Seeing him leave, Ji Wushang immediately walked slowly to Madam Bei's bedside, took her hand, and felt relieved only when she could feel her throbbing pulse. Exhausted, Ji Wushang quickly lay down beside Madam Bei's bed and fell asleep.
She didn't know when, but she felt someone carry her to the bed and then cover her with a blanket.
Yiyun Shangcheng stared at the woman in front of him for a long time before turning around and leaving.
The women of the Xia Dynasty were truly strange.
——
General Ji's residence was in complete chaos.
After Ji Dingbei returned from court, he heard from the Lady of the Elder House that someone from the Right Prime Minister's residence had come, saying that Bei Zhentang was critically ill and requesting that Ji Wushang and Madam Bei come to see him. Only then did he understand why the usually sharp-tongued Right Prime Minister Bei Zhentang had disappeared from court. However, to his surprise, by dusk, the two had still not returned. He sent a servant to inquire, but the people from the Right Prime Minister's residence said they had already taken their leave.
This made Ji Dingbei extremely anxious. One was his wife, and the other was his daughter. How could he not be worried?!
Ji Tiankui abandoned the trivial matters of preparing for his wedding and led more than twenty elite soldiers of the Ji family army on an inspection tour, but still returned empty-handed.
Ji Dingbei dared not disturb the matriarch, so he could only lie and say that Ji Wushang and Madam Bei had already returned to the mansion.
Aunt Bai locked herself in her room, but kept laughing.
"This time, wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!" Aunt Bai turned around and looked at the maid Dongmei kneeling in front of her. "You did a good job this time! I will reward you! In a few days, after the funeral, I will transfer you from the eldest young lady's courtyard to work by my side!"
This maid, Dongmei, was one of the newest maids to arrive recently. Unexpectedly, she had already sided with Aunt Bai.
"It's all thanks to Aunt's excellent teaching! Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to help Aunt accomplish this!" Dongmei said eloquently.
"Keep an eye on things over there. Report any unusual activity to me immediately, understand?"
"This servant will certainly do her best." Dongmei's eyes flashed with coldness. Since she had chosen to enter the manor as a maid, she would definitely not let these people off the hook!
Ji Meiyuan watched Dongmei retreat from behind the curtain, then lifted the curtain and came out. "Auntie, what's going on? Why did Father let my eldest brother mobilize the army?"
“It’s your eldest sister and mother! Hmph, but they’re no longer a threat! Meiyuan,” Aunt Bai pulled Ji Meiyuan’s hand, “From now on, you will be the eldest daughter of the legitimate wife! I will soon become a lady too!”
"What? Aunt, are you telling the truth?" Upon hearing this, Ji Meiyuan almost jumped up. "Aunt isn't lying to me?" Heaven knows how much she had envied, resented, and hated Ji Wuxia ever since she was adopted by Madam Bei and became the legitimate daughter! Originally, Ji Wuxia should have been subordinate to her, but unexpectedly, in just one day, she became the legitimate daughter and had him under her!
I feel resentful and aggrieved!
I never imagined that I would actually become the legitimate daughter one day?
"Would your aunt lie to you?" Aunt Bai's face was full of malice. She sneered twice and said, "This time they will not escape death! Have you forgotten my origins?"
"You are the illegitimate daughter of the Minister of Personnel!" Ji Meiyuan didn't understand why she would say that.
"Wrong, I'm from Japan! Humph!" Aunt Bai snorted coldly.
Ji Meiyuan was immediately shocked. The Japanese were Japanese pirates! "Me, I'm also a Japanese?"
"What do you think?" Aunt Bai glared at Ji Meiyuan. "Meiyuan, you should grow up by now!"
“Auntie, Meiyuan will definitely grow up! You can rest assured!” Ji Meiyuan looked at Aunt Bai with a cold gaze. Aunt Bai smiled sarcastically and nodded.
Ji Tiankui practically ran into Ji Dingbei's room. Seeing Ji Dingbei sitting blankly at his desk without making a move, Ji Tiankui knelt down before him. "Father, I am incompetent. I failed to find Mother and my sister!"
Ji Dingbei's eyes were slightly vacant as he looked up at Ji Tiankui. "Any clues?"
“My mother and sister left the Right Prime Minister’s residence at Shenshi (3 PM to 5 PM Beijing time) to return, but they have disappeared without a trace! People from the Right Prime Minister’s residence have also been sent to search, but to no avail.” Ji Tiankui sighed and shook his head.
Did you ask anyone on the street if they had seen them?
"I asked around, but no one has seen them."
"Strange, very strange." Ji Dingbei stood up and walked to Ji Tiankui's side. "They were riding in the carriage of our General Ji's mansion. Logically speaking, the people around should know that they are the ladies and young misses of the Ji family. But no one saw them! This means there's only one thing: they weren't traveling on the official road!"
"Father!" Ji Tiankui exclaimed in surprise.
"Get up first." Ji Dingbei helped Ji Tiankui up. Whether he lived or died, he was determined to find him!
But just then, a child's voice came from outside, "Daddy! I want Mommy and Sister!"
Ji Dingbei and Ji Tiankui were startled. They turned around and saw Ji Wusi running wildly in, while the maids Yingsheng and Yanyu behind him couldn't stop him at all!
"Father, I want Mother and Sister!" Ji Wusi walked to Ji Dingbei's feet, then looked up at the tall Ji Dingbei, turned his head, and glanced at Ji Tiankui. "Big Brother, I want Mother and Sister!"
Ji Dingbei frowned, "Why aren't you keeping a close eye on the young master! It's already Hai Shi (9 PM to 11 PM Beijing time), why aren't you serving the young master to go to bed!"
Immediately, both women knelt down, their voices sweet and melodious, pleading, "Master, spare our lives! We can't disobey the young master!"
Ji Dingbei was really having a headache. This matter wasn't over yet, and now another wave of trouble was coming.
☆、056 Aunt Bai is always stirring up trouble!
Ji Tiankui squatted down and looked at Ji Wusi, who bore a resemblance to him, and said, "Wuzi, be good. Father is busy now. You should go back to your room and go to bed. Tomorrow you will see your mother and sister. If you don't behave now, your mother and sister will be angry."
"Really?" Ji Wusi looked at Ji Tiankui with suspicion. He had heard from the servants that his mother and Ji Wushang had disappeared! Moreover, Ji Wushang always came to his courtyard at night and talked with him for a long time before returning to his own courtyard.
"Of course it's true, why would your elder brother lie to you?" Ji Tiankui looked at Ji Wusi with annoyance. "Quickly, go back to your bed. Don't let Father scold you." As he spoke, he looked at Ji Dingbei, whose gaze fell on Ji Wusi. This father was usually extremely strict with Ji Wusi. His archery and martial arts were all strictly required to be perfect. If there was even the slightest mistake, Ji Dingbei would make him start over.
"Okay." Ji Wusi nodded and took his leave. When he reached the door, he didn't forget to look back at Ji Dingbei and Ji Tiankui.
Ji Dingbei's brows remained furrowed as he pondered who had hired someone to commit murder.
Not long after Ji Wusi left, and before Ji Tiankui could speak, the two suddenly heard a long cry! It was an eagle! Ji Dingbei became alert; that sound belonged to the desert eagle! He immediately grabbed his bow and arrows and went outside.
Upon seeing this, Ji Tiankui immediately followed. Several maids and servants who hadn't slept in the courtyard came out and looked up at the sky. They saw a flying eagle circling above the Ji residence. Through the sparse moonlight, Ji Tiankui recognized it as the flying eagle that belonged to Prince Yiyun of the Western Regions!
At this moment, Ji Dingbei felt that the flying eagle brought bad news and an ominous sign, so he drew his bow and pointed it at the flying eagle.
Ji Tiankui immediately shouted, "Father! Stop!"
Upon hearing this, Ji Dingbei turned to look at Ji Tiankui, his brows furrowed. "What's wrong?"
“That’s the eagle of the Western Regions prince! We mustn’t shoot it!” Ji Tiankui looked up at the eagle. “His eagle is near our Ji residence, which means he’s nearby! If we shoot his eagle, it will inevitably cause some trouble!”
"Hmm." Ji Dingbei put down his bow and arrow, but Ji Tiankui noticed with his sharp eyes that the eagle seemed to be carrying something in its beak!
"Dad, look! What's that in its mouth!"
Ji Dingbei saw clearly that the eagle was carrying a small cloth bag.
Ji Dingbei immediately dismissed his servants, leaving the courtyard empty. The eagle, quite perceptive, saw that the empty space was deserted, swooped down into the courtyard, dropped the small cloth bag in its beak on the ground, and then flew into the sky, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Ji Dingbei and Ji Tiankui hurried forward. Ji Dingbei picked up the cloth bag, and the father and son exchanged a glance. Ji Dingbei immediately opened the small bag inside. Unexpectedly, there was a letter and a hairpin inside. Ji Dingbei immediately recognized it as the jade hairpin that Ji Wushang usually wore. Ji Tiankui took the hairpin and leaned closer. Ji Dingbei then adjusted the angle so that both of them could read the letter.
The letter roughly stated what Ji Wushang had said: he encountered thugs on the road, but was rescued by the people of the farm. He rested for the time being and would return home the next day.
Ji Dingbei clutched the letter. This Xuan paper was so precious! How could it possibly be made by someone from a farm? If it were a manor or estate, that would be believable, but it was described as a farm… and the one using that flying eagle was none other than that Western Region prince from Yiyun City!
"Father." Ji Tiankui looked at Ji Dingbei with obvious anxiety. "Father, what should we do?"
“Wait,” Ji Dingbei said. “Just wait one day.” Only by waiting until nightfall and tomorrow could he have more time to find the two of them. But why was it like this?
——
Daylight broke quickly, and when Ji Wushang opened her eyes, she found herself already in bed, covered with soft, warm blankets. She couldn't help but feel grateful to the prince from the Western Regions. She had treated him so cruelly yesterday because she couldn't let her guard down and didn't want to get entangled with him. But unexpectedly, he had taken such good care of her. She hadn't dared to accept the earrings from yesterday because she had learned about the customs of the Western Regions and the stories of their king and queen in ancient books. That kind of true love wasn't something he could just give her away on a whim. It was a lifelong commitment.
Ji Wushang lifted the blanket and looked at his leg, only to find that there was no pain in his knee at all, and it had gotten much better. He could even get out of bed and walk.
"It seems you've recovered quite well." Suddenly, a voice sounded behind Ji Wushang. Ji Wushang turned around, looked at Yiyun Shangcheng who had put the two large earrings back on, and bowed slightly, "Thank you for saving me, Your Highness."
Yiyun Shangcheng was a little taken aback; her attitude was unusually fickle. However, she let it go.
“Okay.” Yiyun Shangcheng placed the medicine bowl in her hand on the table next to her. “Drink it.”
"What is that?" Ji Wushang looked at the bowl of medicine with slight surprise. It was dark and murky. What was it?
“Replenish your Qi and blood, you don’t have enough Qi and blood.” Yi Yun said warmly to the city, then sat down on the edge of the bed. “How was it? Did you sleep well?” Her tone was slightly flippant, but in his eyes, it felt like she was asking a very ordinary question.
"Very good." Ji Wushang's face showed a slight embarrassment. He walked to the bowl of medicine, picked it up, and immediately smelled a strong medicinal smell. He frowned and thought about putting it down. But Yi Yunshang immediately said, "You must drink it. It will be of great benefit to the recovery of your knee and will also be of great benefit to your qi and blood."
Ji Wushang frowned and looked back at Yiyun Shangcheng, his eyes filled with a hint of pleading. He really couldn't stand the smell. "I'm in good health. I don't need any tonics." After thinking for a moment, he put down the medicine bowl.
Yiyun Shangcheng looked at him, a hint of displeasure flashing across her eyes. "Why did you defy me?"
Ji Wushang was surprised, "Disobeying you? Not taking the medicine as you asked means disobeying you?"
“Yes.” Yi Yun Shangcheng stood up, a sly glint in her eyes. “Drink it. If you don’t, I won’t send you back to your residence.”
He always seemed to gamble with Ji Wushang's desire to return to the manor, but he always won. Ji Wushang didn't speak, pinched his nose, and then drank the medicine in one gulp. Immediately after drinking it, he put down the bowl and coughed violently.
Yiyun Shangcheng stepped forward and immediately helped her catch her breath, "Who told you to drink so fast?"
"I, cough cough, cough cough... I..." Ji Wushang couldn't speak. Wasn't it because he had just said he would finish it all? He could only drink it all in one go to avoid feeling more bitterness, which was why he drank it so quickly...
At this moment, Maria came in from outside, brought a glass of water, placed it on the table, whispered a few words that Ji Wushang couldn't understand to Yiyun Shangcheng, and then retreated.
Ji Wushang frowned as he looked at it, and Yi Yunshang immediately picked up the glass of water and handed it to Ji Wushang, saying, "Quickly rinse your mouth."
Ji Wushang, disregarding any ladylike demeanor, grabbed the cup and downed it in one gulp. After putting the delicate cup down, she felt the bitterness lessen in her mouth. After a moment, she immediately said to Yiyun Shangcheng, "We should return to our residence."
"no."
"What?" Ji Wushang's eyes widened. Had he gone back on his word?
"Change the dressing on your knees first, then we'll take you back to your residence." Just as Yiyun Shangcheng finished speaking, Maria entered with the medicine. Ji Wushang understood and nodded, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Maria squatted at Ji Wushang's feet to help change the dressing, while Yiyun Shangcheng watched intently, her bright purple eyes seemingly lost in thought. Ji Wushang felt embarrassed by the stare; for an unmarried woman, showing her legs in front of a man was always considered indecent.
"Your Highness, could you... could you turn your face away?" Ji Wushang looked slightly embarrassed. He was a prince, a person of noble status, but she hoped that he could understand some of the customs and habits of people from the Great Xia Zhou Dynasty.
"No," Yiyun Shangcheng said firmly.
Ji Wushang steeled his heart and thought, "Fine, no one knows anyway, so let's just take a look!"
Yiyun Shangcheng was always puzzled as to why her attitude changed so many times, and she made up her mind to find out the answer.
After the medicine was finally changed, Ji Wushang was able to move freely again. The medicine from the Western Regions was truly miraculous; in less than a day, he was almost fully cured. Would his mother be in the same state? Ji Wushang turned to look at Yiyun Shangcheng, "Your Highness, could you please take me to my mother's place? It's time for us to return to the manor."
“Hmm.” Since Yiyun Shangcheng could agree, he could definitely do it. “Please come with me, Miss.”
After passing through several long corridors, they arrived at Madam Bei's room. However, Madam Bei didn't seem to be as well as he had imagined, and Ji Wushang couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. "How is she?"
"Her condition isn't good. She still won't wake up anytime soon and needs to rest more." Yi Yun Shangcheng's purple eyes flickered. "We've done our best."
Ji Wushang nodded. He couldn't ask for too much. He didn't owe him anything. They were just strangers who met by chance, and after today, they might never see each other again.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Ji Wushang bowed to him. Yi Yunshang paused for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."
Before long, Yiyun Shangcheng ordered two guards, a man and a woman, who could speak the language of the Great Xia Zhou Dynasty, to disguise themselves as peasants and to be provided with a carriage. Under Ji Wushang's gaze, the originally magnificent carriage was now in a dilapidated state, as ordered by Yiyun Shangcheng. Ji Wushang was worried about whether he and his mother would be able to get in.
Fortunately, Ji Wushang and Madam Bei did indeed board the dilapidated carriage and set off towards General Ji's residence. The two guards disguised as farmers led the carriage and drove the horses.
As Yi Yun Shangcheng watched the departing carriage, she waved her hand, and several men in black descended from the sky. Yi Yun Shangcheng pursed her lips and said, "Follow them and protect them!"