Chapter 329: Imposter

Chapter 329: Impersonation

"Tell me, who are you really? And where has the real Ji Yuntang gone?"

Ji Yuntang: "..."

She sneered inwardly. Wasn't the real Ji Yuntang hounded to her death by your entire family?

How does this scumbag have the nerve to ask that?

No wonder she felt that Ji Zihang had been looking at her strangely during the law examination today, like he was plotting something.

So he wanted to corner her in public on the street.

Wait, the street...

Ji Yuntang suddenly realized something.

If Ji Zihang thought he had caught her weakness and wanted to expose her publicly on the street,

then could the carriage running out of control just now have been something he deliberately set up?

Sure enough, Ji Zihang's next words proved her right.

He said to the crowd in a grave tone, "Although Ji Yuntang is said to be the lost bloodline of our Marquis Yongning estate, she grew up in a small mountain village for fifteen years and never spent a single day reading books or practicing martial arts."

"How did she come up with such brilliant works and legal codes at the Canglang Poetry Talk? And how did she manage to save that little girl from under the runaway carriage?"

"She never learned a thing, yet she has superb medical skills and abilities that rival any man's—almost no one in the world could pull that off. So it's clear she's not Ji Yuntang at all. The real Ji Yuntang might already be dead, or maybe this woman has her hidden away somewhere. Where has she gone?"

Ji Yuntang found this utterly ridiculous. A mocking smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Third Young Master Ji, you claim I'm not Ji Yuntang—do you have proof?"

Ji Zihang looked at her and said without batting an eye, "As everyone knows, the real Ji Yuntang was born with a black birthmark the size of a palm on her face. But your face is completely clear, without a single mark. Isn't that impersonation?"

"If you really had such amazing medical skills, why didn't you cure your own face during those fifteen years in the small mountain village? But after coming to the capital and marrying into Prince Ye's estate, your face healed in less than a month. Is there really such a thing as coincidence in this world?"

Ji Zihang's words drew the attention of many bystanders, who perked up their ears to catch this gossip.

Ji Yuntang leaned against the carriage with her arms folded, letting out a lazy snort.

"Everyone has two sides. You only get to see the side you're worthy of seeing. Who says I have to live up to your expectations? Can't I live my own life?"

"You just said that I spent my first fifteen years in a small mountain village. Then you've probably heard that in villages, any young girl with even a bit of looks would be sold off by her family or sent to rich households as a concubine once she turned fourteen."

"My foster family was so poor, with two sons to raise and five mouths to feed every day. Most days, they'd finish one meal with no idea where the next one was coming from. They never treated me well and had been wanting to sell me off for a long time. If I hadn't hidden my talents and played ugly, what would have happened to me? What would my life be like now? Have you ever put yourself in my shoes and thought about it?"

Ji Yuntang's words struck a chord with many of the commoners, who nodded and chimed in.

"Princess Ye is right! In our villages now, sons are favored over daughters all over. A daughter's life is worth less than a blade of grass. Any girl who's even a little pretty and around fourteen or fifteen gets married off to rich families as a concubine to bring in silver!"

"Calling it marriage is just a fancy way of putting it. Plain and simple, it's selling your daughter for forty or fifty taels of silver. And with all the rules in those rich households, who knows if those girls ever come back alive."

"If a girl's looks aren't good enough and the big households don't want her, she's no better off than the cattle and horses at home. And Princess Ye isn't even her foster parents' real daughter—I bet her life was even worse than the livestock's."

"If she hadn't played ugly and secretly learned some skills to protect herself, wouldn't her foster family have bled her dry?"

After the auntie finished, Ji Zihang's face went dark instantly!

He said coldly, "Even if she's talented, there's no way she could be skilled in math, carpentry, and law all at the same time."

"Other scholars need to study under their masters for years just to master one subject. But her?"

"Not only is she good at all of these, but her medical skills are unmatched too. Don't you all think it's weird that she has all these skills?"

The crowd looked at each other, at a loss for words.

Ji Zihang's question was too sharp. They couldn't figure out how Princess Ye had pulled it off either.

After all, she was only sixteen years old now!

They'd seen plenty of scholars from poor backgrounds, but a poor woman like Ji Yuntang—who'd never even read a book yet had all these skills—was something they'd never even heard of.

Ji Yuntang cast a contemptuous glance at Ji Zihang, a disdainful curve on her lips.

"Should I take that as you complimenting me?"

"After all your years at the Royal Academy, have you ever heard the saying: If hard work was enough, what would be the point of geniuses?"

"You'll probably say there's no such thing as a genius, but let me tell you—there are plenty of things in this world you've never seen!"

"The wise move forward while the foolish stay put. The path is clear ahead, but plenty still get lost along the way. Just because you never saw me work hard, does that mean I never did?"

"This is just your Marquis Yongning estate being self-righteous, always looking at people through tinted glasses. You never really understood me, so why should I even bother explaining myself?"

Ji Zihang curled his lips. "You don't need to explain yourself to me, but I have reason to suspect you're not the real Ji Yuntang."

"If this is impersonation, then your results in the three exams at the Canglang Poetry Talk naturally have to be voided."

"Not only that, but you've also committed the crime of deceiving the emperor. You're not a daughter of our marquis estate, yet you took Ji Yuntang's place and married His Highness Prince Ye. Under our dynasty's laws, anyone who deceives the throne and commits marriage fraud should be executed."

As his words fell, a flash of murderous intent flickered in Luo Junhe's eyes.

Sitting in the carriage, he barely held himself back from slapping Ji Zihang across the street.

Even if Ji Yuntang wasn't herself—even if she really had impersonated someone else—she'd still be his wife for life.

Who the hell was Ji Zihang to question Ji Yuntang's identity?

Hearing that, Ji Yuntang laughed in anger!

The fox's tail had finally shown!

Wasn't this just the classic petty person's mindset—jealous because he couldn't measure up?

Seeing her take first in all three subjects, he wanted to ruin her.

Not only that, Ji Zihang had also inherited the will of the whole Marquis Yongning household—he wanted her dead.

Sure enough, birds of a feather really do flock together.

One family can't raise two different kinds of people.

With that thought, Ji Yuntang smiled and asked, "Third Young Master Ji, do you know what the biggest difference between people and animals is?"

Ji Zihang stared at her coldly and said nothing.

Ji Yuntang didn't care and said calmly, "The difference is that people can understand human speech, but animals can't."

"Your family came looking for me to be a substitute bride, and now your family's claiming I'm a fraud. Your marquis estate has had it both ways. Since you insist I'm not Ji Yuntang, then show me your proof. Let me see—if I'm not Ji Yuntang, then who is?"

Ji Zihang had expected Ji Yuntang to say that. He curled his lips, a sly glint in his eyes.

"Of course I have proof. Do you dare to do a blood oath test with me right here in front of everyone?"

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