As soon as Ji Yingying boarded the carriage, she spotted the food container and immediately rushed over to unpack it, taking out the meals inside.
“Darling, did you say earlier that the Emperor appointed you to an official position?” Fang Yulan asked cautiously.
“Yes, the Emperor granted two days off for us father and daughter to settle in before attending court. Dad, what time does court usually start?”
“At mao hour,” Ji Cailiang replied briefly. Both he and his wife breathed a sigh of relief. They had prepared for the worst, never expecting their daughter to surprise them with an official appointment!
As long as the Emperor provided protection, they needn’t worry about criticism from other officials. At worst, she might endure some scolding – after all, Ji Yingying always said: “A few insults don’t hurt or itch, they can’t take my money nor my looks, so let them complain!”
“Mhm,” Ji Yingying was already eating. She had spent a full five hours in the Imperial Study until late afternoon. Aside from the breakfast she had at the Eastern Palace, she hadn’t eaten for five hours…
[Wait~ mao hour, that means court at 5 AM, not including time to get up and have breakfast. If we include those, wouldn’t I have to wake up at 4 in the morning?]
[This work schedule isn’t fit for humans! Why does a woman like me have to attend court? I must get the officials to impeach me in two days, then I can go home and sleep in!]
[Haha, I’m so clever!]
“May I ask if this is Minister Ji’s carriage?” The carriage stopped as someone called from outside.
Ji Cailiang peered out and saw it was someone from the palace. He quickly disembarked.
“Eunuch Cao, is there something urgent?”
Having attended morning court earlier and reported on Xinhe County’s situation, Ji Cailiang recognized Eunuch Cao.
“His Majesty has sent this humble servant to invite Minister Ji to the palace.”
“Very well, I’ll go immediately.” Ji Cailiang instructed the carriage to take his family home first. Being new to the capital, their residence had been arranged by the Crown Prince and wasn’t fully settled yet.
“Dad, take this rice ball and eat your fill.” Ji Yingying leaned out and handed Ji Cailiang a rice ball.
“Little Lord Ji is here too.”
“Yes, yes, I’m here!”
[What’s going on? Doesn’t this Emperor ever eat? Holding meetings at this hour – no wonder you’re the Emperor.]
Ji Cailiang’s heart raced with anxiety as he hurried the carriage away.
During morning court, the Emperor had already inquired about Ji Yingying, but being skeptical at the time, hadn’t detained Ji Cailiang then.
The honest Ji Cailiang followed obediently into the palace and entered the Imperial Study, where the Crown Prince was also present.
“Your humble servant pays respects to the Emperor, may the Emperor live ten thousand years!” He also greeted the Crown Prince.
“Rise.”
After standing up, Ji Cailiang quietly found a spot to stand, much like Ji Yingying had done.
“Minister Ji, has there ever been any instance where Ji San’s thoughts failed to come true?”
“Your Majesty, I have raised my child for ten years now. Every single thing she has thought of has come to pass without exception!”
The Emperor’s face turned pale then dark, then pale again, making all the ministers nervous!
“Excellent! Excellent!”
The Crown Prince immediately stepped forward: “Father, since we know everything now, we should take preventive measures early.”
“The Crown Prince is right. This matter shall be handled by…” The Emperor glanced at the Second Prince, then said: “Handled by the Crown Prince.”
The Crown Prince immediately accepted the order. The Emperor then instructed Eunuch Cao to deliver an edict to the rear palace, demoting Consort Xiao to the cold palace with no permission to ever leave.
“Father, earlier when I led the team to raid one of the Xiao family’s estates, we found not a single storeroom as mentioned by Little Lord Ji. I thought of having Madame Xiao assist in the investigation.”
“Handle this matter as you see fit. Madame Xiao… can be considered a decent person.”
“Yes.”
“Everyone may withdraw. Minister Ji, you stay.”
“Yes.” After everyone had left, the Emperor asked: “What is this matter about Ji San’s inner thoughts?”
“This humble official does not know either. Since my daughter was born, she has always had these inner thoughts. I only know that my daughter was innocently run over by a carriage driver in her previous life, and she didn’t drink Meng Po’s soup after death. This resulted in her being born with memories from her previous life, along with a system called ‘Xiangxiang’.”
Ji Yingying genuinely came from his wife Lady Fang’s womb, and she is the legitimate eldest daughter of the Ji family, his own biological daughter.
“We grant you two days to settle your affairs. I heard the courtyard you’re currently residing in was prepared by the Crown Prince?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. This humble official’s hometown is in Xinhe County, and I have nothing in the capital. Fortunately, the Crown Prince helped, otherwise I would still be staying in an inn looking for housing!”
“Cao Gonggong”
“Your servant is here!” Cao Gonggong stepped forward, awaiting instructions.
“Give Minister Ji one thousand taels of silver. You must complete all necessary arrangements within these two days. We await Minister Ji bringing Little Minister Ji to court.”
“Yes, thank you for Your Majesty’s great grace!”
……….
【Is this where I’ll be living from now on? Not bad at all. I’ll plant some flowers and vegetables later, continue living my days sitting on the wall, hehe~.】
Just as she stepped into the courtyard, she heard several respectful voices: “Greetings, Madame! Greetings, Little Lord Ji!”
“These are?”
“This servant was assigned by the Crown Princess to serve Madame and Little Lord Ji. This servant is Nanny Xia, this is Steward Li, and these two maids are called Xiao Xia and Xiao Qiu.”
【Ah? They’re here to serve me? Let me see what gossip these people have?】
Ji Yingying carefully observed these people but detected no mental activity, making Fang Yulan think these people might not be good individuals, already considering ways to have them leave.
【These people don’t have any interesting gossip. The only noteworthy thing is this steward likes eating sashimi, but that’s not a big deal. I’ll prepare a sashimi meal someday that will definitely be better than what he usually eats.】
【This nanny looks quite plain, but surprisingly she’s a good person too – upright throughout her life, never committed any heinous acts. The only notable thing she did was give her child away to others because she couldn’t afford to raise them.】
【These two maids don’t have major issues either, both are simple-minded people. Good, good!】
“In that case, Nanny Xia, you’ll be responsible for taking care of my daughter. These two maids will assist you as well. As for Steward Li, the entire residence will be your responsibility.”
They had brought few people with them to the capital, not even a steward. The Crown Princess truly solved their urgent need.
“Yes, reporting to Madame. The residence has already been cleaned by assigned personnel, and commonly used furniture has been fully furnished. As for other additions, please make arrangements as you see fit, Madame.”
“Mm, when the time comes~”
“Mother, you handle your business. I’m going back to my courtyard. I’m tired.”
Ji Yingying yawned, feeling somewhat sleepy.
【Ever since meeting the Crown Prince, I haven’t had a proper day to just space out. I really miss the story I was thinking about before. I want to continue developing it.】
Over the past ten years, Ji Yingying had conceived numerous vernacular storybooks—from domineering CEOs in “chasing wives to the crematorium” plots, to celebrated opera stars under the public eye, and even immortals roaming the heavens and earth.
So many indeed!
Fang Yulan gave a slight nod and instructed Nanny Xia to escort her back to the courtyard to rest. Considering that she would attend court in two days, Fang Yulan said to Steward Li, “Could you help find two cooks these two days? My daughter is very particular about food.”