Chapter 114 – A Visitor From The Ji Family
Chapter 114 A Visitor From the Ji Family
Both of them stopped from a distance.
After a short pause, Qu Moying walked up, curtsied to Qu Qiuyan, and left with Yu Chun immediately. Qu Qiuyan gazed at her coldly but didn’t lose her temper this time.
It took her a while to actually hold back her anger. She had already realized she underestimated her stepsister before, and she couldn’t let her guard down again. Right now, she finally received a message from Lord Jing. It was not the time to start another fight with Qu Moying. Qu Qiuyan’s priority was power now, or all her hard work would become in vain.
After a few steps, Yu Chun made sure that no one was around. Then she looked back and asked in shock, “My lady, how come the Third Lady has such a good temper today?”
Qu Qiuyan and her maid were long gone.
“She is occupied with other things and doesn’t have time to deal with me right now,” said Qu Moying in a flat tone. Qu Qiuyan had to pass Lord Jing’s test first, and it would be a tough one. After all, Pei Yusheng should know better than anyone about Qu Qiuyan’s intention when she was alone with the Crown Prince in the altar room. It seemed like Qu Qiuyan hadn’t earned his trust back yet.
“My lady, will the Third Lady frame you again?” Sensing Qu Moying’s indication, Yu Chun was a bit flustered.
“What do you mean again? Hasn’t she always been doing it?” Qu Moying lowered her head and chuckled. She was a thorn in Yu and her daughter’s eyes long ago. If Ji Hanyue weren’t reborn in Qu Moying’s body, Qu Moying would be dead in that fire and long gone.
They set fire to take Qu Moying’s life, and technically, their plan succeeded!
A feeling of agitation arose in Yu Chun’s heart as she lowered her head slowly. The Second Madam and the Third Lady had never changed their attitude toward the Fourth Lady. Why would she still wish they could stop their scheme?
“My lady, will the Second Madam have her punishment this time?” Looking in the direction of Yu’s yard, Yu Chun asked in caution.
“Hard to say.” Qu Moying shook her head and looked in the same direction. “The Second Madam have managed the mansion for so long, and she still has her daughter and son. She is not so easy to deal with.”
“Then, what should we do?” Yu Chun was a bit scared.
“Nothing much. We can only take one step each time.” Qu Moying shook her head. The faint smile on her face was icy cold. No one knew it better than her that she was no longer the old Qu Moying after her rebirth. Regardless of the hardships, she would walk down the path of revenge firmly, step by step.
Yu Chun was shocked by her determination, also knowing what she said was the truth. Recalling everything the Fourth Lady had been through, she felt sorry for her. But gradually, this feeling turned into anger. Her master had always been a kind person, but those people just couldn’t give up on taking her life. If Qu Moying didn’t make a move ahead this time, she would be the one in the scandal with the Crown Prince.
Her master’s status was different than the Third Lady’s. No one would protect her or give her a second chance.
If the Fourth Lady was the one in trouble, the Second Master probably wouldn’t spend any effort on helping her. Instead, he might even directly let her “die of illness.”
As for the Fourth Lady’s maids like Yu Chun, of course, they would be sold or killed.
“My lady, what’s the next plan?” Yu Chun bit her lip to calm herself down. Somehow, her master’s composed look eased her anxiety.
Her master was a good-hearted and intelligent girl. Yu Chun believed in her competence to get out of trouble.
“We go back and wait first…” Qu Moying couldn’t finish her words as her eyes turned red. Waiting for what? For the announcement of her father’s death. Because the Ji Family couldn’t hold it anymore.
Her cousin Yue Wenhan told her that he visited the Earl Ling’an’s Mansion again but still didn’t meet Earl Ling’an. The doctors there all looked busy because Earl Ling’an was at the brink of death. The Crown Princess’s death was a big shock for him.
That day, Yue Wenhan stayed outside for a long time before leaving. And he told the Ji Family that he would visit them a few days later.
The Second Master of the Ji Family was in charge of the mansion now, which was Ji Yong’an, Ji Youran’s father. He walked Yue Wenhan to the gate and kept apologizing to him. Unlike his useless, contemptible image in the rumors, his attitude and behavior were perfectly well-mannered and honest.
Instead of a douchebag, he looked more like a real gentleman.
Hearing the news from Yue Wenhan, Qu Moying only sneered. Ji Youran’s father, Ji Yong’an, was indeed a useless man. He was an official but in name only, having little work to do and indulging himself in dissipation. Once he had trouble, he always asked for Ji Hanyue’s father’s help.
Earl Ling’an had spent so much effort protecting his younger brother. Moreover, his military power was limited after being affected by Ji Yong’an’s trouble. Thus, he couldn’t fight at the border like General Liu anymore and had to return to the capital. Since then, his military influence had been largely reduced, no longer the same as Liu Xiangshan’s power, who had the same rank.
Everyone thought Ji Yong’an was just an ungrateful douchebag. Still, no one expected him and his family to hold such a wild ambition. They designed to kill Ji Hanyue and her family. Now, Ji Yong’an acted like a competent person, with one clear intention – getting the position of Earl Ling’an. Fearing that people would say he was useless, he acted like a different person than the one in the rumors.
But Qu Moying knew better than anyone what kind of person Ji Yong’an was.
Surprisingly, before her father’s death announcement, another piece of news came from the Ji Family.
When the Old Lady called her over, she had just finished lunch and was about to take a nap. After getting the order, she hurriedly washed up and came to the Old Lady’s yard. Two old maids stood at the yard’s door, whose clothes looked familiar but weren’t the Qu Family’s uniforms. Qu Moying twisted her brow into a frown.
After entering the room, she saw the Old Lady and another familiar old maid standing in front of her, which somehow gave her a bad feeling. But then she noticed the smile on the old maid’s face.
Qu Moying had met her before since she was the chief maid working for Xiao, the Second Madam of the Ji Family.
“Grandmother,” Qu Moying walked up and curtsied to the Old Lady elegantly, holding back the questions in her heart. Why did the Ji Family send her here? With that smile on her face, the old maid didn’t seem like one to announce Earl Ling’an’s death.
“So, this is Fourth Lady Qu. What a stunning, graceful lady!” the old maid sized Qu Moying up and kept praising.
Then she came to bow to Qu Moying.
“Fourth Lady Qu, I’m the Ji Family’s Second Madam’s chief maid. You’ve left Princess Ji’s gifts in the Eastern Palace, so I’m here to send them to you in her name. Also, the Second Madam has gifts for you too, Fourth Lady Qu.”
The chief maid pointed at the gift boxes on the table.
Qu Moying recognized some of the boxes that were purposefully left by her in the Eastern Palace before. The rest of them should be from Xiao.
A trace of confusion flashed across her eyes. Why did Xiao send her gifts now?
“Fourth Lady Qu was the Crown Princess’s cousin. The Crown Princess passes away, but you still have Old Lady Ji, Second Madam Ji, and Princess Ji. They will be glad to let you have a short stay in the Earl Ling’an’s Mansion. Since the two families are related, the connection shouldn’t be cut off,” said the chief maid with a beam.
She made herself pretty clear. Although Ji Hanyue passed away, the two families could still treat each other as relatives, and the relationship could even get closer. Through her words, the Ji Family also showed their support to Qu Moying, which pleased the Old Lady a lot. With a delightful smile, the Old Lady kept nodding.
Old Lady Qu didn’t like how her second son handled things, but she couldn’t do anything about it since he wouldn’t listen to her. If he was willing to take her advice initially, the Qu Family wouldn’t be in such big trouble. The Ji Family’s support toward Qu Moying might help change Qu Zhizhen’s mind.
As his mother, Old Lady Qu knew Qu Zhizhen better than anyone.
This reminded her of Qu Moying’s mother, Yue’s death. It was truly a pity… If they could support her like this…she wouldn’t…
After these years, the Old Lady had her guess for something that her second son didn’t know about. The more she thought about it, the more sorry she felt for Yue.
But she realized it too late. If she knew it initially, she wouldn’t let her second son marry Yue and let their marriage have such a tragic ending. Among all the people, the most pitiful person was her poor granddaughter Qu Moying.
“I appreciate Old Lady Ji’s kindness. It so happens that I want to go visit my uncle since I heard he has been unwell. How about I go there with you right now?” Qu Moying lifted her head and said softly.
Everyone thought she would reject the Ji Family’s invitation out of politeness, especially the chief maid, but she didn’t.
Before the chief maid came, Xiao taught her many times about how she should say things after being rejected by Qu Moying. Xiao told her that she had to show enough respect and support for this poor lady in a bad situation. This was the best way to please Old Lady Qu.
Earl Ling’an’s family proactively reached out and showed their willingness to support Fourth Lady Qu, which should be a great honor for the Qu Family. They even said they wouldn’t cut off the contact between the two families even though the Crown Princess passed away. As long as Old Lady Qu was convinced, Xiao’s plan would work.
But no one expected Qu Moying to grab the chance and agree immediately. Didn’t Second Madam Ji say Fourth Lady Qu had rejected Princess Ji several times? What did she mean by doing this? Why would Fourth Lady Qu want to follow her back home to visit Earl Ling’an?
Second Madam Ji would definitely break her legs if she really brought Fourth Lady Qu back. The invitation was merely a formality to show the Ji Family’s kindness.
The smile on the chief maid’s face turned stiff. Her plan was ruined in a second. She didn’t know what to say but stuttered with a forced smile, “Emm… This…”
“Anything wrong? I can’t go visit my uncle?” Qu Moying asked, “Didn’t you just say the Ji Family would be glad to have me there? Since my cousin passed away, it’s my duty to visit my uncle as a youngster and comfort her for my cousin. I don’t want him to be depressed because of grief,” said Qu Moying. Her voice sounded like she was smiling, but her face was expressionless.
Her father was long gone. Yet, she still needed to cooperate with those people’s lies for now. Thinking about those shameless people who took her father’s life but still used his name for their own sake, she almost lost control of the boiling resentment in her heart. She dug her fingernails hard into her palms, feeling the piercing pain…
