Chapter 221 Shock
This celebration banquet was originally prepared for Xiajun Wang Yin Zhan, but in the end, Yin Zhan lost face and did not get what he wanted. Although Emperor Hong Xiao gave a lot of gold, silver and jewelry, on second thought, many years ago, General Zhaode had received gold and silver rewards for his outstanding military exploits, which had already filled up the warehouse.

What people talked about most at the banquet was the marriage between Jiang Li and Ji Heng. In fact, Yin Zhili and Ji Heng both seemed to be good choices. They were of similar age, Yin Zhili was gentle as jade, Ji Heng was handsome and beautiful, one was the prince of a county, and the other was a duke. But in comparison, Yin Zhili seemed to be much easier to get along with than Ji Heng, and his temperament was also gentle. And that Duke Su was always moody and killed people without blinking an eye. Miss Jiang seemed to have married brightly, but it might not be as good as marrying into the Yin family. Thinking of this, the jealousy and envy of the female relatives towards Jiang Li dissipated a little, and they felt more sympathy instead. Of course, there were also some who gloated over her misfortune. Jiang Li saw all this, but she didn't say anything. From beginning to end today, she behaved very calmly. Even if Emperor Hong Xiao granted the marriage, she didn't lose her composure at all.

This continued until the celebration banquet was over.

At the end, everyone was leaving the palace. Many colleagues congratulated Jiang Yuanbai. Jiang Yuanbai felt bitter in his heart, but he had to smile and agree. Jiang Li stood aside, his eyes fell on Ji Heng. He stood up very slowly, as if he didn't think he had caused such a big thing today. His eyes met Jiang Li's from a distance, and when he saw Jiang Li looking at him, he raised his lips and smiled, dazzling.

How dare you do it so obviously at this time, not afraid of being noticed, Jiang Li thought to herself, lowering her head quickly, avoiding Ji Heng's gaze, pretending to be indifferent. But she didn't know that all this was seen by two people.

One is Yin Zhili, the other is Yin Zhiqing. The two siblings had always liked Jiang Li and Ji Heng, so they naturally paid attention to each other's every move. Seeing the eye contact between Jiang Li and Ji Heng, which clearly did not look like "unfamiliarity", Yin Zhiqing stood there in a daze, almost unable to hold back her tears. Yin Zhili was not as out of control as Yin Zhiqing, but a trace of sadness still flashed in his eyes.

As expected, she had known about it a long time ago. She probably accepted Ji Heng's marriage proposal with joy. Yin Zhili felt a dull pain in his heart, not sharp, but very uncomfortable. He remembered that every time he went to Jiang's house to find Jiang Li, Jiang Li also smiled at him. At that time, he thought that at least Jiang Li didn't hate him. But when he saw the look in Jiang Li's eyes when she looked at Ji Heng, he understood what it looked like when Jiang Li really liked someone.

It was never the time for her to face herself.

Yin Zhan walked past the brother and sister, still with a hearty smile on his face, and said, "Let's go!"

Yin Zhili finally reacted, he straightened his mood and pretended nothing happened. Madam Yin also took Yin Zhiqing's hand and said softly: "Zhiqing, let's go."

The family just left like that.

On the other side, Jiang Yuanbai finally accepted the blessings from a bunch of colleagues. When Jiang Li left, Ji Heng had already disappeared. She didn't take it to heart and went back to the mansion with Jiang Yuanbai and his group.

On the way back home, Jiang Li still rode in the same carriage with Jiang Jingrui and his brother. Jiang Jingrui looked at Jiang Li's expression and seemed to have a lot to ask. He tried to hold back, but finally couldn't help it and said to Jiang Li: "You were granted marriage, why don't you care at all?"

"Then what should we do?" Jiang Liqi asked.

"At least... you should show some surprise." Jiang Jingrui muttered, "And how come you're not afraid at all from being the prince of a county to being the Duke of Suguo?"

"Why should you be afraid?"

Jiang Jingrui seemed to be shocked by Jiang Li's question, and asked, "Haven't you heard the rumors about Duke Su?"

"I have heard of it." Jiang Li said, "Maybe it's just hearsay. Before, everyone in Yanjing City said that I killed my mother and killed the enemy, but no one knows the truth. Maybe the Duke of Suguo had the same experience as me, but it was just a rumor spread by outsiders."

Jiang Jingrui and Jiang Jingyou were both stunned. Jiang Li saw that they looked different and asked, "What's wrong?"

"You're really weird. I don't usually see you defending others like this." Jiang Jingrui said, "When grandma asked you to spend more time with the prince, you were not happy. Now you are suddenly married to a stranger, but you don't resist at all and even speak for him. Jiang Li," Jiang Jingrui said, "you treat Duke Su better than the prince because he is good-looking, right? But the prince is not bad looking either."

Jiang Li said unhappily: "Nonsense."

"Alas," Jiang Jingrui suddenly sighed again, "It's too late to say anything now. The imperial edict has been issued. Even if I know that Duke Su has a bad temper, there is no way to cancel the engagement now. I originally thought he was the prince's son..." His face was full of regret.

The Jiang family seemed to generally think that Yin Zhili was a better choice than Ji Heng. However, after what Emperor Hong Xiao did tonight, Jiang Yuanbo and Jiang Yuanping might not think the same way as before. Jiang Jingrui did not understand the complicated situation in the court, but the other members of the Jiang family were not stupid.

Jiang Li guessed that after returning to the Jiang Mansion, Jiang Yuanbai would come to her for a "heart-to-heart talk".

Sure enough, the carriage arrived at the gate of Jiang's house. Jiang Li wanted to go back to the yard, but after taking a few steps, Jiang Yuanbo stopped her and said, "Xiao Li, come with me."

Bai Xue and Tong'er looked at Jiang Li worriedly. Jiang Li gave them a reassuring look and went to the study with Jiang Yuanbai.

As soon as the door closed, Jiang Yuanbai turned around and asked, "Did you know about Duke Su's request for marriage tonight?"

Jiang Li said: "No."

She had to lie about this matter. If she admitted it, Jiang Yuanbai would only think that she had been selfish in reminding him that there was something wrong with the Yin family.

Jiang Yuanbai looked at her suspiciously.

"I really didn't know about this arranged marriage, and I didn't even know that Prince Xia would ask the emperor for this arranged marriage. But I know one thing, the Jiang family and the Yin family must not get too close. As long as there is such a sign, someone will definitely jump out to stop it. I didn't expect that this person is the Duke of Su."

Jiang Yuanbai was half-believing and half-doubting. He asked, "Are you telling the truth?"

"Father doesn't believe me, so there's no need for me to continue." Jiang Li's attitude was frank, which made Jiang Yuanbo feel that he was too fussy. Looking at his daughter in front of him, he felt a little sentimental. Jiang Li was a young girl. Which young girl would worry about the court situation all day long? There were young ladies who sacrificed themselves for the family, but the girls of the prime minister's family should be pampered and should not worry about these trivial matters.

"Why would Duke Su ask to marry you?" Jiang Yuanbai asked, "Before that, Huangzhou did the same thing. He saved you... Did you... have any dealings with each other before?"

"The incident in Huangzhou was an accident. The relationship between Duke Su and me was not what my father thought. As for why Duke Su asked to marry me, I guess he had already known about the marriage between Prince Xia and the Jiang family, and he just took the initiative."

"That means he values ​​you, that's why he's competing with the Yin family for you." Jiang Yuanbai said.

"Father, you think too highly of me," Jiang Li smiled. "I don't think that whether it is the Yin family or the Duke's Mansion, they will overturn the situation for a daughter. I think the reason why Duke Su asked to marry me is not because he values ​​me, but because he doesn't want the Jiang family and the Yin family to marry. Father, don't forget that Duke Su is loyal to His Majesty. His Majesty's attitude in this marriage is also intriguing. It seems that His Majesty would rather let me marry into the Duke's Mansion than into the Yin family. What does this mean?"

Jiang Yuanbai looked at Jiang Li, and it was hard to say what he was thinking. In fact, he had already guessed the possibility, but he just didn't want to believe it. If he said it out loud, it would prove that he had made a mistake before, and he made the wrong choice, and he might have to pay the price for his previous choice in the future.

"Your Majesty doubts Prince Xia and does not trust him. Prince Xia holds military power, and his father is the head of the civil officials. How do you know that Prince Xia will not be the next King Cheng? Even King Cheng failed to win over the Jiang family. If Prince Xia succeeds, how can Your Majesty feel at ease? In comparison, Duke Su has no military power and is loyal. Of course, Duke Su is the best. I guess that even the matter of granting marriage was not proposed by Duke Su himself, but was your Majesty's idea, and Duke Su just followed it."

Jiang Li's words were half true and half false, but they sounded easier to believe than those that were completely true and half false. The same was true for Jiang Yuanbai. He recalled the reaction of Emperor Hong Xiao at the banquet. Although the little emperor grew up day by day and became more and more unfamiliar, he could still feel that Emperor Hong Xiao was observing him at that moment.

Emperor Hong Xiao did not trust Yin Zhan, and Jiang Li did not lie about this.

"What on earth did Prince Xia do..." Jiang Yuanbai murmured, "If Your Majesty didn't trust him, he wouldn't have called him back to the capital in the first place."

"Prince Cheng is about to start a rebellion, so of course Prince Xia will come out to make contributions." Jiang Li replied, "Father, have you ever thought that even if there is no incident with Prince Cheng, Prince Xia will return to the capital one day. Your Majesty is just playing the game against the enemy, just like beating a dog behind closed doors. By keeping Prince Xia under your eyes first, you will be able to see more clearly if he wants to take action."

Jiang Yuanbai frowned and stared at Jiang Li. He felt that Jiang Li might know more than this. Her attitude towards the Yin family was evasive from the beginning, as if she had known that the Yin family was a trouble. But Jiang Li was a girl, how could she know so much? In the whole Yanjing City, besides the Jiang family, Ye Shijie was one of the officials she knew. But if even he didn't know, Ye Shijie would be even less likely to know. Could it be... Ji Heng?
Jiang Yuanbai felt a headache again. Jiang Li kept saying that she had nothing to do with Ji Heng, but Jiang Yuanbai's intuition told him that it was not the case. It was just that his daughter was very tight-lipped, and he couldn't force Jiang Li to tell the truth, so he could only helplessly worry.

"Father," Jiang Li asked, "Why did the late emperor transfer Prince Xia to Yunzhong in the northwest?"

Jiang Li couldn't find out anything about this matter. She asked Ji Heng and General Ji, but they both told her not to get involved. Jiang Li thought that maybe Jiang Yuanbo could know some clues.

Jiang Yuanbai shook his head: "When the late emperor made the decision, I was not yet the chief minister, so I didn't know the inside story. But so many years have passed, and there have been no rumors. It shows that few people know about this matter, and the late emperor did not tell others."

The more he said this, the more Jiang Li became suspicious. Why would the late emperor suddenly issue an order for no reason? Before this, she heard that the late emperor and Prince Xia had a very good relationship. Although they had the same father but different mothers, they were closer than biological brothers. Something must have caused their estrangement, but this matter was probably not serious enough for the late emperor to kill Prince Xia directly, so he left a glimmer of hope, but it led to the current chaos.

Jiang Li's words seemed to remind Jiang Yuanbai. He stopped asking other questions and became thoughtful.

Jiang Li waited for a long time, and Jiang Yuanbai didn't say anything else. After a while, Jiang Yuanbai looked at Jiang Li and said, "Forget it, you go back first. I will find out about these things slowly."

Jiang Li nodded and was about to leave when Jiang Yuanbo suddenly stopped her. He said, "Xiao Li... His Majesty's marriage is granted and cannot be changed. You are marrying Duke Su... Ji Heng is not a good person and has a fickle mood. Your marriage may not be as glorious as it seems... Are you willing?"

"Father, the most important thing is not whether I am willing or not, but that there is no room for change." Jiang Li turned around and said lightly: "When father wanted me to marry Yin Zhili, he didn't care whether I was willing or not, even if I expressed resistance."

Jiang Yuanbai moved his lips, but Jiang Li's words left him speechless.

"Duke Suguo Ji Heng is just a little bit bad in rumors. Everyone praises the Yin family, but only His Majesty is wary of them. That will drag the Jiang family into an abyss of no return. Since I am already a member of the Jiang family, I can't escape the fate of being in it. In this case, I might as well find a team that seems to have the greatest chance of winning. From the matter of becoming the king, father may be able to see that His Majesty is not an ordinary person. I think Your Majesty is the greatest, better than Prince Xia."

After saying this, she bowed to Jiang Yuanbai, exited the study, and left without looking back.

……

In the Ye residence, when Xue Huaiyuan heard the news, he was discussing books with Ye Shijie. They were old and young, and they got along better than father and son. Ye Shijie was smart and studious, and he admired Xue Huaiyuan's knowledge and mind. He would ask Xue Huaiyuan for help when he encountered difficult problems. Xue Huaiyuan never kept his knowledge to himself, and he admired Ye Shijie's integrity, so he taught him everything he knew.

In comparison, Xue Zhao was not as interested in those books as Ye Shijie. Although he was not as flexible as before, his lively personality was still the same as before, and he liked to stay with Ye Mingyu the most. When Ye Mingyu was practicing martial arts in the yard, Xue Zhao looked at him with envy. Ye Mingyu also knew that Xue Zhao was a good material for martial arts, but unfortunately he was disabled by Princess Yongning. He gave all the weapons that could be used in a wheelchair to Xue Zhao to try, and also tried to let Xue Zhao learn to use a whip in a wheelchair. If the whip method is well learned, it will not be completely passive.

The people in the Ye Mansion found it very strange. They had never seen a real uncle and nephew so affectionate, nor had they seen a real father and son so caring. They did not expect that after changing their partners, they would get along so well.

It was the same on this day. Late at night, Xue Zhao pushed his wheelchair and walked around Ye Mingyu's room. Ye Mingyu had several large boxes of treasures. They were all bought when he traveled with the caravan and did business. They were not particularly expensive, but they were all very unique. He generously let Xue Zhao pick the ones he liked. Xue Zhao looked left and right, and while he was amazed, he was full of yearning for Ye Mingyu's chic life.

While the two were talking, Ah Shun came in from outside and said, "Master...Master..."

"What happened? Why are you running so hard?" Ye Mingyu glanced at him, "Did the sky fall?"

"It's not the sky that's falling," Ah Shun stamped his feet anxiously. He knew how much his master loved his niece, so he said, "It's my cousin, something happened to my cousin!"

"Ali?" Ye Mingyu glared, "What's wrong with Ali?"

Xue Zhao was sitting on the side. When he first heard "cousin", he didn't react. After all, he was not used to Jiang Li being the cousin of the Ye family. But when he heard Ye Mingyu call "Ah Li", he knew that something had happened to Jiang Li. He immediately became anxious and almost wanted to stand up, but his legs were weak, so he could only stare at Ah Shun.

Ye Mingyu was also shocked by Xue Zhao's reaction. He thought to himself, could it be that Xue Zhao also likes Jiang Li? Although Xue Zhao is a very good person, it is a pity that he cannot stand up. However, Ye Mingyu quickly slapped himself in the face. Even if Xue Zhao likes Jiang Li, Jiang Li may not like Xue Zhao. Jiang Li has such high standards that it is difficult to catch her eye.

Ah Shun stammered, "It's being rumored outside that the palace is celebrating General Zhaode's success today, and His Majesty has granted my cousin a marriage, promising her to the Duke of Suguo!"

"What?" Ye Mingyu scratched his ears, almost thinking he had misheard. He said, "A-Li is betrothed to the Duke of Su?"

What's going on? He was celebrating Yin Zhan's success, but why did he grant Jiang Li a marriage in the end? Is the emperor confused or does he simply not know who is who? Why did he match them up so randomly?
Xue Zhao was stunned, and quickly thought of Ji Heng. At that time, he asked about the relationship between Ji Heng and Jiang Li, and Ji Heng said that he would soon become his brother-in-law. Xue Zhao thought that this adult was too conceited. He didn't expect that it would become a reality today. He really became his brother-in-law, and the marriage was granted by the emperor. This... I'm afraid it's not a coincidence!
Ah Shun continued, "I heard that it was General Zhaode who had used his military merits to ask His Majesty to grant marriage to Miss Biao and the prince's son, but His Majesty said that General Zhaode was a step too late and someone had already requested the marriage, and the emperor had already drafted the imperial edict, and that person was Duke Suguo."

“I…” Ye Mingyu’s cheeks turned red as he managed to hold back his words: “Damn it! How could it be the Duke of Su?!”

How could it be Duke Su?
He knew that Jiang Li and Duke Suguo Ji Heng seemed to have an unusual relationship. It was not because Ye Mingyu was suspicious. It was because Ji Heng had helped Jiang Li several times, and even Ye Mingyu knew it. Why would Ji Heng help Jiang Li for no reason? I'm afraid she had some ulterior motive. And Ji Heng was too beautiful. A young girl could easily be seduced by her appearance. What Ye Mingyu was most worried about was that Jiang Li would be fascinated by Ji Heng. He knew the reputation of the Duke Suguo. He was definitely not someone who was easy to control. No matter how powerful Jiang Li was, she was only sixteen years old. How could she control such a man? It was not as easy as Yin Zhili. At least he looked like a gentleman and would not do anything incredible.

But the imperial decree had already been issued, and it was too late to say anything now. Ye Mingyu was also helpless, not knowing what to do. On the other hand, Xue Zhao sat there blankly for a moment, then suddenly remembered something, pushed his wheelchair and was about to go out, saying, "I'll go see Dad!"

"See dad?" Ye Mingyu was suspicious. Before he could finish the sentence "Why see dad at this time?", Xue Zhao had already pushed the wheelchair and disappeared.

Ye Mingyu chased out and saw Ye Shijie coming out of Xue Huaiyuan's room next door. When he saw Ye Mingyu, he quickly stepped forward and said, "Third Uncle, what they said is true..."

"It's true." Ye Mingyu looked at him. Ye Shijie frowned, moved his lips, and said nothing. Ye Mingyu patted his shoulder with understanding and said, "Shijie...your cousin...you should forget it."

On the other side, Xue Zhao pushed the wheelchair into the house. Xue Huaiyuan also looked a little dazed. Xue Zhao knew that Xue Huaiyuan also knew about this. He closed the door, pushed the wheelchair in front of Xue Huaiyuan, and asked tentatively: "Dad?"

Xue Huaiyuan's gaze slowly moved towards him.

"Do you know that your sister was given a marriage?" Xue Zhao asked.

Xue Huaiyuan was silent. He was not as shocked as Ye Mingyu, but that did not mean that he was not moved. After a long while, he said, "After knowing that Ali had become the daughter of the Jiang family, I have been worried about one thing. I am afraid that her marriage will no longer be decided by me or her, and she will end up marrying the wrong person. But I have made up my mind. If that day really comes, I will take you siblings and leave Yanjing. The world is so big, there is always a place to hide. At worst, I can live comfortably in anonymity for the rest of my life."

Xue Zhao listened quietly as Xue Huaiyuan continued speaking.

"But I didn't expect that I was even more useless than I thought in this matter. Your sister received an imperial decree. The whole world belongs to the king. If they really want to investigate, it will be useless even if we escape to the ends of the earth. Ah Zhao," Xue Huaiyuan asked, "what should we do?"

This old man was a middle-aged man who was resolute and fair a year ago. Xue Zhao had never seen him weak, but after so many things and the great ups and downs in the world, although he still smiled, he could not stand the torture.

He loves his daughter and doesn't want her to suffer, but he has no other choice. Is there anything more helpless in the world than this?
"Dad, you think too much." Xue Zhao's heart ached. He said, "You forgot what kind of person my sister is. If she doesn't want to marry someone, she won't marry him no matter what. In addition, after what happened with Shen Yurong, she will be more cautious about this matter."

Xue Huaiyuan frowned: "What do you mean?"

"Dad, do you know who my sister is going to marry?"

"It's the Duke of Su. I've heard rumors about him, but he wasn't there when I left Yanjing City. General Jinwu was a rare hero, what a pity. I heard that Ji Heng was moody, killed people like crazy, and did things based on his personal preferences. How dare I hand Ali over to him?" Xue Huaiyuan sighed deeply.

"Dad, our whole family thought Shen Yurong was a good person back then. Even I thought he was powerless and would not do anything out of line. But what happened in the end? How did he treat my sister and our Xue family? There are so few people who are consistent in what they say and do, Dad."

Xue Huaiyuan was not a fool. When Xue Zhao said that, he immediately realized something. He looked at Xue Zhao and asked, "Why? What do you know about Ji Heng?"

"Do you still remember your sister's 'friend'? He was the one who rescued me from the private prison in Princess Yongning's mansion, Duke Suguo Ji Heng."

Xue Huaiyuan was shocked and asked, "How could it be?"

"Not only that, as far as I know, when my sister returned to Tongxiang, Xiangyang, and intervened in Feng Yutang's case, it was Ji Heng who helped her. Doctor Situ was also asked by Ji Heng to treat my father. King Cheng kidnapped my sister to Huangzhou before, and it was Ji Heng who rescued her. The most important thing is, how did I recognize my sister? It was because my sister went to the Duke's Mansion one day and saw me in the Duke's Mansion, so we were able to recognize each other. But Dad, you have to think about why my sister went to the Duke's Mansion? It can be seen that she is at least not just an acquaintance with Duke Su, but a close friend."

Xue Huaiyuan was surprised to hear this for the first time. Xue Zhao had previously mentioned that Jiang Li had a "friend". Although Xue Huaiyuan was curious, Jiang Li was unwilling to say more, so he did not ask. Now it seems that the "friend" who had a close relationship with Jiang Li was actually Ji Heng, the Duke of Su.

"Why... does he do these things?" Xue Huaiyuan asked.

"Dad, no matter what his purpose is, he helped us. We can't be ungrateful and turn around and call him a devil. Outsiders say that he is ruthless, but in my opinion, he is a lifesaver."

Xue Huaiyuan remained silent. He had never met Ji Heng and could not tell whether what Xue Zhao said was true or not.

"That day I saw my sister in the Duke's Mansion. When my sister recognized me, she did not avoid Duke Su." Xue Zhao said, "This shows that my sister trusts Ji Heng so much that she dares to entrust her identity to him. I thought that after what happened to Shen Yurong, my sister would not trust others easily, so Ji Heng must have been tested and considered by my sister to be trustworthy."

"Ahri really didn't avoid Ji Heng?"

"It's true. So I think, although this arranged marriage may not be a good thing in the eyes of the world, it may not be a bad thing for my sister. Even when I look at Duke Su, who is said to be cruel and ruthless by others, he is not afraid of trouble and has done many things for my sister. Isn't he thoughtful? Who knows..." Xue Zhao paused, then said: "My sister also knew about this arranged marriage when Duke Su asked for it."

　Husband-protecting demon Ahri~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)