Chapter 38 [VIP]
The young maidservant asked cautiously, "Granny, are you going?"
Li Mao gritted his teeth and said, "Go."
Of course I'll go!
Li Mao's family arrived almost right on time.
There were already quite a few people in Duanfu Hall. Bai Chang's death was like a bucket of ice water poured on all the stewards, making them realize the truth and as if they were getting to know this previously inconspicuous young lady for the first time.
Li Mao's family glanced around and saw that at least 70-80% of the head maids and wives had arrived.
She silently walked to her seat and stood in place.
A woman who knew her well whispered, "Li Mao's wife, what do you think about the eldest daughter this time...?"
"They're here."
Someone whispered a reminder, and the rustling conversation suddenly stopped. Li Maojia raised his head slightly, and the golden sunset shrouded Gu Zhizhuo like a thin veil.
She walked in as the sun set, and at that moment, Li Mao's wife felt as if she were seeing her late wife, Madam Wang.
Equally noble and elegant.
The same composure.
Back then, she was just a lowly maid, only able to silently look up at others from afar.
Gu Zhizhuo walked calmly through them and stood in front of the grand master's chair at the head of the table. Her black hair was tied up, and she wore only a single pearl hairpin. The large pearl shone brightly and left a faint reflection on her fair cheek.
After they had exchanged greetings, she said slowly, "Two things: First, bring the ledgers of the tasks you are responsible for and report to me in person."
She held up three fingers: "I'm only giving you three days."
"Two or three days from now, I will accept self-recommendations from everyone. This includes old women, daughters-in-law, and maids. Anyone in the household who believes they are suitable for any job can come and tell me in person."
Li Maojia's heart skipped a beat.
The young lady's move was truly brilliant. The job description was one thing, but more importantly, she got those old women and daughters-in-law to volunteer themselves. In order to gain face in front of the young lady and climb to a position they never dared to dream of before, they would definitely have to rack their brains to tell her everything they knew.
This forced the internal managers to refrain from lying or concealing information when reporting on their work.
The eldest daughter could easily find out everything she wanted to know, bypassing the madam and firmly grasping the entire Duke's mansion.
This young lady handles these methods with ease; she probably doesn't even need to put in much effort.
She quietly raised her eyes and met a pair of smiling eyes.
Gu Zhizhuo's lips curved into a smile, and he said, "Let's call it a day."
After saying that, she left.
From arrival to departure, it was less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea; it seemed that, just as she said, she had only met them briefly.
"Li Mao's wife," the woman who knew her well whispered, "three days... are you going?"
Li Mao's wife didn't say it directly, only saying, "Bai Chang's wife is gone."
yes.
She only came because she heard that Bai Chang's family had passed away.
"The young lady said five days, but Bai Chang's five days were gone."
"She's been talking about it for three days now." Li Mao's wife turned to her and smiled. "So, are you coming?"
She didn't try to lower her voice at all when she said this.
She smiled and said, "I wouldn't dare not come."
Li Mao's wife had made up her mind. Rather than wavering, she decided to go after the young woman as soon as possible.
She continued, "I advise you to think carefully. If you have embezzled anything or done anything wrong, tell me honestly. The young lady's meaning today couldn't be more direct. If you tell me, everything will be forgiven. If you don't, think about Bai Chang's family."
"Oh, I wouldn't dare."
“The eldest daughter is the legitimate eldest daughter, and her status is rightful.”
After Li Mao's departure, the others couldn't help but look at each other in bewilderment.
Bai Chang's wife was a confidante of Madam Ji, a top favorite in the household, holding the most lucrative position, and Madam Ji listened to her every word. Such a illustrious person was gone just like that.
If Madam couldn't even protect Bai Chang's family, who else could she protect?
"The eldest young lady also said that the madam is deeply sinful..."
"By the way, it seems that the Fourth Young Master has been plagued by misfortunes lately."
Someone said this, and then there was another moment of silence.
The stewards left one after another.
The news of Bai Chang's death spread throughout the mansion in just a few days. The old woman who moved the body into the thin coffin and carried it out of the mansion said with certainty that she saw Bai Chang's back covered in blood and flesh, and that even his spine was broken. She said that it was definitely not a wooden board, but an iron rod. She also said that Granny Wan was in charge of the execution that day.
Even though the Dowager Madam only said to give the man thirty strokes of the cane, the Lady still beat him to death, which chilled the servants to the bone and made them uneasy.
"It's such a pity about Bai Chang's family. If they had listened to the eldest daughter and confessed their sins properly that day, they could have saved their lives. Even if they were to be sold, Bai Chang's family had money and could have bribed the matchmaker to buy her. If they had offered more money, their whole family might have been able to escape their status as slaves."
It's just that Bai Chang's family is too greedy and unwilling to give up the wealth and luxury in this mansion.
"If you ask me, it must be that the eldest daughter foresaw that the madam would beat Bai Chang's wife to death, so she said she would sell her to save her life."
"Now, this is a life lost in vain."
"Do you think the lady has committed any sins...?"
The hushed conversation abruptly stopped, and they quickly lowered their heads as they watched Granny Wan emerge from around the corner.
"Anyone who spreads rumors will be fined half a year's allowance and given twenty strokes of the cane. If they continue to spout nonsense, they'll all be kicked out of the manor." Granny Wan's face was ashen. "Seeing how good-tempered Madam is, isn't that it?"
Go and accept your punishment!
The servants responded in hushed tones.
After yelling, Granny Wan stormed off in a huff.
She was also holding a grudge; if it weren't for Bai Chang's family's threats, the madam wouldn't have taken her life.
Now that Bai Chang's wife is dead, not only are the stewards changing their tune, but even the old women and maids in the courtyard dare to gossip.
What sin or sin!
The lady has come a long way, and she has witnessed firsthand how difficult the journey has been.
Granny Wan pushed open the door, and Ji Shi sat on the chaise longue, saying nothing.
She carefully walked across the shards of porcelain scattered on the ground and said with difficulty, "Madam, most of the head maids and wives in the inner courtyard have gone to report to the eldest young lady."
For the past three days, she had used both threats and inducements on the stewards, saying all sorts of nice and bad things. They all appeared respectful and said they were loyal to the lady and would never overstep their bounds.
She thought she could see the young woman make a fool of herself, but instead, she became the laughingstock.
Not only that, but Li Mao's wife was even more outrageous. She held up her token and asked Li Mao to open the storeroom to get something, but Li Mao refused, saying that without the eldest daughter's order, no one's token was valid.
This is outrageous!
The rules and regulations in the manor are completely in chaos!
“Granny,” Madam Ji said expressionlessly, “if this continues, I will have no place to stand in this mansion.”
“When I married into this family, Gu Zhizhuo was just a tiny little girl. I raised her! And now, she’s trying to drive me to the brink of despair!”
"lady."
Granny Wan was heartbroken.
Everyone says that being a stepmother is difficult. The lady worked so hard as a stepmother, managing the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion perfectly. But what happened? Miss Gu only needed to rely on her status as the eldest daughter of the legitimate wife to take away everything that the lady had painstakingly built.
"Madam, I have come quietly throughout the four seasons."
Sishi was one of the four second-class maids that Ji Shi gave to Gu Zhizhuo back then.
After Ruihuang was driven away, only Sishi remained loyal to the four maids.
Ji remained silent, so Granny Wan continued, "Si Shi said that she overheard Qiong Fang and Qing Mei talking. The Third Prince is trying to find a way to bring Miss Biao back from the nunnery. The Eldest Miss can't stop the Third Prince, so she wants to take control of the household before Miss Biao returns. Otherwise, once Miss Biao comes back, the Eldest Miss will have no chance."
Ji Shi pondered for a moment.
Granny Wan continued, "In my opinion, that makes sense too."
“The eldest daughter is inferior to the cousin in every way. She is just taking advantage of the cousin’s absence to try and take the cousin’s place. Look, even the Grand Madam’s attitude towards you has changed. The eldest daughter was not so good at pleasing the Grand Madam before.”
Lady Ji thought and thought, then murmured, "Yes..."
Gu Zhizhuo was unruly and had a bad temper, unlike Ke'er who was understanding and could always please the Madam. Gu Zhizhuo was always jealous of Ke'er's favor.
"Do you remember that not long after our third branch of the family had this accident, an old Taoist priest said that your cousin was a lucky star who could ensure your life would be smooth and worry-free? After you married into the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion with her, everything really went smoothly."
“Now that Miss Biao has been gone for more than a month, everything has gone wrong for you.”
Even…
Granny Wan hesitated, wanting to say that even Ji's twin sister had suddenly become a persistent ghost.
right!
Upon hearing what Granny Wan said, Madam Ji was taken aback for a moment, and then nodded repeatedly.
Yes, that's right!
Years ago, a huge fire broke out at my uncle's house. The fire was so fierce that only Ji Nanke, who was less than eight years old, survived. Originally, my father wanted to send Ji Nanke to the clan, but the old Taoist's words later made her waver.
She took on the role of the eldest sister, but deep down she felt somewhat uneasy, as if she had no place to belong. Ke'er was just a little girl; she didn't have many ulterior motives. Having her by her side and calling her "aunt" made it seem as if she had truly become the eldest sister.
She entered the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, and everything was fine.
She even gave birth to a son.
Actually, she felt a sense of relief when the Duke of Zhenguo died.
Otherwise, she always felt that those eyes seemed to have discovered something.
Everything went so smoothly, just as she had expected. However, Ke'er was forcibly sent to the nunnery. Immediately afterward, Gu Zhizhuo became a completely different person, arrogant and repulsive. Not content with stealing the favor of the Grand Madam, he also wanted to take away Ke'er's position in the mansion!
It's time to bring Ke'er back as soon as possible.
"But……"
Ji hesitated.
Sending Ji Nanke to the nunnery was ostensibly a decision by the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, but in reality, it was the Empress's idea.
Therefore, without the Empress's permission, even she dared not rashly bring Ji Nanke back; otherwise, why would she have waited until now?
After pondering for a moment, Lady Ji asked, "Does the Third Prince still send gifts to the Women's Temple every three days?"
"Yes," Granny Wan said with delight, "His Highness the Third Prince has deep affection for our cousin."
She snorted, "No matter how jealous the eldest daughter is, the Third Prince won't even glance at her."
Ji nodded silently.
Yes, jealousy had turned Gu Zhizhuo into a monster. Since she couldn't steal the Third Prince, she'd have to steal something else!
Lady Ji made a decision: "Let's go to the Women's Temple."
Granny Wan immediately went to instruct people to prepare a carriage.
The nunnery where Ji Nanke now resides is only three miles from the capital. The Grand Madam would go there every year to listen to the teachings and had offered a considerable amount of silver. When Ji Nanke "stayed" there, the Third Prince Xie Jing sent a large sum of money as an offering. Not only that, but every three days there were also delicacies from land and sea, as well as fine silks and satins. She was never empty-handed. Ji Nanke's life in the nunnery was quite comfortable.
What Ji Nanke didn't expect was that even though she had made concessions time and time again and even moved into the Women's Temple, Gu Zhizhuo was still being aggressive and wouldn't even let her aunt off the hook.
She looked at her aunt, who had become noticeably thinner and looked so haggard that it broke her heart.
My aunt said that Gu Zhizhuo forced her to hand over the power to manage the household.
My aunt said she was all alone and helpless in the mansion.
My aunt also said that even my cousin was beaten, and now they are forcibly moving Yan Ge'er to the front yard.
It was truly difficult for Ji Nanke to accept that Gu Zhizhuo had allowed a child under six years old to live alone.
Driven by jealousy and resentment, Gu Zhizhuo made things difficult for her at every turn and tried to outdo her in everything.
As a woman myself, she insists on fighting and vying with me in this tiny corner of the world, never once looking at the vast sky outside. Now that I'm retreating again and again, Gu Zhizhuo must think I'm afraid of her.
Ji Nanke took out the letter Xie Jing had written to her.
Since Gu Zhizhuo is never satisfied, why should she suffer such grievances again?
Ji Nanke spread out the paper and wrote her first reply to Xie Jing.
The letter was brought back to Xie Jing when Xie Jing sent someone to deliver something to her.
He was both moved and heartbroken.
Men were not allowed to enter the nunnery. Therefore, Xie Jing could only send his letters and carefully selected items to Ke'er each time. However, after so long, he had never received a reply from Ke'er.
Xie Jing happily read the letter over and over again, then carefully put it away and hurriedly left.
In the letter, Ke'er didn't complain once or blame him. She only told him how beautiful the scenery of the Women's Temple was, how leisurely she lived every day, and even advised him not to argue with Gu Zhizhuo.
Even though Ke'er has fallen to this state, she still thinks of others in everything she does.
She told him a lot in the letter, and also mentioned that a lot of elm seeds had fallen in the temple recently, and she had collected quite a few. She also mentioned that they had eaten elm seed cakes once, which made her miss them terribly.
Xie Jing immediately decided to buy elm seed cakes and have them delivered to the nunnery.
He remembered it was also in May.
He took her to see a street performance, and when they passed a small stall, they saw freshly baked elm seed cakes. She said she had never eaten elm seed cakes before, and neither had he, so he bought some. There was only one left, so they shared it, half for each of them.
The elm seed cakes were piping hot back then, just like the burning heat in his heart now.
He quickly arrived at the main street he remembered and spotted the same small stall from back then.
The stall was selling steaming hot, freshly baked elm seed cakes; there were ten more today than last time.
"Give me ten."
"I want ten."
A voice rang out at the same time as him. Xie Jing frowned and looked in the direction of the voice. He was about to say that he had given her the money and asked her to give it to him, but he found that the speaker was none other than Lady Ji, the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo, Ke'er's aunt.
"lady?"
Xie Jing was slightly surprised.
Why would the Duchess of the State come here in person, especially to buy this kind of miscellaneous food?
"Third...Third Young Master!"
Ji Shi looked equally surprised. She hesitated for a moment and asked, "Could you please let me have these elm seed cakes, Third Young Master?"
Xie Jing didn't say anything.
Ji was Ke'er's elder and had always been very kind to her.
Ke'er had told him that when she was young, her parents and brothers died in a fire, leaving her orphaned and homeless. It was Ji Shi who took her in and even took her with her when she got married. Ke'er often sighed, saying that if it weren't for Ji Shi, she might have had to rely on the charity of the clan to survive.
Logically speaking, since Madam Ji had already offered, she shouldn't have refused. However, these elm seed cakes were something Ke'er had been longing to eat.
Just as he was about to refuse, Madam Ji said gently, "Third Young Master, Ke'er has had a hard time at the Women's Temple. She finally has some food that she's been longing for, so I thought I'd buy some for her to make her happy."
Xie Jing's brow twitched, and he blurted out, "Did Madam buy this for Ke'er?"
"right."
"You just said that Ke'er is having a hard time?" Xie Jing said anxiously. "Ke'er wrote me a letter saying that she is doing well!"
Ji lowered her head silently, and her lips curved into a barely perceptible smile.
She was dressed simply, and her slender figure made her appear even more delicate and frail.
Xie Jing then noticed that she looked extremely haggard, with a deep and lingering sorrow in her eyes.
Could it be that something happened to Ke'er?! Xie Jing became even more anxious and hurriedly asked, "Madam, what exactly happened?"
Ke'er clearly said in her letter that the life at the nunnery was very leisurely and the scenery was beautiful. She would go for a walk in the back mountain every day, enjoy the scenery, write and draw, and the day would pass by in no time.
Isn't that right?!
Do those female Taoist priests dare to waste Ke'er's time?!
As if realizing her slip of the tongue, Lady Ji hurriedly avoided his gaze.
Xie Jing was both flustered and afraid, and urged, "Madam, please tell me quickly!"
Ji sighed and said with a heavy heart, "How could things possibly be alright! She has to do all sorts of chores, from fetching water and chopping wood to washing clothes and cooking. That's bad enough. But those female Taoist priests are all eccentric. They insist that Ke'er is improper and seduces people with her beauty, so they punish her by making her copy scriptures and only give her one meal a day."
"Ke'er is suffering terribly inside!"
“I raised Ke’er like a daughter since she was little, with all the fine clothes and delicacies. When have I ever let her suffer like this!”
"She was afraid you would worry, so she only told you good news and not bad news..."
As Ji spoke, her eyes became misty with tears, which slowly streamed down her perfectly sculpted face.
Xie Jing clenched his fists tightly, his anger almost consuming him.
Lady Ji said mournfully, "Originally, even I wasn't allowed to go see her. But Ke'er fell ill with a high fever, and the abbot, fearing something might happen, allowed me to go in for a quick look. Ke'er, she..."
Her lips were tightly pressed together, and her beautiful eyes seemed to hold a thousand unspoken words.
Even though she didn't repeatedly mention how hard Ji Nanke's life was in the women's quarters, Xie Jing still felt as if her heart had been ripped open, and she felt excruciating pain.
He touched the letter Ji Nanke had written to him in his arms. Ke'er didn't want to eat elm seed cakes; she was sick and helpless, and she thought of the time she spent with him.
He used to think that Ke'er treated him hot and cold, but in fact, Ke'er was not heartless. She even remembered the elm seed cakes they ate together.
But what about him? He couldn't even rescue Ke'er.
Xie Jing was extremely upset. For the first time, he felt so useless. As a prince, he didn't have any real power.
He couldn't even save the person he loved most.
"Sir," the stall owner asked cautiously, "would you like more?"
These two people were blocking his stall and talking non-stop, making it impossible for him to do business!
Ten elm seed cakes are just a few copper coins. They look so rich. Could it be that they didn't bring any money?
"want."
Xie Jing tossed a silver coin to the stall owner, instructing him to wrap up all the elm seed cakes, and said, "Madam, these were originally bought for Ke'er. I'll take them to the nunnery for her."
"this……"
"Madam, you should return to the manor first. Ke'er is ill, and I cannot rest easy until I see her with my own eyes," he said firmly. "I will definitely bring her out as soon as possible!"
The stall owner humbly packed up the elm seed cakes and handed them over.
Xie Jing left without even taking the change.
The stall owner was overjoyed; such a large silver coin was like a windfall!
Xie Jing escorted Lady Ji to her carriage and watched it disappear into the distance. He then mounted his horse, intending to leave the city for the Women's Temple. Suddenly, his personal attendant, Xiao Yunzi, called out to him, "Your Highness, look! There it is! Luoge!"
The elm seed cakes were displayed at the foot of a small teahouse, which had only two floors.
Xie Jing glanced in the direction Xiao Yunzi pointed, and his eyes met a pair of phoenix eyes that were full of mockery.
Gu Zhizhuo!
Xie Jing tightened his grip on the reins. He looked at Gu Zhizhuo, then at the stall selling elm seed cakes, and then back at Gu Zhizhuo.
This location, this distance!
Did Gu Zhizhuo overhear everything he and the Duchess of Zhenguo said?
She not only sat by the window, but now she even deliberately opened the window, completely unconcerned that she would be discovered.
Or rather, she was waiting for him to discover her.
Gu Zhizhuo sat upstairs, looking down from above.
"Third Young Master, I have calculated that you will suffer a bloody disaster today."
Xie Jing: "..."
The veil concealed her smile, but her curved eyebrows and eyes were enough to show her good mood.
"Be careful not to fall off your horse."
After she finished speaking, she picked up the teacup, made a gesture of offering tea, and then took a few sips by herself, calm and composed, as if she didn't care at all about Xie Jing's face standing below, which was already as black as ink.
"you!"
Xie Jing squeezed out the sound through clenched teeth.
At that moment, as if struck by a sudden enlightenment, he was certain that Gu Zhizhuo had indeed been waiting for him on purpose.
She's like a cunning and despicable fox.
She would stop at nothing to break off the engagement with him!
Now, it must be that she bribed the female Taoist priests to torment Ke'er, making him worry and anxious, and thus forced him to act according to her wishes.
Just like the last time she forced him to jump into the lake.
She was forcing him to use the self-inflicted injury tactic again.
Xie Jing stood downstairs, looking up at her, his eyes burning with passion.
Shameless!
He cursed inwardly, wishing he could personally drag Gu Zhizhu out of there, but in the end he gave up.
One day, he will strangle her to death!
He pulled on the reins and spurred his horse away.
His mind was now filled with Gu Zhizhuo's veiled face and the wicked smile in her eyes that seemed to have him completely under her thumb.
Be careful not to fall off your horse.
Gu Zhizhuo's voice was like the low murmur of a demon, echoing repeatedly in my ears.
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