Chapter 2: Grandmother Hangs Herself!

The Ji family was considered a well-off family in Chongzhou. They weren't extremely wealthy, but they weren't poor either. After transmigrating into the original body, Ji Shu was quite satisfied with her current situation.

Mingming was still making incense at the factory the night before, working overtime until after 3 a.m., thinking he might as well take a nap and go home in the morning. As a result, he ended up sleeping here.

Even more outrageous is that he transmigrated into the novel he had been reading the night before, the full title of which is "The Deep Spring in the Painted Hall".

The male protagonist in the book, Pei Xingjian, is also the son of Pei Yanzhi. That's right, the famous Pei Yanzhi is just a supporting character, while his son is the main character.

This was what greatly dissatisfied the book fans at the time, and it even became a trending topic, staying on the hot search for an entire day, all in an effort to get the author to write an extra chapter for Pei Yanzhi.

The male protagonist, Pei Xingjian, inherited the throne five years after his father's death and unified the world, while the female protagonist, Wei Heng, was his childhood sweetheart and the crown prince's wife.

It tells the story of how the female protagonist successfully outmaneuvered all the supporting characters in the palace and became the empress.

I didn't mention myself in the book, perhaps because I haven't finished reading it yet, or perhaps I'm just a marginal character in the book.

Unfortunately, I don't know what my fate will be.

Ji Shu's body was weak and sickly from birth. If she were to travel a long distance, it was uncertain whether she could live for more than a few years. In addition, there was no one else in her family except for her troublesome grandmother.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but let out a long sigh. No one could escape being drawn into this chaotic world.

As dawn was breaking, Ji Shu returned to her bed and rested for an hour.

After waking up, Ji Shu got up from the bed.

Ji Shu sat in front of her dressing table, while Chunzhi continued to style her hair, finally inserting a gold and jade hairpin into her hair bun.

"Is everything packed?" she asked, looking at Chunzhi's reflection in the bronze mirror.

Chunzhi replied, "Young lady, everything is arranged."

"Does Grandmother know?"

"The old lady must have heard about it too, because she's making a fuss and insisting on staying."

Ji Shu's face darkened. "Nonsense! Are we supposed to wait for them to break in before we leave?"

"This servant can't understand it either. The old lady is unwilling to go with us or with the second master."

Upon hearing this, Ji Shu let out a sigh of relief, "Perhaps they still have feelings for this house."

"Forget it, she's always been stubborn and won't listen to anything I say."

After lunch, Ji Shu took Chunzhi to her grandmother Wang's courtyard.

The Ji family's house is a three-courtyard house. The main house in the inner courtyard was originally intended for Ji Shu's father and mother. Later, Ji Shu felt that her original courtyard was too small, so she moved there, leaving only her grandmother in the back courtyard.

As soon as Ji Shu stepped through the door, she heard the voice of her second aunt, who had moved to a different residence. The maid at the door saw her coming and wanted to go in to announce her arrival, but Chunzhi shook her head and stopped her.

Ji Shu stood at the door, listening to the voices coming from inside.

Second Aunt Chen sat on the lower right side. She was around forty years old and wore a slightly worn cross-collar jacket and skirt. There were no expensive jewelry in her hair.

He seemed to be having a hard time, his face looking rather distressed. He said to the old lady, "Mother, Erlang specifically asked me to come and ask you if you want to come with us tonight. The rebels are about to invade, and my family wants us to go there to avoid the storm."

She paused, then added, "But this girl—" She didn't say it explicitly, but she didn't want to bring her along.

A burden; carrying it will only hold you back.

The old lady sat at the head of the table, dressed elegantly, and upon hearing this, her sharp eyes stared straight at her.

As if seeing through everything, he slowly said, "You are unwilling to take Shuya with you. Do you know that Shuya is the only bloodline left in this main branch? You take her and leave. I will not leave. You are afraid of death, but I am not."

Seeing this, Chen's lips drooped. She had told him to come, but Erlang insisted on making her come. Didn't he know what kind of person his mother was?

That's unnecessary.

She continued, trying to appease her mother, "Mother, it's not that we don't want to take Shuya with us, it's just that the journey is too long, and as you know, Shuya's health hasn't been very good..."

It would be so unlucky if I died on the road with you.

This eldest son's family has considerable wealth. As far as she knows, Ji Shu's mother's maternal grandfather's side were well-known wealthy merchants in Jiangzhou, and their dowry was quite substantial.

But if Ji Shu were to die, wouldn't everything in the main branch of the family belong to her?

He naturally didn't dare say those words aloud.

Otherwise, the old lady would never forgive her.

She paused, then continued, "Besides, how can we leave in peace with you all alone in the mansion? How will you face Erlang if he finds out?"

The old lady ignored her, saying, "Ji Shu has always been decisive. If she wants to leave, so be it. I'll stay here."

Ji Shu overheard the gist of the conversation at the door and found it amusing—one was always gossiping in front of her grandmother, and the other was so stubborn that she wouldn't listen to any advice.

As soon as she entered the room, the talking inside stopped abruptly.

When Chen saw her arrive, she immediately put on a smile: "Oh my, Shu'er is here. It's been several months since I last saw her, and she has become even more beautiful. It can be said that there is no more outstanding young lady in the entire Chongzhou than our Shu'er."

Ji Shu lowered her eyes, glanced at him indifferently, stepped forward and bowed: "Greetings, Grandmother."

Ms. Chen smiled awkwardly, picked up the teacup on the table, and took a sip.

After Ji Shu finished her greetings, she went straight to the chair on the left and sat down, saying, "When I came in, my second aunt said that she wanted Grandmother to leave with you?"

The old lady frowned, whether she was dissatisfied with Ji Shu or with her rudeness, it was unclear. Before the elders could tell her to get up, she sat down on her own.

Madam Chen quickly chimed in, "Yes, things are so chaotic right now, it's better to leave as soon as possible. We can come back once the storm has passed. I was just trying to persuade your grandmother to come with us."

Upon hearing this, the old lady slammed her hand on the table and said, "If you want to leave, then leave. I'm not leaving."

Although she didn't have any particular feelings for this old lady.

But after all, she was the original owner's grandmother.

Thinking of this, she said, "Grandmother, I have already made arrangements outside. If you don't want to go with Second Aunt, you can come with me. That way, I can take good care of you."

As she finished speaking, her brows furrowed as if she wanted to say something more, Chang Wu rushed in from outside.

"Young lady, something terrible has happened! The rebels have assassinated the prefect, and now the city is leaderless and in complete chaos. I heard they're going to attack the city tonight."

"What?"

"What?"

Everyone in the inner courtyard paled; the turn of events had come so quickly, catching everyone off guard.

With her life at stake, Chen was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. She hurriedly left the courtyard to discuss countermeasures.

Seeing that it didn't seem fake, Ji Shu's heart sank to the bottom. She stood up from her seat and said, "We can't delay any longer. Grandmother, please prepare quickly. We won't have time to leave tonight. Let's go now."

After saying that, he instructed Chunzhi, "Go and get your luggage quickly."

Then she turned to Chang Wu and instructed him to prepare a carriage at the back gate so they could leave now.

I don't know when I'll be able to return home.

If Chongzhou were to fall, the rebel army would surely burn, kill, and loot. We would lose our valuables, but whether we could save our lives would be uncertain.