Chapter 81 The Old Madam
"Isn't he going to imprison me?"
Just then, Chunzhi covered her mouth and noticed the marks on the girl's neck. They were shocking; the original red marks had completely turned into large patches of dark purple-black.
It looks especially horrifying.
Unable to hold back her tears any longer, she slid them down her cheeks and knelt on the ground, wanting to touch the wound but not daring to. Lian'er followed her gaze and couldn't help but gasp.
The usually docile woman blurted out, "How could you, my lord, be so cruel to a young lady!"
Ji Shu raised her hand and touched her neck, saying weakly, "Was it scary? I can't feel any pain anymore!"
"I even thought at the time that it would be better if he strangled me to death than to be humiliated like this."
"Maybe I'll be able to go back, back to my own world."
Upon hearing this, Chunzhi could no longer control herself and rushed forward to hug her tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.
Lian'er quickly helped Ji Shu sit up on the edge of the bed and comforted her, "Young lady, just give in. What the Marquis wants to hear is you give in."
"This servant sees that Your Excellency's heart is entirely devoted to you. Such a head-on confrontation will only hurt yourself in the end. My lady, you are so beautiful, how could Your Excellency bear to part with you?"
Ji Shu chuckled softly, her eyes filled with a deathly stillness: "You want me to use my beauty to serve men?"
Lian'er knelt down in fear, her lips moving but ultimately falling silent.
"You've been in the palace all these years? Don't you know how long it takes to please someone with your looks? With his status, if you're not careful, everyone will die without a burial place."
Ji Shu propped herself up, her eyes as white as snow: "If you want to follow and curry favor with your powerful master, then just pretend I didn't say anything, and that you didn't sell yourself to me. You can leave now!"
"I cannot tolerate anyone with ulterior motives around me!"
After saying that, Ji Shu walked to the window, pushed open the lattice window, and looked at the bright moon in the twilight, which made her thin figure look even more desolate.
Chunzhi glanced at Lian'er and lowered her voice, saying, "The young lady is already in a bad mood, and you still have to say these things. Oh dear!"
Lian'er knelt on the ground and gave a bitter smile. She was thinking of the young lady wholeheartedly, but she was wrong. The young lady was resilient and was no ordinary woman.
It's no wonder the woman was angry that he compared himself to those women and ladies.
Kneeling on the ground, she said to Ji Shu by the window, "My lady, it's my fault for making you angry."
Seeing this, Chunzhi wanted to ease the tension, so she turned around and called out, "Miss, I've prepared some rice porridge. Would you like some?"
With a soft sigh, Ji Shu said to Lian'er, who was kneeling on the ground, "Alright, get up."
Seeing that the young lady's face was no longer angry, Lian'er wiped her eyes and quickly got up to help arrange the food.
She managed to eat a small half-bowl of porridge, but felt a discomfort in her throat. She waved her hand, telling her to take it away, and instructed, "Prepare some water."
...
When I woke up the next day, I felt a sharp pain in my throat and could barely speak. I forced myself to sit up.
She tried to open her mouth, but found her throat swollen and difficult to speak. She knew it was probably inflamed. The man's deadly attack yesterday sent chills down her spine.
As soon as I got out of bed, I saw Chunzhi enter with a beaming smile, lifting the curtain.
"Young lady, guess what happened?"
Ji Shu took a sip of warm water, shook her head, and continued, "The Marquis wants us to move into Wenxin Pavilion and stop living in Shanshui Residence. You have no idea how big of a commotion this is; the whole manor is talking about it!"
Her hand holding the teacup paused slightly, and she said almost inaudibly, "This is him; he has always been domineering and tyrannical."
The sound startled Chunzhi, who exclaimed, "Young lady, let's get you another doctor. This can't go on; you can't even speak."
Just then, Granny Chang called out from outside the door, "Madam Ji, Madam Ji?"
Ji Shu gave Chunzhi a wink, and Chunzhi understood, closing the door and stepping forward to greet her, "Is there something you need, Granny Chang?"
Granny Chang glanced at the closed door without making a sound, and said with a smile, "The old lady heard that Madam Ji is moving to Wenxin Pavilion today, and she especially wants to see her. Please let her know."
Chunzhi agreed, and then Granny Chang left.
After the footsteps faded into the distance, Ji Shu frowned and finally changed her clothes and did her makeup.
As Lian'er carefully drew her eyebrows, she looked at the marks on her neck with concern and asked in a low voice, "Young lady, what should we do about these marks on your neck?"
In the sweltering summer heat, wearing a collared shirt would only arouse suspicion; if one doesn't cover up, it would be an invitation to tell everyone what happened yesterday.
Ji Shu said to Chunzhi in the mirror, "Zhi'er, I remember there's a silk scarf with a peony pattern. Find it."
Chunzhi thought about it carefully for a moment, then came back to her senses and started rummaging through the chests and boxes.
Ji Shu carefully wrapped the scarf around her neck, following the marks on her skin. She wore a moon-white, high-waisted gauze dress with a light blue, misty, half-sleeved outer garment. The scarf and shawl around her neck complemented each other perfectly.
Stepping out of the mountain and water residence, Ji Shu looked around. At this moment, the entire Marquis's mansion appeared silent and vast, making her feel as if this place was an ancient behemoth, waiting to devour someone.
Gathering my thoughts, I headed towards Fushou Garden.
When they arrived at the old lady's courtyard, they brushed past Song Yunshu, who had just come out. The Song lady, who had been gentle and graceful yesterday, now had a mocking look in her eyes.
It seems to be saying you're smug about something!
Ji Shu's eyes remained calm as she walked in, her gaze slightly lowered. This infuriated Madam Song, who wanted to utter a few sarcastic remarks, but seeing that this was the old lady's courtyard, she ultimately held back.
When Madam Pei saw her arrive, she gently told her not to bother with formalities, "Good child, please sit down!"
Ji Shu looked up and saw the old lady looking at her with a smile. Ji Shu was taken aback, but sat down as instructed.
The old woman asked, "Is there anything you're uncomfortable living at Shanshui Residence? I heard you're moving away?"
Just as Ji Shu was about to answer, the beaded curtain was suddenly lifted, and a deep male voice came from the doorway: "Why didn't Mother inform her son before calling her over?"
Pei Yanzhi strode open the curtain, his dark robes billowing in the breeze, and the scent of sandalwood emanating from him swept past Ji Shu.
After taking their seats, he asked again, "Now that the fever is getting worse, why haven't we started using the ice chest yet?"
Madam Pei gave him a disapproving look. He would never notice such trivial matters; he was probably just feeling sorry for the person beside him.
She had heard that ever since Ji Shu moved into the mansion, the ice chest had never been empty.
She knew all the household expenses and had not misappropriated any funds from the household. Presumably, the money all came from his private treasury. She truly cherished him dearly.
She arrived in such a short time; anyone who didn't know better would have thought she was going to do something drastic, looking at her like she was a precious gem.
"The time to use ice isn't until the day after tomorrow, so why do you have the leisure to come over today?"
Pei Yanzhi glanced at Ji Shu before slowly speaking, "It's almost lunchtime, and you've come here begging for food!"
Madam Pei scoffed and spat, "You can only fool me with those words!"
Ji Shu sat quietly to the side, her face as pale as paper, her eyelids slightly drooping, and her body completely still, like a jade sculpture that had lost its soul.
Pei Yanzhi brushed his hand across the scarf around her neck, his expression suddenly freezing.
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