Thinking of the wonderful confrontation just now, Qiuling was still extremely excited.
Zhao Luoning had used the Empty Fort Strategy twice.
First, she let Zixin invite Ji Shisu into the house openly.
When Ji Shisu was already outside the door, Zhao Luoning used the Empty Fort Strategy again.
At that time, there were still a lot of children's clothes and toys in the room. It was definitely too late to hide them on the spur of the moment.
Zhao Luoning simply did the opposite and left them there openly.
She made Zhao Luochun take the blame and asked Qiuling to pretend to be looking for Luochun's mistress. She was sure that even if Ji Shisu was in a hurry, he wouldn't dare to offend a woman related to Zhao Luochun.
Unexpectedly, they really managed to pull it off.
Qiuling was extremely impressed by Zhao Luoning's calm wisdom in the face of danger.
While talking about the thrill of having survived the crisis, she sighed.
"Miss, you're so smart. If it were me, I'd be too scared to say a word."
Qiuling lifted the bed curtain and went to look at Zhao Luoning. She found that Zhao Luoning was like a statue, still sitting in the corner of the bed with her knees hugged, in the same position as before.
Qiuling finally noticed something was wrong. She sat down on the edge of the bed and gently called out.
"Miss."
Two lines of tears silently slid down Zhao Luoning's cheeks.
They were so silent that if she hadn't sat down close to Zhao Luoning, it would have been really hard to notice.
Only then did Qiuling realize.
The miss wasn't heartless after all.
Qiuling sighed and advised, "Miss, why are you torturing yourself like this?"
Zhao Luoning reached out to wipe the tears from her face. She sniffed, her voice filled with sobs.
"Why am I doing this? I'd like to know too."
The more Ji Shisu said he missed her, the more conflicted and tormented Zhao Luoning felt.
Why?
Why did Ji Shisu love her so much but still hurt her?
Why did he have to be that man from the Tianxiang Tower?
Why did the person she loved most and the person she hated most have to be the same person!
Qiuling didn't know what had happened between Zhao Luoning and Ji Shisu.
Seeing Zhao Luoning cry, she felt bad too.
With a sigh, she backed out.
At the Ji Mansion
The old matriarch had been bedridden for a long time.
Ji Shisu, who had determined never to step into the Ji Mansion again, finally came back.
In front of the old matriarch's bed, Lord Ji beat and scolded Ji Shisu, and Ji Shisu took it all.
It was only when the old matriarch spoke that Lord Ji stopped.
The old matriarch had been ill for several days, but her spirit was better today.
She sat up in bed, waved at Lord Ji and the others, and told them to go out, leaving only Ji Shisu alone by the bed.
The old matriarch got straight to the point and asked, "Shisu, do you resent your grandmother?"
Ji Shisu bowed again.
He said sincerely, "No, I don't."
Anyway, he had grown up in the Ji family. When it didn't involve family interests, the old matriarch had always doted on him as her grandson.
"Then why are you doing this?"
"Grandmother, it was the family that couldn't tolerate Luoning first."
"Sigh, we didn't force you to divorce your wife. Think about your wife. She's disrespectful to her elders. We've been good to her."
Ji Shisu fell silent.
The old matriarch also knew she didn't have much of a stance to say this. With a sigh, she said, "She's already gone, and you still... You're really bewitched by her."
In this regard, Ji Shisu didn't hide his feelings at all and replied directly, "Yes."
He was really bewitched by Zhao Luoning.
He couldn't live without her. He had to have her.
The old matriarch didn't know what else to say.
She changed her tone and said,
"Sigh, it's our Ji family that has let you and Ning'er down. I can't manage these things now, and I don't have the energy to. Shisu, you must remember. People need roots, and the Ji family is your root."
Ji Shisu smiled and said, "Please forgive your grandson for not being able to follow your advice. The home I have with Luoning is my root."
Ji Shisu's determination was stronger than ever.
No wonder the old matriarch was surprised. Even Ji Shisu himself didn't expect to meet Zhao Luoning.
A woman worthy of his whole - hearted love, protection, and constant thoughts.
Ji Shisu also didn't expect that he would pack his bags and leave the family that had raised him for so many years.
So many things had happened over the years. Some were within his expectations, but most were far beyond them.
His life had taken a completely new path since he met Zhao Luoning.
Only after understanding love did he know what he truly needed and wanted.
There was no more confusion, no more uneasiness, no more loneliness.
Although he didn't have Luoning by his side for now.
But he had to prepare to give Luoning happiness.
When Luoning first married him, there were many concubines in his backyard, he had a lot of troubles, and his elders were hard to get along with.
Luoning had suffered a lot of grievances.
No wonder Luoning left. In the end, it was he who didn't deserve her.
So, he gave up the title of the second young master of the Ji family.
He wanted to be a completely free man, a man whose heart and soul were only concerned about his wife and children.
The old matriarch sighed deeply and said, "Do you really have to go this far for a woman?"
Ji Shisu's firm determination to sever ties with the Ji family now was just because a few days ago, they had slandered Zhao Luoning in front of him.
It wasn't really slander. They just said Zhao Luoning was an outsider, and he got angry.
Just a woman. The old matriarch still couldn't understand why Ji Shisu would even abandon his family for a woman.
"I still have to go find Ning'er. Grandmother, you should rest well."
Leaving this sentence behind, Ji Shisu got up, bowed, and walked out.
The old matriarch watched his determined back and sighed deeply.
At this point, she knew that her end was near.
But looking at the once - prosperous Ji family, now only Ji Shijun and Ji Shihuan were left.
She didn't know what she had done wrong.
She also didn't know what kind of face she should show when she went underground to see her husband.
No one could give her the answer.
And she couldn't wait for it.
That night, the old matriarch passed away.
White curtains were hung in the Ji Mansion. Ji Shijun wore mourning clothes, but compared to the old matriarch's birthday banquet back then, there were far fewer guests this time.
Without Ji Shisu in the Ji family, the popularity had dropped sharply.
Zhao Luoning soon heard the news of the old matriarch's passing.
At this moment, she was still in the Siyu Nunnery.
After all, Ji Shisu's people were still outside the nunnery. If she showed up, she would easily be discovered.
The news was brought in by Qiuling.
Zhao Luoning subconsciously asked, "What about Ji Shisu?"
"The second young master of the Ji family seemed to have gone to pay his respects, but he was driven out by the Ji family. They said that since he had left the Ji family, he was no longer a descendant of the Ji family. There were even rumors that the old matriarch was angered to death by the second young master of the Ji family."
Hearing this news, Zhao Luoning's heart tightened.
"What's going on? Didn't Ji Shisu just receive military merits? Why did the Ji family drive him out?!"