Chapter 376 Finding a Backer, Moved
Granny Feng came in and said, "Fifth Miss has arrived."
Ji Bolian picked up a handkerchief to wipe his mouth and asked, "Why is she here?" His tone remained serious, as if he was somewhat displeased with Ji Qingwu's arrival.
Granny Feng glanced at the old lady and said, "Master, this old servant doesn't know what wind blew the Fifth Miss here. We rarely see her come to see our old lady, not even for the morning and evening greetings."
Gibran's breath hitched: "If you don't know, just say you don't know. Why all this nonsense?"
Thinking about what he needed to say to the old lady later, he added, "Let her go back first."
Madam Ji put down her bowl and said to her father, "Qingwu never wanted to come here. It's all thanks to you that she came."
Gibran knew perfectly well that they were indirectly trying to complain to him.
Seeing that the old lady had almost finished eating, he waved for the servants to clear the table.
Ji Bolian said slowly, "Mother, Qingwu didn't refuse to come; she just wanted to avoid trouble."
Old Madam Ji, holding the bowl for rinsing her mouth, turned to look at him in surprise.
"Berlian, what do you mean by that? What trouble have I encountered?"
Why didn't Ji Qingwu come to Shou'an Hall?
When he first returned home, Ji Bolian only knew a little about what had happened there. But after investigating more carefully after returning, he now knows clearly what good deeds the Ji family members had done.
Ji Bolian said, "Mother, I have heard that you have arranged a marriage between Qingwu and the third son of Grand Secretary Li. Do you really not know what kind of person their son is, or are you just pretending to be confused?"
Ji Bolian was so annoyed by the matchmaking attempt on Xiao Wu, who was suspected of having homosexual tendencies, that he didn't show any interest until the old lady had finished eating.
Madam Ji slammed the bowl down on the table with a bang, spilling a lot of water.
"Boss, it's true, I did it, I admit it."
Madam Ji calmly said, "Are you standing up for Qingwu? But you've been an official outside for so many years, you don't understand the hardships your family has faced. How can the Ji family survive without a powerful backer in the capital?"
She sighed several times.
“If there were a better option, I wouldn’t want to either. The third son of the Li family is good-looking and of good character, but his hobbies are different from those of normal men.”
The old lady looked at her eldest son's face and said, "I heard that the old lady of the Li family has already been treating him with traditional Chinese medicine, so he might get better."
Ji Bolian said, "Mother still believes in traditional Chinese medicine."
"Does the Ji family need a powerful backer, or does Mother want to find a powerful backer for herself?"
He served as an official for many years, and his words were always incisive and to the point.
"Because of Changyan's imprisonment, the Empress Dowager has lost touch with you, and your relationship is no longer as close as before. So you set your sights on Xiao Wu, hoping to form a marriage alliance with the Li family to stabilize your power and not be outdone by the old matriarch of the Wei family."
Upon hearing Ji Bolian mention the old woman from the Wei family, Madam Ji pounded her chest a few times.
Losing all composure, she said with a pained expression, "What do you mean by 'my power'? I'm practically half-buried in the ground, and you're saying this as if you're stabbing your own mother in the heart."
The old lady wiped away her tears and said, "What did I do for myself? Wasn't it all for the sake of the Ji family, young and old..."
Ji Bolian remained unmoved. He knew his mother all too well. She had spoiled and indulged the second wife excessively, which led to Ji Changyan's bad upbringing and eventual death. It was hard to say that the old lady wasn't responsible.
Furthermore, what he dislikes most is crying and fussing. No matter if it's a man, woman, young or old, he can't just talk to people properly; he has to cry and whine.
Gibran unconsciously adopted an air of official authority.
"You've done all this just to make the Emperor even more wary of the Ji family, haven't you?!"
This question immediately deflated Madam Ji's imposing manner, and she swallowed back her tears.
It was no secret that Emperor Wusu was wary of the Ji family; every prominent family in Lin'an knew this.
Ji Bolian said, "Over the years, the Empress Dowager Cining Palace has caused a lot of trouble. To put it nicely, it's to consolidate the Ji family's favor. Because she is not the Emperor's biological mother, there is always a distance between them, and they are not close enough."
"The Empress Dowager and I are siblings from the same mother. How could I not know what she's up to? She wants to seize power in the harem and also wants to win over the officials of the previous dynasty. It's one thing for my mother to go along with my nonsense, but she also wants to drag Xiao Wu into it."
Previously, Madam Ji and the Empress Dowager had made quite a few underhanded moves, and the Fourth Miss Ji Qingyuan was willing to cooperate with them, so Ji Bolian was too lazy to care.
But now, they've even set their sights on Xiao Wu.
Ji Bolian said sternly, "From now on, none of you are allowed to make a move on Xiao Wu!"
“I will also speak to the Empress Dowager in the palace.”
After Emperor Wusu was assassinated, Ji Fangmin did something foolish enough that Ji Bolian, who was in the south, had already heard the news. The reason why the Cining Palace has not been touched yet is because the emperor is not available.
Madam Ji's tears had long since dried, and she asked anxiously, "Eldest son, have you managed to glean any information from the Emperor during your court appearances these past two days?"
"Has anyone said how to deal with the Empress Dowager, and whether it will affect the Ji family, or you?"
Ji Bolian deliberately frowned, looking bitter and resentful, and said, "Few can guess the Emperor's thoughts, and no one can predict what will happen in the future."
Not only did it have no effect on him, but the emperor also specifically mentioned his hard work during the morning court session, rewarding him with half a year's salary and seafood from Yangcheng.
The salary was all spent on buying pretty clothes and jewelry for Xiao Wu.
Most of the seafood went to Xiao Wu's table, and the few small yellow croakers that were left were given to the old lady.
Ji Qingwu was kept outside by Granny Feng.
I heard the voices inside getting louder and louder, and I could vaguely make out a few sentences, mixed with my grandmother's crying.
She went to Anjuyuan instead.
She told Mrs. Qiao about the valuable things she had received.
In the morning, Madam Qiao knew what Uncle Ji had been busy with, but she turned a blind eye to his actions, since it wasn't money from the manor.
But I was also deeply moved. It was astonishing that Lord Ji, who was always so stingy and wished he could donate all his wealth to the national treasury, was so willing to give.
A man's heart is where he spends his money.
Mr. George thought this was perfect for Gibran; his love for his daughter outweighed everything else.
She picked up the spices, selected several kinds and threw them into the sachet, smiling as she said, "Your father gave them to you, so just keep them."
Ji Qingwu still felt uneasy and said, "But I heard my grandmother crying, and it sounded like she was being scolded."
Qiao paused, her hand holding the sachet still, and asked, "Are you sure you didn't hear me wrong?"
As the eldest son in the family, Ji Bolian respected filial piety above all virtues. Considering that his grandfather had passed away early and that his mother had raised these children with great difficulty, he tolerated and indulged her, never losing his temper with his elderly mother.
When the old lady showed favoritism towards the second wife, Mr. Ji pretended not to hear it, and Mrs. Qiao thought that he would continue to tolerate the old lady.
Ji Qingwu pursed her lips and said, "I think I heard my name again..."
They also affectionately called her Xiao Wu.
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