Chapter 217 Father and Brother
That night, Jiang Li returned to the Jiang residence just before dawn. Tong'er and Bai Xue waited for her for a long time. Seeing that she came back so late for the first time and was still restless, they were relieved to see that Jiang Li returned safely. Then they let Jiang Li go to bed and have a good sleep.

She slept until the sun rose at noon the next day. When Jiang Li woke up, she felt refreshed. Tong'er and Bai Xue were surprised to find that her smile seemed to have swept away all her previous worries, and it looked particularly light and bright, making people unable to stop their mouth corners from rising.

Tong'er still remembered what Jiang Li said last night. When Jiang Li finished washing and started to eat, she asked Jiang Li, "Miss, when are we leaving Yanjing City?"

When Jiang Li went to the Duke's Mansion last night, she said that she was going to say goodbye to Ji Heng. Since she was leaving Yanjing City, she had to plan everything in advance. The celebration banquet would probably start soon. As long as His Majesty granted Jiang Li and Yin Zhili a marriage by then, if Jiang Li ran away at that time, she would implicate the Jiang family and bear the crime of disobeying the emperor's order. Running away in advance now would also avoid implicating others.

"I'm not leaving." Jiang Li said.

Bai Xue and Tong'er looked at each other. Bai Xue quickly guessed that perhaps Ji Heng had changed Jiang Li's mind. Bai Xue looked at Jiang Li and asked cautiously, "Does the Duke have a solution?"

Jiang Li's mind suddenly flashed back to the scene of him kissing her last night, and his words, "Ali, are you willing to marry me?" Jiang Li's face suddenly turned red, and she nodded nonchalantly, saying, "So you don't have to leave."

Although she didn't say anything, the two of them were shocked when they saw her in such a state, and immediately understood something. Jiang Li was rarely shy, and in most cases, she was very calm and generous. When facing Yin Zhili, even though she knew that the other party wanted to marry her, she didn't show any special reaction. However, today, just by mentioning Ji Heng, she became like this, which showed what happened last night.

The two maids were both happy and worried. They were happy that their daughter was happy, and of course they were happy for Jiang Li as well. But they were worried that she would not do anything out of line, because Princess Yongning was a living example.

Jiang Li didn't know what Bai Xue and Tong'er were thinking. She was not only happy that Ji Heng liked her, but she was even happier to see that A Zhao was still alive. A Zhao was still alive, which was a special favor from God to her. Her reunion with A Zhao was incredibly smooth. She thought that after becoming Jiang Li, she had nothing but a strange identity. She didn't hold out any hope, but first she found her father, and now she knew that A Zhao was still alive. Although everyone was not as good as before, her father had aged a lot, and A Zhao could no longer stand up, but what else could be more joyful than a family reunion?

She couldn't go to the Duke's Mansion in broad daylight, but she could go to the Ye Mansion. A few days ago, because of King Cheng, Jiang Yuanbai didn't let Jiang Li go out alone, not even to the Ye Mansion. Now that King Cheng's rebels had been wiped out by Yin Zhan, there was no danger in Yanjing City, so she could naturally go out.

After Jiang Li finished her meal and rested for a while, she said, "I'm going to Wanfeng Hall to find the old lady."

Bai Xue asked, "What does the young lady have to do with the old lady?"

"I think the Jiang family's access control should be unlocked by now. I have to go to the Ye Mansion."

After that, Jiang Li went to Wanfeng Hall to talk to Old Lady Jiang. Because she opened her heart to Ji Heng last night and met Ah Zhao again, Jiang Li was in a better mood than ever before. Her previous resistance to the Jiang family because of the Yin family incident also disappeared. She smiled brightly, which made Old Lady Jiang stunned. Old Lady Jiang knew that although her granddaughter looked well-behaved and sensible, she was actually very stubborn. However, today, she seemed to have taken off all her armor and was incredibly soft. Facing such a Jiang Li, Old Lady Jiang's heart softened a little. When Jiang Li said that she wanted to go to the Ye family in the next few days, Old Lady Jiang agreed without thinking.

Jiang Li got Madam Jiang's approval, talked to her for a while, and was about to leave. Before leaving, she was stopped by Madam Jiang again.

Madam Jiang said to her, "Second girl, don't bear a grudge against us. You are a girl from the Jiang family, and the Jiang family will only do good for you."

The smile on Jiang Li's face faded a little. If Tong'er had not overheard the conversation between Jiang Yuanbo and Old Madam Jiang before, Jiang Li would not have taken what she said to heart. But after knowing the inside story, Jiang Li knew that Old Madam Jiang was laying the groundwork for the marriage to be granted later.

It cannot be said that the Jiang family does not value Miss Jiang Li. At least in their opinion, Yin Zhili does not have any shortcomings and is a good match. However, the most important difference between the Jiang family and the Xue family is that Xue Huaiyuan and Xue Zhao will respect her. No matter how good the other party is, if Xue Fangfei doesn't like her, they will not force it.

This is probably the difference between ordinary people and officials.

Jiang Li smiled, said goodbye politely to Old Madam Jiang, and walked out of the gate of Wanfeng Hall.

Old Madam Jiang sighed and said nothing more.

……

In the Duke's Mansion, Xue Zhao's identity seemed to be known to everyone overnight.

"So you are Xue Fangfei's brother." Situ Jiuyue suddenly realized, "No wonder your enemy is Princess Yongning."

"I didn't tell Doctor Situ at the time because I was forced by the situation. If I told him rashly, I was afraid of implicating Doctor Situ." Xue Zhao smiled embarrassedly.

"You don't have to tell me this. It's useless to tell me, and I won't avenge you. But..." She asked doubtfully, "Have you met Jiang Li before? Otherwise, how could she recognize you?"

Everyone in the Duke's Mansion knew that Ah Zhao's surname was Xue and that he was Xue Fangfei's younger brother. However, they did not know that the current Jiang Li was Xue Fangfei. Perhaps, apart from Xue Zhao, only Ji Heng knew this secret. Of course, Ji Heng would not tell this secret to anyone.

Xue Zhao said: "She...she had some connection with our Xue family, so she has seen me before."

Situ Jiuyue didn't suspect anything, and she didn't like to pry into other people's secrets, so she believed what Xue Zhao said and said, "I've seen that she has a close relationship with your Xue family. Otherwise, why would she treat the Xue family differently? She's done a lot of things, both for revenge and redress."

In the eyes of others, Jiang Li's doing this for the Xue family was naturally puzzling, and only Xue Zhao knew the reason. He said: "I heard that Doctor Situ also saved my father... Thank you, Doctor Situ."

"I didn't save your father," Situ Jiuyue said, "It was Jiang Li who saved him. I just helped him regain consciousness. I originally thought it would be better if he didn't regain consciousness. After all, it was very painful to live so sober. If Jiang Li hadn't insisted, I wouldn't have treated him. But now it seems that Jiang Li did the right thing. Your father is mentally strong and didn't lose heart because of the pain. Not only did he get his revenge, but he was also able to see you again, his son. It can be considered a blessing."

Xue Zhao smiled and said, "In any case, without Doctor Situ, there would be no father today. We in the Xue family will never forget Doctor Situ's kindness."

Situ Jiuyue sneered and didn't take it seriously, as if she didn't take Xue Zhao's words to heart. In her life, she had killed more people than she had saved. If she took everyone's words to heart, it would be really tiring. Xue Zhao didn't get angry at her attitude, but suddenly thought of something and asked, "Doctor Situ, there is something I'm curious about."

"What else are you curious about?"

"Duke Su and the second young lady of the Jiang family... have a good relationship?" Xue Zhao asked.

Situ Jiuyue paused for a moment after hearing this, then looked at Xue Zhao. The boy stared at her closely, revealing nervousness and curiosity, as if he really cared about the answer. For some reason, Situ Jiuyue suddenly felt a little depressed. She raised her eyebrows and asked, "Why do you care about this? What is the relationship between Jiang Li and Ji Heng, and what does it have to do with you?"

"I'm just curious." Xue Zhao was startled by Situ Jiuyue's cold words and said aggrievedly. Although Doctor Situ was cold, he always treated him well. However, Xue Zhao could clearly feel that he was angry.

Although he didn't know why Situ Jiuyue suddenly got angry.

Xue Zhao was just very surprised. Jiang Li's encounter with him last night was clearly just a coincidence. That meant that her purpose of coming to the Duke's Mansion was to find Ji Heng. It seemed that she did not hide the fact that Ji Heng knew her identity as Xue Fangfei. If she did not trust someone, how could she do this? But how could Ji Heng gain Jiang Li's trust? Xue Zhao could not help but think of Ji Heng holding Jiang Li's hand and the unique tenderness in her words to her.

The elder sister originally had a beauty that could topple a country, so it was natural that men from all over the world flocked to her. The elder sister is still beautiful now...but would a man like Duke Su really be attracted by her beauty?

Xue Zhao didn't know if it was because his injury hadn't healed yet that he was still thinking about these inexplicable things. However, his dazed look was seen by Situ Jiuyue, who felt even more annoyed. Situ Jiuyue packed up the medicine box very quickly, rolled her eyes at him, and turned around and walked out of the room.

Zhao Ke happened to come looking for Xue Zhao. Seeing Xue Zhao in the house, he said, "A Zhao, the master asked me to go find you." He walked around behind Xue Zhao, pushed Xue Zhao's wheelchair, and walked out of the house.

Zhao Ke was also bitter. He didn't know that Ah Zhao was the young master of the Xue family until last night. You have to know that Miss Jiang Er treated Haitang, the maid of the Jiang family, differently, which shows how important the young master of the Xue family is to her. But he yelled at Xue Zhao in front of Jiang Li. If Jiang Li was dissatisfied with him and complained to Ji Heng, what would he do?

I had to please Xue Zhao first and make up for it.

He had a baby-like face and looked very friendly, which made Xue Zhao a little embarrassed. He said, "I can push it myself."

"A Zhao...Master Xue, what are you talking about? You are still injured and it is inconvenient for you." Zhao Ke replied with a smile.

Xue Zhao was stunned when he heard him call "Master Xue". When he came to his senses, Zhao Ke had already pushed him in front of Ji Heng.

Ji Heng was standing in front of the flower bed, with the noisy starling still perched on his shoulder. When it saw Xue Zhao, it opened its beak and blurted out "idiot".

Xue Zhao: “…”

"You're here." Ji Heng turned to look at him, handed him a letter and said, "A letter from Ah Li to you."

When Xue Zhao heard the word "Ali", he was shocked again. This was Jiang Li's childhood name, and Xue Huaiyuan called him that. Even if it was Shen Yurong, Xue Zhao had never heard Shen Yurong call Jiang Li like that. Now that he was called by the Duke of Su, Xue Zhao really didn't know what to do.

"Idiot!" Xiao Hong's scream brought Xue Zhao back to his senses. Xue Zhao then opened the letter and after reading it, he couldn't suppress his excitement and said, "My sister asked me to go to the Ye family to see Dad tomorrow!"

Zhao Ke, who was standing at the side, accidentally heard this and wondered, how come this guy called Miss Jiang Er "sister" after just one night? His ability to establish kinship was really too strong.

Ji Heng nodded and said, "Let Zhao Ke take you there tomorrow."

"Thank you, sir." Xue Zhao said sincerely, and couldn't help looking at Ji Heng again. Perhaps because he knew that Ji Heng and Jiang Li had a close relationship, Xue Zhao looked at Ji Heng with a bit of scrutiny. Seeing that this young man even wore a red dress very beautifully, with a gorgeous and charming face, although his appearance was too gorgeous, he didn't look like a woman, and although there was a smile on his lips, people in the martial arts world could probably feel his murderous aura, although he restrained it, it was still a bit arrogant.

In terms of aura, he was much better than Shen Yurong, and so was his appearance. As for his literary talent, Xue Zhao didn't like it, so he didn't think it was a strength. Martial arts... Tsk, Xue Zhao's eyes fell on the gorgeous folding fan in his hand. There were many mysteries on this fan.

"What are you looking at me for?" Ji Heng asked. "My Lord...what is your relationship with my sister?" Xue Zhao thought for a long time and decided to ask directly. He had a hunch that Ji Heng was not a roundabout person. If you asked anything, he would tell you the answer directly. This could be called honesty, or conceitedness.

"What kind of relationship?" The young man closed his fan, and the gorgeous golden peony disappeared in an instant, leaving only a tightly closed strip. He hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "Soon, you will call me brother-in-law, this kind of relationship."

Xue Zhao was nearly choked and Zhao Ke's scalp felt numb.

He was very straightforward.

……

Jiang Li and Xue Zhao made an appointment to go to Ye's house to see Xue Huaiyuan the next day. On that morning, Jiang Li dressed up early. She dressed and combed her hair by herself, and did not let Tong'er help. Tong'er had to stand aside. After Jiang Li finished dressing up, she felt that Jiang Li was particularly different today, and seemed to be brighter, or in other words, she was completely different from her past.

Perhaps it was just their young lady's sudden impulse to change the style, so Tong'er and Bai Xue didn't take it seriously. The two of them helped Jiang Li out of the house and got on the carriage. Because they had informed Madam Jiang in advance, Madam Jiang didn't say anything, but just sent a few more guards from the Jiang Mansion to follow the carriage to avoid any accidents on the way.

In the summer, the early morning is still better, but at noon, the heat is so hot that it makes people uncomfortable. Jiang Li left early, when the sun was still relatively low, but she was so excited that she couldn't calm down.

When they arrived at the gate of Ye's house, they saw a carriage parked at the gate. Zhao Ke and Xue Zhao saw Jiang Li right after they arrived at Ye's house. Xue Zhao almost blurted out "Sister" when he saw Jiang Li. However, he stopped talking immediately. Jiang Li was younger than him now. Even if others said that he was trying to be related to her, calling her "sister" was too strange. He could only smile and say to Jiang Li, "Jiang... Miss Jiang."

"A Zhao." Jiang Li called out very smoothly. She looked around and didn't see Ji Heng. Zhao Ke seemed to understand her thoughts. He walked to Jiang Li and whispered, "The master is not at home today. Let me send Master Xue over."

Jiang Li nodded: "Thank you." But she thought to herself, Yin Zhan didn't know what tricks he would play in the court. Ji Heng had to spend a lot of effort to deal with him. I think these days are very busy. So she didn't say much, and said: "Let's go in first."

In the Ye Mansion, Ye Shijie went to court. Ye Mingyu had heard about Jiang Li's arrival in advance, and had been waiting in the house. He also knew that someone from the Duke's Mansion was coming, and thought it was Situ Jiuyue, but he only saw a young man sitting in a wheelchair. He didn't know Xue Zhao's identity, but he also knew that Xue Zhao was definitely not the guard escorting Jiang Li. How could a guard be a cripple? He guessed who this talented person was, and just looked at Xue Zhao, and asked Jiang Li in confusion: "A Li, this young master..."

"Master Ye." Xue Zhao took the initiative to speak, smiling and said, "These days, from Tongxiang to Yanjing, thanks to Master Ye for protecting my father, you have been so kind to our Xue family, and Xue Zhao will repay you even if it means a great debt of gratitude. If there is any need for Xue Zhao in the future, Xue Zhao will go through fire and water without hesitation."

Maybe it was because Ye Mingyu looked like a bandit, when Xue Zhao talked to him, he seemed to regain some of the gangster spirit that only young people have. Ye Mingyu was very pleased with what he said, and he immediately smiled and bowed, "No, no, it's just a small favor, you don't have to be polite, little brother, you just said...your father, the Xue family? Your father is..."

Xue Zhao was about to speak when Haitang came over from the yard with tea. She was startled when she saw Xue Zhao and the teapot in her hand fell to the ground with a bang, causing everyone to turn around and look. Haitang was unaware and just looked at Xue Zhao stupidly. Xue Zhao smiled slightly: "Haitang."

“Young… Young Master!” Haitang cried out, “You are still alive! You are not…”

"I'm not dead." Xue Zhao smiled and said, "Miss Jiang Er rescued me."

"Young Master?" Ye Mingyu finally came to his senses at this time and asked, "Are you the young master of the Xue family?"

Ye Mingyu and Xue Huaiyuan had lived together for so long that he already knew everything about the Xue family. He knew that Xue Huaiyuan had a son named Xue Zhao, but he was also killed by Princess Yongning. Now, this young man in a wheelchair actually claimed to be Xue Zhao?

Ye Mingyu walked up to Jiang Li, tugged at her, and asked in a low voice, "Ali, what's going on? How did you find Xue Zhao?"

"That's a long story." Jiang Li smiled slightly, "Uncle, let's go see Mr. Xue as soon as possible. Since A Zhao is still alive, Mr. Xue will definitely be very happy if he knows."

Ye Mingyu nodded quickly: "That's right, let's go, let's give Mr. Xue a surprise and surprise him!"

In the room, Xue Huaiyuan was reading a book.

During the day, Ye Shijie went to court, and Xue Huaiyuan read books in the room. The Ye family was not short of money, and in order to help Ye Shijie succeed, they had collected a large number of rare books by great scholars of the previous dynasty for him, filling a box with them. Even Xue Huaiyuan would be moved when he saw them. When he had nothing to do, Xue Huaiyuan would read these books, and he didn't find them boring. Sometimes he would spend the whole day in the study reading.

Haitang knocked gently on the door, and only pushed it open after Xue Huaiyuan responded. However, after Haitang entered, she just stood at the door, but did not go closer, and called out, "Master."

Xue Huaiyuan asked: "What's wrong?"

"Master...Master is back." Haitang said.

Xue Huaiyuan was stunned. Before he could react to what Haitang meant, he saw Jiang Li pushing a boy in a wheelchair to his side. The boy had familiar features and tears in his eyes, but he still smiled and called Xue Huaiyuan, "Dad!"

Xue Huaiyuan stared at Xue Zhao, and gradually, his lips trembled. His hands also trembled as he wanted to touch Xue Zhao's shoulders, but he was shaking, as if he was afraid that this was a dream. He was cautious and did not dare to move forward, for fear of ruining this hard-earned dream. When he woke up, he would no longer see Xue Zhao.

Xue Zhao took the initiative to hold Xue Huaiyuan's hand and said, "Dad! It's me, I'm back, I'm not dead!"

Xue Huaiyuan's hands were held by Xue Zhao. The hands were warm and real, not an illusion in a dream. He seemed to believe it only at this moment, and called out "A Zhao", and tears immediately streamed down his face.

Xue Zhao also cried non-stop, and said as he cried: "It's all because of my unfilial behavior that I made my father worry. If I had seen you earlier, I wouldn't have let you suffer from that vicious woman Yongning."

"Ah Zhao," Xue Huaiyuan asked, "What's wrong with your leg?"

Xue Zhao looked at his legs, smiled and said, "Dad, I can't walk anymore, but fortunately, I'm still alive!"

He said it lightly, but Xue Huaiyuan understood it immediately. He knew his son's lifelong wish, and knew that he had always wanted to venture into the world. Such a young man of the right age would be confined to a chair from now on, and could no longer fly freely. How painful it was for him. Xue Huaiyuan's lips turned pale. He had always been strict with Xue Zhao, but this time, he couldn't help but pat Xue Zhao's hand and said, "It's okay, Ah Zhao, it's okay."

Everyone in the room felt extremely sad when they heard this. Seeing the father and son reunited, everyone else's eyes became moist.

"A Zhao, where have you been? Miss Jiang said you were dead. I've even been to your grave. As far as I know, you are indeed..."

"Dad, that was a trap set by Princess Yongning. I was not killed, but was locked up in Princess Yongning's private prison. She tortured me and wanted to use my death to stimulate my sister and dad. I thought I couldn't escape, but I didn't expect to be alive." Xue Zhao explained.

Xue Huaiyuan's eyes fell on Jiang Li, and he said, "You said... Miss Jiang saved you?"

"Yes." Xue Zhao replied.

Xue Huaiyuan looked at Jiang Li in confusion. Ye Mingyu was also very puzzled. They all knew that the private prison in the princess's mansion was discovered accidentally, but no one saw Xue Zhao at that time. How did Jiang Li find Xue Zhao, and how could she recognize Xue Zhao's identity at a glance? Thinking of Jiang Li's many help to the Xue family before, Xue Huaiyuan became even more suspicious.

"Dad, this is a long story. I'll tell you slowly." Xue Zhao said. He looked at Ye Mingyu and others: "Master Ye... Sorry, can the rest of you step aside for a moment?"

Ye Mingyu shrugged and left consciously. It was inconvenient for him, an outsider, to listen to the conversation between the father and son. Besides, what if Xue Zhao wanted to tell him some secrets? Haitang and Zhao Ke also left. Ye Mingyu turned around and saw Jiang Li still standing behind Xue Zhao's wheelchair. He asked Jiang Li, "Ali, why don't you come out?"

"Miss Jiang, please stay." Xue Zhao said, "I also have something to say to Miss Jiang."

Ye Mingyu was stunned, Zhao Ke had already closed the door. Ye Mingyu was stunned for a moment, then said: "What? Ah Li is from our family, how come you go to their house and act like you know them so well? It's weird!" For some reason, Ye Mingyu felt particularly uncomfortable when he saw Jiang Li, Xue Huaiyuan and Xue Zhao together. It was clear that Jiang Li and the Xue family were not related, so why were they so comfortable when they were together? It seemed like they should have done this a long time ago. On the contrary, he didn't look like Jiang Li's uncle, but like an outsider.

Zhao Ke lowered his head and looked at the ground intently. He knew why Xue Zhao wanted to let Jiang Li in. Xue Zhao already called Jiang Li sister. Of course, they had to be closer to each other so that Jiang Li would treat the Xue family better and better. This boy, Zhao Ke thought secretly in his heart, I didn't expect him to be a flatterer and a good hand at coaxing girls.

In the room, Xue Huaiyuan and Xue Zhao were sitting. Xue Zhao said to Jiang Li, "Sister, you can sit down too."

Hearing the word "sister", Xue Huaiyuan was stunned. In his memory, Xue Zhao had only called Xue Fangfei sister. Why was he so close to Jiang Li now?

He looked at Jiang Li. Because he was excited about Xue Zhao's appearance, Xue Huaiyuan had never looked at Jiang Li carefully. But when he saw her now, he suddenly realized that Jiang Li and Fang Fei were so similar.

It was a completely different appearance, but the way she sat down, her dress, and the frown on her face were so different that Xue Huaiyuan would almost have had the illusion that Fang Fei had returned.

"Mr. Xue," Jiang Li sat down and looked at Xue Huaiyuan and said, "Before, you kept asking me why I helped the Xue family repeatedly, from Tongxiang to Yanjing, to avenge Princess Yongning and Shen Yurong, and now to save Xue Zhao. I told you that it was because I had a connection with the Xue family, but you didn't know what the connection was, and I never told you because I really didn't know how to say it, and I was afraid that you wouldn't believe me and think I was talking nonsense."

"But now that Zhao is back, I have nothing to be afraid of, so I can speak out naturally."

Xue Huaiyuan stared at Jiang Li, his breathing gradually becoming rapid.

"Dad, I'm Ahri."

(End of this chapter)