Chapter 214 Farewell
Jiang Li came to Wanfeng Hall, and sure enough, Yin Zhili was there again. This time, Yin Zhiqing was also there, and the gift they gave to Jiang Li was put in a box, so Jiang Li asked Tong'er to put it away carefully. Old Madam Jiang was very happy and asked Yin Zhili about some things about Yin Zhan. You know, Yin Zhan is now popular in Yanjing.

Yin Zhan seemed to have some disagreements with the Right Prime Minister. Now the Right Prime Minister has become a grasshopper in autumn, unable to jump much. With Yin Zhan in charge, the Jiang family doesn't have to worry about anything.

The Jiang family hopes that Jiang Li can spend more time with Yin Zhili, so they let Jiang Li accompany the brother and sister to walk in the yard. Jiang Jingrui and Jiang Jingyou stay in Wanfeng Hall to take care of Jiang Bingji.

Knowing that it was the Jiang family's arrangement, Jiang Li did not refute it. She always accepted it with a gentle expression. Yin Zhili walked in front, and Yin Zhiqing and Jiang Li fell behind.

The courtyard was not very hot in the morning, and it was still cool under the shade of the trees. When the summer wind blew, the green waves rolled, and people's hearts became peaceful. Yin Zhiqing was walking, and suddenly pulled Jiang Li's sleeve and whispered: "Miss Jiang Er, have you ever been to the Duke's Mansion?"

Jiang Li was surprised and looked at Yin Zhiqing.

Yin Zhiqing was also wearing a bright red chiffon dress today. If she didn't wear such a dress well, it would be frivolous. However, when she wore it, it just set off her brightness. Jiang Li looked at her and Yin Zhiqing said, "I have seen Duke Su in the palace before."

When Jiang Li heard this, she couldn't help but stop.

"The Duke of Su must have just come out of the palace. We met him in the Imperial Garden. I thought we had met once, so I took the initiative to greet him. He also greeted me back. I wanted to say a few more words to him, but he seemed very busy and left quickly."

"So." Jiang Li felt a little subtle.

"I heard that the Duke's Mansion has collected all kinds of rare flowers in the world and it is the place with the best scenery in Yanjing City. Unfortunately, I have never been there. Since Miss Jiang Er knows the Duke Su, have you ever been to the Duke's Mansion?" She stared at Jiang Li with a smile, but there was a hint of subtle temptation in her tone.

Jiang Li noticed it immediately. Perhaps because she was particularly sensitive about Ji Heng's affairs, or perhaps because she was wary of the Yin family. She shook her head without hesitation and said, "No, I have never been to the Duke's Mansion. I don't know what the situation is like inside."

"You haven't been to the Duke's Mansion either." Yin Zhiqing's tone was a little disappointed, but his expression was clearly relaxed.

"The county princess seems to be very interested in the affairs of Duke Suguo?" Jiang Li asked back.

"I guess so. I've heard a lot of rumors about him in Yanjing City, but I haven't met him many times. I always feel that this person is very mysterious." Yin Zhiqing smiled and said, "But I think there will be a chance to meet him in the future, so there's no need to rush."

What she said was very straightforward and frank. Perhaps the women in the clouds were always so frank.

"Hey, we are all so far behind brother, let's go first." Yin Zhiqing pulled Jiang Li to Yin Zhili's side. Yin Zhili had already found that they were behind them and stood under the grape vines waiting for them. Yin Zhiqing pushed Jiang Li in front of Yin Zhili and said with a smile: "I suddenly feel a little thirsty, brother, Miss Jiang, you two can talk here, I will take the maids to the teahouse to drink some tea to quench my thirst, Beiyan is much hotter than Yunzhong in summer." After saying that, without waiting for Jiang Li to answer, Yin Zhiqing took the maids away.

Jiang Li looked at their backs, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"I'm sorry," Yin Zhili was also a little embarrassed and apologized to Jiang Li, "My sister doesn't have any bad intentions. She is very simple and doesn't think too much before doing things."

Jiang Li said: "It's okay, Master Yin doesn't need to explain to me. I see that the county lady and Master Yin have a deep brother-sister relationship. It seems that the county lady and Master Yin are half-siblings?"

In fact, Jiang Li usually speaks softly and tactfully, and rarely speaks so bluntly. But Yin Zhili is different, because he is always gentle and generous, which makes people want to see where his bottom line is and when he will get angry. So Jiang Li asked such a sharp question. If Jiang Yuanbo were here, he would probably say that she was unruly.

But Yin Zhili was only slightly stunned, then smiled and said, "Yes, my biological mother passed away very early, almost gone since I can remember. Later... my mother treated me very well, as if I were her own child, and I have never been estranged from Zhili since we were young."

Jiang Li carefully observed Yin Zhili's eyes when he spoke. He didn't seem to be lying, which meant that at least Madam Yin had never treated Yin Zhili harshly, which was why their mother-son relationship was so harmonious.

Jiang Li said: "It's really enviable."

Yin Zhili smiled and said, "Second Miss Jiang also has sisters and brothers."

Jiang Li just smiled and said nothing. If it was Xue Fangfei, she would have a brother with whom she had deep feelings, and they would be willing to sacrifice their lives for each other. If it was Jiang Li, she would have no brothers or sisters from the same mother. Only sisters like Jiang Youyao and Jiang Yu'e were scheming everywhere and wanted to take her life. How could they be called having deep feelings?

Yin Zhili probably knew the situation of the Jiang family. He realized that he had said something wrong and his face turned red. He was about to change the subject when he saw the fan in Jiang Li's hand. The fan was given to Jiang Li by Yin Zhiqing. Because the weather was hot recently, Jiang Li started using it. The handle of the fan was icy cold in his hand, and the wind it blew was also cool, which was comfortable to use.

"Miss Jiang Er is already using this fan?" Yin Zhili said with a smile, "I thought Miss Jiang Er didn't know how to use it."

"This fan is very good and comfortable to use. I have to thank the county lady." Jiang Li replied. She said "county lady", regardless of whether the fan was selected by Yin Zhili, but it was given in the name of Yin Zhiqing, so Jiang Li would not feel any burden when using it, nor would there be any reputational wrongdoing.

She was also reminding Yin Zhili.

I don't know whether Yin Zhili didn't understand at all, or understood but pretended not to understand. Yin Zhili smiled and said, "It's good that Miss Jiang likes it. If Miss Jiang needs anything in the future, you can also come to me or Zhiqing. We will not refuse any help we can provide."

Jiang Li looked at him with amusement: "Mr. Yin is really too polite. Others will criticize you for this."

"Probably not." Yin Zhili said, "Because Miss Jiang Er is a friend of Zhiqing and I."

He spoke with a smile, and his temperament was gentle. He looked at Jiang Li intently, with a warm and clear gaze. Jiang Li felt uncomfortable with his gaze, so she had to turn her head away. She remained silent and did not respond to Yin Zhili's words, because she really did not know how to respond. But she suddenly became nervous. In the few times that Yin Zhili met her, he always followed etiquette. Although Jiang Li knew that both the Yin family and the Jiang family were optimistic about this marriage, Yin Zhili himself could not see his attitude.

He was nice to Jiang Li, but not too nice, just like a friend, keeping a comfortable distance. That's why Jiang Li was willing to talk to him. And judging from his chess playing, Yin Zhili was a smart man. Jiang Li had expressed her resistance to this marriage several times, and Yin Zhili must have seen it. If Yin Zhili was a proud person, he would not continue to approach.

But today, Jiang Li could feel that his attitude was more obvious than the previous times. Instead of retreating, he took a step forward.

Why is this?

Could it be that the Yin family has other ideas and is about to start planning? But we have only met a few times, it won't be so fast. Speaking of which, today is Miss Jiang's sixteenth birthday. After the sixteenth birthday, most of the noble ladies in Yanjing City get married at this age. Jiang Li hasn't even decided on a marriage yet, it's already very late.

She forced herself to maintain a gentle smile and waited until the evening when Yin Zhili and his sister left the Jiang family.

This time, Madam Jiang finally did not let Jiang Li send the brother and sister away and then go to Wanfeng Hall to talk. Perhaps she also knew that Jiang Li would not listen to Jiang Li's persuasion at all, so she simply stopped calling.

Jiang Li returned to Fangfei Garden.

Bai Xue brought over the two boxes that the Yin brothers and sisters had given her today and asked Jiang Li, "Miss, these are gifts from the Princess of Pingyang County and the Prince of the County. Do you want to open them?"

Jiang Li said: "Open it."

Bai Xue opened it as she was told. What Yin Zhiqing had given her was a set of jeweled head-ornaments, which looked very valuable. Jiang Li guessed that it might be a reward that General Zhaode had received from the late emperor. Such a head-ornament could not be bought in shops. Yin Zhiqing was really generous.

Yin Zhili gave a book, which looked ordinary. Jiang Li opened it and saw that it was a rare handwritten copy left by a great scholar in the previous dynasty. It was priceless. However, this book was more expensive than Yin Zhiqing's gift.

Jiang Li took a look and said, "Put it in the box." She had no intention of opening the book or putting on the headdress, so Bai Xue put the things back as she was told. Jiang Li didn't see Tong'er around, so she asked, "Where is Tong'er?"

"She said she was going to the kitchen to bring some cold food to the young lady, but she has been gone for a while. I don't know why she hasn't come back yet. Young lady, do you want me to go and see her?"

"It's okay." Jiang Li shook her head. "Maybe something delayed her. I don't have anything to do. I just asked her."

Jiang Li sat at the table, picked up a book and flipped through it. For some reason, her heart kept beating fast, as if something was going to happen. She couldn't read a single page of the book in front of her, and she was very upset. She pressed her forehead and was about to rub it, when suddenly, someone knocked on the door. Bai Xue asked, and Tong'er's voice rang out from outside.

Bai Xue opened the door and Tong'er came in. Bai Xue looked at her empty hands and asked curiously, "Didn't you go to serve cold food to the girl? How come there is nothing here?" Tong'er hesitated for a few words. Seeing her like this, Jiang Li said, "Just say whatever you want to say. We are all family, so don't worry."

"No, I'm not worried about that..." Tong'er hesitated for a while, looked at Jiang Li, Jiang Li nodded to him, and Tong'er seemed to have the courage to speak out the words in her mouth. She said: "Miss, the master wants to marry you to Mr. Yin!"

Even though Tong'er said this in a very low voice, Jiang Li and Bai Xue were still startled by her. Bai Xue asked, "What are you talking about? Why are you talking about this all of a sudden?"

"Tong'er, did you hear something? Don't be afraid, tell me and I'll find a way." Jiang Li comforted her.

Her voice was gentle, and after the initial shock, she immediately regained her composure, as if she was influenced by Jiang Li's calmness. Tong'er gradually calmed down. She said, "I originally wanted to go to the kitchen to serve cold food to the young lady at night. It was hot at that time, and I wanted to go around the house behind Wanfeng Hall, which was closer. Who knew that when I walked under the window, I happened to hear the old lady and the master talking."

Tong'er is different from the maids in the mansion. The maids in the mansion know the rules and usually do things in accordance with the rules. However, Tong'er has been in Qingcheng Mountain with Jiang Li for eight years, and her mind is very jumpy. In addition, Jiang Li usually spoils her, so Tong'er often takes shortcuts.

"I heard the master say to the old lady... General Yin won the battle this time, and His Majesty will definitely reward him according to his merits. When His Majesty does so, I ask His Majesty to grant an imperial decree to grant a marriage between the young lady and the prince's son."

Jiang Li and Bai Xue were both stunned. To exchange military merit for a marriage? Perhaps for other young ladies, this would be a glorious thing, showing that they were precious and valued by their husband's family. However, in Jiang Li's eyes, it was like a bucket of cold water poured over her head in the hot summer, freezing her from head to toe like ice.

Yin Zhan really didn't leave anyone any chance to survive. If the marriage was granted by Emperor Hong Xiao, there would be no room for maneuver. Just like the arrogant Princess Yongning, who had to marry into the Li family after the imperial decree?

The Yin family was willing to use her military achievements to get her to marry into the family, so it seemed like she had to become a relative of the Jiang family.

Tong'er said, "From what I heard from the old lady, she seemed very happy. She said that it would be a blessing for the girl to marry into the Yin family, and she would be able to rest easy in the future without having to worry about anything. The only thing she was worried about was whether the Yin family would return to Yunzhong in the future. But General Yin has made great contributions in defeating King Cheng this time, and the emperor should not let him return to the northwest. Moreover, since they are relatives of our family, the master and the second master will also persuade the emperor to find a way to let the Yin family stay."

Jiang Li couldn't help but sneer: "The Yin family really has a good plan."

Tong'er was frightened by Jiang Li's expression. Her girl had always been kind and gentle. Even when she was angry, she would not show it. Unlike now, she was obviously very angry. Her whole face was gloomy and it was scary to look at.

But she had to continue to speak what she heard, so Tong'er continued, "The master also said that now that the girl has passed her sixteenth birthday, His Majesty has granted the marriage, and the wedding can be completed this winter. I wanted to hear more, but I heard footsteps coming over there, so I had to run away. I wanted to come back to tell you about this, but I forgot to go to the small kitchen to get some cold food."

Who cares about a bowl of cold food at this time? Bai Xue pulled Tong'er's sleeve, but Tong'er stared at Jiang Li with a worried look on her face.

Both maids could see that Jiang Li clearly had her heart set on Duke Su. How could the Jiang family randomly match Jiang Li and Master Yin together? Bai Xue thought for a moment and said, "Young lady, why don't you go find the master and explain it clearly. Since you think the Yin family is inappropriate, tell us your reasons. After all, the master is your father and will listen to you as long as what you say makes sense."

"It's useless to talk to him," Jiang Li said, "Father has to think about the Jiang family, and the Yin family is here with ill intentions and sophisticated tactics. Even if I tell my father, he won't believe it."

"Then...should we ask the Duke for help?" Tong'er asked cautiously.

Bai Xue glanced at Tong'er, and Tong'er looked back at her innocently. In Tong'er's mind, if her daughter had any trouble, she could go to the Duke's Mansion to solve it. If it really didn't work, let Duke Su go and discuss it with the Yin family. Duke Su was so capable that he could probably make the Yin family retreat without a fight.

Jiang Li's hands rested on the table, and she couldn't help but clenched them into fists. The Yin family acted quickly, and used such an inferior method, so that she couldn't find a chance to refuse. Because a girl's marriage was not decided by herself, the Yin family took the initiative, and Jiang Li was in a very passive position.

No wonder, no wonder Yin Zhili's attitude towards her is different today, it can be seen that Yin Zhili already knew in advance that Yin Zhan would ask Emperor Hong Xiao for a marriage at the celebration banquet. They treated themselves as fish on the table, just waiting to be slaughtered. In an instant, Jiang Li's anger surged. After dying once, what she hated most was the feeling of being controlled and submissive.

I want her, but she won't let me!
Since she couldn't refuse openly, she had plenty of ways to do it secretly. She wanted to finish the Jiang family's play from beginning to end, but she didn't want to be treated as a puppet and become a puppet in someone else's hands. She didn't want to watch this play anymore, and she didn't want to play this game anymore. She wanted to jump out of the chessboard and stop being someone else's chess piece.

Jiang Li stood up, put on her outer garment, and said, "Let's go when it's late at night."

Bai Xue asked, "Where are you going, girl?"

"The Duke's Mansion." Jiang Li said, and she took the porcelain whistle from her waist. She hadn't blown this whistle for a long time. Although Zhao Ke seemed to be no longer in Jiang Mansion, Jiang Li decided to take a gamble and blow the whistle in the middle of the night to see what the result would be. If no one came, she would go by herself and find a way to go to the Duke's Mansion.

Tong'er's eyes lit up and she said, "Miss, are you going to be with the Duke of Su...isn't that too risky?" She was really half happy and half worried. She was happy that Jiang Li was going to find her lover to solve the problem, but she was worried because people always say that elopement doesn't have a good ending. Those stories of rich girls and poor boys eloping, in the end, all of them ended up with the poor couple having many sorrows and the rich girl being abandoned.

However... my girl is not short of money for the time being, and Duke Su is not poor either, so this shouldn't be a problem.

Before she had time to think about whether this was a good thing, Jiang Li's voice came, and she said, "No. I'm going to see him and say goodbye to him."

Farewell? Bai Xue and Tong Er looked at Jiang Li, too shocked to speak.

Jiang Li's heart, however, gradually became firm from the initial hesitation. It seemed that she had no way to change this matter. The only thing she could do was to leave the Jiang family. When Jiang Yuanbo found out that she was missing, he would naturally find a way to reject this marriage. But before leaving, Jiang Li had to take Xue Huaiyuan with her. She planned to go to the Ye family tomorrow to confess her identity to Xue Huaiyuan and say goodbye to Ye Mingyu. After all, they had known each other for a long time. Jiang Li had no uncle, and Ye Mingyu had already regarded her as his own uncle.

She went to see Ji Heng at night. In addition to saying goodbye to Ji Heng, which was not in vain for them to meet each other, she also wanted to beg Ji Heng to help her and Xue Huaiyuan a little on their way out of Yanjing City. It might not be difficult to avoid Jiang Yuanbo, but if the Yin family also came to search for her whereabouts, Jiang Li was not sure that she could get away completely. If she was really caught, she would probably implicate Xue Huaiyuan, and they would also be curious why Jiang Li only took Xue Huaiyuan with them when they were not related.

She had to go.

The night gradually enveloped the courtyard, and Bai Xue and Tong'er looked out the door for a while, and they were sure that almost everyone in the mansion was asleep. Jiang Li stood in front of the window, opened her palm, and the whistle lay in her palm. She put the whistle to her lips and blew it gently.

The clear whistle sound was still very clear in the night. Even though Jiang Li had blocked the sound with her hands, it was still audible in the courtyard where no one was talking. Tong'er and Bai Xue stood behind Jiang Li, also looking out the window nervously.

Jiang Li waited for a long time, but no one came. She was a little disappointed and turned to Bai Xue and said, "Let's find a way out by ourselves."

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a voice coming from the tree in front of him: "Where do you want to go, Miss Second?"

Jiang Li looked up suddenly and saw a man squatting on the branch in front of the window. It seemed that he had been squatting there for a long time. When Jiang Li looked up at him, he jumped down from the tree. It was Zhao Ke.

"When did you come?" Jiang Li was surprised. "I thought you were not in the house."

"I have been here for a while. Seeing that the Second Miss had no other instructions, I took a nap on the tree." Zhao Ke said, "I heard the Second Miss blowing the whistle. What's the matter?"

He still looked like he knew nothing, and Jiang Li didn't know if he heard what Tong'er said just now. But it didn't matter whether Zhao Ke heard it or not, because Jiang Li would explain the reason to Ji Heng in person. She said, "I want to go to the Duke's Mansion and tell Ji Heng something. Is he at the mansion now?"

Zhao Ke noticed that Jiang Li called him "Ji Heng" instead of "Duke" today, which seemed to be an equal address. He felt that Jiang Li was a little strange today, but he couldn't tell what was strange about her. He just said, "The master is in the mansion. Does the second lady want to go see the master now?"

Jiang Li said: "Yes."

"Then come with me, Miss."

Jiang Li said to Tong'er and Bai Xue, "You two stay in the mansion. I will come back after meeting Ji Heng."

Tong'er and Baixue nodded. They couldn't control Jiang Li anyway, so they just let it be. As long as Jiang Li was happy, it was fine.

Jiang Li and Zhao Ke left, the lights in Fangfei Garden went out, and everything returned to silence.

(End of this chapter)