Chapter 152: The Revelation
What could Ji Yao have done that she didn't know about? Why was Ye Xian telling her this?
Ye Xian continued, "Your cousin... has a child outside. I haven't fully verified everything yet, but I'm about eighty to ninety percent certain." He paused before adding deliberately, "It was an accidental conception, but it's still not a good thing. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on this for you. If it's true, then you absolutely shouldn't marry him..."
Ye Xian watched her, waiting for her response.
Ji Yao had an illegitimate child? Gu Jinzhao had no knowledge of this. In her memories, Ji Yao and the Fourth Miss of the Earl of Yongyang's family had always been a devoted couple. But Ye Xian's words reminded her of something—she once overheard her grandmother speaking angrily to Ji Yao in the study, her voice hushed but furious. This was three years after Ji Yao's marriage. Her grandmother had berated him for being careless and failing the Ji family, worrying about what would happen if the Earl of Yongyang's family found out.
At the time, Gu Jinzhao had been puzzled, but nothing ever came of it. The strangest thing that followed was the Ji family voluntarily surrendering the canal shipping rights of Sanhe to the Luo family, allowing the Luo merchant group to monopolize the region.
Gu Jinzhao didn't know if this was related to what Ye Xian was telling her now, but because of that incident, the Ji family's canal business had suffered greatly.
But Ji Yao—a man who didn't even keep a Bedroom servant girl—how could he have fathered a child outside? Gu Jinzhao refused to believe it. She asked quietly, "Young Master Ye, do you have proof of this?"
Ye Xian sighed. "I knew you wouldn't believe me. Have you heard of the Luo family in Tongzhou? Your cousin was once close with the Luo family's eldest son, Luo Tai, who took him to the pleasure quarters. Back then, he was led astray and had an affair with a fourteen-year-old entertainer. I've sent people to find her—she's been hidden by Luo Tai all this time. Wait until she confronts the Ji family, and then you'll know the truth."
If this woman remained in Luo Tai's hands, who knew what schemes he might use her for later? Ye Xian had offered the Luo family some benefits to ensure Luo Tai would hand her over—better that than letting her become a weapon against Gu Jinzhao in the future.
The Luo family... How could Ji Yao have associated with Luo Tai?
Gu Jinzhao couldn't help but recall Luo Tai's pale, gaunt face at his death.
She couldn't imagine Ji Yao doing such a thing. If anyone else had told her this, she wouldn't have believed it. But this was Ye Xian speaking—the future Minister of War, a man even the Chen family feared! The people under his command were anything but ordinary.
Gu Jinzhao clenched her hands before responding, "You investigated the Ji family. Why?"
Ye Xian fell silent for a moment. When he had heard that Gu Jinzhao was to be engaged to Ji Yao, an inexplicable anger had risen in him. He had even set aside matters concerning the Changxing Marquis's advisors and immediately ordered Li Xianhuai to investigate the Ji family, fearing she might be marrying the wrong man.
He replied lightly, "I owe you a great debt, don't I? Rest assured, I'll keep an eye on your affairs to ensure no one harms you."
Gu Jinzhao smiled faintly. "Then I thank you. Does anyone else know about this?"
"I've instructed Li Xianhuai to take the woman to the Ji family. The Ji family's matriarch has been kept in the dark all this time—let's see how she handles it. If she continues to cover it up and pretends nothing happened... then such a family is absolutely not one you should marry into."Gu Jinzhao performed a curtsy and said, "Thank you, Young Master Ye. I know how to handle these matters myself. It would be better for you to keep your distance. As for the debt of gratitude you owe me, consider it repaid... Please don’t dwell on it any longer."
After all, she was a maiden awaiting marriage, and it was improper for her to have frequent interactions with Ye Xian.
After speaking, she pulled up the hood of her cloak and walked out of the corridor with Qingpu holding an umbrella for her.
Ye Xian snorted, though he wasn’t sure why he was so irritated. He was the one who owed her a debt, not the other way around. What did she have to be so cautious about? He was nominally her uncle—was she afraid of gossip?
As he stood silently watching the direction Gu Jinzhao had gone, a guard suddenly approached without a sound and whispered, "Young Master, someone has been following us..."
Ye Xian asked, "Who dares to be so bold?"
"It seems to be a maid from the Eldest Miss’s household. What should we do?"
His elder sister truly didn’t trust him, even sending a maid to spy on him.
Ye Xian replied indifferently, "...Let her be."
The guard acknowledged the order and, holding an umbrella for Ye Xian, escorted him as they disappeared beneath the corridor.
In the western courtyard, Fifth Madam paled upon hearing the maid’s report and asked in a hushed voice, "Are you certain? Did the Young Master... really reach out to remove the hall miss’s hood?"
The maid nodded. "This servant was close enough to see it clearly."
Ye Shi suddenly recalled that day—when Ye Xian had visited her and spoken a few words with Gu Jinzhao in Madam Feng’s courtyard. The two had seemed quite familiar... She closed her eyes and murmured, "He’s always been willful, but how could he be so reckless!"
He was the heir of the Marquis Changxing’s household!
Ye Shi remembered the fierce opposition she had faced when she wanted to marry Gu Wuye back then—the Changxing Marquis’s household and the Gao family had nearly accused her of being unfilial. It was only her late grandmother who had persuaded them: "If Shujie marries into the Gu family, at the very least, her status will ensure no one dares to mistreat her... Children have their own fortunes. Why force things?"
Indeed, after she married into the Gu family, no one dared to slight her, and even the usually stern Madam Feng had praised her endlessly.
But she had been a daughter to be married off. Ye Xian was the future heir—how could he possibly be involved with Gu Jinzhao!
What should she do... Ye Shi felt at a loss.
In the end, she could only instruct the maid to ensure this matter never spread. If those with ulterior motives got wind of it, the consequences would be disastrous.
She decided she needed to speak with Ye Xian properly.
After returning to the Beautiful Embroidery Hall, Gu Jinzhao sat in the study to write a letter. Ye Xian’s words were one thing, but she naturally trusted her grandmother. She needed to explain the situation clearly, as it involved not only her but also the Luo family, who were watching closely.
...She wondered how Ye Xian had managed to get Luo Tai to hand the child over to him.
Her thoughts turned to the Luo family’s trading house in Sanhe in her past life. Could it be... that in her past life, Luo Tai had used the child to blackmail the Ji family into surrendering the transport rights of Sanhe? That would explain why the incident had been suppressed, with no one knowing the truth. But why would Ji Yao have gotten involved with Luo Tai? Her grandmother had always held high hopes for him—if she learned Ji Yao had done such a thing, who knew how furious she would be...Gu Jinzhao sighed and instructed Mama Xu to give the letter to Luo Yongping, urging him to deliver it swiftly to Tongzhou by fast horse.
But no matter how fast the horse, it couldn’t outpace Ye Xian’s speed. He had already located the woman and arranged for her to be escorted in a carriage to the Ji family. As the carriage clattered to a stop at the Ji residence, a guard stepped forward to present a name card, claiming to be a representative of the Wu family from Jiangnan, here to visit Ji Wu Shi.
The Wu family of Jiangnan was Ji Wu Shi’s ancestral clan, though they had had little contact in recent years.
At that moment, Ji Wu Shi was discussing betrothal gifts with Song Shi, insisting they must be lavish and abundant. They were debating whether to lead with a solid gold statue of Maitreya Buddha or a Guanyin statue carved from Hetian jade when a maid came to announce the visitor.
Ji Wu Shi found it odd—this wasn’t a festival or holiday, so why would the Wu family send someone to the capital to visit her?
Still, since the name card bore the Wu family’s seal, there must be a reason. She decided to receive the guest in the flower hall.
After taking a sip of tea, she watched as a young woman entered, followed by two older maids, one of whom carried a child. The young woman appeared to be sixteen or seventeen, with delicate, pitiable features. Her dark almond-shaped eyes shimmered like misty waters, exuding a soft allure. Her hair was styled in a simple round bun, adorned with two red crepe silk flowers and small golden earrings. She wore an ill-fitting sapphire-blue satin jacket embroidered with cherry blossoms and trimmed with lace. With a graceful curtsy, she said in a voice as sweet as a nightingale’s, “This humble one, Madam Zhao, has come to pay respects to the elder madam.”
Ji Wu Shi frowned. Though the woman dressed as a married lady, she referred to herself as “this humble one,” which was hardly proper. The Wu family was, after all, a prominent clan in Jiangnan—where had this woman come from?
Coolly, she asked, “You presented a Wu family name card. Are you from the Wu household?”
The woman tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smiled bitterly. “If not for the Wu family’s name card, this humble one wouldn’t have been allowed past the Ji family’s gates. It’s only out of desperation that I’ve brought my child here.” She motioned for the maid to hand her the child and coaxed, “This is your first time meeting your great-grandmother. Greet her properly.” The child, barely two years old, clutched her fingers in confusion and murmured, “Mama…”
Ji Wu Shi’s frown deepened as she studied Madam Zhao. “What nonsense is this? Do you think the Ji family will take in any stray child? Explain yourself—whose child is this?”
Her stern gaze shifted to the child nestled in Madam Zhao’s arms. The boy was fair and plump, his features vaguely familiar… resembling Chun Ge’er. A sudden thought struck Ji Wu Shi—could this be an illegitimate child left behind by Ji Yun?
Madam Zhao knelt, still holding the child, and whispered, “Three years ago, this humble one had a fleeting romance with the second young master of the Ji family, which resulted in Pingshun. For the past two years, I’ve managed to raise him on my own… but now, I can no longer endure. That’s why I’ve brought him here.” Tears welled in her eyes as she continued, “I don’t ask to stay, only that the elder madam give this child a bite to eat so he won’t starve…”
The child clung to Madam Zhao’s clothes, unwilling to leave her embrace, and whimpered again, “Mama…” But she firmly pushed him away, saying, “Go to your great-grandmother, Pingshun. Be good.”
Ji Wu Shi’s temples throbbed with fury. “Speak clearly—whose child is this? Is it Ji Yao’s?”If it were Ji Can or even Ji Yun, she might have believed it. But Ji Yao was her eldest grandson, raised by her own hands with Wormwood, destined to inherit the Ji family—how could he possibly have left such a child outside?
And Ji Yao was about to become engaged to Gu Jinzhao!
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