Ji Wusi then walked over.
Ji Wushang pulled him into a tight embrace. "Wu Zi," she cried, tears streaming down her face. She hadn't forgotten what Madam Bei had told her on her deathbed!
☆、081 Aunt Bai, nightmares keep coming!
Ji Wusi was extremely obedient and bowed to Ji Dingbei. Ji Dingbei nodded without saying anything. Ji Wushang pulled Ji Wusi over and gently patted his shoulder, "Wuzi."
"Big sister, I miss Mother." Ji Wusi looked up at Ji Wushang with a pout.
Ji Wushang looked at him and said, "Good boy, your mother is watching over us from heaven. She lives in your heart. When you think of her, she is in your mind."
Ji Wusi nodded as if he understood, and didn't make any more noise.
After a while, Ji Dingbei saw that it was almost dark and the person keeping vigil had given instructions to the servants. He then ordered everyone to return to the mansion. Moreover, he still wanted to go and see Aunt Bai, as he was still worried about her.
After returning home, everyone dispersed to do what they needed to do. Some tidied up the mourning hall, some cleaned the courtyard, and some helped with the tidying up.
Aunt Nangong was filled with resentment; she was exhausted from the day and barely had time to breathe! But she dared not say anything. She secretly glanced at Ji Wushang, and seeing that he hadn't noticed her, she called Ji Yinxue over, "It's time to go back!"
"Yes." Ji Yinxue glanced at Ji Wushang and saw that she was looking at the big tree in the courtyard. She couldn't guess what she was thinking for a moment. After thinking for a moment, Ji Yinxue stepped forward and bowed slightly. "Big sister, what are you looking at?"
"It's nothing." Ji Wushang turned to look at Ji Yinxue, feeling a little puzzled. Her bow just now was very proper and normal. If someone had been kneeling for a long time, their legs should have been trembling slightly when they bowed. How come her legs were normal and not sore at all? Given that she had been kneeling with Aunt Nangong, she should have been more tired than him.
Seeing that she was being looked up and down, Ji Yinxue seemed to notice something and said weakly, "Since you're alright, I'll head back to Lan Garden first."
"Hmm." Ji Wushang looked at her. At this moment, Ji Yinxue turned around and slowly walked towards Aunt Nangong. Aunt Nangong glared at Ji Yinxue fiercely, as if she was about to slap her. "You like your eldest sister! Humph! She didn't even bow to me, humph!"
“Auntie.” Ji Yinxue frowned slightly. “Let’s go!” With that, she helped Auntie Nangong out of the courtyard.
Ji Wushang looked at her, paying attention to her footsteps, but found them to be extremely irregular.
Could I have misread it? Ji Wushang pondered. Ji Yinxue shouldn't be the kind of person who would be so pretentious!
At this moment, Xian'er came forward and said, "Miss, let's go back! It's getting dark."
"Hmm, that's fine too." Ji Wushang looked at Xian'er, who had been keeping him company these past few days.
"Where's Yue'er?" Ji Wushang asked as he walked.
"He's overseeing the cleaning in the yard!"
"Have her come to my room. I have something to tell her," Ji Wushang said.
"yes."
The night was desolate and quiet. Ji Wushang didn't go to check on Aunt Bai. She guessed that the East Garden was probably bustling with activity.
At this moment, Yue'er knocked on the door and came in, kneeling down and saying, "Miss, please give your orders."
"Hmm. Let's talk standing up." Ji Wushang looked at him, took a sip of tea, and then asked, "How's things at the East Garden? Is it in complete chaos?"
“Exactly,” Yue’er said earnestly. “When Doctor Zhang and Doctor Li arrived at the East Garden, they found that Aunt Bai had been unconscious for quite some time. Fortunately, Aunt Bai was not dead! Doctor Zhang and Doctor Li treated her for a long time before she finally came back from the brink of death…”
——
Over at Dongyuan.
Aunt Bai felt like she was in a state of utter misery. She was in a dreamlike world, and in the midst of the chaos, she suddenly saw Madam Bei!
Aunt Bai's hatred surged, but when she saw Madam Bei floating erratically, she became terrified! Aunt Bai looked at Madam Bei and immediately backed away, crying, "You, you stay away!"
Madam Bei remained silent, her pale face devoid of any expression. She simply stared at Aunt Bai, but Aunt Bai was filled with trepidation! How could she dare to meet her gaze? She abruptly retreated, but Madam Bei continued to float forward!
Aunt Bai suddenly fell to the ground, crying out, "No, don't come any closer!" Just then, she felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen! Startled, Aunt Bai clutched her stomach, crying, "Ouch, it hurts so much!"
Madam Bei landed right in front of her, and suddenly smiled. This smile terrified Aunt Bai so much that her soul almost left her body!
"Don't look for me, don't look for me! Madam, I, I didn't mean to harm you, I, I didn't mean it! Don't look for me, don't come after me for my life!" Aunt Bai's mind was in chaos, ignoring the pain in her lower abdomen, and she kowtowed violently to Madam Bei.
Madam Bei just looked at her like that, without saying a word, and the smile on her lips disappeared.
Aunt Bai kept kowtowing, crying and shouting, "I... I really was pregnant, that's why I couldn't visit you. May you go well!"
"Hehe...hehe..." But at this moment, Aunt Bai felt a series of ghostly wails and howls in her ears. The sound seemed to be trying to take her life! Aunt Bai finally couldn't bear it and fainted!
Unexpectedly, it was as if someone patted her on the shoulder, and she was woken up.
"Auntie, Auntie, Auntie..." Ji Meiyuan kept wiping the cold sweat from Aunt Bai's forehead. Aunt Bai was talking nonsense, "I, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please, please don't come looking for me, please!"
Those around frowned, kneeling in silence. They understood without needing to be told what Aunt Bai was saying: if Aunt Bai hadn't committed so many evil deeds, how could she suddenly be suffering from severe abdominal pain? Furthermore, for such a thing to happen on the day of Madam Bei's funeral meant her child was undoubtedly a cursed star! Some thought it served her right, others lamented the child's suffering, and still others trembled with fear, afraid of being afflicted by the cursed star's malevolent energy!
Ji Dingbei lifted the curtain and entered from outside. He saw Ji Meiyuan tending to her, while two doctors and several maids and servants knelt beside her. Ji Dingbei stepped forward and asked, "How is she, Meiyuan? How is your aunt?"
"Father, you've come?" Ji Meiyuan was overjoyed and immediately stood up to make way for her. "Auntie is fine, but she keeps having nightmares."
Ji Dingbei frowned, stepped forward and sat down beside Aunt Bai's bed. Before he could even see what was wrong with her, Aunt Bai shouted angrily, "Get out! Get out! I don't want to see you! Get out!"
Ji Dingbei was startled, his face changing drastically. Ji Meiyuan, seeing this, immediately stepped forward, "Father, Father, Aunt is having a nightmare! I can't calm her down no matter what I do!"
Ji Dingbei frowned, turned his head, and looked at the doctors. "Doctor Zhang, Doctor Li, how is Aunt Bai?"
Doctor Zhang and Doctor Li immediately stepped forward respectfully. Doctor Zhang said, "Reporting to Master, Concubine Bai is now fully recovered."
"As long as she isn't frightened, she needs to calm down and rest," Dr. Li added.
Ji Meiyuan listened and nodded. This was acceptable; she had at least explained what she had taught him.
"Why would she suddenly have lower abdominal cramps?" Ji Dingbei looked at them, scrutinizing them.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, we examined her and concluded that Consort Bai's sudden abdominal cramps occurred without any apparent cause or warning." Doctor Zhang lowered his head, not daring to look up at Ji Dingbei. "I asked the maids, and they all said Consort Bai's diet was normal, and her medication was appropriate. We couldn't find any cause. The only explanation is that there's something wrong with her abdomen..."
"Insolence!" Ji Dingbei shouted, "You quacks, trying to fob me off with these excuses!"
"I wouldn't dare!" Doctor Zhang immediately knelt down, and Doctor Li followed suit. "Sir, what I said is true!" His voice trembled as if he were afraid of offending the reincarnated demon king, the Lone Star of Calamity.
Ji Meiyuan also had a cold expression. It was probably known to everyone in the mansion that Aunt Bai was suffering from abdominal cramps for no reason. What other explanation was there besides the reincarnation of the Demon King?
But, it seems that Ji Wushang sent that ginseng before, right? But Aunt didn't brew the ginseng to drink. Sigh!
Ji Dingbei had already come to some conclusions in his mind. He simply refused to believe that this was some kind of cursed lone star. However, the facts were right in front of him, leaving him no choice but to believe it!
"Ah, help me, help me! I, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, please don't come looking for me anymore, ah!" Suddenly, Aunt Bai screamed again.
Ji Dingbei immediately pressed several acupoints on her body, and Aunt Bai fell into a deep sleep, becoming much more at ease.
“Father, Auntie…” Ji Meiyuan said worriedly.
"It's alright, I pressed her acupoint to put her to sleep, she'll be fine after a nap. I'm asking you, is Aunt Bai really alright? And can the child be saved?" Ji Dingbei's eyes were fixed on the two doctors.
"Father, please save my brother!" Upon hearing this, Ji Meiyuan immediately knelt down. "Father, please don't be so cruel!"
Ji Dingbei glared at her coldly, then turned his gaze to Doctor Zhang and Doctor Li, "Speak!"
"Yes, sir, it is true that Concubine Bai is in good health, she just had a lot of nightmares, but she is fine now. The child is safe," Doctor Zhang said, prostrating himself on the ground.
"You may all leave!" Ji Dingbei waved his sleeve, dismissing the doctors and servants. Everyone took their leave.
Ji Meiyuan knelt before Ji Dingbei with a cunning look on her face, "Father, please, for the sake of Aunt, at least give birth to my younger brother..." She spoke with tears streaming down her face, making Ji Dingbei feel melancholy.
This is my own child! As the saying goes, even a tiger won't eat its cubs, let alone someone who isn't a particularly vicious person. I don't want to kill my own child, do I?
Ji Dingbei stood up and helped Ji Meiyuan up. "In your heart, is your father such a vicious person?"
The tone, though clearly a question, took on a different meaning on his serious face at that moment. Ji Meiyuan immediately nodded, "Father will always be the best father!"
"Let me ask you, you keep talking about your younger brother? How do you know it's your younger brother?"
"Father, Meiyuan really wants a younger brother, that's why she made that guess." Ji Meiyuan acted coquettishly.
Ji Dingbei nodded and then said, "Take good care of your aunt these next few days. If there's anything, discuss it with your eldest sister."
Ji Meiyuan listened with disdain. What was there to discuss with her older sister? Humph! But she obediently replied, "Yes, Meiyuan remembers."
Ji Dingbei turned to look at Aunt Bai. The words she had spoken in her dream must have come from something she had done to wrong him, which was why she cried out in such guilt!
Ji Dingbei sat for a while before leaving.
Ji Dingbei then arrived at Jingyuan, where the matriarch of the Yuan family was sitting on a prayer mat, chanting sutras.
"Mother," Ji Dingbei called softly.
After a long while, the old lady stopped chanting the sutra and asked Granny Guo to put it away. Then she turned around, looked at him, and said, "Hmm." This one sentence seemed to make her look much older. It was indeed painful for a white-haired person to send off a black-haired person.
"Mother, don't be sad." Ji Dingbei helped the old lady to the bed, and then helped her massage her back.
"Alas, how can I not be heartbroken?" the matriarch sighed.
...
After listening to Yue'er finish explaining, Ji Wushang thought for a moment. Of course, they couldn't find anything out! The ginseng itself wasn't poisonous. However, recently, Ji Wushang had Yue'er retrieve some of Aunt Bai's medicinal residue. After analyzing it, he knew the ingredients of some of the drugs and naturally found some that countered the other medications for Aunt Bai to enjoy! He had already predicted that Aunt Bai wouldn't drink the ginseng; on the contrary, the ginseng was actually the antidote!
She must have opened that box; it contained some substances that clashed with the medicine she was drinking. The two substances were not inherently poisonous, but when combined, they triggered her abdominal cramps! The effects of that medicine only lasted for an hour, and now, even if she turned the box back over, she wouldn't know that it had been fumigated with the medicine!
She deserves to be so "smart"!
Ji Wushang thought for a moment before saying, "Didn't my father say anything about that child?"
Yue'er listened and said, "Master didn't say anything about this child."
"Hmm, very good. You may leave now!" Ji Wushang dismissed Yue'er.
She sat back down at her desk, picked up her brush, and began to draw a picture, but her mind was not on the painting.
Father hesitated, thinking that he must find out just how powerful this cursed lone star was! Perhaps he should wait a few days and come up with an idea... Ji Wushang held the wolf-hair brush and gently added a few strokes to the painting. Looking at the ink plum blossom painting, although it was grand, it still lacked a bit of spirit.
Ji Wushang sighed, put down the wolf-hair brush, and placed it aside.
Ji Wushang got up very early that day. A few days had passed since the incident with Madam Bei, and the mansion had become much quieter.
After the meal, Ji Wushang dressed and went to Jingyuan to pay his respects.
At this moment, Madam Yuan was sitting in the courtyard. Aunt Nangong suggested that the servants invite a few actors to perform in the courtyard. They dared not perform any plays with great joy or sorrow, since Madam Bei had just passed away not long ago, and they could not make Madam Yuan too sad. Therefore, they chose a few more moderate plays to watch.
Ji Wushang entered the courtyard and saw that Ji Meiyuan was also there, with Aunt Nangong and Ji Yinxue sitting to one side. Ji Wushang stepped forward and bowed to them.
The matriarch smiled slightly, then pointed to the seat next to her and asked Ji Wushang to sit down. Ji Wushang then sat down next to her.
The play on this stage is about peasant women and men, which is quite fitting for the occasion.
Ji Wushang turned around and glanced at Ji Meiyuan, who was also looking at him. Ji Wushang immediately asked, "Meiyuan, how is Aunt Bai? Alas, these past few days, I've been cooped up in the courtyard, constantly thinking about my mother. I feel so resentful, and I don't want to bring bad luck to the East Garden."
"Wu Shang, you must take care of your health. Your mother, alas, she doesn't want to see you like this!" Madam Yuan said immediately upon hearing Ji Wu Shang's words.
Ji Wushang listened, tears welling in his eyes, "Grandmother, these words should be spoken by someone like me, a junior. How can Wushang bear to hear such words from Grandmother?"