Chapter 148 Sincerity
"Xiao Deyin, and everyone in the Shen family." Haitang said.

The light was dim, perhaps because the wick was too long. There was a slight breeze outside, blowing the flames, and for a moment it seemed to be extinguished. Jiang Li calmed down, picked up the silver scissors on the side, and cut the wick shorter. The flame stabilized, and the figure in the room stopped shaking.

"Why do you say that?" Jiang Li asked.

Haitang didn't answer, but just looked at Jiang Li and asked, "Can I trust you?"

Haitang is a calm, rational and decisive girl, otherwise she would not have been so cruel as to destroy her own face to avoid being hunted down by the soldiers. But the fact that she can ask this question now shows that she doesn't know who she can trust anymore, and she must find a reason to rely on to keep herself alive.

Jiang Li's heart ached. Seeing Haitang was like seeing her past self. She said gently, "You can believe me. Like you, I hope the truth will be known to the world and Xue Fangfei can regain her innocence."

Haitang seemed to be moved by the sincerity in her eyes. After a long while, she slowly said, "That day, Xiao Deyin came to Madam Shen's birthday banquet. She and the young lady are good friends and often play the piano together. That afternoon, Xiao Deyin had been drinking with Madam Shen. Madam Shen was pregnant and not good at drinking, so she only wanted to drink a little. However, Xiao Deyin pretended to be angry and insisted on finishing a glass with Madam Shen."

"I found it a little strange. Mr. Xiao has always been very gentle and considerate. He would never force anyone to do something like this, especially for Miss. But Miss didn't think it was a big deal. I am a servant, so I naturally cannot blame Xiao Deyin."

"Later, the young lady got drunk and I wanted to help her back to her room. Xiao Deyin's maid pestered me and said she couldn't find the way to the kitchen and wanted to go get some sobering soup. When I came back from the kitchen, the young lady was gone. They said that the young lady from Mr. Xiao's house had returned to her room."

"Then, Xiao Deyin came back alone. He said that the young lady was resting in her room. Not long after, someone found a man in the young lady's room, having an affair with someone."

Haitang said bitterly, "We are with the young lady day and night, so we know that she is innocent and would never have an affair with anyone. But the evidence is irrefutable. Later, I thought about it and found that Xiao Deyin's actions were very unnatural. I wanted to find more evidence to confirm that it was Xiao Deyin who framed me, but before I could do it, the young lady drove Du Juan and me out." She smiled bitterly, "But even if I told the young lady about this, she might not believe it. After all, Xiao Deyin had no reason to harm the young lady. She is not interested in fame and fortune and has a gentle temperament. The young lady has always been on good terms with her and has no grudge against her. I can't find any reason for her to do this."

Jiang Li shook her head gently: "People's hearts are hard to predict, and everything can be a reason."

"Do you believe me?" Haitang was shocked.

"I believe it." Jiang Li replied. Of course she believed it. Later, when she was lying in bed and unable to leave the Shen Mansion, she recalled the details of that day countless times. The more she thought about it, the more suspicious Xiao Deyin became. As for why Xiao Deyin did this, she couldn't find the answer in her previous life. After the six arts verification in this life, she probably caught the clue.

It's nothing but jealousy.

Jealousy is ugly, especially when Xiao Deyin pretends to be aloof and indifferent to worldly affairs, but in fact does not allow anyone to surpass her. She hides her ambition and selfishness under a generous and gentle appearance, which is the most disgusting.

Jiang Li paused and continued: "So, what do you mean by everyone in the Shen family?"

Haitang's eyes turned and she suddenly sneered, "Don't you find it strange? Miss has been making excuses since the affair, but no one in the Shen family is willing to listen to her. This kind of thing is not a good reputation for the Shen family, but the Shen family not only did not have anyone investigate the matter, but they even seemed eager to convict Miss. Especially the son-in-law."

Jiang Li's heart skipped a beat: "Shen Yurong? How is he?"

Haitang was slightly startled when she heard Jiang Li calling Shen Yurong by her name, but she quickly put this doubt behind her. She said, "Before the marriage, the uncle took good care of the young lady. After the marriage, my young lady followed him to Yanjing City. They were unfamiliar with the place, and it was difficult to serve Madam and Young Lady Shen. My young lady also had to do everything herself, and I don't know how much grievance she suffered secretly. The uncle always said he was sorry, but never changed anything. He would rather wronged the young lady than blame Madam and Young Lady Shen. That's fine," she said hatefully, "The young lady is in trouble, and he is the young lady's husband, so he should trust the young lady without reservation. But what did he do? He didn't say anything, but he still blamed the young lady. This is cutting the young lady's flesh!"

"Others think that he didn't divorce Miss and didn't punish her, which is a sign of his deep love and loyalty. It's ridiculous," Haitang's voice became faster and faster, as if she wanted to vent all her anger. She said, "That's not the case at all. Our Miss did nothing wrong and lost a child in vain, but he never did anything. He pretends to be affectionate and loyal on the surface, but everyone knows that he has long had other intentions!"

After hearing the last sentence, Jiang Li's heart was shaken. She asked slowly, "What do you mean by disloyalty?"

Haitang seemed to finally understand what she had said. She closed her mouth tightly, and looked flustered for a moment.

Jiang Li did not give her a chance to remain silent. She asked, "Have you discovered that Shen Yurong and Princess Yongning are having an affair?"

"How do you know?" Haitang stood up suddenly, her voice full of surprise.

Jiang Li understood, she patted Haitang's hand, "Sit down first and talk slowly."

Haitang sat down again, looking at Jiang Li with a wary and suspicious look. She asked again, "How did you know?"

"After Xue Fangfei's death, I was entrusted to investigate the matter thoroughly and found out that Shen Yurong and Princess Yongning had an affair that could not be revealed. It was because of this that the Xue family suffered a sudden disaster, Xue Fangfei died, and she was charged with adultery."

"You...you mean," Haitang was horrified, "Princess Yongning did it? She wanted to take over the Shen family, so she harmed my young lady and the entire Xue family!"

Jiang Li nodded.

"Vicious woman!"

"Now can you tell me why you said that you knew Shen Yurong had a different heart? Maybe you found out that Shen Yurong and Princess Yongning were together?" Jiang Li asked. In her previous life, when she knew about the affair between the two, Jiang Li was already sick in bed, dying. But she didn't know that the maid beside her already knew about it.

"I'm not sure," Haitang calmed down for a while and slowly recalled, "At that time, my young lady had just become pregnant, and my brother-in-law also won the first place in the imperial examination. The whole family was in high spirits. I accompanied my young lady to take care of her pregnancy every day. One day, when I was shopping outside the mansion, I saw a carriage from the mansion parked in front of a teahouse. That carriage was used by my brother-in-law on weekdays. I thought that my brother-in-law might be drinking tea inside, and just as I was about to leave, I saw my brother-in-law and a young woman walking out one after another."

"I once accompanied the young lady to a banquet and met this woman. I know she is the sister of King Cheng, Princess Yongning. My son-in-law has not done anything wrong, but the look in Princess Yongning's eyes is not right. I know the look in a woman's eyes when she admires someone, and Princess Yongning's eyes are clearly filled with admiration for my son-in-law."

"But I dare not tell this to the young lady. Firstly, the young lady is pregnant and should not worry about these things. If the fetus is disturbed, it will be a top priority. Secondly, this is only my one-sided view. After all, from what I saw at the time, the son-in-law did not do anything special to Princess Yongning. It was just that Princess Yongning seemed to have a one-sided affection for the son-in-law."

"I thought it was a small matter. My uncle already had our young lady as his wife, and a princess couldn't possibly be someone's concubine. Even if Princess Yongning had feelings for my uncle, she couldn't do anything about it. But for some reason, I couldn't let it go. Later, I found that whenever there were important banquets, Princess Yongning would be there when my uncle was present. I don't know if I was being overly suspicious, but I actually blamed my uncle a little."

"If Master really didn't want Princess Yongning to bother him, he could have been a little bit more rude or cold to teach her to give up. But Princess Yongning is so persistent, it must be that Master's attitude is not harsh enough." Haitang let out a breath, as if she still felt depressed when thinking about these things. She said, "My young lady is soft-hearted and always considerate of Master. Even if I tell her about this, she will probably pretend not to know. And she is pregnant, so she can't do anything."

"Who knew that something like this would happen..."

Jiang Li didn't know what to feel for a moment after hearing Haitang's words. She didn't expect that some things in her previous life had already been revealed so early. But because she showed too much love for Shen Yurong and was too submissive, Haitang had some doubts but didn't dare to say it out loud, for fear of hurting her and causing a big mistake.

"If I had known that Princess Yongning was harboring evil intentions and that my husband had let a wolf into the house, I should have told Miss about Princess Yongning earlier! I should have told Miss to be careful and alert, so that Miss would not be caught off guard and fall into Princess Yongning's trap!"

"You are wrong." Jiang Li said calmly: "Even if you told your daughter early on that Princess Yongning had a crush on Shen Yurong, she would still be unable to avoid this ending. Because, she can be wary of Princess Yongning, but she can't be wary of the person next to her."

Haitang frowned: "What does this mean?"

"Xue Fangfei didn't die at the hands of Princess Yongning, she died at the hands of Princess Yongning and Shen Yurong. Shen Yurong knew that Princess Yongning would kill his first wife, but he stood by and watched, so Xue Fangfei couldn't have survived. When her husband teamed up with outsiders, she couldn't resist with her character."

She knew that in her previous life, she was too soft-hearted and trusted Shen Yurong too much, and didn't understand the cruelty and complexity of human hearts. If she hadn't died once, how could she see through it, and how could she let Jiang Li live soberly and indifferently now.

It's just that every failure makes you wiser.

"I don't know... I don't know..." Haitang murmured, "After the young lady got into trouble, I had a mean thought that maybe the son-in-law would take this opportunity to divorce the young lady and marry Princess Yongning. This is a scheme they set up, and the purpose is to let Princess Yongning marry into the Shen family smoothly. But the son-in-law didn't have the idea of ​​divorcing the young lady, and I thought that I was thinking too much. Although the young lady is suffering day by day, I thought that after so many years of husband and wife relationship, the son-in-law will always be soft-hearted. As long as this knot is untied, he can find a chance to investigate the matter, and it may not be impossible to get rid of it."

"I didn't expect that he would kill the young lady instead of divorcing her." As soon as Haitang finished speaking, she suddenly raised her head and looked at Jiang Li with an intense tone, as if she had to ask for an answer. She said, "Why did he do this? Why is he so cruel? If it was just to let Princess Yongning marry into the Shen family, he could have divorced the young lady. Why did he have to kill her so ruthlessly and take her life!"

"Because Princess Yongning likes her." In contrast, Jiang Li's tone and expression were much calmer. She said, "If Xue Fangfei is alive, she will become a thorn in Princess Yongning's heart, reminding her that Shen Yurong once belonged to Xue Fangfei. For the possessive Princess Yongning, this is an unforgivable sin. Moreover, if Xue Fangfei were alive, she would certainly keep investigating the adulterer. If she was found out that she was framed, it would inevitably cause twists and turns. In order to put an end to it all, to get rid of the thorn in her eye, Xue Fangfei must die."

"As for Shen Yurong, it's even simpler. Once he chose to stand aside and watch, he had to obey any decision made by Princess Yongning. He had no right to object, perhaps because he simply didn't want to object."

The truth was cruel, husband and wife could actually turn their swords against each other. Haitang looked at Jiang Li. This strange girl spoke in a gentle and calm tone, not as excited as herself, but for some reason, she felt a little familiar in her expression.

It was as if she had seen him somewhere before, which made it difficult for her to have any bad feelings. Haitang discovered that when facing this Second Miss Jiang, she unconsciously told everything she knew. Her heart told herself to be on guard, but when facing Jiang Li, she couldn't help but trust her.

Perhaps it was because she had been running around for nearly a year and it was too hard for her. When she was alone under such pressure, another person suddenly appeared, gently holding her hand, telling her that she could share the burden, and that their goals were the same, she would involuntarily want to rely on the past, want to trust, and want to seek an ally. She refused to believe whether there was a hidden purpose or exploitation.

Jiang Li said, "I think that Princess Yongning was responsible for the sudden arrest of you and Du Juan by the government. She was on good terms with Jingzhao Yin, so it was easy for her to bribe the government to do these things. She was able to use the government's reputation to convict and kill you, but then erased all traces. It's clear that she didn't do things in an upright manner."

"She is really...too cruel!" Haitang gritted her teeth.

"When your young lady released the two of you, she was only concerned about guarding against Shen's mother's outburst, but she didn't think about Princess Yongning. Du Juan lost her life in vain. It was her inconsiderateness." Jiang Li sighed. She really blamed herself. If she had thought more deeply at the beginning, perhaps these two maids would not have suffered this fate.

"Miss Jiang Er, you are wrong. My lady treated us well. Even in such a dangerous situation, she still wanted to protect us. If you want to blame someone, blame the adulterous couple. They are vicious and inhumane. They killed my wife and destroyed my heir. If the heaven has eyes, they should go to hell!"

"Why should we pray to the heavens?" Jiang Li said calmly, "If the heavens had eyes, they would not let such a tragedy happen in the world. It is better to rely on ourselves." Haitang looked at her and asked doubtfully, "Second Miss Jiang, although I don't know who entrusted you, I want to ask you a question, are you going to help our young lady to redress her injustice?"

"Yes." Jiang Li replied.

Haitang looked at her for a while, then suddenly stood up and knelt down, kowtowed twice to Jiang Li, and said, "Haitang has nothing, and has nothing to repay you. If you can help my young lady seek justice, you can ask Haitang to pay any price!"

Xue Fangfei was already dead, so Haitang was free to go somewhere else and live the life she wanted. But she still stayed for the Xue family.

Jiang Li helped her up. She said, "I won't ask you to pay any price. You just need to live well. As long as you are alive, there is evidence of Shen Yurong and Princess Yongning's crimes. As long as you are here, you will be the witness when the truth comes out." She smiled and said, "I will do my best to protect you and prevent them from finding you, so that you can live in peace. Just wait for one day, when the Xue family's case comes to light again, you can get what you want."

Haitang burst into tears after hearing these words. She had lived in darkness for too long that she no longer expected the light to come. She knew she couldn't touch it, so she simply stopped thinking about it. Now someone suddenly appeared and told her that the darkness was about to end, and that if she walked a little further, she would see the light.

Finding a ray of light in the midst of grief is like a drowning person grabbing a life-saving straw and not wanting to let go.

Jiang Li talked to Haitang for a while and asked her about what happened to her and Dujuan while they were hiding from the soldiers. Haitang was also surprised to learn from Jiang Li that Xue Huaiyuan had been imprisoned and rescued. She was hiding from the soldiers in Zaohua Village and didn't know that the Xue family had changed so much. Jiang Li promised her that he would take her to the Ye family in a few days to meet Xue Huaiyuan in person.

Jiang Li didn't leave the room until the oil in the lamp ran out. The Duke's Mansion sent several people to serve Haitang. She was always on guard against people and easily nervous, so it was difficult for her to rest for a while.

Ji Heng sat quietly beside the stone table in the yard, with Wen Ji holding an umbrella for him behind him to block the falling snowflakes.

When Jiang Li came out, Ji Heng asked Wen Ji to hold an umbrella and go to Jiang Li's side.

Snow fluttered down on his bright red robe, decorating it with brilliance. He asked, "Are you done?"

"That's it."

Ji Heng raised her eyebrows and said, "You don't look very interested."

Jiang Li forced a smile. Anyone who knew about this would not be in a good mood. She moved her lips, hesitated for a moment, and did not say anything. Seeing this, Ji Heng just smiled and said, "If you have a request for me, you can just say it directly, no need to hesitate."

"Miss Jiuyue..." Jiang Li said, "Duke, can you please ask Miss Jiuyue to take a look at the scar on Haitang's face? I know it's a bit difficult to ask, the scar is very deep, but I still hope Miss Jiuyue can take a look at it for her, even if it can make the scar lighter."

In order to avoid being hunted down by the soldiers, Haitang did not hesitate to destroy her own appearance, but she was originally a pretty and lovely girl. Now she looks like neither a human nor a ghost. Even if Haitang herself does not say it, Jiang Li can feel her inner loss. Situ Jiuyue is a miracle doctor, so perhaps he can have some solutions of his own.

"Okay." Ji Heng said, "I'll let her come tomorrow."

"Thank you." Jiang Li pursed her lips. "These days, I am grateful for your care, Duke. I don't know how I can repay your kindness, but I really thank you, Duke, sincerely."

"Sincerity is the cheapest thing. I don't want it." Ji Heng looked at her with a smile, "Why don't you come and complete this drama? It will be worth all my efforts."

Jiang Li smiled and said, "I'll try my best."

"What did you learn from her?" Ji Heng asked.

Jiang Li thought about it and did not hide it: "How Yongning and Shen Yurong framed Xue Fangfei for having an affair with someone."

Ji Heng's eyes flashed with surprise, as if he had not expected her to answer so directly. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "What are you going to do?"

"Follow the clues." Jiang Li said: "There is another person in this frame-up, that is the current zither artist Xiao Deyin. According to Haitang, Xiao Deyin might have been the one who drugged Xue Fangfei on Shen's mother's birthday. I think as long as Xiao Deyin is found and convicted, either Xiao Deyin will bite out Princess Yongning, or Yongning will lose her composure and make trouble herself."

Ji Heng nodded: "That's a good idea. But Yongning is not that easy to deal with."

"I know, but dealing with Yongning will also help in the fight against King Cheng. I guess I have helped the Duke." Jiang Li smiled.

"Help me?" Ji Heng seemed to have heard something funny. He asked, "Why should I attack King Cheng?"

"You are certainly not trying to strike at King Cheng. You don't have to. The balance of power in the court that you wanted has already been achieved before. Now you want Your Majesty to break this situation. The final outcome will be that King Cheng loses and Your Majesty wins, and King Cheng will naturally become the victim. As for Your Majesty being able to win this war with less loss, that is also what you want to see." Jiang Li smiled: "As long as it is what you want to achieve, I am willing to help as long as I can. It's a pity that my words are not influential, and I can only do a little." She sighed softly as if she was very sorry.

Wen Ji and Zhao Ke twitched their lips at the same time.

There are very few people in the world who can guess Ji Heng's thoughts. Even if they guessed it, they probably wouldn't dare to say it so clearly. How many people in the world can tolerate someone who can guess their thoughts? So there are many people who pretend to be confused when they know the truth, but Jiang Li never hides her shrewdness. Is this fearlessness or naivety?

Ji Heng put away his smile and looked at Jiang Li quietly. He was a rare beauty in the world. When he looked at you deeply, he could not help but captivate you. However, his eyes were very cold, just like a snowy night in winter, without a trace of warmth.

After a long while, he whispered, "You know everything."

Jiang Li didn't say anything.

"Ahri, you are surrendering to me." He raised the corners of his lips, "You are telling me everything about yourself, just to reassure me?"

"It's true love for true love." Jiang Li corrected him. She had no choice. She had to rely on Ji Heng's power, which was even more important than relying on the power of the Jiang family. But she had nothing to repay Ji Heng, and Ji Heng didn't need her to repay her. She could only get a little information from the current situation and tell Ji Heng the information intact.

Tell Ji Heng: Look, I have no ulterior motives, I am on your side, so we are allies.

Ji Heng said: "I accept your sincerity. As for what you can repay me, just finish the task at hand first."

He didn't refuse.

Jiang Li smiled and said, "Okay."

After Jiang Li left the Duke's Mansion, Zhao Ke also left. Haitang stayed in the Duke's Mansion. After all, Haitang's identity was too sensitive. Even if she had destroyed her appearance, in order to be sure that she would not be discovered by Yongning's people, the Duke's Mansion was the safest. After all, Yongning's people did not dare to follow her in the Duke's Mansion.

Ji Heng did not return to the house, but continued to sit in the yard. The snow seemed to have slackened a lot, and Wen Ji no longer held an umbrella. In the vast white, only the bright colors were compelling, and the red stood out.

He was still sitting there, as if he didn't feel the cold. The snowflakes had kissed his eyelashes, leaving a little fluffy white, which made him look even more charming.

The cunning girl surrendered voluntarily, but he was also confused. Yes, Jiang Li couldn't repay him. If at the beginning it was just to watch the show, to see what would be left after the fight after throwing this carnivorous plant into the flower garden of Yanjing City. Now, what he has paid is far more than the attention required to watch a show.

Is he the kind of person who gives without expecting anything in return?
No, he won’t spend any extra energy on things that have no benefit.

So what is the reason for him to do this? This is not a particularly exciting drama that people must watch and will regret for the rest of their lives if they miss it. In some ways, it has nothing to do with his life, but unknowingly, he has invested too much in it, so many times, he will pay attention to it unconsciously.

It's overdoing it.

Ji Heng frowned slightly.

It is a very beautiful thing when a beauty frowns, especially when there is a hint of puzzlement in her amber eyes, which are charming and innocent, seeking an unknown answer.

Is the reward for doing this kind of thing just a verbal word of "sincerity"?

Sincerity is just useless waste, it can only exist for a period of time, just like the flowers in spring, which only bloom for a short time and will not last forever. After a period of time, it will quickly decay, become ugly and smell bad, rot into mud, and no trace of its existence can be found anymore.

He doesn't need sincerity or a partner.

He wanted nothing from the world.

(End of this chapter)