Chapter 151 Something happened
Sitting by the firewood pile, Jiang Li said, "Let me do it."

The venison had to be cut and roasted. Kong Liu asked, "Miss Jiang Er, do you need me to help you cut it? Whatever you say, I'll do it."

"No need." Before she finished speaking, Jiang Li picked up the silver dagger on the side and cut off a large piece of venison. Her movements were skillful, and it didn't seem like she was doing this for the first time. Seeing the surprised looks from the people around her, Jiang Li was stunned for a moment and smiled, "When we were in Qingcheng Mountain, Tong'er and I often did this. This is not the first time. Jiang Li appreciates Lord Kong's kindness."

She pierced the cut venison with bamboo sticks, and then cut off another piece of it in the same way. She explained to everyone, "In fact, the most important thing about roasting venison is to do it yourself. It's easy. As for what shape the meat is cut into, how to pierce it with bamboo sticks, and how it is roasted, it doesn't matter. As long as you roast it yourself, you won't feel bad when you eat it. After all, it's not a difficult thing."

General Ji was eager to try it out, and when he heard Jiang Li say that, he immediately rolled up his sleeves, took a dagger, and cut off a large piece of venison. After all, he had been a general, so he understood it quickly, and he did it well even for the first time.

Wen Renyao and Kong Liu joined in the fun, and each of them went to find a dagger to barbecue on their own. Ji Heng leaned aside, looked at Jiang Li, and suddenly said, "You said this on purpose because you want to be lazy, right?"

Jiang Li was surprised: "Was it obvious what I did?"

"It's not obvious. Anyone who is not a fool can see it."

But even if they were fools, everyone was happy to be a fool. The fun of grilling venison was in the hands. And since everyone was grilling, the rest of the people would also want to do the same. Soon, everyone had a bamboo stick in their hands and sat on the rack to flip it over.

Ji Heng was the same. Even though he sat on the floor, he didn't look vulgar. In this group of people, Lu Ji had the demeanor of a famous scholar, while Kong Liuru was a gangster. General Ji was still strong despite his age, Situ Jiuyue was beautiful and mysterious, and even Wen Renyao was a handsome young man when he didn't speak. Ji Heng, dressed in red, covered the entire bamboo mat under him, sat lazily, his movements were casual, but he had his own style.

It’s like a group of people from all over the world, gathered together for their own reasons, sympathizing with each other, drinking and chatting, it’s a lot of fun.

Haitang couldn't eat these. The scars on her face hadn't healed yet, so she had to be more careful about what she ate. But she just stared blankly at Jiang Li's actions.

Jiang Li slowly turned the bamboo sticks. She was not as impatient as General Ji, nor as cautious as Lu Ji. She was casual and calm, but she was serious about the task at hand. As the daughter of the Prime Minister, she did not think there was anything wrong with this. Instead, she smiled gently, and the firelight made her eyes particularly bright.

That look, movements, and smile all made her look like another person in Haitang's mind. She suddenly asked, "Where did Miss Jiang Er learn how to roast venison?"

Jiang Li glanced at her and smiled, "When I was young, I was sent to a nunnery for a while. No meat was allowed in the nunnery. I was naughty when I was young, so I bought venison from hunters with my maid and secretly roasted it to eat. In theory, it must have been the hunters who taught me."

"Is it the same for beggars and birds?" Haitang asked.

Jiang Li said: "That's right."

"What's wrong?" Lu Ji asked casually, "Miss Haitang, do you feel something is wrong?"

"No." Haitang shook her head blankly, and then her eyes became lost again, "Our young lady also loved roasted venison a long time ago."

"Mrs. Shen Xue Fangfei?" Lu Ji asked.

This name didn't seem to make Haitang feel comfortable. She frowned and nodded, but emphasized again: "My young lady."

"Isn't Madam Shen a talented woman in Yanjing City with both beauty and talent?" Wen Renyao asked, "Let's not talk about her character. When she was getting along well with the gentleman from Mingyi Hall, I was lucky enough to see her once, but she was very gentle and graceful. I don't think she can make roasted venison? The Shen Zhuangyuan's mansion is the most rule-abiding. How should I put it?" He thought for a while, "Although we shouldn't talk about people behind their backs, Shen Zhuangyuan's mother is so rule-abiding that she can almost be considered pedantic and mean."

Jiang Li was startled. This was the first time she heard such an evaluation of Shen's mother from an outsider. When she was the daughter-in-law of the Shen family, although she was dissatisfied with Shen's mother, she thought that all mothers-in-law in the world were like this. Or maybe Yanjing and Tongxiang had different rules. Wen Renyao's words surprised her, but she agreed with them in her heart.

"My young lady was forced to do everything," Haitang couldn't help but say, "When she was still single, she often went to the forest with the young master to roast venison. Her temper wasn't as quiet as it is now in Yanjing City..." She stopped talking suddenly, probably knowing what kind of reputation Xue Fangfei had in Yanjing City now. She couldn't continue talking like this, so she stopped talking.

Fortunately, the people in this courtyard were probably not too interested in Xue Fangfei's affairs, and they quickly changed the subject. Jiang Li was grateful that although they were not interested in Xue Fangfei, they did not seem to show any disgust. Even Situ Jiuyue, who had always been a bit harsh in her words, just looked indifferent.

"But Miss Jiang Er knows a lot." Wen Renyao praised sincerely, "Most of the noble ladies in Yanjing City are the same. Although they are born beautiful, they become boring after looking at them for a long time. There are too many rules and restrictions. This is not allowed, that is not allowed. Miss Jiang Er is straightforward and admirable."

Jiang Li thought to herself, it's not that she was straightforward, but that she had no right to refuse. She thought this was not okay, that was not okay, but if she had to ask for help, she had to say yes to everything.

The venison began to sizzle and ooze oil. Everyone sprinkled some coarse salt on it, and in an instant, the aroma spread. Wen Renyao shouted, "What a nice smell!"

Jiang Li glanced at him and said, "Mr. Wenren's food is ready to eat."

Wen Renyao couldn't wait to pick up the bamboo stick and took a bite. The venison was scalding hot, so hot that he gasped and couldn't speak. But he thought it tasted very good. It was only sprinkled with salt, but it felt delicious. In his life, this was the first time he had tasted such delicious food.

After swallowing the piece of meat in one gulp, Wen Renyao licked his lips. General Ji asked hurriedly, "How is it?"

"Okay!" Wen Renyao said only one word and immediately started eating the remaining venison.

As a result, everyone tasted the flavor and realized that even if the venison was not bad, it would not be unpalatable, so they all started to eat their own portions. For a moment, the courtyard was filled with the sound of roaring, and the secret guards hiding in it all cried out in unison.

Zhao Ke and Wen Ji looked at each other, and they both saw the depression in each other's eyes. Although they were secret guards, they never lacked money, and sometimes even lived a richer life than the young masters of the government. They had seen a lot of good things in the world with their masters. They were not greedy people, so why did they feel so hungry tonight? Why did the ordinary-looking venison look so tempting...

No matter what, after tonight, they will find some time to secretly have a barbecue!
The venison in Ji Heng's hand was also roasted. The piece he cut was neither big nor small. But besides Jiang Li, it was true that Ji Heng could cook, because other people would always fail to control the heat when roasting meat for the first time, and the meat would be either too tender or too old. The reason why Wen Renyao and the others thought it was delicious was because they roasted it themselves, and there was this reason. But the deliciousness roasted by Ji Heng was really delicious.

The grilled meat was golden in color, hot and fragrant. His posture was also elegant. He slowly brought the meat to his mouth and took a gentle bite. Watching him eat was also a pleasure.

"Miss Jiang Er, why don't you eat?" Wen Renyao saw that she was only staring at Ji Heng and not eating the barbecue in her hand, so she asked, "Why, do you want to eat the one in Ah Heng's hand?"

Ji Heng glanced at her indifferently, and Jiang Li quickly said, "No." She picked up the venison in her hand and took a bite.

She was a lady from an official family. It was already unusual to sit on the ground while roasting venison. It was even more unreasonable to eat it while holding the roast meat. But Jiang Li did it very naturally. She was not like Situ Jiuyue, who had the unique smell of being a traveler in the martial arts world. Everything she did seemed understandable. Everything she did, at first, made people think that she shouldn't do it, but after she did it, people would think that she should do it.

The girl was sitting on the ground, her emerald green robe looking particularly refreshing. She was holding barbecue in her hands, smiling gently, with a bit of carefree and happy look, which made people feel particularly comfortable.

"How can we eat meat without drinking wine?" Kong Liu said, "We should have a drink!"

"Have a drink!" Wen Renyao cheered.

Jiang Li: “…”

It's not that she can't drink, but after what happened, she refused to drink anymore. Seeing her hesitation, Lu Ji said, "Miss Jiang, are you not good at drinking? If you are not good at drinking, you can drink fruit wine. The fruit juice in the porcelain pot will not make you drunk."

"You can't drink?" General Ji's eyes suddenly showed disappointment, as if Jiang Li had done something regrettable.

"I'll get drunk." Jiang Li said.

"Then don't drink. Just watch us drink." Situ Jiuyue said, and then picked up a jar of wine from the ground.

Jiang Li drank the fruit juice from a small porcelain cup, while others used large bowls to collect wine from the wine jar. But in the end, everyone raised their glasses together.

"Happy New Year, and all the best!" Kong Liu said in a rough voice. He was a rough man, and these few words were the most literary words he could come up with after racking his brains. There was no more.

Jiang Li raised her glass and clinked it with everyone else's wine bowls, making a crisp sound. Some wine spilled out, and the clear aroma of wine could be smelled.

There was no wine in the fruit juice, only a sweet taste. Jiang Li put down the cup. What surprised her was that she originally thought that someone as elegant as Ji Heng should also use a small wine cup, but she never thought that he also picked up the wine bowl and drank it all.

Unlike Kong Liu's roughness, Ji Heng picked up the wine bowl like a beautiful woman holding a sword, with a kind of unrestrained and unrestrained style, which made him look more charming. Jiang Li was thoughtful. Generally speaking, a person's temperament can be seen from his behavior. But Ji Heng's actions are always very contradictory. The more you understand him, the more you realize that you don't understand him.

"I see everyone is very happy, Ah Heng," General Ji suddenly asked, "Would you like to sing a song?"

Ji Heng's smile faded all of a sudden, and Jiang Li could clearly feel that the young man sitting next to her seemed to stiffen for a moment.

Wen Renyao was unaware of his presence and said happily, "Sing one, sing one!"

"Sing... what?" Jiang Li couldn't help asking. As soon as she said that, Ji Heng glanced at her calmly. Jiang Li immediately realized that she had said something wrong, but she didn't understand what she had said wrong. She had to cover up by picking up the wine cup and lowering her head to drink the fruit juice in the cup.

"Our Ah Heng can sing opera," General Ji said proudly, "The best singer in Yanjing City right now is not even half as good as Ah Heng!"

Jiang Li: "..." She suspected that she had misheard, but General Ji's voice was so loud that it was hard to mishear. So she suspected that the wine they had just drunk was really strong, and one bowl made General Ji drunk and started talking nonsense. But General Ji looked calm and didn't look drunk at all. So Jiang Li had to suspect that she was drunk. Could fruit juice also make people drunk? There was clearly no smell of wine in it.

Jiang Li stared blankly at the wine cup in her hand.

"He once followed my master for a while." Wen Renyao saw Jiang Li's confusion and explained enthusiastically, "My master's favorite thing was to listen to opera. Ah Heng was still young at that time, so the master taught him to sing opera. But we have never heard Ah Heng sing opera on weekdays, except for one time," Wen Renyao said, as if he was still reminiscing about it, "Once Ah Heng was young and got drunk, so he sang at the banquet. Miss Jiang Er, with Ah Heng's looks and voice, if he sang opera, think about it, who in the world would not be attracted by him?"

Jiang Li asked: "Have you all finished listening?"

"Of course." Wen Renyao answered very naturally.

These people are still alive, Jiang Li thought, which shows that Ji Heng really regards these people as his own people. Otherwise, if it were someone else, Jiang Li could almost imagine that Ji Heng would definitely kill them without hesitation.

Because the look in his eyes now looked like he was going to kill someone.

Ji Heng noticed Jiang Li's gaze and turned around. Jiang Li felt a little numb when he looked at her. Then she saw the young man suddenly smile. His smile was like flowers blooming all over the mountains in spring, making people feel dizzy. In the dizziness, his voice was cold and he said slowly, "Do you want to listen too?"

Jiang Li shuddered: "I don't want to."

What a joke, she is not Wen Renyao, she doesn’t want to die, she wants to live.

Wen Renyao heard this, as if he thought the matter was not big enough, and said: "Miss Jiang Er, you have missed a big thing. You should listen to Ah Heng's voice carefully. It is definitely worth it after listening to it. But it has been many years since I last heard him sing." After he said this, he sighed deeply, "It really makes me miss him."

Many years ago? Jiang Li's mind immediately recalled a young man with delicate features and a delicate figure. I think Ji Heng at that time should also be wearing red clothes. But he was much younger than the one in front of him. Not only that, when he sang, he was both childish and moving, which was indeed a beautiful thought.

Beauty always makes people happy.

Ji Heng smiled slightly, spread out her fan, and waved it slowly: "Have you said enough?"

The gorgeous peony on the fan suddenly blossomed, but at this moment it looked eerie and murderous. I don’t know if it was because it was winter and I felt particularly cold. Even the smile on Wen Renyao’s face froze.

Wen Renyao shuddered, as if he had suddenly sobered up, and said, "Ah? What did I just say? I don't remember. I must have been drunk and felt dizzy..."

Jiang Li: "..."

But Wen Renyao pretended to be drunk and stopped trying to make trouble, and no one dared to touch his eyebrows. Only General Ji dared to do so, but General Ji was not really interested in singing or listening to operas, and soon talked to Lu Ji about other things.

Jiang Li had a smile on her lips, and this smile was somewhat sincere. She thought that Ji Heng was not so scary, and even a little cute, because she was a moody, scheming murderer who had such a soft childhood.

Of course, when tonight is over and day comes, Ji Heng, who has become the Duke of Su, will still be as ruthless as before, there is no doubt about that.

"You seem very happy?" Ji Heng's voice came from the side. Jiang Li looked back at him. As long as he didn't mention singing opera, Ji Heng would be smiling again. She smiled and said, "It feels very lively, but there is nothing to be unhappy about."

Ji Heng smiled faintly, without commenting, and just played with the folding fan in her hand. Jiang Li thought for a moment and asked, "Does the Duke seem to like this fan very much?"

“Things that can save your life are, of course, very precious.” Ji Heng replied.

Jiang Li deeply agreed. She had seen the power of this fan with her own eyes. However, even though it was a deadly weapon, the gorgeousness of this fan must be worth a lot of money. If an ordinary family got this fan, they might pass it down to their descendants as a family heirloom.

Ji Heng asked: "What about you? Don't you have anything precious?"

He said "things" instead of "people". Jiang Li was stunned for a moment, and said: "No. There is no shortage of ordinary things at home. As for weapons, they are not as special as those of Duke Ruguo." After a pause, he said: "That's not right. I should still have precious things."

She took out the jade pendant hanging around her neck from her collar.

The jade pendant was carved with a chubby civet cat. It was carved for her by Xue Huaiyuan himself. After marrying into the Shen family, he pawned it to help Shen Yurong get into the officialdom. Later, when she returned to Yanjing City as Jiang Li, she asked Tong'er to find a reason to pawn the jade pendant back from the pawnshop.

“This is my treasure,” she said.

Ji Heng glanced at the jade pendant and suddenly realized: "I've seen it before."

"Yes." Ji Heng picked it up.

"It looks very ordinary." Ji Heng said.

"It's very common, but I always feel it's very special. Sometimes the value of something is not in how much it's worth, right?" Jiang Li replied with a smile, while carefully stuffing the jade pendant back into her collar. For her, the reason why this jade pendant is precious is not only because it represents Xue Huaiyuan's love for her, but also because this jade pendant reminds her name all the time.

She is A Li, and also A Li. She is Jiang Li, and also Xue Fangfei.

Can't forget who you are. Ji Heng shrugged, picked up the wine bowl and took a sip. He looked very gentle and noble, but the wine bowl was empty. He seemed to have a good alcohol tolerance, Jiang Li thought so in her heart. Yes, in Ji Heng's position, if he didn't have a good alcohol tolerance, he would get drunk after drinking a glass of wine, and he would have died thousands of times.

She concealed her thoughts and picked up the porcelain cup in front of her, taking a small sip. It was so sweet.

The firelight in the yard was warm and cozy. In a strange place, it seemed that she could be a stranger. The hustle and bustle would cover up some unnatural things, so that she didn't have to behave like Miss Jiang. Even if she used her original Xue Fangfei's temperament, no one would notice.

After eating and drinking in this belated New Year's Eve dinner, everyone except Jiang Li was staggering.

General Ji went back to his room to sleep first. In fact, he was snoring loudly halfway through drinking. Lu Ji and Kong Liu had to help him back to his room. Haitang also went back to her room early. After all, she was not very familiar with the people in the Duke's Mansion, and her temperament was not as cheerful as before. In addition, she needed to rest and heal the scars from the poisonous spider as soon as possible, so she did not stay long.

When Wen Renyao got drunk, he wanted to gamble with others. Situ Jiuyue gave him a dose of medicine, and he fell down with a clang. Situ Jiuyue left in style, and the secret guards of the Duke's Mansion had no choice but to carry Wen Renyao back.

Ji Heng and Jiang Li were the only ones left in the yard.

It was not a big deal that Ji Heng and Jiang Li were the only ones left, but Wen Ji said, "The lord has instructed before that he has something to tell the young lady. I will wait outside." Then he left the yard with Zhao Ke.

Ji Heng's subordinates were all very loyal, and the servants of the Duke's Mansion were obviously the kind who obeyed their master's orders. When they were told to go out and wait, the huge courtyard was suddenly empty. Jiang Li suspected that there was not even a bird or an insect. Apart from the two of them, the only living things were probably the gorgeous poisonous flowers in the flowerbed.

The banquet was over, leaving only Ji Heng and Jiang Li at the table. The bonfire was still burning, smaller than before, but the yard was much quieter than before. Therefore, instead of being dim, there was a warmth after the silence.

Jiang Li asked: "My lord?"

Ji Heng supported his chin with one hand and looked at her, but was reluctant to agree. Jiang Li moved closer to take a look, but was shocked to find that Ji Heng's eyes were slightly closed and he was not looking at her.

"Duke?" Jiang Li called out hesitantly again, but Ji Heng still did not move.

Could he be drunk? She couldn't help but look at the empty wine jars at Ji Heng's feet. Even if one has a good alcohol tolerance, he will get drunk if he keeps drinking like this. The men who drank just now were already exhausted, only Ji Heng was sober and behaved calmly. She was still sighing that Ji Heng could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. She didn't expect that he would react at this moment.

However, in order to confirm whether this person was really drunk or just joking, Jiang Li moved closer to take a closer look.

The young man's skin was originally fair and delicate, so delicate that even women would be jealous of it. No one knew how he cultivated it. At this time, it was already stained with a light red color, which made it even more charming. The four words "a face as beautiful as peach blossoms" could not fully describe it. His eyes, which were always passionate on weekdays, were slightly closed at this moment, and the playful look in them could not be seen. His long eyelashes drooped down gently, showing a kind of gentleness that he had never had before. His nose was straight, his lips were a little bright, and the teardrop mole at the corner of his eye was more charming than peach blossoms. Such a man sat in front of her, as gentle as a boy, and as confusing as a man. Even though Jiang Li had lived two lives, she couldn't help but be a little dazed when she saw him.

Rumor has it that Ji Heng's biological father, Ji Minghan, was a famous cold-faced general, and her biological father, Yu Hongye, was so beautiful that she was called a "witch". It can be seen that both of them were rare beauties in the world. Only when beauties combine with beauties can such a flawless man be born.

Jiang Li couldn't help thinking, it's a pity that she had never met these two people, and wondered what they were like. Looking at Ji Heng's appearance, she was afraid that the rumors could not describe half of the elegance of this couple.

She sat and waited quietly for a while, hoping that Ji Heng would wake up, but after waiting for a long time, there was no sign of Ji Heng waking up. Jiang Li wanted to get up and look for Wen Ji and Zhao Ke, but the yard was so big that if she wanted to go out, she would have to leave Ji Heng alone here.

For some reason, Jiang Li always felt that something was wrong. Although in the eyes of others, Ji Heng was an omnipotent and powerful character that no one could deal with. But the longer I knew Ji Heng, the more I understood him. Although he was contradictory, he still had some shadows of ordinary people. In this world, no one is an omnipotent god.

Ji Heng has many enemies, and Jiang Li has known this for a long time. Who knows if there are other people in the dark at this moment? You know, when Ji Heng is drunk, it should be easy for others to kill him in his sleep. Because she died once, Jiang Li cherishes her life very much, and she believes that Ji Heng is the same. No matter what Ji Heng's purpose is, and what he wants to do, as long as he dies, strangely and abruptly, there will be no "later".

Jiang Li wanted to take out the whistle, but found that it was left in the mansion. She had no choice but to continue to watch over Ji Heng, not knowing when Ji Heng would wake up. She looked back at Ji Heng again. Ji Heng in her sleep looked like a fragile beauty. She couldn't help but feel soft in her heart, so she untied her cloak and put it on Ji Heng.

It was easy to catch a cold if she fell asleep outside. She convinced herself that Ji Heng had helped her many times, so she didn't need to care about this little thing.

Sitting quietly beside him, it seemed as if time had become quiet. It was clear that the person sitting next to him was a dangerous person, but because he was drunk and didn't know anything, there was no tit-for-tat testing, nor was there any mutual flattery of caution. It was rare to sit like this for a while.

From outside, the sound of the night watchman ringing the bell could be heard faintly. Jiang Li's heart moved. New Year's Eve had passed and the new year had arrived.

She couldn't help but glance at Ji Heng, who didn't notice. Jiang Li thought, I didn't expect that the first New Year after becoming Miss Jiang II would be spent with this man. If it were in the past, she would never believe that such a thing would happen. However, in just half a year, everything has changed. The person who used to trust her drew a knife against her, and the person who had nothing to do with her or even avoided her sat with her to celebrate the New Year.

This may be the mystery of fate!

She said softly and gently, "Happy New Year, Duke."

The young man still had his eyes closed, but the corners of his mouth seemed to be slightly raised, or maybe he was just dazzled. Jiang Li looked up at the sky. The light snow had stopped, and the last bonfire in the yard had burned out. The embers could no longer show the former liveliness.

In any case, what’s past is past.

Wen Ji walked in from outside and saw Jiang Li sitting next to Ji Heng. He was slightly startled and asked, "Second Miss Jiang?"

"Hmm?" Jiang Li stood up. "You came at the right time. The Duke seems to be drunk."

"Are you drunk?" Wen Ji frowned, "Why don't you come out and call your subordinates?"

"I'm afraid that if I leave, it will be dangerous for the Duke to stay here alone." Jiang Li explained.

Wen Ji choked, perhaps what Jiang Li said was really hard for him to understand. Seeing him like this, Jiang Li guessed what he was thinking, and said: "He is drunk after all. I know he is very powerful, but he is also a mortal after all. The Duke's Mansion has many enemies. If someone takes this opportunity to come and kill him, it will not be good if he is injured. Although I don't know martial arts, I can still shout. If there is anything wrong, I will naturally call someone. But I thought he would wake up soon, but I didn't expect that he was too drunk." Jiang Li smiled and said: "In this case, I am afraid that things can't be discussed tonight. There is nothing else. I will go back first and visit again when I have the opportunity, or let Zhao Ke pass on the message."

She had to leave. If she stayed here too long, she wouldn't be able to rest tonight.

Wen Ji reminded: "Your cloak..."

"I almost forgot." Jiang Li took her cloak from Ji Heng and smiled at Wen Ji, "But even though he is very drunk, he should not sleep well here. It is snowing heavily in Yanjing City, and catching a cold is not a trivial matter. You should take him back to the house later."

Wen Ji said: "Zhao Ke will see you off."

"Okay." Jiang Li said, "You don't have to send me off. I know the way out. Zhao Ke should be waiting outside. You stay here. Your master can't leave anyone around. It's too dangerous."

She fastened the belt of her cloak, picked up a lantern that was on the table, and left the yard.

Wen Ji watched the girl disappear from the scene. The snowy road was slippery, but she walked steadily, neither fast nor slow, and looked very determined. She was clearly a weak girl, but for some reason, she always made people feel very powerful.

Jiang Li's figure disappeared and could no longer be seen. Wen Ji turned around and was about to wake up Ji Heng, but he saw that the young man in red had opened his eyes at some point.

His eyes were clear, without a trace of drunkenness. He still had his chin in his hand, but he no longer looked as fragile and helpless as before, as if everything was an illusion.

"Master." Wen Ji said, without any surprise in his words, as if he had known that Ji Heng was not drunk.

Maybe, after all, this lord of the Duke's Mansion never allowed himself to get drunk. No matter when or where, being drunk would give others an opportunity to take advantage of him. I don't know how old he was, maybe it was since he knew the truth of everything, he always lived in sobriety, all the time.

"Let's go." Ji Heng stood up and turned to walk into the house.

The girl's words were still ringing in his ears.

"I know he's very powerful, but he's also a mortal after all. The Duke's Mansion has made many enemies. If someone takes this opportunity to come and kill me, I won't succeed, but it would be bad if he gets hurt. Although I don't know martial arts, I can still shout. If there's anything wrong, I'll naturally call for help."

She actually wanted to protect him?
I don't know whether to call it precious kindness or foolish naivety. If something really happened, she wouldn't have the chance to call for help, and would have killed her too. But the most surprising thing is that she thinks she is a mortal and the most ordinary person among all living beings.

People revere him, look up to him, fear him, and depend on him. After a long time, even he himself forgets that he is just a person.

In the past few decades, apart from the secret guards, no one has ever told him about protecting him, including his relatives. What he needs is growth and strength, not weakness.

But... Jiang Li said all this very naturally.

Ji Heng put away the fan and stopped thinking about it.

He still seemed to have the warmth of her cloak on him.

……

That night, Zhao Ke was the one who sent Jiang Li back to Jiang's house. Just like when he left, he still went through the "back door" and no one noticed.

The next day, Jiang Li woke up late because she had been tossing and turning in the Duke's Mansion the night before. Tong'er laughed and said, "Miss, you slept really long last night. It's rare for you to sleep so well. There were firecrackers everywhere outside. I woke up when the rooster crowed three times today. I couldn't sleep in bed like a pancake."

Bai Xue and Tong'er had no idea that Jiang Li was not at home last night. Instead, she went to the Duke's Mansion and even roasted venison with General Ji and his group.

However, if she said this to them, it would be really shocking. Maybe others would think she was talking in her sleep. After all, sneaking out in the middle of the night to go to the Duke's Mansion to drink and eat meat with a group of people she was not very familiar with was really not something a young lady from a wealthy family would do. Even a girl from a decent family, let alone a young lady from a wealthy family, would probably not have the courage to do so.

Jiang Li shook her head, not knowing why, but she felt a little amused. It was strange that her current status was much higher than when she was "Mrs. Shen", so logically, she should have to follow more rules. In fact, she was freer than before, which showed that sometimes status was not a reason to restrict one's nature, but talent was.

This time she was quite glad.

Bai Xue said, "Miss, we should go and pay our respects to the old lady."

During the New Year, it was necessary to pay respects to Madam Jiang every morning. Perhaps Madam Jiang also wanted to take this opportunity to repair her relationship with Jiang Li, and she was always kind to Jiang Li, but this excessive kindness made Jiang Li feel a little uncomfortable.

She said, "Okay."

When I arrived at Wanfeng Hall, I saw Old Madam Jiang sitting in the hall. Jiang Bingji was being pulled by the nanny to sit on a stool and eat peanut candy. Since Ji Shuran left, Old Madam Jiang has been much stricter in disciplining Jiang Bingji. Jiang Bingji is a child after all. Although Ji Shuran doted on him at the beginning, he was raised by the old lady most of the time. Therefore, although he was raised a little crooked, he was not as hopeless as Jiang Youyao. He has also behaved himself these days, at least not as lawless as when Jiang Li first arrived at the Jiang Mansion.

When Mrs. Jiang saw Jiang Li coming, she talked to her as usual. Jiang Yuyan was also there, sitting awkwardly on the side, silent and seldom speaking. She was like this, and Mrs. Jiang was used to it, so she treated her indifferently. Although not harsh, she was not intimate either.

Only Jiang Youyao was late.

"Why didn't the third girl come?" asked Old Madam Jiang.

The nanny beside her looked outside and said, "Maybe he got up too late. The maids didn't come to report."

Old Madam Jiang frowned and said, "You're becoming more and more rude!" She probably thought that Jiang Youyao was still mad about the visitor from the Ye family yesterday and deliberately didn't come to pay her respects.

Jiang Li smiled slightly and drank tea slowly. She didn't care what happened to Jiang Youyao. If Jiang Youyao didn't put away her temper, someone would deal with her sooner or later, even if she didn't deal with her.

"Go and have a look." Old Madam Jiang said to Zhenzhu, "Please ask her to come over to me."

There was already a hint of anger in Madam Jiang's voice.

Jiang Yuyan was even more frightened and at a loss. She seemed to want to leave, but she didn't know what reason to give. While she was hesitating, Jiang Jingrui and Jiang Jingyou also came. They didn't have to study during the New Year, which was a rare freedom. Jiang Jingrui saw Jiang Li and smiled, "Oh, everyone is here."

Madam Lu glanced around and said with a smile, "I'm afraid it's not all of them. Why is Youyao gone?"

She just said that. At the moment, Yang was not there, and Ji Shuran was not there either, so no one talked to her. Lu came to chat with Jiang Li, all about trivial things, just making small talk. Lu also knew that now Madam Jiang wanted to make up with Jiang Li, and being on good terms with Jiang Li would naturally make the old lady feel comfortable. If she could make the old lady happy, how could life be so difficult?

After a while of talking in this way, Zhenzhu came back. Jiang Li noticed that there was no one else behind Zhenzhu - she did not "invite" Jiang Youyao.

Not only that, as she got closer, Jiang Li also discovered that Zhenzhu was walking in a hurry and had a panicked look on her face. She was a maidservant beside the old lady and was rarely so panicked. With such an expression, she was afraid that something had happened.

Sure enough, as soon as Zhenzhu entered Wanfeng Hall, she said, "Madam, something happened, the third young lady is missing!"

"What's missing?" Old Madam Jiang frowned.

"The third young lady is not in the house. She left!"

"What do you mean she left?" Mrs. Lu disagreed. "Maybe she went out to play, but she didn't tell the gatekeeper. Why are you so panicked?"

Zhenzhu turned her head and seemed to have just seen Mrs. Lu there, and her expression became even more embarrassed. Old Madam Jiang said, "Just say it, there's no need to be shy, we're all family here."

"The Third Miss definitely didn't sneak out of the house to play." Pearl said, "I just checked. All the valuable gold and silver jewelry in the Third Miss's room is gone, as well as the antiques and clothes on the shelves. Moreover, the Third Miss's personal maid is still in the house. If the Third Miss sneaked out of the house, she would definitely take the maid with her!"

This is clearly a gesture of never looking back.

With a "pop", the teacup in Mrs. Jiang's hand broke. Mrs. Lu also opened her mouth in surprise.

Jiang Li thought, this time something really big has happened.

(End of this chapter)