Chapter 211 Take action
Ji Heng and Jiang Li went into the study.

His study was still as solemn and deserted as ever, which was incompatible with his gorgeous appearance. After Jiang Li arrived at the study, Ji Heng did not go in. He said, "I'll go change my clothes first."

There was a lot of dirt on his underwear. Jiang Li could wash his hands with water, but he had to change his clothes. She sat in front of Ji Heng's desk. There were also some papers with words on his desk. They should be the papers he used to practice calligraphy. Jiang Li picked it up and saw that Ji Heng's handwriting was unexpectedly beautiful, and the strokes were rich and bright, quite murderous.

He was very similar to himself. He didn't write any poems, and it looked like the words from a play. Jiang Li took a look at it and put it aside.

The tea on the table was hot, and there were two teacups, as if he had known Jiang Li would come, and had placed two teacups in advance. He had always been the one to pour tea for Jiang Li, and this time, Jiang Li also filled the two teacups with tea and placed one cup opposite.

Just as I finished all this, someone pushed the door open.

Ji Heng changed his clothes very quickly, and he put on a red coat. His clothes were almost all red, but the patterns embroidered with gold and silver threads were different. Jiang Li looked at him with her chin on her hand. He raised his eyebrows, sat down, and asked, "What are you looking at me for?"

"The Yin brothers and sisters came to our house today." Jiang Li said, "Yin Zhan's daughter is the girl we saved Xiao Yao from the street that day."

Ji Heng stared at her without saying a word, with a faint smile, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"When she left, she asked me about you." Jiang Li said, "She asked me what your identity was when you followed us that day."

"Did you tell her?" Ji Heng asked.

"I told you, if I don't tell her, she will find out sooner or later."

Ji Heng looked at Jiang Li and said in an ambiguous tone, "You are quite generous."

Jiang Li didn't understand what he meant by that. Was it generous to tell Yin Zhiqing his identity? Ji Heng always dressed so ostentatiously, and anyone who was interested could find out who she was. Besides, if Yin Zhiqing asked her, could she still say no? You know, she and Ji Heng stood together that day, and it was clear that she knew Ji Heng. If she didn't tell Yin Zhiqing, Yin Zhiqing would probably think she did it on purpose.

When Jiang Li thought of this, she still felt a little annoyed. If she wanted to blame someone, she should blame Ji Heng himself. He could have stayed in the carriage that day. If he hadn't gotten out of the carriage, Yin Zhiqing wouldn't have seen Ji Heng, and naturally there wouldn't have been so many things.

Ji Heng didn't seem to notice her annoyance, and only asked: "Why did the Yin brothers and sisters suddenly go to the Jiang family? It seems that Jiang Yuanbai and the Yin family didn't have much contact in the past."

"We didn't have much contact before, but now..." Jiang Li was startled. Of course, she knew why. Because the "ideal husband" that the Jiang family had chosen for her was Yin Zhili.

She could have said this openly, but for some reason, the words just couldn't come out.

"Are the Yin family going to become relatives with the Jiang family?" Ji Heng said with a half-smile.

Jiang Li suddenly raised her head and met Ji Heng's beautiful amber eyes. The emotions in his eyes were deep, and Jiang Li couldn't see clearly, but she felt that there was a hint of temptation and provocation in his words.

Ji Heng actually knew about this? Yes, if he wanted to find out something, as long as there were clues, he could find out. Moreover, he had been so concerned about Yin Zhan's family from the beginning, so Ji Heng must have known everything about the Yin family.

Since he already knew, Jiang Li's previous entanglement and embarrassment were no longer necessary. She nodded: "Maybe."

"The husband for you to see?" Ji Heng asked with a smile.

Jiang Li gritted her teeth and said, "Maybe."

"So what do you think?" he asked with interest.

Jiang Li looked at him. Ji Heng seemed to be completely unaffected by the news, and even had the mood to ask her about these things. Jiang Li's heart then floated up a self-deprecating smile. He could indeed withdraw and become an outsider anytime and anywhere. The affairs of the Jiang family were just a play that he could watch or not watch. He could still be called a friend to her, and he had done a lot for her, but in terms of emotions, he always stopped at the right place.

"I don't have any idea." Jiang Li said, "We don't know what the Yin family's current situation is. If the Jiang family rashly marries the Yin family, it will be difficult to get off the pirate ship if they get on it."

"Besides that?" Ji Heng leaned back, playing with the folding fan in her hand, and asked nonchalantly, "Are you attracted to Yin Zhili?"

His movements were casual, but there was a hint of indifference in his tone. Jiang Li didn't notice it. She thought for a while before looking at Ji Heng and said seriously, "Your Majesty, I've suffered a lot when I was Xue Fangfei. It's not easy to be easily moved."

"Yin Zhili looks pretty good. I heard that your family likes him very much, too." Ji Heng asked, "You don't like him at all?"

He was not such a boring person. Even when he knew that she was Xue Fangfei, Ji Heng did not ask any more questions about the past and grievances between her and Shen Yurong, as if he did not care at all. If it were someone else, I am afraid that they would have asked indirectly. Ji Heng was different. He seemed to have no curiosity about people who had nothing to do with him, so he often watched indifferently from the side.

But today he asked a lot of inexplicable questions, which shows that he values ​​the Yin family very much.

"I don't mean to like her at all." Jiang Li said, "The prince seems to be a good person. To be fair, he is much better than Shen Yurong. But maybe Shen Yurong made me shy away from seeing a doctor. The better the person, the more suspicious I feel and the less I dare to approach him. Naturally, I can't say whether I like him or not, or whether I am attracted to him or not."

Her words were sincere and were exactly what Jiang Li was thinking. Ji Heng listened and suddenly asked her, "Do you mean that I'm not a good person?"

Jiang Li was stunned, only to hear him say again: "You didn't stay away from me."

"Of course the Duke is a good man." Jiang Li smiled, she said: "But the Duke's kindness is different from their kindness. Shen Yurong is two-faced, a beast in human form. Yin Zhili seems to have a sense of justice. It is a good thing to have a sense of justice, but people who stand by a righteous man are only afraid that one day he will betray them for the sake of the world. As for the Duke, I think you would rather betray the world than let the world betray you... the person you value."

He laughed softly, as if Jiang Li's words made him very happy. He said, "I've said it before, you have a very sweet mouth, and you can tell lies with sincerity."

"I didn't lie. The Duke is just that kind of person." The girl smiled and repeated stubbornly.

Being with a good person like Yin Zhili might be really nice. But such a good person might one day be worthy of the world but not himself. Ji Heng is really a bad person in everyone's eyes. Others think he is terrible and moody, but such a bad person, when one day he has to choose between the world and his own people, he will definitely choose his own people. Jiang Li has no doubt about it.

Perhaps it was precisely because he was completely different from Shen Yurong that she treated him differently.

Ji Heng said: "Then stop lying and answer my question now."

Jiang Li said: "Okay."

"Besides Shen Yurong, have you ever fallen in love with anyone else?"

His voice dissipated in the night, more intoxicating than the spring breeze. Jiang Li stared at the person in front of her in a daze. He had a smile on his lips, his eyes were moving, and he sat in front of her gently and bewitchingly, giving her an illusion. He was a spirit that grew from the deep mountains, and he lived by devouring people's sincerity and taking their lives.

Aren't all the evildoers who bring disaster to the country women in the legend? But he is a man.

Jiang Li lowered her head and said in a gentle voice, "No."

Ji Heng's eyes flickered, and he knocked the table with the handle of his fan, saying, "Okay."

The suffocating dullness disappeared and he finally let her go.

"I don't care what Jiang Yuanbo is planning, but Yin Zhili, you have to keep your distance from him." Ji Heng said.

Jiang Li asked: "Why?"

"Since you don't like him, there's no need to stay with him all the time. You always ask me what the connection is between the Yin family and the Duke's Mansion. I can tell you that Yin Zhan will die at my hands sooner or later. Yin Zhili and Yin Zhiqing will inevitably become my enemies. Ah Li," he said gently, "don't get entangled with my enemies, and don't make things difficult for me."

His enemy?

This was the first time that Ji Heng admitted in person in front of Jiang Li that the Yin family did have a grudge against the Duke's Mansion. But why, Jiang Li was about to ask, Ji Heng said: "Don't ask why, I can't tell you."

"Does the Yin family know that they are your enemy?" Jiang Li asked.

Ji Heng smiled and said, "Yin Zhan must know."

Yin Zhan must know, which means Yin Zhili and Yin Zhiqing may not know? In this way, Jiang Li is more certain that the grudge between the Yin family and the Duke's Mansion is related to Ji Heng's parents.

But Ji Heng didn't say anything, so it was useless for her to ask.

"What about Yin Zhiqing?" Jiang Li asked, "Regardless of me, the Princess of Pingyang took the initiative to ask me about you. I think it was definitely not a whim. Duke, she probably thinks that you are fine now."

"Are you jealous, Second Miss?" he asked back.

"Nothing."

"That's really a pity." He always said things that could be misunderstood. Ji Heng said, "You don't have to worry about Yin Zhiqing. I've said it before, it's best if vulgar women don't appear in front of me."

He likes beauty and hates ugliness, this is a fact known to everyone in the world, but... Jiang Li said: "There is really nothing to be faulted about the appearance of the Princess of Pingyang."

Ji Heng shook her head. "Among all the women in the world, Xue Fangfei can be considered a beauty."

Jiang Li's heart skipped a beat. She didn't understand what Ji Heng meant, so she could only remind him, "Xue Fangfei is dead."

"So now all the women in the world are vulgar in my eyes." He said with a smile. Jiang Li: "The Duke is scolding me too."

"You are different," he mused, "You are cuter than them."

Jiang Li: "..."

……

After returning from the Duke's Mansion, Jiang Li never had trouble sleeping again, and fell asleep almost immediately after getting on the bed. Planting trees at night also took a lot of effort, and she was very tired, so she naturally slept soundly. Later, the next morning, Tong'er and Bai Xue found that the soles of her new shoes were covered with mud, and they were surprised. Jiang Li said that she was walking in the yard and accidentally walked into the garden, and she got away with it.

After that, nothing special happened in Yanjing City. I don't know if what Jiang Li said in Wanfeng Hall before has touched the Jiang family. At least in the past half month, Mrs. Jiang has not discussed Yin Zhan's affairs with Jiang Li. The two brothers and sisters of the Yin family have not come to Jiang Mansion as "guests".

This made Jiang Li feel relieved. She still remembered Ji Heng's reminder. She wanted the Jiang family not to get too close to the Yin family. Although she knew it in her heart, if Jiang Yuanbai insisted on doing it, she could do nothing about it. This saved some trouble.

Jiang Li thought that she could sneak out of the house and go to Ye's house in the next two days while the doorman was not paying attention. However, the doorman of Jiang's house became more and more strict.

For the past half month, King Cheng's troops have remained outside the city of Yanjing, but they have neither attacked nor retreated, which has made the people in Yanjing nervous. They cannot go out, so they stay at home every day. There are fewer people playing and walking on the streets.

Jiang Li knew that as time passed, King Cheng's troops could not afford to be wasted, and sooner or later they would have to attack the gates of Yanjing City. As for how General Zhaode would respond at that time, Jiang Li could not imagine it for the time being.

Until that day.

It was an evening.

Jiang Li went to bed early at night, and suddenly there was a noise outside. Jiang Li woke up in a daze, and at first she thought she was dreaming, but then she found that the lights in the yard were bright, and she was not the only one awake, and then she realized that it was not the case.

She put on her clothes, got out of bed, and walked to the yard. When she stood at the gate of the yard, she saw the maids running around in a hurry. Tong'er and Bai Xue were also outside, and it seemed that they were about to come over to wake her up. Jiang Li felt strange and asked, "Tong'er, what's going on?"

Tong'er said, "Miss, are you awake? I was just about to wake you up. The old lady asked you to go to Wanfeng Hall quickly and not stay in the courtyard."

She couldn't hide the anxiety in her tone. Besides, there seemed to be noises coming from the house next door outside the courtyard. Jiang Li was surprised and an idea came to her mind. She pulled Tong'er aside and whispered, "Did King Cheng take action?"

"Miss, how did you know?" Tong'er looked at her in surprise, and then said, "The Second Master's people told us not to tell anyone, so as not to panic. Miss, you should go to Wanfeng Hall first. There are guards from the mansion outside Wanfeng Hall, so it will be safer."

Since the matter was of great importance, Jiang Li did not delay and walked out after answering.

When they arrived at Wanfeng Hall, they found that the hall was packed with people. People from the first and second rooms were all there, and even the maids and servants were standing at the door of Wanfeng Hall. Fortunately, the third room was not there after the family split up, otherwise there would not be enough room for so many people in Wanfeng Hall. There were guards outside, and Madam Jiang asked them to go to the room inside Wanfeng Hall.

Jiang Bingji was a child, and he felt that the atmosphere was not right, so he started to cry. Old Madam Jiang persuaded him a few times, and Jiang Bingji finally calmed down. He was tired of crying and fell asleep soon. Old Madam Jiang handed him to the nanny and asked her to take him to the inner room to sleep.

Jiang Youyao was also sitting in the room, with one of her eyes wrapped in white gauze so that the servants wouldn't be too scared when they saw her face. However, her other intact eye was also dull, and she sat stupidly on the chair, not saying a word.

Mrs. Lu was a little scared. Although she no longer hated Jiang Youyao as much as before, she couldn't get close to her. Seeing Jiang Youyao like this, she felt more and more scared, so she got closer to Jiang Li.

"Where are father and second uncle?" Jiang Li asked when she didn't see Jiang Yuanbo and Jiang Yuanping.

"They are out and not in the house. But your second uncle said that our house is safe and nothing will happen. Xiaoli, don't worry." Lu said with a smile. But even though she said this, there was some fear in her tone. Jiang Li knew that the people in Yanjing City had not experienced war for many years, but after hearing about what King Cheng did in Huangzhou City, they were more or less afraid.

Jiang Li said: "I think General Zhaode will take care of everything."

What she said was not a lie. Yin Zhan still wanted Yin Zhili to come to the Jiang family to do these things. If he really reached the end of his rope, how could he have such thoughts? It can be seen that King Cheng was not that scary to him. Jiang Li also saw clearly that Ji Heng's attitude towards King Cheng was not at all fearful, but he treated General Zhaode seriously.

I think Yanjing City will be peaceful tonight, and Yin Zhan will win the hearts of many people in this battle with King Cheng. But they are in the city now, and they can't hear what is happening outside. Instead, these maids and servants are talking in low voices at the door, looking confused and scared.

Jiang Jingrui asked Jiang Li: "Why aren't you afraid at all?"

"Didn't Second Aunt already say that nothing would happen? Besides, His Majesty specifically asked General Zhaode to return to the capital just to deal with King Cheng."

"Ah, I heard that General Zhaode also had many military achievements." Speaking of Yin Zhan, Jiang Jingrui seemed very interested. He said, "I wonder if Brother Yin will become a general in the future."

He affectionately called Yin Zhili "Big Brother Yin" and didn't seem to think there was anything wrong. Jiang Li heard it but didn't agree in her heart. Who said that the son of a general is a general? Ji Heng's father is still General Jinwu. For so many years, Ji Heng has never picked up a spear. General Jinwu's tiger talisman has not been found yet. Jiang Li's heart moved. Could it be that Ji Heng has some tricks up his sleeve, saying that General Jinwu's troops are useless, but in fact it is not, and he is just waiting to suddenly appear when he confronts Yin Zhan one day?

But in this case, Emperor Hong Xiao would definitely be suspicious. Jiang Li's mind was full of random thoughts. The room became quiet unconsciously, and no one spoke anymore. Everyone's expression was solemn. As time passed, no one knew if the enemy would break through the city gates and start a massacre in Yanjing City. No one could say for sure whether they could survive tonight, so of course they would not have the heart to talk and laugh. Even the little things and maids outside were silent. Everyone looked at the sky in the yard, guessing every possible situation outside.

……

In the Duke's Mansion, everything was the same as usual. No one gathered in one place, and no one mobilized all the guards in the mansion. General Ji just walked around the study, walked to the golden armor, touched it lovingly, and finally walked to the wall. On the wall full of weapons, he found a long sword. He pulled out the long sword, moved a stool and sat in the yard. The long sword had not been used for a long time and was a little rusty. He rolled up his sleeves and sat in the yard to sharpen the sword.

In the dark night, such a silver-haired old man sat in the yard, slowly sharpening a knife, making a sound that would make people's teeth ache. If someone walked by, they would probably be scared to death. However, the servants in the Duke's Mansion had long been accustomed to it and didn't think it was a big deal. However, the starling hanging under the eaves didn't say anything nice to people tonight, but just fluttered in the cage, seeming a little anxious.

The boy named A Zhao was also awakened from the house in the middle of the night.

Outside the house, there was a faint sound of people making noises. He touched the tinder on the bedside cabinet and lit the oil lamp. He saw a figure outside the house. Ah Zhao was stunned for a moment and called out uncertainly, "Doctor Situ?"

The figure was about to walk over, but when he heard the words, he paused, turned back, pushed the door and walked in. Seeing Ah Zhao like this, Situ Jiuyue frowned and asked, "Why did you wake up?"

"It was very noisy outside, so I just woke up." He looked at Situ Jiuyue, who was dressed very neatly, and asked curiously, "Doctor Situ is going out so late, is...what happened outside?"

"King Cheng is rebelling. The action will start tonight. It's very chaotic outside." Situ Jiuyue glanced at him and said, "You continue to sleep and don't come out." After saying that, she was about to close the door and walk out.

"Wait." A Zhao called her.

Situ Jiuyue asked impatiently: "What else do you want?"

"Prince Cheng is rebelling. Will there be any problems with the people in this palace?" Ah Zhao asked.

Situ Jiuyue laughed and said, "If you are worried about any danger to yourself, there is no need to worry. This is the Duke's Mansion. There is no place safer than this in Yanjing City. Even the Imperial Palace is more dangerous than this. If you live here, no one will dare to break in and take your life. Not to mention that King Cheng has not yet attacked the city, even if King Cheng attacks the city, as long as you are in this mansion, no one will dare to take your life."

Ah Zhao was stunned for a moment before he replied, "That's not what I meant. No matter how strong the wall is, it is still made by people. Sometimes when something goes wrong it's not because people are incompetent, but because they are afraid of being taken advantage of and caught off guard." He smiled and said, "That's how I am."

Now, it was Situ Jiuyue's turn to be stunned.

"Doctor Situ is a doctor, but also a woman. If she were to encounter danger, I'm afraid she wouldn't be able to save herself..."

"You don't want me to stay here, do you?" Situ Jiuyue raised her eyebrows. "You can't even walk now, how can you protect me?"

"I didn't mean to say that. I just wanted Doctor Situ to find someone with good martial arts skills and not stay alone. However, if there is no one in the mansion and Doctor Situ is in danger, and I happen to be by his side, even if I can't get out of bed and have lost my martial arts skills, I can still help Doctor Situ block the knife and sword."

If an ordinary man said this, the woman would inevitably think that he was a little glib and was deliberately trying to please others. However, when Ah Zhao said it, it was very sincere, making people believe that he really thought so, and he could do it just by saying it.

"I don't understand," Situ Jiuyue said calmly, "You and I have no relationship, but you are willing to sacrifice your life for me. Why? Just because I saved your life, you want to repay me like this?"

"Even if Doctor Situ didn't save my life, I would still help her when she was in danger. Because Doctor Situ is a woman, and I am a man, and men should protect defenseless old people, children, and girls, right?"

His eyes were bright, and he was particularly determined in the midst of the noise. It was really strange. He was a man whose martial arts skills were completely wasted and he couldn't walk. It was impossible for such a man to truly protect anyone. But Situ Jiuyue felt that she felt particularly at ease around him.

She said, "You are wrong. I am not a weak and defenseless woman. When I was six years old, my uncle killed my father. In order to take away everything my father had, do you know what I did?"

Ah Zhao shook his head.

"I drugged their cook and threatened him to tamper with their food, adding the poison I prepared specially. I fed it to their whole family. My aunt and her son and daughter all ate the poison. If there is no antidote, they will die within three days with festering all over their bodies. I thought he would be willing to sacrifice his life in exchange for the lives of his wife and children, so that he could avenge my father. Who knew that he was really a man without poison, and he actually watched his wife and children die in pain."

Ah Zhao looked at Situ Jiuyue, moved his lips as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing.

"After that, he tried every possible means to catch me and kill me. Because my existence was a threat to him. I killed countless people on my way out of my hometown. I started killing people when I was six years old. I really don't have any martial arts skills. The people who chased me were all masters, but they all died in my hands. It's because every part of my body and every item could be poisonous."

She spoke of these things lightly, as if they were nothing special. "I know you want to be a knight. Maybe you were such a person in the past. Punishing evil and promoting good, upholding justice, helping the weak, and helping the weak when you see injustice on the road, it satisfies your desire to be a hero and also saves lives. It is a happy thing for everyone."

"I don't like this," Situ Jiuyue said, "I have believed since I was a child that the strong prey on the weak. I don't need anyone to save me. I will kill anyone who wants to hurt me. You and I are not the same kind of people, so don't think about protecting me or saving me. To me, that is ridiculous and unnecessary."

She said, "You should have a good rest." After saying this, she turned and walked out.

　Suddenly feel that Situ girl is very handsome?
　　
　
(End of this chapter)