Chapter 138

Chapter 138 – Adoption

Chapter 138 Adoption

Qu Moying had already prepared both the executioner and the victims.

Concubine Xiang had been standing there thoughtfully. When she saw Qu Moying turn to look at her with such a dramatic movement, it startled her, but she immediately regained her composure.

Concubine Xiang took two steps forward and knelt in front of Yue Wenhan with a thud. “Mr. Yue, I am the Suppressor General’s concubine. I am the victim. Third Lady’s death is shady, and the rumors are ambiguous. Please investigate her case and restore her reputation.”

Concubine Xiang meant that she didn’t believe that Ji Yanyue had eloped.

The elders nodded and looked at Concubine Xiang with slightly kinder glances.

“Mr. Yue, she is indeed Earl Ling’an’s concubine. She came with Yue as part of her dowry.”

“Yes, what she said makes sense. The ladies of the Ji Family will not do anything immoral.”

“Mr. Yue, please investigate the matter and restore our reputation…” The elders said righteously one after another now they had justifiable reasons.

What the elders aimed for was not the outcome of the investigation but to stop the rumors that would tarnish the reputation of the women of the Ji Family.

Otherwise, all the ladies in the entire family would be implicated.

Xiao was so angry that she almost couldn’t control herself. She clenched the handkerchief in her hand and resisted the idea of going up to slap Concubine Xiang.

“Mr. Yue, Third Lady will never do something disgraceful. Please investigate the matter to clear our Third Lady’s name,” Concubine Xiang shouted again.

When the elders saw that she was protecting the reputation of the lady of the Ji Family, they nodded repeatedly and felt that this concubine was not bad. They even felt that she was a loyal member of the family.

They had also heard about the matter of Third Lady Ji. At first, they heard that she died of illness. After that, when the members of the Ji Family came to inquire about her incident, the Earl Ling’an’s Mansion had vaguely expressed that Ji Yanyue’s whereabouts were unknown and that she was not dead but had eloped with someone instead. The Mansion had no choice but to release the news that she had died, but the truth was that nothing had happened, it was all a cover-up for Ji Yanyue’s elopement.

When they heard that it was an elopement, the Ji Family did not dare to ask more questions. The more they asked, the more people would know about this, and their granddaughters might also be implicated. It would be best if they did not know anything.

Now that Qu Moying unraveled the case, Concubine Xiang stood up and emphasized with a serious manner that Ji Yanyue would not do anything that humiliated the family. The elders were very pleased with the outcome.

“Concubine Xiang, you are just a concubine. How dare you call yourself the victim?” Xiao was furious and rebuked harshly.

“I am indeed just a concubine, but I’m also the only person who can speak up in the first branch. If I didn’t speak up for Third Lady, her reputation would be unjustly tarnished. Second Madam, is it possible that you don’t want Mr. Yue to find the truth of Third Lady’s case?” Concubine Xiang retorted as she pointed at the elders. “Second Madam, even if you don’t care about Third Lady, you should let Mr. Yue investigate this matter for the sake of the women of the Ji Family!”

Upon hearing her statement, the elders nodded repeatedly, and some even glared at Xiao.

Of course, they did not want to see their daughter’s reputation being ruined.

“Alright, alright! Just investigate all you like!” Xiao was so angry that her face turned red. She turned to look at Old Lady Ji, who leaned weakly against the chair and looked like she was frightened, and Xiao was even more furious.

She had dealt with the matter cleanly, with both public and secret actions. In fact, the Crown Prince was involved in this matter too. She didn’t believe that Yue Wenhan, a lowly Vice Minister of the Dali Temple, could reveal the truth.

“L-Let’s go!” After saying this, Xiao turned around to help Old Lady Ji up, planning to calm down for the time being. There were many people here, so it was not the time to speak.

The next moment, her hand froze beside Old Lady Ji’s hand. She was stunned with what Concubine Xiang said to the elders. She was up in arms.

“Elders, you are all elders of the Ji Family. I am here to ask for a favor from you on behalf of General Ji.” Concubine Xiang knelt on the ground and wiped away her tears.

“What is it?” The elders exchanged curious glances.

“General Ji was a loyal and dignified soldier, serving the country wholeheartedly. But he only had two daughters. Now the Crown Princess has passed away, and Third Lady was presumed dead. General Ji is left without even a family member to complete the procession of his funeral…”

“Concubine Xiang, what are you talking about? Yuanxing and Yuanhai are both the descendants of General Ji. They will continue to observe all the traditions!” Xiao suddenly turned around and barked.

Concubine Xiang seemed to have not heard Xiao’s words and kowtowed to the elders again. “Elders, please let General Ji adopt a son from within the family.”

These words shocked everyone in the mourning hall.

Ji Yongming’s son couldn’t be casually adopted. The child would be the next Earl Ling’an. Even if he was not old enough, he would be the heir-apparent of Earl Ling’an.

In this way, the title that would have fallen into the hands of the second branch would return to the first branch.

Even if the one adopted was from the second branch, all the subsequent worshiping formalities could only be done by the first branch rather than the second branch.

Everyone understood the meaning behind this.

“Concubine Xiang, what nonsense are you talking about? Were you possessed when you stayed in the temple hall? Are you out of your mind? How dare you say such words?” Xiao shouted angrily.

Two old maids came from behind her and wanted to grab Concubine Xiang.

“Let me see who dare to do anything when I’m standing right here,” Yue Wenhan snorted coldly, and his face sank. The two old maids did not dare to go forward anymore and stopped to peek at Xiao.

Xiao was exasperated. Concubine Xiang’s appearance at a crucial moment like this was beyond her expectation. Had she known, she would have given Concubine Xiang a strip of cloth and strangled her. That would save all the trouble now.

She almost succeeded, but these people came out and ruined her plan. Xiao was annoyed and frustrated.

“Second Madam, why do you think that I have been possessed when I was surrounded by deities in the temple hall? General Ji had passed without any offspring. What is wrong with adopting a son to the first branch? Do you want the first branch to extinct just like that?”

The elders were all there, and there was Yue Wenhan and Qu Moying on the side. Concubine Xiang was upright and bold. At this moment, she said everything she wanted to say. She raised her eyes and looked at Xiao without fear.

The elders exchanged agitated looks and did not know what to say for a moment.

Logically speaking, they should let a successor be adopted by Ji Yongming posthumous. However, the people in the mansion did not mention it, so the elders did not dare to bring it up. The Ji Family is centered around Earl Ling’an’s Mansion. If those from the Mansion did not bring up the matter, they would be happy to stay out of it. After all, no one would want to offend the potentially powerful second branch for a dead man without an offspring.

They heard that Princess Ji was now the only female Master of Eastern Palace. Because of this, the elders did not dare to offend the Ji Family’s second branch unless they had no other choice.

They did not want to make their relationship with the second branch too stiff and awkward.

Although the Ji Family’s first branch was very strong in the past, there was no one in that branch now, so they didn’t mind offending them. The reality was harsh and cold. The current situation illustrated how superficial relationships were between humans.

However, now that someone brought this matter up and was heard by outsiders, they couldn’t turn a blind eye to it.

“This matter… my son did not mention anything about it before he died. He only said that he did not need to adopt another son since he had his nephews,” Old Lady Ji finally spoke. She held Xiao’s hand and slightly raised her bloodshot eyes.

“Old Lady, General Ji was just being considerate to Second Master, but don’t you and Second Master care about him anymore? Besides, General Ji might not know what happened to Third Lady, and he might assume that she was still here in the mansion!” Concubine Xiang cried out.

Old Lady Ji choked and looked at Xiao helplessly. However, Xiao shook her head forcefully, so Old Lady Ji sighed, “Concubine Xiang, you are just a concubine. You can’t make the decision on behalf of my son. I appreciate your loyalty, but step aside!”

“Old Lady, General Ji treated this family and mansion wholeheartedly, but… but he has fallen to such a tragic end now. He didn’t even have a son. Old Lady… how can you do this to him?” Concubine Xiang cried even more sadly. She knelt there without moving, teardrops falling one after another.

Old Lady Ji felt a little helpless and looked at Xiao again.

Xiao went forward to personally hold Concubine Xiang’s hand, trying to make herself look kind. “Concubine Xiang, please calm down. Don’t worry, just stay in the mansion. We’ll take you in and take care of you. You’re General Ji’s concubine, and you’ll always be his concubine. Even though there are a few concubines in the first branch, you are the most important one.”

Qu Moying sneered in her heart. Xiao was really good at her words. She made it sound like Concubine Xiang was making a scene now due to her selfishness. Her words implied that Concubine Xiang was afraid that Earl Ling’an’s Mansion would not treat her well in the future, so she was causing trouble and making a fuss now.

Xiao’s words swept away the sad atmosphere that Concubine Xiang had created before, and even made people doubt Concubine Xiang’s intentions.

Xiao’s plan was excellent. Even with the elders present, Concubine Xiang was still in a low-ranking position simply because she was a concubine. Unfortunately, Xiao forgot there was also Yue Wenhan.

Although Qu Moying and Yue Wenhan were not victims, and she did not have any connection with her father, because they were in-laws of the family, coupling with Concubine Xiang, they could match Xiao, the Ji Family, and even Ji Youran behind them, albeit with difficulty.

Taking revenge for the deep hatred was never something that could be done in one day.

She had even given up on finding the truth of her father’s case. Instead, she focused the investigation on her most unremarkable younger sister.

Originally, if the Ji Family did not say anything, no one in the royal court would say anything either. That was, as long as the Ji Family had sorted everything properly on their end. But now, it was different. It would not be that simple for Ji Yong’an to obtain the title of Earl Ling’an.

Seeing that Xiao had turned the table around, Yue Wenhan said coldly, “Since Earl Ling’an’s concubine feels that they should adopt a son for Earl Ling’an, I will submit a report to the Emperor.”

Qu Moying’s eyes narrowed slightly. This was originally what she had imagined before. Yue Wenhan was indeed a smart person!

Even if he could not directly interfere with the matter, he would still ruin Xiao’s plan!

When the report was delivered, it would inevitably lead to controversy. The final outcome of the struggle in the royal court was not something that Xiao can control. There might even be many accidents, such as reactions from the Crown Prince Pei Luo’an…