Chapter 208 Post
"The most important thing is probably that Princess Yongning dug out the eyes of the third daughter of the Jiang family and locked her up in a private prison, which offended the Prime Minister, and that's why she was thrown into prison."

Situ Jiuyue did not mention the Xue family. In her opinion, if only Xue Huaiyuan came out to complain, it might not be possible to bring down Princess Yongning and Shen Yurong. The reason why Princess Yongning fell this time was entirely because she set up a private prison in the princess's mansion, which violated the emperor's taboo. Moreover, he acted too arrogantly and even dared to touch Jiang Yuanbai's own daughter. If it was a small family, like Ah Zhao, who seemed to have no background, even if his life was ruined by Princess Yongning, he could only think that he was unlucky and could not do anything. But Jiang Yuanbai was different. Jiang Yuanbai was not a person who would suffer in vain. Since his daughter was harmed, Jiang Yuanbai would definitely find a way to retaliate.

This time, the reason why Princess Yongning's matter was handled cleanly and efficiently was that Jiang Yuanbo also played a significant role in fueling the flames.

"That Prime Minister?" Ah Zhao had obviously heard of Jiang Yuanbo's name. He murmured, "I didn't expect that he would avenge our family in the end."

Situ Jiuyue said: "No matter what, you don't have any enemies now, so you don't have to seek revenge. But you can't do anything like this, so just do whatever you want."

These words were extremely hurtful, but Situ Jiuyue had always been like this. She didn't care what others thought. Even if the truth was bloody, she was too lazy to tell a white lie.

Ah Zhao smiled, and when he smiled, he looked particularly handsome and brilliant. He said, "I used to hope that I could travel all over the world, visit famous mountains and rivers, do justice, and take revenge. I still think so now. But before that, I still have some things to do."

Situ Jiuyue applied medicine to him and said, "You can't visit famous mountains and rivers now. You may have to rely on others to walk for the rest of your life. I have lived for so many years and have never seen such a hero, so you don't have to think about it. As for what you said about having some things to do, you don't still want revenge, do you? Princess Yongning is dead, do you want to kill Prince Cheng and Concubine Liu? Then I can also tell you that Prince Cheng is leading his troops to rebel, and Concubine Liu is already in the palace and has been sentenced to death by the emperor."

The young man was stunned for a moment, obviously he did not expect Situ Jiuyue to suddenly say so many things, and these things were also things he had never heard of before. During the days he stayed in the Duke's Mansion, he could not even get out of bed, and the servants did not talk to him. The only one who was slightly close to him was Situ Jiuyue.

Seeing him staring at her without saying anything, Situ Jiuyue asked, "You haven't told me yet what you said you were going to do? You can't cause trouble here. Although I saved you, I'm not a kind-hearted person. If you cause trouble for the people here, you have to leave now."

Ah Zhao suddenly laughed, and said, "Doctor Situ, please rest assured that I will not seek revenge. Since the enemy is gone, it is useless to pursue it. But I still have my father, who is still in my hometown. I was imprisoned and tortured in the private prison by Princess Yongning for almost a year. During this year, I think my father thought I was dead. When I feel a little better, I will find a way to go back to my hometown to see my father. The dead can no longer live, but at least the living have to continue."

He didn't seem to be affected at all, and his frankness and calmness made Situ Jiuyue unable to help but look at him sideways. Many people in the world who were once prosperous encountered drastic changes overnight, and their lives fell to the bottom and became miserable. They often had a drastic change in temperament, either grief and anger, or were unable to recover, and they would never get over it quickly.

Ah Zhao's life was full of ups and downs, but in this ups and downs, Situ Jiuyue could not find a single shadow. He accepted the past very quickly and walked out of it very quickly, as if he had never experienced any pain.

Situ Jiuyue suddenly understood a little bit about what Zhao Ke said, that Ji Heng rescued this person from Princess Yongning's private prison. She didn't believe that Ji Heng would take the initiative to save people, but this young man was young, but his mind was more determined and open-minded than most people.

He looked at Situ Jiuyue and smiled, "Doctor Situ always says that he is a poison doctor. He practices poison, not medicine. But in this world, people with medicine boxes may not kill people, and people with knives may not save people. Although Doctor Situ practices poison, he saved me. To me, he is a good person with a kind heart."

His eyes were bright and honest, and his smile was so sincere that it almost blinded Situ Jiuyue. Situ Jiuyue looked away, thinking that this young man was really simple, and it was hard to say whether he was stupid or precious.

"Who else is at home? You can't go too far now. If possible, you should ask your family to pick you up."

The young man lowered his voice a little, and after a pause, he said, "There are only my father and sister at home. I didn't see my sister after she passed away. I don't know what happened to my father later, or whether he went to Yanjing. I don't know either, so I want to go back and take a look."

"Where is your hometown?" Situ Jiuyue asked.

“Tongxiang, Xiangyang.”

"Tongxiang?" Situ Jiuyue was stunned.

"What's wrong?" A Zhao looked at her.

"Nothing, it just sounds familiar." Situ Jiuyue shook her head, but thought in her heart, isn't that the place where Jiang Li examined the case before? It was the case from Tongxiang that implicated Princess Yongning, and then the people behind her.

Maybe next time I see Jiang Li, I can ask Jiang Li to ask about the boy's family. And the Tongxiang County Magistrate Xue Huaiyuan, now that he has regained his sanity and has been the county magistrate for so many years, naturally knows the people in Tongxiang. Xue Huaiyuan is now living with Ye Mingyu, so I can ask Xue Huaiyuan to come to the Duke's Mansion to see the boy. Who knows, maybe they are old acquaintances.

Situ Jiuyue was so absorbed in thinking about these things that she didn't even notice Ah Zhao. She was awakened by Ah Zhao's voice. She turned around and saw Ah Zhao looking at her and asked, "Doctor Situ, what's wrong with you?"

Only then did Situ Jiuyue realize that she had spent too much time and effort on this strange young man.

Maybe it was just because his smile was too pure and warm, even a little childish. Even when he was hurt, he was still open-minded and warm, which reminded her of the sun in Molan.

She had forgotten those brief but happy years.

Situ Jiuyue stood up and said, "Nothing." She picked up the medicine box and hurried out without even caring about the half-applied medicine to A Zhao.

As if avoiding something.

……

On the fifth day after Jiang Li returned to Yanjing City, she heard that King Cheng's troops had arrived in the wilderness a hundred miles away from Yanjing City.

Some common people who were leaving the city saw this and told the story. For a time, the people of Yanjing were in a panic. King Cheng was coming with great force, and his troops were so numerous that it was said that once they broke into the city, they would be unstoppable.

Jiang Li still couldn't leave the house. Jiang Yuanbo was too strict. Even Madam Jiang asked Jiang Li to go to Wanfeng Hall when she had some free time. She kept saying that Yanjing City was in chaos recently and asked Jiang Li not to run around. With the gatekeeper guarding so closely, Jiang Li couldn't go to the Ye family. Zhao Ke couldn't either. If Zhao Ke was there, Jiang Li could ask Zhao Ke to find a way to let her leave the house quietly at night. Zhao Ke had many ways anyway.

Thinking of Zhao Ke, one cannot help but think of Ji Heng. Jiang Li had found the porcelain whistle. She tied the whistle to the sachet around her waist and hid it inside so that she could blow the whistle anytime and anywhere. But she never blew it once. Zhao Ke had already left the Jiang Mansion, Jiang Li knew. Zhao Ke was no longer seen among the gardeners of the Jiang family.

Ji Heng no longer had any contact with her. Jiang Li couldn't tell what she felt in her heart. She knew that this was a good thing for her. A cup of poisoned wine was placed in front of her. If she couldn't resist the temptation and drank it, she would pay the price with her life. Being away from her would naturally be much safer. But reason is one thing, and what you think in your heart is another.

She wanted to do something else to divert his attention, but since she couldn't go to the Ye family, Ye Mingyu hadn't taken the initiative to come to the Jiang family to see him these days - Ye Mingyu didn't like Jiang Yuanbai, and of course he didn't want to take the initiative to step into the door of the Jiang family. Cheng Wang's actions forced Emperor Hong Xiao and the court officials to take it seriously, and Ye Shijie was busy with these things every day.

Unable to go to the Ye family or the Duke's Mansion, Jiang Li discovered that she had very few friends in Yanjing City. At first, because of her reputation of killing her mother and her enemies, everyone kept their distance from her. Later, the Jiang family got into trouble frequently, and people talked about it everywhere. Jiang Li was too lazy to deal with people, so after a year or so, although her status in the Jiang family had changed, she was still out of tune with the circle of noble ladies in Yanjing City, just like at the beginning.

The only friend she had was Liu Xu, the daughter of Chengde Lang Liu Yuanfeng. It was Liu Xu who was said to be busy being dragged by her mother to various banquets and to be introduced to men. After all, Liu Xu was one year older than Jiang Li, so Madam Liu was thinking about Liu Xu's lifelong affairs.

Jiang Li was actually somewhat relieved at this time. Jiang Yuanbai was so busy that he couldn't think about her marriage for a while. The first house didn't have a mistress, and Madam Jiang was old. Jiang Youyao's incident seemed to have hit Madam Jiang, and she only cared about Jiang Yuanbai and trivial matters every day. Lu would not take the initiative to intervene in the affairs of the first house. As for the third house, it had already been separated and separated. They were not a family, so how could they intervene? So Jiang Li didn't have to worry about who she would marry for the time being.

I think since King Cheng is about to rebel, the Jiang family is not in the mood to prepare for a wedding.

But even if we don't talk about it now, we will have to talk about it one day. The Jiang family only has two daughters from the first house, and Jiang Youyao has now become the Swallow. The Jiang family has already made plans to support Jiang Youyao for her whole life. In this way, there is only one legitimate daughter, Jiang Li. Although Jiang Yuanbai treats Jiang Li as his own daughter, his career also needs in-laws to maintain it. Just like the Ji family and the Jiang family back then, who knows if Jiang Li will not be the next Ji Shuran?

Forget it, let's talk about it when that day comes. If that person is really unbearable and annoying, at worst she will learn the stories that Xue Zhao told her in the past. Xue Zhao sat on the wall and told her with great joy which young lady had run away from marriage and lived with her lover. Although if she was engaged, she would be a wife and if she ran away, she would be a concubine, it was impossible for Jiang Li to elope with anyone now. But she thought that after running away from marriage, traveling around with Xue Huaiyuan for the rest of her life might not be worse than being married.

Jiang Li was thinking about the future until Tong'er's voice woke her up. Tong'er said, "Miss, people outside are saying that General Zhaode is returning to the capital today."

"General Zhaode?" Jiang Li stood up in surprise: "Are you telling the truth?"

"It's absolutely true," Tong'er said, "The maids who were shopping outside saw it with their own eyes. General Zhaode was sitting on a big horse, looking very majestic. I just learned today that there is a General Zhaode. I heard that General Zhaode was very famous in the past. How come I haven't heard of his legend in all these years?"

That was because General Zhaode had left Yanjing many years ago. Since then, there had been no war in Northern Yan, so naturally General Zhaode was forgotten. When Jiang Li was young, she had heard rumors about General Zhaode, but they did not say that he had fought in battles, but that he was extremely handsome, comparable to General Jinwu at the time.

And General Jinwu... Jiang Li thought, that must be Ji Heng's father Ji Minghan. It was said that Ji Minghan and Yin Zhan appreciated each other and had some brotherly loyalty, but it was unknown whether this rumor was true or not. After all, one of them had gone to Yunzhong in the northwest for many years, and the other had simply disappeared for many years, with no news of his life or death.

"Did he just return to Yanjing City today?" Jiang Li asked.

Tong'er replied, "Yes. That's what people outside say. The people are very happy, saying that now they don't have to worry about King Cheng's troops invading. There is one more general, and it must be that His Majesty asked the general to come back to protect Yanjing City."

King Cheng's troops had just arrived outside Yanjing City, and General Zhaode happened to rush back at this time, which of course greatly appeased the people. If it was a coincidence, it would be fine. If it was true, General Zhaode's purpose of coming was probably not simple.

This name had not been heard for many years, but now, because of the right timing, he became famous among the people. I don't know if those rumors about his military exploits were deliberately spread by someone with ulterior motives. It was originally a good opportunity to enhance the prestige of Emperor Hong Xiao, but it was invisibly used to help others.

Perhaps because she knew in advance that Ji Heng was going after Yin Zhan, Jiang Li had a preconceived notion and was wary of Yin Zhan. Even though Tong Er was talking about it in a lively and yearning way, Jiang Li was full of suspicion in her heart.

Regardless of what King Cheng and Emperor Hong Xiao think of Yin Zhan's actions, Ji Heng already knows about it. As for the final climax of this plot that he has been setting up for so long, I wonder what Ji Heng will do.

Jiang Li didn't know and had no way of knowing.

The waves Yin Zhan caused in Yanjing City were even bigger than Jiang Li had imagined. Regardless of what was happening outside, today, when Jiang Li walked around the mansion, she could hear the servants talking about how handsome and majestic the general was.

When Zhenzhu arrived at the gate of Fangfei Garden, Baixue came to report. When Jiang Li saw her, Zhenzhu smiled and said, "Second Miss, the old lady asked you to go to Wanfeng Hall."

Jiang Li agreed, but she felt a little strange. She had been to Wanfeng Hall during the day, so it was not a whim for her to go there at night. She was afraid that she had something to say. But it was so late, what else could it be?

When Jiang Li arrived at Wanfeng Hall, she found that Jiang Jingrui and Jiang Jingyou were not there. Old Madam Jiang was sitting in the room, and Jiang Yuanbai, Jiang Yuanping and Lu were all there.

Jiang Li walked in. "Second girl," Mrs. Jiang asked Jiang Li to sit down first when she saw her coming. She didn't say anything extra and went straight to the point: "In three days, the prince and the head of Pingyang County will come to the mansion for a banquet. You should remember to dress up well in the next few days."

"The prince of a county, the Princess of Pingyang County?" Jiang Li was stunned, and a thought suddenly flashed through her mind. She said, "It's Prince Xia's..."

"Yes," Jiang Yuanbo answered Jiang Li, and he said, "You may also know that Prince Xia has returned to the capital today."

Jiang Li asked curiously, "Father, did Prince Xia have any dealings with our Jiang family in the past?"

"There wasn't much communication in the past." Jiang Yuanping said with a smile, "But there may be communication in the future."

His words were full of meaning, but Jiang Li didn't understand them for a while. She thought for a while, and thought of the handsome man and woman she met on the street in Yanjing City that day. Their surname happened to be Yin. According to Jiang Yuanbo, the Prince of Xia happened to have a son and a daughter. Jiang Li asked, "Father, are the names of the prince and the county lady Yin Zhili and Yin Zhiqing respectively?"

This time, Jiang Yuanbai and Jiang Yuanping were both stunned for a moment. Jiang Yuanbai stared at Jiang Li and asked, "How did you know?"

That's it? Jiang Li was a little absent-minded for a moment. She didn't expect that the man and woman she saw on the street that day were Yin Zhan's children. Yin Zhan's children actually arrived in Yanjing City a few days earlier than Yin Zhan? Why is this?

Thinking that the couple would recognize Jiang Li when they came to the mansion in three days, Jiang Li did not hide anything and told Jiang Yuanbo frankly: "On the day I returned home, my carriage hit another carriage on the street. A man and a woman got out of the carriage and claimed to be Yin Zhili and Yin Zhiqing."

Jiang Yuanbo and Jiang Yuanping looked at each other. Lu, who had been listening, seemed to understand and said in surprise: "Oh, so you have met before, what a coincidence!"

In her tone, there was a hint of joy besides surprise, which made Jiang Li even more confused. What good would it be for her to run into the brother and sister earlier? Would it be worth it for Mrs. Lu to be happy? As far as Jiang Li knew, the Jiang family and the Yin family had no dealings.

Jiang Yuanbo was not as surprised as Lu, but just asked Jiang Li: "You hit the carriage...how did you know their names?"

Jiang Li stopped talking. Yin Zhiqing took the initiative to tell Ji Heng her name in public, not for other reasons, but for Ji Heng. But if Jiang Li told others that the Princess of Pingyang County had taken a fancy to Ji Heng and took the initiative to tell her name, Jiang Li would feel a little awkward. Ji Heng might not be happy, and the Princess of Pingyang County would think she was too nosy.

Jiang Li said, "It was just a small accident. There was no conflict. Don't worry, father. We didn't have any dispute."

She avoided Jiang Li's question. This made Jiang Yuanbo even more confused. He was about to ask more, but was stopped by Jiang Yuanping, who said, "Since Xiaoli, you already know the two brothers and sisters, then it will be a good thing to meet them three days later. This can also be considered fate."

Jiang Li was silent for a moment before she asked, "Does the Jiang family want to make friends with General Zhaode?"

Jiang Yuanbai asked: "Why do you ask this?"

"Father, I'm just saying that this is a time of great trouble. Prince Cheng is rebelling, the government is in chaos, and the Right Prime Minister is now making moves in secret. We can't afford to make any mistakes at this time. This General Zhaode came here suddenly, and we don't know what his background is. At this time, it's better to be careful. Father, you must think twice before making any decision."

Mrs. Lu looked at Jiang Li, then at Jiang Yuanbo. She didn't understand these things, and her face was blank. Mrs. Jiang's eyes moved slightly, but she didn't say anything.

Jiang Yuanbai looked at Jiang Li, and Jiang Li looked at him calmly. After a while, Jiang Yuanbai said, "Some things are beyond my control. You are a girl, so don't worry about it."

He understood, and perhaps Jiang Yuanbo had already understood what Jiang Li said, but he still had to do it.

Jiang Li stopped talking.

Seeing that everyone around her had fallen silent, Madam Lu said, "Xiao Li, I got some new fabrics a few days ago and made some clothes for you. I'll have the maid bring them to you later. There are also some jewelry. You are so beautiful, it would be a pity if you don't dress up well."

Later, Jiang Yuanbo and his brother went out. Lu took Jiang Li to talk for a while, and then Jiang Li returned to Fangfei Garden. As soon as she returned to the house, she sat down and pressed her forehead.

If Jiang Yuanbai wants to make friends with the Yin family, Jiang Li feels that it is not good. Looking at Ji Heng's appearance, it is clear that he wants to deal with Yin Zhan. If the Jiang family and the Yin family stand on the same line, the Jiang family will become Ji Heng's enemy.

Jiang Li did not want the Jiang family and Ji Heng to stand on opposite sides, not only because of her own thoughts, but also because she thought that if the enemy of the Jiang family was Ji Heng, it would be terrible. Although Ji Heng was very good to her, his methods towards his enemies were still outrageous. When Jiang Li lent her life to Ji Heng, she told Ji Heng that she would not be an enemy of Ji Heng, and if possible, she hoped to help Ji Heng.

If she broke her promise and repaid kindness with hatred, Jiang Li would look down on her. She also didn't want the friendship between her and Ji Heng in the past, which was sincere, complicated and weak, to be completely worn out in these grievances.

That's such a pity.

"Miss," Tong'er suddenly asked in silence, "Do you know why the old lady and the second lady asked you to dress up well on that day?"

Jiang Li said: "Every time I attend a banquet, they ask me to dress up properly. Besides, it is impossible for Jiang Youyao, the young lady in the mansion now, to meet people. If I don't dress up, I will inevitably give people a chance to talk." Jiang Li herself didn't care at all.

"No." Tong'er walked around the table, looked at Jiang Li, and said seriously: "I think the old lady is looking for someone for you. Maybe she wants to see what kind of person the prince is and whether the young lady likes him, so she specifically asked for it."

Bai Xue stopped what she was doing, and Jiang Li was also stunned. Then she shook her head and said with a smile: "That's impossible."

The Yin family and the Jiang family are getting married? What kind of talk is that? She had never even heard of such a person before. Besides, at this time, Jiang Yuanbai had no time to care about her lifelong affairs.

"Why is it impossible?" Tong'er said anxiously, "Miss, please believe me. Let alone the old lady, I can't be wrong about the look in the second lady's eyes. She clearly hopes that you can succeed."

Jiang Li's fingertips moved slightly.

If Tong'er hadn't said it, she wouldn't have felt it. Now that she thought about it, Mrs. Lu's attitude was too warm. Although Mrs. Lu was willing to befriend her in the past, her enthusiasm just now seemed a little strange. She even specifically told her what to wear, as if she was afraid that Jiang Li had forgotten.

Prince of the County...

Jiang Li's mind flashed back to the handsome man she met on the street that day. He seemed to be gentle and righteous, not a bad guy. The real Second Miss Jiang might like him. After all, this man looked much better than Zhou Yanbang.

But she was not Miss Jiang Er after all, no matter how good this life was, Jiang Li didn't want to understand it from the beginning. She felt a sense of resistance from the bottom of her heart.

"Miss, are you unhappy to hear about the Prince of a County?" Bai Xue suddenly spoke, scaring Tong'er.

"Nonsense," Tong'er said, "I heard that the prince is very handsome, gentle and polite to others, and even treats his servants well. It is rumored that he is kind-hearted. How can you be unhappy, young lady?"

Bai Xue lowered her head and wiped the table silently. After a while, she said, "I still think that Duke Su is the best."

Jiang Li was startled.

Tong'er hurriedly lip-synced to Baixue, but unfortunately Baixue was only busy wiping the table, making it shine brightly. She seemed to have no interest in anything else and ignored Tong'er's gaze.

"No matter how good the prince is, he has never helped the girl." Bai Xue muttered.

Jiang Li suddenly smiled.

Even Snow White could see it.

……

In the Duke's Mansion, at night, in the study, the young man leaned back in his chair, looking at the letter in his hand.

His expression was lazy, with a smile on his lips. In the flickering light, he looked cold and beautiful, and particularly alluring.

Someone came in from outside, a guard in black. He put down the letter and picked up the fan at hand. After the guard came in, he first talked about the affairs of the court. Ji Heng listened carelessly. Others might think that he didn't really listen to what he said. However, if you look closely, there is no sign of drunkenness in his eyes, he is very sober.

"I just received news," Wen Ji hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Yin Zhili and Yin Zhiqing will go to the Jiang family for a banquet in three days."

Ji Heng paused playing with the folding fan and asked, "Jiang family?"

"Yes." Wen Ji said, "Yin Zhili had met Jiang Yuanbai many times before, and seemed to have always wanted to visit him. I don't know why, but Jiang Yuanbai waited until now to send him a letter. I guess it might be because of Miss Jiang Er. Miss Jiang Er was not in Yanjing before, so Jiang Yuanbai did not let Yin Zhili visit. After Miss Jiang Er returned home, Jiang Yuanbai sent a letter to Yin Zhili."

Ji Heng raised his eyebrows. There was still a smile on his face, but his eyes became sharper.

He said, "Yin Zhili."

(End of this chapter)