Waking up after noon, Ji Yingying felt hungry and was about to eat when Nanny Xia came to report that Zhang Siyuan had arrived.
“Who is that?”
For a moment, Ji Yingying couldn’t recall who this person was, until she saw him and remembered – this was the man who was supposed to install the floor heating.
Zhang Siyuan was speechless. Little Lord Ji actually didn’t remember him? This was really… so difficult!
“My lord, what did you need me for? I haven’t had lunch yet – shall we eat together?”
Zhang Siyuan immediately responded: “Little Lord Ji is so kind! Thank you, Little Lord Ji.”
[I… you… &&xx…] Ji Yingying had only been polite, never expecting this person to be so thick-skinned as to mooch a meal. She had already paid five thousand taels of silver!
“Quickly bring Vice-Magistrate Zhang a bowl and chopsticks.”
Nanny Xia immediately had someone fetch them while keeping them company nearby.
“Little Lord Ji, these are the blueprints I drafted. Please see if they match what you described today.”
Ji Yingying glanced at them while eating: “No, that’s not right.”
[Although I’ve never seen this type of kang bed-stove, I’ve seen them on TV. That’s definitely not what they look like. Let me think…]
Zhang Siyuan listened nearby, hoping to hear what she was really thinking. Unexpectedly, even after the meal was finished, she still hadn’t revealed any Inner Thoughts.
“I’m full. Let’s go to the study.”
Ever since she became an official, Fang Yulan had prepared a study for her, though she hadn’t visited it yet.
“My mother is really amazing – this study is just like my father’s.”
After sitting down, Ji Yingying began drawing, relying entirely on her imagination for the kang design.
“It should look something like this…”
[Just barely passable. If I had Baidu or Douyin, I could definitely draw a proper one. This is really too difficult.]
“Alright, I’ll go back and study this. Thank you, Little Lord Ji.” Shortly after Zhang Siyuan left, Fang Yulan arrived.
“My child, the Second Prince’s consort has sent an invitation for our whole family to attend their full moon banquet on the tenth of next month.”
[What does the Second Prince’s consort want? It seems like after two days at court, I still haven’t seen any of the princes. The only one I’ve met is the Crown Prince – what’s going on?]
[Ah, whatever. What does court attendance have to do with me anyway?] Ji Yingying reached for a pastry. These pastries were delicious but too dry, making her throat feel stuffed.
…
At daybreak, Nanny Xia came again to rouse this young mistress for court attendance. After three days, Nanny Xia had grown accustomed to being unable to wake Ji Yingying in the morning and unable to make her sleep at night.
“Young mistress, time to get up. Morning court will begin soon.” Nanny Xia was anxious but didn’t know what to do!
[Ugh, stop shouting, you’re calling my soul back before dawn!] Ji Yingying waved her hand, completely unwilling to respond.
As time was running out again, fortunately Fang Yulan arrived and directly had Nanny Xia carry her to the carriage.
“Oh, my child, wake up and eat breakfast, or you’ll be hungry later.”
“Father, why do we have to work?” Ji Yingying asked with closed eyes, sounding utterly miserable.
“Oh, when serving the Emperor, there are no whys! Besides, you need to get used to it. After you marry, you’ll have to pay morning and evening respects to your in-laws too!”
“Nonsense! I’m not getting married. What, don’t you want me anymore?”
Ji Cailiang couldn’t help sighing. This child, what kind of talk was this?
With just that one sentence, Ji Yingying snapped back to reality but immediately felt aggrieved.
She barely ate any breakfast before heading to the Hall of Diligent Governance. As soon as she entered, she told Xiangxiang to find some juicy gossip to indulge in.
【Xiangxiang, see if there’s any hot tea to spill. Damn this marriage talk! I was a lifelong single in my past life—over thirty and my parents never once nagged me about marriage. How old am I now? Ten! My life has barely begun. Am I supposed to waste my prime years serving some random family? Are they insane?!】
【Host, you’re just afraid of marriage. What’s there to fear? If you ask me, just marry. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll make that family eat pig slop.】
【You’re right. If a man treats you poorly or abuses you, just castrate him. Men in this era care about their reputations anyway. Quick, give me some drama—something about wife abuse to sober me up.】
【Got it. See that old man on the left? The one named Cui Chengli? He murdered his wife.】
【Holy crap! Wife murder? They said she died of illness, but he actually poisoned her slowly because he thought his first wife was ugly and resented her merchant background. Not only did he poison her, but he also disposed of her body by feeding it to wild dogs. Now her grave is empty. How brutal!】
【Trust no man, and you shall live forever! Repeat after me: Amen!】
【Host, stop messing around. Being in love can be fun.】
【Sure, romance is sweet—but it’s better to watch others do it. What’s the point of experiencing it yourself?】
【Damn, he even poisoned his own son! Talking about “cutting off the past for a fresh start”—why didn’t he just kill himself and start over? What hypocrisy! Biting the hand that feeds you—utterly despicable!】
【He never stopped to think where all his privileges came from. Wait, his current wife is no saint either—she sent his concubine to a brothel to win his favor. What a perfectly matched, ruthless couple!】
Cui Chengli panicked. How could she know such a deeply hidden secret?
Just then, the Emperor entered. The Minister of Rites immediately stepped forward: “Your Majesty, I have a report.”
“Speak.”
“I accuse Vice Minister Cui of murdering his wife and son.”
【Wow, they actually uncovered it! Such a secret… Oh~ so they found the son he hid in the brothel district. That boy has been dreaming of revenge all along—back when he and his mother struggled through poverty to support Cui’s education, only for him to try killing them both. Luckily, a loyal servant swapped his own son as a decoy, or the boy would’ve been dead.】
“Oh? Do you have evidence?”
“I have witnesses, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor immediately ordered arrests and detained Cui Chengli. Cui was paralyzed with fear, unable to move. He wanted to plead innocence and curse Ji Yingying, but the Great Ancestor’s grip on his neck made him freeze in place!
Soon, a man arrived—confirmed to be Cui Chengli’s son—who also accused him of murdering his wife and son.
“Your Majesty, I alone am responsible for my crimes. I beg you to spare my family.”
【Spare your family? You’re practically alone—aside from this son before you, none of your children are biologically yours. They’re all from your wife’s affairs.】
Cui Chengli spat blood.
He regretted everything. If given another chance, he would have cherished his wife and son for a lifetime.
The person was dragged away, and Ji Yingying’s inner thoughts continued: “Excellent, another one of the Second Prince’s lackeys has been eliminated. I heard the Third Prince has fallen from power—executed by the Emperor and sent back to Linfeng Kingdom. As for the Second Prince… hmm! His methods are truly ruthless!”