Chapter 145 Begonia
"King Cheng knew that Lipin was unwilling to accept this. He bewitched Lipin and she fell for it."

Jiang Li couldn't hide the shock on her face for a moment.

She knew that Lipin was a member of the Ji family and was favored by Emperor Hong Xiao, but she never expected that Lipin had already colluded with King Cheng. Perhaps it was not an emotional entanglement, but just a way out for Lipin to find a way out for her future. This was a royal secret, at least in her current position, Jiang Li could not find out the relationship behind it. If Ji Heng hadn't said it, Jiang Li would never have thought of going here.

"But... just because the Ji family wants to send someone to the palace, Lipin colludes with King Cheng?" Jiang Li asked, "This is unreasonable. After all, Lipin is the emperor's favorite concubine, and she is not that important to King Cheng. Instead of clinging to King Cheng, it is better to please the emperor. Even if those girls from the Ji family enter the palace, with Lipin's means, she can control them in her hands, suppress them or trip them up, and she will always find a way to solve the problem. Why take such a risk?"

"That's what you think." Ji Heng looked at her meaningfully.

Jiang Li paused and said, "Maybe."

"A man without an heir will have only one fate in the palace, which is to be replaced sooner or later." Ji Heng said calmly: "Lipin is a smart person and saw this earlier. Besides, in Lipin's eyes, the position of emperor may not be stable."

Jiang Li was surprised: "But the Ji family never stood on King Cheng's side!"

"The Ji family is timid," Ji Heng smiled, "Even if they have to take sides, at most they will stand with your Jiang family. Although Lipin is a concubine, she is still just a married daughter to the Ji family and cannot affect the overall situation. Ji Yanlin is timid and cowardly in his official duties. He is opportunistic and openly turned against his own side to become the king. He is not that bold." Ji Heng raised the corner of his lips, took a sip of tea, and continued slowly: "But his daughter is different, she is much braver than him."

"Lipin left the Ji family and turned to King Cheng," Jiang Li said, "If King Cheng wins, the Ji family can be spared from disaster. If the matter is exposed, the Ji family will also be implicated."

"It's not that easy to be exposed," Ji Heng said, "Ji Yanlin didn't have any accidents. She's just a concubine, so she won't arouse suspicion."

Jiang Li suddenly thought of something and suddenly realized it. She said, "No wonder, no wonder when the Xue family case was submitted, King Cheng knew the content so quickly. At that time, I guessed that there might be a conspiracy in the palace with King Cheng, but I didn't expect... I didn't expect that this person was Concubine Li."

The person who could see the secret memorial submitted by Ye Shijie must be someone very close to Emperor Hong Xiao. Jiang Li even thought of the eunuchs, but never suspected Lipin. After all, Lipin was favored by the emperor and would never betray the emperor. Jiang Li felt sad when she heard Ji Heng tell the truth, but she didn't know whether to feel sad that people's hearts are fickle, or that she was not as prepared as Lipin and found a way out in advance.

"But, His Majesty, if he knew about this, why didn't he punish Concubine Li?" Jiang Li asked. Any emperor who knew that his woman was colluding with someone who coveted his throne would probably not tolerate it. If he had to tolerate it, in addition to praising this person's extraordinary willpower, there must be a reason.

But no matter how she looked at it, Jiang Li couldn't find a reason. Maybe Emperor Hong Xiao didn't know about it at all? Or was it just a suspicion, not verified?

Ji Heng did not answer Jiang Li's words, but just looked at her with a smile. She had no intention of solving her doubts, as if she wanted her to figure it out herself.

Jiang Li thought for a while, then asked hesitantly, "Your Majesty, do you want to become king?"

Ji Heng's eyes narrowed slightly, but soon returned to normal. He asked casually, "What do you mean?"

"If your majesty wants to deal with King Cheng sooner or later, you have to find a suitable reason. Although King Cheng is cunning, he does things without leaving any traces. Apart from Princess Yongning's domineering behavior, he has not left any handles among the people. Even if you want to deal with him, you can't find a reason for the time being. If you act rashly, King Cheng may bite you back. If you keep Lipin, maybe one day when King Cheng and your majesty confront each other, this matter can become 'evidence', making it easier to clean up King Cheng."

Ji Heng smiled and said, "Did Jiang Yuanbo teach you these too?"

Jiang Li was stunned and lowered her eyes: "It's just hearsay."

His smile became more playful: "You hear it from others, but you see it more clearly than those who are involved in it."

Jiang Li sighed. Her father was once the Minister of Industry, a man of great talent. Although he hid his edge, she could see farther than ordinary girls because of the influence of him since she was a child. Fortunately, Jiang Yuanbai was also a senior official in the court. If there was anything on weekdays, she could still use Jiang Yuanbai to block it. If Jiang Yuanbai was just an ordinary citizen, she would not be able to explain these unreasonable things.

Ji Heng's words tacitly agreed with her thoughts.

This was a little beyond Jiang Li's expectation. Emperor Hong Xiao could actually tolerate the humiliation in front of him for the sake of future events. From this point of view, his past favor towards Concubine Li was probably a bit of a show. Is King Cheng really a match for such an emperor? Or is Emperor Hong Xiao the oriole in this mantis stalking the cicada?

"Your Majesty, are you planning to take action against King Cheng?" Jiang Li asked nervously, "If so, how will the Jiang family cope with this?"

"It's not about taking action against King Cheng, it's about waiting for King Cheng to take action."

Jiang Li was puzzled: "King Cheng can't wait now?"

"Can't wait?" Ji Heng asked, "Why don't you make plans before taking action?"

Jiang Li sneered. This time, she did not hide her sarcasm and said without hesitation: "I think the one who is confident is not King Cheng, but His Majesty."

The Hong Xiao Emperor, who always seemed weak, might even lose his position at any time under the contrast of King Cheng. Now it seems that he may not be really weak. He is just waiting in secret, waiting for an opportunity to take down King Cheng in one fell swoop, so that everyone can see clearly who is the master of the world in Northern Yan today.

"I'm behind King Cheng." Ji Heng reminded.

"You are also behind His Majesty." Jiang Li replied.

"Then whose side do you think I will stand on?" Ji Heng asked with interest.

Jiang Li was silent for a moment, then shook her head and said, "I don't know. I only know that I will stand on the side of the Duke."

"You're lying." The young man said calmly.

"I didn't." Jiang Li's eyes were firm.

The girl's tone was not harsh, it could even be described as gentle, but it was this gentle persistence that always gave people a sense of lonely courage and tragedy, making people unable to help but soften their hearts.

Ji Heng's eyes flickered: "What if I'm interested in that position?"

"I will stand on the side of the Duke." Jiang Li said.

Ji Heng was silent, the smile on his lips disappeared, his eyes gradually became sharp, almost aggressive. Jiang Li did not give in at all, and persisted stubbornly.

After a while, Ji Heng looked away and cursed with a smile: "Fawning!"

Jiang Li felt a little relieved.

Although Ji Heng wanted a balanced court, it was still unknown why. But Jiang Li could also vaguely sense that Ji Heng was not very interested in the position of emperor. Although he seemed to like gorgeous and complicated things, he did things without being tactful or even rough. If he wanted the position of emperor, he could have used a simpler way instead of being so crooked that no one knew what he was doing.

But why he did what he did now was still a mystery. Jiang Li couldn't help but think of his biological mother Yu Hongye and General Jinwu, whose lives were also very mysterious. Perhaps what he was going to do was also related to his parents, but these were too private for Jiang Li to explore.

Perhaps it’s best not to find out.

Ji Heng did not show much emotion when he said that the emperor would become a king in the future. It can be seen that he would not interfere in this matter, which might be one of the scenarios he expected. If Ji Heng wanted to maintain a stable three-party power before, now it means that he is ready for the balance of the court to be broken.

What is the reason?

"What you want to ask me today is about Concubine Li?" Ji Heng's words brought Jiang Li back to her senses.

She said quickly, "There is one more thing I really don't understand. The truth about Ji Shuran's death was not allowed to be spread by the entire Jiang family. But it got out anyway, and everyone suspected that I did it, but it wasn't me. My father also sent people to investigate, but they didn't find any clues. I would like to ask the Duke, can you let Zhao Ke help investigate how the news was leaked?"

"I see you are very familiar with the whistle," Ji Heng teased her deliberately, "If you want to tell Zhao Ke to do something, just tell him directly. Why ask me?"

Jiang Li was a little embarrassed. She had been blowing the whistle quite frequently in the past few days, and she had become more comfortable with Zhao Ke. She said, "Zhao Ke is from the Duke's Mansion after all, and his master is also the Duke. If I ask him to do something, I naturally need the Duke's permission."

Ji Heng smiled faintly: "Okay." After a pause, he said: "Is it not good?"

Jiang Li was stunned: "What's wrong?"

"It's a good thing for you that Ji Shuran's past has been exposed to the public." Ji Heng said calmly, "You don't have to bear the infamy."

"It seems so, but I don't think the person who did this did it to vent his anger on me. Now everyone suspects that I did it, and the Jiang family's reputation is damaged. If this matter is directed at my father, it may not be good. This means that someone in the Jiang family mansion is colluding with outsiders to damage the Jiang family's reputation. The Duke knows that it is difficult to prevent traitors."

"You suspect Jiang Yuanbai?"

"To be precise, I suspect it has something to do with King Cheng." Jiang Li sighed, "After all, the Jiang family and the Right Prime Minister Li family were not on good terms before, and now King Cheng is targeting me because of the Xue family case."

Ji Heng looked at the girl in front of her. She seemed to be in distress, with her brows furrowed, but the corners of her lips were still relaxed. She probably thought that the current predicament was only temporary and she could solve it. She had the confidence to do so.

"Go ahead and investigate," Ji Heng raised her eyebrows and said, "No one can take your life away from me."

Jiang Li was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Thank you."...

When they came out of the Duke's Mansion, Wen Renyao even asked Jiang Li to bring a whole box of snacks, all of which were made by Ji Heng herself.

Jiang Li didn't look at Ji Heng's face, thinking that the other party's face was not very good. If the news that the Duke of the State actually washed his hands and did a pretty good job was spread, it would be just like the news that Concubine Li and King Cheng were colluding. Big things would happen. So Jiang Li decided to keep today's matter to herself and not tell anyone. After all, she didn't know how to use a planchette, and couldn't predict her own death like Wen Renyao.

However, the winter solstice was not as cold and lonely as she had thought. First she met Ah Zhao, then went to Ye's house, and there was a lively atmosphere at the Duke's house. When she returned to the Jiang family, Jiang Li was a little unaccustomed to such a cold atmosphere.

This winter, there have been many accidents, and several people have died. Recently, Jiang Yuanbo and Jiang Yuanping have been busy dealing with the malice of their colleagues in the court. How could they have the energy to celebrate the winter solstice? The mansion was no different from usual, so Jiang Li did not cause any trouble and went straight back to Fangfei Garden after returning.

After returning, Tong'er put away the box of snacks she brought from the Duke's Mansion carefully. Jiang Li looked at it and thought that if it was not food but jewelry, Tong'er would probably lock it up and put it in the treasury.

Bai Xue actually followed Tong Er to join in the fun and said, "This snack is very precious. You can't eat it with your usual tea. You have to use the best tea."

"What kind of tea is served in the Duke's Mansion?" Tong'er lowered her voice deliberately. She didn't want others to hear that her daughter was close to the Duke's Mansion.

Jiang Li said indifferently: "That is the tribute tea given by the emperor."

I thought this sentence would stop the two girls from going crazy, but I didn't expect Bai Xue to ask seriously, "Then should we find a way to ask the master for some? The master should get some too."

This made Jiang Li laugh and cry.

Just when everything was in a mess, Mingyue walked in from outside and said with a smile: "Bai Xue, here is your letter."

Bai Xue was very happy when she heard this. Letters from her family were not frequent, sometimes only one letter came in two or three months. No one in her family could read, so if they wanted to write a letter, they had to go to a village dozens of miles away and ask a pen writer to do it for them. The family was poor, and each letter cost a bunch of copper coins, so they cherished it very much.

These days, Bai Xue has also known Jiang Li more, and she happily hides in a corner to read the letter. Tong Er looked at Bai Xue's back and said, "She is really happy this time. A few days ago, she told me that it was almost the end of the year, and she hadn't received a letter from home. She was afraid that her family had forgotten about her daughter. Now she is relieved. Her family is thinking about her."

Jiang Li smiled. Since the people around her were happy, she was naturally happy too.

After a while, Bai Xue came back after reading the letter. Jiang Li saw her smiling face, thinking that everything was fine at home. Tong Er joked, "Why are you so happy? It's like you picked up a fortune."

"My sister-in-law gave me a new nephew." Bai Xue smiled and said, "This is a happy event."

"It's a happy event indeed." Jiang Li was also happy to hear that, so she said, "I'll go get some silver later, and you can ask someone to bring it back to your family as a wedding gift."

Bai Xue waved her hand and said, "No, the young lady has been taking good care of me on weekdays, and there is enough food and drink at home now."

"This is my feeling. It would be unreasonable for you to refuse." Jiang Li insisted.

"Just take it, it's a reward from the young lady." Tong'er also advised: "In the future, just remember the young lady's kindness and be loyal to her."

Bai Xue thought about it, and felt that if she refused again, she would seem ungrateful, so she smiled ashamedly and said, "Thank you for your kindness on behalf of my brother and sister-in-law." Suddenly she thought of something else and said, "Oh, by the way, last time the young lady asked me if there was a girl named Haitang in my hometown. My family has been asking about her, and I wrote in this letter that there is news."

Jiang Li was startled and stood up suddenly: "What did you say?"

Tong'er and Bai Xue were shocked by her. They didn't expect Jiang Li to have such a big reaction. Bai Xue quickly realized that the news about this girl named Haitang must be very important to Jiang Li. Anyway, the letter was just some family matters, and there was nothing that couldn't be shown to others. So she handed the letter in her hand to Jiang Li: "It's all written in the letter, take a look, girl."

Jiang Li couldn't wait to unfold the letter and read it. Tong'er was standing beside her and noticed that Jiang Li's hands were shaking. Tong'er was puzzled: the letter was so light, how could Jiang Li not hold it steadily?
Jiang Li could not hide her excitement. When she was Xue Fangfei, she was under house arrest in the mansion because of Yongning's scheme. She was stigmatized and vaguely realized that this might be a conspiracy. Then her two personal maids were beaten to death by Shen's mother. Jiang Li didn't even have time to stop them. When she left, there was only one body left. The remaining two were secretly "driven" out of the mansion by Jiang Li on the charge of theft.

When Shen's mother got the news, she rushed back to question her, but she refused to speak and only said that the maid took her money and ran away. Shen's mother had no choice but to report to the police, but the police searched the surroundings and could not find any trace of the two maids, so they had to give up.

Xue Fangfei didn't think much about it at the time. She just felt that with the habits of the Shen family, no matter if there was a conspiracy or not, since they believed that she had done something "ugly", they would definitely attack the maids around her. These maids had grown up with her since childhood and were as close as sisters. The dead could not be resurrected, but the living might have a chance to survive. As long as Dujuan and Haitang escaped, she would not have implicated them, and there might be a chance in the future to do the same thing again.

Who knew that this separation would be forever.

From the first moment she saw Bai Xue, although she was not good-looking, she was strong and could recognize a few words. Most importantly, she was from Zaohua Village, Haitang's hometown. Jiang Li thought with a fluke that it would be a good thing for her if she could get news about Haitang from Bai Xue.

But Jiang Li knew that this might be too small. Although the Shen family did not know where Haitang's hometown was, it was not certain that Princess Yongning would not find out by some means. If Princess Yongning also knew about this matter and sent some people to investigate, Haitang and Dujuan were two weak women after all. Although the world was big, it was difficult for them to hide.

It was originally a very slim hope, but now she suddenly got the news, telling her that this hope might be realistic. Jiang Li's joy was just like when she first knew Xue Huaiyuan was still alive, and she could no longer hide her expression.

She read the letter quickly, reading ten lines at a glance, but as she read, her eyes darkened.

Good things always come with bad things. Bai Xue's family said in the letter that Bai Xue had asked them to find out that there was indeed a daughter named Haitang next to the rice shop in the west of Zaohua Village. However, the parents of that family had died long ago, and now there were only two teenagers. It was heard that their elder sister, the girl named Haitang, had been a maid for the official lady many years ago.

A few months ago, a girl came to Zaohua Village. No one knew her name or her relationship with the two boys. She lived in the boys' home. Bai Xue's family passed by occasionally and heard the two boys calling the girl "sister". So they guessed that it was Haitang that Bai Xue had asked them to find out about before.

However, Bai Xue told her family according to Jiang Li's description that the girl Haitang was tall, thin, fair and clean, and had a good appearance, but the new girl was not. Although she was tall and thin, she was extremely ugly, especially the two long knife scars on her cheeks, with the skin and flesh turned out, which was very scary. At the end of the letter, Bai Xue's father was still very surprised, thinking that if this girl with scars on her face could be a maid for the official's daughter, then it would not be surprising that Bai Xue could be a close-fitting maid for the official's daughter.

Jiang Li almost couldn't hold the letter in her hand. She calmed herself down and read the letter twice, especially the part about Haitang. After reading it carefully several times, she became more and more certain that this person was most likely Haitang.

But how did Haitang become like this? Where did Dujuan go? Bai Xue's father mentioned in the letter that a strange girl came to Zaohua Village, just one person, not two. At that time, she asked Haitang and Dujuan to escape together. Dujuan had no one to rely on and could not go anywhere else. She would definitely be with Haitang. But now only Haitang is left. Could it be that Dujuan... Jiang Li didn't dare to think about it further, especially when she learned that Haitang's face was completely ruined, which made her unable to help but think wildly. Did these two girls meet with murder? Or did they encounter bad things on the way to escape? The more she thought about it, the harder it was to let it go. Jiang Li's face looked very ugly.

Tong'er and Bai Xue rarely saw Jiang Li in such an expression. They looked at each other at the same time, both confused. Especially Tong'er, she almost grew up with Jiang Li, and she knew everything about Jiang Li. But she never knew there was a maid named Haitang, and she didn't know what the relationship between Haitang and Jiang Li was, which could make the girl's emotions so affected. She became even more curious about this Haitang whom she had never met.

Jiang Li said: "Bai Xue, go get ready, I'll go to Ye Mansion."

"Ah?" Bai Xue was startled and reminded: "Miss, you have been to Ye Mansion today. You just came back from Ye Mansion."

Jiang Li came back to her senses. Yes, she had been to Ye Mansion today. Although she actually stayed in the Duke's Mansion for most of the day, in the eyes of the Jiang family, Jiang Li went to Ye Mansion in the morning and came back in the evening. It was unreasonable for her to go to Ye Mansion again.

Jiang Li pressed her nausea. She was so anxious that she was confused. She said, "Then go to Ye Mansion early tomorrow morning." She had to send someone to Zaohua Village as soon as possible to bring Haitang to Yanjing City. First, she didn't know what Haitang was like. It might not be safe to stay in Zaohua Village. If she could find Haitang's trace, Princess Yongning would definitely be able to find it. Second, if Shen Yurong and Yongning's affair was exposed, the truth behind Xue Fangfei's affair would be revealed. In order to prove that Shen Yurong and Princess Yongning conspired to kill the heir, Haitang would be a very important witness.

So no matter what, she had to take Haitang back. After thinking about it, she had no one available in the Jiang family, so she could only borrow someone from the Ye family. After all, Ye Mingyu had many brothers in the underworld, so as long as Ye Mingyu's people went to pick up Haitang, there should be no problem.

"Girl, are you okay?" Bai Xue asked cautiously.

"It's okay." Jiang Li forced a smile at her, "Bai Xue, I'll burn this letter for you."

Bai Xue nodded: "It's up to you, young lady." Although she didn't know how important the contents of the letter were, judging from Jiang Li's expression, the news about Miss Haitang was not a simple matter. Since she didn't know, she let Jiang Li handle it.

Jiang Li walked to the stove and threw the letter in. She watched the flames rise higher and devour the letter until nothing was left. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

She sat down at the desk again.

Perhaps it was because of the shock just now that he calmed down and realized that his thinking was wrong.

Ye Mingyu is a man of the underworld, but because of his relationship, Princess Yongning's people are also keeping an eye on the Ye Mansion. Once Ye Mingyu makes any move, Princess Yongning will definitely send someone to follow him, which will inevitably expose Haitang's existence. Moreover, if Ye Mingyu goes to Zaohua Village in person, there will be no one in the Ye Mansion to take care of Xue Huaiyuan. If Yongning secretly makes trouble, it is hard to say whether Xue Huaiyuan will be killed. If Ye Mingyu does not go to Zaohua Village in person, Jiang Li will not trust anyone else.

The most important thing is that although Ye Mingyu is a martial arts expert, it is hard to say whether he will win or lose against the killer hired by Yongning. If both sides are injured, and Ye Mingyu makes a mistake, Jiang Li will regret it. She really likes this uncle and hopes that Ye Mingyu can stay healthy forever.

It’s not appropriate to look for Ye Mingyu, who should I look for?
While Jiang Li was hesitating, her fingertips touched the porcelain whistle in her sleeve.

Oh, and she also has Zhao Ke. Although Zhao Ke is only one person, he is from the Duke's Mansion. Ji Heng talked to her today and asked her to blow the whistle as much as she wants. If Ye Mingyu is not able to deal with Princess Yongning's assassin, the situation will be very different if someone from the Duke's Mansion is replaced. Jiang Li is very sure that, firstly, the people from the Duke's Mansion will not let this matter leak out, and secondly, even if it is really leaked, Yongning's people will not be able to deal with the people from the Duke's Mansion if they confront each other on the road.

After much thought, asking Zhao Ke to do this, or rather, asking Zhao Ke to find someone trustworthy to do this, is the best option.

The only bad thing about this matter is that Ji Heng knows about Haitang's existence, and must be wondering about her relationship with Haitang. Why should she investigate Haitang? She will always find out the close connection between her and Xue Fangfei.

But it is impossible to do everything, so she can deal with future matters later. Right now, she must find Haitang.

Jiang Li blew the whistle.

　It’s the last day of June! We have spent another June together!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)