After the others had left, Ji Ruyue leisurely sat down on a stool, watching her father savor the soup with evident delight, her eyes brimming with amusement.
"Yue'er, tomorrow Changle Gongzhu will surely come in person. You…"
Ji Ruyue curled her lips indifferently. "It's fine. What about Chen Shujin?"
Master Ji's face briefly clouded with displeasure, and he sighed inwardly. A woman's life should revolve around her husband; even if she had been forced to agree, her heart still leaned toward him!
As if reading her father's thoughts, Ji Ruyue chuckled softly. "What are you thinking, Father?"
Master Ji shook his head slightly. "Nothing. That poor scholar's family is not easy to deal with. You must be more careful in the future. But don't be afraid—with your father here, they won't be able to stir up any trouble."
Knock, knock, knock. The study door was gently tapped.
"Come in," Master Ji responded in a deep voice.
Nanny Hu entered the study with hurried steps, her left cheek swollen and red, tears welling in her eyes. She knelt on the floor, bending both knees. "This old servant greets the Master and the Young Miss."
Ji Ruyue's eyes darkened slightly. "Nanny Hu, rise and speak."
"Yes." Nanny Hu stood up but kept her head bowed.
Master Ji looked up and was taken aback by Nanny Hu's appearance. "What happened to you?"
Nanny Hu had been the maid accompanying Ji Ruyue's mother when she married into the family and held considerable prestige in the household. Few dared to disrespect her under normal circumstances.
"This old servant just delivered the wedding gown to Mulan Yuan. Who would have thought… the bridegroom's mother was quite dissatisfied with the gown. She complained that it was embroidered with magnolias and cut it to pieces on the spot. She is now in the courtyard, furious, demanding that the Master and Young Miss go there personally." Nanny Hu reported cautiously.
Bang! Master Ji slammed the table angrily. "He's just a live-in son-in-law! If not magnolias, what else does he want?"
Ji Ruyue quickly reached out to gently pat her father's back, soothing him softly. "Father, don't be angry. It's not worth getting upset over such a trivial matter."
"They are truly going too far!"
Ji Ruyue beckoned toward the door, and Bai Mei quickly entered from outside. "Young Miss."
"Take Nanny Hu away and have the household physician examine her properly," Ji Ruyue instructed.
"Yes." Bai Mei complied, supporting Nanny Hu as they left the study.
Nanny Hu also bowed in gratitude. "This old servant thanks the Young Miss."
"You need not concern yourselves with matters at Mulan Yuan, nor send anyone to relay messages. You may go."
After Bai Mei and Nanny Hu had withdrawn, Master Ji remained furious and stood up, ready to leave. "No, I must go and see for myself!"
Ji Ruyue reached out and pressed him back into his seat. "Father, there's no need for you to go. Order the household guards to surround Mulan Yuan."
Master Ji: ?
"Since the wedding gown is now ruined, naturally, he won't need to appear tomorrow."
Master Ji looked puzzled, not yet grasping his daughter's meaning, and asked, "How can the groom be absent on the wedding day? Wouldn't that violate etiquette?"
"Etiquette?"
Ji Ruyue's lips curved upward. "How would it violate etiquette? Father simply needs to add a new family rule for our Ji family. In our Ji residence, a live-in son-in-law holds a lowly status. Not only must he adhere to the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, but he also has no right to receive guests or sit at the table. Tomorrow, I will attend alone."
Upon hearing this, Master Ji was momentarily stunned before bursting into laughter.
"Marvelous, simply marvelous!"
Father and daughter conversed in the study for a long time.
Ji Ruyue still felt somewhat hesitant in her heart, wondering when the person she was waiting for would arrive.
Inside Mulan Yuan.
Madam Li, Chen's mother, grew increasingly dissatisfied as she saw that Master Ji and his daughter had yet to arrive. "How can those lowly servants from a merchant family be so ignorant of propriety? The person sent to fetch them seems to have vanished. It's been over an hour now—do they even have any respect for the princess?"
Chen Shujin also wore a grave expression. He softly tried to console her, "Mother, it would be best to avoid resorting to force in the future. That matron seems to have some connections."
But Madam Li paid no heed. "Connections? What connections? In the end, she's just a servant."
Beside her sat a fair-skinned young girl who looked quite adorable when she kept her mouth shut, much like the girl next door.
However, as soon as she opened her mouth, her sharp and acerbic words shattered that pleasant image. "Mother is right. Brother is the only son-in-law of the Ji family. In the future, the entire Ji family will belong to him. What's wrong with Mother disciplining a mere servant?"
The two of them took turns venting their grievances, not only speaking disrespectfully of the matron but also hurling insults at Master Ji and his daughter.
Madam Li was still scheming about how to discipline this daughter-in-law from a wealthy family.
But the person she waited for still hadn't arrived, and the sky had already darkened…
At dinnertime, two young maidservants entered the courtyard carrying food boxes.
"Wait, where are your master and young lady? Why haven't they come to report back?" Hearing Madam Li's angry shout, the two maidservants timidly glanced at her, set down the food boxes, and immediately dashed away.
Their sudden departure left the Chen family members stunned.
Seeing this, Madam Li felt a surge of unease and immediately wanted to chase after them. But as soon as she stepped out of the courtyard gate, two thick cudgels, as sturdy as a baby's arm, blocked her path.
"What… what are you doing?"
The guards glanced at Madam Li indifferently. "Madam Li, please return to the courtyard. The master has ordered that, with the wedding approaching and many guests in the residence, to avoid any offense to you and the son-in-law, you should remain peacefully in the courtyard."
Upon hearing this, Madam Li flew into a rage. She said furiously, "Is Master Ji trying to confine us here?"
"You misunderstand, madam. The master is doing this for your safety," the guard replied calmly.
Madam Li was so enraged that she pushed the guard forcefully, trying to break through.
Unfortunately, her frail body was no match for these tall and sturdy guards.
In just a few moves, Madam Li was effortlessly spun around and pushed back into the courtyard.
With a "bang," the courtyard gate was shut again.
"Without the master's orders, we will not allow you to leave, madam. Please do not make things difficult for us."
Madam Li clutched her chest, her nostrils flaring with anger.
"Mother."
Chen Shujin and his siblings had also heard the commotion outside. Seeing their mother treated this way, they were filled with indignation.
"Very well! The Ji family truly bullies others with their power, daring to confine us in this courtyard!"
Madam Li, still panting, cursed and complained about the injustice.
Chen Shujin's face instantly darkened.
He pushed the door open and went out, intending to reason with them properly.
When the guards saw that it was the poor scholar who had come out, their expressions darkened further. Their tone was slightly stiff as they said, "Please return, son-in-law. Do not make things difficult for us."
Chen Shujin, hearing the men repeatedly address him as "son-in-law" yet behave so disrespectfully, grew even more displeased. He slightly raised his chin, naturally assuming the air of a master of the house, and said sternly to the nearest guard, "You are mere servants, and I have no intention of making things difficult for you. Just tell me: who gave you the audacity to lay a hand on my mother?"