Chapter 367: Confined at Home, Personally Taught
Ji Qingwu lifted her head, standing even straighter than the verdant longevity bamboo potted by the doorway.
"You’re a government official. Do you really think it’s right to only listen to one side of the story?"
Hearing her question, Ji Bo Lian’s hand, which held his teacup, froze. The corner of his mouth twitched.
Mrs. Qiao’s heart clenched. She wanted to step in and say something to mediate.
Ji Qingwu’s clear, resonant voice rang out again, her tone unhurried and calm.
Her gaze first fell upon Ji Qingyuan.
"Fourth Sister, you claim I angered Grandmother into illness. I will not accept that."
Ji Qingyuan retorted, "You still dare to argue? It’s obvious that Grandmother has been bedridden all this time because you repeatedly talked back to her."
"You should choose your words carefully, Fourth Sister. Grandmother fell ill because Ji Changyan tried to assassinate the Imperial Censor and even intended to..."
Ji Qingwu paused deliberately.
The words caught in Ji Qingyuan’s throat. Her wrist began to ache faintly as well. She recalled being outside Ji Changyan’s memorial hall. After learning the truth, a man in black had appeared out of nowhere and attacked her.
Ji Qingwu asked, "Do you want me to explain the whole story to everyone, Fourth Sister?"
Mrs. Qiao gave a soft cough and shook her head slightly at her.
Ji Qingwu’s expression softened.
In the end, she decided to save face for the second branch of the family and didn’t mention how Ji Changyan had drugged her unconscious in front of everyone.
She looked at Old Madam Ji with clear eyes and continued, "Grandmother fell ill from the grief of losing her grandson."
The old madam remained silent, sitting sullenly.
Ji Bo Lian saw that his glib niece from the second branch was not only being overpowered by Ji Qingwu, but her eyes were also starting to show fear.
He raised an eyebrow, then quickly lowered it.
Finally, Ji Qingwu met his eyes and said, enunciating every word, "You say you can’t acknowledge me? Well, I can’t acknowledge a person like you as my father either."
The moment she finished speaking, Ji Bo Lian’s hand, holding the teacup, became unsteady. He was so angry that he shook, spilling tea from the cup.
"What did you say?!"
Mrs. Qiao came over and pulled at her sleeve. "Xiao Wu, don’t be stubborn. Apologize to your father."
Ji Qingwu looked back at Mrs. Qiao, confused as to why her mother kept trying to stop her.
Normally, no matter what she did, her mother would always support her, even helping her strategize.
’Is it because I hid the truth about Yuan Heng and Jiu Jiu being the imperial heirs? Has that made us this distant?’
’Or is it because this man before me, who can’t tell right from wrong, is the master of the Ji Family and her husband? Has her loyalty shifted entirely to him?’
Ji Qingwu asked stubbornly, "Mother, do you also think I’m the one at fault?"
There was a trace of heartache in Mrs. Qiao’s eyes, but also a hint of guilt. She avoided her daughter’s gaze and looked at the floor.
"Regardless, he is your father. I’m sure you understand the importance of filial piety. Don’t defy him."
Ji Qingwu disliked being bound by such rigid conventions.
She stood up even straighter, turning her face away to say peevishly, "If we’re going by that logic, a wife’s duty is to her husband. In that case, I have no obligation to listen to him."
To think she had the audacity to say "a wife’s duty is to her husband" in public—Ji Bo Lian’s stern face twisted in anger.
He shot to his feet and furiously smashed his teacup on the floor. Shards of porcelain and hot tea went flying.
He startled Old Mrs. Ji, who was beside him. She clutched her chest and murmured a Buddhist prayer.
Mrs. Qiao tried to placate Ji Qingwu with a few more words, but it only made things worse.
A growing sense of grievance welled up inside her, and her nose began to sting.
It wasn’t just because the father she had never met, the one she had awaited for so long, had smashed a cup in a rage at her the moment he returned home.
It was even more because Mrs. Qiao was no longer on her side. Her mother no longer stood with her when trouble arose.
Ji Qingwu refused to back down, her lips pursed stubbornly and her cheeks puffed out with suppressed indignation.
The members of the Ji Family in Shou’an Hall were a mixed bag: some fanned the flames, some were furious, some felt wronged, some tried to console, and some simply found the whole situation odd.
Ji Qingrong rested a hand on her stomach, watching her enraged father.
’The Ji Bo Lian she remembered was righteous and incorruptible, a man of propriety and restraint. He was never the type to fly into a rage without reason.’
’Thinking back, when their father taught her and Changlin as children, he had been even more patient than their mother. Mrs. Qiao, in fact, had the quicker temper.’
’Was this really her father?’
Ji Qingrong frowned, remaining silent.
Ji Bo Lian took a deep breath, glaring furiously. "An untaught child is the father’s failure. Today, I will teach you a proper lesson!"
"You arranged your own marriage without your parents’ consent, and while I’m still alive! Your marriage to the Wei Family is invalid."
Hearing this, Old Madam Ji could no longer remain a bystander. "Ji Bo Lian, calm down," she said urgently. "Qingwu is already married. This is not a child’s game..."
Ji Bo Lian raised a hand, cutting his mother off.
"Guards! Lock her up. No one is to let her out without my order!"
He turned his back, shutting out everyone’s pleas.
’Old Madam Ji’s face tightened. If the Wei Family came looking for trouble, the Empress Dowager in the palace was of no use to them now. This would be keeping a source of disaster in their own home.’
Old Mrs. Ji quickly turned to Mrs. Qiao. "Ru Ying, talk some sense into him! He can’t do this."
Mrs. Qiao said, her eyes red, "Mother, I don’t want to see Xiao Wu locked up either, but... but he even scolds me. It puts me in a very difficult position..."
Two servant girls came forward to take Ji Qingwu away.
"Fifth Missy, please come with us."
Ji Qingwu was about to struggle, but then she saw that the ones holding her were Chunhua and Qiushi, her mother’s personal maids.
She glanced at her mother and saw that Mrs. Qiao had turned away, her eyes closed, with tears glistening at their corners.
The strength went out of Ji Qingwu’s arms. Unwilling to cause her mother any more pain, she allowed the maids to lead her away.
After the commotion, Ji Bo Lian stormed out of Shou’an Hall.
Mrs. Qiao rose. "Mother, I’ll go check on my husband."
Old Madam Ji said, "Go quickly. Once his temper has cooled, try to persuade him again. Forcibly keeping Qingwu at home is not a good idea."
Mrs. Qiao nodded and hurried after him.
Mrs. Qiao didn’t see any sign of Ji Bo Lian on the way back to Anju Garden. When she arrived, the doors to the main building were wide open.
He had driven all the servants out. Only his personal attendant stood by the door.
The moment Mrs. Qiao appeared, an angry roar came from inside the room.
"This is the ’fine’ daughter you raised! She’s completely out of control!"
The servants lowered their heads even further.
Ji Bo Lian watched Mrs. Qiao enter and continued his tirade, "This time, we’ll lock her up at home, and I will personally teach her some discipline!"
Mrs. Qiao soothed him in a soft voice, "Don’t be angry, my lord. Children must be taught slowly."
As she spoke, she turned and shut the door. Once it was closed, she shot him a glance, walked over to the daybed, and sat down. The cautious expression on her face was completely gone.
Ji Bo Lian followed her, squeezing in to sit beside her.
Mrs. Qiao said coldly, "Go sit over by the low table. There isn’t enough room for two people here."
The anger on Ji Bo Lian’s face vanished, replaced by a grin. "When we were young, you and I could share a single chair. How could this wide daybed not have room for both of us?"
Not wanting to be so close to him, Mrs. Qiao scooted over, leaving a little space between them.