The conversation could have ended amicably at this point.
However, such conspiracies always gave Marquis Xuanping a sense of being complicit in some nefarious scheme. Moreover, he felt like a pawn in Huo Xian’s game, completely in the dark.
In reality, that was exactly the case.
Marquis Xuanping pondered for a while and eventually decided he didn’t want to remain so passive. He said, “Wen Bin is my general. Since you want him involved in this matter, I need to understand the whole story. As for Wen Hui, what are your plans?”
Huo Xian gave a half-smile and said in a mocking tone, “Marquis, you have never approved of my methods. Why ask more? Rest assured, no innocent blood will be shed, and your hands will remain clean.”
Marquis Xuanping replied coldly, “If you intend to use Wen Bin or the Xuanping Marquis Estate for your grand schemes—”
Huo Xian interrupted him, “What is there in the Xuanping Marquis Estate worth using?”
He suddenly laughed and continued, “Haven’t you realized over the past few years? The glory of the Xuanping Marquis Estate has faded since the previous emperor’s time. Generations of loyal generals mean nothing in today’s circumstances, except for the few soldiers you command, they are not worth mentioning. Marquis, you should curb your ambitions.”
“You, you traitor!” Marquis Xuanping’s beard bristled in anger. “In this world, the east wind prevails over the west wind, and then the west wind prevails over the east wind. No side can win forever. Do you really think your sins will go unpunished?”
Nanyue, standing nearby, wiped his sweat and quickly poured tea, trying to ease the tension, “Marquis, please calm down.”
Just as he soothed the situation, Huo Xian raised an eyebrow and sneered, “I can’t feel any retribution yet, but it’s amusing to see the Marquis jumping up and down in frustration.”
Marquis Xuanping slammed the table and stood up, “Do you really think I don’t dare to expose today’s events? Your intention to harm the city’s defenses is a crime punishable by death!”
Huo Xian calmly replied, “If you don’t mind Wen Bin getting caught up in this storm and ending up dead on the streets, go ahead.”
Nanyue took a deep breath and fell silent, giving up.
In a separate room divided by a screen, Ji Yuluo was resting her chin on her hand, eavesdropping. It wasn’t until Marquis Xuanping slammed the table and stormed out in anger that she let out a small laugh.
She could almost visualize his usual sharp-tongued exchanges with others.
It was well-known that Huo Xian and Marquis Xuanping, this pair of adversarial father and son, never yielded to each other during morning court sessions. If spitting could kill, they would have died a thousand times over.
Suddenly, the screen was pushed aside, letting in a beam of light.
Huo Xian walked over and said, “Enjoying your eavesdropping?”
Ji Yuluo glanced sideways through the gap in the screen at the disappearing figure and asked, “Why did you provoke him?”
Was there something more to this?
Unexpectedly, Huo Xian paused, took a sip of her tea, and said, “He’s just too hot-tempered, getting angry over anything.”
So there was no deeper meaning.
It was just that they couldn’t help but bare their teeth at each other. It seemed the father-son discord was genuine and deeply rooted.
But despite having angered Marquis Xuanping, Huo Xian himself was evidently not in a much better mood.
He swallowed the tea leaves.
Ji Yuluo glanced at him and asked, “Will he do as you say?”
“No,” Huo Xian replied, wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. “He will wait and see. But if Wen Hui is truly ousted, and he weighs the pros and cons, he will persuade Wen Bin to take that position. After all, having another ally in the Imperial Guards is beneficial no matter how you look at it.”
Ji Yuluo nodded thoughtfully and then brought up another matter. “You mentioned needing my help. What for?”
Ah, yes.
Huo Xian looked at her and said, “Are you aware of the Ji family’s youngest daughter’s engagement negotiations with Xiao Yuanjing?”
So, it was about this.
Ji Yuluo raised an eyebrow and immediately understood.
Ji Chongwang was a vain man. His reputation for virtue and respectability was a façade he maintained for public display. However, for the sake of this hollow fame, he had so far refused to collude with the Jinyiwei, which was somewhat commendable.
But he did not know that the Xiao family were Zhao Yong’s people and had treasonous intentions. Once the two families were united by marriage, if the Xiao family rebelled, Ji Chongwang would find himself on a sinking ship with no escape.
Faced with such a dead end, he would, in an attempt to save himself, completely turn against the government. At that point, if the Imperial Academy were to fall into chaos, who knows what kind of rhetoric those students might be incited to spread. This would be a disastrous outcome, which was why Huo Xian was determined to prevent the marriage alliance between the two families.
With this in mind, Ji Yuluo suddenly realized that Huo Xian’s initial marriage to the eldest daughter of the Ji family was actually to protect Ji Chongwang.
More precisely, it was to stabilize the Imperial Academy.
The Grand Tutor’s faction had been too ostentatious, offending Zhao Yong. Hence, Zhao Yong had targeted Xu He and had used marriage ties to suppress Ji Chongwang. But ironically, this had kept Ji Chongwang from following in Xu He’s footsteps.
No wonder Huo Xian always publicly boasted about his ties to the Ji family, with increasing ostentation.
Ji Yuluo said, “Don’t worry. Ji Xianyu would rather hang herself than agree to this marriage.”
That little girl was quite stubborn.
She listened to “Ji Yunyao” too much. As long as her elder sister said something, she would take it to heart. When they encountered each other on the street that day, Ji Yuluo’s words had already made her decision. No matter how much fuss she made, she would not agree to this marriage.
Seeing Ji Yuluo’s confidence, Huo Xian realized that she must have met Ji Xianyu.
He suddenly remembered something and said, “I recall that the Ji family’s carriage was hijacked on a mountain road before. The youngest daughter of the Ji family was seriously injured. At that time, the real target of those bandits was you. Because of this, Yiniang Gu was exposed and ended up dying at a villa in the countryside. Was that your revenge for Ji Yunyao? Did you pity her?”
It was not surprising that Huo Xian knew about this. Once he deduced Ji Yuluo’s identity from Sun Zhixing’s information, he likely had a clear understanding of the entire situation.
But he might have misunderstood something about her.
She avenged Ji Yunyao’s murder for two reasons. First, since she had taken on Ji Yunyao’s identity, avenging her was a way to settle the debt. She hated owing anyone, much like how she managed numerous affairs for Xie Subai at Cuixue Tower without complaint or question. Second, Gu Rou believed she was Ji Yunyao and had targeted her with lethal intent. Ji Yuluo found it irritating to deal with her, so she decided to end it once and for all.
As for pity…
Ji Yuluo tilted her head as if she had heard a joke, her expression very serious, and said, “I’ve only ever pitied you.”
Huo Xian was taken aback.
But it was true. Since childhood, she had rarely felt sympathy for anyone. Even when You Daiyue, who had lived a life of hardship and ended up in the dust, died, Ji Yuluo didn’t feel sad for a moment. Instead, she felt relieved.
Later, at Cuixue Tower, because she had too much blood on her hands, her heart became almost numb. Human life seemed as cheap as grass to her.
She didn’t pity anyone.
She even got punished and scolded by Lou Panshun several times for her indifference, with him nagging at her like chanting scriptures, trying to correct her. But it had little effect.
The only time she softened was when Huo Xian, after meeting Xie Subai, held her silently in his tired embrace.
After that, this feeling of pity seemed to overflow.
It was as if she had used up all the kindness in her lifetime.
Ji Yuluo turned back and stared at the willow branches in the vase, saying, “A great saint who rescues the suffering and saves the distressed is always more sympathetic.”
Huo Xian was momentarily speechless, then suddenly laughed softly, saying, “I am honored.”
In a low voice, he called, “Miss Yuluo.”
—
The back courtyard of the Ji residence was in turmoil.
Just as Ji Yuluo had anticipated, Ji Xianyu was indeed causing a scene, crying and threatening suicide to avoid marriage.
The white silk was already hanging, and she stood on the table, her attitude completely changed from her previous acquiescence. She cried, “Xiao Yuanjing may be good, but he’s much older than me and not suitable! Besides, besides, at his age and still without anyone in his household, how does Father know there’s no other reason?”
Lin Chan was gratified that Ji Xianyu had finally come to her senses, but seeing her clutching the white silk, she nervously said, “Xian’er, stop this nonsense. If you don’t want to marry, then don’t. The engagement isn’t even settled yet. If you don’t marry, does your father have to force you?”
Ji Chongwang, standing nearby, was so angry he nearly had a heart attack. He shouted sternly, “Where did you hear such nonsense? Xiao Yuanjing is renowned for his strict conduct. How did that become a fault in your eyes? Do you know that a man like him is hard to find, even with a lantern!”
Ji Xianyu was unmoved, “I won’t marry, I said I won’t! Sister is right. I’m still so young. Why rush into marriage? Waiting a few more years won’t hurt. If Father insists on this, he’ll have to carry my corpse to the bridal sedan chair!”
Lin Chan was horrified, “No! Stop saying such things and get down here!”
Ji Chongwang was too angry to speak, then suddenly paused, his tone harsh, “Your sister—did she tell you this?”
Ji Chongwang left the small courtyard with a stern face. Ever since “Ji Yunyao” got married, she had become increasingly rebellious.
She should understand that marrying Ji Xianyu to Xiao Yuanjing was entirely to mitigate the adverse effects the marriage between her and Huo Xian had brought to the Ji family. Not only did she not support this, but she even advised against it.
What baffled him the most was that she seemed to be genuinely living well in the Huo household, and it wasn’t all just a facade put up by Huo Xian.
No wonder she felt confident enough to distance herself from the Ji family.
On the day of the Qin family’s third son’s coming-of-age ceremony, she had arrived with Huo Xian. When father and daughter saw each other, she didn’t even nod in greeting but instead coldly looked away.
It was as if she had become a different person.
Thinking of this, Ji Chongwang sighed heavily in frustration. Suddenly, he ran into someone around the corner of the path.
It was Ji Yunkou.
She hurriedly stepped aside and bowed her head, saying, “Father.”
Ji Chongwang was already in a bad mood and seeing Ji Yunkou’s timid demeanor only made it worse.
Since Gu Rou’s death, this once lively second daughter seemed to have lost her spirit. She rarely went out and even in front of others, she always kept her head down, looking lifeless.
But Ji Chongwang had no idea that this was not solely because of Gu Rou. Ji Yunkou’s current state was largely due to being frightened by Ji Yuluo.
She still often dreamed of the day Ji Yuluo raised her hand and looked down at her with those cold, merciless eyes.
As if she was looking at an ant she could crush at any moment.
Indeed, the story Ji Yuluo told that day was particularly terrifying, like a hand covering Ji Yunkou’s mouth. She had tried several times to tell Ji Chongwang about “Ji Yunyao,” about how it was “Ji Yunyao” who had instigated her to report to the authorities. But thinking of the consequences, she dared not speak.
Carrying this huge secret, she felt every day was like a year.
After Ji Yunkou left in a panic, Ji Chongwang pinched his brow and thought for a while, then decided to visit the Old Madam’s Shou’an Hall.
The Old Madam was devoted to chanting sutras and worshipping Buddha, making this place a haven for tranquility.
But looking at the bedridden Old Madam, Ji Chongwang couldn’t help but sigh. In the past six months, it seemed as if the Ji family had been cursed with bad luck.
And it all started with Ji Yunyao’s ill-fated relationship with Huo Xian at the temple.
Back then, he had coldly watched as Gu Rou schemed to harm Ji Yunyao, pretending not to know. He thought that if his eldest daughter really died, at least there would be room to maneuver with the marriage to Huo Xian.
But Gu Rou did not succeed.
Ji Chongwang’s hair had turned even grayer. Rubbing his temples, he said, “Mother shouldn’t have agreed to let Lin Chan keep her.”
The Old Madam, who could now barely speak a few words, said, “At the time—”
Ji Chongwang knew what she wanted to say.
Back then, Lin Chan wanted a child, and Ji Chongwang agreed because of the Old Madam. The Old Madam believed in Buddhism and happened to encounter a renowned monk who prophesied that if the child in You Daiyue’s womb was not kept by their side, it would adversely affect his career.
The newborn child bore too heavy a burden of karma, so he chose to keep her.
But when he ordered the fire set, he didn’t expect that You Daiyue would be carrying twins. Not only did she survive, but she also secretly kept one of the children.
That child came to the Ji residence at the age of seven or eight.
A child that age, with a face so calm it was almost indifferent, recited every word You Daiyue had instructed her to say. She knew all the secrets about Ji Chongwang and You Daiyue.
He was certain this child was You Daiyue’s means of revenge, meant to torment him. She intentionally made sure the child knew all those old secrets, as if to tell Ji Chongwang that someone would always hold something over him, always keeping him in a state of fear.
He was so terrified then that he hurriedly sent the child away.
Perhaps the monk’s prophecy had come true, for his career had indeed encountered many obstacles since then.
