Chapter 19: Just Speaking the Truth, How Could It Be Slander?
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Yu Zhi Yi didn’t actually know Ji Yi Fei.
But she had heard of him. After all, he was You Bing Yue’s number one fan, a relentless pursuer who knew she loved someone else but still insisted on being her knight in shining armor. He would stand by her against the world, providing her with connections and money, no questions asked.
In the past, this man had caused Yu Jiao Jiao a lot of trouble.
The crowd watched Ji Yi Fei’s reaction. Seeing his demeanor now, they knew Yu Zhi Yi must be telling the truth.
Immediately, their gazes toward him shifted.
Everyone had dealt with spoiled children at some point. The kind that kicked and screamed until, as if by right, adults would give in and hand over whatever they wanted. Even Du Zi Heng, the esteemed son of the Chancellor, had faced such brats before.
“What are you all looking at me like that for?” Ji Yi Fei’s neck stiffened. “It was just some small stuff, nothing valuable!”
He glared at Yu Zhi Yi. “Don’t try to change the subject. What I did was minor compared to you stealing someone’s love!”
“By ‘stealing someone’s love,’” Yu Zhi Yi said calmly, “do you mean your mother knowing your father loved someone else but still scheming to break them apart? And when that didn’t work, having the woman killed, tearing their family apart for over a decade?”
The moment she finished, the entire place went silent.
“What nonsense are you spouting?!” Ji Yi Fei was furious.
Du Zi Heng frowned as well. “What Ji Yi Fei said might have been harsh, but you can’t slander his parents like that.”
Yu Zhi Yi brushed her bangs away from her forehead. She’d had this hairstyle for an hour now, and she still wasn’t used to it.
She smiled lightly. “I’m just stating the facts—how could it be slander?”
“Don’t think that just because you’re a woman I won’t hit you!” Ji Yi Fei yelled, rolling up his sleeves, ready to charge at her.
Several of the Yao family’s cousins hurriedly stepped in to block him.
Yu Zhi Yi remained calm. “Your father, Ji Cong Xin—originally named Ji Huai Li—was from Linyang. He was born in a rural village but was extremely bright and gifted in business. Since childhood, he was engaged to a girl from his village. At fifteen, they married, and the next year, they had a son.”
“Your father had ambitions. He didn’t want to stay in the village his whole life, working the fields. After the marriage, he spoke with his wife and family about starting a small business, and they all supported him.”
“But starting a business isn’t easy. You need money to start with. The families pooled everything they had and managed to come up with five silver taels. With those five taels and his dreams, he left for Linyang City.”
“He had a real talent for business. He started small, worked hard, and gradually made over a hundred taels.”
“With that money, he repaid his father-in-law, kept part of it for future ventures, and bought a house in the city. He brought his wife and family there.”
“To commemorate buying his first home, he once wrote a poem titled ‘On the House in Southern Linyang’ after drinking one evening.”
Ji Yi Fei’s angry expression froze.
There was indeed such a poem in his father’s study. It wasn’t displayed on the wall but kept inside a box where his father stored important things.
As a child, Ji Yi Fei had once opened that box. When his father found out, he’d almost been beaten to death.
That was the first time his father had been so furious with him, so the memory stuck.
But—
“How do you know about that poem?” Ji Yi Fei looked confused and doubtful. That poem had always been hidden. If not for his childhood curiosity, he wouldn’t have known about it either.
Yu Zhi Yi didn’t answer his question. She continued, “If the story ended there, it would be about a loving man building a prosperous future with his wife—a happy story.”
She sighed softly. “Unfortunately, two months after moving his family to Linyang City, your father saved a viper.”
She didn’t explicitly name who that ‘viper’ was, but Ji Yi Fei’s glare told her he already knew she was talking about his mother.
“You’re the real viper!” Ji Yi Fei shouted.
Yu Zhi Yi ignored his outburst. “The Pang family was a well-known merchant family. Though the eldest Miss Pang wasn’t as esteemed as the capital’s noblewomen, to a small businessman in Linyang, she was not someone to cross.”
“Miss Pang was attacked by bandits on her travels and was saved by your father. From that moment, she became infatuated with him.”
“But your father only loved his wife. It didn’t matter if Miss Pang flaunted her status, confessed her feelings, or even used threats and bribes. He wasn’t moved. He even decided to take his wife and leave Linyang temporarily to avoid her.”
“He thought that if they left for a few years, everything would be fine. After all, a woman’s marriage was seldom entirely in her hands. Even if she was favored at home, once she reached a certain age without marrying, her family would pressure her.”
“But the day before they were to leave, his wife and son suddenly disappeared.”
Yu Zhi Yi looked at Ji Yi Fei with a calm gaze.
He immediately denied it. “You’re making this up! My mother isn’t like that, and my father only had one son—me!”
Yu Zhi Yi sighed. “I haven’t even finished, why are you so quick to deny it?”
“Your father thought they’d met with danger and even suspected Miss Pang. But all the evidence showed Miss Pang and her people had no opportunity to commit the crime. In fact, she’d even given up pursuing your father and was preparing to return to the capital.”
“Your father searched for his wife and child for half a year with no news. He grew more emaciated, his spirit drained as despair overwhelmed him. Just when he could no longer continue, a clue emerged.”
“An eyewitness saw his wife, holding their child, leaving Linyang with another man. They said the two seemed deeply in love, and the little child, just learning to walk, called the man ‘father.’”
“And so, everyone pieced together what seemed like the truth—that your father’s wife had betrayed him, taking her illegitimate child to elope with another man.”
“After that, your father fell into despair, and your mother stayed by his side. Eventually, she won his heart. They married, and shortly after, you were born.”
“But the real truth is, your mother didn’t need to dirty her hands to kill. She was the eldest Miss Pang. She had money and didn’t need to use her own people. With some coin, there were plenty willing to do her bidding.”
Ji Yi Fei felt like his entire world was crumbling. “Impossible! You’re lying! You’re just trying to slander my mother!”
He tried to charge at Yu Zhi Yi, but Du Zi Heng held him back, frowning at her. “Just stop talking! Aunt Ji is truly a wonderful person. If you keep making up these baseless stories, don’t blame me for cutting ties with you!”
Yu Zhi Yi spoke calmly. “If you want to know whether I’m telling the truth, all Young Master Ji has to do is go to No. 18, Lin’an Street. You’ll find your answer there.”