Chapter 155 Assassination
On the second day, Jiang Li decided to go to the Duke's Mansion.

The people of the Jiang family thought she was going to see Ye Mingyu, so they let her go easily. Jiang Li did go to the Ye family to see Ye Mingyu and Ye Shijie, and to visit Xue Huaiyuan. Xue Huaiyuan is now better than before. He is not dancing like a child like when he first came to Yanjing City. These days, he looks like an adult, but he often sits aside and doesn't know what he is thinking.

If, as Situ Jiuyue said, Xue Huaiyuan was getting better little by little, maybe one day he would be able to remember the past. Jiang Li was both happy and afraid of the arrival of this day. She was happy because it meant she could recognize her father, but she was afraid that her father was old and would not be able to bear the disaster of the Xue family in the past six months.

After leaving Ye's house, Jiang Li asked someone to drive the carriage to the Duke's Mansion and arrived at the gate of the Duke's Mansion. Last night, she had already agreed with Ji Heng to come and see Haitang today.

The handsome servant at the gate of the Duke's Mansion opened the gate to welcome Jiang Li as soon as he saw her coming. Tong'er and Bai Xue were both surprised, wondering when their daughter had been treated as a guest of honor by the Duke's Mansion, or whether their relationship was so familiar that she was almost like entering the Ye family.

Jiang Li didn't think too much and just stepped in.

She had a good memory and could walk the same route a second time without being reminded. Therefore, she easily bypassed the complicated corridors of the Duke's Mansion and walked to the courtyard in front of Ji Heng's study. Every time she met Ji Heng, if they were in the house, it was in this study.

She wanted to see Ji Heng first and tell Ji Heng that she was here. Unexpectedly, there was only one Wen Ji outside. Wen Ji looked at her and said, "My Lord is out today and will not be back until the night. Before leaving, he told his subordinates that when Miss Jiang Er comes, she should go directly to the west room. Miss Haitang lives in the west room. Miss Jiuyue is also in the mansion today. After Miss Jiang Er has seen Miss Haitang, if she still wants to see Miss Jiuyue, she can come here to find me again. I will take you to see Miss Jiuyue."

Jiang Li was a little surprised. She didn't expect Ji Heng to be away. But even though he wasn't there, he had already arranged everything. He was really thoughtful. Jiang Li said, "Thank you, Brother Wen Ji."

Wen Jilian said he didn't dare, and took Jiang Li to the door of the west room, saying, "This is the west room."

Jiang Li nodded, asked Tong'er and Bai Xue to guard outside the door, and pushed the door open and walked in.

In the room, Haitang was sitting at the table wiping it. She felt very uncomfortable staying in the Duke's Mansion. She had always been the one serving others, and no one else had ever served her. In addition, most of the people in the Duke's Mansion were servants, and they were not really suitable to be around her. So she politely declined the arranged servants and took care of herself alone.

But I don’t know what to do on weekdays, let alone what I can do. I have no one to talk to, so I have to find some work to do by myself.

Hearing the noise outside, Haitang suddenly turned around and was also stunned when she saw Jiang Li. She still remembered Jiang Li's identity, so she quickly stood up and saluted, "Second Miss Jiang."

Jiang Li looked at Haitang's face carefully. Although Situ Jiuyue kept saying that she was a poisoner and not good at treating people, the two scary scars on Haitang's face were gone at this moment. She looked smooth and delicate, just like the pretty girl in Jiang Li's mind.

Haitang also felt that Jiang Li was looking at her face, and couldn't help but reach out and touch her face. She smiled at Jiang Li and said, "The scars on my face have all healed, thanks to Miss Jiuyue's medical skills. It's exactly the same as before."

"Yeah," Jiang Li sighed, "It's not different at all."

Haitang felt a little strange when she heard this. The tone of Jiang Li's words seemed as if she had seen her before. This was impossible. However, she thought Jiang Li was just speaking from her heart and didn't think much about it.

"How have you been living here these days?" Jiang Li asked, "Are you still used to living here?"

"Everything is fine in the Duke's Mansion," Haitang lowered her head, "but I am not used to a life of doing nothing. Second Miss Jiang," she suddenly raised her head and looked at Jiang Li with a firm gaze, "that day Second Miss Jiang said that as long as I am alive, I can serve as evidence to avenge Miss. I dare to guess that Second Miss Jiang wants to clear Miss of the false charges and expose the real murderer to the public. I hope to do my part. I wonder when Second Miss Jiang plans to take action?"

Her tone was calm, but her eyes revealed an irrepressible anxiety. Jiang Li sighed in her heart. Haitang was the most loyal and rational person. Now that she had just been reborn after a disaster, she was still thinking about her own affairs.

"There's no rush for this," Jiang Li said, "I'm already making preparations. When I need you, you can show up."

"I... don't know who to trust or talk to in this world now." Haitang said at a loss, "When the Xue family was still around, the master, the young master, and the young lady were everything to me. But now, the master is crazy, the young master and the young lady are dead, and my sisters are dead or scattered. There is no place for me to stay in this big world." She laughed at herself, "I have long lost contact with my family. Later, when I returned to Zaohua Village, although I have two younger brothers, I am not really close to them. Besides, I can't tell them these things."

Jiang Li could relate to Haitang. For her, everything in the past was gone. Even if she wanted to start over, she didn't know how to do it. She was almost a stranger to Yanjing City. She had no friends or family, and no Xue Fangfei.

"Haitang," Jiang Li said softly, "After Xue Fangfei's case is over and the murderer is brought to justice, you don't have to worry about someone recognizing your identity and killing you to silence you. By then, if you are willing, I will send you to the Ye family, and you can take care of County Magistrate Xue."

Haitang heard it and said, "Really?"

"Really." Jiang Li said. Ye Mingyu can take care of Xue Huaiyuan, but he is a rough man and not very careful. If Haitang stays with Xue Huaiyuan, she can naturally take care of Xue Huaiyuan meticulously. Moreover, for Haitang, Xue Huaiyuan is a close person, which can also make her feel that she is not so lonely and useless.

Haitang said, "Miss Jiang Er, I, I really have no way to repay you." She was a little incoherent.

Jiang Li patted her hands and said gently, "Don't be like this. I'm not doing this for you to repay me. If I want something, it's just for the murderer to be punished. If you feel bad, or think you owe me a lot, you might as well think of it this way. I'm the same as your enemy. I help you only for myself. Isn't it a lot easier to think this way?" She smiled.

Haitang stared blankly at the girl in front of her. The girl was still very young, with skin as white as snow. Although she was also smart and cute, she was not as beautiful as her own daughter. But Haitang felt that the girl's every move seemed to be similar to Xue Fangfei's.

Especially her smile, which seems to soothe everything and make people feel at ease.

Just like her lady.

For some reason, Haitang became closer to the lady in front of her.

Jiang Li told her again: "Don't think about anything these days. Although you can't leave the house, it's for your safety. If Princess Yongning's people see that you are still alive, I'm afraid they will do everything they can to harm you. If you really want to go out for something, ask Wen Ji to go with you, but it's better not to." She seemed a little embarrassed when she said this: "The Duke and I are not as familiar with each other as you think. I have also shamelessly bothered him a lot during this period, so..."

Haitang was a smart girl, and she immediately said, "I know, I won't make things difficult for the Second Young Miss."

Jiang Li breathed a sigh of relief, spoke to Haitang again, comforted her for a while, and then left the house.

Wen Ji was still guarding outside the door. Jiang Li walked up and said, "I want to meet Miss Jiu Yue. Can Brother Wen Ji introduce her to me?"

Wen Ji agreed and took her in another direction.

Situ Jiuyue was refining medicine in the house. She was probably refining medicine, and she should have used local materials. In the silver bucket next to her, there was a bunch of fresh flowers. They looked very familiar, and Jiang Li remembered that these flowers were the ones in the flower garden of the Duke's Mansion.

Those flowers are all poisonous, and they can be used by Situ Jiuyue as medicine. She was dressed in black in a room full of colorful flowers, but it didn't look strange.

Jiang Li said: "Miss September."

Situ Jiuyue turned around and saw that it was her, so she put down the things in her hands and said, "You are here."

Judging from her expression, it seemed as if she had known Jiang Li would come.

"I just went to see Haitang, her face is completely healed. Thank you Miss Jiuyue for your medical skills, it's really amazing." Jiang Li smiled and thanked.

"I've said before, I'm not a doctor. I used poison to treat her face." Situ Jiuyue said nonchalantly, "That was also due to her own efforts. I was surprised that she managed to get through it."

She was unwilling to accept other people's kindness easily. Even if she did something good, she would pretend to do it casually. Jiang Li smiled. The princess of Molan had experienced great changes and was displaced. It would be strange if she was still sincere to others easily. Protecting herself with such a cold attitude might be Situ Jiuyue's way of life.

Situ Jiuyue looked at Jiang Li and asked, "I heard from Ji Heng that you are looking for a drug that can cause false pregnancy?"

"That's right." Jiang Li replied, "Miss Jiuyue, can you make it?"

"Of course." Speaking of this, Situ Jiuyue has always been very confident. She said, "In fifteen days, I can refine it. After the medicine is refined, it will be the same as an ordinary woman being pregnant. Even if the imperial physician in the palace comes to check the pulse, they can't see any problems."

Jiang Li was delighted and said, "That would be the best."

"But this medicine will only work for three months. After three months, all the signs will disappear. If you ask someone to check your pulse again, they will find that you are not pregnant at all. You have to take this into consideration when you do things."

Situ Jiuyue did not ask Jiang Li who she was going to use the medicine on or why she was going to use it this way. This might be related to Situ Jiuyue's indifferent personality. However, this also saved Jiang Li the trouble of explaining to her.

"Three months is enough." Jiang Li said with a smile, "I'll have to trouble Miss Jiuyue again this time."

"It's not really a problem. Ji Heng paid me the money, so I will naturally get the job done." Situ Jiuyue glanced at Jiang Li and said, "You are really amazing. You can get Ji Heng to help you like this."

Jiang Li was surprised: "Did you pay the money?"

She had never known about this, but after Situ Jiuyue finished speaking, she turned around and continued to make medicine. Jiang Li didn't want to disturb her, so she left the room and gently closed the door.

The purpose of coming to the Duke's Mansion today was achieved. Ji Heng was not here, so there was no point in staying here. Jiang Li said a few words to Wen Ji, and Wen Ji led her out of the mansion.

When passing by the yard, a black thing suddenly flashed by, and only the sound of flapping wings was heard. The thing landed on the top of the lantern under the eaves, looked at Jiang Li, and shouted: "Fang Fei Fang Fei!"

Jiang Li was startled and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see the mynah bird from the Shen Mansion calling out to her with great enthusiasm and joy.

For a moment, Jiang Li did not think about the fact that the starling called her "Fang Fei", but asked in surprise: "Why is it here?"

"This is a bird raised by adults, named Xiaohong." Wen Ji said.

Jiang Li: "Xiaohong?"

She suddenly remembered that when Ji Heng left last night, he said to her, "You can also take a look at Xiao Hong." At that time, she was still wondering who Xiao Hong was, but before she had time to ask, Ji Heng had already left. She thought Xiao Hong was someone she knew, but she didn't expect it to be this starling!

Wait, wasn’t it already crushed to death by Ji Heng?
When they were at the Shen residence, the mynah bird was so noisy that Ji Heng wanted to kill it to silence it. Jiang Li indeed watched him pinch the mynah bird in his palm and slowly tighten it. She thought he had killed it and felt very sad. Now it seems that Ji Heng did not kill the bird, but brought it back to the Duke's Mansion and gave it a completely unrelated name - Xiaohong?
This is actually a black starling!

Jiang Li raised her head and looked at Wen Ji, who still looked as cold as ice. At this time, Xiao Hong called her "Fang Fei Fang Fei" happily twice. Jiang Li: "..." She was still a little unbelievable. How did the bird recognize her?
But no matter what, she couldn't stay here for long. She stopped looking at Xiaohong and said, "I'm leaving first." She left the Duke's Mansion.

Sitting in the carriage, Jiang Li thought about everything that happened in the Duke's Mansion today, and felt both ridiculous and sad.

What on earth was going on? She was confused.

……

In the Wangxian Tower in Yanjing City, a room near the window was booked early, as usual.

Kong Liu had just come back from outside and was very thirsty. He picked up the teapot on the table and took a gulp. The small pot of tea was very precious, worth several hundred taels of silver, but he drank it like a cow chewing a peony. Lu Ji's eyelids trembled when he saw this, and he was really helpless.

"I heard that the news from Yuzhou has been received." Kong Liu looked at the young man in red. "I'm afraid that King Cheng is going to take action. We have to be prepared at any time. What did the emperor say?"

"According to the original plan." Lu Ji replied: "The key is when King Cheng will take action and what method he will use."

"Altar." Ji Heng said, "On May 18th, the emperor will go up the mountain to offer sacrifices to the heavens. This is a good opportunity."

"King Cheng wants to kill the emperor on the mountain..." Kong Liu made a gesture of wiping his neck, "Okay, that's cruel enough, like King Cheng's style!"

"How about I go back and consult the spirit writing to see if there will be any bloody disaster on May 18th?" Wen Renyao interrupted.

"Don't get involved, you charlatan. Everyone knows that you can't predict accurately." Kong Liu said with disdain: "It's useless. It's better to rely on yourself."

"In short, now all the forces have come on the scene," Lu Ji knocked on the table, "But if the emperor settles accounts with King Cheng this time, will he settle accounts with the Jiang family next?"

"No." Ji Heng's tone was very certain.

Everyone in the room looked at him.

The corners of his lips curled up, "I haven't taken care of the big ones yet, how can I take care of the small ones?"

Everyone chewed over his words silently. At this moment, a guard came in from outside and said to Ji Heng, "Ye Mingyu has sent people to guard outside Xiao Deyin's mansion. It looks like they will take action within the next two days."

"Ah, ah, ah?" Wen Renyao couldn't help but ask, "Isn't Ye Mingyu the uncle of Miss Jiang Er? Why are they guarding Xiao Deyin?"

"Xiao Deyin seems to be the teacher who teaches piano at Mingyi Hall," Kong Liu touched his chin, "Is there any conflict between them?"

Lu Ji chuckled: "Ye Mingyu and Xiao Deyin have no grudges against each other, so how can there be any grudges? It must be Miss Jiang's intention. Ye Mingyu listens to Miss Jiang's words, but I don't know what happened between Miss Jiang and Xiao Deyin." He looked at Ji Heng. Among them, Ji Heng was the only one who had the closest relationship with Miss Jiang.

"Maybe Xiao Deyin was too strict with Miss Jiang in the past, so Miss Jiang is upset. But that's not right. Miss Jiang is not such a stingy person. Besides, she got first place in the six arts test, and she plays the zither well. Even old man Mianju praised her, which shows that she is good. What's the problem with this?"

Ji Heng ignored them and just ordered the guards: "Find a few people to watch over the people sent by Ye Mingyu and don't let them cause trouble."

This means helping Ye Mingyu clean up the mess.

The guards took the order and left. Several people looked at each other in confusion. Kong Liu asked, "Duke, what does this mean? Do you have any other deal to make in secret?"

Ji Heng glanced at him and said calmly, "Drink your tea." But she was thinking in her heart. Jiang Li's actions were very fast, and she didn't give Xiao Deyin any time. She was so anxious and impatient to do these things, just to bring down Shen Yurong and Yongning.

But why is she in such a hurry? What reason could make her so anxious?
His thin lips were rosy. He picked up the tea and took a sip. He lowered his eyes to hide the deep thought in them, and no one noticed.

……

The sky grew dark.

Xiao Deyin sat in the house, watching the lights outside gradually brighten up, feeling melancholy.

The more you fear something, the harder it is to let it go. Ever since she saw someone talking about "Guanshanyue" in front of the door, she thought of Xue Fangfei again and again. Even though she tried very hard not to think about what happened in the past, nightmares followed her like a shadow. She even had a nightmare in which Xue Fangfei stood beside her, looked at her mockingly, and slowly approached her in a white dress.

It was as if he wanted to take her to the dark hell.

Xiao Deyin woke up with a start, breaking out in a cold sweat, which scared the maids. They thought her cold had worsened, and the room was filled with the bitter smell of medicine.

While sitting on the couch, Xiao Deyin couldn't help thinking that after the incident, Xue Fangfei never went out again and stayed in bed sick, which was not much different from what she was thinking at the moment. But she didn't know what Xue Fangfei was thinking at that time. Maybe she was thinking about what was going on, maybe she was desperate, or maybe she was thinking about who the real murderer was, and then thought of herself.

She couldn't help but shiver.

Xiao Deyin called the maid and said, "I want to go out for a walk."

The maid said, "Sir, you are not well yet, you can't walk around."

"Nothing," Xiao Deyin replied, "I'm just walking around. I won't go too far. You guys keep me company. I really feel bored in the house."

She thought she couldn't stay in the room all the time. Staying in the room always made her think wildly and recall those frightening memories of the past. It seemed that there was also the ghost of Xue Fangfei in this room. She was afraid of being haunted by the ghost, and she was also afraid that Xue Fangfei would find her.

She had to go to crowded places, feel the liveliness of the people, look at the lively market, and then tell herself that everything in the past was over, no one would find out what she had done, and everything would be fine.

The maid couldn't persuade her, so she had to find a thick cloak and wrap Xiao Deyin tightly. She then stuffed a heater in Xiao Deyin's hands and helped her out the door.

When Xiao Deyin stepped out of the door, she was still very nervous, for she was afraid that she would hear the lingering "Guanshan Yue" again, and she still couldn't get rid of Xue Fangfei's shadow. But fortunately, this time when she went out, no one was playing "Guanshan Yue" not far away, and no one was talking about the number one zither player in Yanjing in front of the door.

Xiao Deyin followed the maid out of the alley.

The streets were full of children playing. Although it was already evening, the streets were still as lively as ever. On the contrary, there were people selling sugar figurines and performing acrobatics everywhere. Lanterns were lit up one after another, and the entire Yanjing city was dyed red and bright.

This is the Yanjing city she is familiar with, bustling and different from the coldness of the mansion. She wants to create her own legend in this prosperous place. At least in her lifetime, she hopes to keep the title of "the first zither player". After all, she really loves the zither, and she also really loves the envious and jealous eyes of others.

Xiao Deyin did not walk far, but just strolled around the streets near her home. Perhaps it was because many people on the street gave her a sense of security, or perhaps she did not encounter the haunting "Guanshanyue" again today. Her complexion improved a lot, and the maid beside her saw it and smiled and said, "Mr. looks much better now, probably the medicine is working."

Xiao Deyin said "hmm" and walked around again. She wanted to find out about the mysterious zither player who appeared a few days ago and played "Guanshanyue" very well, and wanted to know whether the fact that the first zither player in Yanjing had been replaced by someone else was already known to everyone, but the maid who went to inquire about it came back and told Xiao Deyin that it was not the case.

Although Xiao Deyin was confused, she felt relieved. Although she didn't know what was going on, nothing happened to her career at the moment, so she guessed that maybe she was too worried.

After walking for a while, it was getting dark, and Xiao Deyin and the maid walked back to the mansion. When they reached the entrance of the alley, the maid suddenly thought of something and said, "Sir, you said a few days ago that you wanted to eat cakes from Xingde Zhai. You don't have to queue up now. It's not far away. Sir, please wait for me. I will be back soon."

Xiao Deyin nodded and said, "Go ahead." She was indeed thinking of what she had said a few days ago about wanting to eat Xingde Zhai's cakes and pastries, so she waited at the entrance of the alley with peace of mind.

At night, there were almost no people in the alley. Xiao Deyin stood there, and two passers-by walked towards him from a distance.

Because this alley is a dead end with a wall at the end of the road, there are no passers-by. Most of them are people who live in the alley or visit relatives nearby. But at night, there are usually not many customers. Xiao Deyin saw that these two people looked unfamiliar and couldn't help but look at them a few more times.

The two men were also staring at her.

Xiao Deyin was startled. She wore a veil when she went out, so others could not recognize her. Even if he was a pervert, he did not need to stare at her so directly. Moreover, the eyes of these two people were particularly cold, like wolves staring at their prey. She could not help but want to stay away from them, but she saw that the two people suddenly turned around and walked towards her when they passed by.

Xiao Deyin was startled, and she was sure that the two men were coming for her, so she turned and ran. But before she could take two steps, she was caught. After all, she was a weak woman with no weapons, and she was about to shout, but she didn't expect that one of them covered her mouth, and Xiao Deyin couldn't make any sound. She widened her eyes in fear, and her expression became more and more desperate.

She watched helplessly as one of them flashed a knife from his sleeve.

Just when the knife was about to pounce on her face, suddenly, one of them pulled down Xiao Deyin's veil, his eyes lit up, and said: "Hey, this Mr. Xiao is really a beauty. It's a pity that she died in vain..." He showed an obscene smile.

Xiao Deyin was even more frightened when he heard this, but another person said, "Stop talking nonsense, just do what the princess asked you to do, how dare you create trouble?"

Princess? Xiao Deyin was stunned. What princess?
"But it's such a pity," the man holding the knife seemed unwilling to give up and pinched Xiao Deyin's cheek, "Look, it's so tender that water can come out of it."

Xiao Deyin felt humiliated, but more than that, she was terrified. She didn't know who she had offended, and she didn't know who sent these two people. Just when she was completely desperate, the voice of a maid suddenly rang out from outside: "Sir? Sir!"

When the two heard this, they subconsciously let go. Xiao Deyin immediately pushed hard and shouted, "Help! Help!"

In the quiet alley at night, such a loud shout immediately attracted people's attention. Several people opened their doors and came over to follow the sound.

Xiao Deyin looked back and the two strangers were gone.

(End of this chapter)