Chapter 244: The Crazy Couple 4

Upon hearing this, Wu Daniu’s brow furrowed slightly. His gaze fell upon Ji Xiaosong, his tone tinged with inquiry. “Revenge? You seek revenge against Li Zhixiao and Xiao Mumu?”

Ji Xiaosong took a step forward and curtsied slightly. Her tone was respectful, yet carried a hint of coldness. “In answer to your question, General, my surname is Ji. My family originally had a marriage contract with Li Zhixiao. However, to ingratiate himself with the powerful, he colluded with Xiao Mumu and had my father killed. I have come today to claim this blood debt.”

Wu Daniu’s expression darkened as he listened.

He set down the book on strategy he was holding, his tone imbued with a solemn authority. “You say Li Zhixiao and Xiao Mumu had a member of your family killed. Do you have proof?”

“The village chief was an accomplice, but he will surely not confess. I know Li Zhixiao won’t admit it either, but that doesn’t matter. He was contractually bound to marry into my Ji family. With our marriage agreement still unresolved, he has instead become engaged to the granddaughter of a First-Grade General. Surely that is a violation of the law?”

Wu Daniu didn’t respond to Ji Xiaosong directly. The idea that his granddaughter might have abused her power and caused a death was less concerning to him at that moment than the fact that Li Zhixiao had a prior marriage engagement.

He fell silent for a moment, his sharp gaze fixed on Ji Xiaosong. His voice held a solemn authority. “You say Li Zhixiao was to marry into your family. Do you have proof?”

Ji Xiaosong’s expression remained unchanged. She retrieved a somewhat worn contract from her sleeve and presented it with both hands.

“General, this is the contract my father signed with Li Zhixiao before he passed away. It stipulates the terms for Li Zhixiao to marry into my family. My father treated Li Zhixiao’s father for an illness and sponsored his imperial examination studies with one hundred taels, on the condition that Li Zhixiao would marry into the Ji family and become my husband.”

Wu Daniu took the contract and examined it closely, his expression growing darker still.

He couldn’t read it, but Wu Chufeng read it out to him, word for word.

The contract clearly stated the conditions for Li Zhixiao to marry into the Ji family, and even bore his personal signature and handprint.

When Wu Chufeng finished reading, Wu Daniu looked up at Ji Xiaosong, his tone probing. “Do you have a copy of this contract? Or any other witnesses?”

Ji Xiaosong nodded, her voice calm. “The contract was made in duplicate; Li Zhixiao has the other copy. Furthermore, everyone in the village knows about this, but they are afraid of Li Zhixiao’s and Xiao Mumu’s power and dare not act as witnesses.”

After a moment of silence, Wu Daniu suddenly turned to Wu Chufeng. “Chu Feng, go and bring Li Zhixiao and Mumu here.”

Wu Chufeng nodded and left the study.

Before long, Wu Chufeng returned with Li Zhixiao.

The moment Li Zhixiao stepped through the door, he saw Ji Xiaosong standing off to the side, and the color drained from his face.

He suppressed the panic in his heart, forced a smile, and bowed to Wu Daniu. “General, you were looking for me?”

Wu Daniu gave him a cold look, his voice tinged with authority. “Li Zhixiao, do you recognize this young lady?”

Li Zhixiao turned to look at Ji Xiaosong. A flash of venomous hatred crossed his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

He managed a laugh. “This young lady… She looks familiar, but I can’t quite place where I’ve seen her.”

Ji Xiaosong let out a cold laugh, her voice laced with sarcasm. “Li Zhixiao, you have a conveniently short memory. You were about to marry into my Ji family, you took my father’s money to take the imperial examinations, and now that you’re a successful scholar, you turn your back on us. You even colluded with Xiao Mumu to have my father killed. You’re truly something else.”

Li Zhixiao paled and hurriedly defended himself. “Nonsense! I was never going to marry into your family, and I certainly never took your father’s money! You’re slandering me!”

Wu Daniu snorted and threw the contract in front of him, his voice ice-cold. “See for yourself!”

Li Zhixiao picked up the contract. As he examined it, his face turned deathly pale.

He looked up at Wu Daniu, his voice laced with panic. “General, this contract is a forgery! I’ve never signed anything like this!”

Wu Daniu watched him coldly, his voice heavy with authority. “Li Zhixiao, this contract bears your personal signature and handprint. Are you still going to deny it?”

Li Zhixiao opened his mouth as if to argue, but not a single word came out.

Seeing this, Wu Daniu’s expression grew even darker.

He slammed his hand on the table, his voice trembling with rage. “Li Zhixiao, you are a newly minted scholar, yet you commit such an act of vile ingratitude! You bring shame upon the entire court!”

Just as Wu Daniu’s rage peaked, the study door was thrown open and Xiao Mumu rushed in.

The moment she entered, she saw Li Zhixiao kneeling on the floor, his face ashen, with Wu Daniu glaring down at him.

Xiao Mumu’s heart clenched. She immediately ran to Wu Daniu and dropped to her knees with a THUD, her voice thick with tears. “Grandfather! Don’t blame Zhixiao, it’s all my fault! I forced him!”

Wu Daniu looked down at her coldly, his voice severe. “Mumu, what is the meaning of this?”

Xiao Mumu lifted her head, her eyes brimming with tears, her tone a mixture of grievance and defiance.

“Grandfather, Zhixiao… he didn’t want to, originally. I was the one who forced him to be with me! I was taken with his talent and insisted on our engagement. He… he was just confused for a moment, bewitched by me!”

Standing to one side, Wu Chufeng couldn’t help but let out a derisive snort. His tone was steeped in sarcasm.

“Xiao Mumu, you’re very quick to take the blame. Li Zhixiao signed the contract himself, promising to marry into the Ji family. Now he turns his back on them and is even responsible for the death of Miss Ji’s father. You think you can absolve him of everything just by saying ‘I forced him’?”

Xiao Mumu paled, but quickly regained her composure.

She turned to Wu Chufeng, her tone disdainful. “Uncle, what are you implying? Do you really think I would have someone killed over a man like Li Zhixiao? Ji Xiaosong is nothing but a village girl. How can you believe a word she says?”

At this, Wu Daniu’s expression hardened, his voice laced with anger. “Mumu, what is this attitude? Miss Ji’s father was murdered, and the evidence is conclusive. How dare you continue to argue?”

Xiao Mumu bit her lip. A flash of venom showed in her eyes before she quickly replaced it with a look of grievance.

She turned back to Wu Daniu, her tone becoming wheedling. “Grandfather, don’t listen to her lies! She’s just a bitter village girl. Now that she sees Zhixiao has become a scholar, she wants to latch onto him! And that contract she showed you—who knows if it’s even real? She probably forged it!”

Ji Xiaosong stood to the side, coolly observing Xiao Mumu’s performance, the corners of her lips curling into a mocking smile.

She took a step forward, her voice calm but with an icy edge. “Miss Xiao, the contract bears Li Zhixiao’s personal signature and handprint. If you doubt its authenticity, by all means, have the government officials verify it. As for whether or not I’m bitter… I think you know the answer to that better than anyone.”

Ji Xiaosong’s words left Xiao Mumu speechless, and her face turned livid.

She shot to her feet, pointing a finger at Ji Xiaosong’s face, her voice sharp and vitriolic. “Who do you think you are? What right do you have to stand here and make accusations? My grandfather is a First-Grade General, and I am his granddaughter! You’re a peasant girl from the countryside—what gives you the right to run your mouth here?”

Hearing this, Wu Daniu’s expression turned even more grim.

He slammed his hand on the table again, his voice thundering with rage. “Mumu! Silence!”

Xiao Mumu was startled by her grandfather’s roar, but she quickly recovered, her tone defiant. “Grandfather, how can you treat me like this for the sake of an outsider? I’m your granddaughter!”

Wu Daniu looked at her coldly, his voice filled with disappointment. “Mumu, you have disappointed me greatly. You’ve been relying on my power to run wild, even causing someone’s death, and now you dare to throw a tantrum in here? Do you have no respect for the law?”

Xiao Mumu paled, but quickly switched back to a pitiful, aggrieved expression.

She threw herself at Wu Daniu’s feet and hugged his legs, her voice choked with sobs. “Grandfather, I know I was wrong! Please forgive me! I’ll never do it again! Mother suffered so much because of you. I’ve finally grown up, and now… can’t I even choose a husband I actually like?”