Their gazes met.
Then, Ji Wanxin walked towards her with heavy steps.
"Yunshu," she called out softly.
Ji Yunshu froze for a moment, then asked, "You … why are you here?"
"His Majesty has summoned me to the palace."
"His Majesty's decree?"
"Yes." She nodded.
After the time it takes to burn a stick of incense.
The two sat down in a private room in a nearby teahouse.
The waiter served tea and asked, "Would you like anything else?"
Ji Yunshu waved her hand, "No need."
"Alright, please enjoy."
The waiter withdrew.
Ji Wanxin tilted her head to look at her personal maidservant, then ordered, "You can leave first."
"Yes."
After the maidservant left, the atmosphere in the private room became very awkward.
Ji Yunshu poured two cups of tea and pushed one of them to Ji Wanxin, asking, "How is the family?"
"Ai …" Ji Wanxin sighed, "It's hard to explain in a few words."
The words' hard to explain in a few words' clearly showed how miserable the Ji family was! Ji Wanxin's eyes reddened as she wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, choking with sobs, "Ever since Big Brother and Father died, our Ji family is no longer what it used to be. Second Brother was dismissed from his post, and Eldest Sister was delirious. When we returned to Jinjiang from the capital, we finally understood the fickleness of the world. Everyone in Jinjiang wanted nothing more than to distance themselves from us and not be neighbors. Our former relatives no longer have any contact with us. We are sinners, and they are afraid of being tainted by bad luck. I had no choice but to send away all the maids and servants in the mansion, leaving only a few to manage the mansion and take care of Eldest Sister.
But … Ever since we brought Father and Big Brother's bodies back to Jinjiang, Second Brother seems to have changed. He drinks day and night, doesn't care about anything, and doesn't ask about anything. No matter how I persuade him, he doesn't listen. Eldest Sister nagged all day long, and I don't know how I managed to survive until now.
Lingzhi, on the other hand, is still sensible. She has grown smarter, and will even share my worries. "
That was a bit of comfort.
There was only one theme, and that was' tragic '!
It was too tragic!
However, the Ji Family's current predicament was also karma. Ji Yunshu already knew about her past. It could be said that she had nothing to do with the Ji family. Even saying that she owed them a debt of gratitude for raising her was somewhat far-fetched. However, it was, after all, the family she had lived in for so many years. It was inevitable that she would feel a little sad in her heart. But when she looked at this delicate and charming woman in front of her, she thought about what she had done in the past.
Countless things that made one's hair stand on end, but the sadness in one's heart was wiped away.
But in the end, he deserved it!
She lowered her voice and said, "Second Brother has always been headstrong. He was originally the Changlin General that the late Emperor personally conferred upon him. Now that he's in such a state, it's only natural that he finds it hard to accept. I hope that he can pull himself together as soon as possible. As for Eldest Sister, although she has lost her mind, fortunately, she has forgotten everything in the past. This is a blessing, not a curse. "
Ji Wanxin nodded and asked, "How are you, Yunshu? I heard that you and Prince Rong left the capital. Why did you come back? "
This …
It was hard to say!
She did not answer this question, instead asking, "Why did the Emperor summon you to the capital and enter the palace?"
Ji Wanxin shook her head. "I don't know either. The edict was suddenly delivered to my home. I didn't dare waste any time, so I came immediately."
"What's the reason?"
"He said that my embroidery skills are good, so he wanted me to enter the palace to work in the brocade department."
This reasoning was too far-fetched!
Ji Yunshu's heart was twisted into a tight knot. She couldn't understand why Wei Yi would issue such an imperial edict.
Ji Wanxin saw that Ji Yunshu was lost in thought and softly called out, "Yunshu, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing."
The two chatted for a while.
Ji Wanxin told Ji Yunshu everything that happened at home in the past year, and Ji Yunshu quietly listened.
Seeing that it was getting late, she accompanied Ji Wanxin to the carriage.
Before Ji Wanxin entered the carriage, she tightly grasped Ji Yunshu's hand and said, "Yunshu, no matter what happened in the past, it's all in the past. I hope … we can still be good sisters."
Ji Yunshu's eyes were full of expectation.
But …
Once disloyal, a hundred times not!
No matter how pitiful Ji Wanxin was, she couldn't hide the disgusting things she had done.
Ji Yunshu was determined to never trust this woman again.
Ever since I was a child, my mother told me that the more beautiful a woman is, the more vicious she is!
Ji Yunshu withdrew her hand from Ji Wanxin's and said, "I won't send you off."
A trace of disappointment appeared on Ji Wanxin's face, but she quickly concealed it and smiled.
She got on the carriage and left.
Ji Yunshu looked at the carriage, her heart sinking.
…
Inside the carriage, Ji Wanxin looked down at her hand and sneered.
The maidservant looked at her and asked, "Miss, what's wrong?"
Ji Yunshu clenched her white hands bit by bit, and her gentle eyes darkened. Her deathly pale face had a trace of gloom.
"It's my turn. I can't escape either."
The sound seemed to be coming from underground. It was chilly and frightening.
The maidservant was startled and didn't say anything else.
Soon, the carriage arrived at the entrance of the General's mansion. Normally, an official's mansion was built with the royal court's money. It belonged to the country, so if an official was dismissed, the mansion would have to be taken back. However, the Ji family was so glorious in the past that the late emperor was afraid of the Ji brothers' power, so he specially gave this mansion to them. So, he waited.
Thus, it became the Ji family's mansion.
After they left the capital, the capital governor ordered for the big red door to be sealed. The seal was still there, but it had faded and was scattered by the wind. There were even cobwebs on it.
The signboard with the words "General's Mansion" was even more dilapidated.
The once bustling General's Mansion was now abandoned to this extent.
Ji Wanxin was supported by the maidservant to the door.
The iron ring on the door was rusty.
There was a big lock on the door.
Ji Yunshu reached out to touch the lock. When her fingertips touched the cold iron, her body shivered.
The coachman asked, "Miss, do you want to go in?"
Ji Yunshu took a step back. "Open it."
"Okay."
The coachman took out the key and opened the lock.
He pushed the door open.
Accompanied by a creaking sound, the door was opened, and a layer of dust fell from it.
The maidservant hurriedly waved her handkerchief in front of her.
"Cough, cough, cough …" Ji Wanxin coughed, then pushed away the maidservant who was supporting her and walked in.
Before she left, she had tidied up the inside, but now it was a mess. The flowers and plants had died long ago, and the things were scattered all over the place.
There was dust everywhere.
Finally, she walked to the mansion's ancestral hall.
This was where Ji Shuhan committed suicide.
She remembered that when she pushed open the door of the ancestral hall, what she saw was her father's cold corpse.
Her eyes couldn't help but redden.
Suddenly …
The sound of hurried footsteps came from behind and stopped outside.
Ji Yunshu turned around and was met with a pair of burning eyes.
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