Chapter 356: Punishment

Xie Liuzheng held the hairpin, looking utterly bewildered. He pressed, "Why would the Ninth Princess suddenly give this to me?"

"I'm a man; I can't wear a woman's hairpin!"

Luo Qingge snapped, "Who asked you to wear it? You just saved me, so this is my reward to you."

Xie Liuzheng: "..."

He stared at Luo Qingge for a moment, and seeing how earnest she was, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

His remark about a reward was just teasing, yet she had taken it seriously!

Still, Xie Liuzheng couldn't bring himself to refuse. This was the first gift Luo Qingge had ever given him, so he automatically tucked the hairpin away.

Seeing him accept it, her eyes lit up slightly. According to the romance novels, if a man accepted a woman's sachet or jewelry, it meant he didn't dislike her. So Xie Liuzheng probably didn't dislike her, right?

With that thought, she averted her gaze and said in a voice that was both cute and playfully proud, "Xie Liuzheng, since you've accepted my reward, you must finish what you started. Now I command you to escort me to Fangting Xiaozhu; Linglan is still waiting for me there."

Even if Luo Qingge hadn't asked, Xie Liuzheng would have escorted her anyway.

He wouldn't feel at ease letting her leave alone, and besides, he wanted to spend more time with her.

Though he was more than willing, he still put on a bit of a proud act, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

"Since the Ninth Princess has made such a request, I'll reluctantly oblige and escort you there. Having just accepted your hairpin, I won't charge you a fare!"

While the mood between them was light and easy, Ji Qingqing, on the other hand, was in a sorry state!

When the household servants of the Yongning Marquis estate found her, she was already beaten to a pulp and had passed out.

The entire Yongning Marquis household was still unaware of Ji Qingqing's dire state. They were all gathered around, rejoicing over her imminent status as the Crown Princess.

Madam Ji sat in the seat of honor. After being bedridden for two weeks, she had rarely left her room, but today she made an exception. Despite her frail health, her dim eyes still gleamed with excitement.

"Seven months—that menace has been married off for a full seven months now. Our marquis's mansion has finally welcomed a momentous joy. Heaven has finally smiled on us!"

Ji Nanchuan had been waiting for this day for a long time too!

He masked his excitement and said gravely, "Mother, as long as Qing Qing becomes the Crown Princess, our Yongning Marquis's mansion will be members of the imperial family. From now on, if anyone dares speak ill of the mansion, I, the Marquis, will tear their mouth apart."

Madam Ji's gaze flickered, and she turned to examine Ji Nanchuan.

"But I've recently heard people say that Hang'er was arrested by Che'er for committing violence in the streets and locked in the Dali Temple's dungeon, and his results in the Canglang Poetry Contest were also revoked."

"Chuan'er, tell me honestly, is this true or not?"

Ji Nanchuan: "..."

Ji Nanchuan: "!!!"

A flash of panic crossed his face, and he quickly said, "Mother, where did you hear such gossip? Hang'er is outstanding—he's the pride of our entire mansion. How could he possibly commit violence in the streets and be locked up? This rumor is utterly absurd!"

With that, Ji Nanchuan turned to pour tea. He had just picked up the teapot when Madam Ji asked again:

"But I've also heard recently that Ji Yuntang, that menace, won the champion of the Canglang Poetry Contest. Is that also a rumor?"

Ji Nanchuan's hand trembled as he poured the tea, and the cup shattered on the floor. His expression grew terrifyingly dark.

Lady Meng stood nearby with her head lowered, too scared to speak, afraid of provoking either of them.

Ever since Ji Zihang's incident, Ji Nanchuan had put a gag order on the entire household, forbidding anyone from mentioning it in front of Madam Ji.

On one hand, Madam Ji was old and bedridden, and he feared it would be too much for her.

On the other hand, he found the matter too humiliating and didn't want to hear it discussed by the servants.

But unexpectedly, Madam Ji had found out anyway, and she even knew about Ji Yuntang winning the champion.

Ji Nanchuan had no time to wonder how she learned of it; he just wanted to brush the matter aside.

"Mother, Ji Yuntang grew up in the countryside and is illiterate. Everyone knows what kind of person she is—surely you, of all people, know too?"

"No matter who could win the champion, Ji Yuntang never could. Please stop listening to others' nonsense!"

Madam Ji slammed her hand on the table in anger and stood up, saying, "Whether it's nonsense or not, you know best in your heart!"

"Even now, you're still trying to hide it from me. Do you still have any respect for me as your mother?"

In her agitation, Madam Ji broke into a violent coughing fit, wheezing heavily as if she were about to pass out at any moment.

Seeing this, Lady Meng stopped playing dead and quickly went over to pat her back, rubbing it to soothe her breathing.

"Mother, please calm down. The Marquis didn't mean to hide it from you—he was just afraid that at your age, you couldn't take it, so he didn't dare tell you."

"But rest assured, with Che'er looking after things at the Dali Temple, Hang'er will be fine. The Marquis has also been seeking help these past two days. I believe within a few days, we'll be able to bring Hang'er back from the Dali Temple."

Lady Meng's words of comfort were met with no understanding from Madam Ji. She angrily pushed Lady Meng away, pointed a finger in her face, and started cursing.

"Lady Meng, it's all because of the daughter you raised! In just a few short months, look at what she's done to our Yongning Marquis's mansion!"

"If anything happens to my precious grandson, you can forget about being the lady of this mansion—you'd better step aside and let someone else take the position!"

Madam Ji's words cut like knives into Lady Meng's heart. She clenched her fists tightly, yet forced a smile to remain on her face.

If it weren't for the fear that this old hag's death would force the mansion's children into three years of mourning, preventing marriages, she would have stopped catering to her long ago!

Her repeated patience and concessions had only earned her increasingly harsh scolding from Madam Ji.

It seemed that no matter what she did, in Madam Ji's eyes, it was always wrong.

Lady Meng knew full well that Madam Ji had originally wanted Ji Nanchuan to marry another woman, believing that Lady Meng's status wasn't worthy of him.

It was precisely for this reason that, after she entered the household, Madam Ji had made life difficult for her in every way.

Even though she had borne the mansion three boys and a girl and run the household for over twenty years, Madam Ji still harbored a dislike for her.

Because that other woman was the one who held Ji Nanchuan's heart and the daughter-in-law Madam Ji had most approved of.

Unfortunately, that woman had suddenly disappeared twenty-five years ago!

No matter how Ji Nanchuan searched for her, it was to no avail. He waited for her for three full years, but she never returned.

In the end, he had no choice but to marry Lady Meng.

This matter had become a thorn in Lady Meng's side.

Even after all these years, she still couldn't let it go.

Everyone said Ji Nanchuan hadn't taken a concubine all these years because he was devoted to Meng.

Only Meng knew the real reason he refused to take a concubine: he still carried his first love in his heart.

He was keeping a place for that woman.

He didn't want his first love to find out what a dirty man he was.

Meng's nails nearly dug into her palms, her heart bleeding, yet she still forced a faint smile.

She knelt before Old Madam Ji, picked up the ruler beside her, and raised it high above her head.

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