met free Chapter 2090 The entire audience stood up as the Ji family made their entrance!
Chapter 2090 The entire audience stood up as the Ji family made their entrance!
The forced smile on Shangguan Wuji's face froze completely, and the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably!
A surge of burning shame and indignation instantly welled up on his face. In his long and successful life, he had never been questioned so openly and so disrespectfully in public.
But the woman in front of him was Ji Qingyue, and he didn't dare to show any anger on his face!
Ji Qingyue stopped looking at him, as if he were just an insignificant interlude.
She moved gracefully past the ten families and Shangguan Wuji, heading into the courtyard.
As she approached, the tense and restless atmosphere that filled the courtyard seemed to be washed away by an invisible stream, gradually settling into tranquility.
Just then, Song Cijiu, who had been standing beside Li Xiangnan, suddenly moved.
A genuine, even somewhat friendly smile appeared on his face as he quickly went to greet Ji Qingyue, saying familiarly, "Yue'er, why did you come in person? You didn't even tell me beforehand so I could have greeted you at the door!"
Moon?
This address was like a second thunderclap, once again leaving everyone in the courtyard dizzy!
Song Cijiu... referred to the eldest daughter of the Ji family as Yue'er?
What is their relationship?
Immediately, some older people who knew about Song Cijiu's marital status suddenly realized what was going on.
Song Cijiu's wife's surname was Ji!
Could his mother-in-law's family be... the Ji family?
God!
The Song family and the Ji family are actually related by marriage.
Song Cijiu and Li Xiangnan were also close friends despite their age difference!
All the clues connected instantly, and the way everyone looked at Li Xiangnan was no longer just shock, but almost horror!
No wonder he was so calm!
No wonder he dared to fight against the Ten Families of Yanjing and even Shangguan Wuji all by himself!
It turns out that behind him, not only did Du Xingyue, a powerful figure from the Noble Clan, stand a great figure, but he also had the unfathomable ancient family of Ji as his support!
Although this reliance may have come through Song Cijiu, who in Yanjing did not know about the relationship between Song Cijiu and Li Xiangnan?
This might be even stronger than a direct relationship!
Ji Qingyue nodded slightly to Song Cijiu, her attitude becoming more respectful, and her tone incredibly gentle and affectionate: "Uncle, we're family, no need for formalities! I've come on behalf of my father, Tongguo, to offer my congratulations to the Li family!"
Song Cijiu was not surprised at all. He laughed heartily, his laughter full of ease and joy, showing no trace of the solemnity he had just displayed.
Uncle?
The moment this name was uttered, the entire courtyard was once again in shock!
It seems that Song Cijiu's wife is Ji Qingyue's father's sister!
This relationship is beyond question!
Ji Qingyue greeted Song Cijiu, smiled, and then walked straight to Li Xiangnan, stopping three steps away. Her cool gaze lingered on his calm face for a moment, revealing a hint of tenderness.
"Dr. Li," she said softly, "today is your joyous occasion of the birth of your daughter, and I shouldn't disturb you. However, my father specifically instructed me to give you two things in person today!"
She slightly turned her head to signal, and a woman behind her stepped forward and sealed the ancient-looking long box with both hands.
Ji Qingyue opened the wooden box herself, and the first thing she took out was a rusted bullet.
She held it in her palm, placing it under everyone's gaze.
“This is the first item,” Ji Qingyue said solemnly as she looked at Li Xiangnan, “This is the bullet that was removed from my father’s shoulder blade on the battlefield in Goryeo! Medical conditions were poor at the time, and there was a shortage of doctors and medicine. Removing this bullet saved his life!”
She paused, then her usually cold voice took on a rare, heavy warmth: "A life-saving grace is like being given a second chance! My father said he kept this bullet for many years, always remembering the life he had been given! Our Ji family's patriarch was saved by Doctor Li, and my father has been grateful ever since! Today, he returns a part of that life to your Li family!"
After saying that, she stepped forward and gently placed the heavy, rusty but polished bullet into Li Xiangnan's hand.
"He said that seeing it should make you realize that the Li family is not someone that can be bullied or coerced by just anyone! The lives saved by the Li family will naturally be protected by the Li family!"
After he finished speaking, the courtyard fell into a deathly silence.
There are no flowery words, no exaggerated promises, only a heavy bullet and a story that is described in a light touch but is heavier than mountains.
But the sheer volume of it created a suffocating pressure for everyone.
This is no longer an ordinary family friendship or business transaction; it is a true bond of life and death, a friendship where one can entrust their life to another!
Ji Tongguo, the current head of the Ji family, is using this bullet to clearly and unambiguously hand over half of his life and the Ji family's attitude to Li Xiangnan and the Li family, as a way of repaying the kindness of saving the old man!
Li Xiangnan held the bullet, still bearing the marks of history and the warmth of his own body, feeling the cool metallic touch in his palm, yet his heart burned with passion.
Years ago, at Song Cijiu's request, he went to the Ji family to save the terminally ill old man, who had already had his funeral arrangements made by his family. He never expected that after so many years, the bullet from years ago would still pierce his brow.
Back then, the Ji family had already expressed their gratitude once, with tens of thousands of yuan in reward money, a special gold card for the Friendship Store, and the Ji family's friendship...
"Uncle's kindness is beyond my comprehension! I will forever remember the Ji family's kindness!"
Ji Qingyue nodded slightly, a hint of appreciation flashing in her eyes.
Next, she took out the second item from the wooden box, a letter that looked to have been written some time ago.
The envelope was just an ordinary kraft paper envelope with only four characters written in calligraphy on the back of the inner paper.
"To the South—Please Open."
"The second thing is a letter written by the old man to Dr. Li, expressing his concern for you!" Ji Qingyue handed the letter to Li Xiangnan, her voice regaining its usual coolness, yet carrying an undeniable authority. "The old man instructed that you may choose whether to show the contents to anyone, but he also asked me to pass on a message..."
At this point, Ji Qingyue's eyes flickered, and for the first time, she looked with a truly sharp and cold gaze at Shangguan Wuji, whose face had turned pale, and at the so-called letter from his father in his hand.
“The old man said,” Ji Qingyue’s voice was soft, but each word struck everyone’s heart like pearls falling on a jade plate, “that in this world, many letters are of dubious authenticity. But some letters are weighty because of their heart, their feelings, and their undeniable past! And some letters…”
She paused slightly, her gaze lingering on Shangguan Wuji's yellowed envelope for half a second. "It's nothing but worthless paper that can't stand the light of day, only daring to use the name of the deceased to carry out coercion. Whether its contents can withstand scrutiny, whether its motives can live up to the words 'friendship of the deceased,' I'm afraid the person holding the letter knows best!"
"!!!"
These words are a stark and unforgiving comparison and questioning.
This directly led to the conclusion that Shangguan Wuji's letter, which he described in glowing terms as carrying his deceased father's last wishes, was now considered questionable in terms of motive, content, and even potentially worthless!
Shangguan Wuji felt a rush of blood to his head, his face turning from green to red, then from red to white. His fingers, which were holding the letter, trembled violently, and the thin envelope was almost crushed!
humiliation!
An unprecedented shame!
When has Shangguan Wuji ever been so openly trampled on, his carefully prepared trump card rendered utterly worthless?!
However, what followed terrified him even more.
Ji Qingyue watched his changing expressions, her tone calm and even, yet carrying a sense of judgment.
"Patriarch Shangguan, whether the letter in your hand is real or fake is not something my Ji family has any intention of investigating, nor do we have the time for such matters!"
She slightly raised her chin, and for the first time, her exquisitely beautiful face revealed the domineering majesty befitting an ancient noble family leader.
"But I'll make this clear: from this day forward, if the contents of this letter are completely inconsistent with what you said before—about the whereabouts of the account books, your father's last wishes, the requirement to hand them over to the Mu family personally, etc.—or cannot withstand any scrutiny..."
She paused, each word like a heavy hammer blow:
"My Ji family will hold you, Shangguan Wuji, accountable for using the spirit of an old friend to frame and coerce others, disgracing the dignity of our noble families, and disrupting the celebrations of our allies! When that time comes, don't blame my Ji family for showing no mercy and conducting a thorough investigation and expulsion of you and the five Shangguan families! I mean what I say!"
boom!
These words caused an absolute, deathly silence to fall over the room...