Lord Ji shook his head and said, "She knows what she's doing."
"Sure, she's your darling. Of course you trust her," Lady Ji retorted, her words cutting.
Lord Ji knew her grudge but didn't bother arguing. He stepped out of the door without a second's delay.
In the Back Garden of the Separate Courtyard
Lord Ji stood in a daze in front of the flower beds in the back garden. Compared to the garden in the main Ji Mansion, this back garden was hardly worth mentioning. Yet, Lord Ji was completely entranced. He seemed lost in memories of years past, though what exactly he was thinking about was a mystery.
After going to Lord Ji's room and finding him absent, Ji Shisu finally tracked him down here. Seeing her father in a daze, Ji Shisu had to call out to him.
"Dad."
"Shisu? Is there something on your mind so early in the morning?" Ji Shisu looked at her father seriously.
"Dad, Little Mother has told me everything. But I want to hear the truth from you. Was Auntie Man really so reckless?"
"Dad, you know me. You can't hide things from me when I'm determined to find out. I just hope you can give me a clear answer. What's the truth about our blood - relation?"
Lord Ji let out a sigh and stared into the distance with a heavy heart.
"Fine. I've thought about this for a long time. It's indeed time I stopped hiding it from you."
An old memory was about to be unearthed, and the deepest secret he'd been keeping would soon be revealed to the world.
Ji Shisu knew it wasn't the time to interrupt. So she simply kept silent and became a quiet listener.
"Yes, your biological mother isn't your current mother. My third wife, who hanged herself at the old site of the Buddhist hall, is your real mother."
This news was like a thunderbolt to Ji Shisu. She only knew that everyone was hiding something from her. She'd tried to get information from the second wife but got nothing. Even Little Mother, who was usually so talkative, was afraid to speak. This made her even more curious.
She worried that Little Mother and her father had colluded, so she took advantage of everyone's preoccupation and came to Lord Ji, boldly using a feigning tactic. She never expected to uncover such earth - shattering news.
No wonder the whole family knew but kept it from her. No wonder everyone's faces changed when Little Mother said a word yesterday. No wonder Lord Ji had been so absent - minded.
Ji Shisu was no stranger to the third wife Lord Ji mentioned. Far from it, she was quite famous! Although by the time Ji Shisu could remember, the third wife had long passed away, the legends about her had always circulated in the mansion.
It was said that she was extremely beautiful, and no one who saw her could resist her charm. It was said that she was highly talented, playing the pipa so well that the lingering melody could be heard for three days. It was said that she was favored but also very proud. Even when Lord Ji scoured the world for treasures for her, she remained unmoved and never gave him a good look.
Ji Shisu had heard so many legends about her but never believed them. How could there be such a perfect person in the world? It was probably just because the third wife had died, and people only remembered her good qualities. Over time, the stories had been exaggerated.
So Ji Shisu never expected that this woman who had been dead for years and only existed in legends was actually her biological mother!
This news made Ji Shisu take several steps back. If there hadn't been a pillar behind her, she might have fallen.
Lost in the past, Lord Ji didn't notice Ji Shisu's shock. He continued on his own.
"Her death is all my fault. I knew she didn't like me. She agreed to marry me just to raise money for her mother's treatment."
"Th - this..." Ji Shisu didn't dare to ask further. She could already imagine how a woman who married into the Ji Mansion for money would be treated.
"Grandmother didn't like her, and since she was a quiet person, she had no confidants in the mansion. After giving birth to you, she became even more silent."
"But then... how did I become Mother's son?" Since her mother was still alive after her birth, why was she registered under Lady Ji's name?
"She was in poor health. Grandmother didn't trust her to raise you, so she had you registered under the first wife's name."
Lord Ji kept some secrets from Ji Shisu. For example, back then, because he doted on the third wife so much that his favoring a concubine over his wife almost affected his official career, Grandmother had the third wife's son registered under the first wife's name. To reassure the first wife's natal family, he even promised that any child born to the third wife would belong to the first wife. At that time, Lord Ji didn't object. On one hand, the family pressure was too great. On the other hand, he also considered his beloved.
"At that time, your mother was really not fit to raise a child. I was afraid she'd get tired."
Hearing this, Ji Shisu was deeply shocked. She had seen how far a mother would go for her child. Lingxiang had even sacrificed her life for her child. Taking a child away from its biological mother, how desperate the mother must have been! Moreover, at this time, the child's father was still saying it was for her own good.
Ji Shisu asked with difficulty, "Then how did she end up taking her own life?"
"Actually, your maternal grandmother passed away right after she gave birth to you. I was worried about her weak body, so I didn't dare tell her the news. But she found out a year later. That very night, she hanged herself."
Ji Shisu suddenly didn't know what to say. Her son was taken away, and her mother had left. How desperate the third wife must have been at that time! Even if that woman wasn't her mother but just an ordinary person, Ji Shisu felt heart - broken just thinking about it.
Lord Ji sighed repeatedly when he brought up this matter.
"I'm the one who killed her. It all started when I forced her to stay with me. I thought that marrying her, giving her fine clothes and the best life, was for her own good. Who would have thought that the moment I brought her into the mansion, I'd pushed her to a dead end."
A man doesn't shed tears easily, but only when deeply hurt. Ji Shisu never expected that her father, who was always so imposing and high - and - mighty, would shed tears in front of her. He must have truly fallen in love with that mother she'd never met.
Although this news shocked her, since Ji Shisu had only heard of the third wife's name but never seen her, she felt closer to Lady Ji, her current mother.
Yes, although Lady Ji had never shown Ji Shisu a kind face during her growing - up years, and now Ji Shisu had found the reason why she was unfavored, Lady Ji hadn't persecuted this child who wasn't her own. That was already a kindness.
At this moment, Ji Shisu finally let go of all her grudges, whether it was towards Lady Ji or the Ji family.