At this moment, Ji Wushang walked out of the inner courtyard with the old man Pan Yao, smiling. When Nan Xuzong saw Ji Wushang and the old man Pan Yao, he was so surprised that he couldn't speak for a moment. He looked at Ji Wushang, and Ji Wushang immediately stepped forward and said, "Cong".
"Hmm... Master!" Nan Xuzong finally called out, looking at the old man holding the medicine.
"Cong'er!" The old man who made the medicine smiled.
The monk looked at the young woman who had come before him, and then at Nan Xuzong. Suddenly he realized that this must be Ji Wushang, the wife he had been talking about!
Ji Wushang stood to the side with a smile, while the old man who made medicine stepped forward and said, "Cong'er, it's rare for you to come back!"
"Master, it really is Master! Your disciple has missed you so much!" Nan Xuzong was overjoyed. He thought there was only the Silent Monk here, who would always scold him. He never expected to meet the Old Man of Panyao!
Ji Wushang stood to one side, looking at Nan Xuzong and the old man Panyao, then his gaze fell on the monk Buyan.
He wore a robe, large prayer beads around his neck, and was bald. He had a kind face and a somewhat plump figure. He clasped his hands together and softly chanted Amitabha Buddha.
Ji Wushang thought to himself, "This must be the Monk Buyan, Nan Xuzong's senior brother."
Nan Xuzong was talking with the old man Panyao when he heard the old man say, "After today's parting, there will be no chance to meet again in the future."
"Master?" Nan Xuzong asked anxiously, "Why?"
"Because you already have a beautiful and virtuous woman by your side. She will always be by your side and will take care of you in my place!" The old man Pan Yao looked at Ji Wushang and said approvingly, "It is time for me to say goodbye to you."
"Master, why don't you stay?" Nan Xuzong looked at him, then at Ji Wushang, and smiled.
"Our destiny has come to an end. From now on, you will have to walk this road together. Since our destiny has come to this, we must part ways!" The old man Pan Yao sighed and said, "You have already mastered all my teachings, and your martial arts skills are no less than those of others. However, you must remember that victory or defeat lies in the heart, not in skill or fists."
Nan Xuzong nodded, "Yes."
The monk who never spoke stepped forward at this moment, "Master, what about me?"
"You may stay, or you may come with me. Wherever you go, it all boils down to one word: salvation. Salvation for others, salvation for oneself." The old man with the medicine smiled.
"He doesn't need my help." The Monk Bu Yan shook his head at Nan Xu Cong. "Junior brother, your senior brother has already told you many things. You know your own heart. Don't involve irrelevant people. If you can't control life or death, then accept it and go with the flow!"
Nan Xuzong narrowed his eyes, looking at the Monk Buyan, but his gaze was on Ji Wushang. He straightened his gaze slightly and then looked at the Monk Buyan, "I understand."
The monk nodded gently and walked up to the old man who was making medicine. “I will go with my master.”
The old man who was making medicine smiled and turned his gaze to Ji Wushang, "Wushang."
“Wu Shang is here!” Ji Wu Shang immediately replied.
"Remember this well, be careful in everything you do." The old man nodded, then looked at the two of them. "I will pray to Heaven that you two will live long and prosper."
"Thank you, Master!" Ji Wushang knelt down upon hearing this.
"Respectfully seeing off Master and Senior Brother!" Nan Xuzong pursed his thin lips slightly.
The old man who made the medicine and the monk who didn't speak smiled and walked out, heading deep into the bamboo forest. A gust of wind blew by, and they were gone.
Ji Wushang stood up from the ground, walked behind Nan Xuzong, and climbed up to his neck from behind. "They're gone."
"In this whole world, perhaps you are the only one who can love me," he murmured.
Ji Wushang was taken aback and said, "No. You will be loved and respected by many, many people."
Nan Xuzong gently shook his head. "What did Master say to you?"
“We talked about some things from your childhood,” Ji Wushang said. “He said you were sometimes very naughty and would spill all the herbs you picked on the ground, making your master pick them up one by one.”
Nan Xuzong's eyes flickered. "Anything else?"
"He also said that you made a mistake. You were supposed to copy those medicine books thirty times, but you only copied them three times. You even argued that your master punished you by making you copy them three times instead of thirty times."
"That's all?" Nan Xuzong's eyes flickered slightly as he pulled Ji Wushang in front of him. "Is that all?"
"Otherwise, what do you think he would say to me?" Ji Wushang asked with a smile.
This stumped Nan Xuzong. As long as he didn't tell her about that matter, he didn't think she needed to make any sacrifices for him. He just wanted to keep things as they were, cherishing this little bit of time and spending these days with her.
Ji Wushang laughed, "Looking at you, what are you worried about? Master also said that we should just live our lives well and not worry too much about anything else or be in a hurry."
"Okay." Nan Xuzong nodded. "Then let's go back, it's getting late!"
"Okay." Ji Wushang happily took his hand, and together they walked out of the woods and headed back to the Marquis's residence.
Sitting together in the carriage, Ji Wushang rested her head on his chest, gazing outside.
Cong, you must wait for me to help you fulfill your wish. This time, I definitely can!
Nan Xuzong lowered his eyes, placed his hand on her slender waist, and gazed at her gently for a long time, but ultimately remained silent. Wushang, I would rather you weren't so clever, so capable, or possessed any talent at all. I would only wish for you to remain in the inner courtyard, waiting for my return.
The carriage stopped, and the two returned home.
As night fell, Ji Wushang, needing to attend to matters at home, asked Nan Xuzong to return to Moxuan Garden first, while he went to check on the other courtyards.
The burned-out accounting office had now been cleaned up, and Ji Wushang ordered it to be filled in again and planted with seasonal flowers. He then chose another location to rebuild the accounting office. As for the burned account books, Ji Wushang ordered his second uncle, the steward Nan Aoyu, to redo them. This infuriated Nan Aoyu; he wasn't responsible for the burning of the account books, so why should he suffer such punishment! However, he couldn't disobey Ji Wushang… after all, Ji Wushang was in charge of the backyard.
However, I could tell the Marquis that I would definitely be backing up my brother, wouldn't I?! Ji Wushang, don't be too smug! Does a little girl think she can fight me?
Ignoring the thousand complaints in his heart, Ji Wushang gave the order and left, telling him to come back for inspection in three days!
Ji Wushang made a special trip to Aunt Zhao's Zhuangshu Garden to see her.
Upon entering Zhuangshu Garden, a strong medicinal smell filled the air, making Ji Wushang feel quite uncomfortable, but he forced himself to endure it and went inside.
"How is the concubine?" Ji Wushang asked the maid standing to the side in a low voice. The maid replied, "Your Highness, the concubine's condition has improved, and the medicine is being administered in a timely and appropriate manner."
“Okay, I’ll go in and take a look.” Ji Wushang nodded.
"The Crown Princess has arrived!" announced the maidservant guarding the beaded curtain.
Inside, only the head maid, Yan Shou, was taking care of Aunt Zhao. This was because Aunt Zhao had only given birth to one son, Nan Jinxue, and no daughters to care for her! Now that both of them were in trouble, the maid had to take over the care of her!
As for Miss Zhao Yirou, Ji Wushang had already found an excuse to make her leave the Marquis's mansion!
Ji Wushang stepped forward, "Yan Shou, how is your aunt?"
"Auntie, I'm much better." Yan Shou looked at Ji Wushang and was immediately filled with fear. Back in the main courtyard, she had been terrified when she saw Ji Wushang arguing with Aunt Zhao! Ji Wushang's presence was enough to intimidate Yan Shou!
Ji Wushang smiled kindly, "That's great. I'll go take a look." As she spoke, Ji Wushang walked past Yan Shou and then went to Aunt Zhao. She looked at Aunt Zhao with a cold expression. Yan Shou was watching her nervously, afraid that Ji Wushang was about to do something.
Ji Wushang smiled and said, "I see that Aunt's lips are a little dry. Yan Shou, go and pour her a cup of tea."
"This, this, this servant, this servant..."
"What? You're not even listening to me anymore?" Ji Wushang immediately stood up straight, her voice lowered but even more authoritative. "Are you trying to get yourself killed? I am the mistress of this Marquis's mansion, how dare you disobey me? You're really tired of living!"
"Ah, this servant wouldn't dare! This servant wouldn't dare!" Yan Shou immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly. "This servant wouldn't dare, this servant wouldn't dare disobey the Crown Princess's wishes! This servant was wrong, please forgive me, please forgive me!"
"Get up right now! Are you trying to disturb Aunt Zhao with your noise? If you disturb her peace and quiet, you won't have enough lives to spare!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Yan Shou was so frightened that she was at a loss for what to do, and hurriedly nodded in agreement.
Seeing that the effect was almost achieved, Ji Wushang said, "Why don't you hurry up and go pour some tea?"
"Yes, this servant will go right away!" Yan Shou immediately rolled down to pour tea.
With no one around, Ji Wushang sat down by Aunt Zhao's bedside, turned around, and gently lifted the quilt a little. He was quite surprised to see Aunt Zhao's injuries.
If she had succeeded in scheming against him back then, wouldn't he be the one lying in bed like this now? Ji Wushang felt even colder at this thought.
Looking at Aunt Zhao's injuries, it was clear that her entire body was burned over a large area. It was already a good thing that she survived. Moreover, she said that her condition was improving, which meant that her will to live was very strong!
His face was burned, with most of it burned.
Ji Wushang pondered for a moment and soon had some ideas. He didn't need to kill Aunt Zhao himself; other concubines would want her dead! He didn't want to dirty his hands! She didn't want to die now, so he'd let her live, and make her suffer a fate worse than death!
However, she would never forget that face! The beautiful woman from the previous century had slashed her face, and Aunt Zhao was an accomplice! In this life, she had let Ji Meiyuan die at Ji Yinxue's hands—that was too good for her! And Aunt Zhao, you must pay for this in blood!
Ji Wushang took out a silver needle from his pocket and slowly pierced it into Aunt Zhao's face, deep into it, then pulled it out and pierced it again.
Ji Wushang showed no mercy, his strength perfectly controlled. His movements and the delicate needle insertion were so subtle that no one could discern anything amiss. Flawless! Ji Wushang withdrew the needle, then reinserted it into his needle pouch and placed it in his robes.
Looking at Aunt Zhao, whose face was now disfigured, on the bed, Ji Wushang smiled. What women want most is a beautiful face, and he was going to give her an ugly one!
Ji Wushang covered herself with the brocade quilt and then sat down at the table to the side.
Yan Shou brought in hot tea. "Your Highness, the tea is here."
"Okay, give her some water. I'll leave this to you," Ji Wushang said, then looked at Aunt Zhao on the bed.
Yan Shou scrutinized Aunt Zhao for a long time, but found nothing amiss, before finally feeling relieved. "Yes."
"I'm leaving now. I'll come see her again tomorrow!" Ji Wushang got up and walked out.
"Respectfully seeing off the Crown Princess!"
When they reached Yu Xue Garden, Ji Wushang stopped and asked, "Should I go and see how badly Nan Jinxue is burned? And then fulfill my responsibility as the eldest sister-in-law?" However, it wasn't appropriate for her to go in alone, since he was her brother-in-law. If she were to go see him, she should go with Nan Xuzong.
Forget it, I'm not going. I don't want to see people like that anyway!
Ji Wushang walked towards Moxuan Garden.
At that moment, a dark figure flashed into Yu Xue Garden.
Ji Yinxue was lying on the chaise lounge, eating some pastries. "Hmph, she doesn't even know her own limitations! She actually rushed into the fire to save people! She almost lost her life! Now look what she's done to herself, covered in injuries! And I have to take good care of her. Humph! I've been married to you for so long, and I haven't enjoyed a single good day!"
Nan Jinxue was lying on the bed with a frown on her face, not yet awake. Several maids were serving her, while Ji Yinxue was grumbling incessantly with a hint of anger in her voice.
"You may all leave!" Ji Yinxue watched as the maids relaxed Nan Jinxue's muscles to prevent them from atrophying from lying down for too long.
"Yes." The maid immediately obeyed and withdrew.
Ji Yinxue put the pastries aside, clapped her hands, and walked towards Nan Jinxue. "Tell me, what am I supposed to do now that you're lying here half-dead? What about our plans? We finally reached an agreement, and this has happened! You've really disappointed me!"
Nan Jinxue frowned slightly.
"You still have feelings, don't you?" Ji Yinxue sat down on the edge of his bed, touched his forehead, then moved down to his neck, and gently pinched it. "If it weren't for that accident, I would never have married you! Now, Beigong Jueshi is about to marry Princess Muchen! Do you know how much I hate you? Do you know how much I want to kill you?"
"Bei Gong Jue Shi should be mine! Even if I don't want him, he can't marry another woman! It's you! You ruined my life! The scars on my face are thanks to Ji Wu Shang! But you also bear responsibility! You've killed me!" Ji Yin Xue became more and more agitated as she spoke, suddenly grabbing his neck and gradually increasing the force, "Die! Die!" Her face was twisted and ferocious, and she became completely insane, her hands gripping his neck, trying to strangle him to death!
As Ji Yinxue watched Nan Jinxue's face gradually turn pale, her excitement intensified, and her pupils widened even further. "Die! Die!"
But at that moment, someone suddenly grabbed her hands, and Nan Jinxue was able to breathe again! Ji Yinxue was shocked and turned around to look at the person, only to see a tall man wearing a silver mask. She was stunned.
Huangfu Ting narrowed his eyes, threw her aside, and then gathered his inner strength in his hand, channeling it towards Nan Jinxue's chest.
Ji Yinxue was in turmoil. She rushed forward and cried out, "Why did you save him? Wouldn't it have been better if he had died? He's just a cripple. I despise him. What use is he to you?!"
Huangfu Ting said coldly, "Whether he's a cripple or not, you'll find out in time!"
"You saved him just to make him your pawn! Who are you? Who are you really? Why do you keep bothering us like this!" Ji Yinxue was furious. "You've already ruined me, what else do you want to do!"
Huangfu Ting's eyes darkened, and he gave Ji Yinxue a cold glare. Ji Yinxue immediately stood aside, not daring to speak.
Huangfu Ting continued his actions, and after a short while, he withdrew his internal energy, putting Nan Jinxue to sleep. He then walked to Ji Yinxue's side.