Those around them overheard this and guessed what was going on. Could it be that Aunt Bai was saying that Ji Wushang had been ruined?
“Aunt, what are you saying?” Zhu’er looked at Aunt Bai and stepped down from the steps. “Miss is perfectly fine in the room. What could have happened? Aunt, you should be careful what you say.”
"I really saw and heard it. I, Bai Aomei, am not old and decrepit yet, how could I be mistaken!" Aunt Bai glanced at the people around her. "Sigh, I know, it must be that the young lady has been kidnapped! Men! Quickly rush in and find that thief!"
The crowd was itching to act, but Zhu'er was also furious. She stood on the steps and blocked them, saying, "Auntie, my young lady is going to bed. Please do not disturb her." As she spoke, Zhu'er knelt down and spread her arms to block them.
"Zhu'er, I know you're trying to protect Miss, but there's clearly a thief who went in. If we don't find the thief, Miss will be in danger!" Aunt Bai said with a worried expression, looking like a loving mother. "Quickly, go in and search! Let's see what you can do now. I'll ruin your reputation!"
"What's all this noise?" Ji Wushang came out from inside, impeccably dressed and with no trace of fighting. His face was serene, without the slightest hint of distress.
Aunt Bai stared at her, completely dumbfounded. Shouldn't this wretched woman be lying in bed? Could it be that the assassin failed? No, she couldn't have chosen the wrong person; she was a delicate young lady, no match for an assassin! Something must have happened… Could she have conspired with that person? Damn it! But, the person must still be inside!
"When Aunt Bai passed by this courtyard just now, she heard a scream. Did something happen? Don't be afraid, Miss. This time, Aunt Bai brought many people with her. She will definitely be able to catch that person!" Aunt Bai said as she stepped forward, and even leaned inside to take a look.
Ji Wushang stepped forward to block her view, "What are you saying, Aunt? There's no thief in my house. If word gets out, wouldn't that ruin me?"
"You're the one who'll be ruined!" Aunt Bai sneered inwardly, but her face was full of worry. "Why are you saying such things, Miss? Just let us go in and search, and we'll know if there's a thief inside. Then we'll clear your name! What's this talk about ruining or not ruining!" Aunt Bai's words seemed to be trying to exonerate Ji Wushang, but in reality, everyone knew that there was a thief hiding in Ji Wushang's room! Either she was being controlled, or a deal had definitely been reached!
Ji Wushang said helplessly, "I said there are no thieves inside, so there are no thieves!"
Aunt Bai shook her head, "Young Miss, sigh!" She shook her head slightly, as if she was about to back away. Ji Wushang didn't move when she saw this, but the next second, Aunt Bai suddenly circled around behind Ji Wushang, "Look! What else could that be but a man!"
Everyone was taken aback, and Ji Wushang was also extremely surprised, "Auntie!"
"Sigh, Miss, tsk tsk..." Aunt Bai shook her head. "What else could that man in white be but a man? Though short and thin, you can tell at a glance he's a man! So late at night, a lone man and a lone woman, how am I supposed to explain this to Master when I get back to the manor!" Her gaze seemed to express Ji Wushang's disappointment and regret. "You're engaged, how can you do this to Prince Nan!"
Ji Wushang paused, looking at the crowd, who all stared at her with strange expressions. After tonight, it was likely everyone in the capital would know that Ji Wushang had secretly taken a man in the dead of night, claiming she was going to marry the Southern Prince—what a shameless woman! How could she possibly be worthy of him!
"Who said I, the princess, am a man? Huh? Who said I'm short and skinny?" Unexpectedly, amidst the gasps of the crowd, a woman suddenly leaped out of the house. The woman was dressed in expensive clothes, had sharp eyes, and was playful and lively, but at this moment her eyes were like knives as she looked at everyone in the courtyard!
Upon seeing this, everyone immediately knelt down and bowed, "Greetings, Seventh Princess!"
"Seventh Princess, why are you out here?" Ji Wushang asked as he stepped forward.
"I've been waiting for you for so long, and you still haven't come in, so I came out to check on you. But I never expected to hear someone talking badly about me! Humph, I finally know that I'm short and thin! Like a man!" Huangfu Lan said coldly to Aunt Bai.
"Why is it the Seventh Princess..." Aunt Bai muttered under her breath, annoyed.
Unexpectedly, Huangfu Lan heard this, stepped forward, and angrily rebuked, "What do you mean, 'Seventh Princess'?! Shouldn't I, the princess, be here?"
"No, no, please forgive me, Seventh Princess! It was my poor eyesight that prevented me from recognizing you! Please forgive me!" Aunt Bai wanted nothing more than to bite off her own tongue. Damn it, how could the Seventh Princess suddenly appear! Wasn't the Seventh Princess always out traveling? How did she end up here with Ji Wushang?
"Hmph, who was it that just said this princess is short and thin, and looks like a man?" Huangfu Lan said, then leaned close to Aunt Bai's ear, "Was it you?"
"Yes, it was my poor eyesight that caused me to speak nonsense. I was too tired and my eyes were blurry, which is why I said such nonsense!" Aunt Bai wiped her sweat, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed, saying, "Besides, I really didn't know it was Her Highness the Seventh Princess. Please forgive me, Seventh Princess."
"Don't know? That's enough? You're saying I'm a man? You think you can just spout nonsense just because you don't know? Didn't your father teach you to see things clearly before you speak?" Huangfu Lan sneered.
The people around were quite surprised. They knew the Seventh Princess was mischievous, but they didn't expect her to be so sharp-tongued! She even dragged Bai's father into the conversation and scolded him too!
"Just now you were talking about screaming. Aunt Bai, are you suspecting that I, the princess, beat up the eldest young lady, or that the eldest young lady beat up me? Should we go and check if the eldest young lady has any injuries? So that you won't say that I, the princess, beat up the eldest young lady!" Huangfu Lan showed no intention of letting Aunt Bai off the hook.
Upon hearing this, Aunt Bai immediately kowtowed several times, even when her head was throbbing, until it was red and swollen. She then said, "It was my tinnitus. I misheard for a moment. Please forgive me, Seventh Princess! Please have mercy, Seventh Princess!" After saying this, she kowtowed several more times.
Huangfu Lan sneered, "Didn't you just say you were a thief? So this princess not only looks like a man, but also like a thief! This makes me a male thief who beat up the young lady! Shouldn't this princess report to the emperor and let him judge whether this princess is a thief or not!"
Those around them listened, not daring to breathe.
"Seventh Princess is so delicate, how could she be a thief? It was my fault for being blind, please forgive me, Seventh Princess!" As Aunt Bai spoke, she immediately slapped herself hard across the face.
Huangfu Lan watched with a smile, "This princess was just bored at night and came to play chess with the young lady for a friendly match. I never expected such a wonderful thing to happen! And you call this princess a thief? This princess has truly broadened her horizons today!" As she spoke, she stepped forward to kick Aunt Bai, but Tianxiang immediately stepped forward to stop her, "Seventh Princess, you mustn't, you mustn't! My aunt is pregnant, please forgive her, please forgive her!"
"Fine!" Huangfu Lan coldly withdrew her foot. "I'll remember this! If you disturb this princess's enjoyment again, I will not let you off easily!"
"Yes, yes, thank you for not punishing me, Seventh Princess! Thank you, Seventh Princess!" Aunt Bai kowtowed several times before her eyes drifted toward Ji Wushang, who was smiling at her.
Immediately, Aunt Bai's resentment intensified. Could this be a scheme orchestrated by Ji Wushang and the Seventh Princess against her? But where were the people she had sent? Was it truly a supernatural occurrence? Had she been mistaken? Damn it!
"You servants, blindly following Aunt Bai's clamor without even knowing right from wrong! Go and each receive thirty strokes of the cane!" Just as Huangfu Lan turned to return to her room with Ji Wushang, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but then this sentence suddenly appeared. Instantly, everyone resented Aunt Bai. If she hadn't ordered them to come, would they have been punished by the Seventh Princess with thirty strokes of the cane? After being caned, would they be able to move or do anything tomorrow? It was all because of this Aunt Bai!
"Get down right now! Do what you're supposed to do!" Huangfu Lan shouted as soon as he saw everyone kneeling.
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately stood up and went out. Huangfu Lan added, "Aunt Bai should have been given thirty strokes of the cane just like everyone else, but as the one who instigated the commotion and slandered this princess, she deserves to be punished. Otherwise, it will be difficult to quell the anger in my heart. She should be punished even more severely! Sixty strokes of the cane!"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Bai's legs went weak and she knelt on the ground.
“However, considering you are pregnant, those sixty strokes of the cane will be distributed among you servants! Each of you take five strokes back with you! Humph!” After Huangfu Lan finished speaking, she went into the house. Ji Wushang looked at the surprised looks on the servants' faces and shook his head. “Zhu’er, go back to the house.”
The servants in the courtyard were even more resentful of Aunt Bai. They could tolerate the usual beatings and scoldings, but this time, she'd actually caught a thief! Now, they were all implicated and had been given thirty-five strokes of the cane! Tomorrow, they'd probably all be shuffling back to the mansion!
Aunt Bai harbored resentment, but because Ji Wushang was protected by the Seventh Princess, she dared not act rashly and could only slink away. From then on, Aunt Bai's reputation was utterly ruined!
Ji Wushang returned to the room and saw Huangfu Lan sitting in a chair, so he knelt down and said, "Thank you for your righteous help, Seventh Princess!"
The Seventh Princess put down her teacup, then stood up and helped Ji Wushang up. "I didn't help you much, so you don't need to thank me! If you two get married in the future, be sure to let me know!"
Ji Wushang glanced at the man still inside the curtain and said, "Yes, I will definitely have someone inform the Seventh Princess."
"Alright, then this princess won't bother you any longer!" Huangfu Lan smiled and then turned to leave.
However, Ji Wushang had a question in his mind: "Seventh Princess."
"Hmm?" Huangfu Lan turned around and looked at her. "What is it?"
"Please forgive my rudeness, but I have a question in my mind: why would the Seventh Princess lend a helping hand?" I only met her once during the day at the White Horse Temple, and we have no real relationship whatsoever. I never expected that she would be watching me from the shadows. Could there be some ulterior motive behind this? Is this act of helping her now a prelude to drawing swords against her in the future?
"Miss, you're overthinking things." Huangfu Lan chuckled. "This princess never acts or speaks according to convention! I only followed you because I felt you were acting strangely. I never expected you to be... Your resistance is admirable! I was just thinking of helping you when I saw Prince Nan, hehe, how interesting, and then I saw the two of you... You're mutually in love, how could I, Huangfu Lan, bear to break you up?"
Ji Wushang blushed with embarrassment at what she said. This seventh princess was only about thirteen years old, just like him, but she spoke frankly, directly, and without any pretense.
"Thank you so much, Your Highness the Seventh Princess." Ji Wushang had nothing to say but thank you again.
At this moment, Nan Xuzong stepped out from behind the curtain, cupped his hands, and said, "Nan Xuzong thanks the Seventh Princess!"
"The Prince of Nan is truly a hidden talent, which has greatly surprised this princess! I will not tell anyone about what happened tonight. I will take my leave now!" Huangfu Lan glanced at Nan Xu Cong, then looked at Ji Wu Shang, but as she turned her head, a scene flashed through her mind.
Huangfu Lan quickly turned to look at Nan Xuzong's arm. He must have been fighting just now and hadn't had time to put his sleeve down... But Nan Xuzong happened to roll up his sleeve and put it down at that very moment.
Huangfu Lan was slightly stunned.
"Seventh Princess?" Ji Wushang asked when she didn't react.
"It's alright, I'll be leaving now. You all, take care of yourselves." Huangfu Lan came back to her senses, walked out, and gave Nan Xuzong one last look.
Ji Wushang looked at her gaze, then turned to look at Nan Xuzong. A glint of light flashed in Nan Xuzong's eyes, but he remained silent with his head down. Ji Wushang stepped forward and asked, "Do you know the Seventh Princess?"
“I don’t know her.” Nan Xuzong looked up. “I once told you never to associate with the royal family. I never expected that the Seventh Princess would help us.”
“I’ve never understood what you mean. If you’re saying you don’t want me to get involved in this royal power struggle, I’ll accept that. But I feel like that’s not the case.” Ji Wushang looked at him. “You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?”
“Wu Shang, I’m doing this for your own good. The time isn’t right, so I can’t tell you. Can you trust me?” Nan Xu Cong looked at Ji Wu Shang with deep eyes. “I want you to marry me without any burdens.”
"Cong, I thought I knew you well, but tonight I realized I know nothing about you. You have many stories, but you always bury them within yourself and refuse to share them with anyone. You've never even told me anything." Ji Wushang sneered and stepped back.
Nan Xuzong looked at her, a hint of helplessness and sorrow flashing in his eyes. "No, you know me, you know me." Nan Xuzong moved his wheelchair forward. "There are many things that can't be explained all at once. If you knew, someone would definitely kill you... I can't let you take that risk, you know?"
Ji Wushang shook his head, "Please, Prince Nan, go back!"
Nan Xuzong raised his hand in mid-air, looked at her turned away, sighed, and said, "Okay." Then he slowly walked away.
Tears streamed down Ji Wushang's face as he covered his face with his hands, finally sitting down in the chair and sobbing softly.
In the darkness of the night, before even leaving the house, he could already hear the clear sobbing. Unable to bear seeing her cry like that, he turned his wheelchair around and with a forceful jerk, he was instantly right behind Ji Wushang.
Suddenly, he pulled her into his arms, and Ji Wushang struggled, shouting, "What do you want to do! Go away, go away right now!"
His arms held her like an iron ring. "Don't move, Wushang, listen to me."
"I won't listen, go away, go now!" Tears welled up in Ji Wushang's eyes as she shook her head violently. Nan Xuzong, helplessly watching her unable to calm down, immediately gripped her waist with one hand and turned her head around with the other, covering her slightly parted cherry lips with his thin lips.
"Mmm... ooh..." Ji Wushang tried to break free from him, but he played and lingered in her mouth. Ji Wushang was so captivated by his kisses that she stopped struggling.
He kissed her lips, released her as she struggled to breathe, and then kissed away the tears at the corners of her eyes before finally gazing at her intently. "I am Nan Xuzong, also known as Huangfu Zong, the former Fourth Prince."
Ji Wushang trembled violently upon hearing this, utterly disbelieving, and immediately shook his head, "You're lying!"
Nan Xuzong's eyes were deep and filled with sorrow. He held Ji Wushang in his arms and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "My mother was of humble birth, a palace maid. His Majesty, fearing the Empress would find out my mother was pregnant with me, sent her to the Second Princess Huangfu Yu'er, who was married into the Jin Nan Marquis's household, so that I could be brought into the palace later. Unexpectedly, my mother died in childbirth. His Majesty was burdened with affairs of state, the borders were in turmoil, and the court was in chaos! The Second Princess pitied me and worried about me, so she claimed that I was her son and took me under her wing! Unexpectedly, she was still murdered! When I was seven years old..."
Ji Wushang gently covered his thin lips, "No need to say anything more, I know everything from now on."
"Now His Majesty is old, the Crown Prince is incurable, the Empress holds power, the Second Prince is ambitious, the Third Prince commands a large army on the border, the Fifth Princess is married, but her husband is not a kind person, the Sixth Prince is unruly, the Seventh Princess is mischievous and unpredictable, the Prince of Zhenbei is loyal to His Majesty, but his heir and second son are not loyal, and what's more, the Left and Right Prime Ministers are powerful, and various princes are eyeing us covetously. If I were to involve you in all of this, wouldn't that make me worried?"
"I understand," Ji Wushang said softly. "But if you bear it all by yourself, won't that make me worry too?"
“I’m different.” Nan Xuzong smiled gently. “I’m already used to it, but you, who grew up in the inner courtyard of a mansion, how can I let you bear the storms of the court?”
"You want revenge, you want to seize the throne, don't you?" Ji Wushang looked at him with a firm gaze.
Nan Xuzong's eyes darted around, and he gently shook his head. "No."
Ji Wushang looked at him and sighed inwardly.
"I'd rather be with you, living a simple life together, that's all." Nan Xuzong smiled, then looked at her and gently lifted her face. "Would you agree?"
"Can I refuse?" Ji Wushang replied with a smile.
"No." He smiled and covered her lips with his.
After a long while, he finally released her, saying tenderly, "It's getting late, I'll leave now. From now on, you must not leave the manor at will. If you see them, take a detour."
"I understand," Ji Wushang said softly. If a lamp were lit at this moment, the blush on Ji Wushang's face would be even more clearly visible.
He put her back on the chair, smiled, and then slowly walked outside. Seeing that no one was around, he immediately disappeared.
Ji Wushang walked to the window and looked outside. The moonlight was so bright that he couldn't see a single person.
Ji Wushang returned to bed, looked up at the sky, and thought to himself:
He's actually the Fourth Prince... Hah, this is fate playing tricks on us! You say you won't seek revenge? Really? Can you really let it go? Even I, Ji Wushang, can't let it go! Never mind, we'll deal with the future later.
I, Ji Wushang, do not covet any wealth or status. I only wish to live a peaceful life and watch Wu Zi grow up safely. That is all.
——
Early in the morning, everyone was woken up by the eunuch in charge. After washing up, everyone gathered in the back hall.
Ji Wushang was sitting in the back hall when Aunt Qin walked in from outside. "Wushang, did something happen yesterday? Why didn't you wake me up?"
"It's nothing serious. It's just that Aunt Bai interrupted the Seventh Princess and me while we were playing chess and talking, and she was punished for it," Ji Wushang said casually.
Aunt Qin nodded as she listened, "Being with her will never bring any good things."
“Aunt Qin, you must be careful. Don’t forget how Aunt Xie died. You’re sleeping so soundly; you’d better be careful from now on.” Ji Wushang glanced at her, and although his tone was cold, Aunt Qin immediately understood the meaning of his warning.
"Yes." Aunt Qin nodded, then looked around. "Where is Aunt Bai?"
Ji Wushang watched indifferently, "I wonder if she still has the face to come." Just then, he saw Aunt Bai slowly walk in. Sure enough, the people around her were pointing and whispering about Aunt Bai, mostly talking about what happened last night.