Chapter 81 Future
After the lively palace banquet, the Queen Mother suggested going to the pond outside the Yuming Palace to admire the lotus flowers.

The pond in the palace was dug by craftsmen, imitating the Yongning River in Yanjing City, so it is very wide. In summer, the ten-mile lotus pond is green, with the bright moon in the sky and twinkling stars, which is very beautiful.

The stuffiness of the past few days has disappeared, making people feel refreshed.

Appreciating flowers after a banquet is probably a traditional hobby of nobles.

Jiang Li also followed the Jiang family to the lotus pond, and Ji Shuran and Jiang Youyao followed her closely. Jiang Li knew that this was not Ji Shuran's way of showing affection to her stepdaughter, but she didn't care about it.

On the water corridor, the ladies sat down. There were fruits and snacks on the table. Jiang Li was walking towards that end when suddenly, she felt something stuffed in her palm. Turning back, she saw a strange palace maid passing by her.

She clenched the thing in her hand, vaguely making out that it seemed to be a piece of paper, and couldn't help but glance at Ji Shuran and Jiang Youyao, thinking that this was arranged by Ji Shuran. But seeing that Ji Shuran did nothing wrong, as if she didn't notice this, she was a little puzzled for a moment.

But when they finally reached the pavilion in the middle of the lake, Jiang Li deliberately fell behind, and while Ji Shuran and Jiang Youyao were away, she opened her palm and saw a note. In the dim light of the lantern, she could see a line of small words.

See Yuxiu Pavilion at the east gate of the garden. Signed by: Zhou Yanbang.

Jiang Li was startled. Ji Shuran was already calling her, so she immediately crumpled the note into a ball and wanted to throw it into the lake, but suddenly she remembered something and hid it back in her sleeve.

As soon as she walked to Ji Shuran's side, Ji Shuran smiled and said, "Li'er is walking a little slowly."

Jiang Li smiled in response, but in her heart she was laughing at Zhou Yanbang's note. Zhou Yanbang should not be someone arranged by Ji Shuran. With Jiang Youyao's high regard for Zhou Yanbang, she would never let anything involve Zhou Yanbang. Zhou Yanbang should be her own idea.

Jiang Li never expected Zhou Yanbang to get involved. She didn't know how the Ningyuan Marquis's son was so confident that he would really keep the appointment with a piece of paper. Maybe Zhou Yanbang thought that Miss Jiang Er still had feelings for him? But Jiang Li thought carefully about the few times she and Zhou Yanbang met after returning to Yanjing City, and she didn't show the slightest interest in Zhou Yanbang.

Generally speaking, a person who is too sentimental will always be able to find evidence that the other person loves him no matter how cold the other person is to him.

Jiang Li was thinking in her heart that she and Ye Shijie would not do what Ji Shuran wished today, but it seemed that Ji Shuran was getting too easy just because of this.

Since she came to the Jiang family, Jiang Li has been looking at everyone in the Jiang family from an outsider's perspective. She sympathizes with the real Second Miss Jiang, but before her family feud is avenged, she does not want to be too involved in the turmoil of the Jiang family to avoid more accidents.

Therefore, adhering to the idea that I will not offend others if they do not offend me, when Ji Shuran hurt her, she fought back, and Jiang Li thought she was not going too far. But this time, Ji Shuran really angered Jiang Li.

Ji Shuran's methods were so despicable that they reminded her of her past self. The past scene was repeated, with new grudges and old grudges, making Jiang Li very willing to take revenge at this moment.

People say that true revenge is to take away the most precious things in a person's heart, tear them apart and humiliate them. Ji Shuran felt the most sorry for Jiang Youyao and Jiang Bingji. Jiang Bingji was too young and had nothing to lose. But Jiang Youyao was different.

Jiang Youyao's biggest obsession now is Zhou Yanbang, the son of Ningyuan Marquis. Ji Shuran and her daughter tried their best to snatch this marriage from the second Miss Jiang, but they were always on guard against the second Miss Jiang snatching this marriage back. At present, Jiang Youyao hates Jiang Li because of Zhou Yanbang. Zhou Yanbang is Jiang Youyao's weakness.

Jiang Li stroked the short piece of paper in her sleeve with her fingers and suddenly smiled.

Since Zhou Yanbang himself wanted to wade into this muddy water, she couldn't be blamed for diverting the trouble. Jiang Youyao was always on guard against herself, but she didn't know that Zhou Yanbang was a handsome man in Yanjing City, and there were more than one woman who wanted to marry Zhou Yanbang, such as her former sister-in-law Shen Ruyun, and for example, Jiang Yu'e, the third wife of the Jiang family, born to a concubine.

If Jiang Yu'e had a chance to marry into the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion, what would she choose? On one side were the sisters who usually called her warmly, and on the other side were the good people who might never meet again in the future. Jiang Li was very much looking forward to Jiang Yu'e's choice.

Ji Shuran looked up at Jiang Li from time to time. As time passed, Jiang Li put her hand on her forehead and said softly, "Mother, I feel a little dizzy..."

How come it's so fast? Ji Shuran was confused. She thought the drug would take some time to take effect. Now that Jiang Li said so, she had to agree. She was afraid that if she stayed any longer, people would notice something and something might happen. So she had to let Jiang Li leave early.

Ji Shuran said to a palace maid who had been standing beside her, "Help the second young lady back to her room to have a good rest first, I will come to pick her up later."

Jiang Youyao asked tentatively: "Second sister?"

Jiang Li frowned slightly and waved her hand, but accidentally hit the cup beside her, and the full cup of tea spilled all over Jiang Yu'e's skirt.

Jiang Yu'e screamed "Ah!" and quickly stood up.

Jiang Li's eyes widened slightly, and she seemed to be a little more sober. She quickly said, "I'm sorry, Fifth Sister. I didn't mean to get it on your clothes." She looked at the stain on Jiang Yu'e's body apologetically and said, "What should I do now? Why don't you go change clothes with me? I can take a break."

"No need..." Ji Shuran was about to stop him.

"Mother, this is a palace banquet. Fifth sister will not look beautiful in dirty clothes. There should be some emergency clothes in the palace. At the very least, Concubine Li should have some. Fifth sister should change."

Jiang Yu'e was a little annoyed. This was the first time she wore this dress today. The material was tailored by the old lady. She had no chance to wear such good clothes on weekdays. Now it was all ruined by Jiang Li. Suddenly, she heard Jiang Li talking about Lipin, and her heart was moved. If the clothes were found by Lipin for her, at least they were made of materials from the palace, and they might be better than those given by the old lady. She stood up immediately and said with a smile: "Aunt, it's okay. I will go with my second sister. My second sister is right. If she wears dirty clothes, I am afraid that others will say that our Jiang family is disrespectful to His Majesty. I can still take care of my second sister on the way."

Ji Shuran's palms were slightly wet. Jiang Yu'e didn't know her plan. Ji Shuran really didn't want Jiang Yu'e to ruin her plan. But she felt relieved after thinking about it. When they were halfway there, she asked someone to lead Jiang Yu'e away. Jiang Li was still as planned. Moreover, Jiang Li's medicine took effect so quickly. She left the table early, and there was plenty of time to make arrangements. Ji Shuran winked at the palace maid beside her and said, "In that case, you two go first."

Yang didn't say anything. Although Jiang Yu'e was her daughter, Jiang Yu'e always tried to curry favor with the eldest wife and was closer to her aunt Ji Shuran than to her own mother. Yang had become accustomed to it.

Jiang Yu'e and Jiang Li followed the unfamiliar palace maid and left.

Not far from the lake pavilion, on the edge of the water promenade, there are many empty teahouses, which are prepared for the nobles in the palace to rest or change clothes when they have a headache or fever. On weekdays, there are not many people and it is very quiet.

Jiang Li and Jiang Yu'e were walking together. Jiang Yu'e felt dizzy as she walked, perhaps because she drank too much at the palace banquet. Jiang Li talked to her about Jiang Youyao's marriage while walking.

"...Today, I heard mother talking about my third sister's marriage to Prince Zhou again. My third sister seemed very happy. I saw that the wife of Ningyuan Marquis was also very satisfied with my third sister."

".....Speaking of which, Third Sister's marriage is really not bad. The Crown Prince Zhou is considered a rare talent in Yanjing City. But the Crown Prince Zhou and I are not destined to be together. I will probably have to find another man in the future."

"…My fifth sister is about to reach marriage age. I heard from the servant in my father's yard that my third uncle is also asking my father to find a suitable family for my fifth sister. I wonder whose mansion my fifth sister will marry in the future."

Jiang Li suddenly mentioned this, and Jiang Yu'e suspected that Jiang Li was taking revenge on her. Jiang Li must have been sad when Shiqing told her that Jiang Youyao and Zhou Yanbang were engaged. But Jiang Li was stabbing her heart again at this moment. When talking about her marriage, Jiang Yu'e couldn't help but feel a little resentful.

Jiang Yu'e said, "My second sister is really concerned about my marriage, but I am still young, even younger than my second sister. My second sister also said that my father is not as good as my uncle. If we really want to find someone, we can't compare with my second sister and third sister." When she said this, Jiang Yu'e was still a little angry. If it was normal, she would not say such a thing, but today, maybe she was a little drunk, she spoke a lot more boldly.

Jiang Li glanced at her, and that look seemed to contain a bit of pity: "Why can't people choose their own birth? In my opinion, Fifth Sister, compared with Third Sister, you are not bad in appearance and talent, but you lose in birth. If you were the daughter of the eldest wife, you and Zhou Shizi would be a perfect match."

It would have been better if she hadn't said it. Once she talked about it, Jiang Yu'e thought of all the injustices she and Jiang Youyao had suffered in the Jiang family. She felt unfair and sour in her heart, and for a moment she didn't answer Jiang Li's words.

Jiang Li talked to herself: "What a pity, Fifth Sister, with your beauty and talent, you can only marry an unknown man in the future. Not to mention being on par with the Crown Prince Zhou, you may not even be comparable to the children of ordinary officials. That's right, being the wife of an ordinary person may not be as good as being the concubine of the Crown Prince Zhou. What a pity," she hesitated, shook her head and sighed: "Compared with others, inferior to others, it's fate."

Jiang Yu'e felt even more uncomfortable. What she hated most in her life was being compared to others. But she was in the Jiang family, and it seemed that anyone could come up and trample on her. She hated it in her heart, but she didn't want to be defeated. Jiang Yu'e said, "This is my fate. Of course, I am not as good as my third sister. But my second sister is also generous. Prince Zhou could have married my second sister, and now he has become my second sister's brother-in-law, but my second sister can still remain calm. No wonder they say that people who stay in the temple for a period of time will become pure and free from desires."

Jiang Yu'e thought that Jiang Li's calm demeanor must be fake. If it were her, she would definitely not be so relaxed. But every time Jiang Yu'e tried to poke Jiang Li with a knife, she always failed. Jiang Li just didn't seem to be angry.

Sure enough, this time, after hearing Jiang Yu'e's provocative words, Jiang Li just smiled faintly and said, "What does it matter whether you are willing or not? It has already happened. Besides, I will have opportunities in the future. Although I am not as good as Prince Zhou, I still have choices after all. And fifth sister..." She looked at Jiang Yu'e meaningfully and said nothing else.

Jiang Yu'e knew what Jiang Li hadn't finished saying. The people Jiang Yu'e could choose would never be more than Jiang Li.

Perhaps it was because of the anger and resentment in her heart that Jiang Yu'e felt hot in her heart and dizzy in the head. She didn't know what to say for a moment.

As Jiang Li spoke, she paid attention to the expression of the palace maid who was leading the way. Seeing that the palace maid was listening to her conversation with Jiang Yu'e but was not moved at all, Jiang Li became more alert.

After walking a distance, another palace maid suddenly came over and said to Jiang Yu'e with a smile, "Empress Li asked me to take Miss Jiang Wu to the side room to pick out clothes first," and then she said to Jiang Li with a smile, "Miss Jiang Er should go to the front room to sit and rest first. After Miss Jiang Wu finishes picking out clothes, I will take her back."

Jiang Li sneered in her heart. Ji Shuran's people were really impatient to get Jiang Yu'e out of the way. She smiled slightly, pressed her forehead, and said to Jiang Yu'e, "In that case, Fifth Sister, please go first. I have a severe headache. I'll go and rest first and wait for you in the room."

Jiang Yu'e was very angry with Jiang Li all the way, so she naturally wouldn't say anything wrong. Besides, she was very happy to be able to choose the clothes that Lipin prepared for her. Jiang Yu'e agreed, and Jiang Li turned around and followed the maid who led the way first and continued to walk forward.

But just as she turned around, something suddenly fell out of Jiang Li's sleeve.

Jiang Yu'e was close by, so she bent down subconsciously to pick it up. It was a note. Jiang Yu'e was about to call Jiang Li to stop, but in an instant, with the light from the lantern hanging on the corridor, she could see the handwriting on the note clearly.

Jiang Yu'e's voice was suddenly swallowed into her throat.

She stood up holding the note, and saw Jiang Li's back getting farther and farther away, her heart beating rapidly.

The note actually said that Zhou Yanbang wanted to meet Jiang Li in private, and it looked like it would be tonight. Jiang Yu'e's first reaction was to give the note to Ji Shuran and expose Jiang Li's scandal to everyone. Thinking of this, her dizziness actually got better.

Jiang Yu'e hid the note in her sleeve. Jiang Li and the maid had already turned around the corridor and could no longer be seen. Jiang Yu'e turned around and looked at the maid who was looking at her and was about to take her to choose clothes. She smiled and said, "My second sister is so careless that she didn't even know she lost something. I'll have to find a way to return it to her later. Let's go."

Jiang Yu'e also followed the palace maid who appeared halfway and turned to walk in another direction.

On the other side, Jiang Li, who was walking towards the tea room with the palace maid, curled her lips calmly. When she dropped the note and there was no sound behind her, she knew that Jiang Yu'e had taken the bait.

In that environment, Jiang Li dropped the note, and Jiang Yu'e couldn't have failed to see it. But Jiang Yu'e didn't call her out, so she naturally saw the handwriting on the note clearly.

What Jiang Yu'e wanted to do was to ask Ji Shuran for credit, but even if she gave this note to Ji Shuran, it would not mean anything, because Jiang Li did not go to the appointment. However, if Jiang Yu'e had listened to what Jiang Li said along the way, she would have made a different choice.

Jiang Yu'e is a competitive person who refuses to be inferior to others. She is easily blinded by the immediate benefits. Jiang Li said, "It is better to be a concubine to Zhou Yanbang than to be a wife to an ordinary family." Any woman with brains and dignity would not agree with this, but Jiang Yu'e may not agree.

For now, just deal with this one.

Jiang Li followed the maid who led the way and turned another corner before arriving at the tea room at the end of the corridor. The maid smiled and said, "Miss Jiang, please go in and have a rest. There are tea and snacks inside. I will bring some ice cream to cool you down."

Jiang Li said: "You go."

The palace maid left, and Jiang Li sat down quietly. After a moment, she stood up, walked to the burning incense in the room, curled the corners of her lips, and easily broke the incense in two.

Perhaps because she had experienced something like this before, Jiang Li was surprisingly calm at this moment. Her hand touched a small curved knife in her sleeve, which was given to her by Jiang Jingrui when he heard that she was going to study at Mingyi Hall. At this moment, the curved knife was hidden in Jiang Li's sleeve, and no one in the palace would have thought that Jiang Yuanbo's daughter would bring such a sharp weapon into the palace, otherwise Jiang Li would not be able to explain it even if she had a mouth.

She was in no hurry and sat down again in front of the small table, supporting her face with her hand, looking like she was taking a nap, while her other hand tapped lightly on the table, causing the oil lamp in front of her to drop its flames, which was very dazzling.

The maid outside would not leave yet, Jiang Li thought to herself, at least she had to wait until Ye Shijie came in. She just didn't know how unconscious Ye Shijie was. However, if Ye Shijie was really unconscious to a serious degree, Jiang Li didn't mind letting him sober up at the cost of bloodshed. She gently stroked the scimitar in her sleeve again.

After an unknown amount of time, the oil in the lamp was almost half gone, and suddenly someone was talking outside. After a while, the door creaked open, and someone came in.

Jiang Li was still dozing with her chin propped up.

"Master Ye, please rest here for a while. I will go and get some tea and snacks." A woman's voice said.

Jiang Li didn't understand. The door was closed gently again, and the sound of stumbling footsteps was suddenly heard.

Jiang Li's heart tightened, and she suddenly felt the strong smell of alcohol lingering at her nose. She endured it again and again, and didn't know whether the palace maid was still outside. She just felt someone pushing her.

At that moment, memories of my previous life suddenly flooded into my mind.

Although Xue Fangfei didn't remember anything at the time and only remembered that she was drunk, when she woke up and faced countless people's contemptuous looks and accusations, she replayed what might have happened over and over in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more disgusted she felt, and the more terrifying it became.

Although it was finally proved that it was just a conspiracy, she would never forgive herself for being weak and powerless at the time and allowing herself to be slaughtered.

Jiang Li suddenly pulled out the scimitar from her sleeve and pointed it at the opponent accurately. Her voice was cold, restrained but also contained an uncontrollable violence, and she said: "Ye Shijie."

The other person's breathing suddenly became smooth.

She opened her eyes and saw the tip of her knife against Ye Shijie's throat. The latter's cheeks were red and he reeked of alcohol. He looked like a drunk without a doubt, but he looked at her with a stunned look.

Jiang Li frowned slightly.

Ye Shijie was not drunk, he was sober.

……

Jiang Yu'e was taken by a palace maid to another side room to wait for changing clothes.

She was actually a little impatient to take the note in her sleeve to Ji Shuran to show it, so she didn't even have the patience to wait for the person who delivered the clothes. When she felt a little irritated, she couldn't help but read the note that fell from Jiang Li carefully again.

Jiang Yu'e thought to herself, she didn't expect that Jiang Li said on the surface that she didn't care about Zhou Yanbang anymore, but she was still secretly connected with Zhou Yanbang. Speaking of which, Jiang Li is also the daughter of Jiang Yuanbo. If this matter is really exposed, it will be a big deal. The two legitimate daughters of the Zhou family cannot be offended. I wonder who Zhou Yanbang will marry?

He should probably marry Jiang Youyao, after all, she is the one engaged to Zhou Yanbang now.

In the end, Zhou Yanbang still has to marry into the Jiang family's eldest branch.

For some reason, Jiang Yu'e's mind suddenly reappeared with what Jiang Li had just said.

"Fifth sister, with your beauty and talent, you can only marry an unknown man in the future. Not to mention being on par with the Crown Prince Zhou, you may not even be comparable to the children of ordinary officials. In fact, being the wife of an ordinary person may not be as good as being the concubine of the Crown Prince Zhou."

Jiang Yu'e thought bitterly, why wasn't she the one Zhou Yanbang wanted to meet? She was clearly no worse than Jiang Li and Jiang Youyao, but because of her background, was she not even qualified to be in Zhou Yanbang's eyes?
Thinking that the person Jiang Li and Jiang Youyao were entangled with was Zhou Yanbang, the son of Ningyuan Marquis, and that she didn't know if her future husband could even compare to Zhou Yanbang, Jiang Yu'e suddenly felt depressed, as if she had no interest in anything, even the desire to see Jiang Li make a fool of herself.

Jiang Yu'e felt dizzy from time to time, and her heart gradually warmed up. Suddenly, a bold idea flashed through her mind.

What if I was the one who had an appointment with Zhou Yanbang today?

If I get together with Zhou Yanbang under the name of Jiang Li and with the help of this note, will Zhou Yanbang pity me and develop a little love for me, and try to take me into the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion?

Jiang Yu'e didn't dream of becoming Zhou Yanbang's wife right away. She knew that with her status, it was impossible for her to become Zhou Yanbang's legal wife. But wouldn't it be nice to be a concubine, a noble concubine? Jiang Li was right. It would be better to be a concubine to Zhou Yanbang than to be the legal wife to a commoner. At least Zhou Yanbang was a young talent praised by everyone in Yanjing City. He had a big family and was handsome. It would be a good thing for her to marry him.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that this was feasible. Jiang Yu'e looked at the note in her hand and suddenly clenched her palm tightly.

That's what she decided.

Just at this moment, the palace maid who was delivering clothes outside the door was coming back with the clothes. Seeing this, Jiang Yu'e hurriedly stood up.

She couldn't wait to change into clean clothes to go to Zhou Yanbang's appointment. Her anxious look made the palace maids a little confused. Jiang Yu'e wanted to get rid of the others, so she smiled and said, "I suddenly feel like going to the toilet. I'll go after I change my clothes. Sister, you don't have to stay with me. Just show me the direction."

The maid was probably just someone Ji Shuran had called to deliver the message. After she finished her work, she had nothing else to do, so she didn't doubt Jiang Yu'e's words. She pointed in a direction and said, "It's not far. Miss, keep going straight ahead. When you reach the end and turn right, you will see it."

Jiang Yu'e changed her clothes, opened the door and walked out. She first walked towards the toilet, and when she reached the end and turned right, she turned around and saw that no one was following her, so she turned around and walked in another direction.

It was exactly what Zhou Yanbang said on the note, Yuxiu Pavilion at the east gate behind the garden.

Jiang Yu'e walked very fast, and in the end, she even started to jog.

While running, the cool night breeze blew on her face, which was very comfortable. However, it did not extinguish the fire in Jiang Yu'e's heart at all. Instead, her heart became hotter and hotter.

She had already thought about it. When she saw Zhou Yanbang, she would tell him about her admiration and the hardships she had experienced in the Jiang family, and she would even shed a tear or two. Men were all proud of the admiration of a beautiful woman. Even those who claimed to be upright gentlemen could not bear to blame the girl's love. Besides, men all liked to pity the weak. She was born pitiful, and when she shed tears, even if Zhou Yanbang had not noticed her before, he would soften his heart.

As long as she could get Zhou Yanbang's words, as long as she could establish a relationship with Zhou Yanbang... Jiang Yu'e bit her lip, she could escape the fate of marrying a commoner with no status in the future!

Thinking back to Jiang Li's words just now, the sarcasm and vague contempt in those words made Jiang Yu'e's heart burn with fire.

So what if she was the eldest wife of the Jiang family? Between Jiang Li and Jiang Youyao, only one of them was destined to marry Zhou Yanbang. No matter whether it was Jiang Li or Jiang Youyao, one of them would be the loser.

If I could enter the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion, there would always be one, there would always be one eldest daughter who lost to me. It doesn't matter if I marry as a concubine and have to look at the wife's face. Jiang Yu'e thought, Jiang Li is used to pretending to be noble, and Jiang Yu'e is spoiled by Ji Shuran, so they naturally don't know how to please men.

But Jiang Yu'e is confident that she can win Zhou Yanbang's heart.

Just as I was daydreaming, I had already entered the Dongyuan Yuxiu Pavilion.

The attic on the water was completely dark at the moment, with not even a light on, indicating that no one came here on weekdays. Zhou Yanbang was good at choosing a place, or perhaps he had picked this place early in the morning, waiting to have a tryst with Jiang Li here today.

Jiang Yu'e smiled gently and walked inside.

Her heart became even hotter. She didn't know if it was because of her mood, but Jiang Yu'e even felt sweat starting to form on her forehead. Even her breathing became a little sluggish. She wanted to find something cool to stick to her to relieve the heat.

She paused, let out a long breath, and stopped in front of Yuxiu Pavilion.

As long as she enters this door, she can transform from a sparrow into a phoenix and escape from a possible mediocre life in the future. This is the money she has earned for herself and has nothing to do with the third room.

Jiang Yu'e opened the door and stepped in.

(End of this chapter)