Ji Xiu'e wanted Ji Huan to make her stance clear, and Ji Huan did just that:
"You want me to fulfill my filial duties? Fine. But not until every last one of you—the actual sons and daughters—is dead. Otherwise, forget it."
But this was not the answer Ji Xiu'e had been looking for.
The others present also found it rather odd.
They imagined their own grandchildren saying something like that in the future. Even if there was some logic to it, the words were still chilling.
Eldest Daughter-in-law Shi, who had been covertly sizing up the room's furnishings, assumed the role of a mediator.
"Wuan, dear, that's no way to be! Your elders are your elders, no matter their faults. Even if you've separated from the family, you still have to perform your filial duties. It's about your own conscience, as a junior, and it has nothing to do with your uncles and aunts. They'll do their part, and you do yours…"
