Chapter 45 "It's useful, my brother really likes you..."
"Yes," she replied naturally, a slight smile playing on her lips.
"What are your plans, sir?"
The last sentence, seemingly casual, exploded in Ji Jinghe's ears without warning, instantly destroying the last vestiges of clarity in his mind.
He forcefully pushed her onto the bed, pinning her body down beneath him. A wet sensation descended heavily upon him, wantonly invading and devouring her, venting his desires. The more she resisted, the more forceful he became, like a lion tearing at her, until he completely transformed her into his essence before gradually calming down.
Yu An was completely powerless to resist, and the suffocation made it hard for her to breathe. The anger pouring out of the person in front of her seemed to be about to devour her at any moment.
"Chu Yu'an, you are my wife."
Yu An showed no weakness, slightly widening the distance between them before slapping him hard across the face.
After the crisp sound, the room became eerily quiet.
"Sir, you are truly lenient with yourself but strict with others. When you were having an ambiguous relationship with Xu Jingshu, did you ever think about my feelings?"
He lost his strength, stared at her for a long time, and the anger in his eyes vanished, leaving only a blank look.
Her almond-shaped eyes remained unwavering as she uttered cold words: "I don't want to dwell on what happened before. If you think I've made a mistake, you can always get a divorce."
His cheeks flushed instantly, burning hot and slightly anxious, and even Ji Jinghe's thoughts seemed to evaporate.
He was speechless for a long time...
After a long pause, he finally managed to utter a dry, labored reply.
"You speak of divorce so lightly, you truly don't care."
“I don’t care,” she said.
A sharp pain shot through my heart...
He has put himself in a very high position, and he can't get down.
"Alright, then let's leave."
He turned and walked out the door without even putting on his coat. Only when the door slammed shut with a bang did everything fall completely silent.
Yu An propped herself up on the bed, casually wiping the wetness from her mouth, leaving a bright red stain on the back of her hand.
After a year of pent-up emotions, I spoke the truth so easily today without any provocation or teasing.
I don't know what happened to her...
Now that things have come to this, she has no need for regret. Although there are still things left undone, if she can get her things back, then she can just let it go.
Ji Jinghe never returned home, and the things she had asked for were delivered by Qingque early the next morning.
Baozhu didn't know what had happened last night, assuming that the couple had just talked things out, and no one else thought much of it.
The peace at home lasted only two days before trouble started again.
The demons and ghosts, who had just been quelled, have started causing trouble again, this time in Rongshou Hall.
The servants in the courtyard and Ji Suyi were frightened. Ji's mother was strong-willed. When she heard the news early in the morning, she immediately ordered the servants to search everywhere. That night, she kept the lights on, waiting for the "ghost" to come to her.
Unexpectedly, the "ghost" did not go to Rongshou Hall, but instead went to Jianjia Pavilion.
Unlike what Ji Shu saw last time, this time when she heard a noise, she rushed out of the door with her sword in hand. After confirming that no one was around, she turned back and went home. But before she could put the sword down for even a moment, there was another noise outside the window.
The dark shadow, accompanied by wailing, drifted under the eaves, one cry after another, frightening people and filling them with an uncontrollable panic.
Ji Shu was terrified and threw the sword straight at the dark figure, shattering the glass window. The "ghost" ran away, but the person fell ill.
Yu An brought the person to her own courtyard and stayed by her side to take care of her.
Overnight, Ji Shu became completely haggard, her face devoid of color, like a colorless piece of paper, lying quietly on the bed, unable to even utter a word.
"Sister-in-law, I'm really scared..."
Yu'an wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief and comforted her, "You just caught a chill from going out in the middle of the night. Don't think about it that way. There's no such thing as ghosts in this world."
"You can sleep peacefully. I have arranged for people to take turns guarding the house. I will watch over you tonight. Nothing will happen."
Yu-an not only had to take care of her, but also went to Rongshou Hall early in the morning without having breakfast.
Ji Suyi was already ill, but she was still alright after being frightened. The old lady, needless to say, was full of righteousness in her eyes and sternly ordered the arrest of the person who was causing the ghost.
After making sure Ji Shu took her medicine and fell asleep, she was able to quietly go out and meet Yun Xiu.
"Are you kidding me?"
Yunxiu shook her head, "Without the young mistress's order, I would never act rashly."
Yu An believed him, and after thinking for a while, asked again, "Have you seen that group of people?"
If it's not from home, then it must be from outside.
Yunxiu: "Never seen it before."
Unable to verify the information, Yu'an had no choice but to abandon the idea of searching and sent Baozhu to deliver a message to Ji Jinghe at the yamen.
But less than two days later, rumors about her began to circulate in the mansion, saying that the ghosts in the mansion were summoned by her.
"Some people say that the young mistress has a violent temper. Otherwise, why would there not be a single day of peace in the mansion after she returned? Even going to Tan Tuo Temple in Xishan could not suppress her violent temper, and the household is still so unsettled."
"Yes, as long as the young mistress leaves, everything will be fine..."
Baozhu was furious and pointed at them, yelling, "What nonsense are you two spouting? Watch your mouths!"
Upon seeing Yu'an behind them, the maids hurriedly bowed and then ran away as if avoiding a snake or scorpion.
Yu An frowned. "Where did this come from?"
Baozhu: "It can't be that this news started from Wanfang Courtyard again."
Yu An didn't think so. If it were true, Shen Qiulan would have summoned her long ago.
"How's the message I sent to the old man going? Still no response?" she asked.
Baozhu nodded: "Qingque said that Master is busy all day long and can't be in two places at once."
Yu An felt it was troublesome. She didn't know if Ji Jinghe's excuse of being "too busy" was because he was really tied up with official duties, or because he didn't want to see her.
"Go and spread the message again. This time, don't say it was my idea. Just say that the old lady was frightened by this and can't take any more trouble."
After Baozhu agreed, she immediately sent someone to deliver the message. By the time the message reached Ji Jinghe, another night had passed.
He was very busy with official duties, and Qingque was not lying.
Since the day he had a big argument with Yu'an, he locked himself in the yamen and spent his days eating and drinking, rarely seeing any outsiders. He could only see Qingque briefly at night.
Another candle burned out, and the light in front of the desk dimmed further and further. He leaned back in his chair, half of his body buried in the shadows, making it impossible to see the expression on his face.
"How's the investigation going?"
Qingque: "Not one of the young mistress's people from last time..."
Ji Jinghe sneered, "Can't she just replace her?"
"The secret guards sent word that the man had been hiding in the guest room and knew the entire mansion inside and out. He was slender and agile, and sometimes he would sneak out by climbing over the wall, hiding from the servants."
"The person who made contact with her was Miss Lin Qiaoyan from the Lin family."
Ji Jinghe frowned: "Her?"
Qingque: "I heard that Miss Lin visited the young mistress afterward, but was rejected by her. With old grudges and new hatreds combined, she might do something bad. There are quite a few people in the mansion who say that the young mistress is unclean."
That's clear enough. If Ji Jinghe still doesn't understand, then he's a fool.
The haunting of her house at first might not have been her doing; perhaps she simply had someone else create a big fuss about it so she could go to Changping.
But what could she do? She offered no explanation.
Qingque waited for him to speak, but after a long time, she heard him say, "Go and investigate again."
"If the old man doesn't go home and take a look for himself..."
Ji Jinghe: "No need, you can go now."
He slowly stood up and walked towards the window. A light drizzle was blown into the room by the wind and landed on his hands.
Looking down, he saw the sachet hanging perfectly at his waist. Recalling their first meeting, he had almost no memory of her.
Chu Xingjian said they had met a long time ago, but he couldn't remember it no matter what.
If he could turn back time, he would never have done that again...
*
The house was much more peaceful after that. Ji Shu's illness improved and she moved back to Jianjia Pavilion. But unexpectedly, another accident happened that very night.
This time, the servants were more experienced. As soon as they heard a sound from the main house, they lit up the entire courtyard, leaving no gaps.
The servants in the mansion kept watch at all times, but after several days they found nothing. Ji Shu couldn't sleep well, and Yu An also became worried. So she simply summoned Yun Xiu.
"How's the investigation going? Have you found the real culprit?"
Yunxiu solemnly said, "I found him. This person is agile and has been hiding in the guest room of the mansion. Last night, after he went out, I went into the guest room where he had been staying and found the leftovers and the clothes he used to pretend to be a ghost."
"Just like the way people saw him, the clothes used in the theater, judging from his size, belong to a man."
Yu An frowned. "He hid in the guest room for so long, and no one noticed?"
Yunxiu: "I noticed that the man had a key to the guest room. No one lives in that room except for guests from afar, so no one would pay attention to it. Besides, he always comes and goes at night."
"Now that the manor is guarded everywhere, he is like a trapped beast, unable to go out and contact his master. Why don't you, young mistress, turn the tables and dismiss the servants tonight, and let me follow them to see who is behind this trouble?"
Yu An was unsure. "Are you sure you can do it?"
If she were to be released and disappear without a trace, wouldn't that be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains, and she would have needlessly tarnished her own reputation?
Yunxiu said firmly, "Please rest assured, young mistress, I am determined not to fail your trust."
Yu'an immediately ordered the guards to be withdrawn for the night. The next day, Yunxiu brought back news that greatly surprised Yu'an.
Yunxiu: "I wonder what the young mistress intends to do?"
Yu An shook her head: "We don't need to do anything. Since we know this, the old man must know it too. Let's pretend we don't know and leave it to him to deal with when he gets back."
The guards of the manor were replaced, and Yu'an was allowed to stay at Jianjia Pavilion by Ji Shu, where the two sisters-in-law lived and ate together.
She had been seriously ill, and Ji Shu was weak all over, her voice was soft and feeble.
“Sister-in-law, aren’t you going to do anything about the rumors that have been circulating in the mansion?”
Yu An chuckled lightly. They've all been paid, so why should she care?
Ji Shu said listlessly, "My brother is so heartless. I'm so sick, and he doesn't even come back to see me."
I heard this morning that Rongshoutang sent someone to summon Ji Jinghe, but I don't know when he will return.
Seeing Yu'an sitting in front of the embroidery booth, busy and silent for a long time, Ji Shu couldn't help but say, "Sister-in-law, aren't you going to urge my brother? You haven't been sleeping well lately..."
"The old man is determined; if he's not coming back, he's not coming back, and there's no use in me urging him."
Ji Shu shook her head: "It's useful. My brother likes you a lot... unless you two have another fight."
Yuan:......
Ji Shu had an "I see" look on her face. "No wonder, so you two had another fight. What was it about this time?"
In front of Yu'an, she recounted in detail all the things she knew.
For example, her brother was jealous of Pei Chengyu, and he complained that Yu An didn't contact him when she needed something and that she casually arranged for him to take a concubine...
"I'm curious, what exactly did you say that made him so angry that he hasn't come home for almost half a month?"
In Ji Shu's mind, her brother had always been the most stable and mature, but she never expected that he would also act childishly because of his romantic feelings.
Just then, a commotion came from outside the courtyard, saying that the person who was causing the ghost had been caught.
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Author's Note: Yu An: It's like seeing who can't live without whom [eye roll]
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