Chapter 149 Appearance
In the next few days, after finding Haitang's whereabouts, Jiang Li calmed down.

Just as she said to Ji Heng, besides Haitang, Xiao Deyin is the only living witness in the world. However, how to make Xiao Deyin tell the truth is also a troublesome matter. How Xiao Deyin drugged herself, or how Xiao Deyin reached a consensus with Princess Yongning, is still unknown. It seems that this is not just Xiao Deyin's own idea. If Princess Yongning did not support her behind the scenes, Xiao Deyin would not dare to do anything in the Shen Mansion for the time being - she is a person who pays attention to her reputation. Once it is exposed, her clean reputation will be lost.

She had to start with Xiao Deyin.

When I got up in the morning, it was not snowing, but it was foggy. Mingyue came in from outside and said with a smile, "Miss, Sister Pearl from the old lady's side just came and said that in two days, the new clothes made by the tailor will be ready. She asked if you still want any jewelry, so you can go to the jewelry store to make a pair."

Jiang Li smiled and said, "That's not necessary. I've sent a lot of things over the past few days."

Perhaps now she is the most guilty lady in the Jiang Mansion's main room. For a while, she has everything she needs, and everyone comes to care about her. Even Lu from the second room will let her sit in the yard and eat some snacks every time she sees her. Maybe she thinks that no matter what, Jiang Li defeated Ji Shuran, whom she despised the most, and it helped her. Isn't the power of the housekeeper of the Jiang Mansion in Lu's hands now?
Jiang Li had no ill feelings towards the second house, and she and Lu were polite to each other. In comparison, she was more wary of the third house. Jiang Yuanxing and Yang were now indifferent to the first and second houses. Jiang Yuanxing became more silent, and Jiang Yuyan had not seen him many times. Jiang Li calculated that after the New Year, it would not be long before Shen Ruyun would marry into the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion. In other words, Jiang Yu'e's good days were probably over.

No matter how Jiang Yu'e and Zhou Yanbang are now, whether they are inseparable or cold to each other, Shen Ruyun will never allow Jiang Yu'e to get in the middle. She will definitely find ways to torture Jiang Yu'e, and Jiang Yu'e is not an easy person to deal with, and she is probably better than Shen Ruyun in terms of flattery.

Evil will be punished by evil. I guess the Ningyuan Marquis’ Mansion will have a long period of unrest in the coming period.

Picking up the outer robe, Jiang Li looked at herself in the mirror and felt satisfied, so she said, "Let's go."

Mingyue asked curiously, "Miss, are you going out so early?"

Jiang Li smiled and said, "Go see uncle."

Knowing that Jiang Li had a good relationship with her uncle Ye Mingyu, the maids also understood. Jiang Li would go to the Ye Mansion every few days, and no one in the Jiang family stopped her now. Although Ji Shuran's scandal had spread, for some reason, the real cause of Ye Zhenzhen's death was not known. Therefore, the Ye family still didn't know that there was something strange about Ye Zhenzhen's death. Perhaps because they felt sorry for the Ye family, Jiang Yuanbai sometimes told Jiang Li that if the Ye family needed anything, and if Ye Shijie needed any help, they could just come to him.

She must want to compensate the Ye family, so it is natural for Jiang Li to visit the Ye family frequently.

Jiang Li went out, and the carriage arrived at the gate of the Ye Mansion. The servant at the gate saw the Jiang family's carriage and opened the gate to welcome people without saying a word. He smiled and said, "My cousin is here!"

It was like being a family member, and Jiang Li felt very close to them. Today was the day when Situ Jiuyue treated Xue Huaiyuan, and it was also the day when Haitang came to see Xue Huaiyuan. Jiang Li had promised Haitang before that she would let her meet Xue Huaiyuan. After talking to Ji Heng, the date was set for today.

Ye Mingyu had just come back from boxing and was sweating profusely. Seeing Jiang Li, he said, "Ah Li, there's beef bone soup in the kitchen, would you like some?"

"I've had my meal, uncle." Jiang Li looked around and asked, "Is Cousin Ye not leaving court yet?"

"No," Ye Mingyu scratched his head, "He is very busy and will be back in the evening. Miss Jiuyue is coming to see County Magistrate Xue today. You are here to see County Magistrate Xue as well, right?"

"I came to take a look on the way. I came here specially to give my uncle a New Year gift." Jiang Li smiled. Bai Xue was directing the servants of the Ye Mansion to unload the goods from the carriage.

"New Year's gift?" Ye Mingyu was stunned.

"My father and grandmother asked me to deliver it," Jiang Li explained.

Ye Mingyu snorted. In the past, if they didn't send New Year gifts, the two families would be like strangers. Now they think of sending New Year gifts, which is really confusing. However, you can't hit a smiling person. People take the initiative to send New Year gifts, so you can't be arrogant. Besides, the person who sends the gift is Jiang Li, his niece. Ye Mingyu said stiffly: "Okay, thank your father and the old lady on my behalf. I will buy New Year gifts in a few days and send them back to the Jiang Mansion."

Jiang Li knew Ye Mingyu's resentment towards the Jiang family, so she smiled and changed the subject. The two of them walked to Xue Huaiyuan's yard.

Xue Huaiyuan was sitting in the yard, wearing a thick fur coat, reading a book. The fur coat was a tiger skin that Ye Mingyu had hunted in the past, and he put it on Xue Huaiyuan. Jiang Li couldn't help laughing or crying when she saw it. Xue Huaiyuan was such a gentle and elegant man, and it was very out of place to wear such a domineering coat. But Ye Mingyu thought it was very good: "This tiger skin coat is very warm! Wearing the skin of the king of beasts can also strengthen the body. With the bravery of the beast king, you see, is County Magistrate Xue's health getting better day by day?"

Seeing that he was in high spirits, Jiang Li didn't want to spoil his fun, so she could only agree with him. Seeing Xue Huaiyuan reading, her eyes became sad again, "He still can't understand?"

"He couldn't understand it, and he just stared at that page all day. If I hadn't noticed, I would have thought he was reading and would have recovered his sanity long ago." Then he sighed, "A scholar is a scholar. Even if he loses his sanity, he still knows to hold on to the book. It shows that he has a lot of character."

Jiang Li looked at Xue Huaiyuan's figure. Apart from the fur coat that didn't suit him at all, Xue Huaiyuan's shadow now and his shadow in the past almost overlapped. Jiang Li seemed to see her father in the past, sitting in the yard like this, holding a book and reading it attentively. She called her father, and he turned around and asked her with a smile: "What's wrong, Ali?"

The past and present are reunited, but neither she nor her father are the same anymore.

During the silence, Ah Shun suddenly came over and said, "Master, cousin, Miss Jiu Yue is here."

Ye Mingyu laughed and said, "You came just in time. It's just right for you to meet each other."

Situ Jiuyue arrived very quickly. This time she did not come alone. There was a woman wearing a veil beside her. Ye Mingyu was surprised for a moment. The woman did not look like a maid, so he asked, "Who is this..."

"I used to be Miss Xue's personal maid," Haitang said, "and then I followed Miss to get married. But due to various reasons, I was separated from Miss. I heard that the master was at home, so I came to see him."

"A maid of the Xue family?" Ye Mingyu was stunned for a moment, then looked at Jiang Li, who nodded to him, and Ye Mingyu said nothing more. He was not as familiar with the Xue family as Jiang Li was with them, so since Jiang Li thought it was okay, then it was naturally okay.

Ye Mingyu glanced at Situ Jiuyue, then at Jiang Li, and said sensibly, "You guys go ahead and talk. I'm going to go outside to drink some soup."

Jiang Li smiled and nodded, and Ye Mingyu left the yard.

Situ Jiuyue took out the silver needle from the wooden box. Haitang had already walked in front of Xue Huaiyuan. Xue Huaiyuan was "reading" a book attentively. Suddenly, he felt someone walking in front of him. He immediately raised his head and looked at Haitang.

Haitang's eyes turned red: "Master!"

Xue Huaiyuan just looked at her curiously and didn't say anything. Haitang couldn't hold back her tears, and they flowed out all of a sudden. She had long learned from the servants of the Duke's Mansion everything that happened to Xue Huaiyuan, including how Xue Huaiyuan was tortured by Feng Yutang. If it weren't for Jiang Li, Xue Huaiyuan would have been killed by Feng Yutang in Tongxiang.

But in just a few years, the original clean Xue family was gone. A good family, some died, some went crazy. Haitang was suddenly filled with great grief. She couldn't help crying.

Jiang Li sighed and walked to Haitang. Xue Huaiyuan recognized Jiang Li. When he saw Jiang Li, he immediately came closer with a smile. Jiang Li smiled and said, "Xue County Magistrate." She took Haitang's hand, took out a handkerchief from her bosom and stuffed it into Haitang's hand, saying softly, "Don't cry, wipe it."

Haitang tried to hold back her tears, and finally stopped crying. She took Jiang Li's handkerchief and wiped her tears. She said to Jiang Li, "Thank you, Second Miss Jiang."

"You see, County Magistrate Xue is like this now. Miss Jiuyue has been treating him. Maybe one day he will be able to regain his sanity, maybe..." She didn't say anything else. Everyone knew it.

Haitang choked up and said, "I just feel so bad. Seeing the master suffer, I feel so bad. If the young lady and the young master were still alive, I don't know how much they would suffer when they saw this scene. Now that the young lady and the young master are gone, I don't know if it's a good thing." She laughed at herself, "Why don't good people get good rewards?"

"Because justice in the world is still justice for bad people for the time being." Jiang Li's voice was gentle, as if it could heal all the pain in people's hearts. She said slowly, "It's okay. Look, at least County Magistrate Xue is still alive. At the beginning, County Magistrate Xue was almost killed. As long as he is alive, there is hope, and everything will be fine. You have to believe it. I think your young lady and young master think so too."

Haitang nodded.

Seeing that the two of them had almost finished talking, Situ Jiuyue didn't waste any time and immediately started to give acupuncture to Xue Huaiyuan. Xue Huaiyuan had gotten used to this every few days, so he didn't resist as much as he did at the beginning, and obediently let Situ Jiuyue do it.

Situ Jiuyue was talking to Jiang Li while giving acupuncture. Jiang Li asked, "Miss Jiuyue, is County Magistrate Xue better now than before?"

"That's the truth," Situ Jiuyue said, "He has now begun to consciously do things he used to do, such as reading. Although he hasn't actually read, his actions have shown that the memory in his body is slowly being awakened. This is a long process, but as long as there is this sign, he will remember more and more little by little until he remembers who he is, and the lost memory and sanity can be recovered."

Jiang Li and Hai Tang were both overjoyed.

As long as Xue Huaiyuan still has hope of getting better, Jiang Li will recognize him one day. However... Glancing at Haitang on the side, Jiang Li thought for a moment and asked, "Miss Jiuyue, is there any way to heal the wound on Haitang's face?"

"I asked her and she said it wasn't necessary." Situ Jiuyue said.

Jiang Liqi asked: "Why not?"

Haitang's expression darkened. She said, "Miss Jiang, don't waste your time on me. The scars on your face are so severe that they can't be healed. At most, they can only be lightened. It's better not to have any hope at all than to be disappointed after having hope. Besides," she smiled slightly, "my only wish now is that County Magistrate Xue can get better, and to avenge my lady. My appearance is of no use to me."

Although Haitang said it lightly, Jiang Li could still hear the disappointment in her tone. In fact, at Haitang's current age, it is just right for her to get married and have children. Although people's feelings are not based on appearance, such appearance will make it much more difficult for Haitang to do anything in the future. It will also make her bear a lot of pain that she shouldn't bear.

"Miss Jiuyue is a miracle doctor," Jiang Li said, "You haven't even tried, so why give up? When County Magistrate Xue was first rescued, everyone thought he wouldn't live for many days, but now, isn't he getting better little by little? Compared to County Magistrate Xue, you have a much better chance of curing the scar on your face."

Haitang looked at Jiang Li blankly. Jiang Li's tone was gentle but firm, which made people want to believe her and believe that they could get better.

"I'm not a miracle doctor. I've said it before. I'm not good at saving people. What I'm good at is making poison." Situ Jiuyue finished the last needle and said without raising her head: "But the wound on her face is not completely hopeless. I have a way to restore her to her previous appearance." Jiang Li asked immediately after hearing this: "Are you serious?"

Haitang's eyes lit up. Which girl in the world doesn't love beauty? Especially when her original beauty suddenly changes and becomes ugly, she will try every possible means to restore it to its former beauty.

"I never tell lies." Situ Jiuyue looked at Haitang and suddenly smiled. Although she was born sweet, her attitude was always a little cold. When she smiled, she always hid a bit of cunning, as if she had some bad intentions. She said, "It's just that my method is not the method of ordinary doctors."

Jiang Li asked: "What is the solution?"

"I'm good at making poison. The wound on her face can be cured with poison. There is a poisonous spider in Molan. When it bites a person, the saliva it spits out can heal the wound and restore the skin to its original appearance. This poisonous spider is very hard to find. It's rare to see one in ten years. I just happened to have one."

It sounds really creepy to let a poisonous spider make poison for people. But Situ Jiuyue seemed to be afraid that this was not enough, and continued: "When this poisonous spider bites people, it hurts a lot. As for how painful it is, it feels like a hundred needles piercing you at the same time. Not only does it hurt, but it also itches. It's extremely itchy. You can't scratch it with your hands, otherwise it will fail. Not only will it not heal, but it will also cause skin ulceration and death. But as long as you can bear not to scratch it, and survive this time, you can restore your previous appearance." When she said this, a little smugness appeared on her face, "The Molan royal family raises this kind of spider. If the female family members have their appearance destroyed by an accident, they can use the poisonous spider to restore their appearance. But due to the pain and itchiness, only a few can really restore their appearance in the end. Most of them can't bear the pain in the middle of the process, so they scratch it with their hands and die."

After hearing what Situ Jiuyue said, Jiang Li almost suspected that this girl was trying to scare Haitang on purpose, but looking at her expression, she didn't seem to be joking.

Situ Jiuyue looked at Haitang and asked, "Why, have you thought it through?"

Through the veil, Jiang Li could feel Haitang's sudden paleness, but she was silent for a moment and said, "Okay."

Situ Jiuyue's eyes flashed: "Aren't you afraid? The process is very painful. If you can't hold back, you may die. I heard that you want to redress your young lady. In order to restore your appearance, you are willing to gamble your life, regardless of whether you can keep your life to testify for your young lady?"

Jiang Li thought that what Situ Jiuyue said was really too hurtful. This undoubtedly made Haitang feel even more sad. However, Haitang was not speechless because of Situ Jiuyue's words. Instead, she said frankly: "No, it is precisely because I want to vindicate the young lady. If my scars can be cured, my appearance can be restored. In this way, others will recognize that I am indeed the maid of the Xue family. Otherwise, even if the young lady's case comes to light one day, when I come out to testify, my appearance is ruined, maybe they will not recognize my identity and say that I am a fake maid of the Xue family. In this way, no one will believe what I say."

Situ Jiuyue looked at Haitang and snorted softly, her expression hard to tell.

"Besides," Haitang smiled, "I will endure it. Since I can endure the pain of losing my appearance, now that I can restore my appearance, this pain is nothing? I can bear it. But Miss Jiuyue," she asked, "can I really completely restore my previous appearance?"

Situ Jiuyue said: "Of course, my poisonous spider is hard to find in the whole of Beiyan. If you can endure it, you will definitely be able to return to your previous appearance within a month."

"In that case," Haitang bowed deeply, "Thank you very much, Miss Jiuyue."

"No need to thank me," Situ Jiuyue put away the wooden box and walked out, saying, "Wait until you can bear it!"

Jiang Li, who was left in the yard, said to Hai Tang worriedly, "Have you... really thought it through?"

"I've thought about it, Miss Jiang Er," Haitang smiled, "You don't have to worry about me, I'm telling the truth. I've endured the pain of cutting my face with a knife myself, so this is really nothing. Besides, after I restore my appearance, not only will no one ever say that I'm not Haitang, but it will also be a good thing for me, right? Miss Jiang Er said before that she hoped I could restore my appearance, and even encouraged me to get treatment, but now she's hesitating."

"That's..." She didn't know that the risk of restoring her appearance was so great that it might even be life-threatening.

"It's okay." Haitang looked at Xue Huaiyuan who was sitting in the yard, "I believe that God will not always be blind. The master has endured it, so I can endure it, really."

Jiang Li looked at her for a long time, and finally nodded: "Okay, you must... be more careful."

……

After returning from Ye Mansion, Jiang Li looked a little depressed.

Bai Xue and Tong Er both saw it, and neither dared to disturb her. Jiang Li was in the house thinking about everything that happened in the Ye Mansion during the day, and she felt mixed emotions.

The good news is that Xue Huaiyuan has gradually recovered, and Haitang may also recover her appearance. The worry is that in the process of recovering her appearance, Haitang may lose her life. This makes Jiang Li a little uneasy. Haitang survived after going through a lot of hardships, and it was because of her that she ended up in this situation. No matter what, Jiang Li hopes that she can live. If something happens to her because of this matter, Jiang Li will really feel guilty for the rest of her life.

In fact, Haitang was so determined because she wanted desperately to redress Xue Fangfei and expose Yongning's true face to the world. She and the people around her were displaced and crazy because of Yongning. As the main culprit, Yongning must never be forgiven.

She must be punished.

At this time, the princess's mansion was ablaze with lights.

The princess's mansion was still as warm as spring in winter. The fruits on the table were not from this season. Such precious things could only be used in the princess's mansion. Even the agarwood burning on the table was extremely luxurious.

Princess Yongning leaned on the couch, the twisted silk dress she wore flashed a tiny light under the lamplight. This was a beauty that she could enjoy alone, but now inexplicably a kind of "wave pattern" flowed out in Yanjing City. It was not as expensive as her twisted silk, and ordinary rich families could also afford it, but it was more sparkling than her twisted silk dress, which was amazing.

The things she liked could only be enjoyed by one person, so she didn't want to wear the cheap water pattern with these lowly people in Yanjing City who were not as good as her merchants. But the twisted silk was not as eye-catching as before, and she felt a little depressed.

Only Shen Yurong could make her feel a little better.

"Shen Lang." She called out, while gently leaning her head on Shen Yurong's shoulder, acting like a real little girl. People who knew her well would be surprised to see that Princess Yongning could be so tender.

Shen Yurong stroked her long hair and looked at the flickering candlelight in front of her, not knowing what she was thinking.

Princess Yongning was a little unhappy. Ever since Xue Huaiyuan's case was exposed to Yanjing City, the bitch Jiang Li dared to involve her in the court discussion. Although it was later proved to be false, she did not dare to have close contact with Shen Yurong.

To be exact, it was Shen Yurong who told her personally to keep her distance for the time being and not to allow others to catch her as she had done before.

Princess Yongning was angry and aggrieved. Shen Yurong had clearly promised her that she would be her consort, and even Concubine Liu had agreed. If it weren't for the Tongxiang case, they would have been engaged by now, and they might even have become husband and wife.

Why do we have to hide it like this, as if it is shameful to be seen by others!
Princess Yongning felt more and more uncomfortable. She leaned sideways into Shen Yurong's arms and said, "Shen Lang, when will you marry me?"

Shen Yurong paused while stroking her long hair, then said softly, "Didn't I tell you that you can't do it these days? The Tongxiang case happened not long ago, and you're involved in it, so it's inevitable that people will criticize you."

"But that has been proven to be false! Besides, no one dares to talk about me behind my back!" Princess Yongning said impatiently.

Her patience was really running out. Every time she was about to succeed, something would happen and disrupt everything. No matter how good her patience was, it would soon be worn out.

Shen Yurong looked at her and said nothing.

Princess Yongning was looked at by his indifferent eyes, and she felt guilty for no reason. Although Jiang Li said in the court that Princess Yongning was behind Feng Yutang, it was nonsense. But Princess Yongning knew that she had done those things. She had tortured Xue Huaiyuan, killed Xue Zhao, and framed Xue Fangfei. Shen Yurong also knew that she could not act righteously.

But she just wouldn't give in.

Xue Huaiyuan in the Tongxiang case implicated Xue Fangfei, and then implicated her. As long as she and Shen Yurong were together in the future, it was inevitable that someone would think of this, the death of Xue Fangfei, the relationship between Xue Huaiyuan's imprisonment and her, and it was easy to think of the reason why she did this.

This is an inevitable fact. As long as she marries Shen Yurong, she will definitely encounter this. But she can't not marry Shen Yurong.

For Princess Yongning, other people's comments were not important. She could even find someone in private to kill those who talked about her behind her back, or pull out their tongues so that they could never speak again. She had always been like this, no one could stop her from doing what she wanted to do, and if anyone tried to stop her, she would just get rid of them.

But Shen Yurong couldn't do that. Shen Yurong couldn't tolerate other people's comments and doubts about him. His career had to be clean and flawless, not to mention possible crimes.

This is the conflict between her and Shen Yurong. To resolve this conflict, one of them must compromise with the other. Princess Yongning is unwilling to compromise with Shen Yurong because she doesn't want to keep waiting. But Shen Yurong is also very stubborn, and it is impossible for him to compromise with her now.

Finally, Princess Yongning looked away, stretched out her arms, hugged Shen Yurong's neck, and said in a tender voice: "Okay, I get it, you don't have to look at me with a sad face, just slow down, I'll wait for you. You can't break your promise."

"nature."

Shen Yurong smiled and scratched her nose, as if she was doting on her, but there was a hint of hidden anxiety in her eyes.

Therefore, he naturally did not notice that the woman curled up in her arms did not have a truly innocent smile, but had another thought that was constantly taking root and sprouting.

In other words, everyone has their own ulterior motives.

(End of this chapter)