Chapter 139 Meeting
Early the next morning, before Jiang Li had time to go to Wanfeng Hall to pay her respects to Old Madam Jiang, Fangfei Garden welcomed an unexpected guest.

Jiang Yuanbo is here.

Qingfeng and Mingyue were sweeping the yard. When they saw Jiang Yuanbai, they were surprised and were about to report it, but Jiang Yuanbai stopped them. Jiang Li got up a little later, so he didn't bother her. He just sat at the stone table in the yard outside Fangfei Garden, staring at the branches covered with frost and snow.

After Jiang Li got up and washed up, she saw Jiang Yuanbo sitting alone.

Tong'er and Bai Xue saluted first. Jiang Yuanbai looked at Jiang Li and twitched the corners of his mouth, as if he wanted to smile, but he didn't know how to smile most naturally, so he said, "Little Li."

Jiang Li nodded: "Father."

Her attitude was polite and distant, not like treating her father, but as if treating an adult from another family. A trace of disappointment flashed in Jiang Yuanbai's eyes, and then he laughed at himself.

At this point, he couldn't ask too much of Jiang Li. When Jiang Li was framed by Ji Shuran and sent to Qingcheng Mountain, he, as a father, didn't realize the truth, helped the tyrant, and pushed his daughter away from him. Now he wanted to make amends, but it was useless.

Jiang Li had grown up, and her strangeness was entirely caused by him. Jiang Yuanbo didn't even have the qualifications to doubt her.

But he still wanted to do something. He said, "You haven't eaten yet, right? Let's eat together?"

Jiang Li glanced at him. Jiang Yuanbo's eyes revealed a hint of nervous hope. Jiang Li's heart softened a little, and she said, "Okay."

Jiang Yuanbai was overjoyed.

The maids watching the scene were all in disbelief. Jiang Li was once the abandoned young lady of the Jiang family, who had been ignored for many years, but now Jiang Yuanbai valued her so much.

Jiang Li felt that it was just karma. In the end, fate would secretly mark the price for what she had done. Now it was time for Jiang Yuanbai to pay his debt.

While eating, Jiang Yuanbai looked at Jiang Li's preferences. Jiang Li was indeed different from before. Her eating and lodging habits were completely different from the Jiang Li when she was a child. Jiang Yuanbai thought of what Jiang Li said in front of Taoist Chongxu and how she spent the eight years in Qingcheng Mountain. He felt that this sumptuous dish was hard for him to swallow.

"What happened the day before yesterday..." Jiang Yuanbai said: "You..."

"After the Taoist priest exorcised the evil spirit, I lost consciousness. I vaguely heard someone talking, but I didn't know anything. When I woke up, Bai Xue told me what happened afterwards." Jiang Li's voice was still calm and gentle. "I was surprised. It turned out that what Taoist Chongxu said was true. I was really possessed by an evil spirit."

"What Taoist priest?" Jiang Yuanbo sneered, "He is nothing but a liar who pretends to be a god. Once something goes wrong, he will be scared and show his true colors!"

Jiang Li looked at Jiang Yuanbai in surprise: "Liar? Father, this was recognized by His Majesty himself."

"Your Majesty may also be mistaken."

Jiang Li hesitated and asked, "Will father tell His Majesty about this?"

"Of course." Jiang Yuanbai said, "It is a crime of deceiving the emperor. I cannot possibly be in league with a liar."

"But this is a private matter of the royal family after all. If father gets involved in it... aren't you afraid that the emperor will be unhappy?" Jiang Li asked.

Even Taoist Chongxu knew that the more secrets one knew, the harder life would be. Jiang Yuanbai could not have not known this. If Jiang Yuanbai told Emperor Hong Xiao about this, it would only make Emperor Hong Xiao lose face. The fact that Emperor Hong Xiao trusted others too easily and was deceived by ghosts and gods was actually known by his ministers. No matter what, it would be a needle piercing the emperor's heart.

"This is the way between the emperor and his subjects." Jiang Yuanbai said, "Even if the emperor is unhappy, I will still speak up."

Jiang Yuanbo's words made Jiang Li look at him with a new eye. Jiang Li knew that Jiang Yuanbo was an old fox, very cunning. But he did not surrender to King Cheng. No matter how Emperor Hong Xiao treated him, no matter how loyal Jiang Yuanbo was, at least he fulfilled his duty as a minister, and did not have the intention of "rebellion" when his power was at its greatest.

Of course, even if the Jiang family really wanted to rebel, they would just die faster. Jiang Li didn't know this at first, but now she knows it very well. Ji Heng would never allow the Jiang family to break the balance. He wanted a stable situation to plan his affairs.

"Then... Madam, what does father plan to do?" Jiang Li asked anyway.

Jiang Yuanbai was shocked. In fact, he had been waiting for Jiang Li to ask this question, but when Jiang Li really asked it, a myriad of complex emotions still surged in his heart. After a moment of silence, he said, "She did something unforgivable and deserves to be punished."

Jiang Li smiled and said, "What kind of punishment?"

"Life for life," he said.

Jiang Li's expression did not change much. Jiang Yuanbai sighed silently in his heart. He knew that this alone was not enough to make up for the grievances Jiang Li had suffered. But he was also the eldest master of the Jiang family, and he could not ignore the reputation of the Jiang family.

"I didn't know... I didn't know that Ji had such a vicious heart. Apart from anything else, when your mother's condition became worse day by day, I just thought she was weak and never thought that she was harmed by a villain. If I knew... If I knew, I would never let Ji enter the Jiang family."

Jiang Yuanbai was not to blame for this. Who could have thought that someone would want to poison Ye Zhenzhen? Aunt Hu didn't have the guts, and Jiang Yuanbai didn't have any other women. But unexpectedly, before entering the Jiang family's gate, Ji Shuran had planned it step by step.

The entire Jiang family was being played around by Ji Shuran, and the first step she took was to take advantage of Jiang Yuanbo's "love at first sight".

Jiang Yuanbai shook his head: "I didn't know Yue'er was harmed by her. Yue'er was only four years old... She was so cruel. I didn't expect that she would have an affair with someone and frame you. Let you leave the Jiang family... Ji was wrong, and I was wrong too. I almost caused a big disaster for the Jiang family." He said self-deprecatingly: "Xiao Li, you must hate me a lot, right?"

"Not bad." Jiang Li said, "In fact, since that incident, I have no longer expected someone to stand firmly on my side and believe in me unconditionally. So I will not be surprised by anything that happens. Father, don't you think it's strange that I care so much about Xue County Magistrate? It's just because I really think that Xue County Magistrate and I are in the same boat. No one believes in him, and no one is willing to speak for him. Seeing Xue County Magistrate is like seeing my past self. What happened in the past cannot be undone, at least now I can help Xue County Magistrate to redress his injustice," Jiang Li smiled, "This is very satisfying, father."

Jiang Yuanbai understood what she said. She did not hate Jiang Yuanbai, but she no longer respected or admired Jiang Yuanbai.

Jiang Yuanbai closed his eyes.

Jiang Li put down her chopsticks and said, "Father, do you have anything else? If not, I'll leave first."

"where are you going?"

"Go to the Ye family and see uncle and cousin Ye." Jiang Li paused and said, "Don't worry, father. I won't tell my uncle a word about what happened the other day. The Jiang family's reputation cannot be ruined. I know that."

She is very sensible and knows how to think about the Jiang family. But in Jiang Yuanbo's view now, the more distressing it is.

He waved his hand weakly: "Go."

"Yes, father."

……

After packing up simply, Jiang Li took a carriage to Ye Mansion.

Maybe it was to compensate him, but Jiang Yuanbo didn't say a word to her when she went to Ye Mansion, and the doorman didn't ask much either. Jiang Li felt much freer than before.

Tong'er said in the carriage, "The master finally knows how to care for the young lady. The young lady has finally gotten her reward after all the hardships she has endured. Now that Ji's true face has been revealed, no one in the mansion will want to trip her up in the future."

Jiang Li smiled and said, "I hope so."

In fact, apart from wanting to seek justice for the Jiang family's struggle, she herself had no real interest in it. On the contrary, she was much more nervous about going to the Ye family than when she faced Taoist Chongxu the day before.

Zhao Ke said that Ji Heng wanted to take her to see someone who was the best doctor in Beiyan and might be able to cure her father's illness. Jiang Li dreamed of restoring Xue Huaiyuan's sanity. For her, meeting and recognizing Xue Huaiyuan was the most fortunate thing in the world. At least it made her understand that as Xue Fangfei, she was not alone in the world.

The closer they got to Ye's house, the more nervous Jiang Li became, her heart almost jumping out. Tong'er and Bai Xue were still a little weird, not knowing what was wrong with Jiang Li.

When they arrived at the Ye Mansion, the gatekeeper saw the Jiang family's carriage coming and immediately came forward to lead the horse. The servant smiled and said, "The second young lady is finally here. You haven't come for three days. The third master thought something happened to you. If the young master hadn't held the third master, he would have to go to the Jiang family."

Jiang Li smiled: "I'm fine."

No matter how good the Jiang family is, it seems like a den of dragons and tigers in Ye Mingyu's eyes. Jiang Li will suffer if she goes there, not enjoy herself.

"The third master really treats the girl well." Bai Xue sighed.

When they arrived at the Ye family's yard, they saw Ye Mingyu coming out with a knife on his back. The doorman probably hadn't had time to report it, but when Ye Mingyu saw Jiang Li, he almost jumped up and said, "Ali, you're here!"

"Uncle." Jiang Li walked forward.

"Why haven't you come to the Ye Mansion these past two days? I wanted to go to the Jiang family to see you, but Shijie wouldn't let me, saying that you must have something to do. What happened? Are you okay? Did your father beat you up?"

Jiang Li shook her head: "It's okay, uncle, I just caught a cold these days and couldn't go out."

"Cold?" Ye Mingyu's eyes widened and he asked, "Then why did you come out? If you have caught a cold, don't go out!"

"It's ready. Cousin Ye is not here?" Jiang Li looked around but did not see Ye Shijie.

"The Ministry of Revenue has something going on, so he went to take care of it." Ye Mingyu sat down on the chair. "If you don't know him, you would think he is a high-ranking official. The lights are on until late at night every day. Many times when I got up at night, this guy was still reading memorials. I don't know what he was doing."

"Brother Shijie has just taken office, and it's a busy time." Jiang Li smiled, "How has County Magistrate Xue been these days?"

"He's fine." Ye Mingyu said unhappily: "I play games with your uncle every day, how can he be a bad guy? Just because of this, I was laughed at by my brothers and subordinates." He muttered unwillingly.

"It's because I asked my uncle to take care of County Magistrate Xue that my uncle has to work so hard." Jiang Li apologized.

When Ye Mingyu saw Jiang Li's look, he quickly said, "It's no trouble. Hey, it's no trouble. We are all family. I have nothing to do in Yanjing City anyway, so I might as well play with him. Ah Li, you don't have to thank me. It's too distant!" Ye Mingyu originally thought that he was not a man who was kind to women, but when a delicate little girl looked at him with pleading and guilty eyes, Ye Mingyu really couldn't be fierce.

It seems that he was half wrong.

"Oh, Ah Li," Ye Mingyu hesitated for a moment, and suddenly said, "Well, the Duke is in our house."

Jiang Li was originally thinking about how to tactfully ask Ye Mingyu about Ji Heng, or maybe Ji Heng didn't even say hello to Ye Mingyu and would appear when she walked to a secluded corner alone. She didn't expect Ye Mingyu to tell her so openly.

Jiang Li was shocked.

"He said you would come this afternoon, and I thought it was a lie." Ye Mingyu said, "I didn't expect it to be true."

"Is he...at home now?" Jiang Li asked.

"Yes." Ye Mingyu said, "He came after noon." He wanted to complain, but was afraid that Ji Heng was a powerful person and would cause trouble, so he complained in a low voice, "No one invited him. When he first came, I wanted to kick him out. But he said he had an appointment with you, Ali, here, so I had to let him in. I thought you two were family, and maybe you wanted to discuss something important, so I couldn't let him delay your business."

Jiang Li: "..." In Ye Mingyu's eyes, can she and Ji Heng be considered his own people?
Jiang Li didn't know whether to cry or laugh. But she changed her mind and thought that Ji Heng had met her alone several times in Tongxiang and had not hurt her, and even helped her. In the eyes of others, this was indeed enough reason to show that the two were in the same group.

"Where are they now? I want to go see them." Jiang Li said.

"How do you know he didn't come alone?" Ye Mingyu asked curiously. Jiang Li said, "I had already discussed this with him."

"That's right." Ye Mingyu nodded. "If he hadn't brought someone else with him, I wouldn't have let you two meet alone. You are a girl after all, and he is a man. What if he has any improper thoughts about you... I'm worried, Ah Li, let me tell you, the most important thing for a man is responsibility, not his appearance. He looks good, but good looks can't last a lifetime. When he gets older, his face will still be full of wrinkles, no better than a 20-year-old beggar on the street."

Jiang Li: "..."

Sometimes she really didn't know whether she should blame her uncle for worrying about something, so she could only say, "I know, uncle, he won't have any improper thoughts about me, and I have no interest in him at all. I'm looking for him for serious matters. Uncle, let's go see him first."

Seeing that Jiang Li was really anxious, Ye Mingyu nodded reluctantly: "Okay."

……

The furnishings in the Ye Mansion are very simple.

Perhaps it was because Ye Shijie and Ye Mingyu, two grown men, lived here freely, and even the servants were the ones who took care of Xue Huaiyuan. Ye Mingyu was afraid that there were still people in Yanjing who wanted to secretly attack Xue Huaiyuan, especially Princess Yongning. He personally handled all the matters, and not even a fly could fly out of the door of the Ye Mansion.

In the side room in the backyard, three people were sitting in front of a small table.

Hearing the noise, the three turned around.

"Ali is here." Ye Mingyu said.

Jiang Li looked into the house.

Ji Heng looked at her with a smile. No matter when she saw him, he was always so gorgeous and dazzling. Sitting in the side room of the Ye family, which had nothing in it, he made the side room look brighter.

"Uncle, please go back first. I want to talk to the Duke." Jiang Li said with a smile.

Ye Mingyu looked at Jiang Li, then at Ji Heng, and after enduring for a while, he finally went out. He said, "I'm just outside the yard. If you need anything, call me."

He still didn't trust Ji Heng.

After Ye Mingyu left, the three people in the room also stood up.

Behind Ji Heng was a young man of about eighteen or nineteen years old, dressed in white, a handsome young man, with a warm smile on his face. He took two steps forward, looked at Jiang Li curiously, and said, "So this is Miss Jiang Er, seeing is believing."

Jiang Li had never seen such a self-familiar person, so she had no choice but to keep silent and smile at him. This smile made the man even more surprised, and he said, "Miss Jiang Er is so cute."

Jiang Li: "..."

"Wenren Yao, if you keep talking like that, I'm going to vomit." A woman's voice came from behind Ji Heng. Jiang Li knocked on the door and saw a girl in black clothes coming out.

This girl didn't seem to be from Yanjing, and her clothes and appearance were all foreign. Her hair was tied into thin braids, decorated with black bells. She was born sweet, but there was a bit of indifferent cunning in her watery Yanjing eyes. Jiang Li noticed that there was a small scorpion carved on her hand.

Jiang Li still remembered the original intention of coming to see Ji Heng today, but she couldn't say it directly. She looked at Ji Heng and said, "Thank you for the help of the Duke on the matter of Taoist Chongxu."

Although it was Zhao Ke who found the person, Ji Heng must have acquiesced. Moreover, without the whistle given by Ji Heng, she couldn't control Zhao Ke.

Ji Heng smiled a little bit sarcastically: "I'm just surprised that you would use such an embarrassing method, even pretending to be a ghost."

Jiang Li: "..."

She knew that her method was not resourceful at all, and was no different from those charlatans. Taoist Chongxu's exorcism was nothing more than taking advantage of people's evil intentions, and she pretended to be a ghost the day before yesterday, which was nothing more than taking advantage of Ji Shuran's evil intentions. Compared with the things she had done before, this had no basis or confidence, just like a child playing house.

The man called Wen Renyao also chuckled when he heard this and said, "I don't think the second young lady's method is ugly. I think... it's cute." He stared at Jiang Li's eyes sincerely and was very friendly.

Jiang Li simply had no idea how such a friendly and unrestrained person could survive under Ji Heng's nose.

"But if you need to cheat, Miss, you can come to me." Wen Renyao approached her and said, "I know how to cheat the best. What I am best at cheating... is a woman's heart."

Jiang Li choked and started coughing violently.

Wen Renyao looked concerned: "Second Miss, are you okay? Did you catch a cold? It's been cold in Beijing these days..."

Ji Heng opened her fan to block Wen Renyao's face from approaching Jiang Li, and said coldly, "Have you said enough? If you have, get out."

"Ah Heng...you have changed..." Wen Renyao said with a bitter face.

Ji Heng ignored him and said to Jiang Li: "Zhao Ke told you that he came here today to introduce you to someone who can treat Xue Huaiyuan."

Jiang Li looked at Wen Renyao. Is this the kind of person he is? This kind of person seemed too unreliable.

The next moment, the girl in black stood up, looked at her, and smiled a rather creepy smile: "Situ Jiuyue."

"Miss Jiuyue." Jiang Li readily followed suit, "I heard from Zhao Ke that you are the best doctor in Beiyan." Although they were of similar age, Jiang Li's attitude did not show any contempt, but rather enough respect.

Situ Jiuyue smiled and said, "Zhao Ke is wrong. I am not the best doctor in Beiyan. I am the best poisoner in Beiyan. I make poisons, not save people. For me, saving people is not as fun as making poisons."

Ji Heng said: "Situ Jiuyue."

The girl's expression remained unchanged as she continued, "But I am loyal to people who have entrusted me with this task, and I will occasionally help save someone. Although I am not very good at saving people, at least I am much better than most doctors in this world, especially those old useless people in the Imperial Hospital."

This girl is reckless and speaks roughly. She looks like Ye Mingyu, who rarely mixes in the vortex of power. She is young, but she is very opinionated. I wonder which family can raise such a person. Jiang Li searched her mind, but she had never heard of such a person in this life or the previous one.

"Will County Magistrate Xue be able to regain his sanity in the future?" Retracting her thoughts, Jiang Li asked the question she had always wanted to ask.

"It's hard to say, maybe yes, maybe no. Many people collapse and lose their minds because they have suffered a huge blow. Most people don't want to recall these painful memories. They will take the initiative to avoid them, and in this way, they will never be able to regain their clarity of mind." Situ Jiuyue said, "I think County Magistrate Xue should be like this. I heard that both of his children have passed away. Such a person is alone in the world, without any worries, and there is no reason to recall the past." She stared into Jiang Li's eyes and said, "Excuse me, Miss Jiang Er, Xue Huaiyuan is already in so much pain, why do you want him to remember the past again?"

Jiang Li shook her head: "No, County Magistrate Xue himself hopes to wake up."

Situ Jiuyue was stunned, Wen Renyao was also surprised, only Ji Heng was not surprised.

"I know that County Magistrate Xue hopes he can wake up. Although his two children are gone, they were lost without clear reason. If I were County Magistrate Xue, I would definitely hope to clear the grievances for his children and find out the truth. So, he hopes to wake up. He is a responsible father." Jiang Li said.

Perhaps it was because her tone was so firm that it was hard to doubt her sincerity. Situ Jiuyue shrugged and said, "Okay, I'll give it a try. I'll come to see Xue Huaiyuan every day."

Jiang Li thanked him deeply: "Thank you very much, Miss Jiuyue."

"No need to thank me, thank him if you want to thank someone." Situ Jiuyue glanced at Ji Heng, "The Duke seems to have something to say to you alone, we'll go out first." After saying that, she pulled Wen Renyao, who still wanted to watch the fun, out of the house and closed the door.

Jiang Li and Ji Heng were the only ones left in the room.

After a while, Jiang Li said, "I owe you another favor."

"Strange, I've helped you so many times, but it seems like only this time you're the most grateful." Ji Heng smiled playfully, "It seems like you value Xue Huaiyuan's affairs more than your own."

Jiang Li also smiled: "Maybe." For her, making Xue Huaiyuan better was her most extravagant wish in this life. Ji Heng made this wish possible, how could she not be grateful.

"Ms. Jiuyue doesn't seem to be from Yanjing?" Jiang Li asked.

"Princess Molan," Ji Heng said, "her father and brother died when her uncle usurped the throne, and she escaped."

Jiang Li was stunned. She had heard a little about the turmoil in Molan, but it was a very distant story to her. She didn't expect to meet Princess Molan herself here. However, the people of Molan were good at making and using poisons, so it was no wonder that Situ Jiuyue was like this.

"You have dealt with the Ji family." Ji Heng smiled, "What are you going to do next?"

"I don't have to plan, the problem will appear before my eyes." Jiang Li sighed, "Princess Yongning will find a way to deal with me."

Ji Heng glanced at her and said, "From your tone, it seems like you are looking forward to it?"

"If I say yes, will the Duke believe it?"

"Believe it." Ji Heng said slowly, "I believe everything you say." At the end of the words, she raised her voice ambiguously, her amber eyes filled with an alluring smile.

Wen Ren Yao said that he was good at seducing women's hearts, which was probably true. A young man like Wen Ren Yao was like a piece of honey placed in a cake decorated with flower petals. When girls saw him, they were always tempted by the sweet taste and wanted to have a taste.

Ji Heng is not honey, he is a cup of poison. At the banquet, people clinked glasses and passed cups. A cup of bright wine with a faint poisonous taste was placed on the table. People walked by and were unconsciously attracted. Even though they knew it was a poison that would break their stomachs, they would still fall for the dream for a moment and be drunk for a moment.

"It's Jiang Li's honor that the Duke trusts me to this extent." She said with a smile.

Ji Heng retracted his gaze, stood up straight, and said lazily: "From what I know, Zhou Yanbang seems to be obsessed with you."

"Jiang Yu'e wrote me a post," Jiang Li said, "but I didn't go. I gave it to Jiang Youyao."

If Ji Heng really wanted to know these things, Zhao Ke would tell him, so Jiang Li didn't have to hide it.

"You have so many enemies." Ji Heng said, "One wave has not yet settled when another wave arises." After dealing with one batch, another batch came quickly. For a fifteen-year-old girl, Jiang Li was quite outstanding for being hated so much.

"I don't want to either." Jiang Li said, "It's really too much of a hindrance."

"Do you need my help?" Ji Heng raised his eyebrows.

"How can I help?" Jiang Li asked.

"I don't like to get involved in these things. If I take action, it will be terrible." He was like a bad adult threatening a child, "Jiang Yu'e, Jiang Youyao, Zhou Yanbang, and Shen Ruyun." He looked at Jiang Li with a smile, "Who do you want to die? Or, which one do you want to live?"

"...Or, don't release any of them?"

　Sorry everyone! I've been sick lately and my mind is not clear, so I've moved on to another post! Stormy vomiting blood!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)