Chapter 380: An Incognito Visit, No Need for Formalities

Old Madam Ji’s drooping eyelids opened, her eyes suddenly full of life.

"Changlin is back. Quick, come to Grandmother’s side."

Ji Changlin greeted Mr. Ji and Mrs. Ji, "Father, Mother."

Mrs. Qiao patted her eldest son’s shoulder and stood up, giving him her spot by the bed.

The Old Mrs. Ji truly and sincerely doted on her two grandsons. She tried to sit up.

Ji Changlin hurried forward to support Old Madam Ji. "Grandmother," he said, "I’ve only been gone a short while, and you’ve already fallen ill."

Seeing her only remaining grandson, tears instantly streamed down Old Madam Ji’s face.

"Oh, Changlin... your Third Brother... he’s gone. None of us even got to see him one last time..."

Ji Changlin had heard about this while in Nanchu.

Ji Changyan had killed an Imperial Censor, which was a grave crime. He had died in prison under severe torture. It was already a great fortune that the rest of the Ji Family had not been implicated.

Ji Changlin said, "Grandmother, please don’t be so sad. What happened to Changyan..." He paused for a long moment before saying slowly, "It was his fate."

With tears in her eyes, Old Madam Ji said, "Changlin, your Third Brother was framed. There must have been someone pulling the strings behind the scenes. That person is Prince Yong—"

Ji Bo Lian, who was sitting at the foot of the bed holding a bowl of medicine, shot a furious glare at the old woman, stopping the name that was about to escape her lips.

"Mother! You can take medicine recklessly, but you can’t speak so recklessly!"

Standing by the door, Ji Qingwu pressed her lips together, forcing back an inappropriate smile.

’Her mother was right,’ she thought. ’Her father really did say the most shocking things sometimes.’

In the room, only Mrs. Qiao and Ji Qingwu knew the inside story behind Ji Changyan’s affair. The mother and daughter felt absolutely no sympathy for him.

Old Madam Ji looked even more heartbroken. "Oh, Changlin," she said, "your father is so displeased with me. I might as well have gone with Changyan, to save myself from staying here and irritating him."

Mr. Ji was unable to retort. Mrs. Qiao pulled at his sleeve, urging him to step away and cool his head.

Ji Changlin said, "Grandmother, let’s not bring up the past anymore. The right thing to do is to focus on living well in the present."

Ji Qingwu nodded in deep agreement and whispered, "Exactly."

Old Madam Ji’s gaze shifted to the doorway, only then noticing that she had come as well. The old woman pointed a wrinkled index finger at her.

"Get out."

Ji Qingwu replied, "I am a member of the Ji Family. I also came to visit Grandmother. Why would you want to drive me away?"

Old Madam Ji could no longer keep up the pretense. Her voice laced with hatred, she said, "You... It’s because of you, you harbinger of misfortune, that Changyan lost his life."

Ji Qingwu raised her eyebrows in surprise. Only now did she understand why the old woman had always looked upon her with such displeasure. The root of the problem was Ji Changyan’s death.

Her eyes clear, she said, "Grandmother, to blame this on me is a great injustice."

Old Madam Ji stared at her. "The day of the incident, you were with Changyan. Why were you the only one to return safely? And you’ve always refused to say what happened that day."

Mrs. Qiao’s expression also grew solemn. She shook her head at Ji Qingwu.

"Mother, please don’t get excited. Doctor Qi said you need to rest quietly."

Old Madam Ji said, "I’m going to say it now. This is the one thing that has been weighing on my heart. My poor grandson..."

She looked at Ji Qingwu and questioned her loudly, "That night, men from both the Imperial City Department and the Imperial Supervision Office arrived. Prince Yong was nearby as well. It’s almost certain that you conspired with Prince Yong, used Changyan, and then cast him aside."

The old woman no longer had the weak, frail appearance of someone with a thread-like breath. She propped herself up, her eyes fixed squarely on her.

"Last time, when Princess Yong confronted you in Cining Palace, I didn’t think it was completely baseless. Tell me, what did Prince Yong promise you that made you betray your own brother!"

’I’m speechless,’ Ji Qingwu thought, ’but I can’t actually let her get angry enough to die.’

She furrowed her brow, timidly shrinking to the side as she spoke in a soft voice.

"Grandmother, I swear I have had no illicit dealings with Prince Yong, nor have we ever made any kind of bargain."

Hearing Xiao Wu’s denial, Ji Bo Lian immediately turned and said, "Mother, your voice is still so full of vigor. You could live for at least another twenty years."

Ji Changlin held down Old Madam Ji’s hand and added, "Grandmother, Fifth Sister would not do such a thing."

The old woman looked at them, grief-stricken. "You... you’ve all been deceived by her! She’s not this meek and obedient in front of me."

Ji Qingwu looked up, her expression aggrieved. "Even a cornered rabbit will bite. Grandmother has never liked me. Every time you see me, you scold me... I felt it was unjust, so I talked back a few times."

As she spoke, she bit her lower lip, and her eyes began to well up.

"I know I’m not as favored as Fourth Sister, all because I was raised in the countryside and brought you shame."

Ji Bo Lian interrupted, "Xiao Wu, don’t say that."

He could no longer be bothered to maintain his strict-father facade.

"It was Dad who didn’t take good care of you. The fault isn’t yours; you did nothing wrong."

Since Old Mrs. Ji had brought the matter up, she was determined to get to the truth today.

"If you say it had nothing to do with you, then why won’t you tell us what exactly happened that night?"

Ji Qingwu hung her head, hesitating over whether to reveal the truth.

Ji Changlin pondered for a moment, then said, "Fifth Sister, why don’t we clear up this misunderstanding right here and now."

Ji Bo Lian nodded, his gaze firm. "Xiao Wu, speak freely and boldly. Dad won’t be biased."

Those words, however, already sounded biased. As for who he was biased toward...

Even someone as dense as Ji Qingwu could sense it was in her favor.

Mrs. Qiao turned her head aside. Mr. Ji was actually trying to give Xiao Wu a chance to prove her innocence.

But the matter of being drugged with an aphrodisiac and sent to Prince Yong’s pleasure boat... not only would it sound terrible if it got out, but if Xiao Wu were to enter the palace in the future, and such a thing were to spread...

Mrs. Qiao said, "Nanny Feng, take the servants and leave."

Ji Qingwu sniffled, her sorrowful and pitiful gaze falling upon Ji Bo Lian. The words "Forget it, don’t say any more. Look how wronged the child is" were right on the tip of Mr. Ji’s tongue.

Just then, a loud gasp came from the doorway.

From the sound of the voice, it was the belatedly-arrived Ji Qingyuan.

The members of the Ji Family all turned to look at the doorway in unison.

A man dressed in a magnificent brocade robe of purplish-black with gold trim appeared before them.

In contrast to their overly surprised expressions, unsure of how to react, the man before them looked relaxed and cheerful. It was a far cry from his usual cold demeanor in court; the corners of his mouth even held the faint trace of a smile.

"We heard that the Old Madam was gravely ill and have brought some restorative supplements for her."

Ji Bo Lian and Ji Changlin were the first to react, about to drop to their knees to greet the Emperor.

Li Yuzong, dressed in deep blue robes, hurried forward to stop them. He whispered, "The Holy Emperor has come incognito. My lords, please dispense with the formalities."

Ji Qingwu stared, dumbfounded, at Emperor Wu Su, who had suddenly appeared in her home.

’We used to meet every night, but seeing him in broad daylight... it’s a little... strange,’ she thought.

Zhao Mingyan’s gaze swept past her, seemingly without lingering.