Chapter 121 Departure
"Actually, you don't have to pretend to be good, Ali," he said.

Jiang Li looked at Ji Heng in confusion. His tone was too familiar and she could clearly hear that he was calling her "Ali" instead of "Ali".

Perhaps from the beginning, he saw through her, just as she saw through him.

Jiang Li shrugged: "I'm used to it."

In her previous life, she was truly well-behaved, but it didn't bring her any good results. Instead, she ended up with tears and blood, and also implicated her family. Now, she is more cautious, so she is more adept at playing the role of a well-behaved person, and it has penetrated into her bones.

Ji Heng always said that she was immersed in the play, and she was also an actor. Her face was painted with paint to hide her thoughts, and she was acting in a thousand ways on the stage, with murderous intent under her hands.

Ji Heng looked at her for a while and said, "You go back." He handed the umbrella to Jiang Li, as if he was a sentimental man who was thinking about Jiang Li wholeheartedly and was reluctant to let his beloved suffer a little cold.

Jiang Li was startled for a moment, then she took the umbrella from his hand, stood up from the stone, and said with a sweet smile, "Thank you very much, Duke."

"No need to thank me." Ji Heng said, "It's my duty to protect my own things."

"When you say that," Jiang Li pondered for a moment, "it makes me feel like I have a big backer behind me. I really want to give it a try and cause trouble without any scruples."

"Have you not caused enough trouble?" Ji Heng didn't care, "You are just as fierce with or without a backer."

"That's right." Jiang Li nodded. "I'm leaving now." She saw a thread-embroidered peony under the plain white umbrella. It was so faint that it was almost invisible if you didn't look carefully. However, it was the look that Ji Heng always liked.

She held the umbrella and went back to the house with Tong'er and Baixue.

Ji Heng did not leave immediately.

He stood by the pond, not knowing whether it was an illusion, but the snow in the sky had grown slightly bigger. The wind blew obliquely, and the snow drifted across the water, a white, crystal-clear dot that quickly disappeared.

Wen Ji stood quietly behind Ji Heng and asked softly, "Sir, why do you want to help Miss Jiang Er?"

Wen Ji has been with Ji Heng since he was ten years old. They have been master and servant for more than ten years. Ji Heng is a lonely person. Others are afraid of him, plot against him, frame him, and dare not ask him "why" easily. Wen Ji dares.

Ji Heng said, "If you give your life to others, your life will always be on thin ice, and you can still smile." His voice was smiling, but it seemed to carry a sense of emptiness and loneliness. "Wen Ji, don't you think you are very similar to me?"

The difference is that he fell into the abyss and flowers bloomed from the darkness, while Jiang Li cut a bloody path through the thorns, trying to catch a tiny bit of sunlight from the cracks in the woods.

She took a completely different path from him, so he felt sympathy for her. Just like the rare flowers growing in his garden, they grew up in difficult and dangerous places and climbed up desperately. If they were not carefully cared for, they would bloom for a short time, wither quickly, and disappear from the world forever.

There are so many rare flowers in the world, but there is only one ginger pear.

She disrupted his plans again and again in the chaos, although it was harmless, but it made him discover this fierce and unique man-eating flower. Ji Heng could see her hypocrisy, her exploitation, and her occasional sincerity and sadness.

He wanted to put this seemingly docile but ferocious plant into the flower garden of Yanjing. After the fight, how many would be left?

They met on a narrow road while playing at each other's side, and tore off each other's masks in the chaos of the game. They were hypocritical yet sincere, and in the midst of exploitation, there was a trace of true mutual appreciation.

very nice.

In a short period of time, it is interesting to meet someone who is very similar to you and yet completely different from you.

So he wanted her to be alive.

At least for now.

……

On the second day, Jiang Li, Ye Mingyu and his party set out for Xiangyang.

Most of the villagers in Tongxiang took the initiative to go to Beijing with Jiang Li to file a complaint, not only to punish Feng Yutang, but also to seek justice for the crazy Xue Huaiyuan. Jiang Li thought there were too many people, but the people were very excited - looking at the unconscious Xue Huaiyuan, many people had tears in their eyes.

In the end, except for the elderly, the weak, women and children who could not travel far, everyone else followed the carriage team.

As for the travel expenses, Feng Yutang had plundered the people's money and planned to flee with the gold and silver treasures. Unexpectedly, before he could escape, he was blocked by the people at the gate of the county government. He also didn't have time to take away the big boxes. The gold and silver treasures inside were enough for the people to go to Yanjing.

Before going to Yanjing, he had to go back to Xiangyang to get the transfer order and explain the reason to the Ye family. The people were happy. Jiang Li accompanied the crazy Xue Huaiyuan in the carriage. Xue Huaiyuan didn't even look at her. He was playing happily with a small wooden man, calling "Ali" and "Ali". After a while, he said, "I want to give it to Ali and A Zhao to play with."

Jiang Li was heartbroken. Ye Mingyu was outside. While taking a break on the way, he asked Jiang Li, "Ah Li, although you told mom and the others at the beginning that I asked you to come and help me. But now things have gotten out of hand. How are we going to end this?"

Ye Mingxuan and his men would be shocked to see so many people from Tongxiang. When they returned to Yanjing, there was also a group from the Dali Temple, and they even asked the Weaving Room Order to come and do things in the name of Jiang Yuanbai. If Jiang Yuanbai knew about it, he didn't know how he would blame Jiang Li.

These are not trivial matters. It all depends on how Jiang Li can resolve them.

"Nothing." Jiang Li said, "Let me explain to my grandmother and the others." Ye Mingyu really couldn't explain these things. He and Xue Huaiyuan had no connection at all, so there was no need to do these things.

Jiang Li is different. Although she has no way to explain, the Ye family will not question her. They may even think that Jiang Yuanbo asked her to do these things and will not worry too much.

Ye Mingyu thought about it, felt that Jiang Li was right, and agreed.

The journey back to Xiangyang was faster than the journey to Tongxiang. Perhaps the people were eager to get the official order from the Xiangyang prefect to go to Beijing to vindicate Xue Huaiyuan, so they hurried on the road faster than usual, and no one delayed. Feng Yutang was locked in the prison car with the crowd, and a few of his minions followed the caravan listlessly.

They couldn't run away, couldn't move, and knew that the situation was hopeless, and they were all disheartened. Jiang Li asked Ye Mingyu's men to keep an eye on Feng Yutang and his men, fearing that Princess Yongning's men would get the news and simply kill Feng Yutang and his men to silence them, leaving no evidence behind.

However, Jiang Li thought that with Ji Heng around, this should not happen. She had gone through so much trouble to accomplish this matter a little bit, and since Ji Heng loved to watch the show, she allowed cats and dogs to mess up the show and could not bear to see a happy ending.

After returning to Xiangyang, Jiang Li did not go back to the Ye family first, asking Ye Mingyu to find a place to settle the people first, and then took people directly to find Tong Zhiyang.

Tong Zhiyang did not live in the prefectural mansion, but lived with his concubine and son in a small courtyard that did not look very good.

I heard that Mrs. Tong He went back to her parents' home after quarreling with Tong Zhiyang that day. Tong's father was furious and threatened to kill Tong Zhiyang to vent his anger. Tong Zhiyang was so scared that he didn't even dare to be the prefect. In fact, he couldn't do it. He was the prefect because of He. Now that he offended He, he couldn't keep his official hat. He hid in this small courtyard with his concubine's son all day long, and behaved like a coward.

Jiang Li didn't waste time talking to Tong Zhiyang, and said, "Master Tong, will you give me the official order I need or not?"

Tong Zhiyang was really angry at Jiang Li but dared not say anything, saying: "Second Miss Jiang, I don't even dare to enter the prefectural government office now..."

"Your wife is so domineering, it's just because He's brother-in-law is an official in Yanjing, the Zhongguanling." Jiang Li said, "If you want to live an upright life and not be afraid of being hunted down by the He family, you have to make the He family helpless and make your brother-in-law lose his job." She glanced at Tong Zhiyang, "If you make this warrant for me, I will make He's brother-in-law unable to be an official in the capital. Without support, the He family will naturally not dare to touch you."

Tong Zhiyang's eyes lit up and he asked Jiang Li, "Are you telling the truth?"

"I am the daughter of the Prime Minister," Jiang Li smiled, "You don't believe me?"

"No, no, no," Tong Zhiyang said hurriedly, "I believe it, I believe it." Of course he believed that Jiang Li would be able to get the weaving room of Yanjing City to Xiangyang in just a few days to handle the Ye family case soon after she came to Tongxiang. Looking at the warrant she wanted this time, it was to help the criminal Xue Huaiyuan get rid of the crime. Since ancient times, helping criminals to overturn the case has always been extremely cautious, and one could implicate oneself if one is not careful. If one is not confident, who would dare to do this? It is only because she is the daughter of the Jiang family that she dares to be so fearless. Jiang Li said she could do it, and she would definitely do it.

"Miss Jiang Er, I have a request for you," Tong Zhiyang wiped his sweat, "If He's brother-in-law lost his job, that's natural. Those things about the Ye family were caused by them. I was just following orders... I am loyal to Miss Jiang Er and the Ye family! Can you let me continue to be the prefect? ​​I promise to take care of the Ye family in the future!" He looked at Jiang Li hopefully.

Jiang Li put away the smile on her face and said lightly: "Master Tong, people are greedy. Besides, as a relative of the Jiang family, I think anyone who becomes the prefect of Xiangyang will take care of the Ye family. You don't need to worry about this. Besides, Master Tong can't even protect the mother and son in this room, and he is in danger. I can make He's brother-in-law lose his job, at least you don't have to hide and live, and you don't have to worry about Tong Yu being killed. It's a blessing in disguise. Master Tong wants more, this is too much."

Tong Zhiyang looked at Jiang Li and couldn't help shrinking his neck. Jiang Li's words were not serious, but the warning was obvious.

Jiang Li certainly didn't intend to help Tong Zhiyang. For her, the Right Prime Minister, who was tied to King Cheng, would be her opponent sooner or later. He's brother-in-law was the Right Prime Minister's man, so removing him was just a matter of convenience for her. As long as she returned to Yanjing and spread the Ye family's affairs, the Zhong Guanling would naturally be in trouble. As a person in the officialdom, Jiang Li didn't think that the cunning Right Prime Minister would talk about morality and would have to deal with a Zhong Guanling.

As for Tong Zhiyang, a prefect who once obeyed others to frame the Ye family, she would never give him a second chance. Now the whole Xiangyang City knows that the relationship between the Ye family and the Jiang family is not as bad as the legend says. No matter who the new Xiangyang prefect is, he will always be polite to the Ye family, and there is really no need for Tong Zhiyang's guarantee.

Tong Zhiyang knew he was in the wrong, so he didn't say anything. He said to Jiang Li, "Miss Jiang, please wait for a moment." Then he got up and went into the house.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Tong Zhiyang came with another official order. This order was written by imitation, and all Tong Zhiyang needed to do was to stamp it. Fortunately, He Shi had not asked him to take out the official seal, so writing an official order for Jiang Li was just a simple matter for Tong Zhiyang.

Jiang Li took the official order, took a look at it, and seeing that it was usable, she smiled at Tong Zhiyang and said, "In that case, thank you, Lord Tong." Then she turned around and left gracefully.

Tong Zhiyang ran out from behind and said flatteringly, "Second Miss Jiang, don't forget about Zhong Guanling's matter!"

……

After receiving the official order, Ah Shun was ordered to take Jiang Li back to the Ye family. Ye Mingyu settled the people of Tongxiang and went back to the Ye family. Such a large group of people from Tongxiang entering Xiangyang naturally attracted countless attention. For such an earth-shaking event, the Ye family is probably still questioning Ye Mingyu.

Ye Mingyu remembered what Jiang Li said, that Jiang Li should explain to the Ye family, so he said nothing and asked Ashun to pick them up.

Jiang Li got on the carriage and went to Ye's house first.

Because Xue Huaiyuan and Feng Yutang were different from ordinary people, Jiang Li was afraid of something going wrong, so she had them settled in the Ye family yard. As soon as she arrived at the gate of the mansion, she saw that the servants at the gate all looked serious, as if something big had happened in the Ye family and they needed to be on high alert.

Seeing Jiang Li and Ah Shun coming, the concierge immediately shouted inside: "Miss cousin is back! Miss cousin is back!" Jiang Li: "...."

It seemed as if everything could be explained reasonably if she came back.

Jiang Li entered the Ye family. In the Jinhua Hall, all the Ye family members were present. Ye Mingyu was surrounded in the center, with his head hung down as if he had made a mistake.

"I told you not to cause trouble, but now look what you have done. You think the trouble you have caused is not enough, and you even dare to kidnap officials? What is going on?" Ye Mingxuan scolded him.

Ye Mingyu felt very aggrieved. This time, it was not his fault. Although he often caused trouble outside, he never participated in the complicated relationships in the officialdom. Moreover, when walking in the underworld, people used nicknames, and no one would use their real names. But he couldn't betray his niece. Hey, it was really unlucky!
Just as I was thinking about it, Jiang Li came in from outside.

Madam Ye saw her first and called out, "A-Li!"

Jiang Li walked a few steps to Old Madam Ye.

Old Madam Ye seemed to be in better spirits these days. With the help of her maid, she was able to stand up and walk a few steps. She took Jiang Li and looked at her carefully. She breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I feel relieved to see that you are doing well."

"Don't worry, grandma. I'm fine." Jiang Li smiled and said, "Uncle has always taken care of me."

"Ali," Guan couldn't help asking, "What on earth is going on? Those people outside...how did you get involved with the case of the Tongxiang County Magistrate?"

Jiang Li looked a bit embarrassed, and after a while she said, "This... is actually what my father wanted."

"Jiang Yuanbai?" Ye Minghui frowned. "Jiang Yuanbai asked you to come to Xiangyang just for this?"

"I guess so. I have to go back to Xiangyang to visit my grandfather. My father has other plans, so he asked me to go to Tongxiang. This matter was actually directed by my father, and I just acted according to his wishes. When we return to Yanjing, these matters will be handed over to my father to supervise personally." Jiang Li smiled and said, "It's my fault. I made my grandmother and my uncles and aunts worried."

She pushed these things onto Jiang Yuanbai without hesitation. The Ye family was not very interested in Jiang Yuanbai, and if she completely left herself out, the Ye family would not worry too much.

Sure enough, after hearing this, the Ye family members looked at each other. Although their expressions were still strange, they were not as anxious as at the beginning.

Jiang Yuanbai is an old fox. The Ye family doesn’t understand the affairs of officialdom, so they don’t dare to ask him why he does this.

Seeing this, Ye Mingyu secretly gave Jiang Li a thumbs up in his heart. Reading a lot of books is good for you, and he convinced his family with just a few words. If he had Jiang Li's mouth, he wouldn't have to be urged to get married by the old lady and his brothers and sisters-in-law every year.

It seems that stupid people need to read more. Ye Mingyu made up his mind that he must hire a teacher someday to teach him some speaking skills.

Although the case was pushed onto Jiang Yuanbo, Jiang Li still had to explain to the Ye family what happened to Xue Huaiyuan's case. However, she did not mention that Feng Yutang had a master above him. Therefore, the Ye family believed that Feng Yutang had framed Xue Huaiyuan and that he was the county magistrate and had done all kinds of evil things.

Ye Rufeng said: "Feng Yutang is such a jerk! Poor County Magistrate Xue."

"There are such evildoers in the world." Ye Jiaer was very moved, "What's even more terrifying is that such evildoers can still serve as officials."

Ye Mingxuan pondered for a while and said, "So, Jiang Yuanbai did a good thing this time." He glanced at Jiang Li.

Ye Mingxuan is a smart man. Although Jiang Li put all the blame on Jiang Yuanbai, Ye Mingxuan still noticed something wrong. What benefits can Jiang Yuanbai get from handling the Xue family's case? Jiang Yuanbai is not a great official who is dedicated to the country and the people. More importantly, Jiang Yuanbai has nothing to do with the Xue family. Why should Jiang Li go to Tongxiang just to redress the Xue family?

But even though he was suspicious, Ye Mingxuan had no other evidence, so he had to give up.

"Since it is a good thing, then Lord Xue is also a poor man." Old Lady Ye said: "A Li, you should return to Yanjing earlier. The official order has a time limit. It will take some days from Xiangyang to Yanjing. The earlier you leave, the earlier you can return to Yanjing." Old Lady Ye is a sensible person. After hearing the whole story, she advised Jiang Li like this.

"That's what I thought, too." Jiang Li said with a smile, "We'll stay in Xiangyang for one day and set off tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Zhuo was surprised: "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Sister-in-law, we are going to do some serious business, so of course we can't delay." Ye Mingyu said.

"Why, you want to go too?" Ye Mingxuan asked Ye Mingyu.

"Of course! Ali also said this. With me here, I can take good care of Ali. There are so many people here. Do you want Ali to take so many Tongxiang people to Beijing alone? Do you want Ali to be exhausted to death? I'm different. When I was wandering around the world, how many brothers did I bring with me? I am the most suitable person to be in this position of giving orders. With me leading the way, I can ensure that Ali will be comfortable along the way. No bandits, robbers, or robbers will dare to come. If one comes, kill one. If two come, kill a pair!" He gestured fiercely twice.

"Come on, I think you'll just cause trouble if you go." Ye Mingxuan said unhappily.

"Uncle Mingxuan, this time it is really thanks to Uncle Mingyu's help." Jiang Li smiled and said, "I hope Uncle Mingyu can accompany me when I go to Beijing. I will feel more at ease with him around." Ye Mingyu is a very good family member. He never asks too many questions and is careless, but he can understand Jiang Li to the greatest extent. With Ye Mingyu around, many things are more convenient to do.

When Ye Mingyu heard Jiang Li speaking for him, he immediately straightened up proudly and gave Ye Mingxuan a look that said "Did you see that?"

Ye Mingxuan was about to retort, but Madam Ye spoke up. She said, "Okay, since Ah Li wants you to go with me, then you can go with me. Ah Li is a girl after all, and even though she has guards, I still feel uneasy. I'll leave Ah Li to you. If anything happens to Ah Li, I'll hold you responsible when I come back."

"Don't worry, mother," Ye Mingyu said with great joy, "I will do the job, don't worry!"

Madam Ye turned to look at Jiang Li again, her eyes full of reluctance, "A Li, you have just returned to Xiangyang and you are leaving... I don't know when you will come again."

Jiang Li's heart softened, and she took Madam Ye's hand and said, "Grandma, it's okay. I'll go back to Xiangyang to deal with things, and I'll find a chance to go back as soon as possible. When you're better, let your uncle and aunt bring you to Yanjing. Cousin Ye is also working as a deputy minister of the Ministry of Revenue in Yanjing. When he's settled down, it will be good for our Ye family to gain a foothold in Yanjing."

The words "our Ye family" made Old Madam Ye feel very comfortable. She couldn't stop smiling and said, "Okay, okay, then I will stay in Xiangyang and take good care of myself. When I can leave, I will come to Yanjing with your aunt and uncles to see Shijie and you."

Ye Minghui and his group were all a little sentimental. Before Jiang Li returned to the Ye family, Old Madam Ye was so sick that she couldn't even get out of bed and wasn't in such good spirits. Not long after Jiang Li returned to the Ye family, Old Madam's health was getting better day by day.

After all, it is good for people to have some thoughts. As long as they have thoughts, there is hope.

I talked a little more with the Ye family until it was getting late and everyone dispersed after dinner.

Xue Huaiyuan had already fallen asleep, Jiang Li went to see him, asked the guards around to take good care of him, and then returned to her room. Unexpectedly, she saw Ye Jiaer in the room.

Tong'er made hot tea for Ye Jiaer, and Jiang Li walked in and called her, "Cousin."

"Cousin." Ye Jiaer stood up.

Jiang Li said: "Miss Jiaer came to see me so late, what's the matter?"

Ye Jiaer pointed to the box on the table sheepishly and said, "It's for you."

Jiang Li opened it and found that it was a piece of clothing. It was probably a long dress with wide sleeves and a narrow body, and it was a soft pearl white, but under the light, it gave off some sparkling luster, like ripples in the sea, flashing tiny blue lights.

"We took out those peacock feathers of Uncle San and made samples of them. We produced several pieces of material. Here, it is roughly the appearance of this dress." Ye Jiaer said, "Because we are just exploring, we have wasted a lot of them. So far, we have succeeded in making this one piece. I got the consent of my father and uncle to make it into a dress and give it to you. This is your idea. The business of ancient fragrant satin can no longer be done. We have to make new material that can rival ancient fragrant satin... Cousin, what do you think of this material?"

Jiang Li said: "Very beautiful."

"Really?" Ye Jiaer's expectations seemed to come true all of a sudden, and she looked at Jiang Li with eyes full of uncontrollable joy.

"I never tell lies."

"I feel relieved when you say that. Cousin, you have seen many good things in Yanjing City. Since you say it is good, it must be good. I believe you." Ye Jiaer was very happy. "We have discussed it. The pattern of this material is like sea water, so it is called Taoshui pattern."

"Tao Shui Wen..." Jiang Li repeated it silently twice and looked at her: "This name sounds nice."

"That's what I thought." Ye Jiaer pinched the hem of her skirt awkwardly. This girl who was always graceful and generous showed a bit of shyness. She said, "I thought that my cousin is the daughter of the Prime Minister's family and must know many noble ladies. If my cousin wears this dress and others think that my cousin looks good, they will naturally ask what the material is and where it is made. At that time, I can take the opportunity to mention the name of Taoshuiwen." She paused and said, "Cousin, don't think that all of us merchants are so profit-oriented. In fact, if the current Ye family does not make a material that can replace the ancient fragrant satin as soon as possible, it will be unable to recover, and the Ye family's business will fail sooner or later. I don't want my grandmother and grandfather's lifelong efforts to go to waste. Since my surname is Ye, I must take on this responsibility."

She hesitated and said, "I know my request is excessive..."

"Not too much." Jiang Li said.

Ye Jiaer looked at her.

"Although my last name is not Ye, my mother's is, and I have half Ye family blood in me. I naturally have to bear the responsibilities of the Ye family." Jiang Li smiled and said, "Besides, I don't think there is anything wrong with this. There are only a few batches of Taoshuiwen now, and it is not easy to get them. Scarcity makes things valuable. The rarer the Taoshuiwen is, the more people desire it."

"This is the Ye family's opportunity, cousin. If you seize it, I think the Ye family's business will have no worries about successors."

This is what Jiang Li really thinks. If Ye Jiaer doesn't know how to manage the Ye family's business, no matter how wealthy the Ye family is, when the previous generation, the three brothers of the Ye family, grow old, the business will sooner or later fall apart.

But Ye Jiaer was obviously very smart. She inherited the Ye family's business acumen, which she had already shown when she was young.

"My cousin, leave this to me." Jiang Li stroked the clothes in the box and said, "I will definitely wear it at the right time when everyone is paying attention."

Ye Jiaer stared at Jiang Li in a daze. After a while, she suddenly smiled and nodded vigorously.

"Ok!"

　I am Ahri, I am here to bring salt to the waves~\（≧▽≦）/~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)