Ji Zizhao truly couldn't be bothered to deal with Xie Jingqi, so she entered the house. Unexpectedly, the moment she stepped inside, she detected an unfamiliar presence.
Before Ji Zizhao could give any orders, Qing Zhu, who had followed her in, dashed towards a corner of the room.
The person waiting inside seemed surprised that Qing Zhu would attack without a word and instinctively raised a hand to defend against Qing Zhu's killing blow.
After a few exchanges, the two were evenly matched.
However, Qing Zhu's moves were filled with killing intent, and she quickly forced the person out from the corner.
At the same time, the person called out softly, "Eldest Daughter of the Ji family, please show mercy. This subordinate has been ordered by the Fourth Prince to deliver a letter."
Ji Zizhao lit the candlestick on the table and turned in the direction of the voice.
In the candlelight, the person's resolute features gradually became clear.
When Qing Zhu saw Tang Di's face clearly, her killing intent subsided, but she still instinctively struck his chest with her palm. "It's you."
Tang Di, "..."
Even though you know it's me, you still hit me...
Qing Zhu felt no guilt. As she retracted her hand, she stood behind Ji Zizhao.
Tang Di, considering the purpose of his visit, didn't dwell on Qing Zhu's actions. He took out the letter from his embrace and respectfully presented it to Ji Zizhao. "Please, Eldest Daughter of the Ji family, examine it."
Ji Zizhao recognized the handwriting immediately; it was from her third sister.
She quickly took it and opened it, then froze in place.
Her eyes felt as if they were covered by something, blurry and stinging with sorrow.
Ji Zizhao instinctively opened her mouth, wanting to gasp for air, but her throat was also blocked.
The hand holding the letter clenched tighter, and the rage burning in her eyes seemed to scorch the letter in her hand. The killing intent radiating from her body was bone-chilling, yet she had no outlet for it.
The despair that pierced to her very bones made Ji Zizhao's footing unsteady.
Qing Zhu quickly reached out to support her and discovered that her young lady's body was as cold as if all warmth had been drained.
Ji Zizhao gently broke free from Qing Zhu's support. Her voice, which had been lost, was now hoarsely rough. "You all leave first."
Qing Zhu looked at her young lady, who was stiff and radiating a chill, her eyes full of worry. Still, she silently retreated.
Tang Di glanced at Ji Zizhao with concern before following, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.
He hadn't expected the Eldest Daughter of the Ji family to be so composed. If it were someone else, they might have…
"Swish—!"
Something suddenly pressed against Tang Di's throat.
It was cold.
As Tang Di regained his senses, he slightly lowered his gaze and saw the sharp sword blade pressed against his neck.
Qing Zhu tightened her grip on the long sword and asked coldly, "Speak, what letter did you deliver to my young lady!"
Such despair and self-control to the extreme from her young lady was something Qing Zhu had never seen before. Even when she heard about the annihilation of the Ji family, her young lady had never shown such a heart-chilling expression.
Tang Di knew Qing Zhu was the Eldest Daughter of the Ji family's confidante. He glanced at the closed door behind him and then said softly, "That letter was written by the Third Daughter of the Ji family. I was merely ordered to deliver it. Although I don't know the specifics of what was written, everyone in the imperial city now knows that the First Wife of the Ji family, overcome with longing for the Eldest Daughter, threw herself against a wall and committed suicide…"
Qing Zhu looked at Tang Di in shock, her usually expressionless face filled with disbelief.
The First Wife was dignified and reserved. No matter what, she would never do such a thing.
Tang Di felt a chill on his neck and quickly said, "This matter is absolutely true. It's likely the Third Daughter of the Ji family was also reporting a death."
Qing Zhu's wrist, which held the sword, trembled. The sharp sword drooped to her side along with her arm.
She turned to look at the closed room behind her, her eyes already red beyond recognition.
When the men of the Ji family all died, her young lady at least had a madam to support her. Now, even the madam was dead…
How was her young lady supposed to carry on!
Tang Di sighed, "The imperial city is not peaceful. This letter from the Ji family was sent out through immense hardship. The Ji family's guard was left with only his last breath for this letter."
Qing Zhu's gaze remained fixed on the door, her words squeezed through gritted teeth. "Who was the killer."
Tang Di thought of the skills of the men in black. "I didn't investigate thoroughly, but they should not be ordinary individuals."
The conversation outside was not loud, but every word still reached Ji Zizhao's ears.
The room, already tinged with a chill, made Ji Zizhao shiver all over, as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
She lowered her eyes again to the letter in her hand, which was already contorted from her grip. A metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.
Her third sister had written in haste and hadn't elaborated much, but even from the few words, Ji Zizhao could imagine her mother's appearance at the time of her death.
She had left as a person, but returned as a coffin…
What truth was hidden within this, Ji Zizhao dared not think any further.
She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to control herself and would return to the imperial city to wreak havoc!
The Eldest Aunt of the Ji family…
Ji Rujun!!
A faint sound of crying seeped out from under the door.
Qing Zhu stood silently outside, accompanying her. If her young lady didn't come out, she wouldn't leave.
Seeing this, Tang Di could only wait by the side.
He had already made up his mind that the Eldest Daughter of the Ji family would likely return to the imperial city swiftly. He had been serving the Fourth Prince on missions for many years and was familiar with the terrain, so he could guide her.
Half an hour later, more people from the street came to collect medicine.
An hour later, more people lined up…
This repeated countless times, and finally, the dark sky saw the dawn.
However, the tightly shut door showed no sign of opening.
Early in the morning, Han Jingyu arrived with soldiers to deliver steamed buns to the doctors on the street.
However, after waiting for a long time, no one saw the presence of Princess Ronghe.
Xie Jingqi, holding two steaming hot steamed buns, arrived at the door where Qing Zhu was located and was stunned.
"Why are you here?" Seeing Tang Di, who had also stayed up all night, Xie Jingqi looked as if he had discovered a new continent.
Tang Di glanced at Qing Zhu, who stood like a stone sculpture, silently staring at the wooden door. He walked a few steps forward and pulled the Seventh Prince aside. "Your Highness, the Seventh Prince, may not know, but the First Wife of the Ji family threw herself against a wall and committed suicide. This subordinate was ordered by the Fourth Prince to deliver the news of the death to the Eldest Daughter of the Ji family."
As Tang Di finished speaking, the steamed buns in Xie Jingqi's hand almost fell to the ground. "How could she die so suddenly for no reason?"
"I heard it was due to excessive longing for the Eldest Daughter of the Ji family, and also worry about her marrying into the Turks, so she…"
"What a joke!"
The Ji family had exceptionally strong bones. If the First Wife of the Ji family were weak, she would have died along with her son when he passed away. How could she have endured when her husband also died and she continued to guard their legacy?
Furthermore, throughout their journey, the Turks had committed unspeakable acts, yet Ji Zizhao hadn't even batted an eyelid.
This was clearly something that never happened, yet it was being spread back to the imperial city. If someone wasn't causing trouble, then what was it?