Chapter 154 Looking for Medicine
Xiao Deyin was helped back to the yard by a maid.

She knew nothing, and only vaguely heard in her ears, "We don't know the identity of that mysterious man. We never see him. Some people say that he is not a human at all, otherwise how could we not see his true face?"

She closed her eyes.

These days, she lied that she had a cold and stayed indoors. It was because she heard the familiar sound of the piano at the Shen family that day, which made her feel sick and anxious all day long, so she hid in the mansion. Who knew that as soon as she went out today, she heard these news again. For a moment, she felt as if that thing had entangled her, covering the whole sky and earth, and there was no way to escape?

The maid didn't know what had happened and thought Xiao Deyin's cold had worsened, so she rushed to find a doctor to get some medicine. Xiao Deyin leaned on the bed and felt herself getting colder.

Who is that person? Is he a human or a ghost? Is he the dead Xue Fangfei or the living mysterious person? Why did he play "Guanshanyue" instead of anything else? What if everyone knew that the first zither master of Beiyan had changed? In order to become the best, she gave up her marriage, fame and fortune, all just for the word "first". For these two words, she did not hesitate to conspire with others to kill her best friend, and for these two words, she betrayed her heart. But now, can't she even keep this one and only one?
For some reason, Xiao Deyin's eyes once again flashed with Xue Fangfei's face. When she first saw Xue Fangfei, she was not amazed by her beauty, which was praised by everyone. She was just happy that Xue Fangfei and she were in sync in terms of piano playing. She was happy to have found a bosom friend, but the more she dug into it, the more shocked she felt. Xue Fangfei's attainments in playing the piano were far superior to hers.

Although Xue Fangfei is known as a talented woman, only a small part of her can be seen by the world. When Xue Fangfei married into the Shen family, Shen's mother did not allow her to show up in public, and asked her to do housework and not play the piano or read books all day. Therefore, Xue Fangfei could not show her piano skills, except for playing a song occasionally when she was with Xiao Deyin. Xiao Deyin secretly felt lucky that Shen's mother stopped her. If Xue Fangfei played the piano in front of people, her reputation as the best pianist would be a joke.

Xiao Deyin didn't know when jealousy, resentment, and anger quietly grew in her heart. She just felt that she cared more and more about Xue Fangfei. She followed Xue Fangfei to every banquet she attended, fearing that if Xue Fangfei played the piano, what would she do? She knew that Mr. Ji Luo of Mingyi Hall secretly admired Shen Yurong, so she often provoked the relationship between Ji Luo and Xue Fangfei. She didn't know why she did this, but she felt that Xue Fangfei's existence always made her uneasy.

The former best friend has now become a source of uneasiness for him, and this uneasiness reached its peak after Shen Yurong became the top scholar.

Shen Yurong was the top scorer in the imperial examination, and Xue Fangfei would be the wife of an official in the future. At the gatherings of the wives of officials, they would occasionally play the piano and discuss philosophy. Xue Fangfei's talent could not be hidden. She was like a gem. People felt that she was radiant when they saw only a corner of her. If they saw the whole thing, they would not be able to see anything else.

Xiao Deyin was not jealous of Xue Fangfei for having a handsome and talented husband, nor was she jealous of Xue Fangfei's own beauty. She didn't care about anything, but her persistence in playing the zither was unmatched by anyone.

She wanted desperately to destroy Xue Fangfei.

It's not that she didn't hesitate. After all, in the past ten years, the only one who understood her piano art the best was Xue Fangfei. Fairy Jinghong was born in a brothel, and her piano music was mostly decadent, which she looked down on. Only Xue Fangfei's piano music was clear and free, which she appreciated the most.

Besides, Xue Fangfei treated her with sincerity. She was gentle and kind, and every time she saw Xue Fangfei's sincere eyes, Xiao Deyin could feel her own darkness and madness.

Until one day, someone came to her and asked her if she would like to put something in Xue Fangfei's cup.

At first, Xiao Deyin thought that she was too obvious and her jealousy had been seen by others. But later, she realized that the other party only went after her because she was Xue Fangfei's good friend and easier to take advantage of.

She pretended to refuse and was not moved by the money. The other party threatened her with swords and family members. Xiao Deyin went with the flow and pretended to agree with the humiliation.

She has never allowed her reputation to be tarnished. Even if her secret is exposed one day, she can say that she was forced to do so, rather than acting out of jealousy.

Xiao Deyin didn't know what the powder was, she guessed it was a deadly poison. She didn't know who Xue Fangfei had offended, but her purpose coincided with hers.

That night, Xiao Deyin looked at the paper bag for a long time while waiting.

She had never killed anyone, her hands were never stained with blood, and how could the hands that had played the piano hurt others?

But she also thought that as long as Xue Fangfei died, she would be able to end this life of fear and not have to worry about Xue Fangfei's zither skills being revealed and surpassing her. Otherwise, people would say, look, that person refused to marry and gave up the opportunity to enter the palace, just wanting to be the best zither player, but was still surpassed by others. She really didn't know how high the sky was and was daydreaming.

She didn't want to be laughed at, and she wanted to be the number one pianist forever.

So Xiao Deyin put something in Xue Fangfei's drink. Everything was done according to the instructions given by the mysterious man, but she didn't expect that the powder was not a poison at all, but something more poisonous than poison. Compared with what Xue Fangfei experienced next, death was an easy thing.

Xue Fangfei was found to have an affair with someone, and her reputation was ruined. She mixed in the crowd, watching her best friend look at her in bewilderment, being despised and rejected by others. Xiao Deyin thought she would feel guilty about this, but she was surprised to find that at that moment, she only felt happy.

She suddenly understood at that moment, yes, she hated Xue Fangfei, she was jealous of Xue Fangfei, jealous of her having everything, including her piano skills. She was jealous of her natural advantage, being able to become someone she could never be.

She turned and left.

From then on, Xiao Deyin never set foot in the Shen family again. Others said it was because Mr. Xiao had a noble character and didn't want to associate with dirty people, but only Xiao Deyin herself knew that she was just feeling guilty.

Xue Fangfei was very smart and would soon figure out her suspicious side. She didn't want to confront Xue Fangfei face to face, as that would let Xiao Deyin see clearly that she was such an ugly villain in her heart.

Time passed slowly, until one day, the news of Xue Fangfei's death came, and Xiao Deyin was greatly relieved. In this way, no one would know that she was the one who drugged Xue Fangfei. Her darkness and jealousy would disappear with Xue Fangfei's death. She was still the gentle and noble first zither player, and she would not worry about becoming a joke one day.

As for who had ordered her to drug him, Xiao Deyin didn't care. Since the other party had already succeeded, he would not pursue the matter any further. This matter was known only to heaven and earth, and the deceased Xue Fangfei knew it, but no one else knew it.

However, the "Guanshanyue" of the Shen family, the "Guanshanyue" of today, reminded her of the fact that she had deliberately forgotten. It reminded her of what she had done in the past, and the anxiety that everything could be taken away at any time reappeared. The difference from the past was that now she still had a life debt on her back.

For a moment, she was at a loss and didn't know what to do.

……

At the beginning of the new year, most people in Yanjing City were happy. Few people were sad and unhappy, including Xiao Deyin and the master of the princess's mansion.

Princess Yongning was sitting in the hall, and a maid was playing the zither. The sound was beautiful and clear, but the more Princess Yongning listened, the more annoyed she became. She couldn't help but show a bit of irritation on her face. Meixiang saw this and signaled the maid to stop playing and leave quickly. After the maid left, the hall returned to silence.

There were fresh fruits and snacks on the table, but Princess Yongning was not in a good mood. She went to the Shen family for a banquet a few days ago, thinking that she could take the opportunity to get closer to Shen Yurong, but she didn't expect Shen Yurong to not only not look happy, but also to have a hint of blame.

She knew that the rumors about the Tongxiang case had not yet been completely quelled, but it was not Princess Yongning's nature to be bound by this. The more cautious Shen Yurong was, the more Princess Yongning became angry. If he really loved her, why would he care about these things? He would naturally overcome all difficulties and obstacles to be with her. But looking at Shen Yurong's appearance now, it was clear that she would wait until everything was foolproof before deciding to marry her.

This is not up to him. Princess Yongning's eyebrows were filled with impatience. She wanted to tell Concubine Liu about this, but Concubine Liu didn't think much of Shen Yurong and was afraid she wouldn't agree. She could only tell King Cheng, who admired Shen Yurong very much. If King Cheng supported her, this matter should be successful.

Princess Yongning thought of this and stood up: "I want to go to Prince Cheng's Mansion."

Meixiang hurriedly followed.

……

Tong'er came back in the afternoon, and Baixue came back in the evening. The two maids left the house one after the other, fearing that it would arouse suspicion, so they only said to others that they were going to buy things the girls needed.

When they returned to the courtyard, Tong'er first closed the doors and windows tightly and said, "Miss, everything went well. Mr. Xiao was just as you expected. After hearing what the passers-by said, he immediately returned to the mansion and never came out again. I hid in the dark and saw the maid from their mansion come out to ask the doctor for medicine. It seems that Mr. Xiao caught a cold."

Jiang Li smiled and said, "You did a good job."

She asked Tong'er to bribe a few strangers with silver, and asked them to play "Guanshanyue" at the place where Xiao Deyin had to pass by when she went out, and then asked them to pretend to have an unintentional conversation so that Xiao Deyin could hear it. Xiao Deyin had something to hide, so she would be shocked and scared, and she would be exposed. In order to sow discord between Xiao Deyin and Princess Yongning, she had to make her collapse first.

However, now that it has been confirmed step by step that Xiao Deyin was indeed an accomplice in her previous life and death, Jiang Li still has some indescribable feelings. After all, she believes that she has done nothing wrong to Xiao Deyin. Xiao Deyin is really hard-hearted to kill his friend just because he wants to compete for the title of the first zither player. Moreover, for Xue Fangfei herself, she has never thought about competing for any title.

Although Tong'er did what Jiang Li said, she was a little puzzled. Jiang Li and Xiao Deyin didn't seem to have any grudges against each other, so she asked, "Why did the girl do this? Did Mr. Xiao do anything?"

"She once harmed someone," Jiang Li said, "I did all this just to help her remember the sins she had committed. Otherwise, she would have forgotten about it over time and would have thought she had lived a life of purity and kindness."

Tong'er was surprised: "Mr. Xiao has hurt someone?! I can't tell!"

Yes, who can tell? After all, if a person who has no desires takes the initiative to harm others, no one will believe it. Xue Fangfei, a close friend, didn't see it, let alone an outsider.

Just as she finished saying this, there was a knock on the door, and Bai Xue's voice rang out: "Is the young lady in the room? I'm back."

Tong'er opened the door quickly, and Bai Xue came in. She had been running around for a whole day, and in the winter, there were beads of sweat on her forehead. But when she looked at Jiang Li, she was apologetic and said, "Miss, I went to all the famous pharmacies in Yanjing City, but there was no such medicine." She added, "It was so conspicuous that I covered my face with a hat and didn't dare to go back to the house directly. I walked around outside for a long time before coming back."

This was within Jiang Li's expectations. She said, "In that case, thank you for your hard work."

"Miss, why don't you go somewhere else? The pharmacy doesn't have it. Maybe this kind of medicine is in the hands of some famous doctors. After all, it's a folk remedy..."

"The folk remedy has not been verified, so it is not guaranteed. If there is a threat to life, someone will definitely investigate it. It would be bad if we are found to be responsible." Jiang Li shook her head. "It's okay. I will find another way to deal with this matter. That's it for now. Bai Xue, you have been running around all day, go and have a rest."

Bai Xue nodded, and Tong'er looked at Bai Xue curiously, then at Jiang Li. She didn't know what Jiang Li had told Bai Xue to do, but she didn't ask much, and soon left the house with Bai Xue.

Jiang Li was left alone in the room, sighing. Tong'er's side was going smoothly, but Bai Xue's side was difficult to deal with. That's right, these things are not easy to do. She couldn't use the power of the Jiang Mansion at will, otherwise Jiang Yuanbo would find out what she did, and she wouldn't know how to answer if he asked her questions.

Jiang Youyao's whereabouts have not been found yet, and Jiang Yuanbai is already in a very bad mood. She can't cause trouble for Jiang Yuanbai at this critical juncture, which will be disadvantageous to herself.

As she was thinking, she didn't realize that it had gotten dark. Jiang Li looked up at the sky. It was already night, and there was no sound of people outside. She wanted to reach out and close the window to prevent the wind from blowing out the lamp on the table, but suddenly she heard footsteps.

In the silence, the footsteps were neither light nor heavy, neither fast nor slow, as if they had a magical power, causing people to involuntarily look for the sound. A charming face appeared in front of the window, his red clothes were covered with black and gold butterflies, gorgeous and eerie.

"Duke?" Jiang Li looked at him in surprise, but the initial panic was no longer in her surprise. It was like finding a wild animal that accidentally broke into the house at night. The surprise lasted only a moment, and then it passed.

He walked to the window, and the next moment, he appeared in the room. Jiang Li couldn't even see his movements clearly, she only saw a flash of red clothes in front of her. She subconsciously reached out and closed the window tightly, fearing that others would see or hear the noise here and arouse suspicion.

The young man sat down in front of the small table in the room as if he was very familiar with the situation. He poured tea and drank it, and asked, "I heard that your maid went all over Yanjing City today to find a drug that can cause false pregnancy. So, who are you going to use it on?" He looked at Jiang Li and said in a teasing tone, "I'm afraid you can't use it yourself."

Jiang Li paused, and said in her heart, "How fast it is." It was only a few hours after Bai Xue came back, and Ji Heng's people knew about it immediately. In this world, it was obviously the easiest to borrow Ji Heng's power, so why should she do it herself? But there was no other way. She still had her face, and she was embarrassed to ask Ji Heng to help her again and again.

"It is used on Princess Yongning." After a pause, Jiang Li said.

Ji Heng paused while drinking tea and looked at her, "Do you know what you are doing?"

"I know." Jiang Li smiled and said, "I know better than anyone. I think the time has come now. If I delay any longer, I will not be able to wait any longer. I really want to finish this matter quickly. Princess Yongning loves Shen Yurong deeply. Even if she is dissatisfied in her heart, she will eventually back down for Shen Yurong. In other words, Shen Yurong can trick her to this point. If this continues, we will have to wait for a few more years."

"That won't do. I have to help them." Her voice was calm and gentle.

Ji Heng looked at her. She had concealed many things in the past, but now she hardly concealed anything from him. Except for the secret in her heart, she told him almost everything else, as if she trusted him very much.

"Oh, did you find the medicine you were looking for?" Ji Heng asked
Jiang Li shook her head: "No, this is not easy."

"Even if you find it, it won't be easy for you to get close to Yongning and ask her to use the medicine."

Jiang Li smiled: "Of course I know, so I'm still thinking about countermeasures."

"You should know," he said, playing with his folding fan, smiling, "I can help you."

Jiang Li was slightly startled, then smiled and shook her head, saying: "The Duke has helped me a lot, and this matter is also risky. Princess Yongning is backed by King Cheng. If we can find out who the Duke is..."

"Then you underestimate me," he said with a hint of sarcasm in his tone, "If I do it, no one will find out."

"What price do you want me to pay?" Jiang Li smiled sincerely. "I thought about it. There is nothing on my body that is worth the Duke's covetousness. This deal is not worth it for the Duke. If the Duke helps me, I will pay more than I get. I really don't have the face to take advantage of you again."

This was so high-sounding that Ji Heng couldn't find any words to refute it. He stared at Jiang Li's eyes, and his beautiful eyes narrowed, "I find that you are not suitable to be a profiteer. Your conscience is really useless."

"Am I a person without conscience in the eyes of the Duke?" Jiang Li also laughed.

"That's what I thought at first, but now it seems that I was wrong." Ji Heng said slowly, "You can be considered a good person."

When he first met her, it was in the nunnery of Qingcheng Mountain. He watched her make careful arrangements, deceive everyone, and achieve her goal with a harmless face, a few soft words, and a few tears. The teenage girl had a very accurate plan, as if she had just emerged from a battle of swords and sabers. At that time, he knew that Jiang Li was not a good person.

After that, everything went wrong and she returned to Yanjing. She was seen dealing with her stepmother, her half-sister, and her fiance with ulterior motives. She was not afraid at all and always disrupted other people's chess with a smile. She returned to Tongxiang and dealt with the Xue family's case. Facing Feng Yutang's questioning and Princess Yongning's pursuit, she was just luring others into a trap.

He could see the cold heart beneath her soft appearance, but sometimes Ji Heng thought that Jiang Li was not a heartless girl. She could help Xue Huaiyuan, and argue for others. She whispered blessings and protection on New Year's Eve, and now she gave in because of guilt, unwilling to let others pay blindly.

Sometimes Ji Heng could feel her kindness, her gentleness and her coldness combined, making her contradictory and attractive, making people unable to help but pay attention to her. She seemed to be trying her best to get rid of some things and grow into another person, but the mark in her bones remained deeply.

She may not have noticed the changes in herself.

"What the Duke said actually coincides with my thoughts." She looked at Ji Heng and smiled slightly, "At first I also thought that the Duke was very ruthless, but now it seems that I was wrong."

"No one in the world has ever said that I'm a good person." Ji Heng raised his eyebrows.

"Then I'm the first one." She replied with a smile.

For some reason, she seems to be much calmer now than before. Ji Heng was surprised for a moment, and said, "No one can match Situ's ability to refine medicine. She can make the fake pregnancy medicine you mentioned."

Jiang Li's eyes lit up, and she heard Ji Heng say again: "I can also ask someone to help, Yongning can take this medicine. But there is no free gift in the world."

Jiang Li said: "My Lord, please feel free to speak."

"King Cheng will probably start a rebellion soon, and we will need the Jiang family to distract some of King Cheng's attention."

Jiang Li was surprised: "So fast?"

"Faster?" Ji Heng smiled, "It's already too late for him."

Jiang Li replied: "I know. Even if the Duke does not tell me, my father will deal with King Cheng if he starts a rebellion. King Cheng has always regarded the Jiang family as a thorn in his side. If he succeeds, he will definitely liquidate the Jiang family. In order to protect himself, my father will not stand idly by."

"In addition, the Jiang family needs to point their spearhead at the emperor and do various things to make people think that the Jiang family is not satisfied with the status quo and has some ambitions."

This time, Jiang Li was really stunned. She asked, "Why is this?"

"You will understand when the time comes. Now you just need to do this." Ji Heng suddenly smiled. There was something ambiguous in his smile, but it made his entire figure vivid and handsome. He said, "This time, I'll invite you to watch the show."

Jiang Li stared at him, feeling vaguely that what Ji Heng was going to do next was not more shocking than what she had done to Yong Ning. But she also knew that she couldn't ask too much, as this was not something she could ask about.

"Your roasted venison is very good." Ji Heng said, "When you have some free time, you can come to my house and roast more."

Jiang Li: "..."

She really wanted to say no, but she had just received help from others and it would be unreasonable to reject them like this, so she could only say "OK" with her head down.

Ji Heng seemed to be amused by her attitude. Jiang Li looked at his smile and suddenly remembered something else. She hurriedly asked, "Speaking of which, does the Duke know that Jiang Youyao escaped from the mansion?"

"Jiang Youyao?" Ji Heng frowned slightly and said, "I don't know and I don't care."

That’s right. For someone like Ji Heng, there’s no need to ask about things he doesn’t care about. Jiang Li said, “The maidservant next to Jiang Youyao said that Jiang Youyao escaped and went to the Ji family. But the Ji family said that Jiang Youyao had never been there—the Ji family didn’t need to lie about this. Father also went to the Ningyuan Marquis’ Mansion to inquire, but Jiang Youyao was not there. The police have been notified, and although they didn’t make a big fuss about it, the search has never stopped. But for so long, there has been no news.”

Ji Heng understood what he meant when he heard this. He raised his eyebrows and asked, "You mean, you want me to help find Jiang Youyao's whereabouts." He glanced at Jiang Li, "Are you so kind?"

"That's not the case," Jiang Li just found it funny. "Although I'm not a bad person, I've never thought of repaying evil with kindness. I just want to know the whereabouts of Jiang Youyao. If she's doing well and not involved in the Jiang family, I'm too lazy to look for her. If she might bring trouble to the Jiang family, it's better for father to bring her back quickly. With her ability to get into trouble, I think it's not a wise thing to let her walk around outside."

This is true. The current situation is complicated. If someone uses Jiang Youyao as a weapon to attack the Jiang family, it will be a disaster. Jiang Li thought, since Ji Heng has been asked to help with the matter in Yongning, why not ask Ji Heng to help with this matter as well.

"Okay," Ji Heng nodded and said, "If there is any news about her, I will let Zhao Ke tell you."

"Thank you, Duke." Jiang Li thanked.

"No need to thank me. By the way," he said, "the maid named Haitang's face has completely healed. With this appearance, it is not suitable for her to go out, otherwise she will be easily discovered by Yongning's men. If you want to see her, come to the Duke's Mansion. If you have anything to say, let Zhao Ke pass it on."

Jiang Li was overjoyed when she heard this. This was really a good thing. Haitang had recovered her appearance! The maid who had suffered such a misfortune for her finally found something she had lost. This also alleviated Jiang Li's guilt a lot.

The joy on her face was hard to conceal, and Ji Heng saw it all. He raised the corner of his lips, "Are you happy?"

"I'm very happy." Jiang Li said, "Thank you very much, Duke. I want to go see Haitang tomorrow, is that ok?"

She looked at Ji Heng with her clear eyes, revealing her genuine yearning. Ji Heng turned her head away and said, "Okay."

After a pause, he added: "You can also take a look at Xiaohong."

Xiao Hong? Jiang Li was stunned. Who is Xiao Hong? She had never heard of this name. Is she someone she knows?

Before she could ask, Ji Heng had already stood up and left from the window.

(End of this chapter)