Chapter 90 Uncle
After Jiang Li left, in Wangxian Tower, Jin Mantang's party had not yet finished. Amid the humming of opera, Ji Heng sat down lazily and asked, "How is it?"

"Miss Jiang Er is very smart." Lu Ji smiled slightly: "After asking for so long, her answer is flawless. She is a very perceptive girl."

"What are you asking about?" Kong Liu looked at him suspiciously.

"After all, she is Jiang Yuanbo's daughter." Ji Heng replied indifferently.

On the other side, the guard who came to report also said: "We have checked it out. Ye Shijie and Miss Jiang Er did not make an appointment in advance. They must have met by chance on the street. However, Ye Mingxuan, the second young master of the Ye family, arrived in Yanjing yesterday."

"Ye Mingxuan is here?" Kong Liu frowned. "Their Ye family's business is not in Yanjing. Why did he come to Yanjing? To congratulate his nephew on his promotion? And he came in person. He really doesn't mind the effort."

"The Ye family's business has run into some problems," Lu Ji said, "Ye Mingxuan probably came here to Yanjing to find some opportunities to see if he can help."

Ji Heng laughed and said, "No one will help you when you leave."

"Then why doesn't he ask Ye Shijie for help? Ye Shijie is an official now, and there are many people who want to please Ye Shijie. It's easy to find a breakthrough here!" Kong Liu said as a matter of course.

Lu Ji shook his head: "The Ye family has been a merchant family for generations. Ye Shijie is the first person in the Ye family to enter the government. Now that things have finally started to improve, the Ye family is not brave enough to use Ye Shijie's career as a bargaining chip to help with business matters."

Kong Liu glanced at Ji Heng who was playing with a fan and muttered, "They are all the same people, why are they so different?" He thought of something else and said, "Why doesn't he go to the Jiang family? After all, the two were once relatives. Although the grandmother of the Ye family is dead, there is still the connection of Miss Jiang Er. Ye Mingxuan went to the Jiang family. Jiang Yuanbai is so proud that he would naturally feel embarrassed to watch him die without helping."

Lu Ji sighed, "You should also listen to the latest news in the capital city. Miss Jiang and the Jiang family have no contact with the Ye family ten years ago. How could Ye Mingxuan go to the Jiang family?"

Several people were silent for a while.

Ji Heng said: "Ye Mingxuan may also go to the Jiang family."

"Sir?" Lu Ji was puzzled.

"Because of Miss Jiang Er." Ji Heng said.

……

After meeting up with Jiang Jingrui, Jiang Li and the others quickly found Lu's group. Lu's group was also very carefree. After walking for such a long time, they watched their son and niece disappear without panicking. When asked about Lu, Lu said, "Rui'er wanders around the streets all day long, how could he get lost? Li'er is very relieved to follow Rui'er and the others."

After hearing this, Jiang Li had a blank expression on her face. She really didn't know how Jiang Jingrui could be trusted.

She thought of Ye Shijie before and couldn't help shaking her head. If Ji Heng's guards hadn't suddenly appeared and took her to see the useless party, she should have said a few words to Ye Shijie. Because of the relationship with Li Lian, the youngest son of the right prime minister, Jiang Li always felt that Ye Shijie's official career would not be too smooth. Even what Li Lian was planning was still unknown, but it seemed that she had smelled the signs of conspiracy.

No matter what, Ye Shijie has to be extra careful.

Time had already been wasted for a long time, and it was time to return to the mansion after not strolling around with the people from the second house for long. When they returned to the mansion, Old Madam Jiang had already gone to bed, and Jiang Li certainly would not take the initiative to greet Ji Shuran and her daughter, and went straight back to her own yard.

I wanted to go to bed early, but I was so upset that I couldn't close my eyes. Ji Heng's beautiful phoenix eyes kept coming to my mind. He whispered in his ear: "Eyes are the seedlings of love. Your eyes betray your heart."

Even Ji Heng could see the hatred in his heart.

Jiang Li shook her head, as if she wanted to get rid of all the troubles in her heart. She wanted to do it faster and faster, to reveal the ugly true face of Princess Yongning and Shen Yurong, and to redress the injustice of the Xue family. But now there was not enough evidence and no enough bargaining chips, so she had to plan slowly.

It's really torture.

That night, she slept very uneasily. In the middle of the night, it started to rain heavily again. The sound of thunder and rain made it even harder for Jiang Li, who was already unable to sleep, to fall asleep. It was not until the rooster crowed three times, the east was already dawning, and the rain was about to stop that she fell into a daze and fell asleep.

When I woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.

After a night of rain, the air was particularly fresh. Tong'er and Baixue were watering and weeding the flowers by the flowerbed at the entrance of the yard. When they saw Jiang Li coming out, Tong'er straightened up and said with a smile, "Miss, you are so lazy for once. I asked Baixue not to wake you up." When she saw Jiang Li coming over, she smiled again, "It rained so hard last night that even the crabapple flowers were broken."

Speaking of Haitang, Jiang Li suddenly thought of her personal maid, Haitang, and wondered if Bai Xue's family had heard of Haitang in Zaohua Village. Jiang Li asked, "Bai Xue, have your family sent any letters recently?"

Bai Xue wiped the sweat from her forehead and said, "No, young lady. It's harvest time recently and the family is busy with farm work. I think they probably don't have time to write letters home. After this period of time, the letters should arrive."

Jiang Li nodded.

A few people were chatting casually, and suddenly they saw Feicui, the maid beside the old lady, coming. Feicui did not enter the yard, but stopped at the gate of Fangfei Garden, and smiled at Jiang Li and said, "Second Miss, the old lady invites you to Wanfeng Hall."

Bai Xue and Tong Er looked at each other. Old Madam Jiang would not come to Jiang Li if she had nothing to do. Jiang Li was not Jiang Bingji, who would go to Wanfeng Hall to ask the old lady for snacks when she had nothing to do. Even if Jiang Li was willing to lose face, Old Madam Jiang, who had been estranged from Jiang Li for eight years, would probably feel very uncomfortable.

Tong'er asked crisply, "Sister Feicui, why did the old lady ask our girl to go to Wanfeng Hall? Is there anything going on in the mansion?"

"No." Feicui said with a smile, "It's just that there are guests in the mansion, and we asked the second young lady to come and sit with them."

Tong'er was relieved when she saw Feicui's answer. Judging from Feicui's expression and tone, the old lady probably didn't want to find Jiang Li to blame, and Jiang Li didn't do anything wrong.

Jiang Li could tell what Tong'er was worried about at a glance, and couldn't help but feel a little amused. Even if Madam Jiang really came to her to question her, it wouldn't be a big deal. She could protect herself and get away safely. Even if the other party was really unreasonable, it would be nothing more than house arrest.

It's really not a big deal.

She said to Feicui, "Sister Feicui, please wait for me for a moment. I'll go change my clothes and leave right away." Jiang Li went back to the house, put on some clothes, and went to Wanfeng Hall with Tong'er and Feicui.

There is still a distance from Fangfei Garden to Wanfeng Hall. On weekdays, when going this way, you will always meet other people. However, Jiang Yu'e is recovering from her injuries in the manor, Jiang Youyao is under house arrest, and Jiang Yuyan is a coward who never leaves the yard, so she didn't meet anyone on the way, which was too smooth.

Jiang Li was very satisfied.

Tongxing Feicui was thinking in her heart, this second young lady who had stayed in the temple for eight years had returned to Yanjing City for less than half a year. The young ladies in the mansion were in chaos and everything was wrong, but only the second young lady Jiang escaped unscathed, not only that, but she also became famous and received rewards from the emperor.

What a changing world. I originally thought that the second young lady would never come back after being banished to the temple.

Therefore, Feicui did not dare to underestimate the seemingly gentle second young lady, and her words and actions became much more respectful.

Jiang Li sensed the change in Feicui's attitude, smiled slightly, and said nothing. It is human nature to put down the weak and praise the strong. As the Jiang family is a wealthy official family, even the maids in it have been infected with the habits of the officialdom and are used to changing their attitude according to the situation.

Not a good thing, but not a bad thing either.

At least this created many opportunities for her.

When they arrived at Wanfeng Hall, Feicui entered first and said to the people inside with a smile, "Madam, the second young lady is here."

Jiang Li followed Feicui inside. As soon as she entered, she saw a familiar young man sitting below Old Madam Jiang, with his head slightly tilted up. He seemed a little uncomfortable and quite proud.

Jiang Li paused, confused, Ye Shijie, why is he here?

Jiang Li didn't dare to say that she knew this cousin very well, but she had roughly figured out Ye Shijie's temper. Ye Shijie was resentful of what Jiang Li said before, so naturally he didn't have a good face towards the Jiang family. Ye Shijie came to the Imperial Academy to study before, but he never visited the Jiang family once. But today Ye Shijie came openly and sat below Mrs. Jiang. Judging from Mrs. Jiang's expression, it seemed that they were getting along well.

Before Jiang Li could figure out what was going on, she heard Old Madam Jiang say kindly, "Second girl, come and meet your uncle Mingxuan."

Jiang Li was stunned. Uncle Mingxuan?

Only then did she see clearly that next to Ye Shijie, there was a middle-aged man sitting. The middle-aged man was dressed in silver-white clothes, a silver crown, and a golden belt around his waist. He looked like a scholar, but he was richer than ordinary scholars. He had a white face and no beard, a thin body, and a clever look in his eyes.

He stood up, looked at Jiang Li, and laughed, "A-Li has grown so tall that I can hardly recognize her."

Jiang Li was in a daze for a moment. This uncle Mingxuan called her "Ali". She thought it was Xue Huaiyuan who called her "Ali".

Ye Mingxuan looked at Jiang Li, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He learned a lot of things from Ye Shijie, such as the bet he made with Meng Hongjin in Mingyi Hall, the stunning performance at the inspection field, and the incident of him holding a knife to force Ye Shijie to think rationally during the palace banquet. All of these made it hard for Ye Mingxuan to imagine that these were things that the willful little girl in his memory who spoke hurtfully could do.

Ye Mingxuan hadn't seen Jiang Li for ten years. After Ye Zhenzhen died, the Ye family was afraid that Jiang Yuanbo's stepmother would mistreat Jiang Li after he remarried, so they thought of taking Jiang Li back to Tongxiang. Although the Ye family is not as powerful as the Jiang family, at least the Ye family will sincerely protect Jiang Li and let Jiang Li live a life of luxury.

Unexpectedly, the reality is that Jiang Li, who is nearly five years old, looked contemptuous and disdained the Ye family as a merchant in front of Old Madam Ye, saying that all merchants are lowly and such hurtful words. Old Madam Ye fell seriously ill, and the people of the Ye family did not have no resentment towards Jiang Li.

How could such a young child speak so hurtfully? She seemed to have been infected with the coldness of the Jiang family and the hidden mercenary nature of the officials at that time. She was better at analyzing the pros and cons than the merchants.

It's really hard to let go.

The girl standing in front of Ye Mingxuan now wore a light green shirt and a light blue long skirt. She was tall, slender, and extremely beautiful. She had a smile on her lips and a gentle expression. She no longer had the sharpness and hostility she had before, which made people feel very comfortable.

She is really different from before.

Ye Mingxuan vaguely saw his sister Ye Zhenzhen, but after a closer look, Jiang Li and Ye Zhenzhen were different. Ye Zhenzhen was bright and simple, like a furry little animal raised in the sun, just playful and cute. Jiang Li, on the other hand, was like a pear tree growing alone by the stream. No one could see the wind, frost, rain and snow she had experienced alone, but her tenacity produced white, beautiful flowers.

Ye Mingxuan's previous complaints against the little girl disappeared unconsciously in Jiang Li's clear eyes. He didn't know whether it was because of the blood relationship that made it difficult for him to be cold to Jiang Li. Or was it because Jiang Li looked too kind and gentle, which made him completely separate this Jiang Li from the five-year-old Jiang Li.

He gave Jiang Li a sincere and generous smile.

Mrs. Jiang saw Ye Mingxuan's appreciation and felt relieved. Now Ye Shijie is already a deputy minister of the Ministry of Revenue. It is not easy to reach this position at this age. With the past marriage relationship, it is also good to be able to help the two branches of the Jiang family in the future. Therefore, when Ye Shijie and Ye Mingxuan took the initiative to visit, Mrs. Jiang's first reaction was to reconcile with the Ye family.

Mrs. Jiang knew that Jiang Li had said harsh words to the Ye family. Mrs. Jiang herself did not believe that the Ye family had no estrangement in their hearts. However, Jiang Li is no longer the same as before. Mrs. Jiang also hopes that Jiang Li will talk to them after meeting them.

When they met, Ye Mingxuan's attitude towards Jiang Li was quite gentle. Old Madam Jiang saw it and Ye Mingxuan had a good impression of Jiang Li, which was good. At least the Ye family would not say outside that the Jiang family had treated Ye Zhenzhen's daughter badly or deliberately taught her the wrong thing.

Ye Mingxuan smiled and said, "You probably don't recognize me. The last time I saw you, you were still a little kid." He stretched out his hand and gestured to the position of his knees: "-- It's this high." He said, "I'm your mother's second brother, you can just call me Uncle Mingxuan."

"Uncle Mingxuan." Jiang Li called softly.

She had a good feeling towards Ye Mingxuan, but she didn't know if it was because Ye Mingxuan called her "Ali" just now that made her think of Xue Huaiyuan.

"Your uncle Mingxuan came to Yanjing to do some business, and came to see you specially." Old Madam Jiang smiled and said, "He also brought you a gift. I will have someone move it to your yard later."

Jiang Li smiled, and understood. Why would Ye Mingxuan bring her a gift? He must have bought it in Yanjing City. After all, Ye Mingxuan and the Jiang family had no dealings with her before. This time, he suddenly came to the Jiang family, so Ye Shijie must have told him about himself.

Jiang Li glanced at Ye Shijie. When Ye Shijie saw her looking at him, he turned his head away and avoided her gaze, as if he felt a little guilty.

What are you feeling guilty about? Jiang Li was stunned.

But the attitude of Mrs. Jiang towards the Ye family seemed to indicate that Ye Shijie's becoming a member of the Ministry of Revenue had softened the attitude of the Jiang family. As long as Ye Shijie kept moving up, and the Ye family continued to prosper because of Ye Shijie, it was only a matter of time before they would reconcile with the Ye family. At that time, Jiang Li would be a girl who was protected by her maternal family. At least if Ji Shuran wanted to touch her again, she would not be as fearless as before.

Ji Shuran must be regretting it now. Jiang Li thought that she had delayed taking action before, or had acted in a subtle way, because Ji Shuran wanted to maintain her reputation as a virtuous mother. Who knew that Jiang Li would take advantage of her opportunity? Once the opportunity is missed, it will never come back.

Retracting her thoughts, Jiang Li chatted with Ye Mingxuan, his uncle and nephew, and Old Madam Jiang. They were all just small talk. Old Madam Jiang asked about the recent situation of the rest of the Ye family in Xiangyang. Ye Mingxuan answered politely. At least on the surface, the relationship between the Jiang family and the Ye family has eased a lot.

Jiang Li also noticed that no one else was present at this meeting, including Jiang Yuanbo. Old Madam Jiang probably felt that it would be awkward to suddenly ask all the members of the Jiang family to show up, so she decided to reduce the number of people and take things slowly.

Before he knew it, he had finished a cup of tea. Ye Mingxuan also stood up and said goodbye, saying that he had something else to do and would visit again another day. He smiled at Jiang Li and said, "I'll have someone move the gift for A-li to A-li's yard now."

"Okay," said Old Madam Jiang, "A-Li, take your uncle Mingxuan to see your yard as well."

This is to give the uncle and nephew some time to talk alone.

They were all old foxes, so Ye Mingxuan readily agreed to the old lady's arrangement. Jiang Li then took Ye Mingxuan and Ye Shijie back to Fangfei Garden.

Tong'er walked in front, her little body straight. This was her first time meeting Ye Zhenzhen's family, and she was afraid that the Ye family would have some thoughts about Jiang Li's past of killing her mother and brother, so she had to behave neither servile nor overbearing. However, Ye Mingxuan seemed to be easy to talk to, so he should not be a mean person.

Ye Shijie didn't say anything all the way. He didn't know what was going on today. He was too silent. But Ye Mingxuan asked Jiang Li about her life. Jiang Li also responded with a smile.

Seeing Jiang Li's calmness, Ye Mingxuan was greatly surprised. Many years ago, when Jiang Li was sent to Qingcheng Mountain, the Ye family secretly sent people to negotiate with the Jiang family. Although Jiang Li insulted the Ye family, she was still a descendant of the Ye family. However, Jiang Yuanbai was too tough at that time and refused to say where Jiang Li was sent, so he had to give up in the end.

Even though Ye Shijie had learned that Jiang Li had done some great things after returning to Yanjing City, in Ye Mingxuan's eyes, the Jiang family, who seek profit and avoid harm, would not pay too much attention to a daughter like Jiang Li who would tarnish the Jiang family's reputation. But looking at the attitude of Mrs. Jiang, Jiang Li's status in the Jiang family did not seem to be as low as he imagined. And looking at Jiang Li's behavior, she was well-educated and very elegant, and did not seem to be treated harshly.

This niece seems to be hiding many unknown secrets, Ye Mingxuan thought secretly.

When they arrived at the gate of Fangfei Garden, Qingfeng Mingyue was cleaning the yard. Bai Xue saw Jiang Li coming back and hurriedly served tea. She was surprised to see Ye Mingxuan and Ye Shijie beside Jiang Li.

"This is Uncle Mingxuan and Cousin Ye." Jiang Li smiled and said, "Bai Xue, serve the tea."

Ye Mingxuan was stunned the moment he saw Fangfeiyuan.

Even in autumn, Fangfei Garden is full of colorful flowers, with various chrysanthemums and osmanthus flowers in full bloom, and the fragrance is fragrant, and there is no sign of withering and loneliness. Jiang Yuanbai likes to flaunt his nobleness, and most of the plants in the courtyard are green. In autumn, he prefers black and white, which is more solemn and clear. Therefore, along the way, it does not seem so prosperous.

But Jiang Li's courtyard was so lively that it was out of place in the Prime Minister's Mansion. Ye Mingxuan instantly thought of his younger sister Ye Zhenzhen who had passed away young.

Ye Zhenzhen was a girl who liked to be lively. Before she got married, her yard was always filled with the chirping of birds and the fragrance of flowers. Her brothers were naughty and always practiced swordplay in her yard, chopping Ye Zhenzhen's flowers into pieces. Ye Zhenzhen was so angry that she complained to Mr. Ye and Madam Ye.

The scene before his eyes immediately reminded Ye Mingxuan of the past, and he felt his eyes sore and painful. The old scene is still there, but the people are gone, which is really a matter of regret.

Jiang Li noticed that Ye Mingxuan looked strange, so she said, "This is the yard where my mother lived when she was recuperating. After I returned to Yanjing City, my wife gave me the yard. At that time, all the flowers and plants in the yard had died. Tong'er and Bai Xue took great pains to make it what it is now."

She called Ji Shuran "Madam".

Ye Mingxuan's eyes moved slightly, and he asked, "How does Madam Ji treat you?"

Jiang Li looked at Ye Mingxuan, smiled slightly, and did not answer Ye Mingxuan's words. She said, "The tea is ready, Uncle Mingxuan, let's go inside and talk."

She avoided Ye Mingxuan's question.

Ye Mingxuan and Ye Shijie looked at each other, thought about it, shook their heads and followed Jiang Li.

Tong'er stood upright on the side, pouring tea for Ye Mingxuan and Ye Shijie in turn.

"I didn't expect Uncle Mingxuan to suddenly return to Yanjing." Jiang Li said, "It's a bit beyond my expectations. Why did Uncle Mingxuan think of coming to the Jiang family?"

Ye Shijie coughed lightly and said, "My second uncle and I mentioned you."

Jiang Li did not comment. She knew that after so many things happened, Ye Shijie would tell the Ye family about himself sooner or later. She just didn't expect the Ye family to come to Yanjing in person. However, Jiang Li also believed that Ye Mingxuan's visit to Yanjing City was definitely not for her. Seeing her should be just a matter of convenience.

"Yes, Shijie mentioned you to me, and I realized I haven't seen you for a long time." Ye Mingxuan sighed, "It's been ten years, I guess. Ah Li, you look good now. I heard about your situation from Shijie, and you helped Shijie time and time again. I want to thank you on Shijie's behalf."

Jiang Li laughed: "We are all family, Uncle Mingxuan, you don't have to be polite."

She spoke sincerely and tenderly, with a pair of eyes as clear as a stream, which made people believe that what she said at this moment was from the heart. Ye Mingxuan suddenly felt a little speechless. It was Jiang Li who disliked the Ye family as a merchant, and now it was Jiang Li who naturally said "we are all family". It was obviously very contradictory, but there was no way to doubt anything.

"Are grandma and the others okay?" Jiang Li asked.

"I'm not feeling well," Ye Mingxuan said, "It's just like that when you get older. I wanted to come to Yanjing City to see Shijie this time, but my health just doesn't allow it."

Jiang Li frowned slightly. Madam Ye was in poor health, which was not a good thing.

Ye Shijie felt a little awkward. Madam Ye's health was not good. Wasn't it after Jiang Li insulted the Ye family? At that time, Madam Ye had a serious illness and was injured. She was not as healthy as before. These years have been worse year by year.

"Grandma can't come, so why didn't the other uncles come?" Jiang Li asked. She had also inquired about it. Miss Jiang Er had three uncles in total. Ye Mingxuan was the second, Ye Shijie's father was the eldest, and there was a younger uncle.

"There are some small moves in Xiangyang's business," Ye Mingxuan said with a smile, "They have been very busy recently."

Although Ye Mingxuan was smiling, Jiang Li clearly saw a hint of worry in his eyes. The so-called "little action" was definitely not as light as Ye Mingxuan said.

If there is a problem with the Ye family, it is not a good thing. On the one hand, Miss Jiang needs the help of the Ye family to make her position in the Jiang family more stable. On the other hand, the Ye family is in Xiangyang and Xue Huaiyuan is in Tongxiang, Xiangyang. The affairs in Tongxiang still need to rely on the power of the Ye family to investigate.

Jiang Li thought for a moment and asked, "How long does Uncle Mingxuan plan to stay in Yanjing City, and when will he return to Xiangyang?"

"This time I came here mainly to see Shijie and to settle some business in Yanjing City. After that, I will go back to Xiangyang." Ye Mingxuan thought for a while and said, "It probably won't take long, ten days at most. I can't leave Xiangyang without someone, so I can't stay in Yanjing for too long."

Even ten days is considered a delay, it seems that the matter in Xiangyang must be very urgent. Hearing Ye Mingxuan say this, Jiang Li's guess was further confirmed. She glanced at Ye Shijie and saw that Ye Shijie also looked worried.

Seeing Jiang Li suddenly fall silent, Ye Mingxuan smiled and said, "Although I came to Yanjing to see Shijie this time, it is also a pleasant surprise to see Ah Li. I heard that you also became the top of Mingyi Hall and received the gift from His Majesty. If your grandmother knew about this, she would definitely be very happy. Speaking of which, there is no precedent for women to be directly appointed as officials. You are on par with Shijie. If Shijie becomes an official, you should also get an official position."

This uncle is really thoughtful. Jiang Li smiled and said, "It's a pity that I was not born as a boy."

Ye Shijie looked up at Jiang Li. Although Jiang Li was not a man, she did things that some men would not dare to do. Who could carry a dagger in and out of the palace? If she was not careful, she could be arrested for assassination and the whole family would be implicated. She was not afraid at all, as if she treated it as a trivial matter. She was really good.

Fortunately, she is not a man. If she were a man, she could go to heaven.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen my grandmother and uncles for a long time." Jiang Li said, "This time when I met Uncle Mingxuan, just like Uncle Mingxuan didn't recognize me, I almost didn't recognize Uncle Mingxuan either."

Ye Mingxuan laughed: "It's okay. When you have the chance, you and Shijie can go back to Xiangyang together and meet your grandmother and uncles. They will definitely be very happy."

Jiang Li was waiting for him to say this. She smiled and said, "Why wait? This is an opportunity. After Uncle Mingxuan finishes his work, I will go back to Xiangyang with him."

　Change the map Change the map~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)