Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Alarming His Majesty? Signing a Written Pledge
Ji Qingrong was startled by Fifth Missy’s words.
She was mentally and physically exhausted, but she knew that such a scandal could not truly be brought before the Emperor. In the end, it would become public knowledge, and both families would be disgraced.
Ji Qingwu seemed to sense her anxiety. She pulled her older sister behind her and whispered in her ear, "Sister, I’ll take care of this. Don’t you worry."
Ji Qingrong nodded, a wave of warmth washing over her.
When Lu Juan saw his wife pulled behind her sister, his brows furrowed, and his gaze sharpened.
Ji Qingwu looked up and boldly met Lu Juan’s gaze.
Lu Juan had been an official for many years and had even been tempered in the Ministry of Justice. The intimidating aura he projected with a stern face was no small matter; few women or children could see it and not be afraid.
But Ji Qingwu was completely unafraid. ’I’ve seen far colder and fiercer!’
Her style was always to start with courtesy before resorting to force. She’d first try a soft approach, seeing if she could gently deflect a powerful blow. If that didn’t work, it was no problem.
She also had a thunderous strike up her sleeve.
Previously, she had thought it wasn’t worth arguing with Zizhu, a mere maid, as it would only lower her own status.
But the Grand Dowager of the Cui Family had been so insulting that Ji Qingwu, as a member of her sister’s maiden family, now represented the entire Ji Family.
At this moment, though tear tracks still glistened at the corners of her eyes, Ji Qingwu’s dark gaze was deep and utterly calm.
She was like a completely different person from the weeping beauty of a moment ago.
For a moment, Lu Juan was stunned.
It was not because of her beauty, but because the aura she exuded reminded him of Young Master Yuan Heng from the palace.
Just yesterday, when he had gone to the palace, he had unexpectedly witnessed the Emperor punishing the little prince.
Yuan Heng’s palms had been beaten with a ruler until they bled, a sight even he could not bear to watch.
Standing at the entrance to Qianyuan Hall, Lu Juan had been secretly alarmed. He’d heard the little prince had fallen into the water, but instead of comfort, he was being punished.
’But since Emperor Wu Su was punishing Yuan Heng, he must have done something wrong or angered His Majesty.’
Through a crack in the hall doors, he saw Yuan Heng’s eyes, which were so much like the Emperor’s, welling with involuntary tears from the pain. Yet he continued to meet the cold Emperor’s gaze, his own eyes filled with tenacity, as if he too were staunchly protecting someone.
Then, he heard the faint sound of Emperor Wu Su’s sigh...
Lu Juan snapped back to the present and warned her gravely, "Fifth Sister, His Majesty is busy with state affairs and may not have time to see you. Please, don’t be rash."
Ji Qingwu smiled, feigning confusion. "Am I the one being rash? I thought it was the Grand Dowager who was being rash. If she hadn’t pushed me into a corner, I wouldn’t have wanted to trouble His Majesty."
’When I went to the palace a few days ago, I sensed the strange atmosphere between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. And just now, I heard the Grand Dowager claim that the Ji Family’s power is so great it’s a veiled threat to the throne.’
’Going directly to the Emperor, even with the Empress Dowager’s backing, would inevitably worsen the conflict between them.’
’It’s the worst possible move.’
Ji Qingwu said, "Prince Lu, I don’t have to go see His Majesty. All I want is a just resolution."
Lu Juan understood her meaning. He turned and gestured to the Grand Dowager. "Mother."
Hearing Ji Qingwu threaten to request a judgment from the Emperor, the Grand Dowager finally came to her senses.
Although she was filled with contempt for the Ji Family, if this matter reached the Emperor, it would be the Marquis Mansion—and she herself—who would be disgraced.
As for Emperor Wu Su, even though the Grand Dowager was his own maternal aunt, she feared him more with every meeting. A single glance from him felt as though it could see through every last scheme in her heart.
The Grand Dowager’s face was taut, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes as deep as ravines. She fought to suppress the loathing in her heart.
After taking a deep breath, she asked with a sharp gaze, "Tell me. What do you want?"
Ji Qingwu didn’t answer directly. Instead, as if making small talk, she brought up another matter.
"I heard from my sister that the Grand Dowager’s youngest daughter, Lu Yun, is nearing the age for marriage discussions. If people were to find out that her mother not only mistreats her daughter-in-law but also committed the vicious act of drugging her... I wonder how the noble families would view Miss Lu?"
Lu Yun was Lu Juan’s full-blooded sister and, more importantly, the apple of the Grand Dowager’s eye.
Ji Qingwu tapped her chin thoughtfully. "They say a man marries a wife for her virtue. Most of the great aristocratic families would likely avoid her like the plague."
Prominent families valued reputation and upbringing above all else. If such a scandal were to spread from the Marquis Zhongyong Mansion, it would not only bring shame and ridicule upon the family but also ruin the marriage prospects of its young masters and misses.
Ji Qingwu saw right through the Grand Dowager.
This woman was not someone who could be reasoned with through empathy or won over with sincerity.
In all these years, the Grand Dowager had never once appreciated any of Ji Qingrong’s good qualities.
Just as you must strike a snake at its vital point, she had to find the Grand Dowager’s weakness and strike there to make her truly afraid.
Ji Qingwu said, "As a mother-in-law, the Grand Dowager doesn’t care if her daughter-in-law lives or dies. But what about her own flesh and blood? Does she not care about her either?"
Her words struck the Grand Dowager’s heart like a heavy hammer.
The Grand Dowager swayed on her feet. She pointed an angry, trembling finger at her, her lips quivering. "You... You dare threaten me?!"
Ji Qingwu nodded nonchalantly. "Yes, the Grand Dowager is truly perceptive. I am threatening you. But who was the one in the wrong first?"
The Grand Dowager was so furious she gritted her teeth. She turned her gaze, looking helplessly toward her son.
But Lu Juan’s eyes remained fixed on the dazed Ji Qingrong, as if nothing else around them could capture his attention. He didn’t spare his mother a single glance.
The Grand Dowager glared at her and demanded, "What do you want?"
Ji Qingwu feigned a thoughtful expression, then slowly began to speak after a moment.
"I want you to formally apologize to my sister. And I want a written pledge as proof."
The Grand Dowager had anticipated this. The apology was not unexpected, but... a written pledge?
She asked, "What kind of pledge?"
A smile touched the corners of Ji Qingwu’s lips as she explained, "Grand Dowager, this pledge is for the record. You must write clearly what mistakes you have made and how you will correct them in the future. There’s no word limit, so feel free to elaborate."
She added, "Oh, and don’t forget to sign your name and note the hour."
The Grand Dowager had never suffered such a humiliation. To write this would be to put herself at another’s mercy, yet she had no choice but to comply.
"Xin’er, bring a brush and ink. Attend to the Grand Dowager while she writes," Ji Qingwu called out casually.
The Grand Dowager’s face was flushed crimson with rage. She had just lifted the brush and written a few words...
...when that vexing Miss Ji Wu opened her mouth to speak again. "Oh, that’s right, Grand Dowager. That concubine you went to such lengths to find..." Ji Qingwu tilted her head in thought. "And the two bed-warming maids, I believe? You are to send them all away."
’She can lead out the very people she shoved in here.’
The brush in the Grand Dowager’s hand froze. A drop of ink fell onto the paper, leaving a jarring black stain.
"Absolutely not!"
’Ji Qingrong’s body is ruined; she can’t bear children. Lu Juan has no one else to attend to him. If even the concubines and maids are gone, won’t our line truly die out? How would the title be passed down? We can’t let it go to one of those illegitimate sons!’
The Grand Dowager said frantically, "The Marquis Mansion cannot be without an heir!"
Seeing how desperate she was to have a biological grandson, Ji Qingwu found the woman all the more detestable.
She steadied herself, deciding not to tell them that her sister’s condition was, in fact, treatable.
’Let the Grand Dowager get a taste of her own medicine.’
’And while I’m at it, I’ll test Lu Juan as well.’
