"I was so blind! Thank goodness! Jin Xue wrote the letter of divorce a long time ago, so the Zhao family has nothing to do with us!"
“Father, but, Aunt Zhao, she…”
Moreover, Zhao Ruisheng is Nan Jinxue! This means that the Prince's Mansion and the Zhao Minister's Mansion are somewhat related!
Just then, someone rushed in from outside, shouting anxiously, "Your Highness, Fourth Princess! General Ma has arrived with his men!"
Upon hearing this, the Prince of Jinnan trembled violently, almost collapsing into his chair, his teeth chattering. "What... what should we do?"
"father……"
"No, no, Aunt Zhao wasn't buried in our ancestral graveyard, so she's not considered a member of our Jinnan Prince's Mansion!" the Jinnan Prince said coldly. "Let's go out and see. I don't believe General Ma can do anything to our manor! Zhao Yirou and Zhao Rui have absolutely no connection to our manor!" The Jinnan Prince emphasized this point again, afraid that Ji Wushang might contradict himself later!
Ji Wushang sneered inwardly, "Zhao Rui, Zhao Rui, did you hear that?! Too bad, you died too easily!"
Zhao Yirou, I must know whether you are alive or dead! Even if you become a military prostitute, I will have people keep an eye on you until the day you die!
Ji Wushang bowed to the Prince of Jinnan, "Father, I know what to do."
“Alright, let’s go see General Ma together!” The Prince of Jinnan rose shakily from his seat, and Ji Wushang went forward to help him.
He too will grow old one day! Back in her past life, how arrogant he, the Prince of Jinnan, was! She thought of telling him that she was being bullied by the maids in his mansion, that she wasn't getting enough to eat or wear, but he completely ignored her! He wouldn't even let her leave Xinyuan! He didn't listen to her complaints at all!
How is it now? Ha! Isn't he still relying on me? But will I give him a chance?
No.
Ji Wushang slowly helped the Prince of Jinnan walk to the main hall, where General Ma Rong was sitting.
Ma Rong was wearing heavy armor, his brows were upright and righteous, he had thick eyebrows and phoenix eyes, a long beard, and a tall stature. Even sitting in that chair, he could not hide his sharpness as the leader of the garrison! Standing on both sides of him were elite soldiers and generals, each one spirited and with bright eyes.
Ma Rong looked at Prince Jinnan and Ji Wushang, and stood up. "Prince Jinnan, Fourth Imperial Consort!" The whole imperial city knew that Ji Wushang and Nan Xuzong had returned to Prince Jinnan's residence, so Ma Rong did not find it strange that Prince Jinnan and Ji Wushang appeared at the same time.
Ji Wushang stepped forward and bowed slightly. Ma Rong immediately stepped forward, saying, "Fourth Imperial Consort, you mustn't!"
“For an old general like you, Wu Shang should pay his respects.” Ji Wu Shang smiled, then bowed, “Greetings, General Ma.”
"Oh, you're too kind!" Ma Rong smiled.
"General Ma, please have a seat," said the Prince of Jinnan.
Ma Rong nodded.
"To be honest, the Zhao family has been executed along with nine generations of their relatives today. However, Zhao Ge's granddaughter, Zhao Yirou, is still on the run. So, I came to your residence to ask where she is." Ma Rong spoke very politely, but his implication was clear: the Prince of Jinnan's residence had better sever ties with this relationship as soon as possible, or it would be too late to get burned.
"To be honest, General, Zhao Yirou was divorced by my son Jin Xue long ago. The letter of divorce is here for your perusal. Although Jin Xue passed away early, it is a fact that he divorced her long ago. Therefore, as for where Zhao Yirou is now, none of us in the Prince's Mansion know."
Ma Rong nodded in agreement. "I see." He then took the letter of divorce, glanced at it, and nodded. "I see. I heard that Zhao Ge's youngest daughter, Zhao Rui, is yours..."
"Oh no, General, it's like this. That Zhao Rui had already violated the seven grounds for divorce and was divorced by me. But on the day of the divorce, he died of a stroke from anger. So at the time, I didn't inform Minister Zhao's residence! But who could have known that such a thing would happen now?" Prince Jinnan wished he could sever all ties with the matter.
Seeing Ma Rong deep in thought, the Prince of Jinnan immediately gestured to Ji Wushang, who quickly said, "General Ma, what my father said is true. Zhao Rui was indeed divorced by my father long ago. She was not buried in the ancestral tomb of our Prince of Jinnan even after her death. Therefore, I beg General Ma to investigate this matter thoroughly."
Hearing Ji Wushang say this, Ma Rong naturally nodded, knowing he still dared not provoke the newly appointed Fourth Prince and Fourth Princess!
“That would be even better!” Ma Rong nodded.
Only after hearing his words did the Prince of Jinnan feel relieved.
“Alright, then I won’t disturb you any longer! I’ll go back and report to His Majesty now, and let His Majesty decide on this matter!” Ma Rong stood up and bowed.
The Prince of Jinnan and Ji Wushang also stood up.
"I hope General Ma will put in a good word for us," the Prince of Jinnan said with a smile. "Our Prince of Jinnan's Mansion has always been dedicated to the dynasty and has never had any ulterior motives!"
"Your Highness, rest assured, I know the truth is the truth! Rest assured, His Majesty is wise and will not indiscriminately kill good people!" Ma Rong cupped his hands in greeting.
Ji Wushang stepped forward and smiled, “Our Great Xia Zhou Dynasty is truly blessed to have a minister like General Ma! My father once returned victorious from the frontier, and he always mentioned General Ma to me. He said that if General Ma led troops to guard the frontier, the people there would surely live in greater peace and prosperity.”
"Oh! You flatter me! How is your father?" Ma Rong smiled at this moment, referring to Ji Dingbei as her father.
Ji Dingbei and he had some acquaintance.
Ji Wushang smiled, "Father misses your Erguotou and said that if we have time, we can have a few more drinks together."
"Good! Good!" Ma Rong laughed. "If your father returns, I will personally visit him with wine to congratulate him!"
"Thank you, Uncle Ma." Ji Wushang smiled and changed his address, then bowed to him.
"Good niece! Uncle Ma is going to take care of some business now!" Ma Rong walked out with a smile on his face.
"Take care, Uncle Ma." Ji Wushang smiled and saw him off for a few steps before stopping and walking back into the main hall.
The Prince of Jinnan stared blankly at Ji Wushang, not understanding why Ji Wushang would suddenly bring up Ji Dingbei and then address Ma Rong as Uncle Ma...
Ji Wushang said, "Father, I did this just now because my father and General Ma used to have some connections. I was afraid that he would say something unfavorable about our Jinnan Prince's Mansion, so I mentioned my father as well, hoping that General Ma would be more understanding of us!"
"Good, good!" The Prince of Jinnan immediately understood that she was playing the friendship card, or that she knew how to get things done!
Ji Wushang said, "Father, don't worry! Our Jinnan Prince's Mansion will definitely stand strong forever."
"Hmm." The Prince of Jinnan nodded. "Please prepare some medicine for me. I'm worried I won't make it through the time my three daughters are all married..." he sighed.
Ji Wushang stepped forward to help him up. He had indeed aged a lot. However, his father, Ji Dingbei, had always been on the frontier, exposed to the northwest winds, which made him age even more!
"Father, don't worry, they're of marriageable age. How about this: we spread the word and see which families feel they're a good match come to propose?"
"Very well then," Prince Jinnan nodded. He recalled Nan Xianxian's request for his cooperation in getting Nan Xuzong to marry her as a concubine. This required involving Ji Wushang and bringing her down... Currently, Ji Wushang was the pillar of Prince Jinnan's household, but she was busy with household affairs, so she couldn't interfere too much in Nan Xianxian and Nan Xuzong's affairs...
Now, Ji Wushang is at home, while Nan Xuzong is outside...
At this moment, the Prince of Jinnan's thoughts drifted far away.
Seeing him lost in thought, Ji Wushang made a guess in her mind. Whatever it was, if he dared to do anything to harm her again, she would send him to hell in agony!
"Father, what are you thinking about?" Ji Wushang asked tentatively.
"No, no!" Prince Jinnan immediately shook his head. Ji Wushang looked at him and smiled. "Then, Father, if there's nothing else, I'll go down first. I need to check on things in the courtyard. Also, I'll get you some medicine to help you recover."
"Alright, alright, then I'll trouble you!" King Jinnan nodded, thought for a moment, and seeing Ji Wushang about to walk away, immediately said, "Wushang!"
"Father, is something the matter?" Ji Wushang turned around with a smile, but his expression was unreadable.
"Is there any hope for Ruolan?" He didn't see the chill in Ji Wushang's eyes.
"The doctor said no, she's been frightened and probably won't recover anytime soon, but don't worry, Dad, the child is healthy." Of course, a timeframe should be added—it should be temporary, just a temporary!
"That's good, that's good." King Jinnan nodded and waved for Ji Wushang to leave.
Ji Wushang walked out expressionlessly.
She still had a slight hesitation... Let fate decide everything!
After checking the courtyard, Ji Wushang returned to Moxuan Garden.
Lanruo Garden.
Nan Zhaoxue and Nan Zaiqing were serving Leng Ruolan. Their faces were icy cold, and their hatred seemed to be written all over their faces.
Now that the matter was settled, Nan Zhaoxue said to Nan Zaiqing in a low voice, "Fifth Sister, come here for a moment."
"Fourth Sister." Nan Zaiqing looked at Nan Zhaoxue, glanced at Leng Ruolan, and followed Nan Zhaoxue.
The two sat down at the table. There was no one else around, except for Leng Ruolan, who was resting behind the beaded curtain.
"Fourth Sister, what did you call me for?" Nan Zaiqing asked. Nan Zhaoxue usually ignored him, but now she suddenly called him! Did she finally remember he was here?
"Fifth Sister, don't you feel something's strange?" Nan Zhaoxue asked at this moment.
"Yes, you're acting strangely," Nan Zaiqing said coldly. "You used to ignore me, but now you're suddenly calling me? Tell me! What are you thinking?" With so many dead, sick, injured, missing, or abandoned in the household, is she scared now? So she comes to talk to me? To use me as her shield?
"Why do you think that way?" Nan Zhaoxue's tone remained calm, but her brows furrowed slightly. "I mean, the things that have been happening one after another in the manor are too strange."
"There's nothing I can do. The Fourth Princess Consort is in power now. What can I say?!" Nan Zaiqing clearly had no idea what she was thinking.
"How incredibly stupid!" Nan Zhaoxue suddenly rolled her eyes at her, but Nan Zaiqing saw it!
"Why are you rolling your eyes at me?" Nan Zaiqing immediately stood up. "Hmph, if there's nothing else, I'm leaving!"
"You!" Nan Zhaoxue also stood up, she was so angry! However, reason told her that she and Nan Zaiqing had to join forces, otherwise, one of them would be next to die!
Ji Wushang will not let this go; her purpose is not that simple!
She is so harmless now, having gained the complete trust of the Prince of Jinnan! If she were to speak ill of Ji Wushang, the Prince of Jinnan would probably just marry her off to anyone else!
Damn it, if only I could become a concubine of the Third Prince or the Second Prince, I wouldn't have to wait here to die and be married! And I wouldn't have to talk to this idiot here!
Nan Zaiqing, seeing that she was not speaking but seemed to be thinking about something, became even more annoyed. "You're so boring! I'm leaving!" he said, and started to walk outside.
"Do you even want to live?" Nan Zhaoxue said coldly.
Nan Zaiqing stopped abruptly. "You...you want to kill me?"
She's hopeless! She doesn't even know who wants her dead. It's a waste of rice if this idiot doesn't die! Nan Zhaoxue cursed a thousand times in her heart. She thought for a moment, then wondered if she should just go find Nan Xianxian! This idiot might even drag her down with her after she's already dead!
"Of course not! If I wanted to kill you, would I say, 'Don't you want to live?'" Nan Zhaoxue said. "You'd better watch out! That's exactly what I wanted to say!"
"I know!" Nan Zaiqing rolled her eyes at her. Just this one sentence wasted so much of her time. She should die!
He turned around and immediately walked out.
Nan Zhaoxue shook her head, left Lanruo Garden, and headed towards Xianxian Garden.
In Xianxian Garden, Nan Xianxian was thinking about how to succeed in her scheme when she heard her maid report that Nan Zhaoxue had arrived, which made her angry.
Perhaps not many people know how Jin Ruirui died, but Nan Xianxian learned from the gossiping servants that Jin Ruirui was chopped to death along with her two lovers! And they were even made into meat buns to feed the dogs in the manor! How could she swallow such a deep-seated hatred!
The man who ordered Jin Ruirui's execution was the Prince of Jinnan, her own father! How could he be so cruel as to chop his own woman into mincemeat! Although she might have been at fault, but…
Nan Xianxian gritted her teeth, determined to take revenge! "Father, if you don't help me and force me to marry Huangfu Zong as a concubine, I will never let you get away with this!"
"Third Miss, Fourth Miss has been waiting outside for a long time. Do you think it's alright?" The servant asked cautiously, noticing that Nan Xianxian was lost in thought.
"Please let her in." Let's see what your purpose is! If you dare to play tricks on me, I'll make sure you die a miserable and gruesome death! Oh, right, that bitch Leng Ruolan is still alive. Good! Tonight, I'll send her on her way! What Mother didn't finish, I'll finish! Nan Xianxian wrapped the medicine powder, stuffed it into the hairpin, and then inserted it into her hair bun.
He straightened his clothes and then went out to the outer room.
"Third Sister." Nan Zhaoxue immediately bowed to her upon entering, but Nan Xianxian coldly snorted, "What are you doing here? Are you here to see that I have no one to care for me or love me?"
Nan Zhaoxue said calmly, "Of course not. I'm here to cooperate with you." Smart people are different; even their sarcasm is laced with barbs, unlike that idiot Nan Zaiqing! He's a complete fool!
Nan Xianxian coldly replied, "Oh? Then sit down and let's talk." Cooperation depends on what aspects it involves!
Nan Xianxian dismissed the servants, closed the doors and windows, and then asked, "What kind of cooperation?"
“I know you still harbor resentment over Consort Jin’s death, but my mother is now insane and bedridden, so I think, why don’t we just let go of all the conflicts between them?”
Hmph, easy for you to say! My mother was chopped into mincemeat and fed to the dogs, while your Cold Princess Consort Leng Ruolan, though insane, might just be faking it! She's living a good life lying in bed! My mother, on the other hand, is probably in hell, unable to reincarnate! Such a miserable fate, and you dare to say it's all wiped clean? You really have the guts to say that!