Wei Yi initially intended to look for Ji Yunshu, hugging a few silver taels, but he never expected to encounter this scene. He stumbled a little in shock and hit his back smack on the big red pillar outside the door. The thud echoed!
The sound instantly gained Lang Po’s attention. He asked curiously, “Young Master Wei, why are you here?”
Wei Yi bit his lips with his eyes full of tears and his mouth shut.
Wei Yi? Upon hearing Wei Yi’s name, Ji Yunshu jumped from the bed and sprinted out the door. What came into her sight was Wei Yi’s face twisted in agony.
“Wei Yi?”
“Why did you lie to me?”
“Shu’er, you’re my wife, not someone else’s wife. Why did you lie to me?” His tone was croaky, full with anger and anguish. Before Ji Yunshu could explain herself, he turned around and dashed out of the courtyard. Ji Yunshu quickly chased behind him, only to see Lang Po standing on the same spot and scratching his head confusedly.
By the time Jing Rong had put on his clothes and left the room; they were already out of sight. “Where are they?”
“Teacher Ji went after Young Master Wei,” Lang Po replied.
“How did that boy get here?”
“I’m not sure!” Lang Po said as he saw the silver taels scattered all over the floor. He bent down and picked them up one by one, “Look, Prince. Young Master Wei dropped these. There are over fifty taels in all. I didn’t expect Young Master Wei to be so rich.” He was envious.
Jing Rong gazed at him. “What are you jealous of?”
“This humble one…” Lang Po did not know how to reply.
“Send a few men, who can work cautiously, to Chang Residence and Li Residence respectively. Check if the ink from their residences contain the herb, false daisy. Remember, keep a low profile while investigating and come back as soon as possible.”
“Yes, this humble one will send people there.” Lang Po was still carrying the silvers as he asked, “What about these silvers?”
Jing Rong took the silver and stuffed them into his sleeves, “This Prince will keep it safe for him.” Lang Po stared after him as he kept the silver and went back into the room. Oh please, Prince, can’t you just give me one or two taels? Don’t keep it all to yourself!
Meanwhile!
Wei Yihad locked himself into his room and huddled into his bed. Every inch of his body was securely covered with his blanket.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Ji Yunshu knocked incessantly on the door from the outside.
There was no response from inside the room, even after a long while. Instead, she caught the attention of Constable Zhang who was walking past. Thinking something serious had happened, he rushed over and was about to pull out his machete. “Teacher Ji, what’s going on?”
Her eyes shifted and she shook her head, “Nothing much. There’s no need to trouble Constable Zhang.”
Constable Zhang peeped into the room through the small slit between the doors, and asked worriedly, “Did something happen to Young Master Wei?”
“No.”
“Then what happened?”
“I only want Wei Yi to open the door.”
“That’s easy!” Constable Zhang said as he pulled her away, “Teacher Ji, please step aside. I’ll do it.”
“Wa…”
Before she could even say the word ‘Wait’, Constable Zhang had already raised his leg and kicked the door in. Bang!
Ji Yunshu was dumbfounded!
Brother, how many times do I have to remind you not to act on your impulses, and that impulsivity is a devil? Have you forgotten what I told you at the guesthouse outside Yuzhou City? She sighed.
The minute the doors opened, Constable Zhang rushed into the room anxiously. From the side of the bed, he quickly tugged at the blanket and said, “Young Master Wei, is everything well? What happened?”
Wei Yi gripped the blanket firmly, refusing to show his face. Constable Zhang was at a loss. Ji Yunshu walked in and tapped on Constable Zhang’s shoulder. “Constable Zhang, you should return to your tasks. I’ll handle this.”
“But Young Master Wei…,” he said as he pointed at that lump on the bed. Before he could finish his words, Ji Yunshu already had shoved him out of the room and closed the door, now broken from the powerful kick. He was stuck outside. He scratched his head, baffled at what had just happened, then shrugged and left to find someone to repair the door.
Behind the door!
Ji Yunshu sat on the edge of the bed. She could hear a faint sobbing underneath the blanket. Her heart hurt as it had been pierced by a needle. Her slender fingers gently patted the blanket as she called out softly, “Wei Yi, Wei Yi…”
There was no reply.
“Wei Yi, I’ve never wanted to hurt you. I never did and never will. I’ve promised your parents to take good care of you. No matter what happens, I’ll keep you by my side. For the past six months, I’ve tried my best not to let anything harm you. I feel more than just guilt towards you; I can’t bear to see you hurt. I’ve always seen you as my family, my younger brother. The only thing I can do for you is to do my best to protect you.” Her eyes teared up and her hand on the blanket trembled.
She had kept these lines in her for a very long time for fear of hurting Wei Yi. The relationship between them was like one amongst family, but never husband and wife. If she did not reveal her feelings now, as things progressed, it would only get worse.
After a short while, Wei Yi said from under the blanket, “I don’t want to be Shu’er’s younger brother. Shu’er is my wife.” There was a hint of stubborness in his voice, hoarse from all the sobbing.
“Wei Yi, I know about our marriage contract and also how much you want me as your wife, but…”
Before she finished, the blanket was flipped open. Wei Yi sat up, his teary, bloodshot eyes staring right at Ji Yunshu. He snuffled through his red nose and said, “Shu’er said before that you will not leave me for my entire life. But now you don’t want me anymore.”
“Why will I not want you?”
“Are you going to be Brother Jing Rong’s wife? Then, you will ditch me.”
“Foolish boy, I won’t leave you. I’ll take care of you forever.” She reached out wanting to pat him, but Wei Yi dodged.
“I don’t believe you. I know that I’m stupid, that’s why Shu’er is sick of me, right?” His voice was hoarse.
At this point, Ji Yunshu could not hold back her tears anymore. This person in front of her would never understand what she had in her mind. It felt like swallowing broken teeth into her own stomach. Moreover, she had never thought Wei Yi was stupid! The guilt and helplessness pressed against her chest, making it difficult to breathe.
“Wei Yi, why would I be sick of you? I’ve said before that you’re my family. Ever since the day I brought you into the Capital, I swore to take care of you forever.”
“Then why do you want to leave me? Mom said that we’d stay together once we got married. You’re my wife. We’ll give birth to many little Wei Yi’s. But now, you’re with Brother Jing Rong. Are you going to give birth to a lot of little Jing Rong’s? I won’t allow this to happen, Shu’er, I will not.” Wei Yi looked at her, anticipating her reply.
Ji Yunshu said, “Wei Yi, we’re family. I can’t love you like a woman loves a man. Can you understand?”
“I don’t understand. Anyway, I know that Shu’er doesn’t want me anymore.” He jumped down from his bed as he spoke and ran out of the room.
Worrying about him, Ji Yunshu chased after him again. Wei Yi darted out of the yamen and ran frantically onto the street. Ji Yunshu shouted his name as she followed. Wei Yi accidentally bumped into many people the whole way through.
“What’s happening? Are you blind?”
“Who’s this?”
“Why are you running? Do you not know that you’ve bumped into us?”
“Damn it, you blind bugger.”
…
The sound of rants echoed across the street, all blaming Wei Yi.
