As the first light of dawn tinged the horizon, the Ji Fu sent over mourning attire, hemp caps, and a bridal attendant.
Combining both a wedding and a funeral saved the trouble of applying makeup.
Feng Qingsui, her face bare, donned the mourning clothes, styled her hair, and put on the hemp cap. When the bridal sedan from the Ji Fu arrived, she took the memorial tablet from Ji Changqing, who had come on horseback, and stepped into the sedan.
She remained silent throughout.
Ji Changqing, observing her grief-stricken expression as if mourning her own parents, inwardly sighed:
This little liar truly has remarkable acting skills. Anyone unaware would think she was a devoted lover, heartbroken and desolate at this moment.
At Feng Qingsui’s request, the wedding procession played no music—Madam Qi, arranging a ghost marriage for the first time, was unsure whether to have celebratory or mournful music played.
Bystanders had never seen such a silent wedding procession and watched in stunned silence.
Only after the sedan had passed did they notice the four lanterns accompanying it, inscribed with the characters “Ji Fu.”
They couldn’t help but wonder: Which Ji Fu?
This was because the capital had two famously prominent Ji Fu households.
One was the Ji Fu of the newly appointed Prime Minister Ji Changqing, located on the east side of Chang’an Street, commonly referred to as “East Ji.”
The other was the Ji Fu of the long-retired former Minister of Revenue, Ji Hongde, situated on the west side of Chang’an Street, known as “West Ji.”
Ji Changqing had taken the imperial examinations as a scholar from Jiangzhou, served in local posts after entering officialdom, and only established his residence in the capital upon becoming Prime Minister.
Thus, few commoners knew that Ji Changqing was actually the grandson of Ji Hongde.
“When Changqing’s father placed third in the imperial examinations that year, matchmakers swarmed our doorstep, nearly wearing it out. His grandfather wanted him to marry the daughter of a Duke’s residence, but he insisted on choosing me.”
“Because he was determined to marry me, he quarreled with his parents and nearly severed ties with them.”
“After the wedding, he requested a transfer to serve in his hometown of Jiangzhou. The year I became pregnant, Jiangzhou was struck by floods. He followed the late Crown Prince to combat the disaster and aid the victims, contracted the plague, and passed away.”
After the sedan was carried into the East Ji Fu, Feng Qingsui stepped out. Madam Qi, holding her hand, walked toward the ancestral hall while recounting the past.
“Changqing’s grandfather cursed me as a calamity star, saying that if I hadn’t bewitched Changqing’s father, he wouldn’t have ruined his own prospects and met such a tragic fate.”
“I alone escorted the coffin back to our hometown, gave birth to Changqing and his brother, and raised them. The Ji family paid no attention to us, mother and sons.”
“Changqing saw all this. After placing first in the imperial examinations, his grandfather tried to reconcile with him, but he ignored him. This time, when establishing his residence, he set up a separate ancestral hall and moved his father’s memorial tablet from the Ji family’s ancestral hall.”
After Madam Qi lit incense and paid respects to her deceased husband and eldest son, Feng Qingsui was to hold Ji Changfeng’s memorial tablet for the wedding ceremony.
“Wait!”
A sharp voice suddenly rang out.
An elderly man, a middle-aged man, a young woman, and a young boy hurriedly entered the ancestral hall.
The woman and child were the same mother and son Feng Qingsui had seen the day before.
The elderly man, his face contorted with anger, exclaimed, “Madam Qi, isn’t it enough that you caused the deaths of Zhengyuan and Changfeng? Must you harm Changqing as well!”
“This sorceress is clearly planted by someone with ill intentions to harm Changqing. You ignore Changfeng’s family and allow this sorceress into our home—do you want Zhengyuan to have no descendants?”
Madam Qi staggered slightly, her face paling.
Ji Changqing’s expression darkened.
“Who let them in?”
The servant who had just caught up hurriedly knelt and apologized, “Second Master, the Old Master brought a group of servants. I couldn’t stop them in time…”
Ji Hongde erupted in fury, “Am I not allowed to enter my own grandson’s residence? Don’t think that just because you’ve become Chancellor, you can disrespect your elders! Even His Majesty treats our ancestors with utmost reverence!”
“Merely being old doesn’t automatically make one an elder.”
Ji Changqing said calmly.
“Our Ji family register has no record of you.”
This was sheer defiance of natural order!
Ji Hongde had initially been feigning anger, but upon hearing these words, his mind felt as if it had been fried in oil, and his rage surged to the heavens.
“You not only established a separate ancestral hall but also created a new family register?! Do you have any respect for ancestral rules and family laws? Do you think your tenure as Confiscation Chancellor will last long? You’ll be the next one to have your home confiscated!”
Ji Changqing sneered, “You keep preaching about ancestral rules and family laws, yet you made your youngest son acknowledge your eldest grandson as his father.”
What youngest son acknowledging his eldest grandson as father…
Ji Hongde was stunned for a moment. When he finally understood, veins bulged on his forehead: “What nonsense are you spouting! That’s your second uncle’s…”
He barely stopped himself, almost biting his tongue.
Ji Changqing suddenly realized, “Oh, so it’s the concubine and illegitimate child of Ji, the Imperial Son-in-Law. No wonder you tried to foist them onto my elder brother. It’s not exactly honorable for a cousin to call his cousin ‘father,’ is it?”
“You!”
Ji Hongde nearly fainted.
Ji Peiyuan, standing behind him, hurriedly patted his back to calm him down, forcing a smile as he said:
“It was wrong of your second uncle not to discuss this matter of acknowledging kinship with you beforehand. But your elder brother passed away so young, leaving behind no children. Accepting An Ge’er would at least continue his lineage.”
Ji Changqing: “This cuckolded lineage is better off abandoned.”
Ji Peiyuan: “…”
Ji Hongde softened his tone: “Changqing, if I had any other choice in this matter concerning your second uncle, I wouldn’t have come to you.”
“You know how much Princess Shouyang is doted on by His Majesty, her elder brother. If this were to be exposed and His Majesty took offense, the entire Ji family would be implicated—you wouldn’t escape either.”
“By accepting them, your elder brother would have descendants, your second uncle would be free of worries, and you’d avoid a troublesome matter. Isn’t this a win-win for everyone?”
A trace of mockery appeared at the corner of Ji Changqing’s lips.
“If you’re just looking for someone to be a father, you could do it yourself. If a cousin can call his cousin ‘father,’ why can’t he call his grandfather ‘father’?”
Ji Hongde: “…”
Ji Peiyuan: “…”
Feng Qingsui: “…”
She glanced at Ji Changqing, thinking to herself that she never would have guessed—beneath that handsome exterior lay a complete rebel.
Ji Hongde’s face flushed red and then darkened: “Is there really no room for negotiation?”
Ji Changqing: “None.”
Enraged to the point of laughter, Ji Hongde pointed at Feng Qingsui’s nose and said, “Fine! I’ll wait for the day you drag this troublemaker down from his high horse!”
With that, he stormed off in a huff.
Ji Peiyuan quickly pulled his concubine and child along as he followed.
Feng Qingsui continued the wedding ceremony with the ancestral tablet and then moved into Ji Changfeng’s former residence, Polang Pavilion.
That night, she lay awake for a long time, pondering her next steps.
Jin Shi was also unable to sleep.
Jin Shi was the concubine who had come with her child to seek acknowledgment as kin—Ji Peiyuan’s mistress.
She had been with Ji Peiyuan for several years, but he could neither give her and their child proper status nor protect them. She had finally seized an opportunity to enter a prestigious household, only to have it snatched away by Feng Qingsui.
Her heart bled with hatred.
After tossing and turning all night, she made inquiries the next day and sent someone with a message for Ji Peiyuan, summoning him over.
Ji Peiyuan arrived with a furrowed brow.
“I told you to keep contact to a minimum lately. Xuan’er’s illness keeps recurring without improvement, and she’s been extremely irritable—several physicians have already been dismissed. If she were to find out about our affair at a time like this, neither you nor your child would survive!”
“I came precisely because of Young Master Xuan’s illness.”
Jin Shi pulled him to sit down.
“Do you know why your chancellor nephew agreed to let that woman into the household?”
“Why?”
“That woman once saved your eldest nephew, and she also saved your elder sister-in-law! Isn’t such a formidable person exactly what the princess needs?”