After the hairpin incident, the old madam began to distance herself slightly from Madam Gu Peilan and her daughter.
Even though she still visited their residence every few days, she repeatedly avoided Madam Gu Peilan's requests to return to the Ji family.
Madam Gu Peilan didn't know what the problem was, but as her children were now adults, and given the Ji family's current favorable reputation, she was unwilling to miss this opportunity to acknowledge her lineage.
As long as they stepped through the doors of the Ji family, her daughter, even if merely a concubine's daughter, would be a Ji family daughter.
Her son was the only surviving male heir of the Ji family, the future hereditary successor of the Marquis's mansion.
After much deliberation, since the old madam was feigning ignorance, Madam Gu Peilan decided to approach the First Madam directly.
After all, both her son and daughter were fathered by the Ji family's Great Master, so the First Madam would have to agree even if she wanted to keep the peace.
"First Madam, if the Great Master were still alive, I would certainly not dare to cause trouble by approaching you directly. Now that the Great Master is gone, are you truly going to stand by and watch the Ji family become extinct? I know you detest my presence, but you cannot deny the fact that the Great Master had a son and a daughter! I am doing this for the sake of the Great Master and the Ji family!"
These words were rather harsh.
Of the three major filial impieties, having no heirs was the greatest.
Lin Wan Yun was merely the First Madam of the Ji family, and to obstruct the extinction of the Ji family's line would be a grave offense in Yu Lin.
Ji Ren Ran knelt on the ground, weeping profusely, calling out to the First Madam affectionately, "Ren Ran knows this is sudden, and it must be difficult for you to accept, First Madam. I am willing to swear to heaven that once Brother and I are admitted, I will treat you as my own mother."
Ji Ru Yun's eyes flickered slightly, and she held the First Madam Lin Wan Yun's hand, trying to persuade her, "When I first learned of this matter, I was truly shocked. By rights, I should have comforted them, the mother and daughters, as a mother would, so as not to disturb my sister-in-law's peace. But I cannot bear to see my elder brother left without an heir..."
Before she could finish, Ji Ru Yun choked back a sob.
However, there were no tears in the corners of her eyes, which were concealed by a handkerchief.
When Ji Ru Yun heard of Madam Gu Peilan's identity at the teahouse that day, she was also surprised.
She never expected her mother to have been raising children and a concubine for her elder brother all these years.
No wonder her mother had given her less and less as the years went by after she married into the Jin family.
Now that Madam Gu Peilan had agreed to help her secure benefits within the Ji family once she was admitted, Ji Ru Yun was naturally willing to lend a hand.
After all, the money her mother used to support these people came from the savings from what was meant for her, didn't it?
Now was the time to gradually pay her back.
The hand clasped in her palm was suddenly withdrawn.
As Ji Ru Yun came back to her senses, she saw the First Madam Lin Wan Yun placing her hands on her lap.
The First Madam Lin Wan Yun still sat upright, as dignified and graceful as ever, but her face, long past its youthful beauty, showed no sign of surprise.
"This lady just said that everything was for the sake of the Ji family and my husband, but in my view, that is not the case."
Faced with such a calm and collected First Madam, the people present were stunned.
The First Madam Lin Wan Yun paused and then continued, "According to this lady, you must have lived in the imperial city for some years. But when the Ji family faced trouble not long ago, why did you not come forward to acknowledge your kinship?"
Madam Gu Peilan's expression changed slightly, "That, that was..."
The First Madam Lin Wan Yun interrupted directly, "That was because the Ji family was then considered a traitorous clan. If you had come forward to acknowledge your kinship at that time, you would not have gained any benefits, and you might have even lost your heads along with the Ji family."
Madam Gu Peilan was speechless.
The feeling of being pierced to the heart was truly unbearable.
Ji Ren Ran quickly kowtowed several times, "It wasn't that we didn't want to acknowledge them, but the old madam never allowed it..."
The First Madam Lin Wan Yun said with a half-smile, "And now that Miss Ren Ran has accompanied her mother to make such a scene before me, does the old madam permit it now?"
Ji Ren Ran was speechless.
"The Ji family is calm now, but we are still walking on thin ice. If you truly considered the Ji family, you should have continued to live in your residence on the outskirts of the city, rather than using the excuse of considering everyone to shamelessly return to the Ji family and seize the peace that my daughter has painstakingly established."
The smile on the First Madam Lin Wan Yun's face gradually disappeared, replaced by a sharp and cold gaze.
"Perhaps, today I am not qualified to call you selfish, after all, you are also considering yourselves. But if everyone is selfish, why do you demand that I be kind?"
She slowly rose and looked down at the mother and daughter kneeling on the ground, "If you are willing to return to your former residence, I will continue to pretend that I know nothing. But if you dare to break this facade, do not blame me for no longer showing consideration for my late husband's feelings."
Her silence did not mean ignorance.
The First Madam Lin Wan Yun simply did not wish to shatter the peace that her husband had so painstakingly protected.
Madam Gu Peilan slumped to the ground, utterly bewildered.
The more she thought about the First Madam Lin Wan Yun's words, the more her heart trembled.
So the First Madam Lin Wan Yun had known about the existence of them, the mother and children, all along...
And yet she had remained as steadfast as a rock for so many years!
Ji Ru Yun also sat on the couch, unable to recover from her shock.
She had calculated everything, but never expected that her sister-in-law, who had always treated her courteously, would possess such astonishing aura.
Seeing her mother in a panic, Ji Ren Ran quickly stood up and chased after her, "First Madam, please wait..."
The First Madam Lin Wan Yun naturally did not stop.
Everyone is selfish.
Madam Gu Peilan and her daughter were, and so was she.
Yu Lin followed the practice of three wives and four concubines, but the men of the Ji family had always adhered to monogamy.
If her husband became the first to have three wives and four concubines, would he not be branded a disgrace to the Ji family!
Her daughter was already divorced. If this matter were to become known in the imperial city, how would her daughter ever be able to show her face?
Ji Zong You, who had not appeared until now, walked from the backyard and happened to see his sister chasing after the First Madam Lin Wan Yun with an anxious look and no trace of dignity.
When the First Madam Lin Wan Yun saw Ji Zong You, the disgust in her eyes was unconcealed. Sudan Novel Network.
She had heard about this man's troublemaking in the imperial city and had even sent people to investigate.
It was precisely because of this that the First Madam Lin Wan Yun would never allow such a wastrel to enter the Ji family's doors.
Although Ji Zong You was an illegitimate son, he had been doted on by the old madam and Madam Gu Peilan since childhood.
He had always had his way, living a life of privilege.
Now, seeing the disgust in the First Madam Lin Wan Yun's eyes, he was already displeased. At that moment, he overheard Ji Ren Ran exclaim, "Brother, quickly stop the First Madam! The First Madam resolutely refuses to allow us to return to the Ji family. I still need to beg the First Madam for mercy..."
The anger that had been simmering in Ji Zong You's heart instantly flared.
She was merely a discarded wife whose husband had died, what was she worth?
Seeing the First Madam Lin Wan Yun walking directly towards the courtyard gate, Ji Zong You suddenly rushed forward.