I have suffered enough in my previous life, my cousin will never marry me

Chapter 187 Capturing Ji Yuan
As night fell and the Ji family study was quiet, Ji Yuan held an old jade hairpin in his hand, recalling some old stories, and couldn't help but feel sad.

"Madam, if you are watching over us from heaven, please protect our daughter and help her escape danger."

As he was muttering to himself, the door was suddenly pushed open gently. Ji Yuan saw his second daughter, Ji Ningxi, carrying soup in. Without changing his expression, Ji Yuan put away the jade hairpin, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "What are you doing here so late?"

"Father, I saw you're still up so late, so I made you a bowl of calming soup," Ji Ningxi said with a flattering look. "Please drink some while it's hot."

"Just put it there," Ji Yuan replied absentmindedly, then added, "Now that you've entered the Prince Qi's mansion, you should stay here obediently. What kind of logic is it for a concubine to run back to her parents' home every day?"

"His Highness said he was going to make his daughter a concubine, and he also learned that his father had returned to Lin'an, so he specially allowed his daughter to come back to visit."

Ji Ningxi smiled and placed the soup on the table: "After all, the only person Father can rely on now is his daughter. If his daughter doesn't come back to visit Father, who else can he rely on?"

"What are you saying?" Ji Yuan's face darkened. "Your two younger sisters are still in the manor, and your elder sister will be back in a while. How can I have no one to rely on?"

“Father is still thinking about eldest sister.” Ji Ningxi sneered disdainfully: “She is greedy for life and afraid of death. She accepted the court’s favor but refused to share the court’s burdens. She made tens of thousands of innocent women suffer for her. Now the whole of Lin’an City curses her as a witch who brings disaster to the country and the people. What can Father expect from her?”

"Shut up," Ji Yuan clenched his fist and said sternly, "Get out."

Ji Ningxi immediately stopped smiling and said in a low voice, "What is Father still being so domineering about? In a few days, Empress Dowager Gu will ascend the throne. At that time, Father's position as Grand Secretary will probably have to be changed. If Father is smart, he should think more about his own future at this time."

Realizing that his daughter had returned to test him on behalf of Prince Qi, Ji Yuan feigned ignorance: "The Gu family wields immense power; even His Majesty has abdicated voluntarily. What can I do?"

"Father, are you sure you didn't have any plans?" Ji Ningxi persisted. "Then where did Tingfeng go? Why haven't I seen him since I returned to the manor?"

"This is none of your business," Ji Yuan said unhappily. "It's getting late, you should go and rest."

“Even if Father didn’t say it, I could guess,” Ji Ningxi pouted. “Father is still thinking about welcoming Prince Yongning to Lin’an, isn’t he?”

"What are you doing asking about these things all day long?" Ji Yuan's voice was even colder as he angrily rebuked her.

Just then, the door was kicked open. Ji Yuan looked up and saw Gu Tingchen leading a group of armored soldiers straight in.

"Prince Dao'an, how dare you trespass on my old residence?" Ji Yuan roared.

Gu Tingchen sneered disdainfully: "Ji Yuan, I respect you and can call you father-in-law, but if you don't know your place, then in my eyes you are just an ant."

"I dare not accept the title of 'father-in-law' from Prince Dao'an," Ji Yuan said reproachfully. "Prince Dao'an led his armored troops straight into my residence in the middle of the night. I would like to ask Prince Dao'an for guidance. What brings you here?"

Gu Tingchen walked up to him with slow, deliberate steps, and looked him straight in the eye: "I will only ask once, did the old emperor give anything to the Grand Secretary before he abdicated? Where did Tingfeng go?"

Ji Yuan calmly replied, "His Majesty abdicated voluntarily for the sake of the overall situation. How can Prince Dao'an make unfounded speculations? As for Tingfeng, his elderly mother passed away. Does he have to report to Prince Dao'an when he goes back to attend the funeral?"

“At this critical juncture, why is Father still lying?” Ji Ningxi frowned and said, “Tingfeng’s mother has already passed away. What funeral is he attending?”

"You wretched child!" Ji Yuan's face turned ashen with rage as he glared angrily at Ji Ningxi.

Ji Ningxi ignored everything and faced Gu Tingchen directly: "Prince Dao'an, my father must have sent Tingfeng to welcome Prince Yongning. You and the Empress Dowager must be on guard."

"Nonsense!" Ji Yuan retorted. "Prince Yongning has always been sensible and reasonable. How could he possibly oppose the Empress Dowager at this time and put the Great Ye Dynasty in danger?"

"Is that so?" Ji Ningxi smiled coldly: "If he were truly a man of principle, he should have taken the initiative to go to the northern border to guard the frontier at this time, instead of hoarding troops and confronting the court. Otherwise, I can only suspect that Father is colluding with Prince Yongning to plot a coup."

Listening to the father and daughter arguing fiercely, Gu Tingchen picked up a book with great interest and flipped through it: "Prime Minister Ji, my scouts have reported that there have been frequent troop movements in Yuezhou recently. Tell me, should I believe you or your daughter?"

Seeing that Ji Yuan remained silent, Liu Zhang drew half of his sword and said sternly, "Grand Secretary, please tell me honestly whether Tingfeng instructed you to go to Yuezhou to deliver the Emperor's decree."

"Don't judge a gentleman by your own petty standards." Ji Yuan's gaze was resolute: "Your Majesty is a man of great principle. At a time when the fate of the nation is at stake, Your Majesty would never incite internal strife."

"It seems the Grand Secretary is still quite stubborn." Gu Tingchen had already lost his patience and coldly waved his hand: "Then please go to the Imperial Prison, Grand Secretary."

Just as Liu Zhang and his men were about to escort Ji Yuan forward, a sharp shout came from behind.

"stop."

Everyone looked over at the sound and saw Tingfeng walking in, looking travel-worn.

Tingfeng respectfully handed a sealed memorial to Ji Yuan and said, "My lord, I have not failed you. I have persuaded Prince Yongning to send troops to the northern border to defend against the enemy. This is Prince Yongning's memorial."

Upon hearing this, Gu Tingchen snatched the memorial with a look of astonishment, opened it, and examined it closely. He couldn't help but shake his head and say, "Why would he voluntarily choose to go to the northern border to guard the frontier?"

"Reporting to Prince Dao'an, the 200,000 cavalry of Yuezhou have all assembled on the border of Huizhou. They are just waiting for the imperial court's order, and Prince Yongning will personally lead all his troops to the northern border," Tingfeng replied solemnly.

Thinking of what Prince Yongning had told him before he left, Tingfeng added in the same tone, "Prince Yongning has only one request, which is to stop the marriage alliance."

"That bastard, he still dares to covet Wanwan." Gu Tingchen's eyes darkened, filled with resentment.

Upon closer examination, Fu Mingchi's reason for wanting to prevent a marriage alliance with a foreign ruler in the north is quite valid.

The Yongning Prince's Mansion has always been known for its romantic figures; how could he possibly bear to part with a woman like his cousin?

Seeing that Liu Zhang did not step forward again, Ji Yuan's tense nerves immediately relaxed, and he said calmly, "I told you that Prince Yongning is not a person who does not understand the big picture. Prince Dao'an is really overthinking it."

Gu Tingchen gave a cold laugh.

He's just a short-sighted good-for-nothing, yet people praise him as so wise and righteous.

Unfortunately, that guy's journey to the North was destined to be a one-way trip.

Thinking back to Ji Ningxi's words, Gu Tingchen glanced at Tingfeng with great dissatisfaction: "Since the Grand Secretary sent Steward Feng to Yuezhou to persuade Prince Yongning to launch a northern expedition, why bother to hide it from me?"

Ji Yuan snorted coldly: "These days, Prince Dao'an has ordered people to forcibly conscript unmarried women in the city, causing widespread resentment. I can't just stand by and watch my daughter be insulted every day. As for why I didn't report to the court first, doesn't Prince Dao'an know the answer?"

These words immediately left Gu Tingchen speechless.

I am now at odds with Prince Yongning, and I fear that this old scoundrel is worried that I will obstruct his plans.

Seeing that Gu Tingchen's unpredictable expression had improved, Ji Yuan took the opportunity to speak up: "Prince Dao'an keeps mentioning my daughter, yet he has put her in an unjust situation because of the marriage alliance. I urge Prince Dao'an to immediately inform the Empress Dowager and stop the marriage alliance."

Since Fu Mingchi had volunteered to enter the northern border to fight the enemy, Gu Tingchen had no reason to send his father to negotiate, nor did he want to make things difficult for Ji Yuan any further. He ordered Liu Zhang to withdraw his troops and hurriedly left with his men.