Chapter 339
Chapter 339
Time passed quickly amid constant work.
Another two years went by.
Old Madam Ji’s condition grew increasingly grave.
Meanwhile, the Imperial Court finally turned its full attention to Mobei. It had already issued three imperial edicts ordering Ji Yan’an to return, and he was forbidden from bringing more than one thousand armed men. Otherwise, it would be considered rebellion.
Heh… as though anyone would listen.
At that moment, all Ji Yan’an’s attention was on his grandmother.
Birth, aging, sickness, and death were the natural order.
Old Madam Ji had reached the end of her life.
If she were ill, Shen Qingzhu and Jiang Yunsui would both have ways to help her.
But nothing could stop the natural passing of life itself.
Ji Yan’an delegated most affairs to others and spent more time by her side.
Jiang Yunsui and the other Ji women did much the same.
Today, they brought the old woman to the city wall.
Old Madam Ji had requested it herself.
Her deeply lined hand gripped Ji Yan’an’s arm as her aged eyes gazed down at Beizhen City beneath the wall.
“This is the place your grandfather, father, uncles, and elder brothers protected with their lives.”
“If they were still alive and could see Beizhen City as it is today, they would certainly be very happy.”
The old woman smiled and looked at her grandson, her eyes filled with comfort and pride.
“Yan’an, your grandfather and father spent a long time choosing your name. More than seeing you become a great general or a hero who defended the realm, all of us wanted you to grow up safe, sound, and free of worry.”
Ji Yan’an’s eyes reddened. “Grandmother.”
Old Madam Ji gazed into the distance, toward the place where the Ji Family Members had died in battle.
“But fate made fools of us. In the end, every burden of the Ji Family fell upon your shoulders. You were so very small then.”
“Yan’an, go and do what you want to do. From now on, your grandmother, your grandfather, and every Ji son who died on the battlefield will stand guard here for you.”
She set down her cane and raised both trembling hands to cover Ji Yan’an’s ears.
“Don’t listen. Don’t listen to their slander and their ugly words.”
“The Ji Family is loyal, but our loyalty belongs to this land and its countless people. It does not belong to the powerful or to a muddleheaded ruler.”
“Nothing you do will ever dishonor the Ji Family.”
“Those who condemn you are merely afraid.”
Tears were already streaming down Ji Yan’an’s face.
Everyone around them was sobbing too hard to speak.
After saying all this, Old Madam Ji seemed to have exhausted every last bit of her strength.
They supported her home, and there she collapsed.
On the day her strength briefly returned before death, she kept only Ji Yan’an with her.
“Don’t grieve for Grandmother. I’m very happy. Living to this age is enough.”
“And one more thing.”
“Yan’an, when it comes to Yunsui, don’t tell outsiders she’s your younger sister.”
Ji Yan’an looked at her in confusion.
The old woman smiled. “Consider it a selfish wish of mine. I don’t know where your paths will ultimately lead, but I don’t want you to close off every possibility.”
“Yunsui is a good child. If you have no such feelings for her in the future, let her choose a husband she likes.”
“Grandmother has prepared a dowry for her. No matter whom she marries, that dowry will belong to her.”
Age had made her perceptive, and she understood the situation better than anyone.
These two good children had not yet awakened to romantic feelings, but after spending every day together, they could fairly be called childhood companions who had grown up side by side.
If they developed feelings for each other in the future, the identity of brother and sister would become their greatest obstacle.
Even if they shared no blood, people would seize upon the sibling relationship and make vicious remarks.
She did not want the two children to endure malicious gossip if that day truly came.
If there was no romantic love between them, Yan’an could marry Little Yunsui off as his younger sister and prepare a generous dowry. With her grandson protecting the girl, no one would dare mistreat her.
“I spoke to Old Tang before. He promised to accept Yunsui as his granddaughter.”
She had prepared every possible path for the future.
“Yan’an, whatever happens, never let her be hurt.”
Ji Yan’an nodded solemnly. “I understand, Grandmother.”
Old Madam Ji finally relaxed completely. Her gaze suddenly moved past Ji Yan’an’s shoulder and fixed upon the doorway.
She stretched out a trembling hand. “Ah Yue, you’ve come to fetch me…”
Ji Yan’an’s entire body shuddered.
He turned to look, but saw nothing.
The Ah Yue the old woman spoke of was his grandfather’s courtesy name.
Ji Mingyue.
“Grandmother!”
Old Madam Ji’s lips curved in a smile. Her hand slowly fell, and then she never moved again.
Ji Yan’an cried out for his grandmother in anguish.
Everyone waiting outside rushed in.
When they saw that Old Madam Ji no longer breathed, they all knelt and began to weep in grief.
The old madam of Ji Mansion had passed away.
People from throughout Beizhen City and even the villages outside the city came to pay their respects when they heard the news.
All of Beizhen City became exceptionally solemn and quiet.
Ji Yan’an had already knelt before the coffin for two days.
During those two days, he ate little, scarcely left, and hardly slept. He looked utterly haggard.
Jiang Yunsui was worried and repeatedly brought food to feed him.
“Don’t stop eating and drinking. Grandmother will worry about you.”
“Grandmother has only gone to another world. She’ll meet your father, grandfather, and the others there, and they’ll go on living together in that other world.”
“When we grow old and die, we’ll be able to find them too.”
“So don’t be sad. Life is only a few short decades. It will pass in the blink of an eye.”
Everyone else: “…”
Perhaps she should stop trying to comfort him.
Even Ji Yan’an looked at her helplessly.
Jiang Yunsui’s eyes were innocent. What was wrong? She was only telling the truth.
A long line of people waited outside to burn incense and pay their respects.
They were all deeply sincere. With so many people remembering her, Old Madam Ji would surely have felt comforted.
“Young Master, the Imperial Court has sent people again!”
Nanshu ran in wearing white mourning hemp.
Ji Yan’an was already in a foul mood, and now his face darkened completely.
His gaze turned sharp and cold. Outside, the Imperial Court’s imperial envoys had already entered with an edict in hand and their chins held high.
“We heard Old Madam Ji passed away. Our arrival is rather ill-timed, but Young Master Ji, the imperial edict is here. You should receive it.”
“His Majesty already issued three edicts before this. You cannot simply pretend you haven’t seen them, can you? If word gets out, people may suspect Mobei of harboring ill intentions and plotting rebellion.”
“Every member of the Ji Family has been loyal and heroic. You wouldn’t want that reputation ruined in your hands, would you? So, Young Master Ji, why not accept the edict and return with us?”
Ji Yan’an rose and slowly walked toward the eunuch, his eyes dark and cold.
The eunuch and the guards behind him were so frightened by Ji Yan’an’s gaze that they retreated again and again.
“Young Master Ji, what are you…”
“The edict.”
He spoke only those two words, his voice slightly hoarse.
The eunuch handed it over with trembling hands.
Expressionless, Ji Yan’an took the edict, opened it, and sneered at its contents.
“No soldiers or armor. What, is Yang Yan afraid?”
Yang Yan was the reigning emperor’s personal name.
The eunuch paled in shock. “How dare you! How can you address His Majesty by name?”
Ji Yan’an laughed, but there was a hint of madness in it.
“I can be far more daring than that!”
He pulled a sword from the guard beside him, tossed the imperial edict into the air, and cut it in two.