Chapter 53 Chapter 53 is the only authentic version...
"Meow."
The tabby cat lying on the eight-immortals table was fiddling with the counting chips out of boredom. First, it moved them to the edge of the table, then looked at her quietly and secretly moved them back some. Seeing that she was not paying any attention to it, the cat used its claws to scratch them hard.
With a clatter, all the counting chips fell to the ground.
Cat Shen felt completely relaxed and let out a happy "meow".
Gu Zhizhuo looked up and said with a smile, "Your master is really awkward."
It was just a jade token, but he gave me such a big surprise.
The cat didn't understand, but felt like it was being praised, so it rubbed its head against her excitedly.
Gu Zhizhuo placed the silk paper over the candle and burned it to ashes, then grabbed a handful of glass beads from the jewelry box and placed them on the table.
The round beads rolled all over the table. The cat's pupils became vertical and its tail moved wildly as it pounced over excitedly.
"Meow meow!"
Gu Zhizhuo petted its fluffy little head, picked up the compass from the table and put it in his sleeve pocket. "I'm going out now. When you've had enough fun, go back early and thank him for me."
"Qiongfang, you stay here and be careful not to let it swallow the glass beads. Qingmei will go with me."
The two maids agreed.
Gu Zhizhuo changed his clothes and waited at the ceremonial gate. Soon after, the lady-in-waiting and Ji Shi also arrived.
Ji wore a veiled hat, a black scarf covering her head in several layers, which hung long and reached down to her belly. She had lost so much weight in just a few days that the silk and satin swayed against her body.
She got into the carriage without saying a word.
Gu Zhizhuo helped the lady onto the first carriage and listened to her muttering, "Don't worry, even if she comes back, grandma promises to ignore her", "I will send her and Ji to the farm together in a few days", "The Ji family is really getting more and more greedy. Our family is not a charity. It's not enough to take the money. They also want us to raise children and grandchildren for his family."
She coaxed him a few words, climbed onto the horse, and followed closely beside the carriage.
It only takes an hour to ride on horseback from the capital, but the lady was old and the carriage moved slowly, so it took nearly two hours to arrive.
Following the mountain road to the top of the mountain, there is a small women's temple.
The women there are elegant, there are few pilgrims, and the vegetarian food is delicious. Mrs. Gu came here often for a while, but there has never been a time like now that made her feel so uncomfortable.
The carriage stopped in front of the mountain gate, and the abbot came out to greet them in person. Before the Queen Mother and Princess Zhaoyang came to their women's temple, Madam Gu was the most honorable and generous pilgrim in the women's temple.
"Madam, please come in."
The master of the temple bent down with a kind attitude.
Madam Gu asked impatiently, "Where's Ji Nanke? Let her come out."
The lady was too lazy to pretend, so she took the man back quickly and returned to Beijing before dusk.
Not only did she have to return to the capital, she also had to pass a badge to bring Ji Nan Ke into the palace so that the Empress Dowager could see that she had brought her back. It was so annoying!
The abbot bowed deeply and said, "Madam, please come in and wait. I will go and call Ji Shanxin out."
She sent a nun in and made a "please" gesture to them.
"Come in first, grandma." Gu Zhizhuo took the lady's arm and smiled at the master.
The abbot seemed relieved and led them inside.
She recognized Madam Gu. This Miss Gu had accompanied her to listen to the Tao before. But...
She looked at Ji, who was walking behind her with a veil covering her face, and couldn't guess who it was.
The abbess walked beside the old lady, her face full of hesitation and entanglement. She couldn't help but want to remind her, but she didn't dare, for fear of causing trouble for the abbey. Just as she was struggling with her dilemma, the nun she had sent out finally returned.
"Master, Ji Shanxin wants to talk to Miss Gu. Let Miss Gu go see her in person, otherwise she won't leave."
If you don’t want to leave, don’t leave! The lady almost turned her face away.
The abbot smiled a little reluctantly: "Madam, do you want to go to the side hall to rest first?"
Madam Gu stood there motionless. Everyone, whether in her natal family or her husband's family, had always been obedient to her. Ji Nan Ke used to be so humble to make her happy, but now, relying on the support of the empress dowager, he became pretentious.
The nun looked at the abbot uneasily, then at Gu Zhizhuo.
Gu Zhizhuo smiled sarcastically and said to the old lady, "Grandma, please go and rest with the abbot first. I will come over later."
She asked Ji, "Mother, will you accompany Grandmother to the side hall, or will you come with me to fetch Cousin Ke?"
"I'll go with you." Ji's voice was hoarse, and she said the first words after leaving the house, "I made a new set of clothes for Ke'er. We can go after she changes her clothes."
"Please lead the way."
The wind blew up the gauze curtain of her hood, revealing her red chin.
Ji was startled and grabbed the gauze curtain of her veil, her whole body was in shock.
Ji tightly grasped the letter in her sleeve pocket. This was the letter that Ke'er had asked Nanny Wan to bring to her.
She secretly told herself: It's okay, Ke'er has made a thorough plan and nothing will go wrong.
Even though their relationship had fallen out, Ji Shi didn't try to pretend to be a loving mother. She supported Nanny Zhu and left first.
The nun led them towards the back mountain.
As they walked, the nun said, "Miss Ji lives in a small courtyard in the back mountain. It's very quiet."
"please."
She praised: "Miss Ji is very kind. She has often helped us clean and receive pilgrims during these days."
The back mountain is indeed quiet, with only a few pilgrims enjoying the scenery.
But Ji Nan Ke was not there.
"Hey, it was still there just now."
Only Ji Nan Ke's maid, Yi Xin, was in the small courtyard. Seeing them coming, she said expressionlessly, "Miss, my daughter waited for you for a long time, but you didn't come, so she went to the Jade Emperor Pavilion." She looked indignant and felt very sorry for Ji Nan Ke. "If you didn't come to pick up my daughter sincerely, you could have just told me directly. My daughter is so seriously injured, and you still have to work. Where is your conscience!"
"Yixin?" Gu Zhizhuo asked with a smile, "Where is your indenture?"
Yixin's mouth was half open.
"A child born in a family should act like a child born in a family. Don't act like that in front of me, understand?"
Gu Zhizhuo spoke in a steady voice. How could a noble lady who was so high and mighty argue about right and wrong with a house-born boy? Just a glance from her was enough to make Yi Xin feel as if her throat was being strangled.
"Yes, yes...I dare not."
It was not until Gu Zhizhuo's gaze shifted away that Yi Xin finally breathed a sigh of relief, cold sweat dripping down her forehead.
How terrifying! Were young girls ever this terrifying?
The nun hurriedly said, "Miss Gu, the Jade Emperor Pavilion is this way, not far away. The Jade Emperor statue in the Jade Emperor Pavilion was broken earlier, and Ji Shanxin must have gone to help clean it up."
After another circle, we returned to the Sanqing Temple.
Gu Zhizhuo was fine, as she had been practicing archery, horse riding, shooting, and martial arts these days, so this speed was nothing for her. But Ji had been living a life of luxury for so many years, and she was still seriously ill, so the trip back and forth made her breathless.
The Jade Emperor Pavilion is behind the Sanqing Hall. When they entered, the last pilgrim just left.
"Our temple is not very popular, Miss Gu, please come in."
The nun led them inside and said, "Ji Shanxin is right there."
Ji Nan Ke was wearing a Taoist robe, and the wide sleeves could not cover the thick bandages on her wrists.
She was wiping the incense burner and turned around when she heard the sound.
Gu Zhizhuo looked at her from a distance of a hundred steps.
Ji Nan Ke wore a Taoist robe with wide sleeves, light makeup, and a jade hairpin, giving her a kind of beauty that was beyond the world.
Gu Zhizhuo was wearing a Yanyun Luo silk cloth that was worth every penny of gold. The pearls in her hair were as big as pigeon eggs. Not only was her veil adorned with pearls, but even her embroidered shoes, which were faintly visible when she walked, had a huge pearl on them.
Just standing there, she exudes a confident and proud air of nobility.
This look... Ji Nan Ke narrowed her eyes. For a moment, she felt that Gu Zhizhuo seemed a little different from before, less arrogant and impulsive.
She shouldn't have been away for so long!
She made a mistake.
"Ke'er."
Ji murmured, tears streaming down her face, unable to stop. The bitter tears stung the wound on her cheek, causing it to hurt.
"My Ke'er, you have suffered."
Ji rushed over and hugged Ji Nan Ke tightly.
"Ke'er, Ke'er."
At least five percent of her sobs were sincere.
Ji Nan Ke was raised by her side when she was less than eight years old. She was her lucky star and everything went smoothly for her.
Thinking of the suffering she had endured these days, she couldn't stop crying.
"Madam, please don't cry. Be careful of your face." Nanny Wan supported her and handed her a handkerchief. "Cousin, please persuade Madam. She has a wound on her face and can't let tears fall on her face."
Ji Nanke felt really uncomfortable listening to this.
It was because of her concession that my aunt was bullied like this and her position was lost. She was clearly the wife of a dignified duke, but she lived a life worse than a servant.
She would never let her aunt be bullied again, absolutely not.
Ji Nanke said softly, "Aunt, I will make the decision for you."
She patted her back soothingly and looked up at Gu Zhizhuo: "Cousin Zhuo."
Gu Zhizhuo said indifferently, "If you are ready, go ahead. Grandmother is still waiting."
"I'm not going back."
Ji Nanke let go of Ji Shi and walked towards Gu Zhizhuo. She looked at Gu Zhizhuo and repeated word by word: "I'm not going back."
oh?
"You must apologize to my aunt and kneel down to kowtow." Ji Nanke said coldly, "Otherwise, I will not leave the temple. This is my condition."
Gu Zhizhuo sneered.
"So," she said slowly, crossing her arms, "whether you leave or come back, what does it have to do with me?"
Ji Nanke raised his eyebrows: "Do you want to disobey the order?"
She said in a clearly coercive manner: "If you don't want to disobey the order, then apologize to my aunt!"
Gu Zhizhuo brushed off his sleeves and said one word perfunctorily and indifferently: "Get lost."
Ji Nan Ke heard a very faint noise, and she glanced at the tightly closed partition door out of the corner of her eye.
I guess I overestimated her. She is still the same as before and can't stand any stimulation.
bring it on.
Let your true face be exposed to the world.
My burning cousin.
Ji Nanke's expression froze as she demanded in a stern voice, "When my aunt married into the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, you were less than seven years old. It was my aunt who raised you single-handedly!"
"And you, what did you do to my aunt, your stepmother? Do I need to list them one by one?!"
Gu Zhizhuo chuckled as if he heard something interesting.
She raised a finger and shook it. "Raise me? Raising me would cost a fortune, and she can't come up with that. If I remember correctly, the Ji family's dowry back then was only thirty-two loads, and all of that combined wouldn't be worth as much as these ears."
"That's right."
Gu Zhizhuo clapped his hands and smiled arrogantly, "Her dowry wouldn't even be enough to support you for half a year. Cousin Ke, you better understand, even you were raised with my family's wealth."
Ji's face turned pale.
Her dowry was not much, and the Ji family now only ran a college and was living off their savings.
After her eldest sister died, her parents accepted her fate and let her marry in her place. However, they took out most of the dowry prepared for their eldest sister, and even the remaining 32 loads were only superficial.
When Gu Zhizhuo revealed all this in front of his niece, Ji's cheeks felt hot.
Ji Nanke protected the Ji family behind her. To repay the Gu family's kindness in raising her, she always gave in to Gu Zhizhuo. What else could she ask for?! She had a clear conscience.
Gu Zhizhuo glanced at her sideways: "What else have I done? Tell me in detail."
She took half a step forward, and her slender figure loomed over Ji Nan Ke.
"Don't talk about raising me. There are maids and servants in the mansion, but none of them can starve me."
Ji Nanke pursed her lower lip.
Arrogant, proud, quarrelsome, and ungrateful... You see, this is her true face.
"Zhuo Ya..."
Humph. A light and cold snort stopped Madam Gu from warning.
On the other side of the door, the Queen Mother looked at Madam Gu coldly.
The lady pinched the gold thread on the jade bracelet, feeling uneasy.
Just after Gu Zhizhuo left, the temple master said he would take her to rest, but as soon as they arrived at the Jade Emperor Pavilion, they met the Queen Mother and the eldest princess.
Not only the empress dowager, but also several ladies with royal titles and princesses from royal families were standing or sitting. They all looked dusty and exhausted, and it was obvious that they had rushed here from the capital.
The Queen Mother had a stern face the whole time and was even reluctant to call her to greet her.
She waited for a moment, confused, until she saw Gu Zhizhuo and Ji Shi come in...
The lady glanced at the queen mother, her heart almost jumping out of her throat.
The Queen Mother snorted coldly: "Is this the Gu family's family education?"
The lady bowed her head, and with a click, the golden thread broke.
"Okay, I'll count for you!"
Outside, Ji Nanke was speaking indignantly, each sentence expressing her indignation on behalf of the Ji family: "My aunt is your mother, and you forcibly confined her."
"She had a persistent high fever and severe burns, yet you never attended to her or sought medical attention. Instead, you sent her to the farm to fend for herself!"
"Yan'er is your biological brother, and you allowed others to beat and scold him endlessly, causing such a small child to receive twenty strokes of the cane!"
"Do you want me to say more?"
Gu Zhizhuo still looked down on everyone, and his composure was filled with arrogance and pride.
Ji Nanke's pupils reflected Gu Zhizhuo's figure, and every word was powerful: "My Daqi governs the world with filial piety. The Zhenguogong Mansion has indeed made contributions to the country, but you shouldn't rely on the Zhenguogong Mansion's achievements to act recklessly."
"There are three thousand categories of the Five Punishments, and the greatest sin is unfilial piety. The Great Qi Code states that those who do not serve their parents shall be punished with eighty strokes of the cane, and those who beat or scold their parents shall be hanged!"
Ji Nanke said righteously: "I am only asking you to kneel down and apologize to your mother. This is the greatest forgiveness I can offer."
“Kneel down!”
Gu Zhizhuo smiled softly: "Kneel?"
She looked Ji up and down with a critical and disdainful look: "Oh, does she deserve it?"
How could you say such things at this time? This girl was spoiled by A Liao and Bai Er! Madam Gu covered her face with dismay, and her whole body was shaky.
Being unfilial is a serious crime.
Even if she was a stepmother, even if it was just for the sake of face, she had to give her what she deserved. Moreover, Ji Shi had raised her.
The current queen is also the eldest princess’ stepmother!
If Ji Shi really insisted on holding on, Miss Gu would at least suffer a lot. The wives of the imperial concubines who had good relations with the Zhenguogong Mansion could not help but feel worried.
Zhaoyang touched the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief to hide the gloating look on his face.
She was finished! Gu Zhizhuo would eventually be killed by her own sharp tongue and sarcastic remarks.
Alas. Ke'er was still too kindhearted. She had even said before that as long as the Gu family was willing to let Ji Shi go, it would be fine. If I hadn't persuaded her, she wouldn't have been able to bear the humiliation of Gu Zhizhuo. No wonder she was always bullied by Gu Zhizhuo.
Zhaoyang looked pleased with himself, and he wished he could push open the partition door right now and step hard on Gu Zhizhuo.
She put down her handkerchief, came close to the Queen Mother, and spoke in a low voice.
"Okay, Ke'er."
Ji's gentle voice rang out.
She enjoyed an excellent reputation in the capital, known for her gentleness, generosity, and generosity. She raised a pair of stepchildren and managed the Zhenguogong Mansion with impeccable care. After the Zhenguogong died in battle, she remained faithful to her husband and remained chaste.
"Don't be like that. Sister Zhuo is still young, and she will do some willful things. As her elder sister, you should be tolerant of her. Besides..." Ji paused and said softly, "You will have to live in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion in the future."
At first glance, these words sound like an attempt to reconcile, but upon closer inspection, it's clear that she's saying that if they make Gu Zhizhuo unhappy today, she'll definitely abuse and criticize them by relying on her status when she returns home.
"Sister Zhuo, Ke'er is just worried about me. Don't be angry. I'll come and comfort her."
Ji walked in front of Gu Zhizhuo and stood between her and Ji Nanke to prevent them from having another conflict.
She was facing Gu Zhizhuo, who looked up at her slightly and said softly, "Miss, it's Ke'er and I who are at fault. Ke'er was raised in the Zhenguo Mansion, and we will remember the Gu family's kindness."
As soon as she finished speaking, her voice suddenly dropped, with only her lips moving: "Gu Zhizhuo, you asked for this."
“Big girl, don’t be angry…Ahhhhhh!”
Ji screamed in terror and fell straight back, as if Gu Zhizhuo had pushed her hard because of a disagreement.
"aunt."
Ji Nanke was startled and managed to hold her up.
Ji leaned on Ji Nanke's body with lingering fear, as soft as if she had no bones.
Ji Nanke's eyes were filled with anger, and he shouted, "You pushed her!"
"She is your mother, and stepmother is also a mother."
"You actually pushed her! I saw it with my own eyes today, don't try to deny it!"
Gu Zhizhuo sneered, and a very slight noise came from inside the partition door, which was drowned out by Ji Nanke's angry scolding.
Ji lowered his head, and a crazy smile appeared on his face under the veil.
Gu Zhizhuo's unfilial behavior was exposed to the public. Even if the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion said that he set the fire, it could be said that he "was bullied and forced to do so" or even that "Gu Zhizhuo deliberately slandered her in order to suppress her as his stepmother."
From now on, I will be invincible.
From now on, the Duke of Zhenguo’s Mansion will still have the final say!
Even if Gu Zhizhuo explained to the Queen Mother that it was not her who pushed the car, the Queen Mother would not believe her anymore as Ke'er was around.
Ke'er is really a lucky star!
"Yes, stepmother is mother, we should respect and be filial to her."
Gu Zhizhuo repeated this sentence carelessly.
She looked at Ji, her phoenix eyes seemed to be able to penetrate through layers of black veil and see into Ji's heart.
Ji's heart suddenly beat wildly for no reason.
"Back then, the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion married the eldest daughter of the Jiangnan Ji family, Ji Yuanchu."
"But you are not Ji Yuanchu!"
The Queen Mother was about to ask someone to open the door with an angry look on her face, but she stopped halfway when she heard the words.
Madam Gu was also a little stunned.
What does that mean?! Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, holding their breath for a moment.
"Where did you come from, this lonely ghost?"
Gu Zhizhuo pressed the issue again, and Ji's eyes widened, his smile froze on the corners of his mouth, and an indescribable fear surged in his heart.
Gu Zhizhuo approached Ji Shi, raised his lips and smiled, as arrogant as usual.
She placed her hands on her shoulders and said softly, "Also..."
"Pushing people, that's how it should be done."
She pushed her hands back hard, and Ji suddenly felt a huge force coming towards her. Her back knocked away the arms that were supporting her, and she fell heavily to the ground, hitting her elbows on the ground, and she groaned in pain.
"You've been Ji Yuanchu for so long, have you even forgotten your own name?"
Two words came out of Gu Zhizhuo's mouth, like a thunder exploding above Ji's head.
"Ji Ruo."
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