Yi Yun Shangcheng reached out and grabbed her hand. Ji Wushang was shocked and tried to pull his hand back, but he held on so tightly!
"I... I don't know when I'll be able to return to the Great Xia Zhou Dynasty, so... there are some things I must say." Yi Yun Shangcheng was very nervous. Although he was a dignified seven-foot-tall man, his face was taut and flushed. Ji Wushang wanted to struggle, but he wouldn't allow her to move an inch.
"Listen to me, listen to me. Miss Wushang, I think I've fallen in love with you."
"I'm serious."
Yi Yun Shangcheng's Adam's apple bobbed. He looked at Ji Wushang and saw that she was stunned. He quickly freed one hand, took off the large earring from his left ear, and put it in Ji Wushang's hand. "I, I once took it off in the underground palace and put it on you. I felt that it suited you very well. I, I want to give it to you."
Ji Wushang stood there like a wooden statue, staring at Yi Yunshangcheng. Yi Yunshangcheng, seeing her reaction, felt a pang of disappointment. Looking at her, he gave a slight, forced smile. "Miss Wushang, Miss Wushang?"
"I...I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." Ji Wushang finally came to her senses and abruptly broke free from his hands. The earring fell to the ground with a crisp "clang." This was a token symbolizing the royal power of the Western Regions! It was a token given by the king to the future queen!
Yiyun Shangcheng stood there, stunned, staring in disbelief at the earring that had fallen to the ground.
Ji Wushang stared blankly, a sense of guilt welling up inside her. She bent down to pick up the earring, her hands trembling slightly as she offered it. "Your Highness, I truly cannot accept your gift." Ji Wushang remained calm and composed, saying solemnly, "You are the future king of the Western Regions. This earring should be given to the future queen, not me. How can I, an ordinary woman from an official family, be worthy of you?"
“No, you can, I said you can, you can.” Yi Yun Shangcheng immediately said, her eyes looking at Ji Wushang as if she wanted to merge Ji Wushang into her own eyes.
Ji Wushang looked at him and said, “Your Highness, your heart should be focused on your Western Regions Dynasty, not on me. I am just an ordinary woman, and in terms of talent, I am certainly no match for any of the women in your Western Regions Palace! Prince of the Western Regions, your heart should be focused on the Western Regions and your throne, not on me.”
The throne? Could it be incompatible with her? No, it's not.
Yi Yun Shangcheng's purple eyes darkened, and she seemed to tremble. She had considered this outcome, but she still wanted to try. Yes, she knew Bei Gong Minhao liked her, but after thinking it over these past few days, she finally convinced herself that the choice was in Wu Shang's hands, and she shouldn't back down at the last minute! Yes, she also knew the chances of her getting her to accept her were slim, because she knew that she might not like her, but someone else. However, she could wait, she could wait until the moment she liked her.
But I never expected her to reject me so coldly. She actually brought up the throne?
"I scared you." Yi Yun Shangcheng's tone was a little calmer, but he did not take the earring. "I think I have already promised to give you this earring in my heart, so I will not take it back."
“But I… I am not your destined queen. I… I am not suitable.” Ji Wushang could not think of a better way to make him take back the precious earring.
"I said it's suitable." Yi Yun Shangcheng's eyes were firm, without the slightest hesitation or joking tone.
“I dare not presume to be worthy of Your Highness, but in my heart I have always been grateful to you. I consider you my best friend. Therefore, I will temporarily store this gift for you. You may return at any time to marry it and then give it to your beloved Queen.” Ji Wushang felt somewhat at ease and looked up at Yiyun Shangcheng.
Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Ji Wushang could only sigh, "You already know when you entered the manor that my mother has just passed away. I really have no mood to talk about love or not love. I hope Your Highness can understand." As Ji Wushang spoke, he bowed his head and knelt down towards Yiyun Upper City.
Yi Yun Shangcheng was startled. Although her heart ached, she suddenly realized that she had acted too hastily and had not considered her feelings. She had only thought about her own departure and leaving her.
"Okay." Yi Yun Shangcheng gently helped her up. "I still want to say the same thing: I hope you can be happy."
"Thank you." Ji Wushang looked up at him. "I hope Your Highness can achieve great things in the Western Regions."
"Yes." Yiyun turned around and jumped out of the window.
Looking out the window, Ji Wushang finally felt a little relieved. He didn't know if he had done something wrong, but feelings couldn't be forced. Besides, what could be more important to him now than revenge? Heh, he wouldn't let them go.
Tomorrow, let's wait for tomorrow.
Ji Wushang drew the curtains, took out the earring from her bosom. The earring was about the size of a bracelet. She shook her head slightly, then pulled out a box from under the bed, opened it, put the earring inside, and hid it.
Turning around, I saw the bundle of books tied together with Xuan paper.
Ji Wushang stepped forward and opened the box, but unexpectedly, a letter fell out of it as soon as he picked it up.
☆、079 Aunt Bai deserves to have abdominal cramps!
Ji Wushang, filled with doubt, picked up the envelope and examined it. The envelope was blank; nothing was written on it. After a moment's thought, Ji Wushang opened it anyway and read the general meaning:
Please accept my deepest condolences, Miss Wushang. The passing of Madam Bei may have been ordained by Heaven. The departed are gone, and the living should live on. This book was entrusted to me by the Ghost Doctor, who feels guilty for failing to save Madam Bei. Therefore, he has compiled all his knowledge into this book and is giving it to you. I hope you will accept it.
Ji Wushang folded the Xuan paper back, then took it to the candlestick and slowly lit it until it turned to ashes.
Ji Wushang expressionlessly flipped through the books one by one, discovering that they contained many truly useful things, including treatment methods he had never seen before. Ji Wushang became engrossed in reading them, and only realized that it was past the end of the Chou hour (1:00 AM to 3:00 AM Beijing time) when the lamp oil was almost burned out. Ji Wushang felt grateful to the Ghost Doctor, knowing that the chances of saving Madam Bei were extremely slim, and that the Ghost Doctor should not be blamed for that.
Now that he has given me these medical books, which represent the culmination of his life's work, it is like adding wings to a tiger.
I will definitely study hard! I will study really hard!
Ji Wushang tidied up before going to bed.
The light of dawn finally tore through the darkness and burst forth, and then, the rooster crowed, and day broke.
The sky was overcast and gloomy, making people feel uneasy, as if it were about to rain.
After being woken up by Xian'er, Ji Wushang washed up and went to the outer room for breakfast, where he found Yue'er already waiting.
As soon as she saw Ji Wushang come out, she immediately knelt down and said, "Miss, everything has been taken care of. However, last night, Aunt Bai did not have the servants send the ginseng to the kitchen to be made into medicine." As she spoke, Yue'er lowered her head and said, "Miss, please punish me!"
Ji Wushang noticed that there were no other maids around, and Xian'er, being very sensible, went forward to close the door, leaving only the three of them present.
"Why should I punish you?" Ji Wushang stepped forward to help Yue'er up. "It's better that she didn't have anyone prepare the medicine. If she had actually prepared it and eaten it, hehe, I would have been in big trouble!"
Yue'er looked at Ji Wushang in disbelief, "But, but Miss, didn't you tell me to give the ginseng to Aunt Bai so she could brew medicine for herself?"
“I didn’t say that.” Ji Wushang sat back down in his seat. “Tell me everything that happened last night, every single word.” With that, he began to eat.
Yue'er nodded and recounted what had happened last night. Ji Wushang frowned more and more as he listened, his right hand gripping the spoon as if he wanted to crush it, suppressing his anger.
I never imagined that Aunt Bai was such a heartless and wicked person! As for Ji Meiyuan, "vicious" is an understatement to describe the two of them!
"Who is the 'he' that Ji Meiyuan is referring to?" Ji Wushang asked coldly.
"This servant does not know."
"Very good. Thank you for your hard work. Did you enjoy the bird's nest soup?" Ji Wushang looked up at her slightly.
Yue'er was momentarily speechless. She thought, "Do I hate it? It's been sitting out for a whole day! A whole day! Everything's changed!"
"Make three bowls of bird's nest soup tonight and bring them all to my room. I want you to drink them with me personally," Ji Wushang said when she remained silent.
"This servant wouldn't dare," Yue'er knelt down upon hearing this. "Miss has already been very kind to us, how can we eat bird's nest at the same table as her?"
“Yes, Miss, please don’t flatter me.” Xian’er also knelt down.
"This is a reward for you, not something to make you feel bad," Ji Wushang said, feigning annoyance. Then, he changed his tone, "Hurry up and get ready, I'm going to the front hall." His tone turned cold, and the two maids dared not say anything more and immediately began to tidy up.
Ji Wushang arrived at the mourning hall shortly afterward, where there weren't many people yet. Aunt Nangong and Ji Yinxue were already lifeless, kneeling with their bodies half-leaning, looking dejected, as if they had endured something terrible.
Ji Wushang bowed to Aunt Nangong, not caring whether she was paying attention to him or not, and then knelt down in front of Madam Bei's memorial tablet.
Ji Yinxue opened her eyes, glanced at Ji Wushang, and asked weakly, "Big sister?"
"Have you been kneeling for a long time?" Ji Wushang turned his head to look at Ji Yinxue. Her complexion was indeed not good, and she looked very dejected.
"Hmm," Ji Yinxue hummed, without saying anything more.
"You can rest for a while." Ji Wushang turned around and took the three-ingredient incense from the maid.
Aunt Nangong seemed to have just woken up, and looked at Ji Wushang, "Why did you take so long to arrive?"
"Am I late? None of the ladies around here have arrived yet! Aunt Nangong, you look so haggard!" Ji Wushang rolled his eyes at her.
"You!" Aunt Nangong pointed angrily at Ji Wushang, "It's all your fault! It's because of you that I look so haggard!"
“It was Aunt who did something wrong and was punished by Grandmother. This has nothing to do with Wu Shang, right?” Ji Wu Shang said calmly.
"What? You're not convinced?" Unexpectedly, at this moment, Madam Yuan's voice came out. Aunt Nangong was startled and immediately kowtowed to Madam Yuan, "How dare I? This concubine greets Madam Yuan."
"Hmph!" the matriarch snorted. "Why did I just hear you expressing dissatisfaction with my actions?"
"How could I possibly have the guts?" Aunt Nangong had no courage to argue; she was only thinking about ending the funeral as quickly as possible.
I can't even keep my own legs while kneeling! I'll definitely get my revenge later!
Ji Wushang also kowtowed to the matriarch and said, "Greetings, Grandmother."
The old lady waved her hand without saying a word. Granny Guo had someone bring her a stool, and the old lady sat down.
One by one, several concubines, young ladies, and young masters arrived. Then, Ji Dingbei returned from outside, bringing some monks to perform the ritual.
Once everyone on one side was kneeling and standing properly, and everyone on the other side was standing, all appearing devout, the monks began to perform the ritual.
Ji Wushang remained kneeling beside the mourning hall, pulling Ji Wusi to kneel with him. Ji Wusi seemed to understand the situation, remaining silent and quiet, listening to Ji Wushang's words with sorrow in her eyes, but gradually learning to conceal her emotions within.
Ji Wushang tugged at Ji Wusi's small hand, signaling him not to be sad.
At this moment, the ritual began, and all around were clanging and banging sounds as the monks performed the ritual and chanted Buddhist scriptures.
Ji Wushang glanced at Ji Meiyuan and Ji Wuxia, both of whom seemed distracted. Then he looked at Ji Yinxue, who appeared to be putting on a brave face and was quite serious.
At this time, in the East Garden.
Aunt Bai dismissed the other maids, leaving only Tianxiang to serve her. Tianxiang was massaging her legs and back, but Aunt Bai was still finding fault with her. Tianxiang was almost spitting blood. But how could she dare to say no?
Aunt Bai peeled the grape skins in her hand, then put them in her mouth, feeling extremely pleased.
"Tianxiang, tell me, is the baby in my belly a boy or a girl?" Aunt Bai raised an eyebrow and looked at Tianxiang.
"Yes, Auntie, it's definitely a boy! I think you've already given birth to the Second Miss and the Third Miss, so this time you'll surely have a little prince!" Tianxiang flattered.
Aunt Bai glared at her. She was saying she'd given birth to two girls; was she making fun of her? Humph! However, what she was thinking about now was Aunt Qin, who was also pregnant in the household. That woman must be six or seven months pregnant already!
"Where is Aunt Qin? We haven't heard from her for the past few days."
"Your Highness, I heard that after catching a cold a while ago, Aunt Qin has been staying in the West Garden without leaving her house!" Tianxiang said, her thoughts drifting away.
"Thud!" With a sharp crack, Aunt Bai slapped Tianxiang across the face. Instantly, half of Tianxiang's face turned red. Aunt Bai shouted angrily, "You brat! You want to beat me to death, don't you!"
Tianxiang covered her face, looking aggrieved, tears welling up in her eyes but she dared not let them fall.
Wasn't it because of what she just asked that I overthought things and that's why I slapped myself a little too hard? Did I really need to slap myself in the face?
"Hmph!" Aunt Bai glared at her. "What a clumsy, wretched woman! Get out!"
"Yes!" Tianxiang immediately went down.
Aunt Bai watched her disappear into the distance, a slight smirk playing on her lips, a hint of sarcasm emanating from her.
She was thinking of Aunt Qin.
"Hmph, does staying in the West Garden guarantee peace? Isn't Aunt Qin being far too naive!" Aunt Bai peeled the grapes and swallowed them. Whether the child in her belly was a girl or a boy, it would threaten her and her child's position! She would absolutely not allow such a threat to exist!
Aunt Bai smiled slightly.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, Aunt Bai suddenly felt a sharp pain in her abdomen! Aunt Bai immediately threw all the grapes in her hand to the ground, but the pain in her abdomen became more and more obvious, showing no signs of abating!
"Tianxiang! Tianxiang! Someone come quick!" Aunt Bai clutched her stomach and rolled around on the bed. She couldn't believe she had eaten anything bad! Why was she experiencing such severe abdominal cramps? What if it hurt the baby in her womb?!
Tianxiang was crying in her own little room at the moment, so how could she hear Aunt Bai shouting? And all the servants had been sent away by Aunt Bai herself, and more than half of the maids and servants had already gone to the mourning hall!
Bai Yinniang felt murderous intent at this moment, realizing she had no strength left! Cold sweat covered her forehead, and her feet felt cold. Most importantly, the pain in her lower abdomen was making her feel like she was dying!