Chapter 19: Simply Speaking the Truth, How Could It Be Slander?
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Yu Zhi Yi didn’t know Ji Yi Fei personally.
But she had heard of him.
After all, he was known as You Bing Yue’s number one obsessed pursuer. Despite knowing her heart already belonged to someone else, he willingly played the role of her loyal protector, standing against the world for her, offering his connections and wealth unconditionally.
In her past life, this man had caused no small amount of trouble for Yu Jiao Jiao.
The crowd, witnessing Ji Yi Fei’s reaction, couldn’t help but realize that Yu Zhi Yi’s words must be true. The way they looked at him changed almost instantly.
These days, who hasn’t encountered a few spoiled brats?
A spoiled brat just needs to kick up a noisy tantrum, and the adults naturally hand over their prized possessions as if it were the most logical thing to do.
Even someone as noble as Du Zi Heng, the son of the Chancellor’s Mansion, had faced situations where he had to reluctantly yield to such unruly children.
“What’s with those looks?” Ji Yi Fei’s neck stiffened defensively. “It’s just a bunch of trinkets! They’re worthless anyway!”
He glared at Yu Zhi Yi, raising his voice. “Stop trying to change the subject! The petty things I’ve done don’t compare to you snatching someone’s engagement and their beloved!”
“Are you referring to how your mother knew your father was in love with someone else, yet schemed to break them apart from his first wife? And when that failed, she outright hired assassins to eliminate her, leaving them separated as husband and wife, and father and son, for over a decade?”
Her words caused a momentary, suffocating silence to fall over the crowd.
“What nonsense are you spouting?!” Ji Yi Fei exploded with anger.
Du Zi Heng’s face also darkened. “Brother Ji’s words may have been harsh, but you can’t slander his parents!”
Yu Zhi Yi casually brushed aside her bangs, which she had been tolerating for an hour now and still wasn’t used to. She smiled faintly. “I’m merely stating the truth. How is that slander?”
“Don’t think I won’t hit you just because you’re a woman!” Ji Yi Fei shouted, rolling up his sleeves and stepping forward to cause trouble.
A few of the Yao family’s cousins hurriedly intervened to hold him back.
Unfazed, Yu Zhi Yi spoke calmly, “Your father, Ji Cong Xin, originally named Ji Huai Li, was from Lingyang City. He came from a rural village but was exceptionally clever and talented in business. He was betrothed to a local girl from the same village in a childhood engagement. When they turned fifteen, they married and had a son the following year.”
“Your father had ambitions and dreams. He didn’t want to spend his life toiling in the fields. After marriage, he discussed starting a small business with his wife and family, who wholeheartedly supported him.”
“Business wasn’t easy to start, though. It required a significant amount of capital. Pooling together their resources, the two families scraped together five taels of silver. With this modest sum and his dreams in hand, he left for Lingyang City.”
“He truly had a sharp mind. Starting with small trades, he gradually built his way up and eventually amassed over a hundred taels of silver.”
“With his newfound wealth, he repaid his in-laws’ contributions, set aside funds for future investments, and purchased a house in the city, bringing his wife and family to live there.”
“To commemorate his first home, he drunkenly penned a poem one evening, titled ‘An Ode to the Southern Abode.’”
Ji Yi Fei’s angry expression faltered.
Indeed, in his father’s study, there was such a poem. However, it wasn’t displayed but carefully stored in a box designated for important items.
As a child, Ji Yi Fei had once opened that box out of curiosity. When his father found out, he was nearly beaten to death for it. It was the first and only time his father had ever lashed out at him, leaving an indelible impression.
But…
“How do you know about that poem?” Ji Yi Fei’s voice trembled, his suspicion evident.
Yu Zhi Yi didn’t answer. Instead, she continued, “If the story ended here, it would be a heartwarming tale of a dutiful and loving husband’s rise to success. Sadly, in the second month after relocating to the city, your father saved a venomous viper.”
Though she didn’t name names, Ji Yi Fei could tell from her tone and gaze that she was referring to his mother.
“You’re the viper!” Ji Yi Fei yelled, his voice breaking.
Ignoring his outburst, Yu Zhi Yi pressed on. “The Pang family was an imperial merchant lineage. While the eldest daughter of the Pang family might not compare to the noble ladies of the capital, for a small merchant in Lingyang City, she was an untouchable existence.”
“The eldest Pang daughter was ambushed by bandits during an outing. It was your father who saved her, and she fell in love with him at first sight.”
“However, your father’s heart belonged solely to his wife. Regardless of the young lady’s attempts to woo him with her status, gentleness, or even coercion, he remained unmoved. To avoid her advances, he decided to take his wife away temporarily.”
“He believed that a three-to-five-year absence would suffice, as a woman’s marriage wasn’t entirely her decision. Even if the young lady was adored in her family, her kin would eventually grow anxious if she reached marriageable age without finding a husband.”
“Yet, the night before their departure, his wife and child mysteriously vanished.”
Yu Zhi Yi’s gaze lingered on Ji Yi Fei.
He instinctively shook his head. “Stop fabricating lies! My mother isn’t that kind of person. My father only has me as his son!”
Yu Zhi Yi sighed softly. “I haven’t finished. Why are you so anxious?”
“Your father believed they had fallen victim to criminals and even suspected the young lady. However, all evidence at the time proved that neither she nor her people had the opportunity to act. She had seemingly given up on your father and was preparing to return to the capital.”
“For six months, your father searched fruitlessly for his wife and child. Emaciated and despairing, he was on the verge of collapse when a lead finally emerged.”
“A witness claimed to have seen his wife carrying their son, leaving Lingyang City with another man. According to the witness, she appeared deeply affectionate with this man, and the toddling boy called him ‘father.’”
“Thus, people pieced together a supposed truth—your father’s wife had betrayed him long ago and eloped with her lover, taking the illegitimate child with her.”
“Broken and desolate, your father succumbed to your mother’s affections and eventually married her. Soon after, you were born.”
“The truth, however, is that your mother didn’t need to personally commit murder. As the eldest daughter of the Pang family, she had the means to hire others to do the dirty work with money alone.”
Ji Yi Fei felt his world crumbling. “Impossible! You’re lying! You’re just slandering my mother!”
He lunged toward Yu Zhi Yi, but Du Zi Heng held him back, frowning deeply. “Enough, Yu Zhi Yi! Madam Pang is truly a kind person. If you continue fabricating these baseless accusations, don’t blame me for turning against you!”
Yu Zhi Yi remained calm. “If you want to know the truth, Young Master Ji, all you need to do is visit 18 Lin’an Street right now. The answers await you there.”