Ji Yao listened to Song Mama’s message and fell silent.

He didn’t know how to face Jin Chao if she married into the family, or how she would face this child.

But… who was behind all this? Who was helping Jin Chao do these things?

Originally, he wanted to marry Gu Jin Chao because he thought marrying her wouldn’t be bad. More importantly, he wanted to comply—comply with his grandmother’s wishes and accommodate Jin Chao’s life. He felt that men like An Song, and Huai Wang Zan would harm her if they married her, but what about himself?

After what had happened, wouldn’t marrying her harm her too? Although she hadn’t said she minded, how could she possibly not mind?

Ji Yao gazed at the heavy snow beyond the latticed window, thinking quietly for a long time.

Jin Chao had no extra feelings for him; he could sense that. He had originally thought that as they spent time together, things would gradually improve. But after such an incident, could he still face her normally? Thinking of his grandmother’s heartbroken, disappointed expression made him feel terrible. Back then, he had despised Gu Jin Chao to such an extent that he had secretly associated with Luo Tai while managing the farm in Sanhe, committing such a grave mistake… What he was even less certain about was whether he truly liked her. Or was it just childhood friendship, plus Gu Jin Chao’s aloofness toward him, that made him feel unwilling to let go?

He had initially disliked her so much—where did those feelings come from?

Remembering the child’s tender face covered in tears, Ji Yao closed his eyes.

By evening, he finally went to see Ji Madam Wu.

Ji Madam Wu told him: “…It’s good that you plan to postpone this engagement. I recall how you two were always at each other’s throats as children—perhaps your personalities are just incompatible.” Her voice softened, “Even if the marriage doesn’t happen, you’re still her cousin, and our Ji family is still her maternal family—these things will never change. However, since we’ve already discussed the proposal with the Gu family, we need a suitable explanation for our sudden change of heart.”

They couldn’t let both families lose face.

Ji Yao had already thought it through: “Let’s put it on me. I’m already past eighteen. Cousin Jin still has half a year before she can end her mourning period. We just can’t wait that long…” Using the mourning period as an excuse seemed reasonable, though it would somewhat damage the Ji family’s reputation.

Ji Madam Wu nodded; this was the best explanation.

But such an excuse wouldn’t satisfy the Gu family. The matter of Ji Yao’s child wasn’t good news for the Ji family either, and it was best not to let it spread outside. Ji Madam Wu thought for a moment and said: “Keep Zhao Shi and the child here for now…” Keeping the child meant not letting Ji’s family blood go elsewhere. Keeping Zhao shi meant preventing her from spreading rumors outside the family.

“Give the child to your mother to raise. He’s already two years old; teach him well, and he’ll learn good ways. Tell others he’s a child from the Wu family placed in our care… After all, he is your flesh and blood. Visit him when you have time.” Ji Madam Wu frowned, thinking of the timid child she had seen the night before. Raised by someone like Zhao Shi, how could he be properly educated? Not only was the child timid, but he also lacked manners. Being a Ji family descendant, he couldn’t remain like this.

However, the child was still young. With proper teaching, he would naturally learn good ways. Gradually, he would forget his birth mother.

Ji Yao nodded.

“As for the Gu family… we were originally replacing Wang Zan’s proposal. We can’t let them look down on Cousin Jin.” Ji Madam Wu thought for a moment. “I’ll personally speak with the Gu family. This Feng shi cares most about face.”

Having made up her mind, Ji Madam Wu went to reply to Jin Chao.

After receiving and reading the reply, Jin Chao lit a candle and burned it. Her maternal grandmother said she would no longer insist on their marriage, which made her feel relieved. Facing Ji Yao would indeed be difficult. But her grandmother must be upset about making this decision… She thought for a moment, then picked up her brush to write back and comfort her grandmother. The marriage didn’t matter to her anymore—her previous life’s marriage had already drained all her energy. In this life, she only wanted to be a wealthy, leisurely person.

However, if she didn’t marry Ji Yao, she needed to consider other options. Now that Luo Yongping was in Daxing… Gu Jin Chao pondered for a moment; it wouldn’t be convenient for Luo Yongping to visit her ancestral home. She wanted to meet him personally to discuss matters unsuitable for letters.

But how to arrange the meeting required careful thought.

On the second day of the twelfth month, just after the Minor Cold solar term, the coldest days of winter had arrived.

Ji Madam Wu personally came from Tongzhou to the Gu family, and Feng Shi greeted her with a smile: “In such cold weather, troubling Elder Sister to make this trip…” A few days ago, the Yongyang Marquis’s wife had delivered a message saying the Ji family wanted to postpone the proposal, which had left her puzzled.

Seeing Ji Madam Wu visit in person made her even more uneasy. If the matter wasn’t serious, how could Ji Madam Wu possibly come in person?

Ji Madam Wu coming personally meant she was already lowering herself.

Ji Madam Wu smiled faintly: “I haven’t seen you for many years, and I’ve been thinking of Elder Sister.” The servant woman behind her brought forward a small purple sandalwood Buddha statue. “Elder Sister enjoys worshipping Buddha. Though this sandalwood Buddha isn’t considered precious, it has some age to it.”

Feng Shi glanced at the purple sandalwood Buddha and her heart skipped a beat.

…With such wood quality and luster, it was worth at least a thousand gold!

Feng Shi then ordered someone to invite Gu Jin Chao and others to pay respects to Ji Madam Wu. The two women entered the west side room and closed the door to talk.

Ji Madam Wu clearly explained her intention to withdraw the marriage proposal, adding a few apologetic words, which left Feng Shi momentarily stunned.

Wasn’t this marriage almost settled? How could it be called off so suddenly?

Ji Madam Wu continued: “…We hadn’t planned properly before. Yao wants to marry earlier, but Jin Chao still has half a year of mourning to observe, and we can’t wait that long. This old woman feels guilty in her heart. If Elder Sister is willing, when Jin Chao gets married, I’ll contribute more to her dowry.” Ji Madam Wu then smiled, “If Elder Sister can find a good match for Jin Chao, I would be extremely grateful. I know the Gu family has a bookshop in Baodi, right on Gulan Street. I should patronize Elder Sister’s business more…”

Feng Shi finally understood and smiled: “…Elder Sister has her difficulties, and I understand. Even if the marriage doesn’t happen, it won’t harm the friendship between our families. We’re still relatives after all, though Jin Chao will inevitably be disappointed… As for my business, there’s no need for special treatment. Elder Sister can take whatever she likes.”

Ji Madam Wu’s withdrawal from the proposal wasn’t because Gu Jin Chao was in mourning. If that were the reason, she would have considered it long ago. Besides, Ji Yao was over eighteen and still unmarried—was he worried about waiting another day or two? There must be a hidden reason, but since Ji Madam Wu didn’t explain, she naturally wouldn’t know.

Moreover, Ji Madam Wu’s words were thoughtful, offering compensation to the Gu family. Of course, she didn’t believe Ji Madam Wu’s talk of supporting her business merely meant buying a few more inkstones from the Gu family bookshop. There must be substantial compensation, but all this was conditional on her finding Jin Chao a good marriage… Ji Madam Wu was holding her responsible for valuing Jin Chao’s marriage!

She disliked others interfering in her affairs. But Ji Madam Wu’s words were pleasant and gave her enough face.

So Feng Shi took the graceful exit.

The Ji family match was good, and it was indeed a pity to lose it. But if they no longer wanted to propose, there was nothing she could do. At least the Ji family had broken the ice, which should make Jin Chao’s future marriage prospects smoother.

A while later, Gu Jin Chao and others came to pay their respects. After Ji Madam Wu chatted with Feng Shi for a while longer, she took Jin Chao’s hand and returned to Yanxiu Hall.

This was Ji Madam Wu’s first time seeing her residence in Daxing, and she was satisfied: “…Though not spacious, it’s elegantly arranged. She hasn’t treated you too poorly.”

Jin Chao smiled and invited Ji Madam Wu to sit on the large kang bed. “I just made walnut cookies. I’ll bring them to you. Father and Brother Rong will come to pay their respects to you shortly.” Ji Madam Wu held Gu Jin Chao’s hand and shook her head.

“Don’t trouble yourself. Grandmother doesn’t want to eat… I came here to talk with you. About your second cousin’s matter… Grandmother knows you have your judgment. But you should also be careful—whoever is helping you with these things might have bad intentions…”

Gu Jin Chao felt the thin calluses on Ji Madam Wu’s hand and thought, Grandmother is a sensible person who sees everything. She said: “Don’t worry, I understand everything.” After thinking for a moment, she continued, “…I didn’t see Second Cousin come. Please trouble yourself to tell him that this isn’t his fault. But… what do you plan to do with that child…”

In her previous life, this child had never appeared in the Ji family. She thought Ji Madam Wu must have secretly placed the child somewhere. The Yongyang Marquis’s fourth daughter probably didn’t know about it. In this life, the child had appeared a few years earlier, and she wondered if it would affect Ji Yao’s marriage.

Ji Madam Wu said: “The child is only two years old and hasn’t begun forming memories yet. Since he’s ultimately of Ji family blood, I’ve taken him in under the name of a child placed in care by the Wu family. This prevents damage to Yao’s reputation.”

Jin Chao breathed a sigh of relief, hearing from her grandmother that the matter had been suppressed.

“Don’t overthink things. Even if you and your second cousin don’t marry, he will find a good match.” Gu Jin Chao comforted Ji Madam Wu.

She talked with Ji Madam Wu for quite some time.

When Ji Madam Wu was finally leaving, she held her hand and said softly: “Grandmother will look after your marriage. If Feng Shi tries to marry you off carelessly, it won’t be easy! Jin Chao, if you encounter any difficulties, you must tell Grandmother…” She raised her hand and stroked Jin Chao’s hair.

Gu Jin Chao’s eyes grew warm, and she nodded with a smile.

The marriage between Gu Jin Chao and Ji Yao could only be temporarily set aside. Fortunately, the two families hadn’t exchanged birth charts or formalized the engagement. This wasn’t too troublesome.

At the Changxing Marquis’s mansion, Ye Xian had just finished reviewing a case file.

Zhi Shu came to serve him as he washed up, grumbling: “Young Master, you’re always reading these things before bed. What if you can’t sleep well… The last time you told me about that family massacre case, I dreamed of corpses all night…”

Ye Xian said: “I’m afraid of not dreaming about them…” He tossed the scroll aside and closed his eyes to rest. “They’re all dog officials. Even in a case like this, they could sentence a woman for poisoning and killing her child, and report it for execution approval…” His tone was somewhat contemptuous.

Zhi Shu quietly asked: “Does Young Master think the woman was wronged?” How would he know without investigating the case himself?

Ye Xian nodded: “They suspected the child died of poisoning, so they immersed the internal organs in water. The lungs sank, which means the child was already dead before birth. The woman delivered a stillborn, yet was falsely accused of poisoning her child—a truly unjust case…”

Zhi Shu almost wanted to plug his ears, listening to the Young Master’s explanation with a worried face. Then he quietly said: “Guard Li just delivered a message saying the marriage between the Gu family and the Ji family wasn’t finalized… The Ji family has adopted that child. And that madam from the Wang family has approached Tongzhou Prefect Xu to propose marriage…”

After hearing Zhi Shu’s words, Ye Xian remained silent for a moment, his fingers lightly tapping the desk.

The Ji family had truly abandoned their proposal, which wasn’t too excessive of them. But Gu Jin Chao’s marriage remained an issue—she was already sixteen. If this Ji Yao wasn’t suitable, what if there was no one appropriate? The Gu family matriarch didn’t seem like a good person either.

Although she said she didn’t want his involvement, how could he possibly not care?

He gazed into the ink-black night, quietly contemplating.