Chapter 224 Don’t worry
Xue Huaiyuan only asked Ji Heng to go in, but did not ask Jiang Li or Xue Zhao to go in together. Jiang Li felt a little worried, not knowing what they would say in there.

Xue Zhao saw her anxious look. He pushed the wheelchair to Jiang Li's side and motioned for Jiang Li to come over and listen. Jiang Li leaned over, and Xue Zhao whispered in her ear, "Dad has a lot to say to his son-in-law. He knows your identity, so Dad doesn't have to be afraid of anything. Don't worry, sister. Dad won't eat your brother-in-law."

He called him "brother-in-law" very naturally. If you didn't know, you would think they had been close for many years. Jiang Li thought to herself that she was not worried about what Xue Huaiyuan would do. Her father was always gentle to others. She was worried that Ji Heng's temper would make her father angry.

But on second thought, when Ji Heng met Xue Huaiyuan today, he was so gentle and polite that even General Ji was surprised. It can be seen that his ability to pretend to be good is not bad. Now no matter how much he thinks here, it is a waste of effort, so Jiang Li stopped thinking about it.

When she turned her head, she saw Situ Jiuyue staring at her and Xue Zhao, her eyes thoughtful. Jiang Li paused, she and Xue Zhao were too close at the moment, Situ Jiuyue didn't know Xue Zhao and Jiang Li were siblings, so she couldn't help but think too much.

She stood up straight, and perhaps because she had seen through Situ Jiuyue's thoughts, she was particularly tolerant and said to Situ Jiuyue: "Miss Jiuyue, you came here today not to see A Zhao's wound so that you can develop a new poison, why don't you go to see A Zhao first."

Xue Zhao looked at Jiang Li in confusion, not understanding why Jiang Li suddenly brought up this matter. However, he would not refuse Situ Jiuyue's kindness, so he smiled and said, "Really? Doctor Situ, my injuries are much better now. If it can be useful for your poison refining, that would be great."

Situ Jiuyue moved her lips and finally said, "Come in with me." Although her face was still cold, her tone was much gentler.

Jiang Li was just about to say a few words to General Ji when she saw General Ji and Ye Mingyu talking excitedly not far away. They were probably discussing swordsmanship or something. General Ji's face turned red and his voice was deafening.

Lin Yao sat cross-legged on a stone bench. There were plates filled with snacks and scented tea on the stone table. He was eating happily, with cake crumbs on the corners of his mouth. Jiang Li laughed as she watched. She took out her handkerchief to wipe Lin Yao's mouth, saying, "Eat slowly, Xiaoyao. Didn't the Duke's Mansion prepare these for you? Why are you eating so fast?"

Wen Renyao also picked up a small piece of osmanthus cake and put it in his mouth, sighing: "Not to mention his little apprentice, even I, his master, have never eaten such delicious cakes in the Duke's Mansion."

Jiang Li asked curiously, "Why? The Ye family is not short of money and can afford to hire a cook, but the Duke's Mansion is not poor either, so why would they treat them harshly with food?"

"Miss Jiang Er, do you really think Ji Heng would be so considerate as to make these sweets that little girls like? The chefs at the Duke's Mansion cook according to Ah Heng and the old general's tastes. These things are not usually made. If you want to eat them, you have to buy them on the street. Of course, if Ah Heng cooks one day, you can have a taste of them. But Ah Heng cooks very rarely, maybe only a few times in ten years."

Jiang Li found what he said funny and couldn't help but laugh.

Wen Renyao thought Jiang Li didn't believe him, and hurriedly said, "What I said is absolutely true. Even if you and Ah Heng are engaged now, I have to call you sister-in-law in the future, and I still have to say bad things about Ah Heng." As he spoke, he muttered again, "Speaking of which, how come Ah Heng is engaged to the girl? I thought he would never get married in his life."

"Why can't he get married in his life?" Jiang Li asked. She thought Wen Renyao would say that Ji Heng had a bad temper, but she didn't expect Wen Renyao's answer to be so surprising.

"Because of that fortune stick!"

Jiang Li asked: "What fortune?"

Wen Renyao did not hide anything and said, "When I divined Ah Heng ten years ago, the hexagram showed 'Born in winter, a prince, will be robbed because of a woman's misfortune, with corpse left in the wilderness, eaten by hawks and dogs.' This hexagram sounded very ominous. Although Ah Heng did not seem to take it to heart, I have not seen him mention getting married and having children in all these years, so I thought maybe he still cared about it. But I didn't expect him to take the initiative to ask the emperor for a marriage."

Jiang Li heard: "What is the female disaster?"

"It's because of the trouble caused by women. Hey," Wen Renyao seemed to realize that what he said was wrong, and hurried to make amends, saying: "I'm not talking about the second young lady. And that divination... may not be accurate. Ah Heng herself is not afraid, and my master also said that the generation of Fuqi is worse than the previous one. By my generation, my Fuqi skills are a mess, which is simply a disgrace to my master, so I may have made a mistake."

Although Wen Renyao said this, Jiang Li did not feel relieved by his explanation. For some reason, she had a bad feeling in her heart, as if a heavy stone was pressing on her chest.

Seeing that Jiang Li still didn't look relieved, Wen Renyao cursed herself for being too talkative. Suddenly she thought of something and said, "Miss Jiang Er, don't worry. This hexagram is not over yet. It's just one side. There's more to come. I..."

Before he finished speaking, the door of Xue Huaiyuan's room opened and Ji Heng walked out.

Wen Renyao immediately forgot what he wanted to say, and just looked at Ji Heng, wondering, "You're actually quite happy?"

Jiang Li looked at Ji Heng. Ji Heng looked very happy, with a smile on her face, and seemed very relaxed. She felt relieved a little, and Xue Huaiyuan came out soon after. Xue Huaiyuan also looked good. He smiled and nodded at Jiang Li, and Jiang Li finally felt relieved.

She walked to Ji Heng and asked softly, "What did father say to you?"

Ji Heng curled her lips: "She said you are arrogant and willful, and asked me to bear more of your responsibilities in the future."

Jiang Li glared at him, knowing that he was not telling the truth. How could she be arrogant? When it comes to willfulness, Ji Heng is the most willful one. She wanted to say something else, but Ye Mingyu had already invited everyone to the front hall for dinner. Because it was a family dinner, there was no need to be restrained.

The Ye family probably still felt uncomfortable, but it was fine for the others. General Ji was straightforward and honest, Wen Renyao was a very outgoing person who loved to join in the fun, Lin Yao was just a little kid, and Situ Jiuyue was a little cold, but she was a doctor and very beautiful, so she could tolerate it. But Ji Heng was not like that. Although Ji Heng was also beautiful, his beauty was too aggressive. Although he had a smile on his face from beginning to end, people were always afraid that he would drag people out and kill them the next moment.

Moreover, Ye Mingyu was very persistent in thinking that Ji Heng had snatched away his niece. His original idea was to match Jiang Li and Ye Shijie, so that Jiang Li would be considered to be married to his family in the future, and the Ye family would take good care of her. Who knew that such a person would appear in the middle of the process?

Ye Mingyu's eyes were filled with hatred while he was eating.

Jiang Li was amused, but she was relieved that Xue Huaiyuan, Xue Zhao and Ji Heng actually got along well. Because they were her father and brother, Jiang Li knew them very well. She could see that Xue Zhao was just a silly boy. Ji Heng had saved his life, so his heart had already been biased towards Ji Heng. Although her father did not show any special joy, he definitely did not resist, and it was very natural. And she didn't know if it was Jiang Li's illusion, she even felt that Xue Huaiyuan seemed to like Ji Heng more than Shen Yurong back then.

This meal was a great success. When it was afternoon, everyone had to go back. Jiang Li whispered to Ji Heng, "Wait for me outside. I have something to say to my father, A Zhao."

Ji Heng nodded, Wen Renyao and General Ji had already boarded the carriage outside the door. Situ Jiuyue also put away the medicine box, and Ye Mingyu watched coldly from outside, wondering what was going on. He was Jiang Li's uncle, but both Ji Heng and Jiang Li always whispered to Xue Huaiyuan. Could it be that the Xue family had some relationship with the Duke's Mansion?
Ye Shijie was much more polite than Ye Mingyu. He had not been in the court for a long time, only a year, but he was completely different from the boy who would argue with people for popularity on the street because of a painting. It was really difficult to keep one's heart in the officialdom. He was also growing rapidly. Although he could not show his emotions on his face, he began to learn to hide his emotions and not let others find out.

Although he felt that his own disappointment might not be hidden from the eyes of the young man in front of him, he still did it, hoping that he could look better and leave with dignity, and not disgrace the Ye family.

On the other side, Jiang Li, Xue Zhao and Xue Huaiyuan returned to the house.

Jiang Li closed the door and said, "Dad, what did you and Ji Heng talk about in the room today?"

She was really curious.

Xue Zhao said nonchalantly: "Sister, I told you that it was my father-in-law who gave instructions to his son-in-law. Why don't you understand?"

Jiang Li said unhappily: "I didn't ask you."

In front of Xue Huaiyuan and Xue Zhao, her past temper was fully revealed, as if she had never experienced those great injuries. Xue Huaiyuan saw this and was a little stunned for a moment, but soon he came to his senses and smiled: "Your brother is right, I did tell him some things. After all, I am still worried about handing Ali over to him in the future."

Jiang Li asked nervously, "What was the result?"

"I don't care what others say about him. After all, there are too many two-faced people in the world. Even if outsiders think that this person is a good person, he may not be as kind to his family and friends as he appears to be. So Dad doesn't care about other people's comments. Dad wants to see for himself."

"There are many upright, honest and kind people in the world, but maybe not the ones that Ali likes. After going through so much, it's not that I don't want Ali to marry a flawless and noble person. But if the person Ali likes is not like this, I won't stop her. There are always some reasons why Ali likes someone. I didn't understand what Zhao said before, how Ji Heng protected you. I had a talk with him today, and I feel relieved."

Jiang Li looked at him in surprise.

"Dad can be assured to leave you to him." Xue Huaiyuan said with a smile. His tone did not sound fake, and even Xue Zhao was stunned for a moment. When it came to Shen Yurong in the past, Xue Huaiyuan was not so confident.

Xue Huaiyuan also thought of the past.

Jiang Li lost her mother when she was a child. She was a delicate and pretty girl, and he personally acted as both her father and mother to raise her. When they first went to Tongxiang, when the family was the poorest, there was no maid, and Xue Huaiyuan even learned to comb Jiang Li's hair. When he married Jiang Li to Shen Yurong, you can imagine how reluctant he was.

At that time, Shen Yurong knelt in front of him and promised that she would definitely win the first place in the imperial examination, become successful, let Ali live a good life, and take good care of her. But in fact, Xue Huaiyuan was not very happy at that time. He knew that his daughter was not the type to climb up the rich and powerful, and what she wanted most was not for her husband to become successful and for her to become an official wife. But at that time, Ali liked Shen Yurong, and Shen Yurong also had this intention, so Xue Huaiyuan let it go.

Today, Ji Heng did not kneel before Xue Huaiyuan. He could see the pride of a young man in Ji Heng's eyes, which was exactly the same as Ji Minghan in the past. Ji Heng was different from Shen Yurong. The Duke's Mansion had power, influence and money, so he didn't have to bother to take it away like Shen Yurong did. What could he do for Ali?

"I will ensure that she will have a safe and smooth life, always happy, and never have to compromise for others and become someone else. This 'other' also includes myself." Ji Heng said.

His words were spoken slowly and calmly, yet they sounded like the most precious promise.

In her previous life, Ali compromised and did unhappy things for the sake of Shen Yurong and the Shen family. Ji Heng understood this, so he said, let Ali be Ali forever, and she doesn't have to change even for him.

"I don't understand, what do you like about Ali?" Xue Huaiyuan said, "Because of her appearance? She is no longer the most beautiful woman in Yanjing. Because of her bravery, because of her intelligence? Ji Heng, there are many women like this around you."

"Master Xue," Ji Heng said with a smile, "I like her not because I like her qualities, but because I like her. If she is a murderer, domineering, arrogant, willful, and vicious woman, if I like her, I will like her no matter what kind of person she is."

He was really unscrupulous. How many people in the world dared to say such a thing? It was easy to make a promise, but it was too difficult to make a sincere promise. He was originally a person of strong and gorgeous temperament, so his love was so resolute and profound. "I am not afraid of the stigma in the world." Ji Heng smiled faintly and said, "I will do the bad things. She can always grow up like this. Lord Xue," he looked into Xue Huaiyuan's eyes, amber eyes, sober and almost cold, but his words were so gentle, like a beast showing its softest fur, stubbornly guarding the most precious thing, he said, "Shen Yurong can't protect her, but I can."

It was this one sentence that made Xue Huaiyuan dispel all his doubts.

His daughter had seen herself being hurt once, and as a father, he just wanted her to be safe. Although Ahri was smart and could do many things, when danger came, someone who could protect her was better than anything else.

Xue Huaiyuan said: "You win."

Ji Heng was still smiling.

"I leave Ahri to you, Ji Heng," Xue Huaiyuan said, "Please take good care of her."

The young man lost his viciousness as rumored, and became incredibly gentle. He said, "I will also take good care of you, because you are her family."

The conversation with Ji Heng seemed to be still in front of him. Xue Huaiyuan saw Jiang Li frowning in front of him and asked, "But what did you say?"

"Ali." Xue Huaiyuan said: "Dad is old, maybe I can't accompany you for a long time. He can protect you. Dad has confidence in him. You should also have confidence in him and in yourself."

Jiang Li was silent.

She could see that Xue Huaiyuan was really relaxed, and this meeting with Ji Heng was smoother than Jiang Li had imagined. Xue Huaiyuan refused to say anything, so Jiang Li did not continue to ask. Dad didn't say it, it was his reason, and this was a conversation between two men, father and Ji Heng, and it was a secret between them, so it should be respected.

She gave Xue Huaiyuan some more instructions and was about to leave. Xue Zhao said from behind, "Sister, please say goodbye to my brother-in-law for me."

This kid! Jiang Li was amused. He accepted this faster than anyone else. After thinking about it, Jiang Li said, "A Zhao, you should thank Doctor Situ on weekdays. He treated your injury, but you didn't pay for the treatment. How can it be justified? This is not the style of the Xue family."

After saying this, she left Xue Zhao, who was stunned, and went out.

After they got outside and said goodbye to Ye Mingyu and Ye Shijie, Jiang Li walked to Ji Heng. She actually had something to say to Ji Heng, but Wen Renyao and the others had already boarded the carriage, so it was inconvenient to say anything, and they had to go their separate ways. But before they went their separate ways, Jiang Li couldn't help but say, "How could you speak to your father like that today? I was shocked."

Ji Heng had never been so polite when speaking to anyone.

"Because that's your father, because of you." He said with a smile.

Jiang Li was stunned.

Maybe it was because in her previous life, she was a person who changed for others, she knew that kind of sadness, and had never received tolerance from others who changed for her, but Ji Heng, the evil person in everyone's eyes, would change for her.

She laughed and felt that Ji Heng was really a fairy sent by God to make up for her, just like the scholars in those unofficial historical books, when they were in trouble, a stunning fairy would descend from the sky, add fragrance to them, whisper in their ears, and then they would pass the imperial examinations and rise rapidly.

But those stunning beauties didn't have a happy ending in the end, and those scholars abandoned them and treated it as a romantic encounter. But she silently said in her heart that she would never abandon Ji Heng.

Seeing that she was staring at him and smiling, Ji Heng reached out and pinched her cheek. He pinched her gently and sneered, "Silly."

very nice.

……

Xue Huaiyuan and Ji Heng's meeting went smoothly. After that, Ji Heng became busy and Jiang Li didn't get to see him again. Zhao Ke returned to the Jiang family as a gardener. Tong'er asked the other servants of the Jiang mansion indirectly, and the servants told Tong'er as a matter of course that Zhao Ke left to go home for a funeral.

This lie was actually well-founded and was intended to pave the way for his return from the very beginning.

The weather was getting colder day by day, and Tong'er took out the rabbit fur cape and fox fur coat to dry in the sun when the weather was sunny, saying that in a month or two, it might be winter and heavy snow in Yanjing City. The weather was cold, so she prepared these things in advance.

The Jiang family was also very busy, so busy that Jiang Li sometimes didn't see Jiang Yuanbo and Jiang Yuanping for several days in a row. They went out early and came back late, and when they came back at night, Jiang Li had already gone to bed, so naturally she couldn't see them. Jiang Li guessed it was because of Yin Zhan's matter. Old Madam Jiang and Mrs. Lu also gradually accepted that the son-in-law of the Jiang family was Ji Heng, and gradually began to prepare a dowry for Jiang Li. When Ye Zhenzhen married, the dowry was really generous. After Ji Shuran got married, she took those things for herself, and originally thought that they would all be given to Jiang Youyao as a dowry when she became a nun, but she never thought that there would be such a change. Old Madam Jiang gave Jiang Li the key to the warehouse and asked Mrs. Lu to draw up a dowry list.

Jiang Li looked at the dowry list. If you say it's for the daughter of the Prime Minister, it's really not low, but it's not high either. Many of them were brought by Ye Zhenzhen. Jiang Li didn't care. She didn't care about the dowry. But she felt sad for the real Second Miss Jiang. It was so hard to get back what belonged to her mother, but the person who received it was no longer her, but she, the one who took over the magpie's nest.

The days passed in such an ordinary way until Jiang Li got a piece of news from Zhao Ke: Xia Jun Wang Yin Zhan did not need to return to Yunzhong.

When Jiang Li heard the news, she was not very surprised, probably because Ji Heng had reminded her before that the Yin family was not as peaceful as it seemed. But she still asked, "Why?"

Zhao Ke said, "It is said that winter has arrived. There is heavy snow all the way from Yanjing to Yunzhong. It is not easy for the troops to travel, and it is a waste of food and money. Besides, there is no need to defend Yunzhong. On the contrary, we should be on guard against King Cheng's forces making a comeback. Yanjing City is the most dangerous."

Jiang Li smiled. This reason was not bad, but it was not good either. It was obvious that Yin Zhan really wanted to stay in Yanjing City, and Yin Zhan should have seen from the last marriage granted by Emperor Hong Xiao that Emperor Hong Xiao was suspicious of the Yin family. He simply stopped hiding his ambitions and wanted to stay even if it was obvious.

Yin Zhan is different from King Cheng. In order to deal with King Cheng, Emperor Hong Xiao had been preparing for as many years as King Cheng had been a bargaining chip. But Yin Zhan did not return to Yanjing City until a long time later. For so many years, the court had almost forgotten about him. If it were not for the shocking bravery he showed in this vindication, no one in the court would take him seriously. Emperor Hong Xiao was not prepared for Yin Zhan, nor did he understand him. He could not act rashly. The method of catching a turtle in a jar and waiting for others to fall into the trap, as he did with King Cheng, was not applicable to Yin Zhan.

They are in a stalemate with each other.

Jiang Li also began to feel a little worried. She didn't know when these peaceful days would end. Once they ended, the Duke's Mansion and the Jiang family would inevitably be implicated.

Hope everything is safe.

……

Deep in the palace, all the flowers have withered, and after the prosperity, there is an unusual desolation.

Almost all the flowers in the garden had withered. Even the evergreen trees seemed covered with a layer of dust in the gloomy weather. Winter was coming to Yanjing soon, but winter always took a long time to pass. People always began to miss the beginning of spring before winter was over.

The young emperor stood with his hands behind his back. Outside the imperial mausoleum, there were heavy guards. He stood in front of the tombstone. In the tomb was buried his biological mother, Concubine Xia.

In the deep palace, there were all kinds of rumors about Concubine Xia. Many old people in the palace either died or dispersed, and there were very few left. So no one mentioned the past beauty anymore. Emperor Hong Xiao was born as a prince, and he had seen the changes in the court of Northern Yan and the ups and downs. He should have been indifferent to these things, but as a son, it was natural for him to remember his mother.

Unlike Concubine Liu who was bold and beautiful when she was young, and unlike the empress dowager who was gentle and dignified when she was young, Concubine Xia was cunning and smart, intelligent and beautiful, and treated her servants kindly. She was smart, independent, and knew when to advance and retreat. She was an interesting person, and the emperor admired her.

But the four words "beauty but short life" are probably a curse. Concubine Xia died of illness not long after giving birth to him. Emperor Hong Xiao did not know what his biological mother looked like. He could only find Concubine Xia's appearance in the paintings of the palace painters, and could only piece together Concubine Xia's appearance based on those rumors that were not sure whether they were true or false. But even so, every time he stood in front of his biological mother's tomb, his mind was blank.

The late emperor handed him over to the empress, who at the time had the crown prince and was not close to him. Later, the crown prince died young, and the empress even thought he was the murderer until the imperial physician came to clear his name, proving that the crown prince was born with a congenital defect and died of a sudden heart attack.

But he still couldn't forget the suspicious looks everyone, including his father, gave him. Sometimes he woke up in the middle of the night with a startled look of grief, anger and despair.

Later, the emperor appointed him as the crown prince. The mother and son of Prince Cheng became more and more arrogant. In order to keep her position, the queen used him as a bargaining chip to fight with the mother and son of Prince Cheng. For the time being, they were on the same boat. He and the queen could not tear each other apart. At least they had to show their love and filial piety and not let others take advantage of them.

Emperor Hong Xiao couldn't remember when he and the Queen Mother looked so close, like a real mother and son. But in his heart, the past had never passed, and he had never really gotten over those things, so he was so angry when he heard about Jiang Li's experience. He gradually learned how to be a real emperor, but how to be a son was something he was deprived of when he was very young.

"Mother," the emperor looked dazed, with a hint of vulnerability that was barely noticeable. His voice also seemed dazed. He asked, "How are you doing now?"

……

In the Cining Palace, smoke was curling up. Meixiang took small steps forward to the person kneeling in front of the Buddha statue and said softly, "Empress Dowager, the spy just came back. Your Majesty went to the Imperial Mausoleum, to the tomb of Concubine Xia."

The empress dowager, who was wearing a silk dress and was beating the wooden fish, paused. In the smoke, a faint and gentle smile appeared on her face.

She sighed faintly: "What an ungrateful person you can never tame."

　The little emperor can be said to be very miserable [covering face]
　　
　
(End of this chapter)