klisemfg Chapter 92 The Substitute Bride 8
Chapter 92 The Substitute Bride 8
Ji Yan threw away the remaining half of the broken sword, his face drained of color, his eyes filled with terror and resentment.
"I will remember this grudge!"
Ji Yan gritted her teeth and uttered a harsh remark, then turned and fled in panic like a stray dog.
She rushed out of the courtyard in a panic, her hair disheveled and her hairpins falling off, but she didn't care.
Chun Cui, the maid who had been observing from the side, saw her mistress in such a disheveled state and dared not linger for even a moment longer.
She glanced at Ji Xiaosong and Zixi in alarm, gave a trembling curtsy, and then ran after Ji Yan.
The servants whom Ji Yan had summoned to bolster their courage were now looking at each other in dismay, their eyes filled with fear.
The crowd scattered, each making excuses to slip away, and the once noisy and chaotic courtyard instantly fell silent, leaving only a mess.
Ji Xiaosong gently waved her sleeve, and the entire courtyard returned to normal. The betrothal gifts given by Chu Qingyun were also stored in Ji Xiaosong's spatial storage.
"Zixi, let's go, let's go find Lord Ji and ask for the dowry."
Now that Ji Yan has been given a warning, it's the perfect time to strike while the iron is hot.
The two went to the front yard together, where Ji's father and mother were discussing the dowry for Ji Xiaosong.
If it were an ordinary official, even if no dowry was given, or a small dowry was given, no one would say anything.
But this time it's different. Ji Xiaosong is marrying the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince has specified that Ji Xiaosong should receive a generous dowry.
With disasters occurring frequently in recent years, officials like him can no longer amass as much wealth as before.
The family had already prepared money and treasures for the three children's weddings. If they were to give them to Ji Xiaosong now, it would inevitably cause the other three children to suffer.
There's only so much in total, and distributing it to anyone will only give others cause for criticism.
"It's terrible, sir, madam! The second young lady tried to vandalize the eldest young lady's courtyard but failed and was kicked out by her."
Chun Cui rushed in, making Ji's mother and father, who were already looking worried, even angrier.
"Look at the state you're in now! What kind of behavior is this! Knowing full well that the person next to her is not someone to be trifled with, why did you still go and provoke that jinx?"
Ji's mother was so angry that her face turned red. She just couldn't understand why she couldn't vent her anger in private instead of having to confront him head-on.
If you can't win a direct confrontation, isn't that just asking for trouble?
"Madam, the second young lady is hiding in fear. Please go and check on her."
Chun Cui was still in a daze. As a first-class maid, she had seen quite a few big scenes.
However, seeing Ji Xiaosong's attack just now still terrified him.
She and others had tried to poison Ji Xiaosong quite a few times before, and although she managed to evade them all, Ji Xiaosong might have remembered them all.
If Ji Xiaosong wants to take revenge on them in the future, it will be a piece of cake.
Chun Cui was truly terrified!
Ji's father was also very angry. Ever since Ji Xiaosong returned to the Ji family, he had made the family uneasy every day.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and said wearily to Madam Ji, "Madam, go and have a good talk with Yan'er. Don't provoke that jinx before she gets married. It's only half a month, we can wait."
"What about the dowry?"
"The Crown Princess should be treated with the proper decorum. After all, the dowry will be on display, and our Ji family can't become a laughing stock. Arrange a few more maids and guards for that jinx. When she returns to her parents' home on the third day, have those maids and guards carry the entire dowry back under the pretext of delivering gifts to her family."
"You've thought this through, sir. I'll handle this discreetly to avoid it being discovered by others."
After saying this, Ji's mother hurriedly left, intending to go and coax Ji Yan again.
After all, she is a daughter whom they have cherished since she was a child, and they couldn't bear to see her suffer any real injustice.
Upon arriving at Ji Yan's room, Ji's mother did not hear a sound.
This terrified her. "Yan'er, Yan'er, what's wrong?"
She took two steps in three, forgetting all the manners of a noblewoman.
"Mother, that jinx actually knows kung fu! She broke my sword with just two fingers. You sent her so much poison before, but she hasn't shown any signs of being poisoned. Do you think she's always known we're trying to harm her? Will she come back for revenge?"
Madam Ji pulled Ji Yan into her arms, gently patting her back. A hint of ruthlessness flashed in her eyes, but her face was full of reassuring smiles: "Yan'er, don't be afraid, don't be afraid. She only has some unorthodox skills, what can she do to us?"
Ji Yan nestled in her mother's arms, sobbing softly, "Mother, I can't swallow this! Now that she has the Crown Prince backing her up, she's afraid she'll start riding roughshod over us."
"Yan'er, don't worry. Wasn't she going to have a grand wedding? On her wedding day, I'll personally deliver a cup of poisoned wine to her. I was originally planning to deliver another cup of poisoned wine after she returned to her parents' home, but now it seems I'll just send her straight to hell on that day."
The more Ji's mother thought about it, the better she felt this was, as it would allow her to get her dowry back directly.
She coaxed Ji Yan for a while longer before finally putting Ji Yan at ease.
A few days later, Ji Xiaosong's "adding to the box" time arrived.
Before a woman gets married, her relatives and friends will send money or gifts to her family to increase her dowry. This custom is called "adding to the dowry".
Before arriving at the Ji residence, Ji Xiaosong had no relatives or friends. She also specifically instructed her connections throughout the country not to have any contact with her before her marriage.
The Ji family wanted to sever ties with her, and she was happy to go along with it.
Everyone thought no one would come to help her with her luggage today, but unexpectedly, the Ji residence became bustling with visitors right after breakfast.
The first to arrive was the Second Prince's Consort, dressed in a moon-white brocade gown embroidered with delicate begonia flowers. She moved with light steps and graceful bearing.
A group of maids followed behind, each carrying a gift box tied with a red ribbon symbolizing good fortune.
"I heard that my sister-in-law is getting a new dowry today, so I came to join in the fun. I have prepared a small gift, and I hope my sister-in-law will not find it offensive."
The Second Prince's wife smiled sweetly, her voice gentle and pleasant, her eyes full of enthusiasm.
Chu Qingyun is the eldest prince. Currently, the emperor's harem consists of only one empress, so all the princesses and princes in the royal family are born to her.
Even if Ji's mother and Ji Yan were dissatisfied at this moment, they still had to put on warm smiles to greet them.
Ji Xiaosong, sitting to the side, could tell at a glance that the Second Prince's wife was genuinely trying to make friends with him.
She greeted them with a smile, saying, "Guests are always welcome, how could I possibly look down on them? Besides, we'll all be family from now on."
She accepted the gift box, exchanged a few pleasantries with the Second Prince's wife, and then welcomed her into the residence.
Before long, the Third Prince's Consort also arrived.
She was dressed in a rose-purple palace gown embroidered with butterflies and flowers, looking radiant and beautiful. Behind her was a grand procession carrying a dazzling array of gifts, including precious jade artifacts, rare paintings and calligraphy, and priceless antiques.
"Sister-in-law, congratulations on your upcoming wedding. These gifts are a small token of my appreciation," the Third Prince's wife said with a smile, her tone tinged with affection.
Ji Xiaosong was extremely grateful and thanked him repeatedly, then invited the Third Prince's Consort into the mansion as well.
Ji's mother and Ji Yan were completely ignored. Only after the two of them had finished their conversation did Ji casually strike up a few words.
Just as everyone was marveling at the arrival of the Second Prince's Consort and the Third Prince's Consort, a burst of cheerful laughter rang out. Princess Chaoxia skipped and hopped in, dressed in a pale yellow silk dress, like a flower blooming in spring, playful and adorable.
"Sister Xiaosong, I've come to add some luggage for you!"
Princess Chaoxia held Ji Xiaosong's hand and said sweetly, "I've prepared lots of fun things!"
Looking at the innocent and cheerful Princess Chaoxia, Ji Xiaosong felt a surge of warmth in her heart. "Thank you, Princess."
Subsequently, news came from the palace that although the Empress was too busy with palace affairs to come in person, she specially dispatched her most capable nanny with generous rewards to add to the chest.
The people of the Ji family were so shocked by what they saw that they couldn't close their mouths.
What was originally thought to be a day when no one would care about filling boxes turned into a royal feast.
Ji Yan had worn out countless handkerchiefs in her hands. She delivered boxes of things to Zhuifeng Courtyard as if they were free, even though these things should have been hers!
After seeing off all the people who had filled the boxes, Ji Xiaosong planned to close the courtyard gate and stop interacting with the rest of the Ji family. However, her mother stopped her at this moment.