Chapter 407 Meeting

Chapter 407: The Meeting

He gently took Ji Yuntang's hand and drew her into his arms.

"A Tang, what do you plan to do?"

Ji Yuntang was silent for a moment, then a smile curled at the corner of her lips, a hint of slyness dancing in her eyes.

"A He, will you help me put on another act tomorrow?"

The next day, at the Marquis of Yongning's estate.

Dawn was just breaking when Ji Qingqing came knocking eagerly on the side chamber door.

The person who opened the door was Wu Shijie. He'd thrown on some clothes and gotten up, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"Who's knocking so early in the morning? Can't a person get any sleep?"

The door swung open from inside, and a pungent wave of alcohol hit her, making Ji Qingqing wrinkle her nose in disgust.

"Why didn't you put some clothes on before coming out?"

When Wu Shijie saw her, half his drowsiness vanished, and he quickly pulled his clothes together.

"Oh, it's Second Sister. What are you doing here so early?"

Ji Qingqing shot him a disdainful glance. "Where are your parents?"

"I'm here to ask if they've decided—are they staying or going?"

Wu Shijie quickly replied, "We've decided. The whole family's willing to go to Ji Yuntang's place."

A contemptuous smile curled at the corner of Ji Qingqing's lips. Just as she'd guessed, this family simply couldn't stand to leave the capital.

Since they couldn't suck her blood anymore, they'd settled for sucking Ji Yuntang's instead.

They must think Ji Yuntang will obediently do whatever they say.

But this family of four was no pushover—going to the Prince Ye mansion would only make trouble for Ji Yuntang.

As long as Ji Yuntang's life was miserable, hers would be comfortable!

With that thought, Ji Qingqing cleared her throat and said to Wu Shijie, "I'll give you fifteen minutes. Go tell your parents to hurry up and get ready."

"In fifteen minutes, I'll have someone take you to the Prince Ye mansion."

She turned to leave, then thought of something and turned back.

"Oh, and leave those pots and pans behind. Ji Yuntang's got plenty of silver."

"When you get there, just have her buy you whatever you need. Throw all that junk away."

Wu Shijie grinned like an idiot and nodded. "Don't worry, Second Sister. We know what to do."

A flicker of disgust flashed in Ji Qingqing's eyes. "Stop calling me Second Sister. I'm not your Second Sister. And don't come looking for me again."

"I've already found you a way out. Whether you can stay there depends on your own abilities!"

After giving these instructions, she left without looking back. By the time Wu Jinxi's family boarded the carriage, Ji Qingqing was nowhere to be seen.

Chen Huaxiu stared at the gates of the Marquis estate for a long time, disappointment spreading across her face.

"We're leaving, and Yueyue didn't even come to see us off?"

Wu Jinxi pulled her back and snapped coldly, "See us off? We're going to the Prince Ye mansion, not back to the village. It's so close—you can see her anytime. Don't make that gloomy face."

Half an hour later, their carriage pulled up to the Prince Ye mansion.

Wu Jinxi jumped down from the carriage. He looked at the tall, magnificent red-painted gates flanked by two imposing stone lions, and a greedy, restless light flickered in his sinister eyes.

"No wonder it's a prince's mansion—it's so grand. Even from the outside, it looks more impressive than the Marquis estate."

"Looks like we made the right choice coming here!"

Chen Huaxiu glanced at Wu Shijie and ordered, "Shijie, go knock on the door. Tell them we're here and have Ji Yuntang come out to greet us herself."

She had Wu Shijie knock because back in the small mountain village, aside from Wu Jinxi, the person Ji Yuntang feared most was Wu Shijie.

Sometimes when the father and son flew into a rage, they'd even hit each other.

Wu Shijie knew full well that Chen Huaxiu wanted him to intimidate Ji Yuntang.

Without another word, he went to knock on the door. "Open up! Open up!"

Xuan Bing opened the door and asked coldly, "Who are you here for?"

Wu Shijie raised his chin, arrogance practically oozing from his eyes.

"I'm here for your Princess Ye, Ji Yuntang. These two are her parents, I'm her big brother, and this is her little brother. Go tell Ji Yuntang we're here and have her come out to greet us."

"Wait here." Xuan Bing left it at that and slammed the door shut!

It made Wu Shijie curse and mutter outside the door.

Soon, Xuan Bing came back out and said, "Our Princess is attending to the Prince and has no time to see you. She says you can go in yourselves."

Chen Huaxiu was instantly displeased. She slapped her thighs and wailed, "We're her parents! We raised her for sixteen years, and now that we've come, she won't even come out to greet us? She's nothing but an ungrateful wolf in sheep's clothing!"

"She's living large here as a Princess in a grand mansion, enjoying herself, and doesn't care if her own flesh and blood live or die! What did we do to deserve this!"

Xuan Bing's face went completely dark. "Are you coming in or not? If not, I'm closing the door!"

Chen Huaxiu stopped crying at once and pulled over her youngest son, who was eating a candied hawthorn skewer.

"Coming in! Of course we're coming in!"

The family of four immediately filed into the Prince Ye mansion, making a racket.

The Prince Ye mansion was barren—not a blade of grass anywhere. The grounds were bare, with fallen leaves drifting and patches of snow piled up. A cold wind blew through, sending a chill to the bone.

A little black watchdog spotted them and came charging over, barking "woof woof woof" nonstop.

The four of them took in the scene and their eyes went wide!

They couldn't believe this could actually be the Prince Ye mansion. So majestic outside, yet so desolate inside—like two different worlds.

"Mother, this place is so poor. It's not even as nice as Second Sister's..."

The moment he finished speaking, Chen Huaxiu clamped her hand over his mouth.

"Yang Geer, don't say such things."

When they'd come, they'd already promised Ji Qingqing they wouldn't call her "Second Sister" in public and would pretend not to know each other.

As they passed through the front courtyard, the Night Prince's mansion seemed poorer and poorer. Chen Huaxiu didn't see many guards, and not a single vase or piece of porcelain either.

She frowned—this didn't add up!

Didn't Ji Qingqing say Ji Yuntang made a ton of money and that the Night Prince's mansion was very wealthy?

This wasn't what they'd been told at all!

Just as Chen Huaxiu was puzzled, she caught a glimpse of a figure in white coming out of a doorway not far away.

She turned to look and saw a stunningly beautiful woman carrying a large copper basin, walking out from inside.

Even from a distance, she could smell the foul stench of blood.

Chen Huaxiu wrinkled her nose in disgust, but the woman suddenly walked toward them, her face lighting up with excitement.

"Foster dad, foster mom, you've come just in time. This basin is too heavy—come give me a hand."

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