Zou Hansheng had always been sarcastic and condescending, and the Imperial Hospital staff never directly confronted him. So, after finishing his speech, he made a gesture as if to leave.
However, he didn't expect Ji Zizhao to walk right up to him.
What baffled Zou Hansheng even more was the faint smile on Ji Zizhao's face.
"Congratulations, Imperial Physician Zou."
Zou Hansheng: "..."
Where did the congratulatory words come from?
"Eldest Daughter Ji, why must you be so insincere here? The Imperial Hospital is a place where one thrives on skill. If Eldest Daughter Ji truly has free time, she should be doing more beneficial things," Zou Hansheng thought of his sister's tearful account of her experiences at the Ji family, and his dislike for Ji family members intensified.
"Imperial Physician Zou is right. It's just that I didn't realize when Imperial Physician Zou got promoted. If we are to be precise, it is indeed my oversight," Ji Zizhao said with a look of apology.
If one only looked at her face, they would truly believe she was sincerely apologizing.
But the words she spoke...
Why did Zou Hansheng find himself more confused the more he listened?
"Is talking nonsense in broad daylight a hereditary trait of the Ji family?" Zou Hansheng sneered coldly.
Ji Zizhao appeared somewhat surprised, "So, Imperial Physician Zou did not get promoted?"
Zou Hansheng: "..."
Of course not!
If he had truly become the head of the Imperial Hospital, he would have driven Ji Zizhao out of the palace immediately!
"Since Imperial Physician Zou has not been promoted, why are you meddling in the affairs of the head of the department every day? If I recall correctly, even when two heads of departments are on duty, as long as the personnel within the department report their activities, they can enter and leave freely. Yet, Imperial Physician Zou is now treating the people within the department like criminals, scrutinizing and interrogating them about every minute detail. I am very curious, is this action by Imperial Physician Zou authorized by the head of the department?"
"How could my father do such a thing! Do not slander my father!"
"So, everything is your own initiative, Imperial Physician Zou?"
"You..."
"Having a father who is the head of the department can indeed bring you much undeserved honor and convenience. But I believe no father would want their son to be nothing but a disgrace to their name and utterly useless."
These words truly stripped Zou Hansheng bare and trampled him into the dirt.
The argument between Ji Zizhao and Zou Hansheng had already attracted the attention of everyone in the Imperial Hospital.
But those who usually fawned over Zou Hansheng and secretly gossiped about Ji Zizhao behind her back were all silenced at this moment.
Because Ji Zizhao's words struck a chord with them!
They spent their days racking their brains to please Zou Hansheng, even doing all sorts of menial tasks like fetching tea and water for him, all for the sake of having a stable position in the Imperial Hospital.
But how did Zou Hansheng treat them in contrast?
Not only did he order them to do tasks outside their responsibilities, but he also took out his frustrations on them when he was in a bad mood.
Under such an overbearing pressure, only the dead would not retaliate.
Hearing Ji Zizhao's words now, everyone felt a great sense of satisfaction.
Seeing Ji Zizhao turn around, those who had previously sided with Zou Hansheng and ostracized Ji Zizhao now surrounded Ji Zizhao, engaging her in lively conversation and greetings.
Zou Hansheng was left frozen in the courtyard like a statue.
As bitter as the cold wind outside was, Zou Hansheng's face was even more unsightly.
Jiang Guangcheng, standing not far away, witnessed this scene and felt that Ji Zizhao was so wonderful.
She had courage and decisiveness, and most importantly, her own opinions.
Yet, it was precisely such a woman who possessed a nauseatingly vain heart.
However, Jiang Guangcheng was not in a hurry. As long as Ji Zizhao could repent and reform, he was willing to wait.
One day, Ji Zizhao would come to him and admit her mistakes.
It would not be too late for him to marry her then.
Ji Zizhao knew that Jiang Guangcheng had been watching her, but she was completely indifferent to what he was thinking.
Dwelling on the past and past events would only bring hardship upon oneself.
The entire day passed with the palace remaining remarkably quiet.
Ji Zizhao understood that even if the Empress agreed to help her, it would not be an overnight matter.
She still had to wait.
After her work was done, Ji Zizhao returned to the manor, which was quite lively.
Ji Zizhao didn't even need to listen carefully to know that the commotion was again coming from Zou Siyan and Ji Zongyou's courtyard.
The Old Madam had been quite happy about Ji Renran being able to enter the Third Prince's residence and had planned to summon everyone to the main courtyard for a meal that evening. However, before the message could even be sent out, Zou Siyan and Ji Zongyou had a huge falling out.
Their curses, uninhibited and unrestrained, erupted one after another.
Especially Zou Siyan's curse, "May your whole family die a terrible death!" nearly sent the Old Madam to her grave on the spot.
The Old Madam, who had been inexplicably caught in Zou Siyan's crossfire, lost all appetite for the meal and went inside to rest with the help of Nanny Xu.
When Ji Ziyun arrived at Zhaoyuan, she also had a troubled look on her face, "Eldest Sister, do you think I should go and try to persuade them?"
Ji Zizhao put down the medical book she was reading and smiled at her third sister, "Do you want to go?"
Ji Ziyun shook her head. Of course, she didn't want to go.
But now that she was in charge of household affairs, and the household was in constant turmoil, she felt uneasy.
"If you don't want to deal with it, why trouble yourself? Zou Siyan married into the Ji family under false pretenses. If she cannot overcome this hurdle herself, even if you persuade her for a day, you cannot persuade her every day. Besides, with Zou Siyan causing such a scene, someone else is more annoyed than us. Why are you in such a hurry?"
The reason Ji Zizhao spent money to have Zou Siyan enter the family was not for Ji Zongyou to win the beauty of his dreams.
Now that Zou Siyan was causing such a scene, Ji Zongyou's already dwindling familial affection in the Old Madam's heart would be gradually worn away. And when all supposed affection was gone, that would be when Ji Zongyou truly faced his retribution.
"I recall you have already planted your own people in the First Madam's courtyard, haven't you?" Ji Zizhao mused.
"There are also people in other courtyards."
These other courtyards naturally referred to Ji Renran's and Ji Zongyou's.
"For the household to be completely peaceful, the troublemakers must disappear forever. Although Ji Zongyou is of an age where he can establish his own household outside the manor, if we are the ones to play the villain, it will be difficult to avoid a bad reputation."
"So Eldest Sister means..."
"Lately, have your people in Ji Zongyou's courtyard chat more often with those in Grandmother's courtyard. There's nothing they shouldn't say or shouldn't say. Whatever they overhear, they can casually spread it, tell those people not to have any reservations."
Hearing this, Ji Ziyun's heart pounded.
Eldest Sister telling those informants not to have reservations meant that if anything truly happened, Eldest Sister would step forward to protect them.
Given Eldest Sister's cunning, how could she possibly be caught if she truly wanted to accomplish something?
So...
Eldest Sister was going to play a big game this time!