"Get out!" Ji Dingbei was furious. Aunt Xie pulled the brocade quilt covering her tightly to prevent her private parts from being exposed.
The guard tumbled and crawled out.
"Are you satisfied with Aunt Qin's reaction just now?" Ji Dingbei asked, his deep eyes fixed on the person beneath him.
"What? Qin, Sister Qin is here, um..." Aunt Xie managed to utter a few broken words as she endured his thrusts.
Ji Dingbei's eyes turned slightly cold, but he still increased his speed, thrusting forcefully to send his essence into her body, then withdrew completely, leaving without looking back.
Aunt Xie felt the aftereffects of the treatment. Although Ji Dingbei had left in anger, at least she had obtained his seed! She refused to believe that she couldn't get pregnant again!
Aunt Qin had been running around angrily, her heart filled with resentment. It was true that Ji Dingbei had married several concubines, but what he had just done truly broke her heart. She was right outside the door; why couldn't he stop and ask her what was wrong? She was worried about him, wasn't she? Hearing that he had returned to his study, he immediately came this way!
As Aunt Qin walked forward, tears streaming down her face, she unexpectedly arrived at the small pavilion opposite Xinyuan Garden, and then entered Xinyuan Garden.
Ji Wushang felt like she had slept soundly, although she seemed a little tired... Suddenly, she heard footsteps and woke up. She saw it was Zhu'er, who came forward and said, "Miss, Aunt Qin is here."
"Mm." Ji Wushang nodded, then sat down at the dressing table to get her hair done again, rinsed her mouth, and then went out.
He went outside into the room and saw Aunt Qin sitting there crying. Curious, Ji Wushang went up to her and asked, "Aunt, why are you crying?"
"Young Miss." Aunt Qin saw Ji Wushang walk over and sit down beside her, then buried her face in Ji Wushang's shoulder and started crying. Ji Wushang was a little confused, but she waited for her to cry, fearing that it would ruin her clothes.
"What's wrong?" Ji Wushang asked when he saw that she had almost finished crying. "Did something happen? Tell Wushang."
This Aunt Qin has long since lost her means of support. If it weren't for my constant help, she would have died countless times over! If I were to marry in the future, entrusting Wu Zi to her so she could be a reliable backer wouldn't be bad. Although her status is indeed somewhat lowly, she is still, after all, a concubine.
Aunt Xie looked at Ji Wushang, hesitating whether to tell him what had just happened. After all, this was an adult matter, and she wondered if Madam Bei had taught Ji Wushang anything about bedroom matters. Should she tell him or not...?
“Aunt, please don’t hesitate. Since you have chosen to enter my Xin Garden instead of other plum gardens, orchid gardens, or bamboo gardens, you are doing me a favor. Please speak freely.” Ji Wushang smiled slightly.
Aunt Qin nodded as she listened, and then told Ji Wushang everything that had just happened. She also mentioned the intimate encounter between Ji Dingbei and Aunt Xie. Ji Wushang blushed a little as he listened, since it was a matter between his father and his concubines, and he shouldn't interfere.
After hearing this, Ji Wushang said, "Auntie, please don't blame Father. Father is, after all, a man, and that is, of course, a natural thing." How embarrassing! How could a daughter talk about her father's affairs!
"No, what saddens Aunt is that I was standing right outside, couldn't I have stopped to ask what was wrong?" Seeing that Ji Wushang was embarrassed, Aunt Qin didn't say anything more. "I know very well how many concubines your father has married, and I also know that now that I have no children, I have no status in the mansion, but, alas!" As she spoke, tears and snot streamed down her face again.
Hearing this, Ji Wushang could only sigh. Seriously, why did he have to marry so many concubines? Thankfully, Nan Xuzong probably wouldn't even give him the chance if he wanted to marry two or three more! If he did, then he… Ji Wushang was a little annoyed; what had he been thinking?
"Don't be sad, Aunt. Father is a man destined for great things. Just try to take it easy!" Ji Wushang comforted her.
Aunt Qin could only nod in agreement.
"Miss, as you know, I've lost my baby and therefore my status in the household. Now, none of the servants give me a kind look. Alas, I'm afraid I'll be divorced by the master!" Aunt Qin cried.
Ji Wushang's face twitched, and he said, "Auntie, you just need to get pregnant again, right? Now that Aunt Bai and Aunt Nangong are not favored, Aunt Qin, you have many opportunities. Father usually likes Auntie, otherwise, he wouldn't have pleaded for Auntie in front of Grandmother that day. It seems that Father still has feelings for Auntie."
Aunt Qin listened, thought for a moment, and then nodded, "But, Aunt Xie, that little vixen, has always been clinging to the master."
Ji Wushang really wanted to crack open Aunt Qin's head to see what was going on. This was, after all, a matter for the elders, so how could they let her, a junior and a daughter, speak up?
“Aunt Xie is now in charge of the inner courtyard, so don’t worry. If you want to reconcile with Father, then you should be a good aunt and communicate more with Grandmother. Grandmother is kind-hearted and will definitely help you with the affairs of the inner courtyard. If you do well, Father will also remember it.” Ji Wushang said with a sense of helplessness.
Aunt Qin nodded in agreement.
Ji Wushang nodded with a grin.
"If Miss ever needs any help from your aunt in the future, please just say the word, and your aunt will definitely help." Aunt Qin looked at Ji Wushang gratefully and took her hand.
Ji Wushang nodded, hoping that she wouldn't tell him about the private matters between her, her father, and her concubines. After seeing Aunt Qin off, Ji Wushang sat down and took a sip of tea, but at that moment, she saw Xian'er running in from outside, "Miss, Miss."
"What's the matter that you're in such a hurry? Have some tea first!" Seeing the panic and anxiety on her face, Ji Wushang pushed the tea towards her.
Xian'er caught her breath and then handed the push-button back to Ji Wushang, saying, "Miss, please have some tea."
"What exactly happened? Tell me slowly." Ji Wushang looked at her.
"Miss, just now when I passed by another courtyard, I overheard two maids talking privately, saying that the master intends to make Concubine Xie his official wife!"
Ji Wushang was stunned. Yes, how could he have forgotten such an important matter? The General's wife was gone, and a new one should be appointed! In his previous life, it was Concubine Bai who replaced his mother. Now, Concubine Bai was imprisoned in the dungeon, and Concubine Nangong was unconscious. Only Concubine Xie and Concubine Qin remained! And now, Concubine Xie had been in power for some time, so the most likely candidate was her!
Besides, didn't Aunt Qin just say that Aunt Xie had just made love with Father? That Aunt Xie really has some tricks up her sleeve; once she gets into bed, she can seize control of the person and their position!
Ji Wushang sneered. She knew that one day, someone would definitely sit in her mother's position, but it absolutely could not be Aunt Bai or Aunt Nangong. As for Aunt Xie and Aunt Qin, it didn't matter who sat there; what mattered was who was good to Wu Zi! If it was a woman with the heart of a jackal, Ji Wushang would definitely pull her down, crush her, and trample her to death!
Now that Aunt Xie wants to become the mistress of the house, she must treat her, the eldest daughter of the legitimate wife, with utmost respect. After all, the reputation of the eldest daughter is better than that of any servant.
As for Aunt Qin, we need to see if she really has the ability, and also whether what she just said was sincere!
Ji Wushang nodded, "You may leave now. Do your job well. As for whether Aunt Xie can become the new mistress, we'll talk about that later."
"Yes." Xian'er nodded, having caught her breath, and slowly walked out.
Ji Wushang returned to his inner room and saw that Ji Wusi had not yet woken up. Seeing him sleeping soundly, he sighed in his heart. As long as Wuzi could grow up healthy, what did it matter if his hands were stained with blood!
That evening at dinner, the whole family sat together. Ji Dingbei deliberately had Aunt Qin sit next to him, and then he secretly apologized profusely, giving her a lot of meat. Aunt Xie was angry and resentful towards Aunt Qin, but seeing this, Aunt Qin gradually calmed down. The Old Madam Yuan, however, was tired from the past few days and had already gone to rest.
Ji Wushang sat to one side, focused on eating with Ji Wusi, ignoring the others for the time being.
After the meal, Ji Dingbei saw that Ji Wusi was present and, having heard that Ji Tiankui had witnessed Ji Wusi's martial arts skills at noon, asked him to demonstrate a few sets of martial arts techniques after the meal.
The crowd cheered, and Ji Wusi was also delighted. Although Ji Dingbei didn't say anything praising him, he was still satisfied. He immediately bestowed upon Ji Wusi a set of bows and arrows that he had treasured. Ji Wusi thanked Ji Dingbei and then went to Ji Wushang to tell him that his father had given him the gift.
Ji Wushang praised Ji Wusi several times, and also taught him principles such as avoiding arrogance and impetuosity, and encouraged him to continue his studies and martial arts training.
After seeing Ji Wusi off, Ji Wushang returned to his own Xinyuan Garden.
That day, it started to rain in autumn. There was no thunder, but the autumn night rain was cold and bone-chilling. Ji Wushang huddled in bed alone, hugging the brocade quilt, and slowly fell asleep.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier. People around quickly found shelter or went back to their own courtyards to rest. The patrolling guards were also lax in their precautions, leaving loopholes for others to exploit.
A masked man in black, carrying a bamboo basket in one hand, walked through several corridors, evading the patrolling guards, and headed straight for Xinyuan Garden.
Seeing that the gate to Xinyuan was closed, the man in black immediately climbed over the wall and entered. Seeing that there was no one in the courtyard, he immediately approached the house.
Just then, a bright light flashed, and Ji Wushang was hit in the eyes by the electric light, instantly waking him up.
Looking out the window and seeing no one, while the wind and rain outside continued to rage, Ji Wushang buried himself in the brocade quilt, intending to cover himself up and sleep.
By this time, the man in black had approached Ji Wushang's house. He poked a small hole in the window and looked inside. There were no maids keeping watch. It was Ji Wushang who had sent Zhu'er back to sleep because of the strong wind and rain.
The man in black nodded in satisfaction, a cruel smile appearing on his lips. He then immediately put down the bamboo basket, gently pulled out a knife, and pried open Ji Wushang's door.
In his hazy state, Ji Wushang seemed to hear some sound, but he couldn't make it out clearly.
The man in black opened the door a crack and then shook the contents of the bamboo basket inside.
Ji Wushang turned over and went back to sleep.
The slender creature immediately crawled into Ji Wushang's inner room. The man in black was satisfied, and immediately closed the door quietly before disappearing from the Fragrant Garden.
At this moment, the object made a rustling sound. Ji Wushang hadn't been sleeping very soundly because of the wind and rain, and now that he heard this sound, he felt a little strange.
Opening his bleary eyes, he looked at the thing in front of him and was surprised to find it was a cobra! It was raising its head, standing upright and staring at Ji Wushang! Its scarlet tongue was flicking out!
Ji Wushang was startled and screamed, "Help!" He quickly threw his brocade quilt down, which immediately covered the cobra and its venom!
Ji Wushang was terrified. Who on earth put this snake into his house, intending to kill him?
Ji Wushang rushed to the dressing table, opened the cabinet, and took out some medicine bottles. However, there was nothing like realgar wine to repel snakes!
At this moment, the cobra had already crawled out of the brocade quilt. Ji Wushang was shocked as the snake crawled towards him!
"Help!" Ji Wushang shouted again, "Help!" After shouting, Ji Wushang had no choice but to face this enormous difficulty on his own!
Ji Wushang picked up the medicine bottle in his hand with a slight tremor. It was for poisoning people, not for poisoning this snake! Ji Wushang couldn't care less about that, and threw the whole bottle of medicine at the cobra.
The cobra showed no fear whatsoever, seemingly having been trained, and was already closing in on Ji Wushang.
At this moment, Zhu'er opened the door and saw the cobra forcing Ji Wushang. She was so frightened that she froze and couldn't speak!
"What!" Tie Feng, leading a group of guards, rushed in from outside and pushed open the door, only to be met with the same scene! Everyone was stunned.
Tie Feng drew his sword and stepped forward, "Miss!"
"Don't come any closer!" Ji Wushang said coldly.
"Tell Tie Feng to cut off this snake's head!" Tie Feng roared.
"It's very sensitive, don't come any closer." Ji Wushang stared at the cobra, which was now poking its head towards him, while Ji Wushang was already backed into a corner with no way out! Beside him was his dressing table.
Everyone around watched nervously. At that moment, Ji Wushang's hand touched something in the cabinet, and Ji Wushang really felt that he was about to be killed by this snake!
He pulled out the object he had touched, and it turned out to be a short flute!
Ji Wushang remembered that he had gone to the Buddha Temple to catch a white bird for Ji Wusi, but he failed. On his way back, he bought this short flute. However, when he returned, Ji Wusi had already gone to school, so he put the flute in this cabinet and forgot to give it to Ji Wusi!
Unexpectedly, at that very moment, the sound of string and wind instruments rang out from outside!
Ji Wushang and the others were surprised, but what surprised them even more was that the cobra, which had originally intended to retreat, was now heading straight for Ji Wushang!
Ji Wushang was stunned, but at that moment, the sound of string and bamboo instruments outside the door became even colder and faster!
Ji Wushang immediately put the short flute to his lips and began to play.
The cobra was momentarily stunned by the sounds of music from both sides, and hesitated, not daring to attack Ji Wushang!
Ji Wushang was overjoyed. Just then, the music outside suddenly stopped. Ji Wushang straightened up and immediately said, "You guys, quick, grab that flute player outside!"
"Yes." The guards standing at the door immediately ran outside.
Ji Wushang looked at the snake in front of him and said to Tie Feng, "Kill this snake when my flute music stops!"
"Yes!" Tie Feng immediately gripped the long sword in his hand.
Ji Wushang placed the short flute to his lips again and gently blew on it. The gentle, soft sound made people feel at ease, as if they were about to fall asleep.
Upon hearing this, the cobra immediately seemed to be hypnotized, its head drooping as if it were about to hibernate.
Ji Wushang suddenly removed the short flute, and immediately, Tie Feng swiftly drew his sword. With a flash of sword light, the snake's head flew off!
Ji Wushang collapsed, panting, while Tie Feng also felt a sense of relief. "Miss, are you alright?" Only then did he realize that Ji Wushang was wearing a thin nightgown. Although it wasn't very transparent, in the wind and rain, it was still quite alluring to look at and touch.
Tie Feng immediately felt guilty and stepped aside.
Ji Wushang waved his hand, now calm. "Go, take care of it. Pack this snake properly for me; I need it! Go check if that person has been caught yet." After saying this, Ji Wushang didn't notice Tie Feng's embarrassed face and went back inside.
That night, a chill ran through him. With a mix of fear and trepidation, Ji Wushang entered the other room.
Tie Feng accepted the order and immediately went outside to call for help to deal with the cobra.
When he reached the door, he saw Zhu'er standing there, her legs trembling, unable to speak. Tie Feng looked at her and said, "It's all over now, what are you still waiting here for?"
"Ah!" Zhu'er only came to her senses when she heard this, but Tie Feng ignored her and went outside. As soon as he went outside, he saw the bamboo basket lying on the ground. Tie Feng rushed forward and picked it up, realizing that it was used to hold snakes.
Ji Wushang didn't get a good night's rest, his mind preoccupied with who might try to harm him. He hadn't caught the flute player, but the bamboo basket remained—perfect for trapping the cobra...