This business, the embroiderer was determined to secure!

Seeing Ji Yinshu hesitating indecisively, she touched those few small samples and began introducing them to her one by one.

“This is… that is…”

She spoke with such vivid description.

Ji Yinshu indeed listened attentively!

As if she had truly become a servant girl from the Jiang household, here to place an order for her household’s madam.

After the embroiderer finished speaking, she inquired, “If you still cannot make up your mind, how about this—our embroidery house will send someone to your household shortly to speak directly with your master. How would that be?”

Ji Yinshu said “hmm” for a while, drawing out the sound, then feigned difficulty again. “That would be quite improper.”

“Then just choose whatever you like, miss.”

“Then… this one!” She pointed to a piece of blue fabric. “This one!”

“Alright! Anything else?”

“This one!”

“Good, anything else?”

“Also this one, this one…”

Ji Yinshu couldn’t quite stop herself and ordered many items.

This absolutely delighted the embroiderer.

After all, the more she sold, the more commission she earned!

“Miss, you’re truly generous. Your madam is blessed to have you by her side.” The embroiderer’s face was full of smiles as she took the list and prepared to fetch the goods.

Who would have known—

Ji Yinshu called out to her, “Wait, I haven’t finished choosing yet!”

What?

The embroiderer’s cheeks immediately twitched, her smile became stiff. She raised the list she had just written and asked, “Didn’t you just finish choosing?”

Ji Yinshu smiled sheepishly. “The ones I just mentioned—I don’t want them!”

Pfft—

The embroideer’s face instantly turned dark as could be. The corners of her mouth twitched as she laughed coldly. “Miss, you’re not here to toy with me, are you?”

“How could that be?”

“I’d say you’re deliberately here to cause trouble!” The embroiderer threw the list in her hand heavily onto the table, her eyebrows raised, eyes glaring, looking ready for a fight.

Ji Yinshu said, “Misunderstanding, misunderstanding! I’m a proper customer, not some rogue.”

“Looking at you, miss, you seem fair and delicate, but I never imagined your heart would be so wicked, coming here to create chaos!”

“It’s truly a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding…”

“This Linglong Embroidery House is greatly renowned throughout the capital, and you’re just some wild girl from who knows where!”

“…” Ji Yinshu wasn’t annoyed.

The commotion was quite loud, and everyone in the embroidery house looked over.

They gathered around, and some people began pointing and whispering.

Ji Yinshu truly felt wronged!

At this moment—

“What’s going on?” A woman’s voice came from within the crowd.

Looking toward the sound, they saw a woman dressed in red robes swaying her waist as she walked out from the door on the left side, dressed very appropriately, about thirty years old, with a shrewd look on her face.

The angry embroiderer hurried over and complained in the woman’s ear.

After hearing the whole story, the woman looked Ji Yinshu up and down.

“Who are you? Why did you come here to cause trouble?”

Ji Yinshu bowed slightly. “May I ask who you are?”

The woman said, “I’m the manager here. You can tell me if you have any business, but don’t cause trouble here.”

Her tone carried a warning.

Ji Yinshu met her gaze. “I won’t hide it from you, miss. I did indeed come here with business.”

Hmm?

The woman examined her even more carefully: Who is this woman? Why have I never seen her before?

But—

She still led Ji Yinshu to a room in the back.

“Speak. Who are you? What are you doing here? If you can’t explain yourself, I’ll report you to the authorities and charge you with causing a disturbance.”

From the moment Ji Yinshu entered, she immediately dropped her previously polite demeanor, and the indifference in her eyes became fully evident.

She turned around, looked at the woman with a serious expression, and said, “Listen carefully. I ask you something, you answer it!”

Huh?

The woman was startled. “You are?”

…

At the capital city gates.

A horse carriage slowly approached. After inspection by the guards at the gate, it entered the capital.

Ji Wanxin sat upright inside, a dark shadow settling beneath her eyes. A pair of slender, fair hands held a handkerchief resting on her lap. The weak appearance on her face still hadn’t diminished. As the carriage entered the capital, her body seemed somewhat uncomfortable as well, and she coughed several times in succession.

The maid at her side quickly poured her a cup of water. “Miss, drink some water. After such a long journey, don’t exhaust your body.”

She pushed the cup of water away. “I’m fine!”

Her voice was extremely soft, sounding weak and powerless.

“Then, miss, shall we go directly to the palace in a bit? Or shall we first…” return to the General’s Manor?

She fell silent for a while…

“Return to the General’s Manor.”

“Very well.”

The maid then called out to the coachman outside. The coachman responded and, raising the horsewhip in his hand, headed toward the former General’s Manor.

Ji Wanxin furrowed her brow, coughing incessantly. When the maid gave her water, she wouldn’t drink it. When given medicine, she wouldn’t take it. She simply couldn’t swallow anything, so throughout this journey she had eaten very little. Combined with the constant traveling, her already weak body was now even more severely compromised, completely devoid of strength.

The noisy, bustling sounds outside grew louder and louder. She couldn’t help but lift the window curtain to look outside.

Nearly a year now!

When she left the capital a year ago, the wind was still bitterly cold. Now upon returning, the snow was gone, the wind had stopped. The capital’s prosperity remained unchanged. On the streets teeming with people coming and going, everywhere one could see the Great Lin’s majesty and flourishing glory. No matter how much time passed, Great Lin was still that same Great Lin, and the capital was still that same capital. Yet the Ji family of old no longer existed. What Court Gentleman Ji? What General Ji? What Princess Consort Yi? Everything had become passing clouds and smoke.

She sighed softly. Just as she was about to withdraw her gaze, she suddenly saw on the street a figure she knew all too well in this lifetime.

That person emerged from a shop, wearing plain and elegant robes, with delicate features, yet her eyes revealed a touch of indifference. But just this one glance made her unforgettable.

She never expected that on her first day entering the capital, she would encounter Ji Yinshu!

The Ji family’s sinner!

“Stop!” she called out.

Though her voice was small, the coachman still heard it. He pulled on the reins, bringing the horses to a halt.

The maid was confused. “Miss, what is this about?”

She withdrew her gaze from outside. Her face, originally full of weakness, now held a trace of malevolence, and hatred flowed through her unfathomably deep eyes.

But—

When she descended from the carriage, whether it was malevolence or hatred, hardly a trace could be found on her face.

She was still that same frail and delicate sickly beauty, Ji Wanxin, from before!

As Ji Yinshu emerged from Linglong Embroidery House, she saw a horse carriage traveling toward this direction, finally stopping before her.

Doubts arose in her heart. She thought it was probably some wealthy household coming here to select fabric, but that carriage was quite ordinary, not at all like the noble person who would come to buy things. Just as she was puzzling over this and preparing to walk around it, she saw Ji Wanxin descending from the carriage.

At that moment, Ji Yinshu was quite shocked!

What was going on?

The late Emperor had already issued an imperial edict that people of the Ji family could never again enter the capital for the rest of their lives. How could Ji Wanxin be here now? And when Ji Wanxin descended, she saw the shock and confusion in Ji Yinshu’s eyes!