Chapter 382 wasn't enough to vent our anger; the Ji family should have disintegrated long ago.
"If it weren't for A-Wu."
Upon hearing this intimate address, Ji Qingwu's long eyelashes finally stopped trembling, and she stared steadily back into his deep eyes.
Zhao Mingyan said mockingly, "The Ji family should have disbanded long ago."
As soon as the emperor finished speaking, everyone's eyes were fixed on Ji Qingwu's face, all shocked by the meaning behind his words.
The old lady was stunned, her eyes bulging out.
"What does this mean...?"
The Ji family father and son also stared at Ji Qingwu without blinking.
Ji Qingwu's tense nerves completely relaxed; no amount of pretense or explanation would be of any use.
This moment came sooner and faster than she had imagined.
Ji Qingwu had a somewhat resigned attitude towards things going downhill.
She nodded to the old lady in a clear, crisp voice.
“That’s right, just as Grandmother thought.”
Madam Ji suddenly felt as if someone was choking her, making it difficult to breathe. Her body went limp and she fell backward onto the bedding.
But still unwilling to give up, she said, "Your Majesty, but... but... even if it had nothing to do with her, Changyan shouldn't have died such a tragic death..."
Zhao Mingyan's cool gaze fell on the old lady, silencing her completely.
“There are some things that I don’t need to explain to you, but the old lady has been holding a grudge, so I’ll just make things clear.”
"Ji Changyan, even if he dies a thousand times, it wouldn't be enough to satisfy my hatred!"
Madam Ji was terrified; she realized she had been wrong all along.
The person who would kill his grandson is the emperor.
Zhao Mingyan curled his lips and sneered, "If the old lady wants to be buried with your grandson, I won't stop her. At this age, it could be considered a happy death, wouldn't it?"
A joyous funeral—this is practically trying to kill the old lady...
Upon hearing this, the Ji family members immediately stood up and knelt on the ground.
He cried out repeatedly, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
Now, the old lady was fully awake.
Even if the emperor acted kindly when he first entered, it wasn't out of consideration for her. With the Empress Dowager in the palace fallen, what face did she have left?
The emperor came here for Qingwu, yet I foolishly provoke him.
She misjudged too many things; the emperor was actually swayed by Qingwu.
To save her life, the old woman, despite feeling dizzy and weak, managed to climb out of bed and kneel prostrate at the foot of the bed.
Zhao Mingyan sat calmly and steadily, not caring who was kneeling on the ground. Receiving people's obeisance was a matter of course.
But Ji Qingwu couldn't continue sitting, since his parents and older brother were all kneeling.
However, she was a step too slow in getting up, and there wasn't much space left for her on the ground.
This position is really awkward; if she were to kneel as well, she would have to kneel next to the emperor's boots.
Ji Qingwu thought that squeezing next to Qiao Shi might be a good idea.
As soon as her knees bent, the upper of the golden dragon boots moved, pressing against her calves and stopping her movement.
The rest of the Ji family members looked down at the ground, anxiously awaiting their fate.
Ji Qingwu pushed the emperor's thigh forcefully, moving him a little. Her knees fell, but did not hit the hard bricks.
Ji Qingwu looked down and saw that she was kneeling directly at his feet. She quickly pulled her skirt over to cover herself.
Although his tone was extremely respectful, his eyes were wide and gleaming.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."
Zhao Mingyan looked back at her and said, "I am not angry with you. Why are you kneeling? Get up."
The implication was that the rest of the Ji family would have to continue kneeling.
Why was she kneeling? Ji Qingwu was a little embarrassed by this pretentious act.
"His Majesty."
Ji Qingwu called out softly again.
Zhao Mingyan looked at her, his expression softening slightly.
“Awu has done nothing wrong and can get up, but the mistakes of the others are not small.”
Seeing his expression, Ji Qingwu knew that this matter was not so easy to let go of, so she did not try to persuade him further.
But she didn't get up. Her parents were kneeling, so how could she sit down on a chair?
Zhao Mingyan said, "Let's leave the past aside for now. Since we're bringing it up now, let's talk about it. How did Ji Changyan develop such a wolf-hearted and leopard-like audacity to assassinate an imperial censor?"
"If we were to rank the纨绔 (spoiled brats) of the prominent families in the capital, Ji Changyan would definitely be in the top three. He bullies and monopolizes the market, and I have received more than a dozen memorials from him."
"This is all because you've indulged them little by little."
Gibran looked ashamed.
Because his second brother, Ji Xuwen, was in poor health and died young, leaving behind an orphan and a widow, he became much more lenient in raising the children of his second wife. His mother favored the second wife, but he turned a blind eye to it. Later, when he was appointed to an official post outside the capital, he was even less able to manage the children.
Gibran, reflecting on the past, said with deep sorrow, "It is all my fault."
Qiao had tried to intervene, but she was met with resentment from her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, so she gave up and sighed with her head down.
Tears streamed down Old Madam Ji's face. Of all the Ji family members, she loved Ji Changyan the most and spoiled him the most. But now she regretted spoiling her grandson too much, and it was too late.
The oppressive atmosphere was suffocating.
Ji Qingwu felt a little breathless. Taking advantage of the fact that no one dared to look up, she unexpectedly rubbed her chin against his fingers.
Zhao Mingyan lowered his eyes, and Ji Qingwu said softly, "When I first came home, my grandmother warned me that the Ji family's prosperity and decline are intertwined. I'm sure everyone understands this principle."
The old woman closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face. It was only when Qingwu said those words that the irony was most pronounced.
Ji Qingwu didn't want to protect Old Madam Ji; she just didn't want those who were good to her to suffer as well.
"Your Majesty, we all know we were wrong."
Zhao Mingyan gently lifted her chin, knowing what she was thinking, but he didn't give in to her wishes.
Instead, he said, "You know you're wrong? I haven't even mentioned your biggest mistake yet."
Ji Qingwu paused, wondering what earth-shattering words the emperor was about to utter.
Zhao Mingyan raised an eyebrow and said, "Why isn't anyone asking me what the biggest mistake was?"
Old Madam Ji was in tears, and everyone else was sweating profusely; no one dared to ask a question.
Only Ji Qingwu could ask: "...What is it?"
Zhao Mingyan nodded in satisfaction, withdrew his hand, and continued, "Doesn't the old lady want to know what happened?"
Grandma Ji knelt on the ground, shaking her head repeatedly. She was old and could no longer bear kneeling on the ground. She only hoped that the interrogation would end soon.
Zhao Mingyan said in a deep, cold voice, "That afternoon, Awu was drugged and taken away from the mansion by Ji Changyan, and none of you knew about it."
"The good grandson raised by the old lady has a wicked idea about his own sister. He not only tied her up, but also poisoned her in order to save his own life."
Madam Ji's hand, which was supporting her on the ground, was trembling, and her whole body was shaking uncontrollably.
So this was the truth she was looking for.
The emperor's voice continued to echo from above, its hidden anger as dangerous as magma surging beneath a calm surface.
"If anything happens to A-Wu, none of you can afford to compensate him!"
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