The ministers lining up in the imperial study, watching the Fifth Prince cry on his knees, could not help but feel disdain.
When the Ji family was at its peak, he himself had gone to propose marriage to them, reportedly kneeling before the old Ji family general, his demeanor so moving that one might think he was marrying the old Ji family general.
Oh, now that the Ji family is in decline, you would still try to make their granddaughter a side consort, and she, Ning He Li, knowing her place, refused to be a side consort. And now you’re here crying your eyes out before the Emperor.
It’s true you are timid and cowardly, but you can’t kick them when they’re down, can you?
Xie Jingzhou knelt on the ground, feeling as if thorns were piercing his skin under the gazes of the ministers.
Emperor Xiaochang was so exasperated by the Fifth Prince’s cowering posture that he felt a headache coming on.
If he weren’t his own son, he would have loved to kick him out of the imperial study, or even the entire imperial palace.
“Get out now!”
With Emperor Xiaochang’s angry roar, the Fifth Prince scrambled out of the imperial study like a rolling ball.
Seated in the carriage returning to his palace, Xie Jingzhou’s eyes were filled with malevolence, his fists clenched tightly.
He absolutely could not understand how the Ji family could possess such a spirit of desperation.
Could it be…
That it was Ji Zizhao’s doing again?
No, that couldn't be…
Xie Jingzhou immediately dismissed the thought.
To think of spending money to save the Ji family at this juncture required not only courage but also strategy. Even if Ji Zizhao were not the good-for-nothing people in the imperial city spoke of, she definitely did not possess such meticulous thinking.
“Luoyi was defeated, and the Ji family cannot escape responsibility. I personally witnessed on the battlefield that the Ji family men were stubborn and arrogant, each one thinking too highly of themselves and being incredibly proud!”
A clamor of voices erupted from outside the carriage.
Xie Jingzhou cautiously lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and saw the messenger who had delivered news back to Yulin that day, sitting in the first-floor dining area of a restaurant, loudly denouncing the Ji family to other diners.
Seeing that the other diners were listening intently, Xie Jingzhou let down the curtain.
As soon as his Second Imperial Brother arrived in the imperial city, the Ji family would be confirmed as the main culprits in the Luoyi battle, and then the Ji family would cease to exist. As for that person who was both brave and strategic…
He might as well investigate and recruit them for his own use in advance.
Inside the restaurant.
The messenger’s voice continued, “You who haven’t been to Luoyi naturally don’t know. If it weren’t for the Second Prince’s bravery this time, the Yulin soldiers would have all perished on the battlefield because of the Ji family’s unilateral decisions. If you ask me, existences like the Ji family, who think too highly of themselves, deserve to die!”
Ji Ziyan, the third daughter of the Ji family, who had come to the restaurant with Shui Huan to buy wine and food, trembled with anger and stepped forward to argue, “The Emperor will decide matters of the battlefield. If you slander the Ji family with your baseless accusations here, do you believe I won’t report you to the authorities right now?”
The messenger finished his wine in one gulp and then looked at Ji Ziyan, “Oh, I wonder who it is. It turns out to be the third daughter of the Ji family. But third daughter of the Ji family, don’t forget, my father is also the current Left Deputy Censor-in-Chief.”
The current Left Deputy Censor-in-Chief of Yulin, Sun Yunxiao, and this messenger was his only son, Sun Tang.
“So what if you are the young master of the Sun family? As the son of the Left Deputy Censor-in-Chief, does Lord Sun not teach his children to spread rumors without evidence?” Ji Ziyan looked at the arrogant Sun Tang. She was not without fear, but she refused to back down.
The Ji family had stood tall in Yulin for a hundred years, and had protected the citizens of Yulin with peace for a century.
The men of the Ji family entered military training at the age of seven or eight and embarked on the battlefield with their elders in their teens.
Their blood was shed on the battlefield, their bodies reduced to dust, how could others slander them so wantonly!
Sun Tang, who had already had some wine, became even angrier upon hearing Ji Ziyan’s reprimand, his eyes turning red.
He, the dignified son of the Left Deputy Censor-in-Chief, how could he be lectured by a woman?
“You…”
Sun Tang raised his arm and walked towards Ji Ziyan. He originally intended to scare her, but unexpectedly, Ji Ziyan suddenly fell to the ground.
Sun Tang, “…”
How did she fall?
Ji Ziyan sat on the ground in disarray, her eyes red and her face full of wronged grievance, “The young master of the Left Deputy Censor-in-Chief’s family indeed has good upbringing, beating a weak woman on the street. Did Young Master Sun Tang also behave so lawlessly and undisciplined when he followed the army?”
One sentence directly pointed the spearhead towards the military camp.
And when the military camp was considered, it would soon lead to the battlefield.
The surrounding diners had already been half-believing Sun Tang’s words, and now upon hearing Ji Ziyan’s statement, their gazes towards Sun Tang became even more disgusted and cold.
Relying on being the only son of the Left Deputy Censor-in-Chief, he was capable of acting violently towards women on the street, and was therefore also capable of spreading false military intelligence to tarnish the Ji family’s reputation.
Sun Tang felt his skin crawl under the diners’ gazes, standing there in a sorry state, enduring the bombardment of their angry stares.
Shui Huan, who had gone to the back to get the food, saw her young lady fall to the ground and quickly came to help her up, “Miss, how are you?”
Ji Ziyan shook her head, and while everyone was looking at Sun Tang, she quietly left the restaurant with Shui Huan.
Sun Tang did not expect that he, the dignified son of the Left Deputy Censor-in-Chief, would be outmaneuvered by a mere woman. He glared at Ji Ziyan’s departing back, his teeth grinding audibly.
That afternoon, the young noblemen of the imperial city gathered together.
And the host was Sun Tang, who had been embarrassed by Ji Ziyan that morning.
The venue was the largest restaurant in the imperial city, the Du Jiang Tower, with their seats by the railing on the second floor.
During the feast, Sun Tang loudly spread rumors about how the Ji family had hindered the army on the battlefield, and even boasted that the day the Second Prince arrived in the imperial city would be the day the Ji family was executed.
For a time, the people of the capital were in an uproar.
Given how confidently Sun Tang spoke, some had already sided with Yulin and believed the Ji family was guilty.
The female members of the Ji family had naturally heard these remarks, but they were women who stayed within the confines of their residences. Besides fearing and feeling wronged in their homes, what else could they do?
In Zhaoyuan.
Ji Zizhao listened to Xinlan’s report with cold eyes and a murderous aura emanating from her.
If she hadn’t heard the news, she would have forgotten about that Sun Tang who had delivered the message back to Yulin.
In that case…
It was just right.
“Nanny He, I recall your son is currently a guard in the Ji family?”
Nanny He immediately understood and quickly summoned her son before Ji Zizhao.
Zhang Ji, though over thirty, was still robust from years of martial arts practice.
Upon seeing Ji Zizhao, he quickly knelt on one knee, “Ji family guard pays his respects to the eldest young lady.”
Ji Zizhao looked at Zhang Ji, her face like a calm lake, “Uncle Ji, find a few trustworthy individuals with tight lips. Tonight, they will accompany me out.”
“Eldest young lady, rest assured, I will attend to it immediately.” Zhang Ji knew that if discretion was required, it meant the young lady did not wish to cause any complications. He served the Ji family and would naturally obey the current head of the Ji family.
Moreover, his mother was the young lady’s wet nurse.
Before long, Zhang Ji had secretly made all the necessary preparations.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Ji Zizhao avoided the sight of the Ji family members and left the Ji residence through the back door of Zhaoyuan.
Qing Zhu followed closely behind, worriedly saying, “This subordinate wishes to accompany the young lady.”
Ji Zizhao, who had gotten into the carriage, lifted the curtain and looked at Qing Zhu outside, “A mere son of the Left Deputy Censor-in-Chief does not require a young general personally trained by Grandfather. You only need to handle the matters at hand.”
She let down the curtain, her dark eyes filled with a chilling cold.
The night was long, and tonight she intended to have a good time with Sun Tang.