Ji Renran never imagined that Ji Zizhao's demeanor was as sharp and piercing as a blade.
Every word, every sentence that came from Ji Zizhao's mouth felt like it was tearing a piece of her flesh away.
Seeing the surrounding commoners begin to murmur, Ji Renran simply knelt on the ground and sobbed, covering her face.
If one was to feign weakness, one had to commit to it entirely.
People were always inclined to favor the weak.
Ji Renran's cries, in the end, stirred a modicum of pity in the hearts of the commoners.
Regardless of who between the adults was right or wrong, children were always innocent.
Even if the eldest daughter of the Ji family had once been mocked by the entire city as a good-for-nothing, she still had the protection of the Ji family.
But then there was Ji Renran. From childhood, she had lived a life of shame with her mother. Now that she had finally returned to the Ji family, she had stumbled upon the death of the First Madam and angered the eldest daughter.
Observing the crowd's reaction, Gu Peilan steeled her heart. "I know my words carry little weight in the Ji family; everything is decided by Sister Zhao now, even the Old Madam respects her immensely. If Sister Zhao truly wishes to open the coffin, it is not impossible. I implore Sister Zhao to grant me one day to inform Zongyou. Tomorrow, the three of us, mother and daughters, will accompany Sister Zhao back up the mountain!"
Upon Gu Peilan's words, the commoners' gazes became somewhat inscrutable.
That Ji Zongyou seemed to have arrived…
He was just too busy to come up the mountain at the moment.
Gu Peilan, of course, did not understand the deeper meaning in the commoners' eyes.
Her reason for delaying until tomorrow was so that she could act stealthily tonight.
As long as she could make Lin Wanyun's coffin disappear from this graveyard before tomorrow, or substitute it with another sound skeleton, Ji Zizhao would have nothing to complain about even if she opened the coffin.
She had been careless. She should have thought of these things earlier.
She had schemed and calculated everything, but she never expected Ji Zizhao to go so far as to open a coffin.
The wives of the various branches present felt that something was amiss.
But they couldn't quite pinpoint what was wrong for the moment.
Ji Zizhao, of course, understood Gu Peilan's intentions.
It was just a pity.
This time…
Gu Peilan's scheme was still half a beat too slow.
"So, you intend to bring your children and accompany me up the mountain tomorrow?" Ji Zizhao asked nonchalantly.
Gu Peilan nodded repeatedly. "Of course. Only then can we show our respect to the deceased First Madam. It is just unfortunate that Zongyou has matters to attend to today and truly cannot get away."
Deceased First Madam.
These words felt like scorching hot iron branding Ji Zizhao's chest.
Although Gu Peilan always maintained a submissive demeanor, every mention of the deceased First Madam was a deliberate reminder to Ji Zizhao that Lin Wanyun's death was a fact.
Regardless of whether Ji Zizhao admitted it or not, Lin Wanyun was the deceased First Madam.
Back then, Ji Zizhao could not prevent Lin Wanyun from dying.
Now, Ji Zizhao equally could not prevent her from becoming the new First Madam.
This subtle boasting was truly nauseating.
Yet, it was also impeccable, leaving no room for complaint.
Ji Zizhao suppressed the churning pain in her chest and smiled instead of getting angry. "It's quite a coincidence, but I happened to encounter Ji Zongyou today. Given the time constraints, I brought him directly with me. He is currently waiting at the foot of the mountain."
Gu Peilan: "..."
It was truly like a bolt from the blue!
Ji Renran naturally did not believe Ji Zizhao's words. Her brother frequented places of ill repute; how could he have been encountered so casually?
Even if it were such a coincidence, with her brother's temperament, how could he possibly give Ji Zizhao face?
Ji Zizhao naturally understood that mere words were hard to believe. Pointing towards the foot of the mountain, she said, "He is in my carriage. If you don't believe me, you can look down and see."
Ji Renran and Gu Peilan exchanged a glance.
Although they still didn't believe Ji Zizhao, they couldn't remain in this deadlock.
If Ji Zizhao insisted that Ji Zongyou had arrived and demanded to open the coffin, wouldn't that be even more troublesome?
With a host of doubts, Ji Renran and Gu Peilan supported each other as they approached the edge of the mountain.
As if afraid that Ji Zizhao would seize the opportunity to push them down, Gu Peilan remained wary of Ji Zizhao like a guard against a thief while Ji Renran peered down.
The Third Madam, Yin Wenying, almost burst out laughing. "Our Sister Zhao never had such malicious intentions. Some people should not project their own vile thoughts onto a noble person."
"Third Sister-in-law, you jest. I am merely afraid of heights and dare not look down." While saying this, Gu Peilan's vigilance towards Ji Zizhao did not lessen in the slightest.
The Fourth Madam, Xiao Jingzhu, frowned slightly.
She had initially thought that Gu Peilan, having returned to the Ji family, was quite capable to have persuaded the Old Madam so quickly.
She hadn't expected her to be so impatient at such a crucial moment.
Then she looked at Ji Renran beside Gu Peilan…
The Fourth Madam Xiao Jingzhu's heart sank.
She feared that the most scheming person was the one who hid the deepest.
Ji Renran felt that her mother's defensiveness towards Ji Zizhao at this moment was rather inappropriate. Let alone that Ji Zizhao wouldn't dare commit murder, even if she did, she would have to be insane to do something so foolish under so many people's watchful eyes.
However, the current Ji Renran had no time to advise her mother.
She saw that at the foot of the mountain, a carriage could indeed be vaguely seen.
When Ji Renran looked more closely at the carriage, she almost lost her footing and fell.
Gu Peilan quickly pulled her daughter back to her side and chided gently, "Why so careless?"
Ji Renran's face turned pale, her voice trembling. "I, I really saw Brother. It's just that Brother is covered in blood, and his life is uncertain…"
This time, it was Gu Peilan who lost her balance, almost falling.
Gu Peilan naturally believed her daughter's words.
She glanced back at Ji Zizhao, who stood serenely beside them, and immediately rushed down the mountain with Ji Renran.
No wonder Ji Zizhao could bring her son here. She must have killed him on the way, she thought.
The more she thought about it, the weaker Gu Peilan's legs became.
Ji Renran's face was also extremely pale.
Whether their mother and daughter could establish a foothold in the Ji family depended on her brother's hereditary status.
If her brother were truly in trouble, what good would it do to have Ji Zizhao pay with her life?
At the foot of the mountain, seeing that no one was obstructing her any longer, Ji Zizhao looked at Qing Zhu and Lian Ju and said, "Since everyone is here, open the coffin!"
At the foot of the mountain, despite Gu Peilan and Ji Renran's preparations, they were so terrified by the sight of Ji Zongyou's bloodied and life-uncertain state that they nearly collapsed onto the ground.
"Zongyou, my son, open your eyes and look at your mother. Don't scare your mother…" Gu Peilan was stunned, desperately calling out to her son.
Ji Renran, however, quickly regained her composure. "Mother, we absolutely cannot let this go. Regardless of what happened, Ji Zizhao intended to kill my brother."
The fact that Ji Zizhao dared to injure her brother so recklessly meant she had made thorough preparations.
But no matter what, as long as they insisted that Ji Zizhao intended to kill him, their grandmother would surely favor them.
Gu Peilan now truly had the urge to kill Ji Zizhao.
How could that vixen be so vicious!
But before Gu Peilan could curse, she saw a young servant rushing down. "First Madam, bad news! The eldest daughter has already had people dig out the coffin of the deceased First Madam."
Gu Peilan: "..."
Ji Renran: "..."
A brilliant diversion!