Chapter 193 He Arrives
"Don't set your sights on her." The woman reminded, "This is the person His Highness wants."

"You and I both know that His Highness wants her not because he likes her, but to torture her. If that's the case, he's going to torture her anyway, and the more miserable the better. Why do you care about me? His Highness hasn't arrived yet, has he?"

Jiang Li was stunned. King Cheng hasn't arrived in Huangzhou yet?
The woman spat at him. "Anyway, I've already told you, don't try to do anything. If anything goes wrong, I won't speak for you."

The man said impatiently: "I know, I know, I won't do anything."

Although she said so, Jiang Li felt that the man's gaze was like a cold and wet snake, slowly wandering over her body, sticky and disgusting. She couldn't help but be alert, but there was nothing she could do. From the tone of the two people around her, they were going to stay in Huangzhou.

The journey was over, and they should settle down in a fixed place. In this way, it would only take a thought for the man to do anything to her. She couldn't guarantee when this would happen, but at least she couldn't take the medicine that would make her unable to move. But the woman was very cautious and would come to feed the medicine herself every night.

Jiang Li's palms couldn't help but sweat.

There isn't much time left.

……

In Yanjing City, Jiang Yuanbai still did not give up searching for Jiang Li's whereabouts. Later, he even ordered the government to post a missing person notice without caring whether it would affect Jiang Li's reputation. Losing a reputation is better than losing a life, and Jiang Youyao is an example. Jiang Yuanbai went back home every day to see Jiang Youyao. As long as he thought that Jiang Li might become like Jiang Youyao now, Jiang Yuanbai was so painful that he couldn't speak.

He didn't know what was going on. If he had committed a serious crime, the punishment would be enough for him alone. Why should his children be embarrassed? But the matter still had no results. People in the government said that Jiang Li was probably not in Yanjing City. Because of the previous experience of Princess Yongning, this time the search did not even give up the other person's house, but still nothing was found.

The maids in Fangfei Garden have been dejected these days. Bai Xue has to go to the city to look for someone every day. Tong'er's injury has not healed yet, and she is also sad when she sees the whistle on Jiang Li's desk. How could it be such a coincidence that Ji Heng is not in Yanjing at this time? If Duke Su was here, would Jiang Li be found earlier?
But what one thinks in one's heart is just what one thinks in one's heart. The people of Yanjing City were shocked by the affair between Prince Cheng and Concubine Li and the disappearance of Miss Jiang Er. They were indifferent to other things, including Xiao Deyin's death.

Xiao Deyin is dead.

Princess Yongning and Shen Yurong were beheaded in public, and the evil deeds they committed that year were made known to the world. Xiao Deyin naturally did not escape punishment. Although she was not killed, she was severely beaten with fifty boards. Xiao Deyin returned home dying like this, and the maids in the mansion asked a doctor to see her, and she was saved. But it was heard that one day Xiao Deyin's door was not closed, and Xiao Deyin, who was lying on the bed, heard a few maids talking outside the door, saying that people in Yanjing City were now talking about Xiao Deyin, saying that Xiao Deyin was hypocritical, cruel and hypocritical. Xiao Deyin was so angry that she vomited a few mouthfuls of blood and died of anger.

Xiao Deyin has always loved living in the eyes of people looking up to her and respecting her. She hopes that her piano skills are unparalleled in the world and does not want to be looked down upon by anyone. Now that anyone can look down upon her, Xiao Deyin naturally cannot stand it. Even if she is not angry to death, one day she will not be able to bear the strange looks of the people and will commit suicide.

If the news of the death of the first zither player in Yanjing had spread in the past, people would have paid attention to it, and everyone would have sighed and lamented. But in this troubled time, no one would care about Xiao Deyin. Even if someone accidentally found out about it, they would just say "it's what he deserved" and leave it at that.

Xiao Deyin ended her life just like that.

In Yaoguang Building, Jiang Yuanbai was sitting with Jiang Youyao. During the day, the soldiers had another round of searches but still had no results. Jiang Yuanbai was unwilling to go back to his room. He didn't know when his room became deserted. He was not a person who liked to be lively, but he couldn't stand the loneliness. When he was alone, he always thought of Ye Zhenzhen, Ji Shuran, Aunt Hu, and his dead daughter Jiang Yueer.

Although it is sad to see Jiang Youyao here, after all, that suffocating loneliness is gone.

A maid's voice came from outside: "Master, the second master is here."

Jiang Yuanping came. Jiang Yuanbai stood up, turned around, and saw his younger brother.

Jiang Yuanping always looked like a good guy with a smile on his face, so he was nicknamed "Smiling Tiger". But after a series of events in recent days, the smile on Jiang Yuanping's face disappeared, and he even looked a little solemn when looking at Jiang Yuanbo.

"Brother, let's go inside and talk." Jiang Yuanping said.

Seeing that he seemed to have something important to say to him, Jiang Yuanbo dismissed the people around him and went into the house with Jiang Yuanping.

When they got inside, Jiang Yuanbai closed the door and asked Jiang Yuanping, "What's going on in the palace?"

In the past few days, Jiang Yuanbai was busy looking for Jiang Li's whereabouts, so he did not go to the palace. Emperor Hong Xiao could understand. Therefore, Jiang Yuanbai did not know what the situation in the palace was now, so he could only ask Jiang Yuanping.

"Concubine Liu has been imprisoned. I thought Your Majesty wanted to use Concubine Liu to threaten King Cheng."

Jiang Yuanbai sneered: "How could King Cheng be threatened?"

"Your Majesty also thinks so. Concubine Liu should not escape death, but in order to humiliate King Cheng, they will deliberately do it after King Cheng has started a rebellion."

Jiang Yuanbo was slightly surprised when he heard this, then nodded and said, "Well, if it was before this, it would be inevitable that the King would use this as a topic."

"Brother, this is not what I want to talk about. A few days ago, someone saw Jiang Yuanxing go to the Right Prime Minister's residence."

Jiang Yuanbo's eyes became fierce: "That bastard!"

"Although I don't know what he said to the Right Prime Minister, big brother, I think it's best to separate the family immediately and explain the situation to the emperor. We can't let Jiang Yuanxing harm us alone, otherwise the whole Jiang family will be buried with Jiang Yuanxing. Although Jiang Yuanxing was kept at the beginning for his use in the future, it seems that King Cheng has started a rebellion. If Jiang Yuanxing is kept, it will only bring disaster."

"What you said makes sense." Jiang Yuanbai looked at his brother, "I will go to the palace tomorrow to explain this matter to the emperor. As for the division of the family, you can ask your sister-in-law to tell mother what happened. Mother will understand."

Jiang Yuanping nodded, and after a while, he asked softly: "Brother, do you think that what happened to Ah Li is related to them?"

Jiang Yuanbai was stunned, his expression suddenly changed, he said: "They dare!"

……

When night fell, Jiang Li and the man and woman arrived at the door of the inn.

This is no longer the mountain road along the way, but in the city. Jiang Li guessed that this should be Huangzhou. The surrounding scenery is different from before. Huangzhou is also different from Yanjing. The buildings in the south are all smaller and more graceful.

The woman helped Jiang Li get off the carriage. The waiter just glanced at Jiang Li and looked away. The man handed the silver to the shopkeeper, and the waiter took Jiang Li and the other person to the room upstairs.

This was a very deserted inn, as if there were no other guests except Jiang Li and the man and woman. After the waiter sent them upstairs, he opened two rooms. The woman and Jiang Li stayed in one room, and the man stayed in another. I don't know if the room had been unoccupied for a long time, and it was covered with a layer of fine dust.

Jiang Li was helped inside and pressed to sit on the bed. The man gave the waiter some change, and the waiter went downstairs to order the food to be sent upstairs.

Generally speaking, at night, the effect of the drug gradually faded, and Jiang Li would not be completely immobile. She could move very slowly, but still limp. With this kind of strength, it would be very difficult to threaten or commit suicide. And she still couldn't speak, even if she opened her mouth, no sound came out.

So Jiang Li simply did not move, firstly to reassure the two men, and secondly to save some strength. Although her strength was pitifully small, an ordinary person could easily subdue her.

"We're finally here." The man patted his shoulder and said, "The journey these past few days has been really exhausting."

"I don't know how long I have to stay here before His Highness arrives," the woman said.

"No matter when His Highness comes, it is important to take good care of this young lady." The man touched his chin and looked at Jiang Li. He didn't know whether he was deliberately threatening or bored. He said, "I really don't know what His Highness will do to you, little beauty, are you afraid?"

Jiang Li looked at him expressionlessly. Seeing her like this, the man said, "Tsk," and raised his hand to lift her veil, revealing Jiang Li's scarred face in front of him. The man seemed to be disgusted, turned his head and asked the woman, "Where's the medicine?"

The woman asked, “What are you doing?”

"Don't you think she looks really ugly like this?" the man disagreed.

"I told you, don't go after her." The woman said coldly, "She is the one that His Highness wants. Besides, His Highness has also said before that this woman is very cunning. Don't let her take advantage of you."

"Cunning?" The man looked at Jiang Li. Perhaps because Jiang Li's face was indeed very horrible, he deliberately avoided Jiang Li's face and lingered on her body for a while before saying with a smile, "Why do I feel that she is very well-behaved?"

The woman said, "If you are not afraid of death, you can do whatever you want."

At this time, the waiter brought the prepared food. The woman immediately showed an honest smile again, and after the waiter left, she skillfully divided the food into three portions. For the last portion, she took out a medicine bottle from her bosom, uncorked it, and poured some medicine powder into the food.

She brought the food to Jiang Li.

But this time, Jiang Li did not open her mouth, but kept it tightly closed.

This woman was very cautious. When feeding her medicine, she had to see Jiang Li swallow it with her own eyes. It was impossible for Jiang Li to pretend or spit it out. Except for the first time when Jiang Li refused to eat, every time after that, Jiang Li opened her mouth obediently. Since resistance was impossible, there was no need to waste energy.

So many days passed, and she once again refused to take the medicine.

"You don't want to eat?" the woman said as she stuffed a mouthful of rice into Jiang Li's mouth.

Jiang Li didn't move, letting her do this, not chewing, not swallowing. The woman stuffed the food into her mouth fiercely, and Jiang Li just looked at her coldly. The girl's eyes were very clear, but at this moment they were like a cold pond, making people feel cold.

The woman tried several times without success. She threw the bowl, sneered, picked up the teapot on the table, and poured the medicine powder in her hand into the teapot. Then, she grabbed Jiang Li's hair at the back of her head, forcing Jiang Li to raise her head. She stuffed the spout of the teapot into Jiang Li's mouth and poured the medicine into her mouth vigorously.

Jiang Li was forced to drink so much water that she almost choked. By the time the pot of water was empty, Jiang Li had no strength left and fell limply to the ground.

"Oh, my little beauty," the man said, "I've already told you, there's no need to resist. Just be good and you'll suffer less. I'm doing this for your own good."

The woman didn't even look at Jiang Li, and asked the man to come to the table to eat. The two of them buried their heads in eating and drinking, ignoring Jiang Li who was still on the ground. As soon as she drank the medicinal tea, Jiang Li felt a strong dizziness and she didn't even have the strength to move her fingers. And the medicinal tea seemed to affect not only her body, but also her brain. She felt confused and couldn't think of any countermeasures.

Like a fish waiting to be slaughtered.

After the meal, the woman came to Jiang Li, helped her up, and threw her on the bed. Her movements were very rough, and Jiang Li's head was hit during the pulling. It was this little pain that made Jiang Li regain some consciousness. She heard the woman ask the waiter to come up and take away the empty dishes, and everything returned to silence.

It was already dark outside.

On weekdays, Jiang Li lived in one room with the woman and another room with the man. The man had made advances towards Jiang Li and had also proposed to live in the same room with Jiang Li, but the woman refused, probably because she was afraid of becoming the king.

But today, when the man said with a flattering face, "Why don't you let me stay with the little beauty tonight?", the woman's answer was unexpected. She said, "Okay."

Jiang Li and the man were both startled. The man sat up suddenly and asked, "Really?"

"I think she's a thorn in the side." The woman said, "If you like her so much, it's up to you. But you'd better clean up, otherwise His Highness will ask about it."

The man seemed to have gotten a huge advantage, and immediately smiled and said, "No, Your Highness will not do anything for her. Your Highness keeps her just to torture her slowly. Who knows, maybe what I do is exactly what Your Highness wants. Hey, if you're okay, then you can go first. A night of spring is worth a thousand gold..." His smile was very obscene.

The woman walked up to Jiang Li, glanced at her with a malicious look of gloating, and turned around and walked out of the room. As soon as she left, the man couldn't wait to walk up to Jiang Li.

"Little beauty." His disgusting face was right in front of her.

Jiang Li tried her best but couldn't move. It was as if her body was no longer her own. She couldn't do anything. At this moment, Jiang Li's heart suddenly burst into great despair. She couldn't save herself, and no one could save her. This was how she was in her previous life. Although she didn't have an affair with that man, the despair at that moment was still vivid in her mind. Why did she have to repeat this nightmare now that she had the chance to start over?
Even more despairing than that time.

The man pulled open Jiang Li's veil with a smile, but seemed to think that Jiang Li's face was too scary at the moment. He spat in annoyance and said, "It's a pity that I can't give you medicine first." He put the veil on Jiang Li again, so that Jiang Li's red spots were mostly covered, revealing only a pair of beautiful eyes.

"My little beauty, you have such beautiful eyes." The man said as he could not wait to untie his belt. After taking off his outer garment, he hurried to help Jiang Li undress. His movements were not gentle at all, but just like those of a wild animal. The fabric made a loud "tearing" sound and slid off Jiang Li's shoulders.

The fair skin almost made the man's eyes pop out. He laughed strangely and was about to pounce on her.

Jiang Liwu shed tears. In a trance, she seemed to have returned to the moment of her death in her previous life. Princess Yongning's maid was strangling her neck and she was powerless to do anything.

Just as she closed her eyes, she suddenly heard a loud noise outside, almost ringing in her ears. Jiang Li was startled, and the man on her was also startled. The man stood up from Jiang Li's side. The movement here must have alarmed the people in the neighboring room. Jiang Li only heard the door of the room next to her open, which must be the woman who came.

The candles in the room pulled the shadows of people, swaying slightly. Jiang Li lay on her back on the bed, unable to move. She couldn't turn her head to see who it was. She could only hear the confused and vigilant voices of the man and the woman.

"Who are you?"

Someone's footsteps were heard walking in, one step at a time, neither fast nor slow. Jiang Li's eyes passed the man in front of her and finally saw behind the man.

A young man in red clothes slowly walked into the room. His boots were trimmed with delicate gold edges, and there were fluttering butterflies on the corners of his robe. He walked towards Jiang Li's bed step by step, and his shadow gradually became clear in the candlelight. He had a charming face that seemed like a spirit, but the man and woman just stepped back slightly, staring at him as if facing a great enemy, without moving.

He walked in front of Jiang Li.

Jiang Li's tears flowed down in an instant.

When she was isolated and helpless, she suddenly found a ray of new hope. This hope was so fierce and unstoppable that it illuminated the rest of her life with its irresistible dazzling light.

The young man held a folding fan in his hand, across his chest. His amber eyes were particularly attractive, and the corners of his eyes were naturally slightly raised. When he raised his eyebrows, it seemed that he wanted to seduce people's hearts. Under the light, the teardrop mole at the corner of his eye was like the blood-red butterfly on his fan pendant, enchanting and soul-stirring.

"Who are you?" the woman repeated. These people were born with a sense of danger, and they were extremely wary of Ji Heng.

The young man glanced at Jiang Li, his eyes paused slightly on her bare shoulders, and soon he turned his gaze back to the two people in front of him, his eyes still full of tenderness, and spoke with a smile.

He said: "You are so brave that you dare to bully my people."

(End of this chapter)