Chapter 143 Winter Solstice
Rumors about Ji Shuran were circulated in the streets, but the people sent by Jiang Yuanbai were unable to find out who spread the rumors. The matter seemed to have become an unsolved case, but the ending was real. The reputation of the Jiang family was affected. At least in the court, there were countless memorials impeaching Jiang Yuanbai for not managing his family strictly.

The Right Prime Minister's faction took the opportunity to spread all kinds of unfavorable rumors about Jiang Yuanbo. At this time, the more he clarified, the more he fell into the center of the rumors. Jiang Yuanbo simply claimed to be sick and did not attend the court, and remained silent for a long time. Jiang Yuanping was also implicated a lot, and the atmosphere in the Jiang Mansion was not very good.

Under such complicated circumstances, the winter solstice in Yanjing City this winter came quietly.

On the winter solstice, the snow fell heavily. Tong'er stood at the gate of the yard and said, "I've never seen such heavy snow in Qingcheng Mountain. It's really beautiful."

The scene that people in the north are accustomed to is very novel to Tong'er. After all, the two have lived in the temple for many years and rarely see such a scene covered in silver. Tong'er asked Jiang Li: "Miss, are you going to Ye Mansion today?"

"Go." Jiang Li said with a smile: "But before that, let's go somewhere else first."

"Somewhere else?" Tong'er was puzzled.

Jiang Li smiled and didn't answer.

It was snowing heavily outside. Even the vendors who usually set up stalls did not come out today. The streets were empty, and there were very few pedestrians. On the thick snow, there were only two deep ruts left by the carriages, and the messy shapes of horseshoes.

When Jiang Li was leaving the house, the doorman moved his lips, but in the end he did not dare to dissuade her. Everyone knew that the second young lady had the final say in the big house, and the old lady allowed the second young lady to come in and out as she pleased without reporting. Could it be that the servants like them were going to stop her?

The journey out of the house went smoothly, and Jiang Li went to the Misty Rain Pavilion in Bailu Bay, where Xue Zhao was buried.

Tong'er and Bai Xue still have an impression of this place. Jiang Li had been here once before returning to Tongxiang last time. I heard that the best place to watch the misty rain is at the Misty Rain Pavilion, and it was raining last time. But it's not raining now. Could it be that the snow scenery at the Misty Rain Pavilion is nice? So Jiang Li went there today because she was in a good mood?

Jiang Li asked the maids to wait outside the yard, and she went into the backyard of the Misty Rain Pavilion. Under the peach tree, Xue Zhao's tomb was still lying quietly. It was almost covered by snow. If it weren't for the half-inscription exposed outside, I'm afraid there would be no trace of it.

Since Jiang Li returned to Tongxiang, no one has worshipped here. Jiang Li watched helplessly, and her heart ached. Leaving Xue Zhao alone here made her feel very uncomfortable.

She bent down, found a worn-out broom nearby, and swept away the snow in front of the tomb, clearing a small space. She then used the rag in the basket to wipe the stone tablet carefully, and then took out the incense and fruit offerings and placed them on the cleared space.

Even though she could leave the house at will, she couldn't come to Yanyu Pavilion at will. The Ye family was her maternal family after all, and Xue Zhaoke had nothing to do with the second Miss Jiang. If someone saw her, it would be related to the lawsuit she had fought for Xue Huaiyuan a few days ago, and it would be bad if something happened.

But on the winter solstice, Xue Zhao, she and Xue Huaiyuan would always spend the day together in the house. Xue Zhao would roast the venison he had hunted in the mountains, and Xue Huaiyuan would allow them to drink on that day. So with clear plum wine simmering on the stove, Xue Zhao would dance and talk about his dream of being a martial artist, and she would chime in with a few words, and Xue Huaiyuan would laugh indulgently on the side.

Things have changed, it is still winter, but people are dying, dispersing, or going crazy. Jiang Li cannot bring Xue Huaiyuan to Xue Zhao's tomb yet, she can only come alone.

She sat in front of the tomb, put the venison wrapped in oil paper away, and poured a glass of plum wine for Xue Zhao, just like in the past years.

After sitting for a while, she stood up, brushed the snow off her clothes, and turned to leave.

Tong'er and Bai Xue were so cold waiting outside that they finally saw Jiang Li coming out. They didn't ask where the bamboo basket Jiang Li brought with her went, but just asked, "Did you go home?"

Jiang Li nodded.

"Let's go. We can't stay outside for long in this weather." Tong'er stuffed the heater into Jiang Li's hands and helped Jiang Li get into the carriage.

Next, Jiang Li went to Ye Mansion.

In the Ye Mansion, Ye Mingyu and his brothers were eating big chunks of meat and drinking big gulps of wine. When the doorman came to report that Jiang Li had arrived, Ye Mingyu panicked for a moment. The whole house was in a mess. How could he meet people? Seeing this, Ye Shijie shook his head and got up to see Jiang Li first.

Jiang Li didn't see Ye Mingyu in the house, so Ye Shijie came alone and asked, "Why isn't your uncle here?"

"I drank a lot of wine. I knew you were coming, so I was changing my clothes." Ye Shijie had a headache. Hearing the voices of people shouting drinking games in the room and seeing Ye Shijie's helpless expression, Jiang Li understood. Ye Mingyu was a rough man, but Ye Shijie was extremely restrained. Now that Ye Mingyu had brought the martial arts world to his house, it was naturally not something to be happy about for Ye Shijie.

Jiang Li looked behind him and said with a smile: "Uncle is open-minded by nature, you have to bear with me."

"I know." Ye Shijie replied, "Third Uncle has always been like this." He looked at Jiang Li: "Why did you come here so early?"

"Today is the winter solstice, I came to see you." Jiang Li asked Bai Xue to take out the snacks she had prepared in advance, "and I'll give you some cakes by the way."

Ye Shijie took it, and a strange feeling surged in his heart. Jiang Li's expression was very gentle, and her attitude was very natural, as if she was treating her family. When the word "family" appeared in his mind, Ye Shijie shuddered, as if he was hit by something.

Just when he was a little dazed, Ye Mingyu came out after changing his clothes. He must have been drunk with his brothers before, and even though he changed his clothes, he still smelled of alcohol. Fortunately, he was still sober, and when he saw Jiang Li, he said, "Ali, you're here! Come in and sit down?"

"My uncle has guests, so I won't stay any longer." Jiang Li also smiled. She was a girl, and there were only strong men here. She didn't care, but she was afraid that these men would feel uncomfortable.

"I brought some things for you, and I'll take a look at County Magistrate Xue." Jiang Li smiled and said, "We'll leave after we take a look."

"Why..." Ye Mingyu was about to persuade him, but was interrupted by Ye Shijie, who said, "Okay, it's really not convenient for you to be here today. Come over another day when there are no outsiders in the mansion."

He emphasized the words "no outsiders" and glanced at Ye Mingyu.

Ye Mingyu rubbed his nose knowing that he was in the wrong, and laughed, "Well, then let's go see County Magistrate Xue. Miss Situ came to give him a few injections these days, and the old man is much better now. He can eat a full bowl of rice every day and is in good spirits!"

As he spoke, he took Jiang Li to Xue Huaiyuan's yard.

Xue Huaiyuan was concentrating on watching the shadow play. Perhaps it was a little toy that Ye Mingyu had found specially for him. He was watching it with great interest and laughed happily from time to time. Jiang Li saw this and couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

There was no sign of sanity.

Ye Shijie seemed to have seen what she was thinking, and said, "You don't have to be too anxious. Miss Situ said that Xue County Magistrate's illness is not easy to cure, and we have to take it slowly. And as Third Uncle said, Xue County Magistrate has gotten much better in the past few days. When he first came to Yanjing from Tongxiang, he was still extremely weak. Now he has almost recovered."

Jiang Li slowly calmed down and shook her head, saying, "I was too impatient."

"I know." Ye Mingyu scratched his head, "You value Old Man Xue more than your father, so of course you care about him. Why don't you recognize Old Man Xue as your godfather after he gets better? He won't refuse you for all the efforts you have made for him. As for your father, don't worry, I'll talk to him!" Then he said bitterly, "I haven't settled accounts with Ji Shuran yet. What happened back then was all up to Ji Shuran. Where does that put my Ye family?"

Speaking of this, Ye Mingyu gritted his teeth again.

After the news of Ji Shuran's incident came out, Ye Mingyu and Ye Shijie naturally knew about it at the first time. Without a doubt, they scolded Jiang Yuanbo severely. If Ji Shuran had not died, they would have to go to the Ji family to ask for an explanation. In the end, it was Jiang Li who came forward to appease Ye Mingyu.

However, knowing that Jiang Li had suffered so much injustice, Ye Mingyu became even more disgusted with the Jiang family, and even had the idea of ​​letting Jiang Li leave the Jiang family and return to the Ye family. In the end, he was stopped by the more rational Ye Shijie.

"Adoptive father?" Jiang Li's heart moved. She had never thought of this, but Ye Mingyu was a wanderer, and it was common for him to worship a target and recognize a godfather, so she had long been accustomed to it. The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was intentional. Ye Mingyu said it casually, but Jiang Li secretly remembered it. She cared too much about Xue Huaiyuan, and it was inevitable that people would gossip about her in the future, but when she said that he was her adoptive father, it seemed that everything could be solved.

But before that, unless Xue Huaiyuan regains his sanity first, no matter how guilty the Jiang family feels towards them, they will not let Jiang Li recognize a mentally ill person as her godfather.

Thinking of this, the road ahead seemed to have a new direction, and Jiang Li felt much more relaxed. When she talked to Ye Mingyu again, her smile became more genuine.

Ye Shijie was aware of the change in Jiang Li's attitude, but he didn't know why. He just looked at Jiang Li's smile, which was rare and relaxed without any scheming. He paused and swallowed the question.

Jiang Li was in a very good mood until she left Ye Mansion.

Bai Xue asked: "Miss, are you going home now?"

"Let's go back." Jiang Li looked at the sky. In fact, it was still early, and she should have stayed in Ye's house longer, but because Ye Mingyu's brothers and guests were all there, it was inconvenient for Jiang Li to leave first. It was snowing and it was too cold to stay outside. Since there was nothing to do, she might as well go back first.

Tong'er responded happily, thinking that it would be much better to go back to Fangfei Garden and be surrounded by the warm stove than to be cold outside. As they were about to get on the carriage, they suddenly heard an eager voice behind them: "Second Miss Jiang?"

Jiang Li looked back and saw that it was Wen Renyao and Situ Jiuyue whom she had seen not long ago. It was Wen Renyao who called Jiang Li.

As soon as he saw Jiang Li, Wen Renyao came up and asked with a smile: "Miss Jiang, did you just come out of the Ye Mansion?"

Jiang Li nodded and said to Situ Jiuyue, "Miss Situ, are you going to the Ye Mansion to treat County Magistrate Xue?"

"No." Situ Jiuyue replied, "No need for acupuncture in the next three days."

Jiang Li smiled and said, "I was wrong. Where are you two going?" When she met Situ Jiuyue in front of Ye's house, Jiang Li really thought that Situ Jiuyue was here to treat Xue Huaiyuan, but she didn't expect that it was not the case.

She just asked casually, not really wanting to know the answer. After all, Situ Jiuyue, Wen Renyao and Ji Heng had a close relationship, and Jiang Li didn't care about what they were going to do, nor could she care.

Who knew that Wen Renyao immediately replied: "We are going to the Duke's Mansion."

Situ Jiuyue rolled her eyes at Wenren Yao, probably thinking that his heartless attitude was really hard to please. Jiang Li was also surprised for a moment, and then said, "In that case, I won't delay you." She stepped aside, wanting Situ Jiuyue and Wenren Yao to leave first.

Unexpectedly, Wen Renyao's handsome face was filled with an extremely warm smile. He said, "Don't delay, don't delay. We are just going to the Duke's Mansion to visit. Today is the winter solstice, so we are just going there to have a meal. Miss Jiang Er, are you going back? It's so early, why don't we go to the Duke's Mansion to have a meal together?"

Jiang Li: "..."

She was puzzled. What was Wen Renyao thinking? Did she and Ji Heng look so close that they could visit each other's house at will? Of course, Ji Heng could visit the Jiang family because she was willful, not because of their personal relationship.

Jiang Li politely refused: "No need." "Why are you being so polite?" Wen Renyao continued to smile: "Let's go, let's go, it's better to do it today than to wait for a day. Since we met on the road, it means we are destined to meet. We are all friends, and having a meal together is not a big deal. I think Miss Jiang Er is also a straightforward person, so there is no need to stick to these things."

Jiang Li: "...I think you may have misunderstood the relationship between me and the Duke. We are not friends."

I thought this sentence had clearly expressed my attitude, but Wen Renyao seemed to be used to it and said, "I understand. With his temper, no one in the world wants to be friends with him. But just pretend that you are not his friend, but my friend, okay? Don't be polite, don't feel embarrassed to go because Ji Heng didn't invite you to her house. Ji Heng didn't invite me either! Should I still go?"

Jiang Li: "..."

She really had nothing to say about this famous young man.

Situ Jiuyue on the side couldn't stand it anymore, glared at Wen Renyao, then looked at Jiang Li, thought for a while, and said: "If you have nothing to do, you can go to the Duke's Mansion. I heard about what happened in your mansion a few days ago. Ji Heng was also involved in this matter privately. Maybe you can talk about it."

Situ Jiuyue's words reminded Jiang Li of one thing. Why was Lipin safe and sound? And where is Taoist Chongxu now? Did Emperor Hong Xiao know that Taoist Chongxu was a liar? She had planned to ask Zhao Ke about this matter, but now she thought it might be more convenient to ask Ji Heng. Zhao Ke was guarding the Jiang Mansion day and night, but Ji Heng could know the news in the palace.

Now that Wen Renyao had made an appointment with her, she could take the opportunity to go to the Duke's Mansion, but... she would come uninvited, so she really couldn't act as nonchalant as Wen Renyao.

"It's okay, you can say that Wen Renyao kidnapped you." Situ Jiuyue seemed to see what she was thinking and said lightly.

Wen Renyao was in high spirits. Instead of refutation, he smiled and said, "I'm happy to serve you."

So the matter was decided in such an inexplicable way. As soon as Jiang Li left Ye Mansion, she was turned to the road leading to the Duke's Mansion.

In order to avoid being seen, Jiang Li did not take the carriage of the Jiang Mansion, but took a carriage with Situ and the others. Along the way, Wen Renyao was very talkative and tried various ways to strike up a conversation with Jiang Li. In comparison, Jiang Li seemed much more silent. It was not a long journey, but Jiang Li felt very tired. Even Jiang Jingrui, the most noisy person in the Jiang Mansion, seemed "gentle" compared to Wen Renyao. I really don't know why this young man who looks as handsome as jade has such a warm temper. Jiang Li swore that if Wen Renyao just stood on the street with his mouth shut and said nothing, he would attract much more attention than if he talked to the girl himself.

The carriage arrived at the gate of the Duke's Mansion. Wen Renyao jumped out. Tong'er and Bai Xue helped Jiang Li get off the carriage. They saw Wen Renyao had already familiarly asked the doorman to open the door quickly.

You're welcome, just like at home.

The gate of the Duke's Mansion opened.

In both of her previous and next lives, this was the first time Jiang Li had entered the Duke's Mansion. Rumors about the Duke's Mansion were either eerie or erotic. This mansion seemed like a holy place for gods or the abyss of hell, and was rumored to be unbearable. When Jiang Li walked in, she had only one feeling: it was beautiful.

Unlike the Ye family's wealth and power, and unlike the Jiang family's elegance and grace, the Duke's Mansion is as gorgeous as its owner. In the cold winter, the mansion's garden is still full of colorful flowers. The snow covers the branches, and the petals are bent by the residual snow that has been carefully brushed away. The whiter the snow, the more beautiful the spring colors are in the silver. It is hard to tell whether it is early spring or severe winter. Just like his owner, whether he is affectionate or ruthless, it is always confusing.

Wen Renyao was used to this. Seeing Jiang Li staring at the flowers along the way, he said, "This mansion is full of Ji Heng's precious flowers. You must not step on them. Oh, it's not because they are too precious and Ji Heng spent a lot of money to transplant them. If you step on them, you will be turned into flower mud. It's because most of these flowers are poisonous. If you accidentally get them on your hands, I'm afraid your life will be in danger."

"Poisonous?" Jiang Li turned around in surprise.

"Yes." It was Situ Jiuyue who answered, "The more colorful something is, the more poisonous it is, and the same goes for flowers."

Jiang Li stopped talking. After a moment's thought, this seemed to be in line with Ji Heng's personality. Ji Heng was not the type of person who was willing to spend a lot of money to support it just for the sake of nothing. Besides, he himself said that he only wanted something valuable. Toxicity was the value attached to these flowers.

Passing through the corridor, the flowerbed, and bypassing most of the walkways. Jiang Li even saw a martial arts training ground. It was very rare to have such a large martial arts training ground in the Duke's Mansion. There were some weapons and archery targets scattered around. Wen Renyao introduced it like a master: "This is the old general's territory. Ji Heng was afraid that the old general would hurt his flower by playing with a knife at home, so he specially opened up a piece of land for the old general."

Jiang Li: “…” Fortunately, the Duke’s Mansion is big enough.

There seemed to be no women in the mansion, but it was true as rumored outside, all the servants who came and went were bright and handsome, and very pleasing to the eye. However, these servants must have been strictly trained, and when they saw Ren Yao bringing people over, they all looked straight ahead, each doing their own work, without even glancing at him.

Finally, we reached the main hall.

This mansion is quite large. As soon as I walked into the main hall, I heard a burst of laughter coming from inside. The sound was like a loud bell and it was very exciting.

"Old man——" Wen Renyao called affectionately.

When Jiang Li stepped into the door, she saw an old man in armor sitting in the middle, holding a long spear with a red tassel and tied in a flower. Hearing Wen Renyao talking, the old man turned around, and the spear was too long and almost poked Wen Renyao in the face.

"Yao boy, when did you return to Yanjing?" The old man widened his eyes, looked at Situ Jiuyue, and said, "Oh, Jiuyue is here too!"

Wen Renyao whispered to Jiang Li: "This is the old general, Ji Heng's grandfather."

Jiang Li suddenly realized that she had only heard of the old general but had never seen him in person. All she knew was the story of how brave and good at fighting he was when he was young. Now it seemed that the rumor was true. At least at such an old age, he was still full of energy, so he must not be a fake tough guy.

However... the old general also seemed to be very familiar with Wenren Yao and Situ Jiuyue. Jiang Li had a different understanding of the relationship between these two people and the Ji family.

Wen Renyao and Jiang Li's whispering actions were perfectly controlled by the old general. He then noticed that there was another person beside Wen Renyao. He walked a few steps closer, looked at Jiang Li, and suddenly said, "Yao boy, I haven't seen you for a few years. You already have a wife? Whose girl is this? She looks smart, why did he take a fancy to you?"

Wen Renyao: “…”

Jiang Li: “…”

This old man is really rude when he speaks.

Wen Renyao said, "What are you talking about! What do you mean by 'Why do you like me?' What's wrong with me? Don't look at me like that. There are countless girls in Beiyan who want to marry me. How come I am not decent in your eyes?"

"Come on." The old general mercilessly exposed Wen Renyao's lies. "As for you, don't talk about other things. My grandson is better than you in every way. He doesn't have a wife, but you do. Isn't this a blind girl?"

Seeing that the topic was getting more and more off-topic, no one actually explained their identity. Jiang Li had to stand up by herself and said helplessly: "Old General, I am not the wife of Master Wenren."

There was silence in the room for a while, and then suddenly, General Ji burst into laughter, so loud that people in the yard could hear it. He said, "That's what I said!"

Wen Renyao blushed.

"Girl, who are you? Why are you here with Yao? Are you Jiu Yue's friend?" asked General Ji.

"He's not my friend." Situ Jiuyue denied it straightforwardly, "He's someone Ji Heng knows."

"Ji Heng knows him..." General Ji's eyes lit up, and he looked at Jiang Li as if a poor man saw a pile of gold. He took a few steps closer and asked, "Girl, what is your relationship with that brat Ji Heng?"

"Grandfather." Just when Jiang Li was confused by General Ji's enthusiastic attitude, a cold voice was heard outside the door. When she turned around, she saw Ji Heng walking in with an expressionless face.

Normally, he either seemed to be smiling or simply gave an alluring smile, even if it was fake, and never put on such a cold attitude. However, in this attitude, there was a kind of ease that only he had, a relaxed attitude that let down his guard.

"Hey, why is Miss Jiang Er here too?" A voice came from behind Ji Heng. Jiang Li knew this person, it was Kong Liu. He was holding a plate of snacks, and right behind him was Lu Ji.

Why are all the people here? Jiang Li just felt a headache. Did she not check the almanac before going out today? If she really wanted to talk to Ji Heng, she would do it in private and didn't want others to know. But what's going on? The Duke's Mansion is holding a family banquet, so now everyone knows that she came to see Ji Heng uninvited.

"Miss, what do you want to do with our Ah Heng?" General Ji was relentless.

Ji Heng threw the plate in his hand onto the table and said, "I asked her to come." Without waiting for General Ji to say anything else, he said coldly, "If you ask any more, you won't get anything to eat."

General Ji immediately stopped talking.

Jiang Li glanced at Ji Heng and felt that he was very strange today, as if he was in a bad mood. Kong Liu saw Jiang Li staring at Ji Heng blankly, so he came to her side and asked, "What's wrong with Miss Jiang Er?"

"Nothing," Jiang Li said, "I just felt that the Duke seemed very unhappy today. Is it... because of my coming?"

"No." Kong Liu obviously knew the reason and enthusiastically explained to Jiang Li: "He is always in a bad mood when he cooks."

"He cooks?" Jiang Li was shocked.

"Yes." Kong Liu said as if it was a matter of course, as if it was a matter of course. He pointed at the table and said, "He did all this. The old man appointed him. He had to do it even if he didn't like it."

Jiang Li then noticed that the long table in the middle of the main hall was filled with a variety of dishes that looked delicious. It was almost time for dinner, and Kong Liu pointed to the plate in his hand and said, "Would you like to try one of the snacks made by the Duke?"

Jiang Li couldn't help but follow Kong Liu's movements and look into the plate, only to see that the pastries on the plate were exquisitely made, with lovely colors and an enticing aroma. They were even more beautiful than those made in the most popular bakery in Yanjing City.

She felt that all this was ridiculous and even had the illusion that nothing was real.

She looked at Ji Heng again. Ji Heng noticed her gaze and glanced at Jiang Li lightly.

That look did not contain the usual fake smile, and could even be described as calm and indifferent, but it made Jiang Li feel cold in her heart.

Uh, she seems to know another secret of Ji Heng. Will she be silenced?

　Yes! You read it right! The Duke's skill points cover cooking! He is a good family man at heart!
　　
　　
　
(End of this chapter)