Ji Wushang really didn't expect him to let her go so easily; she thought she would be entangled with him for a while. Now, things are fine, and Ji Wushang just walks forward.
"Wu Shang," Yi Yun suddenly called out.
Ji Wushang suddenly stopped and turned around. "Hmm? Your Highness, please speak."
"It's alright now." Yi Yunshangcheng looked at her. There were indeed many things in the Western Regions that she needed to handle. She was determined to personally reclaim the royal power!
“Could you call me up to town?” he suddenly asked as she continued walking. He was sure she could hear him.
Ji Wushang paused, but didn't turn around. "How can I, Wushang, address Your Highness by your honorable name?" With that, he continued walking.
Yi Yun Shangcheng was slightly stunned. Was this so difficult? What if he wasn't a prince from the Western Regions? Would he be allowed to call him by his name like that? He watched Ji Wushang's figure gradually disappear around the street corner before slowly vanishing into the growing crowd.
Ji Wushang turned the corner and stopped, leaning against the back wall, taking a deep breath. He was so afraid that he would catch up with him, but thankfully he was alright.
"Miss?" Just then, a voice came from afar. Ji Wushang looked up sharply and saw Xian'er!
Xian'er was carrying a basket and shopping when she saw Ji Wushang and exclaimed in surprise, her heart filled with excitement. She rushed forward and looked at Ji Wushang, "Miss, Miss, is it really you? Is it really you, Miss?"
"If it's not me, then who is it?" Ji Wushang looked at her, and seeing that she still didn't believe him, he pretended to be angry and said, "Don't you recognize me?"
"No, no, Miss, it really is you, it really is you! We've been worried about you all day!" Xian'er said immediately, thinking she was about to get angry.
"Yes, it's time to go back." Ji Wushang's eyes were deep. It was time to go back and show them that anyone who wanted him dead would have to pay the price! He wondered what their faces looked like now!
Ji Wushang walked in, and when the guard saw that it was Ji Wushang, he opened his mouth wide, but couldn't say a word for a long time.
Ji Wushang coldly replied, "Is it really that exaggerated?"
"You! You don't even bow to the young lady!" Xian'er said to the guard as soon as she came up. The guard immediately bowed and said, "Greetings to the young lady! The young lady is back!" After bowing, he immediately called out to the inside.
The entire mansion was in an uproar. When the old lady heard the maid report that Ji Wushang had returned to the mansion in the quiet garden, she became excited and said, "Quickly, Granny Guo, help me to see him."
"Yes." Granny Guo was also overjoyed. She hadn't expected him to return so suddenly. It was truly a blessing from heaven!
Ji Wushang was in the main hall at the time. He had only rested for a short while when he heard that the matriarch of the Yuan family had arrived. He immediately went forward to greet her, "Grandmother."
Aunt Xie also hurriedly came out from the outer courtyard. Seeing that Ji Wushang was unharmed and that Madam Yuan had also come, she stepped forward to help Madam Yuan up and said, "I told you, Madam, look, the eldest young lady has returned safely, hasn't she?"
"Yes, yes, Wushang, you've finally returned safely." The matriarch was helped forward and sat down.
Ji Wushang stepped forward and bowed, saying, "I'm sorry to have worried Grandmother."
"Hmm." The matriarch nodded as she looked at the woman who had come forward. "It's alright, it's alright. What exactly happened? Wushang, tell us."
"When I was on the mountain, I cleverly arranged for them to search for me there, so I took a roundabout route down the mountain. On my way down, I managed to evade their search before returning..." Ji Wushang thought for a moment but still couldn't tell them about what happened in Yiyun City. He was a little worried and wondered how they were doing. "Grandmother, how are Tie Feng and the servants?"
"They were all rescued by Prince Nan's men," the matriarch nodded.
"Madam, it seems that the Prince of Nan is still searching for the eldest young lady on the mountain! Should we send someone to let him know that the eldest young lady has returned, so as not to cause any worry?" Aunt Xie spoke up at this moment, offering a word of advice.
Ji Wushang was startled. He hadn't expected that he had really gone to the Yuanyue Nunnery to save him.
"Go ahead! So as not to worry them. I don't know what's going on, but I didn't expect that Prince Nan to be so concerned!"
Hearing this, Ji Wushang felt a little nervous but dared not show it too much. He asked, "Is the Prince of Nan alright?"
"Hmm, it should be fine." The old lady looked at her with a strange gaze, making Ji Wushang feel a little awkward. She wondered if the Prince of Nan had come to propose marriage, and whether the proposal had been successful. Ji Wushang was secretly thinking about these matters; now that she was back, it was time to settle them.
"Wu Shang, come with me to Jingyuan Garden later. I have something to tell you," said the matriarch.
Ji Wushang nodded, "Yes."
Aunt Xie probably guessed something, and she also looked at Ji Wushang with that strange gaze. Ji Wushang could only force a smile and brush it off.
"Aunt, how is Second Sister?" Ji Wushang asked immediately after a few seconds.
"The second young lady is in the plum garden. Poor second young lady, she was actually tied up back then. Luckily, she wasn't hurt!" Aunt Xie acted like a loving mother, expressing concern for this and pity for that, playing the perfect good person in front of the old lady.
Ji Wushang nodded. "They're in the plum garden. Okay, let's go get some excitement later." As for Aunt Xie, she likes to be a good person, so let's just go with her for now and not get ourselves into trouble.
The matriarch nodded. "Alright, you must be tired. Wushang, come back to Jingyuan with me. It's been quite a while since you've spoken with your grandmother."
"Yes." Ji Wushang obediently stepped forward to help the old lady, and then followed her. Granny Guo also served her from the side.
Aunt Xie nodded and went out to make arrangements. She also sent someone to tell Nan Xuzong about the eldest young lady's return to the mansion.
Upon hearing this, Nan Xuzong's brows finally relaxed, and Gong Shu immediately rewarded the servant who had come to report. Watching the servant walk away, Nan Xuzong said, "Quickly, return to the manor."
"yes."
Back at the Marquis's residence, Nan Xuzong was surprised to hear that his father, the Marquis, wanted him to come over. Nan Xuzong was taken aback; the Marquis must have already heard about yesterday's events—he hadn't consulted his father before going to the Ji family to propose marriage. "Hmph, fine," he thought, "now he's told, no need for me to go and ask again later!"
Nan Xuzong waved for Gong Shu to leave, indicating that he would come over.
Upon arriving at Marquis Nan Aogan's vast Ziyun Garden, they could see from afar that the study door was open, and Nan Aogan was sitting at his desk writing large characters. He was extremely vigilant, sensing someone watching him, and immediately looked up. Seeing Nan Xuzong, he said, "What are you doing there? Come in!"
"Yes, Father." Nan Xuzong frowned slightly, but still slowly turned his wheelchair and came forward.
Seeing that he had already turned to the threshold, Nan Aogan walked over and helped lift the wheelchair and put it in, saying as he pushed it, "Why didn't you let the servants help you?"
"I don't want to be disturbed while talking to my father," Nan Xuzong said after a long silence. He hadn't expected Nan Aogan to come forward and push his wheelchair. In his memory, his father was someone who only admired Nan Jinxue and would never even glance at him!
Nan Aogan then pushed his wheelchair in place before sitting down at the desk. He was quite tall and imposing, sitting on the mat with a handsome and broad face. He looked at Nan Xuzong for a long time, and Nan Xuzong looked back at him quietly.
"I heard you prepared gifts for General Ji's mansion yesterday. Why didn't you tell your father?" Nan Ao asked after a long pause.
Nan Xuzong knew he would ask this question, so he said, "The matter is urgent, and Father is not at home, so I have no choice but to prepare gifts and visit first."
"Yesterday, Father also heard that you led people to the Yuanyue Nunnery to rescue the two young ladies of General Ji's mansion? Is this true?" Nan Aogan did not seem to blame him for speaking like this.
Nan Xuzong couldn't understand his meaning and could only say, "Yes."
"You want to marry one of these ladies? Who is it?" Nan Aogan's face was slightly serious. "You know your own problems. If you're not afraid of gossip, you can come and propose marriage."
"If I, Nan Xuzong, am going to marry, I will marry the eldest young lady." Nan Xuzong struggled in his heart for a while before speaking out loudly.
Hearing these words, Nan Jinxue, who was hiding behind the door, felt a surge of hatred in her heart. She clenched her fists. Ji Wushang could marry anyone, but she could not marry his elder brother, Nan Xuzong!
"This..." Nan Aogan had communicated with Nan Jinxue before and knew that Nan Jinxue had always been thinking about Miss Ji, but he did not expect that the one who would be engaged in the end would be the fourth young lady, Ji Yinxue! Now that Nan Xuzong said that he wanted to marry Ji Wushang, how could this not make the father feel embarrassed?
"Am I not qualified? I am the legitimate son of the family, Father. This is a marriage between equals, you should have no objection, right?" Nan Xuzong knew what he was thinking. He wanted to marry Ji Wushang because he knew that Nan Jinxue had tried to commit illicit acts that day. How could he accept that? Besides, there were so many men, all eyeing him covetously. This was absolutely unacceptable! Ji Wushang could only be his!
Besides, I know how she feels, don't I? I will definitely make her happy.
“If the Ji family can agree, I have no problem with your father.” Nan Aogan looked at him, and when he heard about these things, he realized that he had sometimes neglected this son, even though he was not his biological son… But, had he sometimes forgotten him for too long?
"I will try my best." Nan Xuzong looked at him, knowing that someone was eavesdropping outside the door, and he wanted to tell Nan Jinxue outside the door!
"I will give her the happiness of a grand wedding procession, I am sure I can do it!" Nan Xuzong said with a slight smile.
Nan Jinxue listened outside the door, his anger simmering inside him. He clenched his fists so tightly that the veins on his hands looked like they were about to burst.
"Since Father has nothing else to say, I'll be leaving now," Nan Xuzong said solemnly.
"Hmm." Nan Aogan looked at him. "Go! Someone! Serve the young master."
Upon hearing this, Nan Jinxue immediately walked away.
Immediately, someone came to serve Nan Xuzong and escorted him outside the garden.
Only after Nan Xuzong had walked away did Nan Jinxue emerge from the darkness and enter Nan Aogan's study. Looking at Nan Aogan, who was writing and painting, she said angrily, "Father, how could you agree to my elder brother's marriage proposal!"
“He asked, how could Father refuse?” Nan Aogan did not look up at him.
"Who is he? A useless cripple! How could he possibly take care of Miss Ji? If General Ji's mansion agrees to give his daughter to him, wouldn't that be a waste of a beautiful flower?" Nan Jinxue was furious. "The one in the world least worthy of Miss Ji is him!"
"How dare you!" Nan Aogan was also slightly angry at this moment. "He is your elder brother, how can you talk about him like that!"
"Father, I'm telling the truth!"
"The truth? How do you know it's the truth!" Nan Aogan put down the wolf-hair brush and looked at him directly. "Do you know how strong his heart is?"
"I don't know! What I do know is that he can't marry Miss Ji!"
"You are utterly foolish!" Nan Aogan trembled with anger. "If you were any more sensible, I, your father, would have stopped his request and let you marry Miss Ji instead! He had no chance, no matter who he was or how powerful he was! But you actually ruined Miss Ji, and you still think you have any chance to marry the eldest daughter! Delusion! Foolish!"
Upon hearing this, Nan Jinxue's face flushed red and then turned pale. Nan Aogan's words were blunt and cutting into his heart like knives!
"Father, I am now assisting the Second Prince, who is the Empress's own son! In the future, the one who ascends the throne may not be the Crown Prince but the Second Prince! At that time, my rise to power will be just around the corner! I have plenty of resources and power!"
"Keep your voice down! You're really courting death!" Nan Aogan was angry and naturally wouldn't let him off the hook. "That's a matter for the future. If you could have successfully assisted him, the Crown Prince wouldn't be a madman now! Right now, he can only be treated by the imperial physicians in the Eastern Palace! Humph!"
A hint of disdain flashed in Nan Jinxue's eyes as she snorted and looked at Nan Aogan.
"Alright, you should hurry up and prepare for your wedding! Neither of us should concern ourselves with your elder brother's affairs!" Nan Aogan dismissed him when he saw that he didn't want to talk about it.
"Hmph! I will definitely organize my elder brother's wedding! I refuse to believe that the young lady of the General's Mansion would willingly marry a useless person with crippled legs who will never be able to stand up again!" Nan Jinxue said angrily.
"You, get out!" Nan Aogan shouted angrily, pointing at the door.
Nan Jinxue then flicked her sleeves and walked out.
Nan Xuzong only emerged from the pavilion in the distance at this moment. He could clearly see the two arguing from afar. Although he couldn't hear what they were arguing about because they were too far away, he guessed that Nan Jinxue was trying to stop him from marrying Ji Wushang.
"Stop it? That's far too presumptuous!" Nan Xuzong sneered, glancing at the sky. It looked like it was going to rain. He would definitely visit again tomorrow!
Ji Wushang followed the Old Madam into Jingyuan and into the house. The Old Madam then dismissed everyone else, leaving only Ji Wushang. Looking at Ji Wushang, she said, "Wushang, sit down."
"Yes. Thank you, Grandmother." Ji Wushang looked at her, feeling a little uneasy.
The old lady's gaze lingered on Ji Wushang for a long time, looking at him without saying a word. Ji Wushang felt a chill in his heart, but finally smiled and said, "Grandmother, how have you been lately? Would you like the doctor to prescribe some tonics to help you recover? It's getting cold, do you have enough autumn clothes? Would you like Zhang Xiuniang to make you a few embroidered cotton-padded clothes?"
The matriarch listened and nodded, "Yes, my old bones are quite fine, it's just that you... Yesterday, the Prince of Nan came to visit."
"Okay." Ji Wushang prepared to be a good listener and listen to her talk.
He came to propose marriage.
Upon hearing this, Ji Wushang's hand almost slipped from its grip on the cup, and in the end, he withdrew his hand.
The matriarch lowered her eyes, noticing the slight blush on her face, and said, "But, because you weren't there, he left."
"Oh." Ji Wushang nodded, without mentioning marriage.
"What are your feelings for him?" the matriarch asked gently.
Ji Wushang looked at her, speechless for a moment, and could only turn his face away, "Grandmother..."
"Alright, I won't ask. Wushang is too shy," said the matriarch.
Ji Wushang lowered his head, only thinking about walking away.
"Your marriage is not up to your grandmother, but your father. As the eldest daughter of the legitimate wife, you should naturally marry into a good family. Prince Nan, he... sigh!" The old lady sighed at this moment.
Ji Wushang immediately understood the implication. Was this... was it a sign of disdain for him? Disdain for his leg ailment? Would his father disdain him?
"Grandmother will write a letter to your father, and then we'll see what he thinks!" The old lady glanced at Ji Wushang. "If your father doesn't agree, he will find you another more respectable marriage."