Chapter 48 [VIP]

Ji Shi and Gu Zhizhuo stood facing each other.

She tugged at the corners of her mouth, wanting to laugh but unable to, her dark pupils staring directly at Gu Zhizhuo.

"Put me under house arrest?"

"I have an imperial decree; can you imprison me for life?"

Ji leaned forward, her gaze sweeping up at Gu Zhizhuo.

"You want the ledgers, don't you?"

"I just won't give it to you, what can you do about it!"

Gu Zhizhu smiled and said matter-of-factly, "Look at what you're saying. You feel sorry for your daughter and don't want her to be too tired, but your daughter can't just watch you get sick from exhaustion."

"Otherwise, you'll say that your daughter is unfilial."

"Your daughter will only wait for you for one more day." Gu Zhizhuo raised a finger and shook it gently, her attitude extremely good. "If you don't give it to me, I will come and get it myself."

Ji clenched her teeth, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. She walked past Gu Zhizhuo and left, her steps quick and heavy, each one as if venting her dissatisfaction and resentment.

"Mother, may you rest in peace."

Gu Zhizhuo curtsied politely, then flicked his sleeves, walked to the head chair, and sat down gracefully and calmly.

Her right hand rested on the armrest, her jet-black hair cascading over her shoulders, exuding a languid yet captivating aura of arrogance.

The stewards all stood in their places and bowed in greeting: "Young Miss." Their voices were respectful and humble, as if she were meant to be high above and look down on everything.

Ji Shi tripped over the threshold without paying attention, and almost lost her balance.

She stumbled forward until she returned to her main courtyard and collapsed onto her daybed.

Granny Wan went over to close the door. She glanced at the quiet courtyard and noticed that there seemed to be far fewer servants. Indeed, the madam's mood had been fluctuating lately, with her constantly hitting and scolding people. Even the head maids were hesitant to approach the main house.

"Granny..."

Hearing someone calling her from inside, Granny Wan didn't think much of it and quickly closed the door.

Ji lay on the daybed, a fierce look flashing in her eyes.

She would never give the account books to Gu Zhizhuo! Absolutely not! She couldn't possibly give them to him!

Even though she's practically under house arrest now, she's still a duchess with an imperial title, and Ke'er will be back soon. The Third Prince treats Ke'er like a precious jewel; with just a word from Ke'er, the Third Prince will find a way to summon her to the palace. She won't be trapped for long; she still has a chance to turn things around.

But once that secret is discovered, she'll be truly finished.

Ji was panting heavily, her hands gripping the soft cushion beneath her tightly, her fingertips turning slightly white from the force.

She looked exactly like her elder sister. Her elder sister died, and without her, the Ji family would never have been able to climb up to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion!

For the sake of this marriage, her parents secretly buried her elder sister. She had no name on the family genealogy, and even within the family, not many people knew that her parents had secretly brought her back.

It was all preordained, perfectly orchestrated!

She married into the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion without any major incidents.

The Duke's Mansion held a superior status, and its residents were rich in gold and jade.

The child left by the first wife was only six years old, and her husband was away from the capital for many years. Her mother-in-law was easy to fool, and her sisters-in-law were kind. Even though the first wife had an eldest son, someone had assured her that her son would inherit the title.

Such a good life was something she never dared to dream of.

Until the Ji family came to the capital to deliver festival gifts, the eldest brother brought his third cousin from the second branch of the family with him.

The Ji family had been unable to enter officialdom for generations, and the clan was already in turmoil. Seeing her marry into the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, the clan even considered moving the entire clan to the capital.

My elder brother and his entourage came to the capital under the guise of delivering holiday gifts, but their real intention was to purchase a house there.

She was a married woman, and her family was her support; she knew that. So, she did everything she could to help them in the capital, not only buying them a house but also securing a job for her elder brother as an editor in the Ministry of Rites.

until……

Ji shivered.

The eldest brother found out about it! He had a huge fight with her, calling her shameless, saying she was a menace, and that she wasn't even a hair's breadth inferior to his elder sister. The eldest brother even gave up the house and his job, taking the entire Ji family with him and leaving the capital.

Not long after, Ji Huacheng told her that her elder brother had died on his way back to Beijing.

He said he would keep her secret...

Ji covered her face with her hands, completely exhausted.

If these account books were given to Gu Zhizhuo, given her current relentless and inquisitive nature, at best she might discover that he embezzled the family's money; but if she were to find out...

The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion will never let her go!

After a while, she put down her hand, stood up and walked to the dressing table, reached into the drawer, opened a hidden compartment, and took out a jade pendant.

Her hand gently caressed the auspicious cloud and dragon pattern on the jade pendant, remaining still for a long time.

"This jade pendant!" Granny Wan's eyes widened, but she quickly looked away.

As darkness fell, Granny Wan tiptoed to light the table lamp and stood aside without disturbing her.

Finally, Lady Ji put the jade pendant back.

It's not the right time yet.

Ji rubbed her forehead, put two fingers to her lips, and smiled.

This made Granny Wan a little uneasy: "Madam, your good days are yet to come... You still have the Fourth Young Master."

"Yes." Madam Ji's smile remained unchanged. "Once Yan'er inherits the title, everything will be alright. I will be able to stand truly in this world, instead of living like a lonely ghost, only able to live as the eldest sister."

"I will wait until that time."

Madam Ji stood up: "Granny, take the things, let's go."

Granny Wan sighed, took a bunch of keys, hung them on her waist, tidied her clothes, and hurriedly followed behind her.

The main courtyard was even quieter at night, with only a few servants waiting under the eaves. The lanterns flickered dimly, leaving faint dappled light on their faces.

After Ji Shi married into the family, the Dowager Lady personally taught her for half a year before handing over the management of the household affairs to her. Ji Shi had all the account books of the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion since its founding, totaling hundreds of boxes. She even set aside a small storeroom to house them, with two old women on duty in shifts.

The old woman guarding the gate hurried over to greet them.

"lady."

Ji Shi smiled perfectly and said in a gentle voice, "The eldest young lady wants the account books, let me take a look first."

The old woman took the key, opened the storeroom, and respectfully stepped aside.

Madam Ji led Granny Wan inside. The storeroom was filled with the distinctive smell of paper and a faint musty odor. All the account books were categorized by year, with each year's books piled up separately and divided into individual boxes.

There are several hundred camphor wood chests in total.

Each box had a note attached to it, indicating the year and category.

Granny Wan raised the lantern in her hand higher to light the way for her.

Ji walked among the boxes and went directly to the box from the twentieth year of the Taiyuan era. Each box was locked with a small brass lock. Granny Wan took out a small key from the key chain at her waist and opened the box.

Ji picked up the top book and began flipping through it expressionlessly. The storeroom was dimly lit, the candlelight flickering, and the densely packed words on the ledger seemed to have layers of overlapping shadows, making it impossible to read what was written.

Snap!

Ji closed the account book and reached out her hand to Granny Wan, who silently handed her a small porcelain bottle.

Once the cork of the small porcelain bottle was opened, a strong smell of kerosene wafted out, hitting the nostrils directly.

Ji coughed lightly, choked, and without hesitation poured kerosene onto the account books that covered the entire box.

The pungent smell of kerosene quickly masked the scent of paper in the warehouse.

"Madam," Granny Wan said, hiding the lantern behind her back, "does it really have to be this way?"

Ji nodded silently.

“Why don’t you go and talk to the Grand Madam…” Granny Wan licked her dry lips, “and ask the Grand Madam to discipline the eldest daughter.”

Arson is no small matter; it would be one thing if it were just this warehouse that burned down.

If the wind is too strong and the fire spreads, it will affect far more than just this warehouse.

"What's the use of telling the old lady?"

When it came to making a decision, Madam Ji was exceptionally calm: "Gu Zhizhuo has been causing all this trouble these past few days. Do you think the Grand Madam doesn't know? Now that Gu Baibai is backing her up, and the Grand Madam always listens to her son, why would she stand up for me?"

Smelling the kerosene in the air, Madam Ji continued, "Gu Zhizhuo said she would come to collect it tomorrow, and she will! You saw how arrogant she was today. If I don't give it to her, she might turn the main courtyard upside down."

"Granny, I can't afford to be in a passive position any longer."

“But,” Granny Wan wanted to persuade her again, “if you light this fire, the young lady will definitely know that you did it.”

"So what?" Madam Ji chuckled, her pupils reflecting the boxes of account books. "She can confine me, but can she make me die suddenly?"

"If I die, she and Gu Yican will have to observe mourning for their mother. The war in the southern border has ended, and now even Gu Yican can't disobey the mourning order. Another three years, can the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion still survive?! Heh, let the entire Zhenguo Duke's Mansion pay for my funeral, nanny, tell me, is it worth it?!"

Without these ledgers, she would be invincible even if she died.

"Granny Wan."

Ji Shi once again reached out her hand to Granny Wan.

Granny Wan gritted her teeth and said, "This servant will do it."

Ji gently hugged her, rested her head on the crook of her neck, and said, "I know that you are good to me, Granny."

She reached out and lifted the lantern's shade, taking out the candle inside.

The candlelight was warm but not hot to the touch.

A single fire could destroy all of this.

With just one fire, she will have no more worries.

Without the slightest hesitation, Ji brought the candle in her hand closer to the box.

boom.

The flames touched the oil and ignited instantly. In just a moment, the flames shot high into the air, and a scalding heat rushed out.

Ji smiled slightly and threw the account book in her hand into the flames, which were instantly engulfed by the fire.

Ji poured the remaining kerosene onto several boxes labeled with the 21st and 22nd years of the Taiyuan era, and lit them again with a candle. The storeroom was full of account books and wooden boxes; a small bottle of kerosene was enough to burn everything clean, leaving no trace.

The air grew increasingly hot, and gray smoke filled the entire warehouse.

Ji coughed violently from the fumes and tucked the small bottle containing kerosene into her bosom. Granny Wan quickly said, "Madam, let's go outside first. The fire looks like it's burning even brighter." They couldn't let the madam get hurt.

good.

Ji's smile deepened, revealing an undisguised excitement. All the things that had nearly crushed her in recent days seemed to vanish with the flames at this moment.

"In a couple of days, you will come with me to Taiqing Temple."

As Ji turned to leave, she said, "I've heard that the talismans of Master Qingping of Taiqing Temple are extremely effective. I'm going to ask for an exorcism talisman."

A fierce glint flashed in her eyes.

"Since she's so persistent, I'll make sure she's utterly destroyed!" A low laugh escaped her lips. "Twins are unlucky, so I'll just keep one."

Fate is.

Even the soul!

The heat wave behind him burned his skin, and Ji quickened his pace.

Hmm.

Did they close the door when they came in? Granny Wan couldn't remember and rushed to push the door open first.

Huh?

The door didn't move.

Is it stuck? She pushed harder, pushed with all her might! Her slightly chubby face turned red as she pushed with all her might, and faintly, she could hear the banging of the door lock hitting the door frame outside.

Granny Wan's heart pounded wildly. She rammed and kicked the door even harder, causing it to shake slightly and making the sound of the lock more distinct.

Bang bang bang.

It's over.

It’s over!

"Madam, we...we're locked inside."

With all her might, Granny Wan uttered these words in a trembling voice. Her face filled with fear, she turned to look at Madam Ji and repeated, "We're locked inside."

Ji's smile froze. She touched her stiff cheek, staggered over, and followed suit in pushing.

Similarly, the gate remained completely still.

"Could it be stuck?" Ji asked in a trembling voice.

"I remember now," said Granny Wan, her face contorted with grief. "I didn't close the door when I came in!"

Someone closed and locked the door after they came in!

This terrifying realization was like a rapidly growing weed, binding her tightly and making it difficult to even breathe.

However, even breathing is difficult now.

In a short time, the smoke in the warehouse became thicker and thicker, and the air was filled with a pungent smell of smoke, which made Ji's chest feel unbearably hot.

She opened her mouth to breathe, but thick smoke rushed into her throat, causing her to cough even more violently this time, one cough after another that she couldn't stop.

She instinctively looked at the boxes; flames were shooting up and there was no way to put them out!

Ji pounded on the door, shouting, "Open the door! Open the door now! Granny Cui, open the door!"

She called out loudly to the old woman guarding the storehouse, but to no avail.

The warehouse door was tightly shut, and no human voice could be heard.

"Madam, the fire is spreading to the side!" Granny Wan cried out in alarm.

They only brought a small bottle of kerosene, which they only sprinkled on those few boxes. However, the boxes in the warehouse were packed tightly together, and the fire would eventually spread to the other boxes.

If the fire spreads and all these boxes catch fire, they might not be able to wait for the fire to be put out before they are both doomed.

"Move it! Move it away quickly!"

Ji Shi, accompanied by Granny Wan, went to move the surrounding boxes. The boxes, filled with account books, were extremely heavy and far beyond what a pampered noblewoman like Ji Shi, who had been spoiled for so many years, could move.

With great effort, the two of them finally managed to move the two or three boxes that were close together a little. Ji's delicate skin was covered in blisters from the burns, and her face was burning with pain.

"Open the door! Open the door!"

It was even hotter inside the warehouse, with thick smoke billowing out.

Ji Shi could not bear it any longer, so she went to bang on the door again, slamming it against the tightly closed door with all her might.

Bang!

The door is open?

Ji Shi's strength had not subsided, and she rushed forward several steps before crashing heavily to the ground.

The fresh air made Ji forget the pain of her fall. She greedily took several breaths before remembering something. She slowly raised her head and, in her most disheveled state, met a pair of condescending phoenix eyes.

"Mother."

These two words struck Ji Shi's heart like a heavy hammer.

Her heart skipped a beat, and her face showed unconcealed astonishment and panic.

Gu, Gu Zhizhuo!

"Mother, why are you burning things here so late at night instead of sleeping?"

She smiled knowingly, a soft sigh escaping her lips: "It's my daughter, isn't it? She was so busy asking you for the account books that she forgot to remind you to be careful of fire."

She wore a crimson dress, the hem of which was adorned with tiny pearls that outlined delicate begonia blossoms. Her proud demeanor was exactly the same as when she was in Duanfu Hall.

Ji Shi was covered in black dust, her cheeks were a little red and had a few blisters, her hair was messy and smelled burnt, her hair bun was half crooked, and the hairpin in her hair was hanging down by her ears. Her whole body was disheveled.

"Mother, are you alright? Should we call a doctor?"

Ji's tightly clenched lips drooped, and as she smelled the scorching air, a sound like a madman's laughter escaped her throat.

The account books were all burned.

What else could Gu Zhizhuo do?

Cough cough!

“Miss.” Qingmei was the most agile, and quickly went in and out. “What was burned were the boxes from the 20th to 22nd years of the Taiyuan era.”

"Most of the kerosene was spilled on several boxes from the 20th year of the Taiyuan era. These boxes were burned the most severely, and there shouldn't have been a single piece of paper left."

The late emperor's reign title was Taiyuan, and he reigned for twenty-two years.

Lady Ji married into the Zhenguo Duke's mansion in the twentieth year of the Taiyuan era.

In other words, she burned the account books from the last three years of the late emperor's reign.

Ji tilted her head back, staring at her expressionlessly, a dry cough escaping her throat.

“Mother, there’s one more thing I forgot to tell you,” Gu Zhizhuo said with a smile. “I had someone come and take away all these account books this morning. Oh well, it’s my bad memory; I forgot something so important.”

Ji stared at her with wide eyes, unable to believe her ears.

What do you mean she already took it? Could it be?!

Suddenly, Madam Ji remembered that Gu Zhizhuo hadn't arrived at Duanfu Hall for a long time. Could it be that she had taken advantage of that time to come and move the account books?! What she had just burned was…

No, this is the main courtyard. Why is she allowed to act recklessly here?

Yes. After they returned from Duanfu Hall, Granny Wan noticed that the courtyard seemed much quieter than usual. However, the madam was in a bad mood, and Granny Wan had been with her the whole time, so she hadn't noticed for a moment.

Granny Wan suddenly felt a chill rise from the soles of her feet, making her feel cold all over.

Turning her hand, she can create clouds; turning her hand, she can create rain. Is this the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, the eldest daughter who carries the blood of the Gu family and the Langya Wang clan?!

Even if the lady had been pampered and suppressed since childhood, she could easily push the lady back into the mud.

Granny Wan was terrified, and her knees trembled uncontrollably.

Gu Zhizhuo raised his hand slightly, as if sensing something, and asked directly, "Madam, what did you do in the twentieth year of Taiyuan?"

"You need the ledgers? I came over to organize them, but I accidentally caused a fire."

Ji Shi clutched the hem of her dress and said, "Go put out the fire. If the fire gets bigger and spreads, it's hard to say whether the entire Zhenguo Duke's Mansion can be saved."

“There’s no need for you to worry about that, Mother,” Gu Zhizhuo said slowly. “It’s going to rain soon, so the fire won’t be able to start.”

"Rain?" Ji Shi scoffed. "You think it'll rain just because you say so?"

“Yes.” Gu Zhizhuo nodded seriously, “You stayed up in the middle of the night and came to the storeroom to set fire to play, almost burning down hundreds of people in the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion. Even God couldn’t stand it anymore.”

Qingmei stood silently beside her. When they left the Xie residence last time, the eldest young lady had said that it would rain around 7 PM today.

She had been with the girl for so long, and the girl had always been very thorough in her actions.

So, the girl kept pressuring Ji Shi, was she trying to force her to burn the account books? And then, wait for her to get caught?

It's a pity that the marriage was arranged by imperial decree; otherwise, the arson alone would have been enough to warrant a divorce.

If there were no mother-daughter relationship, the young woman wouldn't be so constrained.

Just as she was thinking this, Qingmei heard a loud rumble of thunder in her ears, and a bolt of lightning suddenly struck the sky. Qiongfang opened her oil-paper umbrella and held it over Gu Zhizhuo's head.

"Mother, now that things have come to this, do you want to explain things yourself, or do you want me to investigate on my own?"

"It's raining heavily today. I hope you haven't done anything that would bring you divine retribution."

Splash! In an instant, the rain poured down, and fine raindrops fell incessantly, drenching Ji Shi's head and body, with rainwater dripping down her hair.

Her clothes clung to her body, soaking wet, making her look even more dejected and helpless.

Rumble!

A sudden clap of thunder shook the sky, and Ji Shi shuddered.

She was like a lost soul in the darkness, revealing her true form amidst the thunder of the heavens.

"You have the face and identity of the younger sister, how could you do such a shameless thing?"

“You had an affair with him, and... if this is exposed, you will cause the execution of our entire clan.”

"You really are a menace!"

She felt as if she had returned to the day when her older brother exposed her secret, and he pointed at her and cursed her.

She said:

“If this succeeds, my son will be the Duke of Zhenguo. The Ji family will return to the court because of me, and you will all have to kneel on the ground, grateful for my reward. I am more valuable than my elder sister in life.”

"Brother, wealth and glory always come at a price."

Everything was going smoothly.

She also gave birth to a son.

Rumble!

Ji cried out in fright, "Granny, Granny!"

Granny Wan crawled over on her knees and hugged her in her arms.

“Mother.” Gu Zhizhuo took a step forward. “I’ll ask you one more time: are you going to tell me yourself, or wait for me to investigate?”

Ji Shi: "..."

She couldn't tell anyone! Unless the Gu family was completely wiped out, she couldn't tell anyone.

"I...I'll say..."

A note from the author: