Chapter 9 Chapter 9 "Don't let her know."
The door creaked open slightly, and Ji Yang pushed it open and walked in, followed by an elderly doctor.
Jiang Ci didn't get up for a while, but Ji Yunfan saw the person coming first, his eyes lit up, and he shouted with a smile:
"Second uncle!"
Hearing the shout, Jiang Ci and Ji Xu turned around together.
Ji Yang stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes fixed on Jiang Ci and his elder brother sitting at the table, chatting and laughing. His eyes darkened, the corners of his lips curled up, and his tone was sarcastic:
"I've only been in the mansion for a few days, but you really don't treat yourself as an outsider anymore."
"So soon, I'm sitting with my eldest brother, chatting and laughing, and we're very familiar with each other."
Jiang Ci was about to explain, but Ji Xu spoke softly and helped her out:
"I haven't been feeling well these days, so I asked Zhu Niang to invite her over to keep Afan company and entertain him."
His tone was calm, yet contained a certain gentleness and firmness that could not be questioned.
Ji Yang snorted coldly, raised his eyes and glanced at Jiang Ci, and said coldly:
"Big brother is too soft-hearted. She will believe anything he says."
"This woman is very scheming. If she stays in the mansion, I'm afraid she'll be restless. It's better to stay away from her, lest she teach Afan bad things and end up being filled with bad things from her."
"She is the best at calculating."
As soon as the words fell, the atmosphere suddenly became quiet.
Jiang Ci's expression did not change, he just slowly put down his chopsticks.
Without waiting for others to speak, she stood up, her face gentle and her tone polite:
"I've already used it. I also have some things to do, so I won't bother you with your meeting with the governor."
She bowed and said, "Thank you for taking the photo today, big brother."
After saying that, he turned around and was about to leave, but after taking two steps, someone grabbed the corner of his clothes.
It was Ji Yunfan, who stood in front of her and said to Ji Yang seriously with a puffed face:
"Uncle, you are not allowed to be mean to Sister Jiang!"
Ji Yang frowned slightly, looked down at the child in front of him, and suddenly some traces of the past emerged in his mind.
He squatted down, his tone slow but with a hint of caution:
"Afan, not all women are what you think."
"Remember, especially those from a family like ours, you must learn to see through people and not let others plot against you without you even realizing it."
Just as he was speaking, Ji Xu had already put down his chopsticks and interrupted him softly: "I'm done eating too."
"Let the doctor come in and take your pulse first."
His voice was still gentle, but with a hint of displeasure.
Jiang Ci returned to the courtyard. Yin Shuang followed Jiang Ci back to his room angrily. As soon as she entered the room, she couldn't help but whispered:
"Miss, why didn't you say anything in your defense just now? If others heard what he said about you, they would probably spread gossip about you."
Jiang Ci did not respond immediately. He slowly took off his coat and sat beside the incense burner in front of the table. He lowered his eyes and adjusted his sleeves, as if he had not heard clearly.
The room was filled with smoke from the incense burner, and her expression was quiet, almost cold.
Seeing her silence, Yin Shuang stamped her feet anxiously. "Even for the sake of clearing your name, you shouldn't have said nothing. He said the girl had evil intentions and was calculating. It's simply... it's simply too much."
Jiang Ci then raised his eyes, the corners of his lips moved slightly, and he said softly:
"If I really cared about him, I would rush to defend myself."
She spoke very softly but very frankly, and her expression was not affected by Ji Yang's words at all.
Yin Shuang was stunned. Before she could say anything else, Jiang Ci had already stood up, walked slowly to the window, and pushed the window frame slightly open.
The spring breeze blew into the house through the window, ruffling her hair. She stood in the interweaving of light and shadow, her voice as soft as water:
"If he thinks I'm calculating, no matter how much I say, it will be useless."
"Then it's better not to say anything, so as not to appear that I'm trying to please him."
There was no resentment or self-pity in her eyes. At this moment, she was just thinking that the life of two people who don't want to love each other is really very long.
Yin Shuang bit her lip, not knowing what to say.
Jiang Ci had turned around, sat down again, and opened the medical book on the table that he had asked Wanniang to find from the mansion.
At the same time, after the doctor packed up his medical box, Ji Yang personally led him into Ji Xu's bedroom.
The room was very quiet.
Ji Xu sat at the desk, his clothes loose, his wrists raised to reveal their thin joints. He cooperated with his usual gentleness, not saying much and not seeming restrained.
After the old doctor took the patient's pulse, he concentrated for a moment and then changed hands.
Ji Yang stood aside with his hands behind his back, his eyes fixed on the doctor's movements, his voice steady and slow:
"how?"
The doctor stood up and bowed, speaking in a serious tone, "Young Master's pulse is weak, his Qi and blood are not flowing smoothly, and all his five internal organs are suffering from damage. Fortunately, he has been properly nursed back to health recently, so no serious damage has occurred. He just needs to take care of himself, rest as usual, and avoid excessive exertion, and the condition will not worsen."
Ji Yang nodded slightly, told his attendants to write down the prescription, and asked someone to send the doctor out.
There were only two brothers left in the room. After a moment of silence, Ji Yang spoke in a low voice:
"You've been sick for too long after all."
Although his tone was emotionless, the corners of his lips were tightly tightened, full of heartache.
Ji Xu smiled lightly:
"Compared to a few years ago, it's much better. Just don't worry."
He paused, his eyes fell on Ji Yang, his tone gentle and sincere:
"On the contrary, you... have been married to my sister-in-law for only a few days, and you've already treated her coldly in every way. She's a good girl. If you were willing to tone down your edge, you might be able to live a good life."
Ji Yang frowned, as if something stabbed his heart.
He sneered, and his sarcastic tone almost immediately rebounded:
"Brother, you've only known her for a few days? How dare you speak for her?"
"Have you forgotten? It was only a short time ago that I was tricked last time? And now you want me to repeat the same mistake again?"
As soon as he spoke, there was a hint of suppressed annoyance in his tone.
Ji Xu just looked at him quietly, without arguing, and slowly said:
"Yes, I was tricked."
“But after that incident, I got Afan.”
"Having Afan in my life...isn't completely worthless."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the room fell silent again.
Ji Yang looked at him, his eyes filled with mixed emotions. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he kept silent. He told Ji Xu to have a good rest, and then he left, shaking his sleeves.
The next morning.
The sunlight had just shone into the depths of the courtyard when Ji Yang, dressed in black and with his hair neatly tied up, was about to leave the house and head for the military governor's office.
As soon as he reached the gate of the mansion, he saw a servant hurriedly coming up to him and blocking the way.
"Wait a moment, Commander." The servant bowed softly, his voice slightly hesitant. "My cousin sent a message saying she will come to Fengdu to stay for a while in a few days."
Ji Yang paused slightly, his eyebrows still, but his tone was as simple as always:
"Just talk to my mother about this. She's always been in charge of this matter. You don't need to report to me."
The servant hurriedly replied, "Madam Ji has gone to the Taiping Marquis's residence to visit your cousin these past two days. She will be staying there for a while. I heard she will stay for half a month."
Ji Yang then remembered that his mother had told him that she was going to visit his cousin. He thought about it and realized that his eldest brother was ill and unable to work in the mansion, but the nanny who could handle such matters in the inner chambers had also left with his mother, leaving only... Jiang Ci.
The servant saw Ji Yang taking so long to respond that he looked embarrassed and answered hesitantly, "My cousin has already left."
Ji Yang's expression remained unchanged. After a while, he whispered, "...Then go find the bride I married."
"As a woman, I think she knows what to do in this kind of situation."
When the servant heard this, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief and bowed repeatedly: "Yes, yes, the governor ordered it."
After midnight, the servant came to Jiang Ci's courtyard and reported the whole matter.
Jiang Ci was sitting at his desk sketching, and his expression remained unchanged after hearing what he said. He simply replied:
"I see."
The servant nodded and tried to leave, but after taking two steps he suddenly remembered something and turned back to add:
"One more thing... My cousin brought a close friend with her."
"I guess the two of them came here together and will live in the same place in the future."
Jiang Ci's brows moved slightly, but he didn't stop drawing. He just said softly:
"I see."
The afternoon sun was shining brightly. Jiang Ci, wearing a light-colored dress, led Wan Niang and Yin Shuang to a side courtyard in the southeast corner of the mansion.
She held a thin fan in her hand, her expression calm, her tone steady as she instructed the servants:
"This courtyard was originally empty, but now it needs to be renovated. The window frames need to be cleaned, the curtains replaced, and the desks, couches, incense burners, and screens all need to be replaced with new ones."
"Use the empty space on the wall to pick out some elegant paintings."
"Remember, use the best ingredients, but don't be too ostentatious. Since we are cousins, we must be polite."
The servants listened attentively and responded repeatedly.
Wanniang stood behind her, looking at the people busying around in the courtyard, then looked at Jiang Ci and said with a smile: "This is your first time as the head of the household, and you have arranged everything very neatly."
Jiang Ci nodded slightly, but suddenly turned around and looked at the older maid beside him, saying in a gentle tone:
"This cousin... do you know which lady she belongs to?"
The maid hesitated for a moment, then spoke frankly:
“She is Madam Ji’s niece and General Shen’s daughter.”
"My cousin's father was once under the command of the Marquis of Dongyang. He later went to Xiling to guard the ferry."
"Back then, the two governments often visited each other. My cousin and the governor grew up together. But after they moved, the two families gradually lost contact, and we haven't seen each other for some years."
Jiang Ci remained calm, only nodded slightly, and asked again:
"What's her temperament like?"
The maid lowered her voice and answered with some embarrassment:
"My cousin is very nice, kind, well-educated, but she's not very close to the servants."
Jiang Ci listened to it without saying anything, just smiled faintly, and said in a normal tone:
"Since she is an honored guest, all proper etiquette must be followed. Provide extra lights at night to prevent her from waking up during the night."
Then he turned around and told Yin Shuang: "Go ask the kitchen if they know what Miss Cousin likes to eat. When she arrives, you can arrange it."
Yin Shuang left immediately, and Wan Niang whispered beside her, "Young lady, your arrangements are very thorough. No one else can find any fault with them."
When Ji Yang came back in the evening, the people in the mansion reported to him about Jiang Ci's arrangements for his cousin today. After that, they added:
"The Second Madam is quite capable. She has arranged everything for my cousin's courtyard and has done it properly. Actually... she really doesn't look like a bride."
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a gust of cold wind blowing on his face.
He glanced at the servant who was speaking, and his tone was neither hurried nor slow, but the chill was penetrating:
"You don't need to report such trivial matters to me."
That night, the moon was dim.
Ji Yang tossed and turned and couldn't sleep, so he simply put on his outer robe and left the bedroom.
He walked slowly along the corridor and came to the courtyard. He was about to pick up a few arrow feathers to practice when he suddenly stopped.
A burst of laughter floated out from the courtyard next door.
He didn't want to pay attention to it, but unexpectedly, there was a faint sound of Jiang Ci's voice in the laughter, clear but not ostentatious, hitting his ear bone just right.
He frowned and took a few steps closer to that place.
It was indeed her.
Across a wall of shadows, dim lights flickered on the other side, and the scent of incense drifted on the breeze. Three women gathered in the courtyard, enjoying a late-night snack and a few glasses of wine. Wanniang and Yinshuang sat to one side, while Jiang Ci leaned against a cushion, his hair loose and his eyes curved, a rare look of ease.
"Young lady, you haven't smiled like this since you got married," Wanniang said softly. "When you were in Zichuan, you distributed food to the people every day and accompanied the doctors on their visits. Although your work was busy, you never felt tired. Now, although you have fine clothes and delicious food, you feel like you are trapped in a cage, and it makes you feel depressed."
Yin Shuang also agreed with a smile: "That's not true. Although he is the governor, he is cold and indifferent. He also doesn't let you go out all day. I think you will count all the bricks in this yard in a few days."
Jiang Ci chuckled, but his tone suddenly slowed down:
"But I've traded my lifelong freedom for the safety of the people of Liangzhou... This deal isn't a loss at all."
When Ji Yang heard this, he tightened his knuckles slightly and stood behind the wall without moving for a long time.
He closed his eyes and sneered softly:
Was she trapped in this yard and not free? He was merciful for not chaining her up in the stable.
The next morning, at first light, Ji Yang stood outside the study and called his servant Yue Bai.
His tone was as cold as usual:
"Go tell my new bride that if she wants to leave the house, she can do so."
The servant was stunned and thought he had misheard.
Just as he was about to confirm, Ji Yang turned around and added slowly:
"but--"
"Keep an eye on her."
"Everywhere she went, every word she said, every person she met, she reported everything to me."
After saying this, he retracted the trembling hand behind his back, his tone still steady:
"Don't let her know."
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