The meal was nearly finished, so someone cleared away the dishes and brought out tea and small snacks.
After everyone had left, Gu Jingyi got straight to the point, "Uncle Ji, have you received any news?"
"Last time, Xiao Xing'er sent that Qi Wenjing to my father-in-law. We learned quite a bit. You already know Qi Wenjing is Qi Yun's daughter. But your eldest aunt, she's also Qi Shihua's daughter, although he gave her to the Zou family years ago!"
"What?" Gu Jingyi was also surprised by this news! His eldest aunt was a daughter of the Qi family. That meant the whole matter was far from simple. What role did his maternal grandfather play in all this? Was he unaware, or was he scheming something? As for his mother, to speak disrespectfully, her mind wasn't quite right, always acting according to their wishes, and something bad would happen sooner or later.
"Judging by your reaction, you didn't know about this. Does your mother know? A while back, my Ji family, the Ye family, and the Bi family all discovered cases of poisoning, and it was a slow-acting poison. I suspect your family's situation is likely not straightforward, so you should make plans early!"
"I understand, Uncle Ji!"
"Ah~ So much trouble! Why are all the people getting into trouble from our side!"
"Xiao Qi, don't say things you shouldn't!"
"Oh~"
"So, Jingyi's marriage... Jingyi, could your mother be doing this on purpose? But why? Is it possible you're not her biological son?"
"At first, I thought she was being deceived, that this was something the Qi family was orchestrating. Now it seems, I fear my maternal grandfather is also involved, though I don't know if my mother knows the full extent of it."
Ji Xingmi, having listened for a long time, finally pieced things together. She almost admired the mastermind behind it all. They had calculated everything for this faction and were even destroying the next generation. What cunning means! As for Gu Jingyi's mother, she didn't know what role she played in all this, harming her husband and son like this!
Finding it uninteresting, Ji Xingmi saw that the rain in the courtyard had stopped. She pulled her elder brother and Ye Yu, and they went out to stroll in the garden. Just as they reached the garden entrance, they ran into two people, one of whom was particularly striking.
Ji Xingmi's eyes immediately fell on the young man who made her heart skip a beat. He stood there with an air of detachment, holding a long flute. Ji Xingmi raised an eyebrow. What a coincidence! Could this be the person who had just played music with her?
"Yo~ Changze, it seems you're not the only one who fancies the scenery in this little courtyard! Others are interested too." The person beside him said with a smile, teasing the young man.
"Are you all going to the courtyard to enjoy the scenery? Shall we go together?"
Ye Yu and Ji Haoqi remained silent, their gazes fixed on Ji Xingmi, waiting to see what she would say. Whether they went or not was entirely up to her.
"Sure! More people means more fun~" Ji Xingmi didn't mind. The courtyard wasn't hers anyway, so whoever wanted to go could. She had seen many medicinal plants in the courtyard from the window and was a bit curious, so she just came out to look.
The group then entered the courtyard together. There was a pavilion in the middle, and the two men sat inside, ordering tea to be brought over. They drank tea and played chess in the courtyard. Ji Xingmi roamed around the garden freely, with Ji Haoqi and Ye Yu following her. The two groups did not disturb each other.
In an inconspicuous corner of the courtyard, Ji Xingmi spotted a plant and, intrigued, squatted down to examine it. Ji Haoqi and Ye Yu chatted beside her. The men who had been diligently playing chess, however, found their attention drawn to the little girl squatting over there at some point.
"Heh heh, you said you wanted to come to the courtyard to play chess, saying the air was good here! But it turns out you're not here for the scenery. I think your intentions are not as simple as they seem~"
"Don't talk nonsense. I just saw her squatting over there and was curious about what she was doing."
"Oh~ Anyway, as you wish. If you're curious, go ask!" Gao Yu didn't quite understand his friend. He had never seen him so reluctant to speak his mind, but seeing his serious demeanor, he didn't want to expose him and decided to just believe him.
Feng Changze ignored his friend. His attention was now fully on the person squatting over there, and he had no interest in whether his friend believed him or not.
As for playing chess, there would be plenty of time. It wouldn't make a difference to play another time!