Ji Cheng naturally agreed and then asked, “We were truly blessed by the Bodhisattva last time. Fortunately, we encountered Cousin Che. My Fifth Sister and I should go burn some incense.”
Ji Lan didn’t respond. However, the next day, just before departure, Shen Cui suddenly had a stomachache. Ji Cheng suggested, “What should we do? Perhaps we should postpone our temple visit?”
As Shen Cui was about to nod in agreement, Ji Lan interjected, “Everything’s been prepared at the temple, and the carriages and servants have all been arranged. Child, you picked the worst time to have a stomachache. I suppose your Elder Cousin Cheng will have to burn incense on your behalf.”
Ji Cheng glanced at Ji Lan, understanding that this meant they were going. She inwardly sighed, noting that her aunt had indeed become more agitated lately. No wonder she had fallen for Hao Ren’s absurd scam. When a dog is desperate, it might try to jump over a wall, regardless of whether there’s a deep puddle on the other side.
Ji Cheng accompanied Ji Lan to the temple to burn incense and listen to a high monk’s sermon. They didn’t leave until dusk. Ji Lan then expressed a desire to dine at the famous Fa Fu Yuan vegetarian restaurant, known for its mock goose dish, as she rarely went out. Ji Cheng naturally had to accompany her.
By this time, as the lanterns were just being lit, the most famous vegetarian restaurant in the capital, Fa Fu Yuan, was already fully seated. Fortunately, Ji Lan had reserved a private room in advance, so their carriage drove directly into the restaurant’s courtyard.
As Ji Cheng followed Ji Lan toward the second-floor private room, they heard a series of footsteps behind them. Someone rudely called out, “Make way, everyone makes way!”
Ji Cheng and Ji Lan stepped aside, watching as two rows of sturdy men in dark blue robes filed in. They positioned themselves every two steps from the staircase entrance to the private room at the end of the second-floor corridor.
This display indicated the arrival of some formidable guests.
Sure enough, moments later, a carriage stopped in the courtyard. A man who looked like a steward carefully supported a portly figure into the building.
Ji Lan immediately recognized the steward as He Changsheng, the adopted son of Li Degao, the eunuch. The person he was carefully assisting could be none other than Emperor Jianping.
Since the Emperor was clearly on an incognito visit, he wouldn’t want to be recognized. Ji Lan didn’t dare to look directly at the imperial visage, quickly lowering her head after a glance.
As the entourage passed by Ji Lan and Ji Cheng, their footsteps paused momentarily. Although neither Ji Lan nor Ji Cheng raised their heads, they could both sense the portly man’s gaze lingering on Ji Cheng. However, the footsteps soon resumed.
After the group entered the private room, Ji Cheng asked Ji Lan, “Aunt, who were those people? They seemed quite grand.”
Ji Lan replied, “I’m not too familiar with them, but I should know them. I’ll have someone inquire about it later.”
A while later, Lingling, who was attending Ji Lan, came in and whispered something in her ear. Ji Lan then left with her. After some time, Lingzhen entered and requested Ji Cheng, “Young Miss, Madam has encountered an acquaintance and asks you to come and greet them.”
Ji Cheng nodded and followed Lingzhen toward the private room at the end of the corridor. At the door, Lingzhen mentioned she had other errands to run and told Ji Cheng to enter by herself.
Ji Cheng, unsuspecting, pushed the door open and went in.
Outside, Lingzhen heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Miss Cheng had entered on her own; otherwise, as per Madam’s instructions, they would have had to force her in.
As Ji Cheng entered, Ji Lan was anxiously sitting downstairs, wondering if He Changsheng would follow through after receiving the silver.
Emperor Jianping’s health had been deteriorating over the past two years. According to He Changsheng, he could barely stand without taking pills. Despite his frail condition, the Emperor’s lust for beautiful women remained undiminished. He Changsheng had promised Ji Lan that he would drug the Emperor beforehand. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to ask for such a high price – 50,000 taels was no small sum.
Seeing Ji Cheng enter, Lingzhen, not daring to linger near the guards at the door, hurried downstairs to report to Ji Lan. However, just as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw Ji Cheng following her. “Sister Lingzhen, were you joking with me? There’s no one in that room.”
Lingzhen was shocked. “How can that be?!” She ran up the stairs and pushed open the private room door, only to find it indeed empty. Even the two guards at the door had vanished.
Although Lingzhen was panicking internally, she forced a smile and said, “Oh my, that Lingling must be playing tricks on me. Miss Cheng, I’m so sorry she dared to fool you too. Please go back and have a seat first. I’ll go find Madam and teach that girl a lesson.”
Lingzhen’s explanation was full of holes, but Ji Cheng didn’t point them out. She just smiled and returned to the private room Ji Lan had reserved. A while later, a servant came to escort Ji Cheng to the carriage, saying that the Third Madam wasn’t feeling well and had already left.
Ji Cheng nodded, realizing that her aunt must be so distressed that she didn’t even want to deal with the aftermath.
When Ji Cheng returned to the Shen residence in Iron Hat Lane, she naturally went to inquire about Ji Lan’s health. However, Ji Lan only said she was unwell and didn’t see anyone. This illness lasted for several days, with no signs of improvement.
Ji Lan had not only been swindled out of 50,000 taels of silver, but now her shops in the capital were unable to pay for goods due to lack of cash, and creditors were chasing her for debts. It was truly a case of when it rains, it pours. Ji Lan was so upset that her feigned illness became real. Those creditors cared only about money, not about the Shen family’s status. Ji Lan, being face-conscious, couldn’t bear the thought of people knowing her shops couldn’t even pay for goods. How could she face anyone after that?
In the end, Ji Lan had no choice but to sell several shops and use the money to cover the deficits of the other shops. As a result, she lost more than half of her businesses. The remaining few, due to poor management and damaged reputation, were far less profitable than when Ji Cheng had been managing them.
Of course, this was all in hindsight. At present, with Ji Lan ill, Ji Cheng naturally went to attend to her. Ji Lan, feeling guilty and afraid to face Ji Cheng, made excuses about not wanting to pass on her illness and told Ji Cheng to focus on helping Shen Cui prepare for the Mid-Altar Performance.
Thus, the incident at Fa Fu Yuan was left unresolved, and Ji Cheng didn’t pursue the matter further, though she had a clear understanding of what had happened.
As for Ji Lan, although she searched everywhere for the person who had connected her with He Changsheng, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. She didn’t dare confront He Changsheng directly, as she was also guilty. If this matter were to come to light, she would face severe consequences.
Hao Ren had counted on this very point when he devised this flawed scam to deceive Ji Lan. In truth, if Ji Lan hadn’t been greedy herself, Hao Ren couldn’t have fooled her even if he had two more brains.
After the Ghost Festival in mid-July, the polo matches organized by the Seven Treasures Alliance’s civilian polo clubs began in full swing. The excitement wasn’t diminished in the slightest by Ji Lan’s illness.
The excitement was almost excessive, with even sisters becoming enemies just because they supported different polo clubs.
The three young ladies of the Shen family each supported different clubs: Shen Qian liked Qiu Xiaoshuang from the Blue Screen Club, Shen Yuan favored the Big Drum Club, and Shen Cui originally liked the Peach Blossom Club, but since Shen Jing had joined the Early Sun Club this year, she naturally supported her brother first. Ji Cheng, of course, supported Ji Yuan. As for Su Yun and Lu Yuan, they each had their preferences – to each their own, after all.
Because everyone supported different polo clubs, they would always have heated discussions after watching the matches, with one praising Qiu Xiaoshuang and another extolling Xie Yufei, arguing endlessly.
On the day of the Early Sun Club’s match, Ji Cheng and the others naturally arrived at the venue early. Although this arena was slightly less grand than the royal polo field, it wasn’t far behind. The ticket sales from polo matches over the years were enough to build dozens of such arenas.
The arena was shaped like a wooden basin, with the polo field in the center surrounded by tiered seating. The seats rose higher with each tier, and ticket prices varied depending on the direction, but since polo matches were beloved by all citizens, the tickets were quite affordable, costing only a few coins.
Ji Cheng had just sat down with Shen Yuan and the others in the most spacious central viewing area when they saw a group of people escorting Fourth Miss Wang and Wang Yueniang approaching.
Ever since the Qixi Festival, Wang Yueniang had been living in constant anxiety. The day after Qixi, she had sent people to inquire about Shen Cui and Ji Cheng, and upon hearing they had been seen at the Marquis of Jing’an’s mansion, she knew her plan had failed.
Wang Yueniang quickly summoned Chen Bin and explained the situation in detail. Chen Bin sent people to look for Mazi, only to find that he had disappeared. Both of them were terrified, but Fourth Miss Wang remained calm.
“What are you afraid of? They haven’t traced it back to you yet, have they? When the time comes, we’ll deal with it as necessary,” Fourth Miss Wang glanced sideways at Wang Yueniang. “Look at you, more cowardly than a mouse. Didn’t your cousin already say that they were indeed sold to Tianxiang Tower, but were lucky enough to encounter the Second Young Master? Since they entered Tianxiang Tower, their reputation has been tarnished regardless. You’ll see, the Third Madam Shen won’t dare to make a fuss about it.”
Wang Yueniang spent half a month in doubt, but when no one from the Shen family came looking for them, she finally relaxed.
However, if you expect evildoers to restrain themselves because of your forbearance, you’d be greatly mistaken. They will only see you as weak and easy to bully, becoming even more aggressive.
For instance, when Wang Yueniang saw Shen Cui and Ji Cheng now, she curved her lips slightly and said to Shen Cui, “Ah Cui, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you. I heard you and your Sister Cheng got lost on Qixi. My heart was pounding with worry. Now that I see you both safe and sound, I’m relieved. What exactly happened to you two on Qixi?”
Shen Cui’s face immediately darkened. Although her mother kept saying they hadn’t found the culprit, Shen Cui felt it must be related to Wang Yueniang. However, without evidence, she couldn’t confront Wang Yueniang directly. “Nothing happened, Sister Cheng and I just got carried away playing.”
Wang Yueniang continued, “You’re really brave. I’ve heard that the capital hasn’t been very safe these past few years, with many kidnappers around. You’re so beautiful, be careful not to get abducted.”
The more Shen Cui listened, the more she felt Wang Yueniang’s words were loaded with hidden meaning. Could it have been her doing?