Back then, Nan Shuang was just a maid of the Grand Matriarch. Considering that Ji Shisu had come of age and needed a chambermaid, the Grand Matriarch sent Nan Shuang to him.
At first, the relationship between Nan Shuang and Ji Shisu was quite harmonious. Nan Shuang was Ji Shisu's first woman. At that time, he was a passionate young man and would comply with whatever Nan Shuang said.
If it hadn't been for the early betrothal with the Zhao Family, perhaps it would be Nan Shuang running this household now.
Seven years ago, Ji Shisu was still struggling in the capital. When the Grand Matriarch and Madam Ji went to the capital to visit him, they didn't forget to bring Nan Shuang along. But that's when something happened.
They were captured by mountain bandits.
To cover for the Grand Matriarch and Madam Ji to escape from the bandits' den, Nan Shuang was captured again by the bandits.
By the time Ji Shisu came to rescue them, Nan Shuang had been severely violated.
Furious, Ji Shisu slaughtered the bandit leader. He led a team of servants alone and flattened the entire bandit mountain.
It was also this incident that brought Ji Shisu great fame. The emperor noticed him and commended Nan Shuang for her loyalty in protecting her masters.
However, Nan Shuang became the most awkward existence in the Ji Mansion.
On the one hand, she was the savior of Madam Ji and the Grand Matriarch, and a loyal servant commended by the emperor himself, so she couldn't be neglected. On the other hand, she had been defiled by the bandits. Although Ji Shisu strongly supported her and said he didn't mind, the Grand Matriarch, Madam Ji, and even Nan Shuang herself couldn't get over this hurdle.
After returning to the Ji Mansion, Nan Shuang locked herself in the courtyard and refused to see anyone, including Ji Shisu.
Even worse, two months later, Nan Shuang was found to be pregnant. She tried many methods but couldn't abort the child.
To protect her, Ji Shisu claimed that the child was his and promoted Nan Shuang from a chambermaid to a concubine.
The Grand Matriarch and Madam Ji had no choice. They couldn't let there be a case of one dead and one dying, so they had to acquiesce.
After Ji Jianxue was born, Nan Shuang didn't even look at the child once and directly handed her over to the wet - nurse to raise.
Because she had taken a lot of inappropriate drugs to abort the child, her body was damaged and she could no longer conceive.
Since then, Ji Jianxue became a thorn in her eye and a splinter in her flesh.
Nan Shuang didn't have much affection for this child she was forced to give birth to. Whenever she was unhappy, she would beat and scold the child.
At that time, only Ji Shihan would occasionally go to see the child.
Both being the eldest ladies in the mansion, both being concubines' daughters, and both being neglected by their fathers and mothers, Ji Shihan cared about Ji Jianxue as much as she cared about herself.
When the child was three years old, Ji Shihan couldn't stand it anymore.
She spent some money and invited a fortune - teller, saying that Ji Jianxue was not destined for wealth and honor and couldn't live in a wealthy family. She needed to be sent to a nunnery to practice with her hair still on.
That's how she was sent to the mountain.
Ji Shihan didn't know if this was good or bad for the child. She only knew that this was the only method she could think of at that time.
What Ji Shihan didn't expect was that Ji Jianxue still returned to the Ji Mansion.
Ji Jianxue, the thorn lodged in the hearts of the Ji family, has returned.
Can the Ji Mansion still be peaceful?
---
Ji Shisu was bent on making Zhao Luoning ignore Ji Jianxue. What he didn't know was that the news of Yu Chi going to the Buddhist hall reached Zhao Luoning's ears immediately.
After meeting the concubines in the mansion, Zhao Luoning had someone inquire about their situations, so she naturally knew about Ji Jianxue's existence.
At first, she thought that since Ji Shisu had sent this child to the nunnery without much concern, as a step - mother who had never even met the child, she didn't need to care either.
But unexpectedly, Ji Shisu actually sent Yu Chi to take care of things in the Buddhist hall.
It seemed that he wasn't completely indifferent to this daughter.
However, Zhao Luoning didn't have the time to deal with Ji Jianxue's matter for now. The sky had already brightened, and everyone was gradually getting busy.
The Grand Matriarch's birthday banquet would last for three days. The first day had the most guests, and the second and third days were mostly for the guests who stayed overnight.
Zhao Luoning was still the busiest one among them all.
Finally, the third day arrived.
After seeing off the last group of distant guests at the ten - mile pavilion, Zhao Luoning rubbed her aching waist and headed back. When she reached a pavilion, the weather suddenly changed.
Cold wind was blowing into the carriage curtain. The coachman knocked on the carriage wall and asked for instructions, "Second Young Mistress, it seems it's going to rain. How about we find a place to take shelter?"
Caixue was busy rubbing Zhao Luoning's hands that had turned purple from the cold and replied, "There's no village in front and no inn behind. Where can we go to take shelter?"
"I know there's an old temple ahead. Although it's a bit shabby, it can barely keep us out of the rain," the coachman said.
Zhao Luoning quickly shook her head.
The old temple reminded her of what Caixue had told her before: Nurse Xu had died in a beggars' den in an old temple. When she was found, her tongue had been cut out, she was half - naked, and her whole body was covered in bruises and wounds.
She had fallen into the hands of a group of beggars who hadn't touched a woman for years. It was easy to imagine how miserable her end was.
Zhao Luoning wasn't sympathizing with Nurse Xu. Nurse Xu had caused her to end up in a brothel. Her end was just a case of karma.
She just found it disgusting.
She didn't know what the person who killed Nurse Xu's purpose was, but the means were really cruel.
So, as soon as she heard the coachman mention the old temple, Zhao Luoning quickly shook her head.
Although she knew that the old temple the coachman was talking about wasn't the beggars' den in the east of the city.
Seeing that the mistress had refused, the coachman could only speed up the horses and head towards the Zhao Mansion.
The journey became even more bumpy.
Due to the continuous fatigue and the cold on the way, Zhao Luoning's face was flushed, showing signs of illness.
Caixue felt heart - ache. "Miss, why don't you lean on me and rest for a while?"
Zhao Luoning hugged her knees and asked blankly, "Caixue, any news from Feixing?"
"Feixing hasn't come back yet."
Zhao Luoning frowned deeply. Thinking of the news Feixing had brought that Concubine Luo would be beheaded in three days, she was filled with worry and couldn't relieve it.
No, she had to make two - pronged preparations.
If the lead from Concubine Luo was cut off, she had to think of other ways.
Suddenly, Zhao Luoning seemed to think of something and asked, "Caixue, do you still have that Buddhist bead you wore when you were a child on you?"
Caixue rolled up her sleeve and showed Zhao Luoning the sandalwood bead bracelet on her wrist. "Miss, do you mean this one?"
Zhao Luoning nodded.
When she had asked Ji Shisu to help find out Caixue's background, she had only provided the clothes Caixue was wearing at that time and the time and place where she was found, forgetting about this string of Buddhist beads.
She lifted the curtain and asked the coachman who was driving, "Is it far from Nuanyu Zhai?"
"Nuanyu Zhai? It's not far, but it's in the other direction."
"It's okay. Turn around and go to Nuanyu Zhai!"
Since Zhao Luoning had given the order, the coachman didn't dare not to obey. He suddenly pulled on the horse's reins. Unexpectedly, the horse couldn't stop in time. The carriage hit a rock, and in an instant, it turned over and swayed.
Zhao Luoning, who was sitting in the carriage, was the first to be affected. After rolling several times with the carriage, she fell heavily to the ground.