Family matters of the royals were not something even Ji Zizhao, the future daughter-in-law, could inquire about. Ji Renran was merely a minor concubine, what standing did she have?
Ji Zizhao's words were practically stomping on Ji Renran's face.
Ji Renran never expected Ji Zizhao to be so sharp-tongued in front of outsiders, completely disregarding her image. She was left speechless by the retort.
Just then, another carriage approached from a distance.
It bore the Xue family's insignia.
Xue Yinuo lifted the curtain and saw Zhong Xinyi's flushed face. She then glanced at Ji Renran and Ji Zizhao. "Am I arriving at an inconvenient time?"
Zhong Xinyi, who was already looking for fault with Ji Renran, seized the opportunity with Xue Yinuo's arrival. She immediately turned to Ji Renran and said, "It's different for those who return midway. Their etiquette and manners are so far from the Ji family's. Seeing guests arrive, and not even making way. If this truly gets out, will it bring any honor to the Fifth Prince's name?"
Ji Renran was surprised that Zhong Xinyi dared to bring up the Fifth Prince. Her face changed, but before she could speak, she heard Ji Zizhao nod gently and then say unhurriedly, "Certainly, it would bring no honor."
Ji Renran: "..."
Can people now do synchronized retorts?
However, Zhong Xinyi, with the Empress's backing, indeed had the confidence to discuss the Fifth Prince. Ji Renran truly dared not tarnish the Fifth Prince's reputation. Despite her anger, she disembarked from the carriage with a dark expression, maintaining as straight a posture as possible as she walked towards the manor.
Zhong Xinyi waited until Ji Renran's retreating figure had completely disappeared before saying to Xue Yinuo, "You've arrived at the perfect time."
Xue Yinuo: "..."
Thank you for remembering me!
"How are you?" Xue Yinuo leaped off the carriage and went to Ji Zizhao. Her concern in her eyes under the moonlight was evident. She had rushed over as soon as she heard from her father that the Fourth Prince was gravely injured.
Zhong Xinyi looked at Xue Yinuo in surprise. "You rushed over because you were also worried?"
Xue Yinuo was speechless. What else?
Was she here to watch you and someone else argue in the middle of the night?
Seeing Xue Yinuo's expression, Zhong Xinyi finally felt a little better. It wasn't that she was overly meddlesome or excessively melancholic, but Ji Zizhao was truly too strong, so strong that she seemed invincible.
Ji Zizhao, seeing Zhong Xinyi's expression that indicated concern for anyone, was amused. She recounted to Xue Yinuo what she had just told Zhong Xinyi.
In reality, they didn't need to say much. Just having this sentiment was enough.
The voices chatting at the manor entrance lingered for a long time.
Even as Ji Renran walked within the manor, she could still hear the conversations from the entrance. It angered her, making her already stifled heart even more so. Let alone whether the Fourth Prince would wake up, even if he did, he was just an unfavored prince. Why did Ji Zizhao have such popularity?
Ji Zizhao had no time to dwell on Ji Renran's inner turmoil. After seeing off Zhong Xinyi and Xue Yinuo, her mind was entirely occupied with Ji Renran's words and actions at the manor entrance.
Ji Renran's ability to see Xie Jingzhou at this time indicated that Xie Jingzhou had not completely abandoned Ji Renran as a pawn. However, since Xie Jingzhou could complain to Ji Renran, it proved that he had no counter-strategy regarding the Emperor's decision to send people to assist Xie Jinglan.
In this regard, she could temporarily relax.
With the Emperor's assistance, the main force's return to the city was indeed expedited, but by how much, no one knew. As they traveled day and night to save time, no news was sent back to the palace, and everyone could only wait quietly.
News of the Fourth Prince's severe injury also spread throughout the imperial city.
Upon hearing the news, the madams from various branches of the Ji family hurried to Zhaoyuan. Ji Ziyun even temporarily put aside household matters and accompanied her elder sister day and night, for fear that her sister would lose her appetite and neglect her health in her absence.
However, after several days passed, the Ji family members realized that Ji Zizhao showed no signs of sadness. Her appetite remained unchanged, and she would wash up and go to bed early, only rising at dawn to attend her duties in the palace.
While the Ji family felt relieved by this, the same events were viewed differently by others.
Now that everyone knew the Fourth Prince was severely injured and on the brink of death, barely kept alive by Physician Zhang's skills and ginseng, it was natural for those connected to him to be worried. Who would be like the Fourth Prince's Consort, eating and drinking as usual, and never missing a day of her palace duties?
At some point, rumors of Ji Zizhao being cold-blooded and heartless began to spread throughout the palace. When the news reached outside the palace, some indignant commoners would even deliberately block the road when Ji Zizhao entered or exited the palace, throwing stones at the Ji family's carriage.
In Fengyi Palace, Empress Zhong frowned upon hearing Baili's report. "Is this true?"
Baili lowered her head. "I heard that the carriage the Fourth Prince's Consort was traveling in was smashed again after she entered the palace today. The rumors in the palace are escalating."
"This is preposterous!" Empress Zhong angrily slammed her hand on the wooden table beside her. "You go to the Imperial Household Department immediately and have them change Ji Zizhao's carriage. The insignia will be that of the Imperial Household Department. Let me see which carriage in the palace dares to be smashed!"
Baili knew that without the Fourth Prince's Consort, neither her sister's matter nor the Fourth Prince's situation would have been brought to light. To achieve such a feat, it couldn't just be Ji Zizhao's intelligence; it required meticulous planning and calculation.
After Baili left, Granny Dai said, "Since the Fourth Prince's Consort has worked so tirelessly for the Fourth Prince's affairs, how can she be a cold and unfeeling person? It's just that people usually cry when they are sad. Not crying makes her seem out of place."
"What use is crying in the face of major events? Ji Zizhao is smart, so she's conserving her strength in advance. But that child carries too much on her shoulders, so she's accustomed to carrying the burden as she walks forward."
Empress Zhong narrowed her eyes slightly. Rumors in the palace did not spread easily. It was likely that someone who had suffered a defeat and was unwilling to accept it was secretly fanning public opinion to appease their unbalanced heart.
"Go and pick a chicken from the imperial kitchen, and send word to His Majesty's chambers, saying that I am concerned about His Majesty's health and have specially stewed chicken soup myself."
The Emperor would not easily disregard the Empress's face.
Moreover, with the Fourth and Seventh Princes soon to return, the Emperor would naturally favor Fengyi Palace more.
"The Empress is so favored, it will likely displease Consort Xi," Granny Dai worried that Consort Xi might resort to some underhanded tactics out of extreme anger.
"I want to displease her. Let her attack if she dares." Empress Zhong's intention was to provoke Consort Xi, thus allowing Ji Zizhao a moment of respite.