Chapter 56 Musicians
When Jiang Li came out of the teahouse, she had an extra 100 taels of silver in her pocket.

Tong'er followed Jiang Li, wanting to say something but stopping herself. Seeing her like this, Jiang Li said, "Just say whatever you want to say."

"Miss, if you are short of money, you can go to the old lady and the master... Why don't you ask Young Master Ye? Although Young Master Ye is related to you, he is an outsider after all. If the news gets out..."

"He is not the kind of person who gossips," Jiang Li said, "Besides, giving him a hundred taels of silver is also to buy his peace of mind."

"I don't understand."

"Cousin Ye believes that I helped him yesterday with some plot. Although his suspicion has been somewhat resolved after our discussion, past misunderstandings are not so easy to dispel. It is also common sense that he is unwilling to fully trust me. Rather than letting him have wild thoughts, it is better to give him some money and treat this matter as a business deal. He will feel more relaxed. At least he will not have a sense of indebtedness towards me."

Tong'er nodded thoughtfully, and suddenly thought of something, looking at Jiang Li: "Miss, will you still associate with the young master of the Ye family in the future?"

"Of course." Jiang Li said, "You can see now that there are those who have the support of their maternal grandparents and those who don't. Jiang Youyao is fearless, but I am alone in the Jiang family. Although the Ye family is not an official family, it is not weaker than the Ji family. Everything in the world requires money, and the Ye family has no shortage of money. Although his status is a little weak, Ye Shijie is now ready to enter the officialdom. I just saw his ability to speak, and he is not a mediocre person. If he comes out, he can lead the Ye family to prosperity."

"Miss, you want to reconcile with the Ye family," Tong'er understood this time and asked, "But why didn't you mention this to Cousin Ye just now? Miss, you helped Cousin Ye yesterday. If you ask Cousin Ye to write a letter back to Xiangyang today and say a few words for you in the Ye family, Cousin Ye will not refuse."

Jiang Li smiled and said, "I don't need to mention it, he will tell it himself."

Ye Shijie was suspicious of himself, so he would definitely write to the Ye family in Xiangyang about what happened in Yanjing City. Jiang Li was not worried that Ye Shijie would hide it from the Ye family. The tricky thing was that what the young Miss Jiang Er said to the Ye family was too hurtful. Anyone with some blood in their veins would not easily forget this matter. It was really difficult to make peace.

Jiang Li sighed secretly. Now that things have come to this, she can only take one step at a time. If the relationship with the Ye family is restored to its original state, she can go back to Xiangyang in the name of visiting relatives.

What happened to my father in the end? Xue Zhao’s ashes have not been returned to his hometown yet, which is not a good thing. Who will take care of my father’s funeral?
Far water cannot quench immediate thirst, she must return to Xiangyang as soon as possible.

Thinking about these things in her mind, Jiang Li came to Mingyi Hall.

When the ladies of Mingyi Hall saw Jiang Li and her servant arrive, they still did not shy away from talking about it. Jiang Li heard it and vaguely talked about how she had insulted Liu Zimin in public yesterday. It was rare to hear about these things happening in public among the noble ladies of Yanjing City. People always agreed with most of it and did not understand a small part. In their eyes, Jiang Li's behavior was heretical and shocking, so they looked at Jiang Li as if she were an alien, isolating her intentionally or unintentionally.

Jiang Li didn't care and walked to her seat and sat down. But Liu Xu was a little strange today and even took the initiative to greet her.

This was a bit new. Jiang Li knew that Liu Xu's care for her came from Madam Liu's instructions. As for her inner feelings, Liu Xu might not like her that much. However, today, Liu Xu took the initiative to take care of her for the first time, and even her smile came from the heart. Liu Xu was shy for a while, and said to Jiang Li: "I saw what happened when you confronted Liu Zimin at the gate of the Imperial College yesterday."

"Oh?" Jiang Li smiled, "I did something a little bit out of line." When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Since the noble ladies here think that speaking up for justice is out of line, she would not deliberately show that she is independent of the world.

"No, no, no," Liu Xu said "no" several times, then looked at Jiang Li and said seriously: "Liu Zimin has lost his moral character, extorting and deceiving in broad daylight. There are so many people watching, but you are the only one who dares to tell the truth without fear. I admire you very much."

Jiang Li was a little surprised.

"Before, I heard those rumors outside, which were not friendly to you. Now I know that I didn't know people well and almost misunderstood a good person. Since you dared to stand up for someone you had never met yesterday, you are many times smarter than those who only knew how to hide in the crowd and watch the fun." She saluted Jiang Li very straightforwardly, "I was wrong in the past, I apologize to you today, and from now on, I will not do that again."

Jiang Li smiled and said, "You were very friendly to me in the past." Liu Xu was Madam Liu's daughter, but she was a generous and self-reflective girl, a good girl. Everyone liked good girls, and Jiang Li liked her very much.

Seeing Jiang Li's nonchalant smile, Liu Xu couldn't help but blush. She said, "When you were talking to Liu Zimin yesterday, you seemed to be quite knowledgeable about the authenticity of counterfeits. Can you teach me too?"

Jiang Li was slightly startled, then said: "What's so difficult about this? I'll teach you."

When Xue Huaiyuan was the county magistrate in Tongxiang, someone once went to the government office to sue a shop that sold authentic calligraphy and painting works by masters. The shop was accused of selling fakes. The fake was much better than the one Liu Zimin had taken yesterday, and it was almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Neither side would give in, and finally someone invited a master who happened to be visiting Tongxiang to make the final decision.

Jiang Li was still young and playful at that time, so she hid in Xue Huaiyuan's group and went with him. Later, they were discovered, and Xue Huaiyuan apologized, but Jiang Li thought it was fun. The master saw that she was beautiful and cute, so he also taught her some principles of distinguishing the true from the false.

A good teacher produces good students, and Jiang Li can be considered as half a student of this master. Her level is not very good, but it is not too bad. Liu Zimin's fake yesterday was not very good, and Jiang Li knew Liu Zimin's character very well. With just a few words, Liu Zimin was able to reveal his true colors.

Just as she was talking to Liu Xu about the key points of appreciating ancient paintings, a teacher came in. Jiang Li looked up and saw a slender woman in a light purple long skirt with wide sleeves and a narrow waist. The woman had delicate features and was gentle and pleasant. The little girl behind her was holding a long zither in her hand. She was the teacher who taught zither music in the Six Arts.

Compared to Ji Luo, this gentleman seems to be much better-tempered and very gentle.

Jiang Li looked at her and smiled in her heart. This woman was also her former "good friend", the capital's number one female musician, Xiao Deyin.

(End of this chapter)