Xinlan was so frightened by Ji Ruyun's beating that she was quite shaken.
It was a direct hit.
After everyone left the main house, Ji Ruyun also hurried to get up and prepare to go back to collect the silver.
However, before leaving, Ji Ruyun, thinking of Ji Zizhao's sharp retort, even did not forget to look at her mother and say, "Even if the Ji family is in decline now, it is not her turn to be arrogant. Mother, you must teach her a good lesson, so she knows that being the head of the Ji family is not that easy."
The old madam looked at her spoiled daughter with a headache.
The Ji family was already in such a state, what was the point of setting rules?
Once the Ji family was convicted, the person in charge would naturally bear the responsibility.
To put it bluntly, she let Ji Zizhao take the seal of power of the Ji family, not only to follow the old master's instructions but also to find a scapegoat for the Ji family.
After watching Ji Ruyun leave, Nanny Xu lifted the curtain and walked in.
Seeing the old madam's unpredictable expression, she could not help but persuade her, "Old Madam, your old servant thinks the eldest daughter is considering the Ji family in every way and truly wants to shoulder the burden of the Ji family."
"How can the Ji family be shouldered by her just because she wants to?" The old madam did not believe Ji Zizhao had the ability. After thinking for a moment, she said, "How is it over there? Have you received any reply?"
Nanny Xu glanced around and seeing that there was no one else in the room, she said softly, "They replied that if the old madam wants to go, she can go anytime, and Ran-jie'er has already tidied up a courtyard for the old madam."
The old madam nodded with satisfaction. After all, she had doted on her since childhood, and she knew how to repay kindness.
This way, she would have nothing to worry about.
"Go and get me the set of pearl jewelry with embedded pearls from my cabinet and pick a time to send it over."
"Yes, Old Madam."
Given that both Ji Ruyun and the old madam had agreed to hand over the silver, the wives of the other branches began to ponder over the silver once they returned to their courtyards. For a time, all the courtyards of the Ji family were filled with lamentations.
The servants in the manor were dumbfounded.
The eldest daughter had driven the second daughter to tears yesterday, and the second daughter had not even stepped out of her courtyard since then. Now, with just one negotiation, she had stimulated the wives of the manor to the point where they could not even lift their heads, like eggplants struck by frost.
These methods and tricks...
Was she going to defy heaven!
Xinlan, with a worried heart, followed Ji Zizhao back to Zhaoyuan and finally could not help but say, "Miss, what if the eldest aunt finds out we tricked her?"
When she entered the room just now, she was scared to death, afraid that someone would discover that the blood on her body was fake.
"Don't worry, she won't find out." Ji Zizhao had made up her mind and was confident she would not be seen through.
Ji Ruyun had lived in the Marquis Xuanping's manor for years by relying on her feigned dignity and the meat she had bitten off from the Ji family.
For Ji Ruyun, the meat could be obtained from the Ji family later, but if she lost face, how could she continue to rule and dominate in the Marquis Xuanping's manor?
Therefore, the face-loving Ji Ruyun would rather feel the pain than let the people in the Marquis Xuanping's manor know that the Ji family was in decline, even if she herself was beaten when she went out.
Nanny He walked from the direction of the side room and said softly, "Miss, Qingzhu has woken up."
Xinlan quickly said, "Then I'll go wash up and change my clothes, and then I'll serve Miss."
Ji Zizhao shook her head and instructed, "I heard a while ago that your migraine had recurred. The juice of Radix scutellariae has the effect of unblocking meridians, treating wind-cold pain in joints, promoting blood circulation, and activating blood. You don't need to rush to wash. You don't need to serve today, just sleep well in your room."
Since she was beaten, it was only reasonable to "nurse her injuries" properly.
Xinlan nodded, her heart filled with warmth.
She had not told Miss about her migraine, yet Miss was so thoughtful.
Although the people in the manor did not understand the use of the flowers and grasses that Miss usually fiddled with, the people in Zhaoyuan knew that it was precisely because of Miss's miraculous healing that the people in Zhaoyuan had not even caught a cold in recent years.
Ji Zizhao followed Nanny He to the side room, and Nanny He stood guard outside cautiously.
In the room, Qingzhu was about to get up and pay her respects when she saw Ji Zizhao enter, "Miss..."
Ji Zizhao pressed her shoulder first, then placed a cushion behind her, and comforted her, "There's no need to be so formal between master and servant. You don't have any fatal injuries, but it's a serious sprain. But don't worry, I've already given you acupuncture to clear the blockages in your body."
It was obvious that the assassin yesterday did not intend to take Qingzhu's life.
Qingzhu's eyes were full of shame, "The thief's moves were strange, and I was negligent, which allowed him to take advantage of the opportunity."
Ji Zizhao immediately grasped the key point, "You mean..."
Qingzhu nodded cautiously, "That thief is definitely not from Yulin. I once fought against the Xirong with the old general. I think the thief's moves should be from Xirong."
Xirong was located to the east of Yulin.
It was heard that at the beginning of Emperor Xiaochang's reign, it was the time when Xirong and Yulin were in conflict.
Later, a famous general of Xirong was defeated by the old general's saber. To seek peace, Xirong ceded twelve cities to Yulin and sent a young prince to Xirong as a hostage the following year.
Since then, the war between Yulin and Xirong had subsided.
For years, Yulin and Xirong had maintained peaceful coexistence. Why would a Xirong assassin suddenly intrude into Yulin?
A clear and handsome face suddenly appeared in her mind.
Ji Zizhao frowned slightly.
What puzzled her even more was, why did the Fourth Prince's eyes flash with a trace of grief when the Xirong assassin was subdued?
"Do you need me to investigate?" Qingzhu asked.
Ji Zizhao suppressed the surging thoughts in her heart, "Go out for a walk a few nights these days. You don't need to engage in any fights, just let people know you exist."
It was not important why the Xirong assassin intruded into Yulin, but it was important that the Xirong assassin would let the people in the imperial city who had become accustomed to comfort know the importance of the Ji family's existence, and it would also make the common people remember the Ji family's kindness.
Silver could only temporarily tie that person's hands, but it was not enough to make that person completely disregard them. Only when more people spoke up for the Ji family would the person who took the Ji family's silver be forced to consider the Ji family's existence.
Not to mention Ji Zizhao's stir today, not only did Ji Ruyun send five hundred taels of silver an hour later, but the daughters-in-law of each branch also rushed to hand over all the cash in their businesses. Su Dan Novel Network.
In Yulin, merchants and farmers paid commercial taxes to the yamen, which then paid them to the Ministry of Revenue. Other official residences' taxes were collected by people sent by the Ministry of Revenue.
The Seventh Prince Xie Jinglin, who had nothing to do, went to the Ministry of Revenue for a stroll and heard that he was going to collect taxes from official residences. Thinking of Ji Zizhao's appearance yesterday, with blood flowing from her neck and gritting her teeth to endure, Xie Jinglin felt a strong itch in his heart.
What was there to pretend to be? She was just a good-for-nothing the imperial city made fun of.
With the intention of watching Ji Zizhao's predicament, Xie Jinglin immediately volunteered to lead the Ministry of Revenue personnel to the Ji family himself.
However, before Xie Jinglin, who was standing at the gate of the Ji family, could speak, the housekeeper had already had the tax silver carried out.
Not long after, the entrance of the Ji family was filled with several large lacquered red chests.
In the sunlight, the white silver in the chests was so dazzling that it made people's eyes ache.
At the bottom of the steps, the officials from the Ministry of Revenue almost dropped their eyeballs.
Xie Jinglin, "..."
Suddenly, he felt like he had been hit by money on a beach.