Ji Zongyou grabbed the First Madam, Lin Wanyun, by her hair and slammed her head against the wall behind him.
"Bang!" A muffled thud.
Blood immediately streamed from the First Madam's forehead.
Lin Wanyun struggled to break free from Ji Zongyou's grip, her slightly long nails tearing into the back of his hand.
Ji Zongyou gritted his teeth in pain, cursing viciously, "Bitch! It's not too late to agree now. Don't say I didn't warn you. I am the only male heir of the Ji family now. Once I return, I'll be part of your branch. If you're smart, maybe I'll let you bask in my glory."
Lin Wanyun's ears roared with pain, yet her expression remained unchanged. "A good-for-nothing like you has no right to set foot in the Ji family's door, let alone shame my husband's honor!"
Ji Zongyou's face contorted, his eyes filled with malice. "Say that again?"
"I'll say it as many times as it takes. Not only are you unworthy of being a Ji family son, but you're not even half as good as my daughter! I'm not letting you return to the Ji family for your own good. If my daughter knew a trash like you existed, she wouldn't let you live comfortably in the Ji family!"
In the past, the First Madam, Lin Wanyun, never understood her father-in-law's favoritism towards Ji Zizhao.
She even thought that her father-in-law saying Ji Zizhao surpassed a thousand men was merely a comfort to her.
But now, she believed it.
How could her daughter be compared to these parasites in front of her?!
Blood trickled down her cheek, staining her fair skin.
It also stained her dark eyes.
Yet beneath the baptism of blood was a confident and utterly mocking smile.
Such an expression pierced Ji Zongyou's heart like a thorn. "Bitch! I'll show you your place!"
With that, he tightened his grip on her hair and shoved Lin Wanyun against the wall again.
Again and again...
Repeatedly.
The sound of her head hitting the wall grew louder, and the blood flowed more profusely.
Ji Renran, standing not far away, paled with fear. If she hadn't gritted her teeth tightly, she would have cried out loud on the spot.
The commotion in the courtyard also alerted Ji Ruyun and Gu Peilan in the flower hall.
The two of them hurried out of the threshold, only to see the First Madam, Lin Wanyun, tossed aside like a tattered rag by Ji Zongyou.
The blood gradually spread, as if about to engulf Lin Wanyun!
Then they looked at Ji Zongyou, his body splattered with blood, laughing maniacally at Lin Wanyun.
Ji Ruyun was stunned and, after a long silence, questioned Ji Zongyou, "What good deeds have you done!"
Ji Zongyou sneered, kicking the lifeless body of the First Madam, Lin Wanyun. "Didn't you want us to help you accumulate wealth after returning to the Ji family? Isn't it more convenient now that the obstacle is dead?"
Ji Ruyun's face turned pale with anger. "She is the First Madam of the Ji family! Her maternal family is the Yang family of Bianjing! How many lives do you think you have to dare kill her!"
Ji Ruyun felt a surge of panic just thinking that she was the one who had found the First Madam, Lin Wanyun, today.
The Ji family was easy to deal with, at least she was her own mother. But what if the Yang family found out about this matter?
Yang Lang was a renowned great scholar, but Yang Fu...
Was the governor of Bianjing, holding command of thirty thousand city guards!
"Who cares what she is, she dared to mock me, so I'll let her die!" Ji Zongyou had been spoiled by Gu Peilan and the Old Madam to the point of lawlessness. How could he understand the gravity of the situation now?
Ji Ruyun was truly infuriated to death.
She had only been attracted to Gu Peilan's intelligence and Ji Renran's composure back then. She never expected Ji Zongyou to be such a madman!
"I never thought you were so capable. Since that's the case, this matter has nothing to do with me anymore." Ji Ruyun said with a cold smile, no longer wanting to get involved in this mess.
At this critical juncture, Gu Peilan could not let Ji Ruyun walk away unscathed. "Grand Aunt, please don't say things out of anger. The eldest daughter of the Ji family is not in the imperial city now. Let's quickly find a reason to make the First Madam's death seem justified. As long as we can deceive everyone's eyes, and once the First Madam is hastily buried, who will bother to think about it?"
Ji Renran also walked over. "The First Madam of the Ji family is dead, but the Ji family cannot be without a manager for a day. This way, we can naturally enter the Ji family."
Ji Ruyun frowned and looked at Ji Renran. "That's easily said. Do you really think that you, who are powerless and have no maternal family to rely on, can get the Ji family to agree to let you enter?"
Ji Renran looked at the First Madam, Lin Wanyun, who was growing colder, her gaze flickered. "Not now, but soon."
Although Ji Ruyun wanted to withdraw, the current situation was not something she could simply step away from.
Especially seeing Ji Zongyou's arrogant demeanor, how could she not fear becoming the second Lin Wanyun?
Seeing Gu Peilan and Ji Renran speaking with such confidence, Ji Ruyun could only brace herself and order the servants to prepare a coffin. She then tidied herself up briefly and boarded the carriage back to the Ji family.
In the Ji family's storeroom, Ji Ziyan, who was reconciling accounts with the housekeeper, heard that the Grand Aunt had returned. She immediately put down her work and hurried with Shui Huan to greet her.
As soon as she arrived at the main courtyard, she saw a dark, ominous coffin.
In the courtyard, Ji Ruyun was kneeling on the ground, holding the Old Madam's hand and crying, "I was worried that Eldest Sister-in-law was missing Sister Zhao too much, so I wanted to talk to her. I never expected that Eldest Sister-in-law would cry every time she mentioned Sister Zhao. She also heard some rumor from who knows where, saying that Sister Zhao was going to marry into the Turks. I merely asked the servants to prepare tea, and Eldest Sister-in-law became overly emotional and in a fit of desperation, slammed her head against the wall..."
At these words, the Old Madam and Ji Ziyan both staggered back a step.
Ji Ziyan looked at the dark, aged coffin, feeling dizzy and lightheaded. Fortunately, Shui Huan, who was beside her, supported her in time.
"Miss, be careful!"
Ji Ziyan knew that this was not the time to grieve. She quickly pulled Shui Huan and turned to leave the main courtyard.
She almost ran back to her own courtyard and hastily wrote a letter, handing it to Shui Huan. "Go to the escort agency immediately. No matter how much they ask for, agree. Make sure to stress the urgency of delivering this letter to Luoyi as soon as possible."
Shui Huan nodded, clutching the letter and hurrying out.
Ji Ziyan, however, sat on a stool, panting uncontrollably.
She did not believe her Grand Aunt's flimsy excuse, but it was most important to get the news to her eldest sister as soon as possible.
In fact, the Old Madam also did not believe Ji Ruyun's clumsy excuse.
After dismissing everyone from the courtyard, the Old Madam pulled Ji Ruyun into the house and, with a stern face, asked, "What exactly happened? Tell me the truth."