Chapter 968: Chapter 966: Leaving Behind an Ancestor
Ye Xinyi, showing a mournful look in her eyes while recounting, turned to the Ji Mansion’s Steward and questioned, "Where did I falsely accuse anyone? Regarding how the Ji Family treated me around the time my father lost the position of Duke’s Heir Apparent, you all are well aware. Moreover, I am the concubine-born daughter of a military general’s family; this is what Mother-in-law said directly to my face a few days ago. Also, if my father were still the heir of Duke An, would you, a mere servant, dare to reproach me as ’Lady Ye’?"
Indeed, she hadn’t changed. After her marriage, she has targeted her legitimate elder sister in many ways, even almost pushing her into a disastrous situation at their grandfather’s birthday banquet, yet no one showed dissatisfaction towards her.
Upon hearing Ye Xinyi mention a military general’s family earlier, Lian Gui felt uncomfortable and quietly blamed the Second Great Aunt for failing to see through the true nature of so-called scholarly families, continuing to underestimate his own family.
Upon realizing these words came from Madam Ji Xiaoyuan, he couldn’t help but let out a cold snort, disregarding that it was on a public court, and coldly remarked, "The Ji Mansion is lofty and esteemed indeed, quite a spectacle. The Duke has served a life in battlefields, protecting family and country, only to be looked down upon and humiliated like this."
Lian Gui, saying this, also glanced at Ye Xinyi. The Second Great Aunt’s words in such a setting certainly did no good for the Ji Mansion’s image, but they also invited trouble for Duke An’s Mansion.
The Ji Mansion’s Steward was inwardly complaining but couldn’t argue. It was long known that the masters of his mansion looked down on military generals. It just hadn’t been stated so blatantly, nor propagated widely. Lady Ye’s words were highly likely to be true. If he were to refute, who knows what kind of words it might provoke.
The Lady Ye today was quite different from the past.
Ye Xinyi truly was leveraging Duke An’s Mansion. Her gaze flinched as it met Lian Gui’s sharp stare.
After Miss Ye, You Chenghui once again lamented his own misfortune. This Second Miss was not easily dealt with; she intended no reconciliation with the Ji Family and was planning to completely tear off the facade.
As the Intendant of the Capital Prefecture, he was in a miserable situation.
Ji Xiaoyuan was a paragon among scholars, an object of admiration for students everywhere. Would he allow Lady Ye to attack the Ji Family here, and afterward, should Ji Xiaoyuan manipulate the situation, would naive scholars be incited to attack him, the prefect?
He was helpless, yet had to maintain a stern demeanor and asked, "Lady Ye, what exactly do you wish to say?"
Ye Xinyi kneeled and said, "Your Lordship, this common woman disagrees with the yamen’s verdict on divorce. I wish to ask Your Lordship, for someone like the Ji Family, who fawns over and clings to the powerful when in favor, and turns face and heartlessly once they fall out, what right do they have to criticize this common woman?"
You Chenghui’s gavel finally struck the desk, sternly saying, "How bold of you, Lady Ye. Lord Ji is an Imperial Appointed Official and was your elder. How dare you slander him so!"
"This common woman, this common woman acknowledges her guilt," Ye Xinyi kowtowed and then continued, "But, this common woman really cannot leave the Ji Mansion. I worry for my son. Several days ago, the Ji Family had already sent my son elsewhere, and to this day, I have not seen him even once. I can endure whatever may happen to myself, but I cannot bear for my son to be looked down upon and bullied by the Ji Family. Your Lordship, if I leave the Ji Mansion, I fear my son would be despised by this esteemed Ji Family..."
Speaking to the painful part, Ye Xinyi began to cry mournfully, her voice full of sorrow, "The people of the Ji Family truly cannot be trusted. This common woman sincerely begs Your Lordship to retract the decree, not to pronounce a divorce between me and my husband."
She came today for her son, to pave a stable future for him. She wanted to draw public scrutiny to the Ji Family, ensuring her son’s well-being, preventing negligence or even hidden harm.
When the Ji Family brought Dongze Construction Firm to the court, her fate was sealed. Before losing her reputation, being abandoned, and ignored, this was the only thing she could do.
After Ji Chengru’s divorce, he would still marry. While Ji Chengru seemed agreeable now, who knows how her Brother Sheng would be treated in the future alongside children from a new marriage.
Especially since Madam Zhou was so disdainful of her, with several grandchildren in the Ji Family, Brother Sheng wouldn’t be missed. She feared Brother Sheng would be maltreated by a stepmother and unloved by his grandfather and grandmother.
Retract the decree? You Chenghui’s brow twitched angrily, once again banging the gavel, "The court’s laws are no trifling matter! Lady Ye, the wrong is of your own making. If you do not wish to suffer incarceration, you should go forthwith to resolve the unfinished matters of Dongze Construction Firm."
Ye Xinyi turned a deaf ear, continuing to kneel and plead tearfully, "I implore Your Lordship to be compassionate to us mother and child. There are many grandchildren in the Ji Family, and without his mother’s protection, who knows if one day my son might stray, fall ill untreated, or have an accident like falling into water, eating something harmful, or suffer unseen injuries with no one aware; or even be flattered to his ruin..."
Ye Xinyi kept uttering all sorts of speculations. At first, people thought it was a helpless woman’s nonsense, but the more they listened, the more surprised they became, and the chillier they felt down their spines.
Among Lady Ye’s words were already encompassed all conceivable and inconceivable ways of harming children. This was clearly a warning to the Ji Family. If any such incident occurred to Ji Sheng, it would mean someone in the Ji Family had harmed him in secret.
The Ji Mansion’s Steward watched as two scribes furiously jotted down everyone’s words in court. He could imagine that all of Lady Ye’s words had been recorded, and naturally, so were the words of their own mistress regarding military men.
In the future, if Duke An’s Mansion were to advocate for Ye Sheng, with Duke An’s influence, obtaining the records of this case would be as easy as pie. If Ji Sheng encountered any of the situations Lady Ye spoke of today, anyone would think twice, speculating whether the Ji Family indeed harmed Lady Ye’s child.
To prevent such a situation, even if his house didn’t favor Brother Sheng, they would have to give special attention to every aspect of his life, from daily details to movements.
This is, this is leaving an ancestral grudge for the Ji Family!
Lian Gui, assessing Ye Xinyi, realized that in terms of plotting, no one could compare to the Second Great Aunt and Maternal Aunt Liu. Seeing the irrevocability of the matter, the Second Great Aunt remarkably resolved to abandon her reputation and dignity to secure her son’s future.
...
Of course, the capital’s yamen could not alter the verdict, and Ye Xinyi did not think she could return to the Ji Family. Her words in the court precluded even returning to the Ji Mansion to gather her dowry.
Liu Xiang and Liu Xiang’s family stayed in the Ji Mansion, waiting for members from Duke An’s Mansion the next day to bring back the Second Great Aunt’s abundant dowry with a dowry list.
Ye Xinyi bowed her head, departed, and boarded the carriage, following Lian Gui, back to Duke An’s Mansion.
Today, being the day the case concluded, Duke An returned to the mansion early, awaiting Lian Gui’s report.
In the outer hall of the Duke’s Mansion, Duke An sat at the head, Ye Xinyi’s face was tear-streaked as she knelt sobbing on the ground, with maids and old woman servants kneeling behind her, who returned with her.
Lian Gui stood to the side, recounting the events of the court today.
Duke An, after hearing him, did not dismiss Lian Gui but turned to Ye Xinyi and said lightly, "Although your heart is unkind and selfish, your actions today have been rather strong-willed. Regardless of your intentions, at least you did not disgrace the Duke’s Mansion. Since you’ve returned, you may go pay respects to your grandmother and temporarily stay in your original courtyard."