Hearing Ji Shisu inquire about baby clothes, Yu Chi reported a bit more.
"Yes. Presumably it's either Zhao Luochun's wife or concubine who's pregnant. But it's strange. Our men have been guarding outside Ye Mansion every day, and they haven't noticed anything unusual."
"Then it's not someone in Ye Mansion who's pregnant. And if it were just Zhao Luochun's wife pregnant, it wouldn't be worth mobilizing all the embroiderers from the silk store."
There's only one person in the whole world who can receive such treatment.
Could it be... Ning'er?
Yes, yes, Ning'er should be pregnant too.
Back then at Shiguan Pass, Ji Shisu had wished that Ning'er could conceive his child.
So he had been especially "hardworking".
This thought cheered Ji Shisu up.
If Ning'er was really pregnant, it would be the most wonderful news.
The kind of news that could make him so happy that he'd want to run wild through the streets.
But soon, his spirits sank again.
Zhao Luoning, Zhao Luoning, where on earth have you run off to?
Yu Chi reminded him, "My lord, you'd better go back quickly. I'm afraid the old matriarch is getting impatient waiting."
Ji Shisu nodded.
He had to put this matter aside for the time being and set off for Ji Mansion.
Cihua Courtyard
Due to the long delay on the way, when Ji Shisu arrived at Cihua Courtyard, he found that the old matriarch wasn't the only one there.
His parents, his eldest brother and sister - in - law, and even Shihuan were all there.
The situation was just like the day when they found out that Luoning had gone missing.
Every time this happened, Ji Shisu knew that he must have done something wrong and annoyed the elders in the family.
The last time Luoning went missing, he didn't know the reason.
But this time was different.
He knew very well why the old matriarch had rushed to call him over and made such a big deal out of it.
If it's good fortune, it won't be a disaster; if it's a disaster, you can't avoid it.
It was just the right opportunity to clarify everything once and for all.
After learning that Luoning might be pregnant, he had been restless. All he could think about on the way was Zhao Luoning.
Was she okay? Did she have enough to eat and warm clothes?
Pregnancy was so hard. Could she hold on?
If things went on like this, he would surely die of exhaustion.
Ji Shisu just wanted to solve all the problems as soon as possible and then go to find Zhao Luoning in peace.
He didn't want to miss any stage of his child's growth, nor did he want to be absent when his wife was suffering.
"Grandma, Father, Mother, Elder Brother, Sister - in - law."
After Ji Shisu entered the room, he began to pay his respects one by one.
"Do you know why I've called you here today?"
The old matriarch's walking stick thumped on the floor. Ji Shisu was quite self - aware and knelt down voluntarily.
"Grandson knows."
"You're deliberately trying to气死 me, aren't you? Since you know, why did you do it? Tell me, what on earth are you planning? If you can't give me a good reason, you'll see..."
The old matriarch was so angry that she could hardly speak. Her health was already not very good, and she had been on the move a lot this year. She didn't expect that just a few days after returning to the mansion, such a thing would happen.
"Even if Grandma wants to punish me, grandson still wants to speak out his thoughts."
This time, no one stopped him from speaking. Lord Ji sat upright like a Buddha, his face cold, his thoughts deep. No one knew what was on his mind at this moment.
Lady Ji knew what Ji Shisu was going to say. If Zhao Luoyu hadn't "communicated" with her in advance, she definitely wouldn't have been sitting here calmly, staying out of it.
Of course, it was Lady Ji herself who had fanned the old matriarch's anger.
There was no need to mention the Second Lady Ji. She was always eager to stir up trouble. She was almost ready to munch on a plate of melon seeds and wait to watch the show.
The only one with a somewhat anxious look on his face was Ji Shijun.
But he knew his younger brother very well. If his younger brother hadn't made up his mind to do something, he wouldn't have said such things.
"Grandma, please allow grandson to move out."
Move out?!
The old matriarch propped up her old body and sat up straight. Her tone was no longer just angry but also full of sorrow.
Yes, she should be sorrowful.
The grandson she had watched grow up was gone without a trace. And now Ji Shisu was actually proposing to leave on his own.
This was their home. Why did they all want to find ways to leave?
How could she bear it?
When people get old, all they want is to have a large and happy family and enjoy family bonds.
But now, let alone a large and happy family.
It was even uncertain how many people were left in the Ji family line.
"Shisu, why do you suddenly have such an idea? If you really don't like Chen Chuliu and Nan Shuang, just divorce them. It doesn't matter. Grandma will help you take in a few more concubines."
Ji Shisu shook his head and then kowtowed three times to the old matriarch. The old matriarch wanted to stop him but couldn't. Seeing him like this, she finally shed tears.
The old matriarch wiped her tears and couldn't say a word.
"Grandma, this has nothing to do with them. Grandson will divorce them because grandson's heart is already filled with Ning'er and there's no room for anyone else. Grandson will always remember your kindness of raising me. Now that elder brother is back, grandson wants to pursue his own happiness."
Seeing that Ji Shisu had said so, Lady Ji couldn't help but chime in.
"Old Matriarch, as the saying goes, children and grandchildren have their own fortunes. It's not a bad thing that Shisu has this kind of determination."
The old matriarch was so reluctant. In her generation, she had a total of four grandsons.
Although Shijun was talented, he had been away from home for so many years.
There was no need to mention Shijian. All he cared about was Luqu. He ignored everything else.
This time when he and Luqu disappeared together, it was probably an elopement.
As the saying goes, family scandals should not be made public.
Although everyone had their own suspicions, no one asked Ji Shisu about the real situation of Ji Shijian.
Shihuan was still too young. Let alone managing the family business, as long as he could study hard and be talented, the old matriarch would be satisfied.
Among these grandchildren, the most promising and the most steady one was Ji Shisu.
That was why the late emperor had appointed him to take charge of all affairs and secretly train soldiers to protect the new emperor.
But Lady Ji's words were not wrong.
There could only be one head of the Ji family.
If he didn't leave now, when it was time to choose the head of the family, the old matriarch might find it even harder to bear.
Moreover, Shisu had the ability and connections. Even if he really moved out, he would definitely be able to support himself.
But Shijun was different. The old matriarch knew a little about his situation over the years.
He had no experience after all, and he had had a very hard time in the past few years.
Although they were both grandsons, Ji Shijun was the eldest and the legitimate one, which made a difference.
Moreover, Ji Shisu's biological mother had such a humble background and had such a tragic end.
Since the death of the Third Lady Ji, the old matriarch had been restless.
The old matriarch was biased. Even though she really liked Ji Shisu, she couldn't let down her guard and fully accept him.
If Ji Shijun hadn't left home and abandoned everything back then, she wouldn't have agreed to let Ji Shisu take over the family business.