Jiu Zhang Ji: The Daily Life of the Reborn Daughter

Chapter 42: Approaching the Truth

At dusk, the two men went down the mountain. Caiqi and Caixing, who were at the foot of the mountain, had been waiting anxiously and kept pacing in place. Suddenly, they saw a man and a woman coming down the mountain against the brilliant sunset, like gods descending.

For a moment, the mountains were silent and the surroundings were dark.

When they got closer, they saw that one of them was their eldest daughter. They bowed and said, "Young lady." Then, they bent down and bowed to Yu Jingyan. Yu Jingyan nodded slightly to show that he accepted the greeting.

The two girls only felt that this man was handsome and noble, and had a faint alluring aura that made them want to surrender unconsciously.

"Let's go back to the city." The three women mounted their horses. Yu Jingyan whistled, and a sturdy black horse came running from somewhere. Its agile limbs, shiny black mane, and high-raised head all showed that this was another fine horse.

"Wuying, let's go." Yu Jingyan mounted his big black horse.

Qiao Lili urged Wuzong forward. It was great that her white horse was called Wuzong and Ajing's black horse was called Wuying.

Yu Jingyan rode Wuying slowly behind Qiao Lili and her two servants, all the way into the city, until he stopped at the entrance of the alley of Duke Dingguo's Mansion. After watching Qiao Lili enter the gate of Duke Dingguo's Mansion, he turned his horse around and headed straight for the palace.

The palace would be locked? This was not a problem for the Sixth Prince Yu Jingyan. Even if he went to the palace to see Concubine Yun at midnight, the imperial guards would open the door for him. It was no big deal to offend the Sixth Prince, but if you offended Concubine Yun, you would be doomed.

*

Qiao Lili returned to Luping Garden and sent Caiqin to Zhenxiayuan to tell her grandmother that she had returned and would go to pay her respects after changing her clothes.

After a quick wash, dinner was served. Qiao Lili hadn't eaten anything at noon, so she was really hungry and ate two bowls of rice.

Frightened, Nanny Sun quickly made some digestive tea and urged her to drink it. She also kept nagging, "You shouldn't eat like this even if you're hungry. If you eat so much at night and get indigestion, you'll suffer."

"Madame Sun, I'm so old, yet I still have indigestion." Qiao Lili smiled and enjoyed her nagging. It was so nice. She hoped that Madam could nag her until she was a hundred years old.

"No matter how old she is, she's still a child." Nanny Sun rolled her eyes at her, put away the soup bowl, and went out.

Qiao Lili asked Caiqi and Caixing to go down and rest, and she took Caiqin and Caiwei to Zhenxiayuan.

When the master and his two servants arrived at the Zhenxia Courtyard, the old Duke's wife was already in the bedroom. She had taken off her outer clothes and was only wearing her inner clothes. She was sitting on the bed and talking to Nanny Hui who was sitting on the footstool.

Madam Hui was lying on a thick cushion, and the two of them were guarding a lamp, very close to each other, not like a master and servant, but more like a pair of old sisters whispering. After living together for decades, the two of them had spent more time together than anyone else.

"Greetings, Grandmother." Qiao Lili bowed to her grandmother and nodded to Madam Hui.

"Didn't I tell Caiqin not to let you come? It's so late now. You've been running around outside all day and must be tired. It's not too late to talk tomorrow." The old Duke's wife looked at Qiao Lili with concern and asked her to sit on the bed and talk.

"My granddaughter has something I want to ask my grandmother."

When Qiao Lili bowed, Madam Hui stood up and retreated to the door. Now seeing that the two grandmothers and grandchildren had something to say, she quietly stepped out of the door and closed it gently.

"Grandma, Bai Junzhe's mother, Ms. Bai, has always said that she and my mother were close friends, but when I was a child I felt that my mother was not very warm to her." Qiao Lili was afraid that she was too young at the time and was more self-emotional, so she wanted to ask her grandmother to verify it.

"That's right. Your mother doesn't think highly of the Bai family. If there's anyone she likes, it's Bai Junzhe. When the child was little, he was often brought here by his mother. He was quite well-behaved." They didn't object to the marriage because they thought the child was not bad. Who would have thought that he would become like this when he grew up.

"How does my mother know her?" She felt that her mother should have no connection with the Bai family.

"It's a long story. Your father and mother were fellow apprentices. They met the Bai family when they were teenagers traveling around the world. Her maiden name was Bai Ruxue. She was the daughter of a small family in the capital. She was sent to her mother's house to be raised. When she grew up, she wanted to return to her own home in the capital. On the way, she met bandits who wanted to kidnap her and make her their concubine. But she was saved by your father and mother."

"Your father liked your mother at that time and wanted to bring her back to Beijing to meet us so that we could arrange a marriage. It just so happened that he was on the same route as this Bai family, so he came all the way back."

"This Bai Ruxue has been targeting your mother ever since. She comes to the mansion every few days to look for her. Your mother is a good-tempered person. Even if she has a bad temper, what can we do about it? Can we still drive her away?"

"When your mother went to a banquet, she followed her. At one banquet, she somehow got involved with Lord Bai, who was still the heir of the Marquisate at that time. She was seen by the nobles and ladies at the banquet, so Lord Bai had no choice but to agree to marry her."

It was obvious that the Bai family had used some despicable means, otherwise, how could she, a daughter of a small family, marry into the Marquis's mansion? Even if Marquis Bai was so despicable, it would not be the turn of her, this vicious and scheming woman.

"After your father and mother returned to Langshan, Bai Ruxue married into the Marquis's mansion. After giving birth to Bai Junzhe, the old Marquis was pissed off to death by his son, Marquis Bai, and Marquis Bai succeeded to the title. Bai became the Marquis's wife and became active in the capital."

"After your father and mother got married, she came to visit every now and then. No matter how cold your mother was, she would always accompany her with a smile. Over time, your mother just let her be, and the relationship gradually improved a lot."

"But your mother no longer attends banquets. She visits alone when she has something to do."

That's right. If her mother often went to some mansions and banquets, and if Concubine Yun often invited ladies into the palace, then the two of them would have met long ago. However, one of them didn't participate, and the other didn't call them together, and they had been in this spiritual connection for more than ten years.

We didn't meet in this secular world, it's as beautiful as a fairy tale.

"As far as I can remember, my mother has never been to the Bai residence, nor has she ever sent out invitations to the Bai family."

The old Duke's wife curled her lips and said, "She comes from a small family. How could she know that she should send an invitation before visiting someone? She just comes whenever she wants, regardless of whether it is convenient for you or not. She stays for a long time and brings her family with her."

Qiao Lili thought to herself, she knew it, even if she didn't know it before, she would know these superficial etiquette after becoming a marquis' wife. She didn't send the invitation because she was afraid of being rejected, so she pretended to be stupid. How could a lady like my grandmother, who came from a noble family, understand the minds of these women in the market.

"Grandma, considering your current position, do you think my mother will promise me to be her daughter-in-law?" Qiao Lili felt that her mother looked down on the Bai family. Even though Bai Junzhe looked good when he was a child, with a father like that and a mother like that, would her mother let her step into the stinking cesspool of the Bai Mansion?

"That's exactly what I said. Both your grandmother and your father found it incredible, but that was your mother's dying wish, and we didn't want to object. If we had discussed it in advance, I would never have agreed, and neither would your father. If he were to become a relative of Lord Bai, he would probably beat him to death if Lord Bai did something stupid one day."

Qiao Lili's heart was pounding. The more she spoke, the closer she seemed to be to the truth.