Transmigrated as the Short-Lived White Moonlight, I Ended Up Happily Ever After With the Female Lead - Chapter 24

Ji Yan’an wiped her tears and followed behind her. The maids who had been craning their necks at the door immediately changed their expressions upon seeing the two exit, standing respectfully to the side. Not one dared to urge Song Yi to leave, as everyone realized Song Yi’s importance to the eldest young lady.

“You want to come with me?” Song Yi walked ahead. She thought Ji Yan’an seeing her out of the courtyard would be the end of it, but she was still following her all the way.

“If I don’t follow you, what if Ji Tong’an and the others make trouble for you on the way again!” Ji Yan’an was so cold her nose felt like it was running, but she firmly pulled her clothes tighter, determined not to go back.

Song Yi, who was being treated like a child, just smiled and walked naturally, completely devoid of the heavy feeling one might expect when heading to the woodshed; her steps were light, as if she were strolling. Although she was smiling, there was no warmth in her eyes. Upon reaching the woodshed door, the smell of mold mixed with wood immediately assaulted them. Ji Yan’an subconsciously frowned, then began to worry.

“How can a person live in this place! Did Mother even think this through!” Ji Yan’an rushed into the woodshed first to inspect it for Song Yi, but came out covering her nose.

Song Yi stood at the doorway, having smelled it herself. The woodshed was even more remote than her previous courtyard and looked like it had been abandoned for a long time. The firewood used by the cooks was all top-grade wood, piled up near the kitchen. These pieces of wood, however, were likely considered worthless even by the servants.

In the snowy weather, the humidity was high, and the firewood had long since gone moldy. Every now and then, small insects would crawl out from between the woodpiles, and the frozen bodies of dead insects were piled up in the corner of the walls. Ji Yan’an felt sick just looking at it.

Song Yi was going to live here for the foreseeable future, in this foul, decaying place! This thought alone swirled in Ji Yan’an’s mind. She looked at the bright, beautiful, star-like Song Yi now walking in without expression and decided that no matter the cost, she had to get Song Yi out of this small woodshed as soon as possible!

“Great beauty! Wait for me! Wait for me to get you out of this rotten woodshed!” Ji Yan’an didn’t dare to stay for another moment. She was afraid she would be unable to resist defying Mother Ji’s orders and dragging Song Yi out. She was afraid of crying in front of Song Yi again, and even more afraid that Song Yi would think she was a crybaby. So, she ran wildly out of the woodshed, running until she reached a small, unused courtyard, the location of which she didn’t even know, and slowly tried to calm herself down.

“Okay, I’ll wait for you,” Song Yi said softly.

In the small courtyard, Ji Yan’an didn’t care whether the ground was covered in ice or snow, she sat down directly, hugging her arms as she began to ponder.

In the original novel, the male lead used his status to forcefully stop Ji Tong’an’s accusation. Because he was taken with Song Yi’s beauty, he guaranteed her character with his own reputation, and used crucial court matters as leverage to make Ji Yongning stop pursuing the matter. The issue was minimized and resolved, and ultimately no one dared to bring it up again. But because of this, Song Yi was firmly held in the hands of that scumbag male lead. Back then, readers collectively complained that the female lead was useless and incompetent for not being able to save herself, and Ji Yan’an even joined the chorus of complaints.

But when Ji Yan’an truly came into the world of the novel and experienced these events firsthand, her main feeling was one of powerlessness. Song Yi had many hidden skills, but this didn’t mean she could resist absolute authority. This wasn’t some action-packed novel; where would so many powerful backers and cheats come from…

Ji Yan’an’s head ached from thinking. She slowly leaned against the wall, looking up at the sky. The sky after the snow was clean, a clear, pure blue. Her fingers, exposed outside her sleeves, were frozen and red, yet Ji Yan’an was still unwilling to leave. This courtyard was very close to Song Yi’s woodshed, and she could already hear the footsteps of the servants ordered to guard the woodshed.

“The Old Madam despises poisoning so much. Asking Father or Mother for help won’t work in this matter. As long as that Ji Tong’an complains to the Old Madam, it will definitely backfire!” Ji Yan’an rubbed her temples, feeling like her skull was about to explode. The Empress Dowager favored her, but ultimately, she couldn’t interfere in family matters, and all of her own glory and status depended on Ji Yongning and Mother Ji.

“The Old Madam… the Old Madam!” This person became Ji Yan’an’s last glimmer of hope. As long as she could win over the Old Madam, her grandmother, who else in the entire Ji Manor would dare to question her?

With a goal in mind, Ji Yan’an started figuring out the next step. It was already the twelfth lunar month, and the New Year was fast approaching. The Old Madam would surely return to the Ji Manor to celebrate the New Year with everyone, but how could Ji Yan’an bear to let Song Yi be locked up for so long! Well, she could only try to get the Old Madam to return to the capital earlier.

“Her return alone isn’t enough; I must make the Old Madam believe that Song Yi is innocent and that Ji Tong’an is the one who was plotting all along!” Ji Yan’an muttered to herself, growing excited as she spoke. She stood up abruptly and bumped into someone.

“Ah” Pain and shock made Ji Yan’an cry out. She was about to slap the person but quickly stopped when she heard the person’s voice.

“Yan’an, what are you doing sitting here?” The voice belonged to Ji Huai, her elder brother, the Ji Manor’s legitimate eldest son, who was plain in appearance but upright in character. The woodshed was no longer considered part of the inner court, so running into Ji Huai returning from court here was not surprising. As for the miserable Ji Yongning, as a key minister in the court, he usually had to stay in the palace all day.

“Elder Brother…” Ji Yan’an’s voice was still choked up, not having recovered, which made Ji Huai feel a pang of heartache. When did his sister, whom he had pampered since childhood and who had always been radiant, fall so low as to cry alone in an unused small courtyard?

“What’s wrong, Yan’an? Has someone bullied you? Our Ji Manor’s eldest young lady must never be wronged. If you tell Elder Brother, Elder Brother will help you teach that person a lesson.” Ji Huai quickly helped Ji Yan’an up, already determined to help his sister get justice this time.

Ji Yan’an looked at Ji Huai with red eyes, deeply feeling that her support might not be limited to just those three people. She twisted her handkerchief, imitating Ji Tong’an’s heartbroken expression, occasionally wiping the already cold tears from the corners of her eyes: “On the day of my birthday, Miss Song risked her life to save me. From that day on, I knew Miss Song was good, and bringing her along was merely to repay her kindness, yet this brought disaster upon her. I… I had good intentions but messed things up!”

As she spoke, a cold wind blew, and by the time Ji Yan’an’s voice reached Ji Huai’s ears, it was just a series of weak sobs. Ji Huai was furious to hear it: “It’s about the poisoning incident today, isn’t it? I saw Third Madam earlier. Her complexion was quite good. Although her face was a bit pale, she was smiling more happily than anyone else. How could she possibly look like someone who was harmed? She was clearly framing someone else!”

Ji Huai was not ignorant of the dirty tricks in the inner court. He had merely chosen to ignore them before, but now that it involved his sister, he absolutely could not stand idly by!

Ji Yan’an looked at the indignant Ji Huai and almost burst into tears of relief. It turned out that in this deep inner manor, there were still people who could see the truth of the matter and were willing to fight for it, even if the starting point was because of her.

“I want to save Song Yi, but I don’t know how.” Ji Yan’an hung her head dejectedly.