Chapter 146 Surprised
Zhao Ke came very quickly.

Perhaps he hadn't expected that Jiang Li would blow the whistle before midnight. He should still be doing something else, with snowflakes and grass residues from outside on his body. He stood in front of the window and said, "Second Miss."

"Zhao Ke, there is something I would like to ask you to do." Jiang Li looked at him.

Zhao Ke was stunned. Jiang Li had always acted as if it was natural and reasonable when she ordered him to do something. Zhao Ke was reluctant at first, but later he became numb. The adults had given him an order and he just had to obey. What else could he say?
But today, Miss Jiang's tone was almost earnest. Her expression was not as natural as before, but rather a little anxious and pleading.

Although everyone from the Duke's Mansion was hard-hearted, Zhao Ke still sighed in his heart when he saw Jiang Li's eyes. No wonder such a cold-blooded man like the Lord would repeatedly indulge Miss Jiang Er. When this young lady showed a pleading look, it would give people an illusion that as long as they rejected her, it would be an unforgivable sin.

"My Lord has given instructions. I will just do what the Second Miss asks me to do." Zhao Ke replied stiffly. No matter what he thought in his heart, he could not show it.

"My maid Bai Xue's hometown is Zaohua Village. Can you go... or can you find some people to go to Zaohua Village to pick up a girl named Haitang and bring her back to Yanjing City for me?"

Zhao Ke looked at Jiang Li in confusion. Where is Zaohua Village? He had never been to such a strange place to carry out a mission, and Jiang Li's request was even more incredible. To pick up a girl? He was not a coachman! Now Miss Jiang Er even asked him to be a coachman? But the monthly salary of the Duke's Mansion did not increase!

"I need to ask you about this matter, sir." Zhao Ke said.

Jiang Li understood. She knew that Zhao Ke would definitely tell Ji Heng about this. In fact, everything she asked Zhao Ke to do would eventually reach Ji Heng's ears. After all, Ji Heng was Zhao Ke's master. But this time, once Ji Heng knew about Haitang's affairs, with that man's wisdom, he might find some clues.

At least she and the Xue family were not completely unconnected on the surface. Perhaps Ji Heng had known about their deep connection for a long time.

Too many lice don't itch, too many debts don't worry, at this time, Jiang Li instead had the courage to break the jar and said, "Whatever."

Zhao Ke was surprised again. Since Miss Jiang didn't let anyone else do it, but asked someone from the Duke's Mansion to do it, it must be a very confidential matter. But she was not afraid of being known by Ji Heng. Could it be that the master and Miss Jiang were so familiar with each other? Wait, could it be that Miss Jiang also became the master's subordinate? Between subordinates and masters, there is naturally no need to hide anything.

Jiang Li didn't know that the guard in front of her had so many tricks in mind. She only said: "No matter how you tell your master, once your master agrees, please bring her back as soon as possible. On the way, you may encounter enemies chasing you, and the enemy may be quite powerful. Please be careful and protect Haitang's safety."

She spoke seriously. Zhao Ke, who had not taken it seriously at first, also felt Jiang Li's nervousness. He realized that this matter was probably very important to Jiang Li, so he did not dare to underestimate it and said, "I know. I will report it to you tonight and report back to Miss Jiang Er tomorrow morning."

Jiang Li nodded.

Zhao Ke disappeared outside the window. Bai Xue and Tong'er didn't know what had happened. They just tried their best to keep watch and guard the doors and windows. If the news of a strange man appearing in the young lady's yard got out, something bad would happen.

Jiang Li closed the window, blocking out the wind and snow outside, her heart beating fast.

If everything went well, if Zhao Ke could leave, soon, at most in a dozen days, she would be able to see Haitang.

Her sister in her previous life.

……

In the Duke's Mansion, Wen Ji soon received the news from Zhao Ke and told Ji Heng every word of it.

Lu Ji was in Ji Heng's study, discussing something with Ji Heng. Hearing this, he asked, "Why didn't Miss Jiang mention it during the day, but blew the whistle when she went home at night?"

"It is said that the decision was made at the last minute after receiving the letter in the evening," Wen Ji replied.

"Haitang..." Ji Heng sat on a chair, his bright red robe reaching the ground. The dim light illuminated the golden thread on the corner of his robe, like overflowing brilliance. He placed a finger on the letter paper, tapping it unconsciously, and said after a moment: "Zhao Ke will stay at the Jiang family. Wen Ji, pick a few people and have them go to Zaohua Village."

Wen Ji took the order and left.

After Wen Ji left, Lu Ji stroked his beard and asked curiously, "What is the relationship between Haitang and Second Miss Jiang? If Tongxiang is still in Xiangyang, and the Ye family is also in Xiangyang, then Second Miss Jiang can be related to Tongxiang if you insist, but Zaohua Village... there is really no connection."

Besides, after hearing the name, Lu Ji searched his mind and had never heard of it. He thought it was a farm in a small town. Jiang Li's request was so serious, it must not be that simple. Speaking of which, the last time in Tongxiang, Qiongzhi from Xihua Tower seemed to have nothing to do with Jiang Li, but Jiang Li learned about Xue Huaiyuan's situation based on Qiongzhi's message.

She always seemed to know something that others didn't know. If so, Haitang, who was cared about by Jiang Li, might also be related to something important.

"We'll know when we get there." Ji Heng said nonchalantly, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Is there any movement from King Cheng?"

"Recently, he has been meeting with court officials frequently, and spies have reported to him that he is discussing a conspiracy. However, he is divided into two factions, one advocating forcing the emperor to abdicate, and the other advocating a slow and steady approach. The situation is currently at a stalemate."

"The stalemate won't last long." Ji Heng chuckled, "He doesn't have that much patience."

"If after the New Year, next year, or at most one more year, King Cheng starts a rebellion, will you intervene..." Lu Ji asked. His question was not very clear. In fact, he had followed Ji Heng for a long time, but sometimes Lu Ji could not see clearly what Ji Heng was thinking and what would happen next.

"No, he can't win." The young man lazily played with the folding fan in his hand. As the fan opened and closed, the gorgeous peonies bloomed layer by layer, reflecting his face more and more deeply. He smiled playfully: "The little emperor has waited for so many years, just waiting for that day."

"I'm waiting for that day too." He looked out the window. The sky outside was dark ink-black. He could hear the whistling of the wind. His amber eyes were also darkened by the night, or perhaps it was the emotions in his eyes that darkened.

His voice was still gentle, but within that gentleness there was a deep coldness.

"Wait for the snake to come out of its hole."

……

The next day, Jiang Li finally felt relieved after hearing the news from Zhao Ke. Ji Heng agreed to send someone to pick up Haitang for her.

After tossing and turning last night and not sleeping all night, today, I finally felt like I had unloaded a heavy burden. Jiang Li sat down at the stone table in the yard, watching Qingfeng and Mingyue, two little maids, sweeping the snow.

She realized that since her trip to Tongxiang, her relationship with Ji Heng had become a state of neither enemy nor friend. He kept saying that he wanted her life, so Jiang Li did not have too many concerns when facing him. Now that she thinks about it, many things were completed so smoothly because of Ji Heng's help.

Whether it was the matter of Jiang Yu'e, Xue Huaiyuan, Taoist Chongxu, or Haitang, Ji Heng had intervened in each of them. She was originally not involved in the play, but she stayed with her from beginning to end. Jiang Li was not a heartless person. On the contrary, Xue Huaiyuan taught her to be grateful since she was a child. She saw everything Ji Heng did, but her attitude was neither cold nor warm. She just wanted to protect herself. After all, the current situation was too complicated, and Ji Heng was not simple either.

If you owe someone a favor, you must pay it back. She didn't know how she could help Ji Heng with her meager strength. But she thought that if Ji Heng was really in trouble in the future, she would definitely not hide it. This had nothing to do with her life being in Ji Heng's hands, it was just a simple thank you.

If Yongning and Shen Yurong were punished, she would really have no regrets except for Xue Huaiyuan.

In the Jiang Mansion, while Jiang Li was relaxed, there was someone who was not so relaxed. This person was Jiang Youyao from Yaoguangzhu.

Since Ji Shuran's death, Jiang Youyao's life has fallen from the sky. Regardless of whether the Jiang family's servants were opportunistic, the servants in the entire mansion knew what Ji Shuran did that day, and naturally they would not be happy with Ji Shuran's daughter. Although she had never neglected etiquette on weekdays, Jiang Youyao had clearly seen them looking at her with meaningful eyes several times. She knew what that look was, a look of contempt and disdain.

Jiang Youyao was so angry that she was about to go crazy. She acted capriciously like before and lashed out at a few servants she didn't like, but was severely reprimanded by Old Lady Jiang and Jiang Yuanbo. In the past, Jiang Youyao was spoiled and willful, and she only thought it was the innocence of a young girl. Now that Ji Shuran had a precedent, everyone would inevitably associate Jiang Youyao's behavior with Ji Shuran's vicious nature. If Jiang Youyao also learned Ji Shuran's vicious nature, then her actions would definitely not be just capricious.

To Jiang Youyao, it was because of Ji Shuran that Jiang Yuanbo and Old Lady Jiang no longer loved her, and even despised her. Everyone in the entire Jiang family looked down on her. In fact, not to mention her, even Old Lady Jiang no longer doted on Jiang Bingji as before, and became strict with him - the offspring could not grow crooked from the root, and Ji was the best example.

Under such circumstances, Jiang Youyao felt like her life was a living hell.

She had written a letter to the Ji family, hoping that Ji Yanlin would send someone to take her back to the Ji family. Since the Jiang family didn't like her, the Ji family would naturally help her. But there was no reply, and Jiang Youyao suspected that the letter was blocked by the old lady. She couldn't do anything. There were rumors everywhere, and it was rumored that she was not Jiang Yuanbo's daughter, but the illegitimate child of Ji Shuran and Liu Wencai. All these things almost suffocated Jiang Youyao.

At this time, she even envied Jiang Yu'e, who was a concubine of Zhou Yanbang of Ningyuan Marquis Mansion. Even if she was a concubine, she could marry her lover. Zhou Yanbang was so gentle, he would definitely understand and comfort her. Thinking of this, Jiang Youyao couldn't help but hate Jiang Li again. If Jiang Li and Jiang Yu'e hadn't conspired at the beginning, how could Jiang Yu'e have snatched her marriage, which was originally hers! Jiang Li took away her favor in the Jiang family, killed her mother, and let Jiang Yu'e take over the magpie's nest. She deserved to die!
Seeing Jiang Youyao's face changing, the maids around Jiang Youyao were also a little scared. Jiang Youyao's temperament had changed greatly in the past few days, and she would beat and scold the servants at will. Although the old lady and the master had ordered her, Jiang Youyao could still punish the servants at will in her own yard.

"I want to go out." The maid who was doing her job carefully suddenly saw Jiang Youyao stand up from the chair and said this.

"Miss, it's not easy to leave the mansion now." Yinhua reminded.

Especially Jiang Youyao, who had been under house arrest. Because there were all kinds of rumors about Jiang Youyao and Ji Shuran, if Jiang Youyao went out, it would inevitably cause a storm of gossip. If you can't afford to offend, you can still avoid it, so the Jiang family asked Jiang Youyao not to go out for the time being and stay in the mansion.

But in Jiang Youyao's eyes, the Jiang family did this simply because they were angry with her because of Ji Shuran's matter.

"If I stay in this mansion any longer, I don't know if I will survive." Jiang Youyao sneered and said, "Now no one takes me seriously. How can they remember that I am the third daughter of the Jiang family? If I stay in this mansion any longer, I will be forgotten like Aunt Hu back then and become a waste in the future!"

Jinhua moved her lips. In fact, she thought that this was only temporary. As long as Jiang Youyao behaved well, the master would still love this daughter. After all, she had been by his side for so many years, so he would not say that he had no feelings for her. Moreover, the master was kind-hearted. As long as this period of time passed, Jiang Youyao would act like a spoiled child or use some tricks to make her feel bad, and she would soon be able to return to the old days. But she didn't dare to say this. Jiang Youyao already had her own ideas, and it would be useless to say anything. Maybe it would touch Jiang Youyao's sore spot, so she just asked, "Where do you want to go, young lady?"

"Of course it's the Ji family." Jiang Youyao frowned. "Now my letters have been blocked. Grandfather and the others don't know that I am suffering in the Jiang family. As long as I escape from the mansion and go to the Ji family, I will never come back. After all, the Ji family is no worse than the Jiang family. My aunt is the queen in the palace. With my aunt as my boss, no one dares to bully me. Why am I still suffering here!"

Jinhua and Yinhua looked at each other in bewilderment. Jiang Youyao was spoiled by Ji Shuran and knew nothing about the outside world. She always thought that everyone in the world would always revolve around her. Little did they know that after this incident, the Ji family dared not even enter the Jiang family's door, so how could they let Jiang Youyao stay in the Ji family forever.

"Miss, you'd better wait a few more days. The concierge at the mansion has been too strict these days, and I'm afraid you won't find a chance." Jinhua advised.

"It will be the end of the year soon. The mansion will have to make purchases and do many things. Then will be my chance." She looked at her two maids coldly: "Don't have any other thoughts. Your indentures are still in my hands. If this fails and the secret is leaked..." The viciousness that flashed across her eyes was exactly the same as Ji Shuran's.

The two maids couldn't help but shudder in their hearts and knelt down hurriedly to show their loyalty, not daring to say anything.

……

After the winter solstice, it will be the end of the year in less than a month.

Even though a lot of things have happened to the Jiang family in the past six months, even someone lost their life, the careers of the Jiang Yuanbai brothers have not been smooth, and the Jiang family is still regarded as a joke by outsiders, but this year they still have to celebrate.

The whole house was busy without anyone noticing. Pearl and Jade from Wanfeng Hall came several times, asking Jiang Li when she would go to the jewelry store to pick out jewelry. Jiang Li didn't particularly like jewelry, and after going there once, she didn't want to go again. Madam Jiang asked someone to invite a tailor to Fangfei Garden to make new clothes for Jiang Li. Jiang Li knew that this was to compensate her.

Speaking of tailoring clothes, there was another time during this period when Madam Jiang took her to a banquet, a family banquet for officials’ wives. Jiang Li wore the clothes made of the new water pattern of the Ye family, which attracted the attention of a group of noble ladies, who pulled her to ask where she bought the fabric. Jiang Li then mentioned the name of the Ye family in Xiangyang. Not long after, Ye Mingyu received a letter from Xiangyang saying that the Ye family’s water pattern was in short supply, and many clothing stores in Yanjing City came to order the fabric. The Ye family’s textile factory has been working day and night these days.

When Jiang Li heard Ye Mingyu talk about this, she felt very relieved. After all, the ancient satin of the Ye family did not fall, and the waves rose. The difficulties of the Ye family were considered to have passed. Old Madam Ye's health gradually recovered, and everything was developing in a good direction. Even Xue Huaiyuan, under the treatment of Situ Jiuyue, became more energetic day by day, and now he can recognize people and call out their names.

This year-end does not seem to be difficult to endure, as if many things can be easily solved and there are no difficulties.

Fifteen days after the winter solstice, the crabapple returns.

Zhao Ke stood in front of Jiang Li's window and said, "I'm in the Duke's Mansion now. I'm afraid I'll attract attention if I stay in the Jiang family. There are people watching at the door of the Ye family. The second young lady wants to see Haitang. The adults said that we can go to the Duke's Mansion."

Jiang Li: "...I'm afraid it will attract attention."

"It's okay. My Lord said that if the Second Miss wants to go, she can go late at night and no one will find out." Zhao Ke said it simply, but Jiang Li felt a headache after hearing it.

"How can I get out of the house in the middle of the night?" Jiang Li asked, hoping that the person in front of her could consider some practical issues. She was the daughter of the Prime Minister's family, how could she go out in the middle of the night, and go to the Duke's Mansion. Unless she had Qinggong like Ye Mingyu, and was masked and had no fixed whereabouts, then it would be fine.

"Don't worry, Miss. I will take care of everything." Zhao Ke said confidently.

Jiang Li looked at Zhao Ke carefully for a long time, and Zhao Ke lowered his head in embarrassment, before she was sure that the guard in front of him was not joking and was really proposing such a solution. She still wanted to struggle, so she asked: "Isn't there another way? In fact, we can meet at a restaurant on the street."

"The person the Second Miss is looking for is very distrustful of others. Even now, she remains wary of us." Zhao Ke replied, "If we hadn't subdued her, she would have escaped."

"You subdued her?" Jiang Li was shocked. "Didn't you tell her that the people who came to find her would not hurt her but were here to help her?"

"She did." Zhao Ke shrugged, "but she didn't believe it."

Jiang Li's heart gradually sank. Haitang was so wary of others and refused to believe anything. It was obvious that something really happened to her. At least she had encountered something. At this point, she could not care about anything else. The most urgent thing was to see Haitang first, comfort her, and find out what happened after she died and she and Dujuan ran away.

Jiang Li said: "Okay, I'm going to the Duke's Mansion tonight. Is it convenient for the Duke?"

Zhao Ke raised his head in surprise. Did she agree so quickly? He thought Miss Jiang would struggle for a while before agreeing. After all, a young lady going to a strange man's house late at night would make anyone struggle.
But think about it, it is not right, after all, the Lord is the Duke of Suguo, which woman in the whole Beiyan does not like the Duke of Suguo? Even if something really happens, Miss Jiang will not lose anything, and even make a profit.

Thinking of this, the surprise in Zhao Ke's eyes faded away completely in an instant, and he said with a look of understanding, "Okay, I will report this to you, sir."

Jiang Li nodded.

Zhao Ke left. Jiang Li watched him leave without closing the window. She just looked at the vast expanse of white outside, not knowing whether she was happy or sad.

The good news is that Haitang is still here, and now she is meeting her old friend. The sad thing is that time has passed, things have changed, and Haitang can't recognize her, and she can't recognize Haitang rashly. They have both experienced a huge blow, and are no longer the carefree girls they used to be.

Tong'er stood beside Jiang Li and asked in a low voice: "Miss, are you going to the Duke's Mansion tonight?"

Jiang Li looked at Tong'er and said, "I went to the Duke's Mansion and got very close to Ji Heng. What do you think? Or," she looked at Bai Xue again, "what do you think?"

This was the first time she had spoken to the two maids so seriously. For Tong'er and Bai Xue, they often did not understand why Jiang Li did what she did. Even Tong'er, who grew up with Jiang Li, was confused by the many people who were related to Jiang Li.

Tong'er stammered, "What, what's going on? Miss, don't you want us servants anymore?" Her eyes turned red, as if she was about to cry at the next moment.

Jiang Li was stunned, but was made to laugh and cry by Tong'er, so she reached out to close the window. Qingfeng Mingyue was guarding the door outside. She sat down on the chair, sighed, and said, "I think you can see that these days with me, my life is not peaceful, and even full of danger. And what I am going to do may offend the powerful people in Yanjing City, and I may not be able to protect myself." After a pause, she said, "You are the people closest to me. I don't want to deceive you. I can only tell you that what I am going to do in the future may be even more shocking. In comparison, going to the Duke's Mansion late at night can be said to be a trivial matter. Can you accept this?"

Bai Xue thought about it and asked seriously, "What if you don't accept it?"

Tong'er quickly pulled Bai Xue's sleeve, but Bai Xue was unmoved. She was a straightforward person and said what she meant. It seemed that she was really confused about Jiang Li's answer.

"If you don't accept, you can't stay by my side. Not only because I'm afraid of getting you into trouble, but also because you can't help me." Jiang Li said it very frankly, but her frankness did not make people feel uncomfortable or selfish. Instead, they felt that what she said was sincere. She said: "I hope that the people around me can help, even if it's just a small help. After all, there are too many dangers to face in the future, and I don't want to fail now. As for what I can give you in return..." She thought for a while and said: "Money and property are naturally not a problem, but for the important things, I will treat you sincerely."

The most precious thing in the world is sincerity.

Tong'er bit her lip, her voice filled with tears, and she took a step forward and said, "Miss, no matter what you want to do, I have followed you since I was a child. If you don't want me, I have nowhere to go. If you are in danger in the future, Tong'er will save you even if she sacrifices her life. This is the way of master and servant... I will follow you forever!"

Before Jiang Li could say anything, she heard Bai Xue say, "So do I." She was not good at speaking and didn't say much, but her four words were sonorous and powerful, and one could tell her determination.

Jiang Li looked at the two girls, feeling distressed and touched. Haitang's story reminded her that what she did was dangerous and could implicate people around her at any time. Without the knowledge of people around her, just like Xue Fangfei back then, Princess Yongning still took the opportunity to harm Xue Zhao and Xue Huaiyuan. Although Tong'er and Bai Xue could not understand why she did this, they had to know what they were facing.

If they cannot bear such consequences, they should leave as soon as possible and not get involved in the vortex of right and wrong.

And they all chose to stay.

"Girl, no matter what you are facing, you are never alone." Snow White said.

Jiang Li smiled slightly: "Yes." She has two loyal maids and the love of the Ye family. Although Jiang Yuanbai and Old Madam Jiang are selfish, they still feel guilty about her. Now the traces of Xue Fangfei have been erased, but the traces of Jiang Li are being recovered one by one.

After talking to Tong'er Baixue, she finally calmed Tong'er down. After that, Jiang Li didn't do much. Just like usual, she read books and wrote in the yard, or drank tea and listened to the maids' gossip, waiting for the night to fall.

At night, no noisy voices could be heard anywhere in Yanjing City. Even when the sound of the wind died down, a lamp in Jiang Li's yard was still burning dimly. When the maid came to urge her several times, the light in the yard went out. The owner must have fallen asleep.

But in fact, Jiang Li was not asleep. She sat at her desk. There was no moon in the sky, only thick clouds. The only light was a lantern hanging on a tree in the yard. The lantern light shone on the ground, making the snow look white and shiny. Everything was quiet and silent. There was no sound in the entire Jiang family.

I don’t know how much time had passed, but when Jiang Li was about to doze off, there was suddenly a noise outside the window.

Someone is tapping on the window.

Jiang Li was startled, thinking that it must be Zhao Ke who came, and subconsciously went to open the window. Unexpectedly, the person was also looking this way, so Jiang Li reached over the desk and opened the window, and saw a stunning face.

Ji Heng is here.

(End of this chapter)