Jixia hurriedly left and returned with a delicate little bow and arrow. Ji Xinglou cradled the small bow and arrow in his arms, looking at it repeatedly until his expression finally improved a bit.
Gu Jianli patted his head and adjusted his somewhat disheveled collar.
Ji Xinglou shot her a wary glance and huffed loudly, muttering, “I’m still mad at you. Don’t think you can pacify me with a lousy bow and arrow!”
“If you think the bow and arrow are lousy, then give them back to me,” Gu Jianli reached out her hand towards him.
Ji Xinglou quickly hid the bow and arrow behind his back, glaring at Gu Jianli with wide eyes.
“You’re so annoying!” he shouted angrily.
But Gu Jianli just smiled gently.
Ji Xinglou sneaked a peek at her. Seeing her smile, he couldn’t stay mad and grumbled, “I’m hungry. I want something to eat!”
Gu Jianli looked at Jixia, who then went to instruct the maid to bring breakfast. Just as Jixia reached the door, she hesitated, lowering her voice and uncertainly asked, “How many sets of dishes should I prepare?”
Gu Jianli looked towards the door and saw Wen Jingshan standing in the courtyard. She said, “Just add one more.”
Ji Xinglou, eavesdropping, grunted in displeasure again.
Ji Xinglan climbed onto the Luohan bed and stood behind his brother, patting him on the back to comfort him.
Gu Jianli turned to look at Wen Jingshan outside. With a veil on, Gu Jianli couldn’t see her face clearly, and being a bit far away, her eyes weren’t very clear either. Yet, Wen Jingshan still gave Gu Jianli a familiar feeling, as if they had met before.
Gu Jianli shifted her gaze to Ji Wujing, who stood silently with a somber expression. Gu Jianli got up, walked over to him, and placed her hand on his forearm, speaking softly, “You can’t rush dealing with children. Xinglou is stubborn; the more you push him, the more rebellious he gets. I think Xinglou might have misunderstood something. Did you say anything that could have led to this misunderstanding?”
“We said nothing,” Ji Wujing said irritably.
“Then let me ask you, is that person his biological mother or his aunt?” Gu Jianli asked.
Ji Wujing was silent for a moment before replying, “His biological mother.”
Gu Jianli understood; it wasn’t far from what she had suspected. She was silent for a while, then spoke again, “We can’t rush with Xinglou. Since she is his biological mother, she wouldn’t want to force him. I’ll talk to her so she won’t get hurt by Xinglou.”
Gu Jianli paused and then asked, “But you need to tell me who Xinglou’s father is, so I know how to address her.”
Gu Jianli turned her head to look at Wen Jingshan’s back, who was being helped by Xiaohe to return to her guest room.
“My brother.”
Gu Jianli frowned and glared at Ji Wujing, “Stop talking nonsense. Do you want my help or not?”
“Believe it or not,” Ji Wujing said with a sullen face as he turned and walked towards his bedroom.
Gu Jianli stood there watching him leave, dazed. She then looked at the two children on the Luohan bed in the distance. Ji Xinglou and Ji Xinglan were both looking at her. The difference was, as soon as Gu Jianli looked over, Ji Xinglou immediately averted his gaze.
Hongzan and Lüchai brought in breakfast. Ji Wujing didn’t eat, and Wen Jingshan had already left. Gu Jianli also had no appetite and instructed Nanny Lin to watch over the two children as they ate. Then she took Jixia to see Wen Jingshan.
On the way, Gu Jianli walked with her head down, worried. Putting herself in someone else’s shoes, she was concerned that Ji Xinglou’s actions today might have hurt his biological mother’s feelings.
As she thought about it, she became more and more agitated. She didn’t know what was going on, and Ji Wujing hadn’t explained it to her. What little she knew was just speculation. She felt uneasy going to comfort someone without fully understanding the situation.
Jixia, walking beside her, said, “Madam, why are you involving yourself in this? Whether it goes well or not, you’re just inviting complaints from others.”
“I still need to go,” Gu Jianli replied casually.
“I don’t understand,” Jixia said sullenly.
Gu Jianli didn’t explain, but her irritation disappeared. When she was brooding alone, it was easy to get upset. But when Jixia asked her directly, it was as if everything became clear.
Why was she doing this? It was for Xinglou, but it was also not for Xinglou.
She didn’t want to see Ji Wujing so sullen that he had no appetite. She needed to help him.
Gu Jianli expected to see Wen Jingshan in tears, but instead, Wen Jingshan was calmly tidying her clothes, her eyes gentle and showing no signs of sadness.
The maids had all left, leaving only Gu Jianli and Wen Jingshan in the room.
Wen Jingshan stood up and smiled at Gu Jianli, “I’m sorry to trouble you.”
She deliberately used a voice made hoarse by poison, which sounded harsh and unpleasant.
Wen Jingshan smiled apologetically, “I’m sorry my voice is so rough and unpleasant.”
Gu Jianli slowly furrowed her brows, her eyes fixed on Wen Jingshan’s eyes exposed outside the veil. Gradually, an incredulous look appeared in Gu Jianli’s eyes. She tentatively called out, “Sister Jingshan?”
Wen Jingshan suddenly looked up, staring at Gu Jianli in shock. She stumbled backward and fell into a chair. Her eyes darted around nervously. Years of hiding made her instinctively want to deny and escape.
Wait, this was Ji Wujing’s home. The woman in front of her was Ji Wujing’s wife.
Wen Jingshan suppressed her panic and looked at Gu Jianli again. After seeing Gu Jianli’s eyes clearly, she hesitated for a while before uneasily speaking, “Are you Li’s younger sister…?”
“Yes, I am her younger sister,” Gu Jianli clenched her handkerchief, feeling a sudden pang of bitterness.
The sister Jingshan in her memory was not in this sorry state, nor would she address her as “you.”
Gu Jianli had often heard her sister mention Wen Jingshan. She had seen Wen Jingshan come to visit her sister a few times when she was a little girl with a hair bun.
Her sister was proud and so was Wen Jingshan. People said they were too similar, both strong and dazzling, and although they were as close as sisters, such friendship might not last long. Yet, they continued their close bond, neither giving way, competing with each other all the while.
Gu Jianli still remembered Wen Jingshan’s wedding day when the entire capital was decorated in red. Wen Jingshan wore a red phoenix robe, looking magnificent and radiant. The crown prince personally escorted her, lifting her train, envied by all.
That day, Gu Jianli accompanied her sister to send off the bride, and Wen Jingshan gave her a handful of sweets.
Suppressing the bitterness in her heart, Gu Jianli said, “When you had the accident, my sister was very sad. She cried for a long, long time.”
Wen Jingshan let out a soft “ah,” her mind drifting. She had left the capital five years ago, and it felt as if she had severed ties with her past. The once bustling capital now seemed like a distant memory. Mentioning old friends suddenly brought a sense of unreality to her heart.
Gu Jianli’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. If Ji Xinglou was Wen Jingshan’s child, then his father must be…
Yes, it was no secret that Ji Wujing had known the former crown prince since childhood.
Gu Jianli took a moment to steady herself, calming her shock and complex emotions. She walked towards Wen Jingshan and spoke gently, “Xinglou and Xinglan are still young and immature. Sister, please don’t let their thoughtless words upset you.”
Wen Jingshan asked in surprise, “Who is Xinglan?”
Gu Jianli froze, then quickly said, “Xinglou’s sister! Your daughter…”
Gu Jianli suddenly stopped.
Yes, Wen Jingshan had come claiming to be Xinglou’s mother, and Ji Wujing had said that Xinglou wasn’t his child. Neither Wen Jingshan nor Ji Wujing had ever mentioned Xinglan!
“I only have one child, Xinglou. As for the other child you mentioned, I guess it’s to conceal Xinglou’s identity. I don’t know the specifics.”
Gu Jianli set aside thoughts of Ji Xinglan and said, “Please don’t be upset by Xinglou’s words and actions. He can be hurtful, but he is very kind at heart.”
Wen Jingshan smiled gently, “I won’t be. As long as he is well, seeing him brings me only joy, not sadness.”
Just as Gu Jianli was about to say more, Yanzhi hurried in to report that Ji Jingyi had come to see her.
Gu Jianli had to get up and go. As she stepped over the threshold, she suddenly stopped, slowly furrowing her brow, recalling some old memories. She turned back to look at Wen Jingshan in the dim room. Wen Jingshan was gazing gently at a small booklet in her hand, the booklet containing Ji Xinglou’s handwriting practice.
Gu Jianli’s gaze shifted to the cane beside Wen Jingshan’s leg, and her mind was filled with the memory of a completely different Wen Jingshan from her childhood.
Gu Jianli quickly returned to the room and walked up to Wen Jingshan.
“Is there something else?” Wen Jingshan asked.
Gu Jianli carefully chose her words before speaking, “Five years ago, I was still very young and didn’t remember much. But I vaguely recall that on the day the Wen family was executed, my sister did something.”
Wen Jingshan’s heart tightened, and she asked urgently, “What do you mean?”
“I remember my sister secretly saving two people, but I don’t know who they were.”
Wen Jingshan’s heartbeat stopped for a moment, and the booklet in her hand fell. She hurriedly stood up, reaching for the cane beside her, wanting to immediately go find Gu Jianli. But before she could take a step, the light in her eyes dimmed, and she sat back down dejectedly.
She had already taken a great risk coming to the capital and didn’t dare to move recklessly, adding more trouble.
“Sister, don’t worry. I’ll go ask my sister and find out the details.”
Wen Jingshan stiffly nodded. Words choked in her throat, and the immense shock left her somewhat at a loss.
Gu Jianli comforted her with a few more words before hurrying to the front courtyard.
When Gu Jianli returned to the front hall, she saw Ji Jingyi taking Ji Wujing’s pulse. On the table beside Ji Jingyi were various bottles and jars of medicine.
“Mr. Ji, how is the Fifth Master’s health?” Gu Jianli asked as she sat down next to Ji Wujing.
Ji Jingyi smiled and said, “After taking another dose of medicine, he should be just about recovered.”
He rummaged through his medicine chest and took out a small black porcelain bottle, placing it on the table in front of Ji Wujing with a serious expression. “Fifth Master, this is the last pill.”
Ji Wujing glanced at the small porcelain bottle but remained silent.
Ji Jingyi continued, “After taking this last pill, you will sleep for ten days. It is crucial not to wake up during these ten days, or the effectiveness of the medicine will be greatly reduced. So, you must choose the timing to take it yourself. However, it must be taken within a hundred days.”
Gu Jianli slowly blinked, her thoughts rapidly processing.
The medicine that Ji Jingyi presented appeared to be the antidote for the Heart-Eating Powder. But what about the antidote that Doctor Luo had sent previously? Gu Jianli clearly remembered that the two antidotes were different.
Doctor Luo’s antidote was just a single bottle, whereas Ji Jingyi’s antidote consisted of several courses, and Ji Wujing had already taken several of these courses before.