Transmigrated as the Short-Lived White Moonlight, I Ended Up Happily Ever After With the Female Lead - Chapter 50

“May I ask what the purpose is for the Old Madam to summon this humble one?” The owner of the pharmacy was named Bai. Old Man Bai smiled cautiously. This was his first time entering the gates of the Ji Manor. Although Ji Tong’an often came to his shop, and he had seen many high officials and noblemen, who among them had the opportunity to admire the splendor of the Ji Manor? Furthermore, his first entry was through a summons, which clearly did not bode well.

“Old Man Bai… do you still remember what you sold to my good granddaughter here?” The Old Madam watched Old Man Bai standing below, calmly eating a pastry as she sat back in the main seat. Old Man Bai looked at Ji Tong’an, who was kneeling beside him, and then at the Third Mistress off to the side, contemplating whether or not to reveal the truth.

The Old Madam looked away, yet her words were full of pressure: “I hope everything Old Man Bai says today is the absolute truth, every single word. Otherwise, if I were to investigate and find out the truth from elsewhere, it won’t be as simple as just inviting you to the Ji Manor.”

With that, she waved the land deed in her hand—the deed to Old Man Bai’s pharmacy. The Old Madam had acquired it from who knows where. In short, the current situation made Old Man Bai extremely flustered. If he continued to help Ji Tong’an, this illegitimate daughter, the family business he had painstakingly built up could very well turn into smoke.

“Old Madam, please do not blame me. Miss Three did indeed come to this humble one’s pharmacy to ask for a few kinds of poison. She said she wanted to send a disobedient maidservant on her way. How could this humble one possibly have any lethal poison? I only gave Miss a few kinds of chronic poisons. I expected Miss to be angry, but I didn’t expect those medicines would suffice. Although I was confused, I dared not say much and just sold the medicine.”

Old Man Bai knelt on the floor, trembling, making sure to cleanly absolve himself of all fault and clearly state everything he knew. The Old Madam also knew he wasn’t lying. She waved her hand, signaling the old wet nurse beside her to take Ji Tong’an’s money and put it into Old Man Bai’s hand.

“Take this loose silver. From now on, do not sell any more miscellaneous medicines to the Ji Manor.” The Old Madam closed her eyes, avoiding Old Man Bai’s almost tearful expression. Ji Tong’an had originally been a big client for their pharmacy. Now, the Old Madam had directly monopolized the business, and who knew which pharmacy would benefit from it.

As Old Man Bai left with the loose silver in his hands, he had not yet realized the gravity of the situation. Had he not told the truth today, he would likely have been carried out horizontally.

“Is there anything else my good granddaughter would like to say?” The Old Madam smiled as she looked at Ji Tong’an, with no sign of anger or seriousness, completely wearing the expression of one looking at an outsider.

Ji Tong’an, however, had a strategy for every policy. She calmly responded, “The medicine was indeed needed to punish a maidservant. Ultimately, I couldn’t bear to be cruel, so I asked Old Man Bai for a chronic medicine. I don’t know why he speaks today and distorts the facts.”

Ji Yan’an was getting infuriated just listening. She could see that Ji Tong’an could find loopholes in any statement. Unless there was irrefutable evidence placed right in front of her, she would never admit anything.

Watching the sky gradually darken, Ji Yan’an slowly quelled the anger in her heart. The Old Madam hadn’t lost her patience, so she could also practice some self-control.

“Grandmother, let me try next.” Ji Yan’an had been watching with a cold eye for a long time. Her headache had slowly eased, and she felt ready to engage in battle.

The Old Madam looked at Ji Yan’an with pleasant surprise. She had long intended to train Ji Yan’an in these matters, but seeing that Ji Yan’an seemed uninterested, she had planned to let Song Yi learn instead.

Now that Ji Yan’an had voluntarily stepped forward, the Old Madam was delighted and allowed her to take the lead.

Ji Yan’an sat back down and stared unblinkingly at Ji Tong’an: “The Ji Manor has a set of rules for rewards and punishments. How did you intend to take the life of that offending maid, Third Sister? Or, if Jinxi in my courtyard also offended you, did you already give Jinxi some kind of poison?”

Ji Tong’an had been very respectful towards the Old Madam, but now that it was Ji Yan’an, with Song Yi still sitting beside her, Ji Tong’an began to feel defiant: “May I ask what Elder Sister means by this? The true culprit is sitting right beside Elder Sister, yet you are pressing me, your sister, with all these questions.”

Under normal circumstances, Ji Tong’an would never dare to speak to Ji Yan’an like this, but today her emotional state had been severely destabilized. She had been bottling up her anger and now directly started a confrontation.

“Do you think you compare to the two times Song Yi saved me?” Ji Yan’an sneered, looking down at Ji Tong’an from her high position, the sarcasm in her eyes completely unconcealed.

The Ji Manor was already in chaos today. Many of the Old Madam’s people stood guard outside the main hall. Ji Tong’an’s legs were numb from kneeling, and her emotions were riding a rollercoaster. Candles had been lit inside the hall, and presumably, dinner preparations had already begun.

The Old Madam watched as Ji Yan’an actually started arguing with Ji Tong’an. A look of impatience finally appeared on her face. She simply brought out the heavy evidence: “Tell us, what did Ji Tong’an exchange for those silver notes?”

The Old Madam was referring to a burly man who had arrived with Old Man Bai. The strong man knelt immediately upon hearing the command: “It was Miss Three who obtained the silver by revealing the Eldest Miss’s whereabouts to the young masters in the capital. This is also why the Eldest Miss was always troubled by people when she went out for blessings.”

The Old Madam took a sip from her teacup and smiled slightly. Ji Tong’an was caught completely off guard and hadn’t come up with a countermeasure when she saw Ji Yongning Walk in with an ashen face. It turned out he had been listening outside the door for a long time. Now that he had heard of Ji Tong’an’s actions, he could no longer hold back and stepped out.

“Ji Tong’an! You are a disgrace to be the Third Miss of the Ji Manor!” Ji Yongning was so angry his hands began to tremble. In the past, whenever he went to the temple with Ji Yan’an for blessings, they would inevitably encounter several young masters from the capital, all dressed more handsomely than they were in court. Ji Yongning initially thought it was a coincidence, but since it happened so many times, he stopped taking Ji Yan’an out frequently.

A young woman’s reputation must be protected, and it was ultimately not good to constantly be surrounded by men.

The problem that had puzzled Ji Yongning for years was finally answered today. It turned out to be such a dirty and despicable matter behind it all. Ji Yan’an also secretly grew hateful. Could it be that if a rich man offered Ji Tong’an tens of thousands of taels in the next step, she would strip herself bare and send herself over?

She was a Miss of the Ji Manor, even if she was born to a concubine, she should have some dignity. To use such matters to make money, how desperate for money could she be?

Seeing that the matter could not be dismissed, Ji Tong’an could only cry and rush to Ji Yongning’s feet, clutching his clothes and saying, “Father, please don’t be angry! Tong’an was momentarily blinded by greed, and it was also for my mother’s medicine!”

Ji Yan’an finally understood what it meant to speak rashly. She walked over to Ji Tong’an with a cold smile, raised the foot wearing an exquisitely beautiful brocade shoe, and stepped on Ji Tong’an’s hand. Immediately, a pig-like howl echoed throughout the room. The Old Madam covered her ears in disgust: “I am old, and I cannot bear to hear these dirty things. Ji Tong’an keeps saying she bought medicine for her mother, but was it to poison her mother?”

The Old Madam stopped there. She took Ji Yan’an’s hand and started walking out. Ji Yan’an clearly wanted to stay and accompany Song Yi but was secretly pinched on the waist by the Old Madam, which made her stop.

As they reached the corridor, Ji Yan’an looked at the few sporadic flowers blooming in the winter courtyard, her little mouth pouting skyward. She was clutching her arms unhappily: “Grandmother… why did you pull me out?”

The Old Madam still held a hand warmer. Seeing Ji Yan’an’s expression, she gently tapped her on the head, showing a frustrated love: “You’ve been in there all afternoon, aren’t you bored? Also, we have said all we need to say. It should be enough to make Ji Tong’an suffer. You don’t need to say anything more. As for Song Yi… Grandmother doesn’t know…”

Ji Yan’an listened patiently, but the most important point about Song Yi was brushed aside with a simple ‘doesn’t know.’ This made Ji Yan’an even more upset.

“Grandmother! You clearly know that Song Yi’s safety is the most important thing to your granddaughter, yet you pulled your granddaughter out…” Her tone held a slight complaint. The Old Madam looked at her with an expression that suggested her girl was all grown up and ready to leave home. She smiled and patted Ji Yan’an’s head, saying kindly, “You haven’t had dinner, aren’t you hungry? Leave the rest to Song Yi and your father. The cooks in the Ji Manor are short-handed tonight, and there aren’t many delicious dishes… but I imagine you, my little glutton, won’t mind… Come, Grandmother will take you to eat.”

Ji Yan’an the food lover was instantly delighted to hear she could eat. Her grandmother told her to trust Song Yi, so Ji Yan’an would trust Song Yi. Since there was nothing to worry about, it was time to eat.

So, Ji Yan’an skipped and hopped, linking arms with the Old Madam, and arrived at the Old Madam’s courtyard. This courtyard had an excellent location, and the flowers and trees within were in no way inferior to Ji Yan’an’s own small courtyard, also blooming beautifully and full of spring life.

This was Ji Yan’an’s first time setting foot in this small courtyard. It turned out the Old Madam used to live here. The exquisite courtyard made Ji Yan’an feel for the first time how fortunate a vicious capitalist could be. The Old Madam even had a special imperial concubine couch on the corridor, clearly meant for her to enjoy the coolness and view on ordinary days.

“Little girl, you still remember this imperial concubine couch, ah? When you were little, you loved massaging Grandmother’s legs on it.” The Old Madam’s eyes crinkled into a line as she smiled, looking as happy as any ordinary elderly person.

Ji Yan’an’s heart suddenly filled with bitterness. The polite yet arrogant, truly proud eldest Miss Ji Yan’an in this old woman’s memory had drowned in the lake, murdered by Ji Tong’an’s own hands. If the Old Madam knew all of this, how would she face Ji Tong’an? How would she have handled Ji Tong’an this afternoon?

All of this was unknown, and Ji Yan’an didn’t want such a day to come. She followed the Old Madam into the room, finding that everything was already tidied up. The stove was burning warmly, and the food on the table was still steaming hot. It turned out the old wet nurse had reported that the meal was ready, and only then did the Old Madam pull Ji Yan’an out.

Seeing Ji Yan’an already looking so hungry, the Old Madam smiled and handed her chopsticks: “Eat. You’ve been traveling and toiling; Grandmother feels for you.”