Ji Ziyan’s eyes were dark beneath, slightly lifeless. His step seemed unsteady. It was clear he was extremely depleted, but it wasn’t from lack of sleep or physical exhaustion but from overindulgence in lustful activities!
Previously, Bai Ruozhu had a good impression of Ji Ziyan. Especially when she learned he had observed three years of mourning for his deceased wife, ignoring his career, she highly admired such a man of deep feeling and justice. However, in just a blink of an eye, he had been intimate with another, and even overindulged. The contrast was too drastic, wasn’t it?
She took another glance at Ji Ziyan. Though the sparks had disappeared from his eyes, he stood there blatantly, his gaze clear and devoid of any evil intent. It was somewhat strange to her that a man with such eyes could be a hypocrite.
Of course, she couldn’t ask Ji Ziyan about anything, it was his private life after all. Instead, she thought of approaching Mr. Xie at Xie Residence to discuss this, or perhaps cautioning him against Ji Ziyan’s possible influence.
"Miss Bai, the Private School will open in three days. You can bring Xiaosi to register then. He should be able to keep pace with the Enlightenment class," Ji Ziyan said, pouring tea for them after they had settled in.
They thanked him and took a sip of tea. Ji Ziyan then asked Xiaosi several questions, a sort of impromptu interview. Xiaosi responded calmly and clearly. Ji Ziyan then handed Xiaosi some paper and asked him to write a few characters, which Xiaosi accomplished successfully.
Ji Ziyan was very pleased. "Bai Zeqing has a solid foundation. It’s not surprising, given he was taught by his elder brother."
Xiaosi humbly replied, "Thank you for your praise, Mr. Ji."
Ji Ziyan nodded with a smiling acknowledgment, seeming to be quite satisfied with Xiaosi.
Feeling everything was in order, Bai Ruozhu said to Ji Ziyan, "We will come to register at the private school in three days. Please guide my brother from then on."
"Bai Zeqing is diligent and polite. I’m happy to have such a student," Ji Ziyan said with a smile.
Bai Ruozhu and Xiaosi excused themselves and left the yard.
As she left, Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help herself from turning a glance back. Why did she feel a sudden inexplicable dread? It was as if she was being watched by a venomous snake. But Ji Ziyan had no martial arts skills, and was pure of character. He should not be a dangerous man. Could there be others in his house?
Shaking her head slightly, she chided herself for being overly suspicious. After all, she hadn’t noticed anything unusual.
Ji Ziyan returned to his room. Approaching the inner room, he asked in a soft voice, "Are you feeling better? Did my visitors disturb you?"
The woman inside was none other than the injured Zhou Jue, who had now subdued her murderous aura, presenting herself as a delicate lady. In a soft voice, she asked, "Ziyan, who is that girl? Does she come here often?"
Upon hearing that, Ji Ziyan became mildly panicked and said, "Xiuer, you’re overthinking it. She wanted her brother to study in my private school, that’s all."
Ji Ziyan’s deceased wife was named Su Xiu, and he had already started to see Zhou Jue as his Xiuer.
"I mean no harm. I just think the boy is very clever. We can invite them over often. Once I’m feeling better, I can help entertain the guests," Zhou Jue said, lowering her head, a calculating glint in her eyes.
She had initially wanted to harm Bai Ruozhu, yet for an unexplainable reason, she hesitated, worrying about exposing herself and ruining her relationship with Ji Ziyan. As she hesitated, Bai Ruozhu had already left the yard, missing her best chance to strike.
Fortunately, she hadn’t attacked. Not only would she have revealed herself to Ji Ziyan, but also disclosed her hiding place to the gubernatorial office. Even with her capabilities, escaping from Beiyu City by herself would be difficult.
"You should focus on recovering first. We can talk about everything else later," Ji Ziyan said, yawning. He was truly exhausted lately and needed to rest properly. Otherwise, it would affect his teaching.
Zhou Jue noted the dark circles under his eyes and quietly put away the medicine on her fingertips. She didn’t know why she hesitated, but she reasoned that she didn’t want to waste the precious medicine on an almost dead subject and also that she had been enjoying their happy moments together.
When she first arrived at Ji’s house, she claimed she was suffering from an incurable disease and had run away from home to avoid causing sorrow to her family. Ji Ziyan’s late wife had also died from an incurable illness. Coupled with the fact that Zhou Jue looked very similar to Su Xiu, Ji Ziyan easily sympathized with Zhou Jue.
Latter, Zhou Jue had drugged Ji Ziyan under the guise of treating him, leading him to believe Su Xiu had returned. He spent night after night entwined with her, oblivious to the fact that the woman beneath him was not Su Xiu, but someone else...
By now, Ji Ziyan regarded Zhou Jue as his resurrected Su Xiu, hence he always called her "Xiuer".
...
Bai Ruozhu, accompanied by Xiaosi, boarded the horse carriage and instructed Wa San to go to Xie Residence. She also wanted to check on the condition of Xie Residence, and find out if Xie Dun’s second aunt and Deng Jiayin had left.
Upon hearing Bai Ruozhu’s arrival, Yu Hongxiu greeted her delightedly, looking much healthier and rosy-cheeked.
Before Bai Ruozhu could speak, Yu Hongxiu instructed the maid to serve Xiaosi some dimsum and then pulled Bai Ruozhu into a private room, whispering, "Ruozhu, I’ve been wanting to talk to you these past few days. Xie Dun’s second aunt has moved out, and even his second uncle seems to be estranged."
Bai Ruozhu had yet to meet Xie Dun’s second uncle. But anyone who would allow his wife to throw tantrums, then try to dump her when things went awry, surely couldn’t be a decent person.
"Also, Deng Jiayin has set her sights on Ji Ziyan now. He’s the one you met last time; his wife passed away three years ago. Thinking about it, Xie Dun figured it wouldn’t be a bad match and is considering playing matchmaker," Yu Hongxiu said enthusiastically, clearly in high spirits.
Bai Ruozhu quickly came to understanding. Seeing her own aunt was hopeless and unwilling to be a mere concubine or secondary wife to Xie Dun—a position that, furthermore, could only be obtained after Yu Hongxiu’s death, Deng Jiayin quickly changed her mind after meeting Ji Ziyan.
If she chose to be Ji Ziyan’s secondary wife, it could be considered a match. Ji Ziyan was a few years younger than Xie Dun, only twenty-six this year, and better looking. Plus, he was a scholar, so his future should be promising.
Of course, Yu Hongxiu was overjoyed at the thought of getting rid of her faster, though Xie Dun was hesitant, saying he wanted to ask Ji Ziyan first.
Upon hearing this, Bai Ruozhu quickly shared her concerns about Ji Ziyan’s excessive exhaustion with Yu Hongxiu. After hearing it, Yu Hongxiu was stunned and said, "That can’t be. My husband has always praised his friend for his deep sentiment. He was hesitant about Deng Jiayin’s proposal, fearing Ji Ziyan still hadn’t moved on from his wife and wouldn’t agree to remarry."