Transmigrated as the Short-Lived White Moonlight, I Ended Up Happily Ever After With the Female Lead - Chapter 22

Wu Shiyuan sat comfortably in her seat, accepting Ji Yan’an’s tea offering, looking every bit the lady of the house: “What’s wrong with the Ji Residence? Is it in such disarray just because the Old Madam is away? My dear sister, in any case, serves the Master; she is the Third Concubine of this residence. How can she be poisoned so easily? That’s simply unacceptable!”

Ji Yan’an nodded repeatedly, feeling contempt inside but not showing it on her face.

As she spoke, Wu Shiyuan’s gaze fell upon Song Yi’s face. She was too beautiful, and standing below, she formed a stark contrast with Ji Tong’an and Lin Jinxi, making it impossible for Wu Shiyuan not to notice her.

This wasn’t the first time Wu Shiyuan had seen Song Yi, but every time she saw her, she was momentarily stunned by a face that seemed not to belong to the mortal world. Coming back to her senses, she often resorted to ridicule: “With that foxy appearance, she just brazenly corrupts the old and young in this household. If a person’s character isn’t upright, how can you expect her to do good things? Could it be that the Third Miss would harm her own birth mother just to frame someone of ill-repute? I believe the right and wrong of the matter is already clear to the Eldest Miss.”

Wu Shiyuan had a silver tongue; with a few flicks of her lips, she could turn white into black. Furthermore, the events of today were all pre-arranged between them, so how could there be any flaws?

Ji Yan’an’s tightly clenched fists looked ready to strike, but she restrained herself, only managing to smash the teacup onto the floor, creating a considerable noise.

Wu Shiyuan hadn’t expected Ji Yan’an to smash a teacup and was instantly frightened, nearly revealing a double chin.

Le Yan almost laughed at Wu Shiyuan’s embarrassment and quickly lowered her head, leading the other maids to collect the porcelain fragments to hide her smile.

“Leave it there!” Ji Yan’an shouted, genuinely startling Le Yan, who thought she had done something wrong and immediately knelt to beg for mercy.

Ji Yan’an truly had no patience left, but Song Yi understood that her anger wasn’t directed at Le Yan. She finally stepped forward, helped Le Yan up, and whispered, “She is not angry at you all. You don’t need to clean up either. Lead the maids and wait at the doorway.”

Le Yan, having been granted a reprieve, thanked Song Yi profusely, nearly kowtowing before leaving.

“Eldest Miss, why smash the teacup for no reason? Was what I said perhaps incorrect?” Wu Shiyuan asked fearlessly, while Ji Tong’an beneath her wrung her hands in worry for her.

Ji Yan’an didn’t answer. She sauntered down the steps and walked over to Song Yi, fiddling with a piece of broken porcelain she had just picked up, her eyes filled with cold severity: “Then let Miss Lin help me clean up.”

Jinxi, who was suddenly addressed, widened her eyes. Incredulous, she pointed at the steaming teacup fragments on the floor and directed a look of appeal towards Wu Shiyuan.

“Why should Jinxi pick it up? Does the grand Ji Residence not have maids? Or are those maids too pampered for such a task!” Wu Shiyuan also grew anxious; she could tell from Ji Yan’an’s expression that she wasn’t joking.

Ji Yan’an tossed the fragment in her hand at Wu Shiyuan’s feet, the threat evident: “So the Madam knows this is the Ji Residence. I am the legitimate Eldest Miss of the Ji Residence, and the maids by my side are naturally pampered; they only serve me.”

Ji Yan’an deliberately emphasized the word “legitimate.” Jinxi felt hurt hearing it and almost couldn’t resist coming forward to hit Ji Yan’an. Fortunately, Ji Tong’an quickly pulled her back and tactfully walked up to Ji Yan’an to persuade her: “Elder Sister… Jinxi is a guest after all. We should not pressure her like this.”

As she spoke, Ji Tong’an herself lost confidence. A guest? What kind of guest arrives and starts pointing fingers at a family’s internal affairs? It would be strange if Ji Yan’an were happy.

Seeing that Ji Yan’an refused to compromise, Wu Shiyuan had no choice but to step down, grab Lin Jinxi, and prepare to leave. Before doing so, she released a threat: “I will tell my General that the Eldest Miss of the Ji Residence is bullying people with her authority! I’ll let everyone in the capital see that the supposedly kind and gentle Eldest Miss of the Ji family is actually this kind of person!”

“Did I give you permission to leave?” Ji Yan’an was successfully provoked. Her skirt swirled as she took a few steps and sat back down on the main seat, her eyes full of frost as she looked at the people below.

The maids at the door also automatically blocked their path, preventing them from leaving.

“What kind of person is the Eldest Miss of my Ji Residence?” A voice of unchallengeable authority came from outside the door, instantly causing Wu Shiyuan, who was about to roll up her sleeves and lose her temper, to change her expression.

“Your Eldest Miss is disrespectful to her elders, confuses right and wrong, and does everything to protect a guilty poisoner. Is that not enough?” Wu Shiyuan stood at the door, half-bowing in a courtesy while her mouth continued to chatter.

Madam Ji didn’t spare her a glance. The moment she stepped into the room, she stared at Ji Yan’an.

Her daughter finally possessed her demeanor!

Madam Ji was a little moved. Looking at Ji Yan’an sitting there, distant and lofty, she felt as if she was looking at herself before she married. At the time, the Empress Dowager was already the Empress Dowager, and she was the only unmarried legitimate daughter in the whole family, thus she was spoiled and doted upon in every way, even more magnificently than Ji Yan’an was now.

Tall trees catch the wind, but whenever outsiders said Madam Ji’s conduct was improper, Madam Ji would simply grant them a calm, indifferent sentence: “Who are you to judge?”

After marrying, she entered another family and had to learn to be poised and mindful of the bigger picture. And because Ji Yongning took concubines, the residence gained several concubines and illegitimate daughters. Although Ji Yan’an was spoiled since childhood, she never dared to possess the same magnificent spirit Madam Ji had in her youth.

“How the Eldest Miss of our residence conducts herself is not for you to teach. Even the Empress Dowager dotes on and spoils Yan’an. Are you suggesting you want to displease the Empress Dowager?” Madam Ji did not want to speak another word to Wu Shiyuan, feeling that any further conversation would lower her status.

This sentence was extremely impactful, especially by invoking the name of the Empress Dowager. Frightened, Wu Shiyuan pulled Jinxi and prepared to run, but the maids at the door remained steadfast, refusing to let them pass.

Ji Yan’an first rose to offer the seat to Madam Ji. Madam Ji sat down with a smile, and the aura of the lady of the house instantly suppressed Wu Shiyuan’s petty demeanor, especially with the occasional smirk in her eyes, as if watching a farce.

Blocked from leaving, Wu Shiyuan had nowhere to hide her old face, so she simply let go of Jinxi’s hand: “So what if you go pick it up?”

Jinxi also realized the situation was turning against them. Suppressing the anger in her heart, she walked up to the pile of fragments, picking them up one by one and wrapping them in her handkerchief. After miserably getting up, she looked at Ji Yan’an.

Ji Yan’an didn’t overdo it. She nodded, and Le Yan and Jinxi immediately signaled the maids to clear the doorway. Only then did Wu Shiyuan cover her old face and run out of the courtyard. Jinxi, clutching the pile of fragments, was on the verge of tears and ran off, fueled by resentment.

Song Yi looked at the backs of the two, then at the still-angry Ji Yan’an, and felt a warmth in her heart. She walked to Ji Yan’an’s side and proactively took her hand: “It’s not worth genuinely getting angry over. We still have matters to deal with here.”

Indeed, after chasing away those who did not belong to the Ji Residence, and with Madam Ji’s return, it was time to lay all the cards on the table.