Chapter 258

Chapter 258 – Xiao Tried To Screw The Matter Up

Chapter 258 Xiao Tried to Screw the Matter Up

The letter was sent to a family surnamed Ji, where there was the elder with the highest seniority of Ji Family. Even Old Lady Ji had to call this elder granduncle, and the other juniors would call him great patriarch.

Although he was the great patriarch of Ji Family, he was not in charge because he was too old. He would not interfere with the issues of Ji Family on open occasions.

Although he was not in charge, he was still in good health and sensible. If there was anything difficult to solve in Ji Family that needed him, he would solve it properly. He was very prestigious in Ji Family. He used to be a general when he was young, so he liked Ji Hanyue’s father, Ji Yongming, very much.

Ji Yongming was his favorite junior.

It was said that the young Ji Yongming had once learned martial arts from him, and thanks to his guidance, Ji Yongming joined the army and subsequently became a general. Ji Hanyue was not clear about this because Ji Yongming had never mentioned these things in front of her. As a girl, she was not curious about these things either.

But Ji Hanyue knew that her father respected the great patriarch very much.

It was just that the great patriarch had not shown up for a long time, and no one mentioned him.

The letter was written in Ji Yongming’s tone on a paper with a deep folding mark, and it read like it was written a long time ago. At the end of the letter, there was a seal.

Ji Hanyue had her father’s private seal.

According to the date, the letter was written before Ji Hanyue was married. It was just an ordinary letter. In the letter, Ji Yongming told the great patriarch about his daily life and some of his wishes. He was sad that he did not have a son and worried that no one would worship him after he passed away, but then he added he was fortunate to have two daughters.

He said that his two daughters were both filial. His eldest daughter was the Crown Princess, and he did not have to worry about her in the future. His younger daughter was obedient. With these two daughters, he was not afraid of having no descendants.

But he said he was worried about Concubine Xiang. He said Concubine Xiang was loyal to him and his wife, so he wanted to make her a legitimate wife in the future. Since his two daughters both respected Concubine Xiang, they would definitely agree to Concubine Xiang’s promotion if he mentioned it to them.

He did not mention Old Lady Ji, because such a promotion was not a big deal. If the two daughters did not object, Old Lady Ji would not have any objection either.

Qu Moying asked Yu Dong to send the letter. She told Yu Dong to tell others that the letter was picked up on the road and that the recipient was someone from the Ji Family, so Yu Dong spent some effort sending it to the right family.

After arranging everything, Qu Moying began to wait for the movements of the Ji Mansion.

Earl Ling’an’s Mansion was indeed not peaceful. Xiao hurriedly left Ji Youran and returned to the mansion.

Ji Youran was injured, but it was not that serious. Actually, she got injured in a similar way to Qu Caiyue.

It was said that Ji Youran was injured when she went to see the Crown Prince.

However, unlike Qu Caiyue, who foolishly fell into the lake, Ji Youran was injured in the arm because the Crown Prince pulled her.

The attack was originally aimed at the Crown Prince, but she happened to be beside him. When the Crown Prince pulled her back, she retreated a little slower than the Crown Prince, and she was stiff all over because it was the first time she faced an assassination. How could she react? Therefore, the sword stabbed into her arm.

Ji Youran had long known that the so-called “assassination” in Eastern Palace back then was fake. Moreover, it did not happen in front of her, and she was not the one who got killed. It had nothing to do with her, and she just wanted Ji Hanyue to die. But this time, it was different because the sword almost stabbed her in the face.

At that moment, Ji Youran screamed in pain and fell to the ground unconscious.

If Ji Youran was still awake, she would have seen Pei Luo’an take a few steps back and loosen his grip. He did not care about her at all, and he did not even look at her when she passed out. He only paid attention to the few assassins in front of him.

Protected by a few guards, Pei Luo’an stepped back and left, not caring about Ji Youran at all.

After the assassins escaped, the guards found Ji Youran from the pile of corpses. Only then did they find that Ji Youran was still alive. She was alright except that her arm was injured.

Xiao hurriedly went to see Ji Youran when she got the news. Seeing that Ji Youran’s arm was injured, she cried sadly and said that she would stay in Crown Prince’s Mansion for some days to take good care of Ji Youran.

However, she did not expect to hear such news from Old Lady Ji after the latter returned to the mansion. She could no longer stay in Crown Prince’s Mansion. After comforting Ji Youran with a few words, she returned to the mansion with her people.

She could not let Old Lady Ji do that.

It was not a big deal for Old Lady Ji to promote the first branch’s Concubine Xiang to the position of a legitimate wife, but it was a big deal for Xiao. If Concubine Xiang became a legitimate wife, she would be Xiao’s legitimate sister-in-law, which allowed her to surpass Xiao in name. Ever since Yue died, Xiao had been in charge of Ji Mansion, and she had the most power in the inner yard.

If not for this reason, the matter of the first branch would not have been quietly handled.

The carriage drove all the way to Earl Ling’an’s Mansion. After getting off the carriage, Xiao went directly to Old Lady Ji’s yard. But she was stopped by someone when she got to the yard.

The person who came up to stop Xiao was Old Lady Ji’s trusted old maid. She said to Xiao with a smile, “Second Madam, Her Ladyship is chanting scriptures in the small Buddha Hall. No one is allowed to disturb her.”

Why did Old Lady Ji chant scriptures now? It was clear that she did not want to see Xiao.

Xiao was furious. She thought to herself that she would definitely teach Old Lady Ji a lesson in the future, but right now, it was not the time to argue. She forcefully calmed herself down and said with a frown, “I am here to talk to Old Lady Ji about Youran.”

“What’s the matter with Princess Ji?” Hearing this, the old maid was a little flustered. Ji Mansion now largely relied on Ji Youran.

“It’s a big deal. I met the Crown Prince in Eastern Palace and it was said…” Xiao stopped as if she was hesitating. “This matter is important, so I want to talk about it with Her Ladyship, but if she is unavailable, it will be tricky.”

“Madam, wait a moment. I will go and see if Her Ladyship is done!” Hearing that it was related to Ji Youran, the old maid did not dare to stop Xiao and hurriedly said.

“Thank you, Granny.” Xiao said politely.

The old maid nodded and went into the main room. Old Lady Ji was sitting there with a gloomy face. She was mumbling with a string of beads in her hand, and her eyes were closed. She was indeed chanting scriptures, and she was really reluctant to see Xiao at this time. She was very clear about the purpose of Xiao’s visit. Ji Yong’an had tried several times to persuade her, but she bluntly refused to see him.

“Your Ladyship, madam is back.” The old maid reported.

“Mmm!” Old Lady Qu replied indifferently without opening her eyes. She looked unhappy because she had already told the people around her that they did not need to report to her if Xiao returned. Why did the old maid still report to her? Were her words not as authoritative as Xiao’s?

Did Xiao really think that she was in charge of Earl Ling’an’s Mansion?

“Madam said that she has something important to tell you. It is about the Crown Prince and Princess Ji.” The old maid carefully reported. She knew Old Lady Ji was displeased just by looking at her expression, so she had to make it clear.

“About the Crown Prince and Princess Ji?” Old Lady Ji suddenly opened her eyes.

“Yes, that’s what she said. I don’t know what the matter is, and I didn’t dare to decide it myself, so I came to report to you.” The old maid was very good at talking. Her words were pleasant to Old Lady Ji’s ears. Old Lady Ji nodded and said, “Let her in!”

Since it was about her granddaughter, she really wanted to know.

The old maid left and soon brought Xiao over.

Xiao bowed and sat down at the side. A maid served her tea. Xiao suppressed the anxiety in her heart. She picked up the tea cup, took a sip, and put it down.

“What’s the matter with Princess Ji?” Old Lady Ji asked.

“The assassination of the Crown Prince this time was not simple. Not to mention Princess Ji, even the Crown Prince almost had an accident. Princess Ji was injured in order to save the Crown Prince. Fortunately, she was only injured in the arm, and it was not serious.” Xiao gave a brief account with a few words. It was Ji Youran’s idea to portray the matter as one in which she saved the Crown Prince.

“Is Princess Ji alright?” Old Lady Ji asked worriedly.

“It’s not a big deal. She just needs to rest for a while. It’s just that Princess Ji is very unhappy to hear that you intend to promote Concubine Xiang to the position of a legitimate wife.” Xiao said.

Old Lady Ji’s face darkened, and she looked coldly at Xiao. “Do you need to tell Princess Ji about this? It’s all her elders’ business. It’s not appropriate for a junior like her to say anything. Moreover, she is still injured. You are her mother, but why are you so ignorant? Why are you making things difficult for her with our mansion’s affairs? Didn’t you see that the Crown Prince was angry last time?”

It was said that the Crown Prince left unhappily last time.

“Mother, it’s not that I am thoughtless. It’s just that Princess Ji happened to be there at that time and heard it.” Xiao hurriedly explained, “Princess Ji said that a concubine is not qualified to be a legitimate wife. Why do you want to make Concubine Xiang a legitimate wife?”

“She would be qualified if I promote her. The first branch doesn’t even have an elder in charge. What should Yuanhai do in such a situation? Alright, this matter is settled. You must be tired. Go back and rest first!” Old Lady Ji waved her hand impatiently and closed her eyes again.

She was asking Xiao to leave.

She would not tell Xiao what had happened in Dabei Temple. On one hand, she was afraid that her powerful granddaughter, Ji Hanyue would come to her if she leaked the secret. Ji Hanyue was the Crown Princess when she was alive, and she was definitely not an ordinary person after she died. On the other hand, she was not willing to listen to Xiao’s nonsense.

The old maid at the side stepped forward and said to Xiao with a wry smile, “Madam, this way please!”

Xiao was unwilling to give up. She still wanted to say something, but the old maid brought her out. Standing outside the courtyard and looking at the courtyard door behind her, Xiao gritted her teeth in hatred. She thought Old Lady Ji was not the one who had the final say in Ji Family. Even if Old Lady Ji had made the decision, she would ruin this matter.