Liang Lan Yi saw Ji Ren Ran's pale face and quickly said, "The eldest daughter of the Ji family herself is only a clerk in the Imperial Medical Office. Why be so aggressive? To put it bluntly, isn't she just a servant?"
Zhong Xin Yi was displeased upon hearing this, "What's wrong with being a clerk? A clerk is something she earned through her own abilities. If you have the ability, you can be one too. Instead, you have to grovel to be someone's concubine!"
Liang Lan Yi gritted her teeth in anger, "It's truly good upbringing for the Zhong family to have their eldest daughter be so sharp-tongued."
Ji Zi Zhao smiled faintly, "It seems that it is indeed a blessing from three lifetimes for Miss Liang to marry the Eighth Prince. But if you think about it carefully, once Miss Liang marries into the Eighth Prince's mansion, she might even have to change her address from 'Miss' to 'Concubine.' If I were Miss Liang, I wouldn't engage in a temporary war of words. It would be better to think carefully now about what to do when your own flesh and blood cannot call you 'mother.'"
Liang Lan Yi: "..."
Was she here to argue?
Every sentence struck at the heart, every word pierced the flesh and blood. Even a fight wouldn't be as vicious as Ji Zi Zhao's tongue!
Ji Ren Ran watched Liang Lan Yi, who was so thoroughly rebutted by Ji Zi Zhao that she doubted her life. Although she was equally unwilling, she wisely shut her mouth. After all, she couldn't possibly win an argument against Ji Zi Zhao, so she might as well save her energy.
Liang Lan Yi was naturally unwilling to give up, but after opening her mouth for a long time, she was so angry that she couldn't utter a single word!
Ji Zi Zhao smiled slightly at their silence, then turned and left with Zhong Xin Yi.
Zhong Xin Yi couldn't help but mutter, "I said we shouldn't have come."
Ji Zi Zhao, however, said, "Looking around this courtyard, everyone is either a pre-selected princess consort or a young lady from a high-ranking official's family who is not yet married. Although Ji Ren Ran is the Fifth Prince's concubine, Noble Consort Xi, who is also a concubine of the Emperor, dislikes being reminded of her status as a mere concubine."
Now, not only did Noble Consort Xi not avoid suspicion, but she even summoned Liang Lan Yi. Her intentions were too obvious.
Ji Zi Zhao certainly couldn't let Noble Consort Xi have her way and drag the Empress down with her.
Zhong Xin Yi was stunned, "You mean..."
Ji Zi Zhao smiled and nodded, "Exactly what you're thinking."
Noble Consort Xi's ability to maintain the Emperor's favor for so long means she is definitely not just someone with a pretty face.
Therefore, every minute and every second today would have to be handled with extreme caution.
As Ji Zi Zhao led Zhong Xin Yi to the side, the courtyard quickly returned to its usual lively atmosphere.
Noble Consort Xi, seated on a soft couch, looked out the window. After a long while, she sneered, "She is indeed sharp-tongued. No wonder the Empress favors her so much."
If her plan hadn't failed back then, Ji Zi Zhao would have already been her son's woman. How could she be in cahoots with the Empress now?
The thought of the past made Noble Consort Xi furious.
Zuo Xiu Hua, standing beside her, watched Noble Consort Xi's distracted look. Her own unwillingness was about to drown her. "Ji Zi Zhao was so sarcastic just now. If others knew she was like this in private, it wouldn't be a waste of Noble Consort's efforts."
"Do you think just speaking can turn things upside down?" Noble Consort Xi hooked her lips dismissively.
Today, as long as Ji Zi Zhao and Zhong Xin Yi took the initiative to speak with Ji Ren Ran and Liang Lan Yi, to others, Ji Zi Zhao and Zhong Xin Yi would have already done their part.
At this point, even if someone exposed Ji Zi Zhao's so-called true face, even if Ji Ren Ran chipped in with tears, others would say Ji Ren Ran was ungrateful and would not blame or gossip about Ji Zi Zhao at all.
After all, Ji Ren Ran's status as a concubine was settled.
And these young ladies in the courtyard despised concubines the most.
Therefore, no matter what Ji Zi Zhao said, as long as she took Zhong Xin Yi and took the initiative to speak with Ji Ren Ran and Liang Lan Yi, it would be seen as a favor to Ji Ren Ran and a forgetting of past grievances with Liang Lan Yi.
Zuo Xiu Hua, who had another basin of cold water poured on her by Noble Consort Xi, lowered her head and dared not speak further.
"Forget it, let them in." Noble Consort Xi certainly wouldn't comfort Zuo Xiu Hua. If Zuo Xiu Hua had half of Ji Zi Zhao's shrewdness, she wouldn't be so tired. But it didn't matter, as her purpose today was not here.
Zuo Xiu Hua dared not say more and turned to retreat.
The crowd, who had been freezing in the courtyard for a long time, quickly entered the sleeping quarters when Zuo Xiu Hua invited them in.
Not long after, Noble Consort Xi, supported by wet nurse Zhang, appeared in the main hall, walking with a sway.
As Noble Consort Xi took her seat, everyone knelt and paid their respects, "Noble Consort Xi, ten thousand years, ten thousand thousand years."
Noble Consort Xi smiled and raised her hand, "Rise, all of you."
As everyone rose, palace maids led the young ladies to sit down in order.
Directly below Noble Consort Xi was, of course, Zuo Xiu Hua. As for the others, there was no such strict arrangement.
Because of this, many young ladies, desperate to leave a good impression on Noble Consort Xi, desperately tried to sit closer. Some even openly bribed the leading palace maid with silver.
Ji Ren Ran, assigned to the back, was naturally unwilling. She painfully took out a purse from her sleeve and slipped it into the leading palace maid's hand. Only then was she moved to a middle position.
Xue Yi Nuo saw this and snorted disdainfully, "She's quite wealthy. Judging by the weight, it must be at least dozens of taels. It's hard to believe she could be so heartless as to spend so much just for a seat."
Xu Mei Qing was helpless, "She's spending her own money. Why are you so upset?"
Xue Yi Nuo rolled her eyes, "I just can't stand her commoner-like demeanor of fawning over people."
"People's desires are always myriad and strange. We just need to take care of ourselves," Ji Zi Zhao said with a smile, following the leading palace maid to the very last seat.
From a distance, there were at least a dozen people between Ji Zi Zhao and Noble Consort Xi. If one's eyesight wasn't good, they might not even be able to see Noble Consort Xi clearly.
However, Ji Zi Zhao was very satisfied with her seat. Today, she had come precisely to avoid giving Noble Consort Xi any leverage. Now, the farther she was from Noble Consort Xi, the better.
As everyone was seated, Noble Consort Xi scanned the sea of faces below. Her beautiful brows furrowed slightly, but she soon smiled because she saw Ji Zi Zhao.
Ji Zi Zhao: "..."
As expected, being the object of someone's attention had nothing to do with how far away you sat.
"I was wondering why the face looked so familiar. So it's the eldest daughter of the Ji family," Noble Consort Xi said with a smile, as if there were no ill feelings between her and Ji Zi Zhao.
Ji Zi Zhao pretended to be nervous and stood up, quickly replying, "Your humble servant greets Noble Consort Xi."
Noble Consort Xi beckoned, "Speaking of which, I am not a stranger to the eldest daughter of the Ji family. The eldest daughter of the Ji family need not be so formal with me. Come closer and talk."