Her son had never been this unreasonable when seeing a young lady. That’s right, unreasonable!
Lord Wei cut short his behavior. “Good, good. Yi’er, you shouldn’t scare Yunshu.”
However, Wei Yi didn’t listen to him and continued to pull on Ji Yunshu’s sleeve and even started to shake it while saying, “Shu’er, Shu’er. Your name is so pleasant to hear. I love calling you ‘Shu’er’.”
But abruptly, Ji Yunshu frowned and put her hand on her shoulder.
‘Shit, this hurts.’
Seeing her sudden movement, Wei Yi became surprised. “Shu’er, what’s wrong?”
Worried, Madame Wei also scuttled to Ji Yunshu and urgently asked her, “What’s wrong? Did Yi’er hurt you?” Immediately afterwards, she sternly reprimanded Wei Yi. “You young man, didn’t this happen because you pulled on her hand earlier and used too much strength, hurting her in the process?”
Wei Yi was innocent, so he promptly waved his hands. “No! I was very gentle. It’s true.”
“It has nothing to do with Young Master Wei. My body is unwell. It must be due to the recent cold weather, so the pain is from me falling ill,” explained Ji Yunshu.
Ji Yunshu lowered her brows and bit her lip, enduring the pain she felt. Then, her body slightly trembled, and she staggered two steps back due to her legs getting soft.
This alarmed everyone!
“Yunshu, what’s wrong?” Old Madame Ji asked.
“Grandmother… Everything is… fine.” Ji Yunshu replied cautiously, but she shrank her body from the pain.
Old Madame Ji asked once again. “The weather is cold. You need to be careful. Wear more clothes and keep yourself warm and take care of your health, so you don’t fall sick. Your father and I had discussed with Uncle Wei and Aunt Wei. After February passes, the beginning of March on the 7th will be an auspicious day.”
This means that March 7th is her wedding day!
Seeing that Ji Yunshu became unsteady, Old Madame Ji had spouted out words of concern, but it turned out that the old woman was only concerned about her wedding.
Ji Yunshu nodded. “Yes. I will follow grandmother’s and father’s arrangements.”
Old Madame Ji and Ji Shuhan didn’t care about her ailment, but Madame Wei was different from them. Ji Yunshu was her future daughter-in-law after all! The worry on her face deepened as she stepped forward and held Ji Yunshu’s hand. “Yunshu, you must properly take care of your health. After I return to the mansion, I will order some servants to deliver some tonics and fabric to you. It will help nurture your health, and you can make warm clothes with the fabric. Aside from that, don’t overexert yourself with other matters.”
“Thank you Aunt Wei.” Ji Yunshu lowered her head and curtsied.
But as soon as she curtsied, Madame Wei accidentally saw blood soaking the cloth on her back.
“This-” Madame Wei was astonished. She hurriedly turned Ji Yunshu around and cried out in alarm, “Yunshu! Your back… Why are you bleeding?”
The bleeding had dyed the bright yellow fabric she wore into a glaring red, but still, that layer of cloth wasn’t enough to stop the bleeding as the blood seeped through and dripped along her back, dazzling the eyes with a morbid sight.
‘Don’t tell me that the wounds have reopened?’ But she applied medicine on it, and her wounds already started to heal properly. So how could it bleed so much?
When Wei Yi noticed the blood on her back, the corner of his eyes twitched and his brows wrinkled together. He was at a complete loss, not knowing what to do to help. Thus, he stamped his feet and asked in concern. “Shu’er… Is it because I-I held your sleeve earlier and hurt you? I didn’t mean it. Don’t be angry at me. Does it still hurt? You can hit me as hard as you want. I am the bad one.” The more he spoke, the more he felt like crying.
Ji Yunshu shook her head. “It wasn’t your fault Young Master Wei. My back was injured even before. But, there’s nothing to worry about. This doesn’t hinder me or anything.”
“You were injured prior to this?” Lord Wei raised his eyebrows and stood up, maintaining a severe expression.
“Tell me how did you get injured on your back and in such a serious condition no less? Who hurt you like this? Speak and I will give justice.”
“Uncle Wei, I…”
“You don’t need to be afraid. You only need to tell me. Although you have yet to pass through our Wei family’s doors, I already consider you as my daughter-in-law and half-daughter.”
Truly a moving speech! When Lord Wei spoke, Ji Shuhan’s face turned extremely unsightly. The hand he had on his knee was tightly clenched.
Ji Yunshu raised her eyes and coincidentally met with her father’s eyes. She pursed her lips and spoke in a faint voice to Lord Wei. “Yunshu was being unthoughtful which provoked my father’s ire. Our family has strict rules. Since I violated it, father used his whip to punish me which I well deserved.”
Her tone was soft, and anyone who heard it would only think she was justifying her father’s actions, but in fact, she was complaining about it!
Truly clever!
In a flash, several pairs of eyes landed on Ji Shuhan.
The burning flames of rage could be seen in Lord Wei’s and Madame Wei’s eyes, fiercely blazing. “Lord Ji, what is the meaning of this?” Lord Wei’s tone was heavy, not bothering to remain courteous.
‘You dared to beat my daughter-in-law. Did you even put me in your eyes?”
Ji Shuhan’s complexion wasn’t good. He glared at Ji Yunshu but quickly switched his expression into an embarrassed smile. “My daughter was unthoughtful and injured someone at home, so I-” He had yet to finish his sentence when Wei Yi cut in and argued, “You’re lying. Shu’er would not injure anyone! She taught me how to write and gave me a handkerchief. Although she scared me, she didn’t kill me. So, you’re lying because Shu’er would not hurt people.”
He shook his head as if his life rode on it like it could prove that what he said was the truth! Yet, when everyone heard his arguments, it didn’t make sense to them. ‘What connection does writing words and giving him a handkerchief have? And what did he meant by not killing someone? It doesn’t make sense!’
Madame Wei pulled Wei Yi back. “Stop talking nonsense. Go take a look at Yunshu. She’s not steady on her feet. Hurry and bring her back to her courtyard to rest. Take care of her well.”
‘Son, Mother is helping you out with this one. You better do your best to woo her!’
“Oh!” Wei Yi nodded, went to Ji Yunshu, and carefully supported her. “Shu’er, I’ll send you back, alright? You have to rest well, then drink some medicine, and you will get better. When I was sick, I did the same thing and got better.”
Ji Yunshu let out a grunt of agreement. She held Wei Yi’s wrist for support, and with difficulty, she curtsied before slowly departing from the reception with support from Wei Yi.
As soon as they left, Lord Wei let out a depressed sigh of exasperation written all over his forehead.
Then, he looked at Ji Shuhan and said, “Lord Ji, you were too harsh. Regardless if Ji Yunshu injured someone, you cannot whip her in such a fierce way! In any case, she’s still your daughter and doesn’t deserve receiving such harsh punishment.”
The corner of Ji Shuhan’s mouth stretched, but he refused to reply to his accusation.
Madame Wei was burning with anger. She snorted. “That’s right. Lord Ji, don’t forget that Yunshu would sooner or later be part of our Wei family. Even if you don’t look at Buddha’s face, you still have to look at the monk’s face. Although Yunshu is concubine born, our Wei family does not put much importance on such thing. Instead, Lord Ji and Old Madame Ji might need to show much more tolerance.”
The way Madame Wei spoke made it sound like Ji Yunshu was their Wei family’s blood-related daughter instead. The underlying meaning behind her words was glaringly clear.
Ji Shuhan had no choice but to explain himself in a hurry. “Yunshu is also my daughter. Beating my child also pained me, but at that time I didn’t understand the whole situation.”
‘What do you mean by not understanding the whole situation? Such pointless words! You just can’t explain yourself!’