at Wang Wan'er, who was sitting opposite her.

Although they had a bad relationship since childhood, they knew each other's character. As the Empress Dowager's niece, Wang Wan'er knew the relationship between Yu'an and the Empress Dowager, so she gave up her usual idea of ​​taking the opportunity to make fun of her. She just waved her hand and told the servants to serve the dishes quickly.

"She wouldn't lie to anyone."

This is no laughing matter...

It was so sudden. The two of them had just returned from the south, how could they have gotten divorced?

“I don’t really like lamb, so please give this plate to Miss Yan. I remember she likes it,” Yu An said softly.

Yan Rongxue glanced at her sideways and nodded slightly in acceptance.

“I heard from the maid beside me that you went outside the shop and bought a lot of silk thread, picking out all the pretty ones, so I had nothing to buy.” Yu’an looked at the bubbling pot and said casually, “I remember you don’t like needlework.”

Yan Rongxue didn't hide anything and said frankly, "His Majesty's birthday is coming soon, and the Qiang delegation will be visiting. I was thinking of making a couple more outfits before the New Year, otherwise the price of fabrics in the capital will go up again."

It's true. When the Qiang delegation came to the capital, several groups of foreigners would inevitably flock in. Those merchants had never seen the materials from the Central Plains before, so they would buy a lot, almost to the point of buying up all the materials in the capital.

Buying it sooner will definitely make things better.

Wang Wan'er: "I've got the same idea. I'll have someone buy a few bolts of silk so I can make new clothes for the New Year."

As they were talking, Ji Shu arrived in a hurry and sat down next to Yu An.

"Ji Shu, why are you still squeezing next to your ex-sister-in-law? Why don't you sit with me?" someone suddenly joked.

Ji Shu glared at her, "What nonsense are you talking about? What ex-sister-in-law..."

"Chu Yu'an already said that she and your brother are divorced, you couldn't possibly not know that..."

People around started talking about it, but it was only when Wang Wan'er spoke up that things quieted down.

People who can't help but enjoy watching the drama unfold are always speculating about things that have nothing to do with them.

When they first got married, everyone guessed that Ji Jinghe had agreed to the marriage for the sake of the Chu family's power. As it turned out, their relationship was not good.

But as time went on, things changed.

Ji Jinghe was her housekeeper, and he would buy her things from time to time. Even on occasions when they rarely attended each other's homes, they seemed much more affectionate than ordinary couples.

Perhaps it's true that only the person drinking the water knows whether it's hot or cold, and life isn't as it seems to others.

Yu An was focused on the opportunity to talk to Yan Rongxue, so she didn't notice the gossip going on among the people below.

She wasn't stupid; she deliberately leaked the information to them as a warning to Ji Jinghe.

His dragging it out like that is not right.

After finishing their meal, they prepared to leave after sitting for only a short time. Yu An accompanied Ji Shu as they walked out of the garden, and they ran into Ji Jinghe.

Yu An: "My carriage is over there, you don't need to follow."

Before Ji Shu could stop her, Yu An walked straight away.

Ji Jinghe was standing in front of her, holding a box in his hand. He was about to say something, but when he saw her walk past him with a cold face, he immediately fell silent.

They brushed past each other without even exchanging a glance.

It was like an enemy he had never met, or rather, the warmth he once thought he had felt had vanished like bubbles floating on water.

Someone nudged Wang Wan'er and sneered, "Look, we'll see Ji Jinghe get his comeuppance one more day. It seems it's really true..."

Wang Wan'er stared intently at what was in front of her, and saw Ji Jinghe pause for a moment before chasing after him.

"This is for you."

He reached out and handed the box over.

Yu An boarded the carriage without saying a word.

Ji Jinghe: ...

The servant turned the carriage around and left, not giving Ji Jinghe even a chance to catch his breath.

"Is this still the upright and honest Ji Jinghe? Look at his face, it looks like he's been hit by frost, where is his former smugness?"

"It's truly a rare sight," Wang Wan'er couldn't help but say.

Seeing this, Ji Shu felt sorry for her brother, so she walked over and quietly tugged at him, saying, "Let's go, brother."

With so many people watching, she felt incredibly embarrassed for him.

Ji Jinghe lowered his eyes, glanced at the box in his hand, and his furrowed brows deepened.

“She doesn’t look well. Has something happened to her recently?” he said.

Ji Shu: ……

"Let's go first." She secretly used a lot of effort to pull the people away. When the crowd saw that Ji Jinghe was about to leave, they considered that they had finished watching the show and dispersed on their own.

Ji Shu: "Sister-in-law, you're perfectly fine, you don't look unwell at all. But you look like you're about to die."

Ji Jinghe handed the box to Qingque, who understood and immediately ran off to deliver it.

"Your mother has been thinking about you these past few days. Now that you're home, why don't you go and see your mother? Your mother doesn't blame you..."

Ji Jinghe straightened his robe, his face darkening, and remained silent.

Ji Shu sighed and said anxiously, "Brother, say something! Even if you're angry like this, your wife won't know."

The atmosphere inside the carriage continued to deteriorate, and Ji Shu was too angry to say anything more.

“Mother knew about Uncle’s shady dealings a long time ago. It was Grandpa who told her. Grandpa said that if things were exposed, he asked us to help the Shen family for his sake.”

Ji Shu looked at him again, "Mother said it wasn't coercion, but that you should help if you can. Protecting the Shen family is the most important thing. Uncle... let him do what he has to do."

Shen Yi is guilty of smuggling overseas, a serious crime, and it's unlikely he can be saved.

Ji Jinghe rested his elbows on his knees, slowly placed his hands on his forehead, closed his eyes, and looked away from everything else on his pained face.

Ji Shuzhen felt that she had just collapsed.

"I will do my best to help with the Shen family's affairs. I've been busy at the Censorate lately and I get home late every day. I'd appreciate it if you could help take care of my mother."

Ji Shu felt a pang of sadness in her chest and said with heartache, "We're family, there's no need for thanks..."

When the Shen family gets into trouble, the Ji family is inevitably affected as well.

Although Ji Jinghe was the one who investigated the matter, many officials seized upon it to impeach him for betraying his relatives in order to protect himself.

Some even suggested investigating the Ji family as well, to prevent them from secretly colluding with each other.

"Grandmother told me to advise you to keep a low profile for a while and not provoke people everywhere. Small things add up and are never good." Making too many enemies will eventually backfire, and too much imperial favor will eventually disappear. When that happens, you will be truly isolated and helpless, with neither favor nor friends left.

"Don't worry about your sister-in-law's situation. I'll talk to her more often. Who knows, she might change her mind someday. She's not that heartless."

Ji Jinghe gave a cold laugh, finding it utterly ridiculous.

I feel that I brought this upon myself, which is why I am in this situation today.

How many outrageous things had he done to make someone who was usually so docile become so heartless?

They had only been gone a short while when Qingque caught up with them.

Baozhu had just brought the box to Yu'an when Yu'an chased her away.

"The old man said that these are things that a young lady could use, something that a princess would like, so maybe the young lady could use them..."

Yu An paused for a moment, then glanced at the box again.

After hesitating for a few seconds, he said firmly, "Send it back. No, but also pass on a message: instead of worrying about other things, we should hurry up and get the divorce done."

Baozhu knew she couldn't persuade him otherwise, so she obediently went back.

Seeing the items returned exactly as they were, Qingque sighed helplessly, "Young Madam, you still won't accept them?"

"What young mistress? She's Lady Chu now."

Qingque nodded repeatedly, offering no argument.

“The old man has been living a miserable life lately. He has so many injuries that keep recurring and won’t heal. He won’t even take his medicine.”

"That's just the old man's own fault..."

As the two were talking, a particularly luxurious sedan chair arrived outside the Chu residence; it was from the palace.