Transmigrated as the Short-Lived White Moonlight, I Ended Up Happily Ever After With the Female Lead - Chapter 48

Ji Yan’an and Le Yan arrived at the main hall, where Song Yi was kneeling. Ji Tong’an and the Third Mistress stood on the side, tears streaming down Ji Tong’an’s face. Ji Yongning and Mother Ji were seated in the place of honor, and the atmosphere seemed very tense.

Ji Yan’an decided to lean by the door and listen quietly, but just as she reached the door, she heard a command: “Guards, take Song Yi down and give her twenty lashes.”

The voice belonged to the soft-spoken Third Mistress. The Third Mistress was usually adept at feigning gentleness and kindness, yet she was acting so ruthlessly now!

Furious, Ji Yan’an disregarded all notions of etiquette and image. She entered the room swiftly, first pushing away the servants who were about to drag Song Yi away. Then, she stood in front of Song Yi, protecting her, and glared at the Third Mistress, her tone harsh: “I am here today. Let me see who dares touch her!”

The hairpin on Ji Yan’an’s head was still trembling, and her almond-shaped eyes were slightly red. Her small frame seemed to contain immense power now. She dared to confront those people with only one objective: to protect Song Yi.

The Third Mistress seemed surprised by Ji Yan’an’s sudden appearance and nervously looked at Ji Tong’an. Unexpectedly, Ji Tong’an, still utterly unconvinced, accused Ji Yan’an: “Eldest Sister! She knocked out your younger sister and ran away from the Ji Estate! It was just a coincidence that she saved you. If nothing had happened to Eldest Sister, she would have definitely escaped!”

Ji Yan’an was so angry she laughed. She approached Ji Tong’an step by step, leaning her delicate little face near Ji Tong’an’s ear, and gently pinched her neck: “My dear little sister, are you sure you want to test your sister’s bottom line?”

The voice was not loud, but everyone in the room heard it. Ji Yongning frowned and looked at Mother Ji.

Mother Ji ignored him, her gaze fixed on Ji Yan’an.

Ji Yan’an used her finger to lift Ji Tong’an’s chin, the sarcasm in her eyes evident. She released Ji Tong’an’s neck with her other hand and lightly dragged her sharp fingernail across Ji Tong’an’s cheek, softly speaking: “Whoever dares to touch Song Yi today is going against me, Ji Yan’an. I don’t care if she wanted to run away; I only know she saved me, twice. As for why I fell into the lake the first time, I believe my sister knows better than I do.”

Ji Tong’an was too terrified to move. To her, that fingernail was as frightening as a knife. Looking at Ji Yongning and Mother Ji, neither of them showed any sign of supporting her. Ji Tong’an’s eyes were filled with hatred, but she couldn’t retaliate. She could only follow Ji Yan’an’s words: “Sister… I know I was wrong.”

Only then did Ji Yan’an withdraw her hand. She forcefully wiped the hand that had lifted Ji Tong’an’s chin with a handkerchief, then threw the handkerchief onto the floor and stepped on it hard.

“Ji Yan’an! What do you mean!!!” Ji Tong’an finally stopped causing trouble, but the Third Mistress rushed forward like a mad dog, desperately grabbing Ji Yan’an’s arm, her eyes bloodshot: “I know you are the Eldest Miss of the Ji Estate! But does that mean our Tong’an should be bullied by you?? Since childhood, she has always deferred to you. And now, even Song Yi, that wretched person with a father but no mother, can just step all over our mother and daughter?!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the phoenix eyes of Song Yi, who was kneeling on the ground, were no longer just indifferent—they were rare filled with rage. Song Yi was angry, but Ji Yan’an was even angrier, and her anger was mixed with heartache for Song Yi. Ji Yan’an delivered a slap that knocked the seemingly frail Third Mistress to the ground, stunning everyone in the room.

“Yan’an!! How dare you be so rude! Even if you are my legitimate daughter, you shouldn’t hit the Third Mistress!” Ji Yongning couldn’t remain seated. He immediately stood up and scolded Ji Yan’an.

Mother Ji, however, let out a cold snort and unhurriedly sipped her tea. Only after setting down her teacup did she speak: “Who exactly is the Third Mistress? Would she have entered this door without my tacit approval?” Saying this, Mother Ji released her grip on the teacup, which fell to the ground and shattered.

“You!” Ji Yongning was deeply embarrassed to have his authority challenged in front of so many people. He had no choice but to bring up established principles to Mother Ji: “This is jealousy! Yan’an is still a junior; how can she strike the Third Mistress, a senior? Wouldn’t this spread the word that my Ji Estate has no rules?”

“This old woman thinks the Ji Estate is becoming increasingly disorderly.” Just as Mother Ji was about to respond, the Old Madam’s voice suddenly rang out at the door. The voice was aged but powerful, causing Ji Yan’an’s eyes to light up.

Upon seeing the Old Madam, Ji Yongning’s temper vanished. He stood up, yielded his seat, lowered his hands, and called out, “Mother…”

The Old Madam snorted and did not answer. Instead, she sat in the seat Ji Yongning had vacated for her and continued, “The Ji Estate is becoming increasingly disorderly.”

This statement made the Third Mistress feel as if she had found someone to support her, so she cried even louder: “Old Madam, please be the judge for your concubine! Yan’an is disrespectful to her elders…”

The Third Mistress was about to say more when the Old Madam shot a look, and the old wet nurse waiting at the door immediately rushed in and delivered another slap to the Third Mistress. An elder’s strike was much fiercer than Ji Yan’an’s, especially since the old wet nurse had followed the Old Madam since she was young and was skilled at administering punishments like striking the mouth. The force was perfectly controlled.

The Third Mistress was stunned by the slap. She stared blankly at the old wet nurse, even forgetting to cry.

“A concubine’s daughter dares to challenge the legitimate eldest daughter? What will things come to in the future? I see that the rules of this Ji Estate are gradually being ruined by people like you!” The Old Madam grew more and more angry, but a hint of a smile appeared on Mother Ji’s face. She is indeed the Old Madam.

Her authority was undiminished.

Ji Yongning had originally thought the Old Madam was here to scold Ji Yan’an. Who knew that the focus of her criticism would suddenly shift to reprimanding Ji Tong’an for not understanding the distinction between legitimate and concubine status? Before Ji Yongning could speak, the Old Madam continued: “Third Mistress… did you just say Yan’an is disrespectful to her elders? Ridiculous! Could it be that you, a concubine who can’t even stand on a proper stage, have become the elder of our esteemed Eldest Miss? Know your place.”

This statement deeply stung the Third Mistress. Tears streamed down her face, and the look she gave the Old Madam became malicious, as if she could tear the Old Madam’s mouth apart if no one were around.

Ji Tong’an fell to her knees with a thud, almost crawling forward to clutch the Old Madam’s skirt. She cried heartbrokenly: “Grandmother! Clearly… clearly, I am also your granddaughter, so why do you treat Tong’an like this…”

When these words were spoken, even Ji Yongning felt worried about her intelligence. The Old Madam had already emphasized the distinction between legitimate and concubine status.

As expected, Ji Tong’an’s question was an attempt to humiliate herself. The Old Madam looked at her with extreme disgust, then quickly averted her eyes and said coldly: “Since ancient times, there has been a distinction between legitimate and concubine status. You are not worthy of being compared to Yan’an.”

Although these words were cruel, they sounded so comforting to Ji Yan’an. Whether in terms of status or character, this Ji Tong’an was simply incomparable to herself.

While the Old Madam was still debating with Ji Tong’an, Ji Yan’an saw Song Yi still kneeling there and felt extremely pained. She quickly ran over and helped the girl up. Song Yi hadn’t failed to notice Ji Yan’an’s outburst for her sake just now. She felt that the person in front of her was not necessarily as fragile as she seemed; she was willing to fight with all her might for those who mattered.

Mother Ji slowly rose and walked over to Ji Yan’an. Seeing the two of them so intimate, her eyes held some complexity, but ultimately, she said nothing.

“And Prime Minister, I, this old woman, must say a few more words…” The Old Madam saw Mother Ji about to leave and quickly added, “Wife and concubine—you should understand better than I which is more important. Do not let what happened today occur again.”

Nonsense. How could he not know which one was more important? Ji Yongning could not afford to offend Mother Ji’s family alone, not to mention having the Empress Dowager pressuring him. It was already incredibly difficult for Ji Yongning to bring the Third Mistress into the house back then.

“Your son has taken note.” Ji Yongning replied respectfully. Then, using the excuse of court affairs that required discussion, he relinquished all authority over the matter to the Old Madam.

The Old Madam smiled in satisfaction, watched Ji Yongning and Mother Ji leave harmoniously, and her face immediately turned cold again. She felt disgusted looking at Ji Tong’an and the Third Mistress kneeling on the ground. She felt this time would be better spent focusing on Ji Yan’an.

“Grandmother…” Ji Yan’an ran up to the Old Madam, her eyes still red and unsated. The Old Madam embraced Ji Yan’an tenderly, her aged hand stroking Ji Yan’an’s hair, gently comforting her: “Don’t truly get angry in the future. It’s not worth it.”

Ji Yan’an rested her head on the Old Madam’s lap and, with a tone of deep distress, told the Old Madam about Jinxi’s situation. The Old Madam was stunned when she heard this, and her gaze towards Ji Tong’an grew even more furious.

“This old woman didn’t realize that some concubine’s daughter dared to touch a maid from Yan’an’s courtyard.” The older generation was wiser. The Old Madam knew that Ji Tong’an’s biggest pain point was her status, so she used the words “concubine’s daughter” in every sentence.

Ji Tong’an heard that it concerned Jinxi and immediately used her old excuse: “Jinxi was disrespectful to a superior. Even if your granddaughter is not up to par, I shouldn’t be forbidden from punishing a servant, should I?”

“If it were some small cleaning maids, you could handle it. But Jinxi is the personal maid I assigned to Yan’an. I wonder if my sweet granddaughter is also dissatisfied with me!” The Old Madam’s words carried anger. She had long reached her limit with this Ji Tong’an.

Song Yi should have been the main character of this farce, but she was well protected behind Ji Yan’an, allowing Ji Yan’an and the Old Madam to fight the battle for her. She simply didn’t know what to say.

Fortunately, Ji Yan’an’s hand remained clasped around Song Yi’s, offering Song Yi a strange warmth. The two stood behind the Old Madam, perfectly shielded.

The Third Mistress sat blankly on the ground, listening to the Old Madam intermittently mocking Ji Tong’an. Ji Tong’an had complained countless times about her status as a concubine’s daughter. The Third Mistress gradually began to cry, interrupting the conversation between the few people. Ji Yan’an looked at her with confusion.

“I wonder why the Third Mistress has the nerve to cry?” Ji Yan’an bent down to look at the disheveled Third Mistress, asking in a rather gleeful tone.

Ji Tong’an looked over occasionally and found her mother looking pathetic, which was also somewhat sad. She repeatedly apologized to Ji Yan’an: “I’m sorry, Sister. I shouldn’t have gone to scold the people in your courtyard. Please forgive me, Sister!”

Ji Yan’an’s anger had not yet subsided. Seeing her humbly admit her mistake, Ji Yan’an only felt pity for her.