Chapter 215 Confession
The carriage was traveling at night, the road was familiar, the night wind was familiar, Jiang Li was sitting in the carriage, but she felt unfamiliar.

Fate in the world is probably very strange. From Tongxiang to Yanjing City, thousands of miles apart, she unexpectedly married from Tongxiang to Yanjing and had such a entanglement with the Shen family in her previous life. The grudge between her and Princess Yongning of Shen Yurong made her become Jiang Li. After becoming Jiang Li, many people she met inexplicably made her and Ji Heng have an intersection.

The road between the Duke's Mansion and the Jiang Mansion was actually only a year or so old, but she was already very familiar with it. So much so that she felt reluctant to leave. From the initial surprise, she thought that leaving the mansion at night was really extraordinary and unbelievable, but later she got used to it and even took the initiative to go there. No one noticed when the change happened.

There will be no such actions in the future, and there will be no such mood. I think the complex interweaving of uneasiness, expectation and peace of mind will never happen again. Jiang Li doesn't know whether she will be sad in the future. Maybe she will feel a little sad when she thinks about it, but she does not regret it. Although she left Yanjing and her stable life, she can bring her father and Xue Zhao back to her hometown, or even take Xue Zhao's ashes and travel around the world, which can be regarded as fulfilling Xue Zhao's old dream.

I have been confined in the house for the first half of my life. It is time to fly out. Freedom is precious in life.

So the corners of her mouth slightly raised again, and the previous sadness disappeared. Even if she had to say goodbye, she should say goodbye with a smile. Compared to when she just became the second Miss Jiang, everything now was much better than she had thought at the beginning. Princess Yongning and Shen Yurong's revenge had been avenged, her father was still alive, and she still had a future, which was not bad after all.

The carriage stopped in front of the Duke's Mansion. Jiang Li jumped off the carriage and walked into the Duke's Mansion with Zhao Ke.

Every time she went to the Duke's Mansion, there were all kinds of things to do, and Jiang Li didn't take a serious look at the Duke's Mansion. But today, she looked at it particularly carefully, as if she wanted to engrave every tree and blade of grass here in her mind and remember it clearly. In this way, when she recalled it in the future, she could store it for many years, instead of having her memory become blurred over the years and forgetting what the place she had been to was like.

Zhao Ke noticed her strange behavior and became even more puzzled. When they got to the yard, Zhao Ke asked Jiang Li to wait here while he went to report. After a while, Zhao Ke said, "The master is in the study. Second Miss, please follow me."

Jiang Li followed Zhao Ke to Ji Heng's study. The door of the study was ajar. Jiang Li pushed the door open and walked in. Zhao Ke closed the door behind him.

Ji Heng was sitting at the table, looking at something like a memorial paper, which was piled high on the table. When he saw Jiang Li coming, he stood up, ignored the memorial paper, walked to the small table and sat down, and asked, "Why are you here?"

There were still two teacups and a pot on the table. He naturally poured a cup of tea for Jiang Li, just like he had done countless times in the past. It was almost a habit for him, and it was almost natural for Jiang Li. Jiang Li sat down, and Ji Heng pushed the teacup in front of her and slowly poured tea for herself, saying, "Why aren't you talking? What's the trouble?"

Jiang Li suddenly laughed. Ji Heng said this as if every time she came, it was not a good thing, as if she came with a lot of troubles to seek help. But on second thought, Ji Heng was right, and he said it was powerful, but in fact he handled it properly for her every time.

Jiang Li picked up the teacup on the table. The tea for summer was dried in advance, with a slight coolness from the evening breeze, slightly bitter but fragrant. Jiang Li smiled and said, "Actually, I came here today to say goodbye to the Duke."

Ji Heng paused while drinking tea. He put down the teacup and looked at Jiang Li. There was an ambiguous look in his amber eyes. He asked, "Goodbye?"

"Thank you for your care over the past year, Duke. Although I have always said that I will do my best to help you if you need me, you always say I am lying. Now it seems that you are right and I may have to break my promise." She smiled gently, "I am leaving Yanjing City and may not come back in the future. I hope to say goodbye to you before I leave. Otherwise, it would be too heartless to leave without saying goodbye."

Ji Heng frowned: "What do you mean by that? You won't come back in the future? Does Jiang Yuanbai know about this?"

Jiang Li hesitated for a moment, shook her head, and said, "I kept it a secret from him. In other words, I want to leave the Jiang family and leave Yanjing."

"This is not leaving, this is escaping." Ji Heng asked: "What did the Jiang family force you to do?"

Jiang Li smiled and shook her head: "It was my own idea."

"It's about Yin Zhili."

Jiang Li paused.

The man held a teacup, which made his hands look particularly beautiful. He looked nonchalant, but his tone was firm as he asked, "The Yin family is forcing me to get married?"

He actually guessed it?

Jiang Li thought so too. Since Ji Heng had been keeping an eye on the Yin family all day, she naturally knew what Yin Zhan had been planning before. It was not difficult to guess why she was in such a hurry to leave.

Ji Heng frowned: "How dare they force me to get married?"

"It's an appointed marriage." Since Ji Heng knew everything, Jiang Li didn't intend to hide it. She said, "My maid heard the conversation between my father and the old lady. Yin Zhan interrupted at the celebration banquet. When His Majesty was rewarding merits, he exchanged military merits for an appointed marriage, and appointed a marriage between me and Yin Zhili."

After saying this, Jiang Li felt the room get a little colder. It was a hot summer day, so the feeling of coldness was particularly strong.

Jiang Li looked at Ji Heng, he was still smiling, but that smile looked a bit sinister. He was leaning on a chair, it was probably night time, his clothes were only draped over the outside, revealing his inner shirt, the shirt was also casually open, revealing his collarbone, his fair skin made him look particularly lively and even more attractive at night.

Jiang Li turned away her eyes and said, "If he really grants me the marriage, I have no other choice. Father and the old lady seem to like Yin Zhili very much."

"You ran away because you didn't want to marry Yin Zhili?" He stared at Jiang Li and asked.

"Yes." Jiang Li answered very straightforwardly, "But I have no other choice for now. I have also advised the Jiang family not to get too close to the Yin family, but my father didn't listen. There is one thing I want to ask you. If you confront the Yin family in the future, I believe the Yin family is not your opponent. Can you spare the Jiang family and at least save their lives?"

Ji Heng raised her eyebrows: "No."

Jiang Li said: "Why?"

"They are not your real family, why do you want to protect the Jiang family? Jiang Yuanbai is using you as a bargaining chip now. If I were you, I would kill them all." He said it lightly, but there was murderous intent in his eyes. Jiang Li knew that Ji Heng was not lying.

"No matter what, after I became the Second Miss Jiang, the Jiang family also gave me a place to stay. I don't want to threaten the Duke, I just hope to do it with a clear conscience. As for whether the Duke is willing or not, it has nothing to do with me. I will leave a letter to remind my father before I leave." Jiang Li said: "Similarly, whether he is willing to listen or not depends on himself."

"You are really kind." He said with a hint of sarcasm, perhaps disapproving of Jiang Li's behavior. He suddenly leaned in and asked, "Why don't you want to marry Yin Zhili?"

why?
The evening breeze made the shadows of the trees outside rustle. Jiang Li thought Ji Heng's question was very strange. She said, "Of course, it's because I don't like Master Yin and I don't plan to get married, so I won't marry Master Yin. The Duke also knows that I have been married and have been cheated and hurt. Getting married is no longer something I must accomplish in this life."

"What if you meet someone you really love?" He leaned forward and approached her, "You don't plan to get married?"

He was too close to her and Jiang Li almost held her breath. She wanted to turn away, but then she ran into Ji Heng's eyes again. When she first saw him, she was amazed at the young man's beauty, his narrow and affectionate eyes. Now that she had fallen into her amber eyes, it would be difficult for her to climb out.

"No," she forced herself to calm down and smiled, "I haven't met the right person yet, so there's no need to worry about these unnecessary issues. When I really meet someone one day, we can think about what to do then."

The girl dodged but pretended to be serious. She was really cute. She had obviously been married once and had been hurt once, but she didn't seem to know how to protect herself. Or maybe she was fearless. Call her brave or reckless, she would still like people and would not be influenced by some external things and become a different person.

Perhaps the current Jiang Li, the Jiang Li without hatred, is actually no different from Xue Fangfei when she was a girl.

Ji Heng couldn't help but move closer. He tilted his head and looked at her carefully. His eyes were sharp and gentle, which could make a sober person fall into delusion. He said, "You are lying."

Jiang Li looked up at him: "How come?"

"I know why you don't want to marry Yin Zhili." His voice was low and mellow, crawling over people's hearts, making them feel numb and tingling, as if their acupuncture points were pressed. They couldn't move, and could only look at him with a seductive smile. As he got closer and closer, he said, "I already knew that you liked me."

With a "boom", something seemed to explode in Jiang Li's brain. In panic, she subconsciously denied it, "No, I didn't..."

The next moment, her lips were blocked.

The young man's face was so close that Jiang Li opened her eyes wide in shock, and could see his eyelashes clearly. His lips were soft and warm, lingering between her lips and teeth. He held the back of Jiang Li's head with one hand, brought her towards him, and deepened the kiss.

No one could control themselves and not indulge in Ji Heng's kiss, even Jiang Li was the same. His expression was gentle but his movements were firm. Jiang Li struggled for several times before pushing him away.

She covered her lips, looked at the young man opposite her, and said, "Ji Heng, you!"

"Are you angry?" He said, "They all call me by my name." Ji Heng smiled, and with a hoarse voice, he moved closer again. He lowered his head and looked at Jiang Li with a doting and gentle gaze. He said, "I know that you like me, but do you know that I like you?"

Jiang Li was stunned.

He looked at her leisurely, his happy smile could not be concealed. Jiang Li felt a little embarrassed by his gaze, she said hesitantly: "What did you say..."

"I didn't want to involve you so soon, Ahri," he touched Jiang Li's long hair and pinned the hair behind her, "but you seem a little anxious, I can't let you run away."

His movements were natural, as if he had done this countless times before, but Jiang Li was somewhat at a loss. As for Ji Heng, she thought that he really treated her as a friend. Regardless of whether this care and concern was sympathy or a whim, it had nothing to do with love. People like him probably wouldn't fall in love with others. But his words at this moment made Jiang Li doubt herself.

"Do you like me?" she asked softly.

The woman's eyes were pure and filled with genuine doubt, which was very attractive. Ji Heng couldn't help it, so he lowered his head and kissed her on the forehead, saying, "Of course."

Jiang Li said: "You are not lying to me, are you?"

Ji Heng raised her eyebrows: "Do I look like someone who would cheat on women?"

Jiang Li thought for a moment and said, "Not really."

Ji Heng would never lie to a woman, not because he was so upright, but because he was too lazy to do so. For him, many things were easy to do. Of course, he didn't have to bother to lie. He thought that as long as he was a little gentle, people would naturally fall for him and keep coming.

"So you don't have to leave Yanjing City." Ji Heng said, "I'll find a way."

Jiang Li was puzzled: "What can you do? Yin Zhan is planning to get a royal marriage. Now that he has won a battle, the emperor trusts him. If he wants to use his military achievements to get a marriage, the emperor will not disagree. You can't openly disobey the order."

"You don't have to worry," he said with a smile, "He won't have this opportunity, and he's not the only one who would ask for a marriage."

Jiang Li was stunned: "You..."

"Ali, will you marry me?" He raised his eyebrows.

He called her so naturally. He knew that he was married, but he always called her so intimately. It also made Jiang Li feel that everything in her previous life was just a dream, and she was still a carefree girl, and she could be cherished and cherished by others. "If you don't want to, you can hold off on me for now," Ji Heng said lightly, "I'll talk about it when you agree. But I think, since you like me so much, you will agree sooner or later, right?"

Jiang Li: "No."

Ji Heng said: "You are lying."

"I don't know if you will become the second Shen Yurong," Jiang Li smiled openly, "I can like someone and trust someone, but now I won't do anything for the other person without a bottom line. Every failure makes you wiser, Ji Heng, I will love myself first, and then love others."

She thought Ji Heng would be angry after hearing this, and even thought she was just... However, he just smiled and touched her head, saying, "That's good, you don't have to get hurt, and I feel relieved."

Jiang Li looked at him, his eyes were more serious than ever before. He was not lying, what he said was true.

"I never thought that selflessness was a good thing." Ji Heng said softly, "But I think it doesn't matter if you can't learn to be selfish. I'll do those things, and you just do what you want to do."

Jiang Li lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously grasping the fan in her hand. It was the fan Yin Zhiqing gave her. The summer in Yanjing City was very hot, and the fan was very useful, so Jiang Li carried it with her. Her actions were seen by Ji Heng. Ji Heng's eyes fell on her fan, and he paused for a moment. The next moment, he took the fan from her hand.

"Is this the fan that Yin Zhili gave you?" he asked.

Jiang Li nodded, then shook her head: "It was given by Yin Zhiqing."

Ji Heng held a smile on her lips as she slowly spread out the fan. There were pear blossoms on the fan and a small lotus engraved on the handle. The handle was made of white jade, the jade color was very good and the whole body was snow-white. The lotus engraved on it was so lovely that it was clearly visible with a light tap.

Ji Heng said calmly, "Yin Zhili is really generous, but there is something wrong with his eyes. What white lotus? It's clearly a carnivorous plant that eats people without leaving any bones."

Jiang Li was stunned at first, then she understood what Ji Heng meant. She immediately came to her senses and asked, "How do you know what Yin Zhili said to me? Is Zhao Ke still staying in the Jiang Mansion?"

"I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone in a place like Jiangli," he said, "of course I have to have someone keep an eye on you."

If he wanted to coax someone, he would probably be fooled. Jiang Li felt a little touched, and then she saw him holding the fan in his hand and said to her, "I will take this fan away."

"This is mine." Jiang Li said.

"Your stuff?" He raised the corner of his lips, and suddenly reached out to hold Jiang Li's chin. With his other hand, he stroked her lips with his fingers, and warned her: "Try to take other men's stuff next time."

Jiang Li remained silent.

His fingertips were slightly cool, and when they caressed her lips, they felt as if they were burned. Jiang Li recalled the kiss that caught her off guard just now, and her face felt strangely hot.

In a trance, she only heard Ji Heng chuckle. He said, "I thought you were brave before, but why are you so scared of me now?"

"I'm not afraid of you." Jiang Li broke free from his hand and said, "I'm just not used to it."

"It's okay, you'll get used to it slowly."

Jiang Li looked at him and fell silent. Ji Heng just waited patiently. After a while, she asked, "Will I change your plan? If you want to stop the Yin family's marriage, the Yin family will definitely notice you. By then, will it be your turn?"

"Yin Zhan has noticed me for a long time. It doesn't matter whether you are married or not." Ji Heng smiled and comforted her, "You don't have to care."

"I still don't understand what the grudge between Yin Zhan and you is. If you don't want to talk about it now, I won't ask. But what is his purpose in returning to Yanjing City? I'm afraid that the marriage with the Jiang family is not just Yin Zhili's own idea. Even if I'm not a stunning fairy, Yin Zhili wouldn't fall in love with me after seeing me once. Why?"

Jiang Li still found it very strange. If she didn't figure out Yin Zhan's purpose, Jiang Li wouldn't know how to guide the Jiang family.

"Li Zhongnan is no longer useful now. The leader of the civil officials is Jiang Yuanbai." Ji Heng said calmly, "If you win over Jiang Yuanbai, you win over half of the forces in the court."

When Jiang Li heard him use the word "win over", her heart skipped a beat and she blurted out, "He wants to be the second King Cheng?"

Ji Heng smiled and said, "Is there a better reason?"

"Why?" Jiang Li was getting more and more confused. "If he wanted to usurp the throne, why did he wait until now to do it when the emperor was still young?"

"Your Majesty needs to grow up, King Cheng needs to grow up, and Prince Xia needs to grow up even more. Otherwise, why do you think the late emperor expelled Prince Xia to Yunzhong? It was only because the late emperor found some clues, but there was no more evidence. He was suspicious and had to expel him. In the final analysis, the late emperor was nostalgic. If it were me..." Ji Heng said casually, "I would never raise a tiger to cause trouble."

"He and you..."

"Hush," Ji Heng made a silent gesture and smiled at Jiang Li, "There are many things you don't need to know. The more you know, the more dangerous it is. I like you so much, I don't want anything to happen to you."

He could say sweet words easily, but they would not make people feel bored or hypocritical. Jiang Li also accepted it naturally. The relationship between the two of them was a matter of mutual testing and calculation at the beginning. They met by chance, and gradually became friends, confidants, and even what they are now.

There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with this.

Ji Heng didn't want to say anything, so she couldn't get the answer no matter how hard she tried. Jiang Li would let it go, but if it didn't work, she would just find a way to find out. But she was still shocked to hear that Yin Zhan was plotting rebellion.

"Father...Will the Jiang family be implicated?"

"As long as your marriage with Yin Zhili doesn't work out, there's nothing to worry about." Ji Heng said calmly, "Jiang Yuanbai is a man with the will but not the courage. He would never dare to do something like treason. The Jiang family may not know about Yin Zhili's previous idea. Once Yin Zhan shows his ambition, Jiang Yuanbai will naturally back off."

"I just think that if the emperor misunderstands that the Jiang family is as greedy as the Yin family and has rebellious intentions..." She suddenly thought of something and asked, "Does the emperor know about this?"

Ji Heng just smiled and said nothing.

Jiang Li immediately understood what Ji Heng meant. Emperor Hong Xiao actually knew about it. Emperor Hong Xiao was indeed more secretive than everyone imagined. I don't know if Yin Zhan knew about this, but maybe even if Yin Zhan knew about it, he wouldn't care. For Yin Zhan, his troops were strong, and the Imperial Guards of Yanjing City were no match for him.

But Ji Heng didn't seem to be afraid of Yin Zhan's intention.

Could it be that the lost tiger talisman...

"Don't let your imagination run wild, Ali." He said, "Just stay at home and everything will be solved."

"Ji Heng," Jiang Li looked into his eyes, "Don't let anything happen to you."

Ji Heng paused, then smiled. His smile was particularly charming, and the teardrop mole under his eyes was as red as blood. He said in a gentle voice, "Okay."

The night was just right, the moonlight was neither too bright nor too dim, as if it knew that this night was worth remembering, and it became insanely beautiful.

After talking to Ji Heng, Jiang Li was ready to go back. She had planned to say goodbye to Ji Heng today, but somehow, she was confused and opened her heart to him. She was an honest person. Before she avenged the Xue family, she still had some room for maneuver. After she had avenged herself, the past was gone like smoke, and she became as open-minded as before.

But fortunately, the other party also likes her.

Thinking of this, Jiang Li couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth.

She once thought that after loving someone once, she would not easily fall in love with another person or trust another person, but there is probably no reason to love someone. It is also a good thing that she can continue to love someone without fear of getting hurt. If her father and A Zhao knew, they would be happy for her.

Of course, this time, she will not blindly lose herself for the other person and become another person. Love has never been supported by one person's compromise.

She thought about this and walked out with Ji Heng. Ji Heng held her hand, and this time, he did not hold Jiang Li's sleeve. His palm was long and wide, and he held Jiang Li's hand in his palm, as if he would never let go.

"You are laughing so happily." Ji Heng said, "It seems that you like me very much."

"You're holding me so tightly," Jiang Li immediately counterattacked, "It seems like you're afraid that I'll run away."

"What's there to be afraid of?" He snorted. "Even if you run to the ends of the earth, I will always find a way to bring you back."

Jiang Li sneered and was too lazy to talk to him. Ji Heng wanted to take him to the carriage at the gate of the mansion. When the two passed the flower garden, they found a person sitting next to the yard. The person was struggling to hold the chair with both hands, and the posture was strange.

When Jiang Li saw the back figure, she felt her heart skip a beat and asked inexplicably, "Who is that..."

Ji Heng also looked over there.

"That's the boy we rescued before," Zhao Ke explained, "His leg was broken, and Miss Situ wouldn't let him walk, so he sat in a wheelchair during the day. The boy was very stubborn and refused to accept his fate, so he sneaked out at night to practice walking." He sighed, "He's a tough guy, but it's a pity that his martial arts skills are gone. Miss Situ also said that he would never be able to stand up again. Why is he so stubborn?"

Jiang Li looked at the back of the man. As Zhao Ke said, it was extremely difficult for him to stand up. The chair was next to the window of the house door. He put his hands on the window sill and tried to prop himself up. However, after a lot of effort, he could only prop himself up a little bit, and soon, he fell down with a "thump". Jiang Li felt pain for him when she heard the sound.

Ji Heng said: "Let him go back."

Under the moonlight, the shadow was so sad to look at. Even though it was just a blurry back, strangely, it suddenly made Jiang Li feel heartbroken. She didn't know why, so she stopped and stared at the person on the chair, but she didn't know why she did that.

After receiving Ji Heng's instructions, Zhao Ke walked towards the man and shouted, "A Zhao, stop practicing. It's so late and others need to go to bed. The master asked you to go back and rest."

When Jiang Li heard this, she trembled all over. She asked back, "A... Zhao?"

(End of this chapter)