Lianxiang wrung her handkerchief and said aggrievedly, "Second Master, you've heard it too. These old women and maids all look down on me. I..."
Actually, not many people in the mansion knew about Lianxiang since she entered the mansion.
"Enough! Don't you even look at where this is and start throwing a tantrum here. Go back to your Lengxiang Courtyard at once." Then he ordered the maid, "Mujin, without my permission, don't let Concubine Four leave Lengxiang Courtyard even a single step."
Lianxiang's resentment couldn't be vented, and she was full of anger here. She pointed at Ji Shisu and stammered, "You... you..." but couldn't say a complete sentence for a long time.
Ji Shisu ignored her. With a flick of his long sleeves, he walked out without looking back.
He happened to bump into Mrs. Ji who was rushing over.
"Shisu, it's so late. Where are you going?"
"I'm going to pick up Luo Ning. There's a tea - tasting banquet at the Zhao family tomorrow." Thinking of the appointment with Chen Chuliu he had made before, Ji Shisu only felt a headache. So he added, "I'll be back tomorrow evening."
When Mrs. Ji heard the name Zhao Luoning, she subconsciously glanced at Lianxiang.
The latter looked like a defeated and angry hen.
She couldn't even keep a man's heart even though she was pregnant. She was supposed to be the top courtesan of Tianxiang Tower. It seemed she was nothing special after all.
Mrs. Ji responded and stepped aside to let Ji Shisu go out.
When Lianxiang heard that Ji Shisu was going to find Zhao Luoning, she got even angrier. Gritting her teeth, she wanted to chase after him but was stopped by the old woman beside Mrs. Ji.
"This is not Tianxiang Tower. You'd better rein in your arrogant and willful nature. No one will pamper you here."
Mrs. Ji looked up at Mujin. "Mujin, is this your first day on duty? Didn't you hear what the Second Master said?"
Mujin was really innocent. She quickly called two old women to hold Lianxiang. On the surface, she said, "Madam Four, please."
But everyone could see that Lianxiang was being carried away forcefully.
All the old women craned their necks to watch the show.
No wonder they were so curious. If Lianxiang hadn't caused this ruckus, they wouldn't have known that there was a new concubine in the mansion.
Those who heard this news for the first time couldn't help but silently sigh in their hearts: The Second Master is really good at doing big things without making a sound!
Mrs. Ji scolded them, and then the on - lookers stopped.
Mrs. Ji walked into Cihua Courtyard and told the old matriarch about Lianxiang's ruckus.
"Old Matriarch, after Lianxiang's ruckus, I'm afraid this news can't be kept a secret anymore."
The old matriarch was also very troubled. "Why is Mujin so unreliable this time!"
"After all, she's a new concubine. Mujin might be afraid of offending the Second Master and didn't dare to go against Lianxiang too much." Mrs. Ji sighed. "If Shisu liked her, it would be fine. I just bumped into them outside. It seems that Shisu has no interest in this woman at all."
The old matriarch was also very troubled.
"It's all debts, all debts!"
Seeing that the old matriarch was about to have a recurrence of her old illness due to the stimulation, Mrs. Ji quickly changed the topic and tried to persuade her gently.
By the time she came out of the old matriarch's room, the crescent moon had already hung on the treetops.
Mrs. Ji walked while thinking. She didn't notice the threshold under her feet and stumbled. She almost fell.
The wet nurse beside her quickly stepped forward to support her.
Unexpectedly, this stumble gave Mrs. Ji an inspiration.
She grabbed the wet nurse's hand and asked, "Do you still remember the incident when Shisu encountered a ghost before?"
"Encountered a ghost?" The wet nurse thought for a while and soon understood. "Does Madam mean the incident when the Second Master was frantically looking for an actress in Pingle Garden some time ago?"
"Actually, if you think about it carefully, the incident of encountering a ghost is quite unreliable."
"Does Madam mean that the Second Master really met that woman?"
"At least Shisu still has a woman on his mind, and it must not be Zhao Luoning."
After all, as the young lady of the Zhao family and the mistress of the Ji family, in Mrs. Ji's perception, a woman of such a status must disdain to wear opera costumes and sing, doing such things to seduce men.
"That's true. It seems that the Second Master is indeed looking for someone. A lot of our people have been sent out."
"Then let's help him."
"But Madam, this servant doesn't understand. Isn't it good that the Second Master and the Second Young Mistress are in harmony? On the contrary, few of the concubines in the Second Master's room are easy to deal with. If you find another person and put her in the Second Master's room, won't the situation be even more chaotic?"
"Isn't it good to be a bit chaotic?" Mrs. Ji looked back at Cihua Courtyard. "Didn't the one in Cihua Courtyard deal with me like this back then?"
Back then, she and her husband were in love. After they got married, they were in perfect harmony. She gave birth to her eldest son Shijun in the first year of their marriage, and soon Shisu was also born.
At that time, she had two sons, and her husband respected her. She thought she was the happiest woman in the world.
But the old matriarch couldn't stand this happiness. How could one branch of a family become too powerful in a family?
The old matriarch made the decision to marry the Second Madam into the mansion.
The Second Madam of the Ji family was young, beautiful and good at dealing with people. How could a man not like her?
Soon, her favor was taken away.
Watching the Second Madam have both sons and daughters while she was getting old and haggard, and her husband rarely came to her room even after a whole month.
She didn't know when it started, but she no longer waited by the door every day for her husband to come to her.
She began to realize that only power would never betray her. Only by having power could she have a talisman.
Until Zhao Luoning entered the mansion and became the new mistress, and Mrs. Ji stepped down from her position. She finally felt the feeling of being care - free. But there was a price for this ease. Watching the servants who originally supported her in the mansion defect one after another, and watching her Chenxiang Hall go from being bustling to being deserted.
Especially, watching her son become more and more dependent on Zhao Luoning from being indifferent at first.
Mrs. Ji panicked.
She finally understood why the old matriarch had let the Second Madam into the mansion.
At this moment, after years of hard work, the daughter - in - law had become the old matriarch.
She had also become the old matriarch.
She had also become the person she hated the most back then.
The personal wet nurse who had been following Mrs. Ji had witnessed her all the way. She sighed at the transformation of the originally gentle and kind young lady into what she was now. She couldn't help but persuade, "Madam, I think the Second Young Mistress is quite nice. You should enjoy a comfortable life now."
"Back then, when the Second Madam entered the mansion, she was also very respectful to me. Everyone said she was nice."
The wet nurse sighed. She understood Mrs. Ji's bitterness very well. That was why she felt especially sorry for her.
"Madam, I just want you to be happy and comfortable."
Hearing these words, Mrs. Ji smiled.
"Why are you becoming naive as you get old? Can you be comfortable living in this big mansion?"
This big mansion is like a chess game. To be the one who plays the game, one must master the art of balance and let the pieces check and balance each other.
Only in this way can this chess game go on.
If one side becomes too powerful, the game will end.
Just as Mrs. Ji was thinking, a maid walked over in a hurry from a distance. When she saw Mrs. Ji, she quickly came to report.
"Madam, the Second Young Mistress is back. She just bumped into Concubine Four."
"What?"