Chapter 106 In Prison
At the back door of Xihua Tower, the woman welcoming guests was the same girl Jiang Li had seen last time. When she saw Jiang Li, she was stunned for a moment, but then she smiled and said, "Miss, are you here to see Qiongzhi again?"

Jiang Li said, "That's right." She handed over a silver note from her sleeve.

The woman did not refuse. She took the banknote leisurely and said to Jiang Li, "Please follow me, young lady." Then she personally took Jiang Li to Qiongzhi's room.

The girls in Xihua Tower are all smart and know what to ask and what not to ask. Although they don't know what the relationship between Jiang Li and Qiongzhi is, nothing went wrong when they met last time. Moreover, Jiang Li is also generous and will not refuse to help.

Jiang Li was brought to Qiongzhi's room.

The woman smiled and said, "Qiongzhi is already waiting for you here. Call me if you have any instructions." Then she stepped back.

Jiang Li pushed open the door and walked into Qiongzhi's room.

I don't know if it was Jiang Li's illusion, but Qiongzhi has lost a lot of weight in these days. But a beauty is a beauty after all, even if she is haggard, it only makes her temperament more decadent, but there is a kind of beauty that has never been seen before. It's like a red flower that is about to wither but not yet withered, which makes it more eye-catching.

Jiang Li guessed that perhaps Qiongzhi had learned of Xue Zhao's death, which was why she had become so thin these days.

"You're here." Qiongzhi was sitting at the table, fiddling with a messy chessboard on the table. When she heard the noise, she didn't move, but just looked at her.

Jiang Li closed the door and said, "Yes."

Qiongzhi stared at her for a while, then suddenly laughed and said, "People used to say Xue Zhao was brave, but now it seems there is someone braver than him. I wonder what Jiang Yuanbo, the chief minister of Yanjing City, would think when he found out that his daughter was visiting a brothel in Xiangyang."

She knew Jiang Li's identity.

Jiang Li was silent for a moment, then walked forward, sat down opposite Qiong Zhi, and said, "You know."

"The second Miss Jiang's impassioned speech in front of Lizheng Hall has now spread throughout Xiangyang City. It's hard not to know about it." Qiongzhi sighed, "I just didn't expect that you who came to see me were the second Miss Jiang."

"I don't know whether it's a good thing or a bad thing." Jiang Li smiled bitterly. When she borrowed the Jiang family's reputation to help the Ye family deal with Tong Zhiyang, she also exposed her identity. Whatever she does in the future, it's inevitable that she will be recognized. Maybe it's good to be like Ji Heng, where no one knows his identity. Those who know his identity will not cause trouble for themselves and will take the initiative to tell others.

"I only have one thing to ask you," Qiongzhi played with the bracelet on her wrist. The silver bracelet had a thin bell hanging on it, and as she fiddled with it, it made a tinkling sound, which was very delicate. She asked, "Why do you know the Xue family? I already know about the past deeds of the second Miss Jiang. No matter how you look at it, she should not be related to the Xue family."

Qiongzhi is a capable person. Among her patrons, there are knights and court officials. They should not be underestimated, so Jiang Li asked Qiongzhi to inquire about Tongxiang. But Miss Jiang Er is not an ordinary person. Her affairs are known to people in Yanjing and other places in Beiyan. Those "great achievements" can be known with a little inquiry. In this way, Miss Jiang Er and the Xue family are two completely unrelated people. It is understandable that Qiongzhi would be suspicious when they are mixed together.

Jiang Li was silent for a long time, and then said, "I know Xue Zhao's sister." Without waiting for Qiongzhi to ask questions, she continued, "You don't have to doubt how Xue Fangfei and I know each other. I do want to avenge Xue Fangfei. I can't tell you more, but you can only trust me for now."

Qiongzhi was stunned and looked up at Jiang Li seriously.

"Like I said, I know your feelings for Xue Zhao. Now that Xue Zhao is dead, you want to avenge him, but you can't do anything. But I can," Jiang Li said with a faint smile, "I am the daughter of Jiang Yuanbo, the daughter of the Prime Minister. If the other party is powerful, I will not be afraid. Only I can avenge Xue Zhao, you can only trust me."

Qiongzhi pulled the corners of her mouth, trying to reveal a sarcastic smile, but in the end she sighed softly, half helpless and half unwilling, and said: "You already know that I can only trust you."

Jiang Li finally felt relieved, but she remained calm and said with a smile, "You don't have to worry too much. Telling me about Tongxiang won't affect you."

Qiongzhi is a smart girl. Although her intelligence is not reflected in her talent and learning, she is already familiar with the ways of the world. People who have been making a living in the market for many years are more likely to observe people's words and expressions. Girls like Qiongzhi who grew up in a brothel are more cautious than ordinary people and are always on guard.

"Now, can you tell me about Tongxiang?" Jiang Li asked.

"Do you really want to know?" Qiongzhi asked.

Jiang Li's hands in her sleeves unconsciously clenched slightly, and her heart seemed to be pulled up by a silk thread, swaying in the air.

"It's okay to tell you. The Xue family has fallen into decline. These days, I've been welcoming quite a few guests, and I've finally found out something." She glanced at Jiang Li first, her tone dropping. "I originally thought that maybe Xue Zhao's death was just a ridiculous story you made up, and I still had a glimmer of hope in my heart. Until I met a noble who had just returned from visiting relatives in Yanjing. She told me that the wife of the top scholar, Xue Fangfei, had indeed died of emaciation due to an affair with someone, and her brother Xue Zhao was killed by bandits on the way to Yanjing, and his body was thrown into the river, exactly as you said."

"That's all Yanjing's business," Jiang Li said, "How about Xue Huaiyuan from Tongxiang?"

I don't know if there was a hint of urgency in her tone, and this urgency was caught by Qiongzhi. Qiongzhi paused, then looked at Jiang Li inquiringly: "This is what I don't understand. You said Xue Huaiyuan died half a year ago, and you want me to find out why Xue Huaiyuan died and where he was buried, but Xue Huaiyuan is not dead."

"What did you say?" Jiang Li couldn't help but exclaimed.

All along, in front of Qiongzhi, the second Miss Jiang had always been calm and open, and had never lost her composure. This was the first time that Qiongzhi saw Jiang Li looking flustered.

Jiang Li didn't care how Qiongzhi looked at her. At that moment, her heart was filled with ecstasy. She said, "You said Xue Huaiyuan is not dead?! What you said is true. Where did you hear it from?!"

At first, Qiongzhi suspected that Jiang Li had ulterior motives in asking about the Xue family, and wanted to use the Xue family to complete some conspiracy, but when she saw Jiang Li's current appearance, her doubts immediately disappeared. When the second Miss Jiang heard that Xue Huaiyuan was not dead, the excitement and surprise in her eyes were not fake.

After calming down for a while, Qiongzhi said, "He is indeed not dead, but this is not a good thing. The master of the Xue family, Xue Huaiyuan, the county magistrate of Tongxiang, has gone mad and does not recognize his relatives. He is now imprisoned in the Tongxiang government prison."

As if falling from the sky into the abyss, Jiang Li's palms became cold in an instant, and the ecstasy of that moment was instantly wiped out. She couldn't believe her ears, and looked at Qiong Zhi fixedly, saying: "What did you say?"

Qiongzhi felt that Jiang Li's eyes were a little scary and crazy. Like a trapped beast suppressing its own sadness, it was trying hard to resist the desire to tear everything around it into pieces.

She lowered her voice unconsciously and said, "I have asked all the guests who have some influence. But for some reason, they are very secretive about the affairs of Xue Huaiyuan in Tongxiang. They are unwilling to talk to me, or just walk away. There was only one businessman who has always had a good relationship with me. Seeing that I was asking seriously, he also told me quietly."

"I heard that Tongxiang County Magistrate Xue Huaiyuan was imprisoned half a year ago for embezzling disaster relief funds allocated by the court. Now Tongxiang County Magistrate is someone else. Xue Huaiyuan has gone crazy and has not recognized his relatives in prison. It's very miserable..."

"How could Xue Huaiyuan be corrupt?" Jiang Li said angrily, "The people of Tongxiang won't believe it!"

Qiongzhi was surprised at how naturally Jiang Li talked about the people of Tongxiang, and also surprised that Jiang Li seemed to know Xue Huaiyuan very well, but she continued: "The people can't do anything about it, after all, it's the will of the higher-ups. Besides," Qiongzhi laughed, and she didn't know who the smile was mocking, "People leave and the tea gets cold. Since ancient times, there has been a reason that the people don't fight against officials. Even if Xue Huaiyuan is really an honest official and didn't embezzle disaster relief money, who would speak for him? Everyone just wants to protect themselves."

Jiang Li was stunned.

Xue Huaiyuan was devoted to the people and never thought of asking for anything in return. Xue Zhao and Xue Fangfei had never thought of it either. But now it seemed that Qiongzhi was right. People are selfish. Who would offend a bigger noble for a lunatic who was already in prison? But if Xue Huaiyuan was still sober, he would be disheartened when he saw this scene.

It is possible that Xue Huaiyuan went mad because he saw that the people he wholeheartedly supported were so indifferent and cold, and because all his children had died.

Qiongzhi was suddenly stunned and said, "Second Miss Jiang, you..."

Seeing that she looked strange, Jiang Li touched her face unconsciously and found that she had shed tears without realizing it.

She couldn't just stand by and watch, because he was her father after all. How could she remain calm knowing that her father was suffering in prison?

"So, no one dares to ask about the Xue family's affairs now?" Jiang Li took out a silk handkerchief from her sleeve, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and her expression became cold.

Qiongzhi noticed the change in her expression, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Indeed, since everyone is so secretive about it, I'm afraid this matter involves other important people, and it's not as simple as it seems."

Jiang Li sneered in her heart. She had involved other people. She knew without thinking that it was Yongning who was behind it! At that time, she was dying. In order to cut off her thoughts or to make her feel miserable, Yongning told her that Xue Huaiyuan had died of illness. But now think about it, the three members of the Xue family all died in succession at about the same time, which inevitably aroused criticism. Yongning was naturally not afraid, but Shen Yurong could not help but worry. In order not to cause trouble, Yongning could not kill Xue Huaiyuan, but with Yongning's narrow heart, he would certainly not tolerate Xue Huaiyuan, so he simply put Xue Huaiyuan in jail on such a false charge and let him endure endless torture!
Yongning knew that Xue Huaiyuan cared about the people, and he was abandoned by the people he cared about, leaving an indelible stain on his integrity and clarity. This was more painful than killing Xue Huaiyuan. When Xue Huaiyuan learned about the deaths of Xue Fangfei and Xue Zhao, he naturally became desperate and felt that life was worse than death. Yongning, she really could use such a despicable method on a father!

"That's all I can find out." Qiongzhi said, "After all, I can't leave Xihua Tower at will, and this matter involves a lot... You are right, maybe you are the only one who can help Xue Zhao get revenge." Qiongzhi looked at Jiang Li with a glimmer of hope. Jiang Li is the daughter of the Jiang family. She dared to confront Tong Zhiyang on the matter of the Ye family, which shows that she has the confidence. At least Jiang Li dares to do what ordinary people dare not do.

Jiang Li smiled slightly, but that smile seemed icy cold at this moment. She said slowly: "Of course I will help Xue Zhao to get revenge. Not only will I help Xue Zhao to get revenge, but whoever framed the Xue family behind the scenes, I will also make them pay back a hundredfold."

It should be ridiculous for such words to come out of the mouth of a weak official lady. But Qiongzhi shuddered for some reason. She felt that the clear eyes of the lady in front of her seemed to have a deep vortex, which could not be seen at a glance, and she could not see the storm caused by it.

"Thank you very much." Jiang Li looked at Qiong Zhi, "Thank you for asking for information about the Xue family for me. But as you said, this matter involves a lot of people. If you ask like this and get discovered..."

Qiongzhi said, "Don't worry. The people I ask are all trustworthy. Besides, they are not the kind of people who would take the initiative to cause trouble for themselves." She probably didn't expect Jiang Li to care about her at this time. Her expression softened when she looked at Jiang Li. She couldn't help asking, "Second Miss Jiang, since you have made up your mind to take care of Tongxiang's affairs...what should you do next?"

"There's no way to find out the truth in Xiangyang." Jiang Li said coldly: "I'm going to Tongxiang."

Qiongzhi opened her mouth.

"No matter how powerful the people behind this are," Jiang Li lowered her eyes, "even if it means risking my life, I will drag them down with me to be buried with me."

The chilling words she spoke made Qiongzhi feel that the girl who was warm and gentle at first had become a fierce ghost crawling out of the underworld to take her life, with a blood debt all over her body, and she was seeking revenge in a miserable way. Qiongzhi was so overwhelmed by her sudden anger that she dared not speak anymore.

……

When they came out of Xihua Tower, Tong'er and Baixue both noticed that something was wrong with Jiang Li.

She always liked to laugh, and even when she met strangers, she would smile. It looked like a spring breeze blowing on one's face, which was particularly comfortable. Today was the same, but she only stayed in Xihua Tower for a short moment, and when she came out, she seemed like a different person.

There was no trace of a smile on her face, as if she was troubled by something deep in her heart. Her lips were tightly closed, her brows were furrowed, and her eyes were somewhat unfocused.

Tong'er was startled, thinking that she was being bullied inside, and hurriedly asked: "Girl...Girl, what's wrong with you?"

This call seemed to bring Jiang Li back to her senses. Jiang Li looked at her, seemed stunned for a moment, then slowly said: "It's okay, let's go back home." She took the fence from Bai Xue's hand, put it on herself, and walked forward on her own.

Bai Xue and Tong Er were very worried, but since they were outside, they couldn't ask too much, so they just followed Jiang Li and hurried back to the Ye Mansion. Although they didn't know what happened to Jiang Li in Xihua Tower, it was obvious that Jiang Li had suffered a huge blow and was distracted.

In the neighboring house of the Ye Mansion, Lu Ji was sitting on a long rattan chair in the room. On the couch diagonally opposite, Ji Heng was holding a book and flipping through it carelessly.

Wen Ji came in from outside and said, "Sir."

Ji Heng: "Speak."

"Just now, the second Miss Jiang went to Xihua Tower again." Wen Ji said.

Lu Ji looked at Wen Ji, but Ji Heng's eyes did not move away from the page at all, and asked casually: "Did she go to see that Qiongzhi girl again?"

"That's right." Wen Ji hesitated for a moment before saying, "There is one very strange thing. I discovered that after Miss Jiang Er met Qiongzhi and came out of Xihua Tower, she seemed a little lost and confused. I don't know what happened."

Ji Heng paused in reading, and a hint of surprise flashed across Lu Ji's face.

"Dispirited?" Ji Heng asked.

"Yes, after coming out of Xihua Tower, Miss Jiang took two maids back to the Ye family. She took many wrong turns along the way and it was obvious that her mind was not focused there. Later, the two maids looked very anxious. It must be that Miss Jiang looked different." Wen Ji answered carefully.

Lu Ji couldn't help but ask, "What did she say to Qiongzhi? Why can't I find out?"

"We can't do anything about it." Wen Ji said helplessly, "This Miss Qiongzhi is very defensive and very smart. The people we sent out to get information couldn't pry her open. The adults didn't let us force it, and we still don't know what Miss Jiang Er and Miss Qiongzhi said."

Wen Ji was really helpless. Although Miss Jiang Er looked innocent, she was very thorough in everything she did. Who could she discuss things with? It had to be Qiongzhi, the most difficult person to deal with in Xihualou. Qiongzhi had been hanging around in brothels since she was a child, and she never asked anyone to redeem her. She had almost no flaws. There is a saying that if you have no desires, you will be strong. Qiongzhi had no desires, so nothing could move her. Under the premise that Ji Heng did not allow them to use tough measures against Qiongzhi, they could not find a way to pry open Qiongzhi's mouth.

It was obvious that Miss Jiang Er had deliberately chosen such a hard stone.

"You don't need to know what they said," Ji Heng said, "Just watch what she does."

"Sir, do you know what Miss Jiang is going to do?" Lu Ji asked.

Lu Ji was a very smart man, well versed in the layout of the court and quite experienced in the ways of the world. But Lu Ji sometimes found this Second Miss Jiang very difficult to understand. It was because Jiang Li seemed to do things without any rules. For example, she suddenly showed goodwill to the Ye family and helped the Ye family. She did it impulsively and it seemed that she had no intention. But everything she did would reveal the reason for doing it in the first place after a long time.

But at first, no one could tell what she was trying to do.

Lu Ji could sense that Jiang Li must be doing something very important to her when she went to see Qiong Zhi, and that this matter could make the usually calm Jiang Li "distracted", so it must not be a trivial matter. But the problem was that they didn't know what Jiang Li was going to do, and even if they knew, they might not be able to find out the purpose of Jiang Li's doing so. She was really strange, everything in the past was simple and straightforward, and it would be transparent as long as you checked it a little, but even if you checked all her deeds, you would still feel that she was a mystery from head to toe.

Lu Ji couldn't help but glance at Ji Heng. Regarding the unsolvable mystery, Second Miss Jiang and Duke Su Ji Heng were quite similar.

"I don't know." Ji Heng said, "But we will know soon."

"I think the real purpose of Jiang Li's return to Xiangyang is about to be revealed. In fact, I am also very curious," Ji Heng said with a smile: "What exactly does she want to do."

……

Jiang Li didn't know that everything about her had been seen by others. But even if she knew, she didn't have the heart to deal with Ji Heng at the moment. Her mind was full of Xue Huaiyuan's madness and imprisonment, and she didn't know whether she should be happy or sad at this moment.

The good news is that she still has a life, and the father and daughter will not be separated forever. The sad thing is that the crazy Xue Huaiyuan may never recognize his daughter again, and even if they are reunited, they may never recognize each other in their lifetime.

God is like this. It seems that there is a glimmer of hope, but after the hope is gone, there is deeper despair.

Jiang Li sat at the table in a daze.

Tong'er and Baixue asked several times, but Jiang Li didn't tell them what happened. In the end, she was either annoyed or something, so she asked Tong'er and Baixue to leave and stayed alone in the room. The two maids were afraid that she would do something stupid, so they just sat in front of the door, put their ears to the door, and listened carefully to the movement inside. They planned to break in if there was anything wrong, and they must not let Jiang Li get into trouble.

Jiang Li buried her face in her arms silently.

Whenever Jiang Li thought of what Yongning and Shen Yurong had done to Xue Huaiyuan, she wanted to tear them all to pieces. If Xue Huaiyuan was in trouble, Jiang Li didn't believe that Shen Yurong knew nothing about it! Even if Xue Zhao was in trouble, if Yongning acted on his own, Xue Zhao would be dead, and Shen Yurong would have nothing to do. But now Xue Huaiyuan was not dead, and Shen Yurong watched Xue Huaiyuan being tortured!

When Shen Yurong first came to Tongxiang, Xue Huaiyuan once reminded him that once a teacher, always a father. He did not expect Shen Yurong to treat Xue Huaiyuan as his own father, but for the sake of this teacher-student relationship, he should have a conscience.

These are two inhuman beasts!

What's even more infuriating is that Jiang Li can't avenge the Xue family immediately even if she can see Yongning and Shen Yurong. Not to mention that the guards around them can't get close to Jiang Li, just one life for one life is a bargain for them. The grievances of the Xue family have not been cleared, and their ugly faces have not been exposed to the public, it won't be over!

Jiang Li hated him very much, but she knew that the more important thing at the moment was not revenge, but to rescue Xue Huaiyuan from prison. If the news Qiongzhi had heard was true, Xue Huaiyuan was in prison now, and I'm afraid it was not just that he was poorly fed and clothed. Yongning would not let Xue Huaiyuan go, and would definitely secretly arrange for someone to make him suffer. Xue Huaiyuan was old, and if he couldn't stand it... Jiang Li didn't dare to think about it.

She stood up suddenly. There was no time to lose. She had to get back to Tongxiang as soon as possible!
Just as he was thinking, the voices of Tong'er and Bai Xue came from outside the door. Bai Xue said, "Third Master, you are here. Our girl is inside..."

Ye Mingyu? Jiang Li stood up and opened the door. Before Bai Xue finished speaking, she saw Jiang Li come out first. Looking at Jiang Li's face, it was better than before, and she felt relieved.

Jiang Li said: "Uncle Mingyu."

"I came here specially to see you." Ye Mingyu didn't notice the different expressions of the two maids today. He walked to the small table in the room and sat down, laughing: "Ali, you don't know, the eldest brother and the second brother went to the weaving factory. The people in the weaving factory saw our peacock feathers and thought it was worth a try. I think the method you mentioned may work. If it really works, our Ye family may have another new fabric besides the ancient fragrant satin. You are a great contributor!"

Jiang Li forced a smile. If she had known this news before she went to see Qiongzhi, she would have been happy for the Ye family. However, at the moment, her mind was full of the whereabouts of Xue Huaiyuan in Tongxiang, and she had no intention of distracting herself from the weaving business of the Ye family.

"Then congratulations to Uncle Mingyu." Jiang Li said, "If it really succeeds, the biggest contributor should be Uncle Mingyu. If Uncle Mingyu hadn't found those peacock feathers, I wouldn't have come up with this idea."

Ye Mingyu laughed loudly upon hearing this and said, "I like this about Ah Li, I don't take credit for it! Don't worry, my elder and second brothers have already praised me when we were at the weaving factory just now. They also said that if I succeed this time, they will give me a caravan with martial arts skills in the future, so I can travel more all year round and bring back any rare things I see. I was thinking about letting Rufeng go with me, because he has a business mind and maybe he can gain more by going with me. Besides, boys should travel more to broaden their horizons. Staying in Xiangyang City all day will not accomplish anything great."

Jiang Li smiled and said absentmindedly, "That's good too."

"A-Li, you are from Yanjing City. I heard that you took the top spot in the recent school exam. You must be a very learned person. I was thinking, if the fabric made of peacock feathers is released, what name should be given to it? Like ancient fragrant satin, which can be smelled at the first hearing, but not vulgar. Do you have any good suggestions?"

Ye Mingyu usually doesn't care about the Ye family's business. Maybe it's because he is so proud of the discovery of the peacock feather that he started to care about these little things. He also humbly asked Jiang Li for advice.

On weekdays, Jiang Li was happy to discuss these trivial matters with Ye Mingyu, so as to get closer to the Ye family. But after meeting Qiongzhi, Jiang Li knew that every moment of lost time was an opportunity. The longer the time passed, the more disadvantageous it would be for Xue Huaiyuan.

She was not a daughter who could watch her own father suffer in prison.

"Uncle Mingyu, I have a favor to ask you." Jiang Li interrupted Ye Mingyu's chatter.

Ye Mingyu was stunned. Seeing his niece, his face became unusually serious. He sat up straight involuntarily and asked, "What's the matter?"

Jiang Li took a deep breath: "I want to go to Tongxiang."

(End of this chapter)