Gu Jianli abruptly turned her head, staring blankly at Ji Wujing. Even the intense embarrassment she had never felt before was temporarily suppressed.
Ji Wujing’s words left everyone speechless. Those words… were simply too outrageous! How could he talk about killing someone so casually, yet it was Ji Wujing who said them…
The overwhelming smell of blood in the room made everyone dizzy.
Ji Yueming looked at Zhao Fengxian’s corpse, somewhat scared out of her wits. They had just seen and spoken to each other today, and now he was dead?
A feeling of fear washed over her as she heard her own heart pounding. She stiffly lifted her head and looked at the two people on the bed.
Ji Wujing sat cross-legged on the bed, with Gu Jianli, her long hair loose, sitting in Ji Wujing’s lap. Ji Wujing held her from behind, looking very intimate. When a group of people rushed in to “catch them in the act,” Gu Jianli instinctively wanted to get up, but Ji Wujing pressed her hand down, not allowing her to move.
Both of them were covered in blood, with Gu Jianli obviously more so, especially her hands, which were almost entirely stained red. The blood on Ji Wujing’s hands seemed to have come from holding Gu Jianli’s hands.
Looking again at Zhao Fengxian’s horrifying body on the ground, Ji Yueming’s pupils shrank sharply. Did Ji Wujing really kill Zhao Fengxian? Could it be…
How could it be possible!
Ji Yueming looked up at Gu Jianli again, only to find Ji Wujing staring back at her. A chill ran down Ji Yueming’s spine.
In the eerie silence, the old madam was the first to speak: “Wujing, you’re awake, that’s wonderful! I knew you could get through this, and with proper care, you’ll only get better and better!”
A dead body lay in front of her, yet the old madam could still smile and show concern for her stepson.
Unfortunately, Ji Wujing was not buying it.
He sneered, his tone strange: “Oh? I thought you all wished for my early death.”
The old madam’s heart skipped a beat, forcing a smile: “What are you saying? Who in our family doesn’t care about your recovery!”
Ji Wujing’s cold gaze swept over every face in the crowd blocking the door, making their scalps tingle.
“So, you barged in in the middle of the night out of concern for me?”
Ji Wujing liked peace and quiet, and had long established the rule that no one should enter his room without permission. Now, everyone who rushed in, whether master or servant, wished they could disappear on the spot. They hadn’t expected Ji Wujing to wake up!
The old madam glanced fearfully at the corpse on the ground, then forced herself to speak: “Wujing, I heard that…”
“Fengxian!” At this moment, the second madam rushed over, her face turning pale as she looked at Zhao Fengxian lying in a pool of blood. Zhao Fengxian was her sister’s son.
“What on earth is going on here!” The second madam’s voice was sharp, tinged with a sob. Her sister had passed away years ago, so she had taken special care of this nephew, raising him almost as her own son.
Gu Jianli lowered her eyes, her fingertips trembling slightly. She had killed him and would have to pay with her life. Yet if time were to rewind, she would make the same choice. She heard Ji Wujing’s indifferent voice close to her ear: “He snuck in at night intending to harm Jianli, so I killed him on the spot.”
Gu Jianli’s eyelashes fluttered, and the hand resting on her knee tightened around her skirt.
The second madam blurted out without thinking, “But you can’t just kill him!”
“Second sister-in-law, are you planning to send me to the Dali Temple?” Ji Wujing chuckled, his laugh followed by a bout of coughing.
The room was filled with the sound of his raspy coughs, which gripped everyone’s hearts.
The atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive.
Gu Jianli turned to him, looking at him with concern. She opened her mouth slightly, wanting to say something, but it felt like something was stuck in her throat, making her unable to speak. She could only clench her skirt more tightly.
The old madam snapped out of it and hurriedly instructed the servants to fetch a doctor and to remove Zhao Fengxian’s corpse and clean up the blood.
“It’s late, everyone should go rest. Wujing shouldn’t be disturbed any longer. Whatever needs to be discussed can wait until tomorrow,” the old madam commanded.
With her words, those who had been eager to leave immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
“Wait,” Ji Wujing spoke up.
The hearts that had just relaxed tensed up again.
Ji Wujing stopped coughing, grabbed Gu Jianli’s wrist, lifted her hand, and used her sleeve to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. Gu Jianli stared at him without blinking, watching his pale face and the blood at the corner of his mouth, watching his unhurried movements. Ji Wujing kept his head down, not looking at anyone, his hoarse voice drawing out each word: “Don’t treat my place as somewhere you can come and go as you please. Whether I am alive or dead.”
He slowly lifted his eyes, revealing bloodshot fox-like eyes.
Such a person seemed as though, even if he died, he would become a vengeful ghost.
In front of the younger generation, the old madam could only force a smile and say, “Yes, yes, you shouldn’t be disturbed. Mother will make sure of it. Rest well, we will leave now and not bother you.”
She then looked at Gu Jianli, giving her a reminder: “Jianli, take good care of Wujing.”
“Yes,” Gu Jianli replied obediently, her eyes lowered.
The once aggressive group left with dark expressions, their spirits shattered.
The second madam wailed over her nephew, nearly fainting from grief. Two elderly maids supported her, helping her back.
Ji Yueming, seeing a dead person for the first time, stood dazed, clearly frightened. She was only fifteen years old.
“Yueming, next time make sure you understand the situation before you speak!” The old madam, having been humiliated by Ji Wujing, vented her anger on Ji Yueming. “You’ve been restless lately. Go back and copy the Buddhist scriptures ten times!”
Ji Yueming lowered her head in grievance and replied softly, “Yueming understands…”
The old madam glared at her harshly and, leaning on Nanny Song’s hand, walked away quickly.
Standing there, Ji Yueming felt both scared and wronged.
Earlier that day, she had overheard a conversation between Zhao Fengxian and Song Baoyun, learning that Zhao Fengxian had taken a liking to Gu Jianli. Fueled by alcohol, he intended to take advantage of her, and was caught by Song Baoyun, who then demanded hush money. Ji Yueming had maliciously hinted to Zhao Fengxian that Ji Wujing wouldn’t live much longer and openly stated that everyone in the Marquis Guangping mansion wanted Gu Jianli dead, suggesting he needn’t worry.
Ji Yueming’s plan was twofold: incite Zhao Fengxian to force himself on Gu Jianli and accuse Gu Jianli of having an affair with Zhao Fengxian in front of the old madam. She expected that seeing them disheveled, the old madam would have a valid reason to get rid of Gu Jianli. As for Zhao Fengxian, being a relative in the mansion, would at most receive a beating.
Her plan was flawless. But…
A cold December wind blew, sending chills down Ji Yueming’s spine, making her shiver.
But Zhao Fengxian was dead, in a gruesome state!
It was her… She had caused Zhao Fengxian’s death…
Ji Yueming turned pale, her steps faltering, almost falling. Luckily, the maid behind her quickly caught her.
The old marquis hadn’t joined the “raid,” but news of the events in Ji Wujing’s courtyard soon reached him. He got up hurriedly, draped in a cloak, and waited for the old madam to return. When she did, he anxiously asked, “What happened? Did we offend Wujing?”
The old madam nodded and sat beside him, recounting the events in detail.
After listening, the old marquis was silent for a while, then sighed, “What should we do now?”
“Perhaps we should tell the truth to Old Wu. He used to serve the emperor and would understand our difficulties.”
The old marquis shook his head, “Anyone else might understand, but Wujing is meticulous and harbors many grievances. He wouldn’t see it as our effort to protect him, but rather that we were exploiting his illness and his potential death. Why is he protecting Gu Jianli? Because he despises being used and is deliberately opposing us.”
The old madam complained, “How could he be so oblivious to the situation, so unaware of propriety!”
The old marquis smiled bitterly, “That unfilial son knows nothing of propriety. He favors whoever he likes. If both I and that fool in his courtyard were in trouble, that beast would save the fool! I’m just afraid… he has decided to protect that woman to the end, considering her part of his territory!”
The old madam’s eyes suddenly lit up. “That woman was originally intended for Third Son, and they were quite affectionate towards each other…”
“But she and our Xuanke…”
The old madam nodded. “You forget that Xuanke knelt in the snow for three days for her. We had to send Xuanke away to successfully place her in Old Fifth’s room! No man would be okay with his wife having been involved with another man.”
The old marquis stroked his beard and asked, “When will Xuanke return home?”
“On the twenty-ninth of the twelfth month.”
The old marquis pondered for a moment. “Before Xuanke returns, subtly hint the situation to Wujing. Be careful, we just want Wujing to stay out of the woman’s affairs, but make sure he doesn’t take it out on Xuanke. Xuanke is the hope of our family.”
“I understand! This won’t involve Xuanke.” The old madam agreed. She considered who would be best to leak the information to Ji Wujing. After much thought, she decided that the second madam would be the most suitable, as she almost became Gu Jianli’s mother-in-law.
Gu Jianli repeatedly washed her hands, changing the water basin multiple times. She felt as though the blood on her hands could never be cleaned, the redness horrifying. Her reflection in the rippling water showed her face, also smeared with blood. She splashed a handful of cold water on her face, feeling the chill deep in her bones.
The image of Zhao Fengxian’s death lingered in her mind, refusing to fade.
If it weren’t for Ji Wujing’s continuous coughing from the inner room, Gu Jianli would have kept washing.
She hastily dried her hands, not bothering to wipe the water off her face, and hurried into the inner room. She rummaged through the wardrobe, found Ji Wujing’s clean nightwear, and approached the bed.
Ji Wujing hung his head, suppressing a cough.
Gu Jianli clutched the nightwear in her hands, mustered her courage, and was about to speak when a sudden dizziness overcame her. Feeling lightheaded, she stumbled to one side. Ji Wujing reached out and grabbed her, causing her to fall clumsily onto the bed.
Ji Wujing lifted his eyelids to look at her face, which was very red, her eyes unnaturally so. Her wrist felt somewhat hot in his palm.
Ji Wujing raised his hand to touch her forehead but paused when he saw his bloodstained hand. Instead, he pressed his large hand on the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. He leaned in and licked her forehead.
Gu Jianli was stunned, staring blankly at him.
Ji Wujing licked his lips and said, “It’s hot. You have a fever.”
