Chapter 590: From Luxury to Hardship

Chapter 590: From Riches to Rags

Ji Yuntang felt something odd stir in her heart. She knew Luo Junhe all too well.

Under normal circumstances, if nothing were truly wrong, he would have explained the situation to her directly.

Instead of giving an ambiguous answer like he was doing now.

The West Courtyard was far from the entrance of Prince Ye's mansion. Living here was relatively quiet.

Despite the distance, she could still hear the noisy uproar outside, which was enough to show that trouble had once again found Prince Ye's mansion.

If they simply chased people away like this, who knew what other tricks they might pull later?

Luo Junhe was not in a position to resolve this personally, so she was the only one who could solve the problem.

With that in mind, Ji Yuntang spoke up: "A He, since my antidote pills are almost ready anyway, why don't I go out and see what's happening?"

"Anyone who dares to cause trouble at Prince Ye's mansion—this Princess will make sure they leave with more than they bargained for."

With that, she went to the washbasin to wash her hands, preparing to head out.

As she walked past Luo Junhe, he suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"A Tang, maybe you shouldn't go. I'll send someone to handle it."

The people of the Marquis Yongning household specialized in using family ties and blood relations to guilt-trip Ji Yuntang.

Although Luo Junhe didn't know what business had brought Ji Nanchuan and Ji Huaiche to their doorstep this time,

he did know that these two men, given their fierce pride, would only abandon their dignity and make a scene at Prince Ye's gate if they were truly desperate.

That meant their purpose in seeking Ji Yuntang was pressing.

If she refused, they certainly wouldn't let the matter drop easily, and might even drag her into trouble.

Luo Junhe didn't want Ji Yuntang to deal with these vexing issues. The people of Marquis Yongning's household were like leeches—once they latched onto her, they wouldn't let go.

Dealing with them would only put her in a bad mood.

Ji Yuntang, of course, understood what he was thinking. But she had always been carefree by nature, and what she despised most were people who came looking for trouble on their own.

Now that they had already come to make a scene at Prince Ye's gate, if she remained indifferent, wouldn't that embarrass Luo Junhe, the War God Prince?

With that in mind, Ji Yuntang bent down and squeezed his hand in return.

Her eyes sparkling with a smile, she said: "A He, we don't seek trouble, but we don't fear it either. If someone comes looking for trouble with us, we can't just let them bully us."

"Don't worry. Leave the outside matters to me. I can handle it."

As she spoke, she leaned in and kissed Luo Junhe on the cheek.

The sudden kiss brought a flush to Luo Junhe's face, quickly spreading to his ears.

The words on the tip of his tongue caught in his throat, dissolving into a low, husky sigh.

"Alright, take Chen Hu with you. I'll wait for you here in the mansion."

Ji Yuntang nodded and gave him a gentle smile. "Don't worry."

Before leaving, she quickly planted another kiss on Luo Junhe's other cheek, then headed out with Chen Hu.

Chen Hu looked up at the sky, not daring to lower his head lest he see something he shouldn't.

It wasn't until she reached the entrance of Prince Ye's mansion that she understood why Luo Junhe hadn't wanted her to come outside.

Because the visitors were the last people she wanted to see.

At that very moment, Ji Nanchuan and Ji Huaiche were still hurling provocations at the gate, their voices laced with undisguised anger.

Ji Yuntang's delicate brows furrowed. She had seen women cursing like fishwives, but men coming to someone's doorstep to rant and rave—that was a first for her.

And these two men were none other than the self-styled refined and noble Marquis Ji and Heir Ji.

Under normal circumstances, they would never deign to do such things, regarding it as beneath their station and dignity.

But now they had done so, which meant they had run into a problem they couldn't solve by themselves.

A problem that only she could solve.

Ji Yuntang guessed it probably had to do with the medical arts.

She wondered inwardly—could it be that Madam Ji was on her last legs?

She was advanced in age and had always been in poor health. Recently, she had suffered one blow after another, causing her old ailments to relapse and knocking her unconscious again.

The physicians in the capital were at their wit's end with her condition, which was why Ji Nanchuan and Ji Huaiche had no choice but to come to Prince Ye's mansion to seek her out.

She had seen plenty of people coming to beg for help, but she had never seen anyone do it with such nerve.

Ji Yuntang narrowed her eyes, a cold glint flashing in them. Suddenly struck by an idea, she beckoned to Chen Hu.

Chen Hu leaned in, heard her instructions, and immediately went to carry out her orders.

"Yes, Princess. This subordinate will see to it at once."

Only then did Ji Yuntang order the gates of Prince Ye's mansion to be opened, then stepped outside.

When Ji Nanchuan and Ji Huaiche saw her, they were momentarily stunned, then both their eyes betrayed traces of envy.

Ji Yuntang's beauty was even more arresting and captivating than before. With her bright eyes and pearly teeth, her exquisite face was cool and refined, untainted by the slightest trace of worldly dust.

If she had seemed somewhat green and immature before, now she was like the brightest star in a crowd, radiating the most dazzling light from within and without.

Even the skin on her face was more supple than before—fair, flawless, and so delicate it seemed it might break at the slightest touch.

Her bearing needed no elaboration. She exuded an air of nobility, luxury, and elegance that made her impossible to ignore.

Ji Huaiche had read books for so many years, and the phrases "radiant as spring blossoms, bright as the autumn moon" from those texts—he felt they paled in comparison to this.

He never would have imagined that he would come to understand the full impact of those eight words through the person he had once despised the most.

As for Ji Nanchuan, seeing Ji Yuntang stirred complex emotions in his heart as well.

Ever since Ji Qingqing had been thrown into the imperial prison and Marquis Yongning's household had fallen into trouble, everything in the marquis's residence had undergone dramatic upheavals.

Take their meals, for instance. Before, he could eat five meals a day, with a different dish each time.

But now, three meals a day, and all of them were nothing but radishes and cabbage.

Even the leftovers from the last meal had to be reheated and eaten together by the whole family for the next one.

The extravagant, indulgent life of the past was gone, and now he was barely scraping by.

Ji Nanchuan learned the hard way that it's easy to go from rags to riches, but tough to go from riches to rags.

Because of all this, the hair at his temples had turned white, he looked more than ten years older, and he couldn't even catch a decent night's sleep, often jolted awake by nightmares.

Ji Huaiche was the same—though not as haggard as Ji Nanchuan, his complexion was clearly going downhill.

He had dark circles under his eyes, which said a lot about how rough they'd been having it.

Ji Nanchuan couldn't help but think: they all shared the surname Ji, and Ji Yuntang was even his own daughter—so why could she live so peacefully and contentedly, while their family was left so miserable and beat-down?

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