"Big sister!" Ji Meiyuan and Ji Wuxia spoke almost simultaneously, while Ji Yinxue dared not speak, her face twitching slightly as she looked at them.
“Isn’t that so?” Ji Wushang stood up. She was a bit taller than Aunt Bai and was looking down at her. “She kicks people all the time. Aunt Bai is quite ill! Take Aunt Bai away so the doctor can take a look!” Several rough-looking women came in from outside and went to Aunt Bai after hearing Ji Wushang’s words.
Aunt Bai's face was ugly. "Who dares to touch me?" Her voice was hoarse with anger.
"Who dares to touch my aunt!" Ji Meiyuan couldn't stand it anymore and stood up, glaring at Ji Wushang.
Ji Wushang sneered, "Oh, what do you mean by 'all the time'? I only said I'd send her downstairs for the best for my aunt's sake so the doctor can take a look! Her face is so pale right now, I suspect she's got some kind of illness, so we should get her treated quickly to avoid any adverse consequences!"
Aunt Bai was so angry that she clutched her chest, feeling like she couldn't breathe for the first time! She pointed at Ji Wushang, "You, you..." "Aunt!" Ji Meiyuan and Ji Wuxia called out and quickly stepped forward to support Aunt Bai. Aunt Bai waved her hand, "No need to help me!" But how could she hold on? She was still helped to the side by Ji Meiyuan and Ji Wuxia to sit on a chair and help her catch her breath.
“Very well, let’s finish interrogating Uncle White Monkey first. Then we’ll have the doctor examine Aunt Bai’s illness later!” Ji Wushang watched with satisfaction as Aunt Bai was speechless, then turned to Uncle White Monkey, whose legs had already buckled and he was kneeling on the ground. Ji Wushang looked at him, her entire demeanor haughty and condescending, pressing closer step by step! Her speech was extremely fast! She asked, “Where were you before?”
"Yes, in the yard!"
Which department?
"West Garden!"
"Where is Xiyuan?"
"Yes, it's to the east!"
"East? Where is east!"
"East, east..." Uncle White Monkey rolled his eyes, unable to say anything.
"East! Where is east? Heh!" Ji Wushang sneered loudly. "He even said the West Garden is in the east!" He then turned to Aunt Bai, whose face was beyond deathly pale. The truth was clear now; trying to protect someone? Forget about it! Ji Wushang stopped his sneer, changed his expression, and calmly asked, "Is the West Garden in the east? Is the West Garden near the library?" He slammed his hand on the table. "How many courtyards do you have to pass through to get to the library from the West Garden!"
Uncle White Monkey was so intimidated by Ji Wushang's imposing aura that he collapsed to the ground, not daring to answer, his whole body trembling slightly.
Aunt Bai dug her fingernails into her palms, and after catching her breath, she spoke, "Guards, beat Guo Se to death! Uncle Bai Hou... break both his legs and throw him out of the Ji residence!"
"Isn't the punishment a bit too lenient?" Ji Wushang said calmly, slowly turning around to face Aunt Bai. "Aunt, you truly have the heart of a bodhisattva. This servant committed adultery in General Ji's mansion, and even nearly murdered me! Sigh, beating him to death and breaking his legs—if word gets out, people will probably say that our Ji family's discipline is lax! But thinking about it, Uncle Bai said he was your distant cousin, so crippling his legs is already a punishment!"
These words were like a slap in the face to Aunt Bai. On the surface, they were praising Aunt Bai's compassionate heart, but everyone knew in secret that Aunt Bai, out of consideration for their kinship, was actually protecting her servant and disregarding the law. According to the laws of the Great Xia Zhou Dynasty regarding illicit affairs, the maid would be beaten to death, and the man would have his legs crippled and be forced to beg in the streets, never to rise in social status, never to take the imperial examinations, never to enter the government, and never even to visit the official's residence.
A pale smile appeared on Aunt Bai's face. She used to play with this Uncle White Monkey the most when she was a child, but today... She turned her face away, covered her eyes with her hands, and refused to look.
Seeing that there was no hope, Uncle White Monkey shouted hysterically, "Aunt Bai! Save me, save me!" The beautiful woman also begged desperately, "Young Miss, spare me! Spare me!"
Ji Wushang closed his eyes and waved his hand. Immediately, the Kunlun slaves dragged the two of them away.
Be ruthless when necessary! Otherwise, others might turn around and bite you back! You won't even know when you'll die! Ji Wushang glanced around and saw that everyone's faces were filled with lingering fear. Ji Wushang forced a smile and said, "It's late, everyone can go home now! You're all tired."
The crowd dispersed. Aunt Bai was helped down by Ji Meiyuan and Ji Wuxia. As she passed by Ji Wushang, her eyes were filled with resentment, anger, and indignation.
Ji Wushang coldly returned their gazes, completely indifferent. If they wanted to stir up trouble, he would definitely fight them to the bitter end!
After everyone dispersed, Ji Wushang remembered Ji Wusi. He looked down and saw Ji Wusi staring at him with wide eyes. Ji Wushang wondered if he had frightened Ji Wusi a little. After all, he was still young. But, had he been cruel to a child of only a few years old when he punished them?
“Wu Zi…” Ji Wushang squatted down and shook his little hand, “Was elder sister’s punishment fair?”
"That's fair! According to the rules of the manor and the laws of our dynasty, this is how he should be punished! If Father were still in the manor, he would never let that Uncle White Monkey off so easily! Humph!" Ji Wusi pouted and said indignantly.
Hearing his tone, Ji Wushang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Wu Zi was more sensible than he had imagined! Ji Wushang looked at Ji Wusi and said earnestly, "Wu Zi, you must study hard in the future. You must pass the imperial examinations so that you can protect your mother and sister, understand?"
"Of course Wu Zi knows!" Ji Wu Si's little face was extremely serious. "I don't just want to pass the imperial examinations, I also want to be like my father! Fight on the battlefield and protect our country!"
"Wu Zi is so good!" Ji Wushang nodded and gently kissed him on the cheek to show his affection. "It's already late, so stop reading and get some rest! You have to go out with the teacher tomorrow, so you need to rest well."
"Mm." Ji Wusi said goodnight, then turned and led Ying Sheng, the maid who had been waiting outside the door, back into the courtyard. Zhu'er looked at Ji Wushang and came forward, "Miss?"
"Okay, let's go back!" Ji Wushang calmed himself down a bit and returned to his courtyard. Before going to sleep, he remembered that he still hadn't brought back any Buddhist scriptures, so he couldn't help but remind himself to go get them tomorrow.
Ji Wushang slept until the sun was high in the sky, waking up refreshed but hungry. Just then, Zhu'er brought in some delicious bird's nest soup.
"Miss, are you hungry? I saw you were sleeping soundly, so I didn't want to disturb you!" Zhu'er placed the bird's nest on the table and said with a smile.
Ji Wushang nodded. "Yes, after I eat, I still need to go to the library. I'll pick out a few good books to look at; it's rather boring." The books she was referring to were the Buddhist scriptures she wanted to copy.
"Then Zhu'er will go with you later," Zhu'er said hurriedly, her face serious, perhaps afraid that what happened last night would happen again.
"Okay." Ji Wushang nodded, since Zhu'er wasn't an outsider anyway. Ji Wushang was enjoying his meal when, after a short while, someone knocked on the door and lifted the curtain to come in.
Ji Wushang looked up and saw Yue'er, but her eyes were red and her face was full of anxiety. She must have been crying. When she saw Ji Wushang, she immediately knelt down and kowtowed several times. "Miss, Miss, please save Xier!" After saying that, she kowtowed three more times while crying.
Ji Wushang was taken aback. Wasn't Xier supposed to be Wu Zi's page by his father? Why would he need to be rescued? What kind of drama is this?
☆、029 Here comes another troublemaker, who are you trying to fool! (Second update after 1000 words)
Ji Wushang stood up and said, "Yue'er, don't kneel yet, just say what's wrong!" She had just surrendered to him the day before yesterday and even got Xier back from Ji Meiyuan, and now this has happened? Is she trying to provoke him because of what happened last night?
Yue'er cried as she spoke, "Miss, my gossipy mother just came and told me that Xi'er was being punished by the Fourth Miss (Ji Wuxia) in the bamboo garden for stealing her thousand-year-old inkstone. The Fourth Miss even said she'd sell Xi'er to a matchmaker! How could Xi'er steal it! He's a good person!"
Ji Wushang nodded. This Xier is currently serving as a page to his younger brother Ji Wusi. Today, because Ji Wusi and the teacher went out, he didn't follow them, so now he's been accused of stealing the inkstone.
"Stop crying, take me to see him." Knowing full well that Xier is now one of his men, he still comes looking for trouble, clearly targeting him! Wu Zi was having so much fun playing with this pageboy, Xier; how could he let Wu Zi lose such a pageboy?
"We just dealt with Uncle White Monkey and Guose's matter yesterday. I'm sure Aunt Bai is unhappy. Heh, as Aunt Bai's second daughter, does Ji Wuxia now have Aunt Bai's orders?" Ji Wushang sneered and stepped out.
Seeing Yue'er still crying, Ji Wushang comforted her, "Don't cry. Let's go see Xier now. I will definitely find out what injustices are involved. Xier is Wu Zi's page! If I don't protect him, who will?"
Yue'er listened, nodded, her eyes red, and her crying gradually subsided.
Xian'er and Zhu'er exchanged a glance, and then followed together.
After visiting several courtyards, they finally arrived at the Bamboo Garden. This Bamboo Garden was indeed quite elegant, with bamboo planted all around. Just looking at it, one could feel that the owner of this courtyard must be a refined person. However, Ji Wushang knew that the owner of this courtyard had nothing to do with elegance at all!
When Ji Wushang entered the courtyard, he indeed saw many maids and servants. They looked at Ji Wushang with Yue'er, Zhu'er, and Xian'er with expressions of surprise, disdain, or sarcasm.
Ji Wushang walked past with a cold laugh. There would definitely be punishment for what happened between Uncle Baihou and Guose last night, but presumably Aunt Bai didn't let anyone talk about it. Looking at the faces of these servants, Ji Wushang ignored them.
Upon entering the courtyard, a pitiful scream rang out, followed by the sound of a board falling. Upon hearing this, Yue'er's tears fell like beads. Ji Wushang sighed inwardly; his younger brother had been beaten like this, and he must be heartbroken.
But think about it, are these people giving me attitude? Hitting Syl is like slapping myself in the face. These concubines and half-sisters, they've got a good idea!
Ji Wushang walked through the crowd and saw Xier lying face down on the bench, his white buttocks exposed. Two servants stood beside him, one on each side, beating him with a paddle. Xier's buttocks were covered in blood, his skin torn and bleeding. He was only eight or nine years old, and he was crying and shouting, "I didn't steal! I said I didn't steal! Don't hit me!"
Yue'er covered her mouth and cried as she listened. Zhu'er and Xian'er watched and each supported her on one side, comforting her softly.
Ji Meiyuan and Ji Wuxia stood to one side, coldly observing everything unfolding before them. Ji Meiyuan, with her sharp eyes, saw Ji Wushang arrive and called out, "Oh, Fourth Sister, Eldest Sister is here!"
"Oh, really! Big sister has never been to my bamboo garden before!" Ji Wuxia looked at Ji Meiyuan and nodded in surprise.
"Isn't it just pretentious?" Ji Wushang glared at them, but then softened her tone, "Isn't that right? I was just practicing calligraphy today when I discovered that all the inkstones in the study were worn out. I couldn't find any good ones right away. I'd heard long ago that Fourth Sister has a superb thousand-year-old inkstone, and her calligraphy is truly beautiful, so I asked Xier, who cleans the study, to borrow it. But today, why is there blood in the courtyard? Grandmother's birthday is coming up soon, bloodshed is bad, bad!" Ji Wushang shook her head.
Upon hearing this, Ji Meiyuan and Ji Wuxia exchanged a glance. What was Ji Wushang up to with those words?
Originally, neither of them intended to kill Xier. After all, Ji Wushang was right; the old lady's birthday was getting closer every day. If someone else died in the manor, the old lady might really blame them... Today, the two of them just wanted to use Xier to put Ji Wushang in her place, since she had talked back to Aunt Bai last night.
However, before Ji Meiyuan and Ji Wuxia could speak, Ji Wushang had already ordered, "Stop it!"
The two servants, yelled at by Ji Wushang, stopped to see what Ji Meiyuan meant. However, Zhu'er, already seething with anger, also shouted, "What kind of servants are you? Don't you even listen to the young lady?" After saying that, she quickly turned to Ji Wushang, "Miss, don't you think so?"
"Hmm." Ji Wushang nodded. "I need to ask questions. If you hurt someone, I'll tell you all to get out of here!"
The two servants immediately moved to stand behind them, no longer caring about Ji Meiyuan and Ji Wuxia's intentions.
Ji Meiyuan looked at them and glared at the two men. The two men could only groan inwardly, knowing they couldn't afford to offend either of them!
Ji Meiyuan, holding Ji Wuxia's hand, said, "I knew it! What a coincidence! I also came to borrow Fourth Sister's thousand-year-old inkstone today, only to find that it had vanished! I searched everywhere, only to find that it had been stolen by this servant boy named Xier! They're interrogating him right now, aren't they?! I think it must have been this servant boy who stole it! I'll sell it to the matchmaker later!"
"Oh, so this is how Second Sister interrogates people? This method is quite unique! I bet she'll be convicted before the interrogation is even over!" Ji Wushang feigned admiration, while Ji Meiyuan's face paled slightly as she listened, feeling awkward.
Ji Wushang glanced over and saw a maid behind Ji Wuxia holding a fine, thousand-year-old inkstone, which was slightly damp. Ji Wushang sneered inwardly, turned to Ji Wuxia, and said, "Xier, can you read? There are plenty of things in that courtyard, how did you manage to steal an inkstone!"
"Young Miss! Sir can't read!" Yue'er cried out in distress.
Upon hearing his sister Yue'er's voice, Xier raised his head slightly, "Sister! Sister!" Seeing Yue'er's tear-streaked face and that Ji Wushang had stopped the beating, he immediately called out to Ji Wushang, "Young Miss! This servant doesn't know how to read! This servant is innocent!"
“Tell me about it,” Ji Wushang said seriously.
“They insist that I stole the Fourth Miss’s inkstone at dawn this morning. I really didn’t steal it! How could someone like me enter the Fourth Miss’s bamboo garden?” Xier looked at Ji Wushang and immediately said.
"You dog servant! What, you still say you can't read? Steal it! Fourth Sister's thousand-year-old inkstone is worth a lot of silver! Didn't you become Wu Zi's page a few days ago? What, you still say you can't read? Are you lying through your teeth?!" Ji Meiyuan was not one to be trifled with; she spoke fiercely, showing no mercy whatsoever.
Ji Wuxia felt she had gained the upper hand and became a little smug, so she snorted, "That's not it! Still trying to argue! Come on, hit me again! Hit me until I confess!"
"You dare?" Ji Wushang frowned, glaring angrily at Ji Wuxia.
☆、030 A furious rebuttal! Who's blatantly lying!
Those around, listening to and watching Ji Wushang's angry expression, dared not make a move. After all, she was the eldest daughter of the legitimate wife, while the second and third daughters of concubines were of lower status! Moreover, it seemed that they hadn't gotten any clear answers yet, and they were going to beat her to death. This seemed a bit inappropriate... The servants standing to the side didn't dare to make a move either, keeping their heads down and not daring to look at the three sisters.
Looking into Ji Wushang's cold eyes, Ji Meiyuan sensed the awkward atmosphere. After thinking for a moment, she smiled sheepishly, gently nudged Ji Wuxia, and said, "Then let's interrogate him! Fourth Sister, let this servant go for now. Once the truth comes out, sell him to the matchmaker immediately!"
"Hmm." Seeing Ji Wushang's assertiveness, Ji Wuxia didn't dare to make the first move to hit him, and responded with a confident tone.
Ji Wushang glanced coldly at the people around him, but then smiled and said, "We are all family. If any servant in the manor does anything to offend their master, of course they should be punished."
As they were talking, Ji Wusi unexpectedly arrived, brought over by his maids Yingsheng and Yanyu. Upon seeing Xier lying on the stool, covered in blood, Ji Wusi immediately flew into a rage. "You, you servants! What have you done to Xier?" he shouted, and rushed over to pull Xier up. Everyone watching felt the scene was somewhat chaotic. The young master must have been informed by one of the maids that Xier had been beaten.
The three young ladies were already a headache for them, and now the young master has come along too. Isn't this going to be the death of them?
Ji Wushang looked at Ji Wusi and immediately pulled him over, "Wuzi, calm down, okay? Be good. Your sister will make sure Xier is safe and sound."
"Sister, what did he do wrong?" Ji Wusi looked at Ji Wushang, his eyes quieter, but he also pouted, indicating his opposition.
“Wu Zi, let me ask you, can Xi Er read?” Ji Wushang asked seriously.
"No." Ji Wusi shook his head, answering with certainty, and grasped Ji Wushang's hands with both of his. "Sister, you must save Xier!"
"Hmm." Ji Wushang responded, put down Ji Wusi's hand, and then stood up and said to Ji Meiyuan and Ji Wuxia, "Now, do you know whether Xier can read or not?"
Ji Meiyuan and Ji Wuxia had nothing to say. After all, Ji Wusi had already said that Xier was illiterate, so what else was there to question?
But Ji Meiyuan's lips curled into a stubborn smile: "Even if you can't read, you can still steal it and sell it!"
"Hehe." Ji Wushang chuckled, ignoring Ji Meiyuan's words, and instead turned his gaze to the maid holding the inkstone. He chuckled and said, "Eh, is this thousand-year-old inkstone a top-grade inkstone from the palace? Judging by its color, it must be incredibly beautiful for writing or painting!"
Everyone was baffled by her sudden change of heart. Ji Wuxia and Ji Meiyuan had no idea what she was up to. They exchanged a glance before Ji Wuxia said, "This inkstone of mine is a thousand-year-old inkstone! Of course it's excellent, but it's still slightly different from the finest inkstones in the palace. Sister, please don't speak carelessly!"
How could those top-quality inkstones in the palace possibly fall into the hands of an official's daughter? Ji Wuxia's lips curled into a slight sneer, her tone extremely contemptuous, as if to say, "You, Ji Wushang, are ignorant! How dare you ask such a question!"
Upon hearing this, Ji Wushang became surprised, his expression filled with doubt. "That's strange. People say that only the finest inkstones in the imperial palace stay moist, no matter how dry the weather or how rainy it is. It's almost noon now, how come the inkstone hasn't dried yet after so long?"
Second Sister, Fourth Sister, tell me, if an illiterate servant takes an inkstone to sell, fine, but why go to the trouble of grinding ink for it? Did some other literate servants steal the inkstone, and when they were caught, they framed Xier?
Upon hearing this, everyone whispered among themselves, for Ji Wushang's words were all reasonable and flawless.