The second prince returned to the city, and the storm was coming.
This was merely the prelude to a tempest. If the women of the Ji family had already lost the will to live, how could they withstand the coming gales and torrential rain?
As long as their spirits remained unbroken, the Ji family, even if it crumbled, could be rebuilt!
Upon hearing these words, the women of the Ji family, whose hearts had been filled with despair, found their resolve rekindled. Once back at the manor, they immediately began bustling about with the household servants.
Ji Zizhao, meanwhile, instructed Lian Ju to fetch her medicine box from her courtyard and proceeded directly to Cloud Courtyard.
Qing Zhu, carrying the First Madam, Lin Wanyun, arrived at Cloud Courtyard and gently placed her on the bed.
Ji Zizhao followed closely, sitting by the bedside and placing her hand on her mother's wrist.
Her pulse was full and straight, pressing like taut strings.
A thready pulse.
She feared her mother, unable to bear the blow, had suffered a temporary Liver Qi stagnation, leading to qi blockage.
Ji Zizhao took the medicine box handed to her by Lian Ju, retrieved two small porcelain bottles, dipped her silver needles into them, and then, with the needles carrying a strong bitter juice, proceeded to insert them one by one into several acupoints near her mother's chest.
As time passed, First Madam Lin Wanyun, though still unconscious, gradually stabilized.
Ji Zizhao breathed a sigh of relief and turned around, only to see her younger sisters standing silently behind her.
Ji Zibi spoke first, asking, "Eldest Sister, is First Aunt's condition serious?"
Ji Zizhao replied softly, "She is well. It is merely a knot in her heart; she will recover with some rest."
Hearing this, Ji Zixiu glared resentfully at Ji Ziyan beside her. "It's all your fault! If that whip had struck the second prince just now, how could First Aunt have fainted from anger? Third Sister, have you learned nothing but uselessness in all your years at the Zhao family?"
Ji Ziyan glanced at her eldest sister, offering no explanation, merely lowering her head to silently endure.
Regardless, she had accomplished what her eldest sister had tasked her with.
Seeing Ji Ziyan remain silent, Ji Xixiu, enraged, raised her hand to strike. "I'm talking to you, why are you playing mute? If I had known you were so useless, I never should have let you return to the Ji family and become a burden!"
As the words fell, so did the palm.
At the critical moment, Ji Zizhao spoke with a cold voice, "Qing Zhu."
Qing Zhu flashed and landed beside Ji Xixiu, grasping the hand that was about to fall.
Ji Xixiu stared at Ji Zizhao in disbelief. "What are you doing? Can't an elder sister discipline her younger sister?"
Ji Zizhao gazed coldly at Ji Xixiu. "Is resorting to violence and abuse against those around you your idea of responsibility?"
Ji Xixiu was stunned by the reprimand, biting her lip and glaring at Ji Zizhao. "I wasn't acting impulsively today without thinking. You didn't see how outrageously the second prince behaved! What right do you have to point fingers at me in the name of 'considering the bigger picture'?"
Ji Zizhao countered with a question instead of an answer. "You only saw how the second prince bullied the Ji family, but did you ever consider why he dared to bully the Ji family in such a manner?" Su Dan Novel Network
Ji Xixiu almost roared, "Isn't it because all the men of the Ji family are dead! That's why I wanted to let him know that the women of the Ji family are not to be trifled with!"
Ji Zizhao's gaze was sharp. "Since you understand the reason behind it, you must not be impulsive and willful!"
She knew that if her second sister had not exercised restraint today, her third sister would have been utterly incapable of stopping her. Therefore, she believed that her second sister truly no longer acted on impulse.
But it was not enough.
"A subject is a subject, and a sovereign is a sovereign. The son born of a sovereign naturally stands above everyone else. The second prince dared not touch the Ji family before, not because of their martial prowess, but because of their glory. Now, in the eyes of the people of the imperial city, our Ji family is already branded as criminal. If you openly offend the second prince, I fear there will be no need for a trial; everyone in the Ji family will accompany you to their deaths!"
Ji Zizhao's words were stern and powerful, striking the ground with force.
Ji Xixiu suddenly recalled her First Aunt's trembling restraint when she saw her grandfather's sleeve.
It turned out that this was not mere tolerance, but the biting of teeth and swallowing of blood for the sake of the greater good!
Ji Xixiu raised her arm, which was still in mid-air, and finally let it fall powerlessly.
She glanced at her eldest sister beside her. Ji Xixiu's lips moved for a long time, but not a single word came out. She simply walked towards the door.
Ji Ziyan sighed with concern, "Perhaps it would be best to tell Second Sister the truth. Only then... will Second Sister be able to understand Eldest Sister's difficulties."
For those who are quick-tempered and impulsive, the so-called truth is merely a catalyst for trouble.
It was precisely because the men of the Ji family were gone that Ji Zizhao could not afford to neglect her younger sisters.
Ji Zibi had been running businesses and had already gained some renown in the surrounding cities, on the verge of becoming a formidable merchant. Ji Ziyan, though divorced and living alone, was steady in temperament; if she could find another good family, it would be ideal. If she were to remain alone, Ji Zizhao could entrust all matters of the Ji family manor to Ji Xixiu.
Only this Ji Xixiu...
She feared that after the current matters subsided, she would have to keep her by her side for several years of tempering before her talents could be fully realized.
"It's getting late, and you must all be tired. Go back and rest early." Ji Zizhao calmed her mind. The road ahead was still long. As long as she willed it, she could always ensure that all her sisters could display their own unique brilliance.
By then, regardless of whether they were married or not, they would be able to walk upright and stand tall in this world, free from the criticism and judgment of others!
Ji Xixiu and Ji Zibi looked at the bloodshot eyes of their eldest sister and, pained, dared not say more. They turned and left.
Ji Zizhao took a deep breath, intending to check her mother's pulse again. To her surprise, when she turned, she found her mother had already woken up and was staring at her with red eyes, lost in thought.
With the Ji family in such a state of disarray, even First Madam Lin Wanyun felt her heart shatter and scatter.
Yet, when everyone else should have been consumed by despair, her own daughter stood firm in the Ji family, not only becoming a pillar of support for everyone but also planning how the Ji family could move forward against the odds.
First Madam Lin Wanyun, unknowingly, also found a flicker of hope for survival amidst her daughter's steadfastness.
Ji Zizhao placed her hand on her mother's wrist. Seeing that the pulse was stable, she said softly, "Mother, there is no need to worry. You will be fine after a few days of rest. I have already asked the aunts to prepare memorial tombs for the uncles. When Mother is feeling better, I will personally escort you to pay our respects."
First Madam Lin Wanyun's heart trembled violently at the thought that the men of the Ji family had died without even a body to bury. "Take this. Though there are no remains, it is still better than nothing..."
Ji Zizhao lowered her eyes and saw that her mother's trembling hand was clutching half of a broken sleeve!