Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

Madam Zong was astonished. "They've mistaken me for someone else!"

Madam Zong and Chun Tao both showed expressions of sudden realization.

The former thought to himself, no wonder he felt no regret whatsoever when he learned that the marriage with the Shen family had fallen through. It turned out that the person he loved had never been Shen Mingzhu, so naturally he didn't care whether the marriage came to pass or not.

And that gloomy and unhappy look on his face just now was also because of Ji Mingyi.

The latter thought that it was the Second Master who had mistaken the object of his affections for Miss Biao, rather than Miss Biao deliberately seducing him!

After a moment's hesitation, Madam Zong asked, "Have you ever seen the real Shen Mingzhu?"

Zong Xian replied calmly, "I've met him."

These two short words already show that Shen Mingzhu held no appeal for him whatsoever.

Madam Zong said tactfully, "But Ji Mingyi is going to Qingzhou after all. You saw it just now; she's made up her mind to go and her attitude is very firm."

Zong Xian pleaded directly, "I hope Mother will help me and let her stay."

Her son has always been exceptionally capable and has never asked her for anything.

After Zong Xian left, Madam Zong looked at the bowl of medicinal food on the table, which was mostly empty, sighed softly, and turned to instruct Cui Mama: "Go and invite the eldest mistress here."

-

Mingyi and Yuegui returned to Shuangxu Garden and began packing their bags.

"Miss, isn't it a bit too early to pack now?" Yuegui asked with a puzzled look as she packed her belongings.

Ji Mingyi glanced at the furnishings in the room and said softly, "We've lived here for quite a while and have accumulated a lot of odds and ends, not just ours, but also A-Zhe's books. If we wait until my cousin returns to start packing, it will probably delay our trip again."

Yuegui nodded: "That makes sense. Now that we have some free time, we can tidy up little by little, so we won't make mistakes in the rush and forget anything important."

When the topic turned to important items, Mingyi had a sudden thought.

She turned and walked to the dressing table, forcefully pushing it aside to reveal the smooth blue brick floor underneath.

She raised her hand and pulled out the jade hairpin from her hair, then bent down and used the tip of the hairpin to pry open the blue bricks with a clever touch.

Then he reached out and moved the bricks aside, revealing a hidden shallow pit underneath, from which he took out a small wooden box.

Inside were several land deeds and 150 taels of silver. This was all they had left.

Mingyi checked and found everything was there, which put her at ease.

-

The atmosphere inside Yongshou Hall was slightly stagnant.

With a hesitant expression, Madam Liu spoke softly, "Second Master wants to take Mingyi as a concubine, but I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain to the Xie family. Besides, Mingyi and Xie Huaiyu grew up together since childhood, they are childhood sweethearts, and their affection is deep. I'm afraid they won't agree to this matter easily."

As she spoke, she sighed inwardly, as if she had long expected this day to come.

Madam Zong glanced at her indifferently, her tone calm and slow: "That's precisely why I called you here to come and think of a solution."

Madam Liu looked troubled and rather hesitant: "What...what can your daughter-in-law do?"

Madam Zong's eyes held a hint of displeasure: "If it weren't for your negligence and poor arrangements, how could Second Master have mistaken someone for Ji Mingyi? He should have met Shen Mingzhu instead."

Feeling wronged, Liu couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "He never had any feelings for Shen Mingzhu to begin with, so what difference would it make if he saw her..."

Moreover, Zong Xian clearly knew Ji Mingyi's identity later, yet he still couldn't forget her, which shows that even if he hadn't mistaken her for someone else that day, the result would probably have been the same, and it had little to do with her.

"What are you muttering about down there?" Old Madam Zong's eyebrows furrowed sharply.

Madam Liu immediately suppressed her unease and gently advised, "I just feel that this matter is really inappropriate. Ji Mingyi is, after all, Huaiyu's fiancée. If Second Master insists on keeping her, it will inevitably damage our reputation and cause gossip if word gets out."

"In my opinion, it would be more appropriate to find a noble lady from a prominent family for the Second Master instead."

"Who said she was Xie Huaiyu's fiancée?" Old Madam Zong slowly raised her eyes, her expression indifferent.

"For a man and woman to be engaged, the elders of both sides must make the decision and go through the formalities of the Three Letters and Six Rites. These two have never gone through these customs, so their verbal affection cannot be taken seriously, let alone considered a marriage contract. Outsiders will only know that they are ordinary cousins."

Liu remained silent.

Everyone knows that Jiangzhou experienced war and turmoil in its early years, and the Ji family was almost wiped out, leaving only Ji Mingyi and her brother to depend on each other for survival. There was no elder to arrange a marriage for the two of them.

Not to mention, now that even Master Xie is gone, no one can prove that their marriage agreement is valid.

On the contrary, if we delve deeper, Ji Mingyi and Xie Huaiyu, who had no betrothal or marriage ceremony and had secretly pledged their love, would be stigmatized by the world as having engaged in a clandestine relationship.

Madam Zong's words showed that she was determined not to acknowledge the marriage and insisted on keeping Ji Mingyi in the Zong family to fulfill her son's wishes.

Madam Liu then realized that no matter how much she pleaded, she couldn't change the old lady's mind.

Madam Zong simply said, "You've always been quick-witted, so pick an opportunity to persuade her. Maybe she'll realize the situation."

Liu slowly rose, her usual gentle and submissive demeanor gone, and said solemnly, "If you wish for me to find another marriage for the Second Master, I will do my utmost and dare not refuse. But there is one thing I cannot do."

"I know what you're thinking, Grandma. That Ji Mingyi isn't the kind of woman who's after power and wealth. If you try to force her, it might end in mutual destruction."

Liu would never do anything to harm others.

...

Outside.

Mrs. Yu listened to every word of the conversation and was astonished.

The old lady has always been arrogant and haughty, and she actually wanted to take that wild girl from the countryside as a concubine for the second master.

That's really strange.

After returning home, Yu told her lover about what she had overheard during the day.

Finally, he chuckled and casually commented:

"I never imagined someone like Zong Xian would fall for a pretty face with no substance. You men really do have one thing in common: you're all lustful!"

The man, who had been groping her inside her clothes, stopped and asked curiously, "What does that wild girl you mentioned look like?"

Madam Yu glanced at him sideways and said coldly, "What, even you're interested in her?"

Seeing her displeasure, the man immediately composed himself, flipped her over, and pinned her beneath him, chuckling in a low, deep voice, "It was just a casual question, and Jiaojiao's already jealous?"

"Don't worry, Jiaojiao is enough for me. Jiaojiao is the only one in my heart. Even a fairy can't catch my eye."

Yu's complexion improved slightly, but she immediately reached down and grabbed.

Caught off guard, the man instantly pressed his legs together, his face stiffening slightly. "Jiaojiao, what are you doing?"

Madam Yu raised her alluring face, a sly smile on her lips, and threatened, "Lu Zhangming, remember what you said today. If you dare betray me, I'll cut off your penis and feed it to the dogs!"

Cold sweat beaded on the man's forehead as he quickly coaxed, "It's alright, it's alright, Jiaojiao, let go first. If you scratch this spot, it could be fatal."

Madam Yu released her grip and glanced sideways, saying, "Even if you're thinking about her, it's no use. She's already engaged to Xie Huaiyu. Even if she doesn't become a concubine of a high-ranking family, she'll still be the county magistrate's wife in the future."