“I heard that on your way home from school today, you quarreled with someone in the street?” Old Madam Jiang asked.

Jiang Li glanced at Jiang Youyao and Jiang Yu’e. These two were trying their best to conceal the schadenfreude in their eyes. As expected, Jiang Youyao and Jiang Yu’e spared no effort in making false accusations against her.

Jiang Li smiled and said: “I don’t know where Old Madam heard this from, but it differs greatly from the facts.”

Old Madam Jiang said: “Oh? Then what are the facts? Come tell me.”

Jiang Youyao and Jiang Yu’e wanted to speak but didn’t dare. Old Madam Jiang was a woman who valued rules and strictness—when others were speaking, she didn’t allow them to interrupt casually.

Jiang Li smiled slightly: “I’m afraid my account alone might not be impartial. Let me have my maid speak. Bai Xue.” Jiang Li called for Bai Xue to enter.

After Bai Xue entered, she first paid respects to Old Madam Jiang. Jiang Li said: “Tell Old Madam about what happened after school today.”

Having received Jiang Li’s instruction, Bai Xue immediately recounted everything from beginning to end exactly as it happened. Bai Xue had an honest and upright nature, and when she spoke she was always methodical, never exaggerating anything. She stood from an observer’s perspective and completely reconstructed the events without favoring anyone.

After Old Madam Jiang finished listening, she was thoughtful and asked Jiang Li again: “So you spoke up for justice and didn’t quarrel recklessly?”

“I dare not claim I spoke up for justice—I merely told the truth.” Jiang Li’s smile remained.

At this moment, Jiang Youyao finally couldn’t hold back and said: “Grandmother, the young master Second Sister helped wasn’t a stranger—he’s from the Ye family of Xiangyang.”

The Ye family of Xiangyang—Old Madam Jiang’s expression immediately became grave.

One must know that since Ye Zhenzhen’s death, the Jiang family and the Ye family, who were related by marriage, had little contact. After Jiang Yuanbai married Ji Shuran and became in-laws with the Ji family, contact with the Ye family had almost completely ceased. Originally there was still one unbreakable connection between the Ye family and the Jiang family—Jiang Li—but years ago Jiang Li had sworn an oath herself, unwilling to associate with merchant families. The Ye family’s feelings were hurt, and they never again had contact with the Jiang family.

Ji Shuran spoke up: “Youyao, don’t speak nonsense. You haven’t met anyone from the Ye family—how do you know they’re from the Ye family of Xiangyang?”

“I heard it with my own ears, and Fourth Sister and Fifth Sister did too,” Jiang Youyao hastily explained. “That young master is called Ye Shijie. Liu Zimin said he was from the Ye family of Xiangyang.”

“Ye Shijie…” Old Madam Jiang pondered for a moment before looking at Jiang Li: “He should be the son of the Ye family’s eldest branch, your eldest cousin.”

Only then did Jiang Li learn that Ye Shijie and she were cousins.

“Li’er, what’s going on?” Ji Shuran said. “You’ve only been back in the capital for just over a month—how did you come to know your Ye family cousin?”

These words were cutting!

Sure enough, Old Madam Jiang’s gaze suddenly became sharp, staring straight at Jiang Li, her eyes like two knives wanting to see through her.

Jiang Li had only returned to the capital for just over a month. She hadn’t even become familiar with Yanjing City, yet today she happened to help her own cousin out of trouble. How could things in this world be so coincidental? Since the Ye family severed ties with the Jiang family, they hadn’t come to the capital in many years. This made it hard to believe it was just a coincidence. Could it be that Jiang Li and Ye Shijie had been in contact early on, perhaps even associating for a long time?

In Old Madam Jiang’s eyes, this was an absolute taboo!

Jiang Li smiled as she glanced at Ji Shuran. Ji Shuran seemed completely unaware that her words could push Jiang Li into an irredeemable situation, making it sound more like a casual remark.

Jiang Li said: “I don’t know him, nor did I know he was my eldest cousin. If Old Madam hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known his relationship to me. Today, if it hadn’t been him but any other person, if I had witnessed such a scene, I would have stepped forward to intervene.” Jiang Li smiled, saying meaningfully: “In this world, though keeping one’s hands clean is good, sometimes one must also act righteously for a just cause. Especially for upright families like ours—we must preserve the integrity of scholars.”

Old Madam Jiang was stunned.

Old Madam Jiang’s husband, that is, Jiang Yuanbai’s father, Old Master Jiang, had been a third-rank Scholar of the Hall of Literary Profundity his entire life. He was this at age thirty, and still this when he died. Although a third-rank civil official was quite respectable, the lack of promotion over decades necessarily had a reason.

The reason was that Old Master Jiang was too upright and straightforward, making frank remonstrances quite often. Although the late Emperor knew Old Master Jiang was a good official, he truly found it difficult to like him. Old Master Jiang’s character caused his official career to stop there.

Regarding her husband’s character, Old Madam Jiang complained on the surface but was proud of him in her heart. Unfortunately, the three sons of the Jiang family—eldest son Jiang Yuanbai adhered to conservative moderation, second son Jiang Yuanping was a smiling tiger, and third son Jiang Yuanxing, being a son of a concubine, was even more weak-willed and without opinions. Not one inherited Old Master Jiang’s integrity. Old Madam Jiang couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

So even though Jiang Yuanbai relied on “moderation” to become chief among civil officials, Old Madam Jiang wasn’t entirely satisfied with him. In worldly matters, what is gained must be lost. To obtain high office and generous salary, one must necessarily lose some things—such as backbone and pride.

Jiang Li had long discovered that Old Madam Jiang was a proud person, with some aloofness in her bones, which could be seen from Wanfeng Hall’s decor. Therefore, she deliberately spoke these high-minded and righteous words precisely to make Old Madam Jiang resonate with them.

To make Old Madam Jiang recall the deceased Old Master Jiang and see his shadow in Jiang Li.

Sure enough, the way Old Madam Jiang looked at Jiang Li gradually softened.

Ji Shuran’s heart jumped in alarm. She didn’t understand how Jiang Li’s few short sentences could make Old Madam Jiang’s attitude soften. Although she was shrewd, her way of thinking followed the same path as Jiang Yuanbai’s—absolutely self-serving. Projecting herself onto others, she couldn’t understand Old Madam Jiang’s sense of “integrity,” but Jiang Li could understand it.

Jiang Li continued: “When I helped him, it was a momentary impulse—I didn’t consider the consequences. But if it’s truly as Third Sister said, that Ye Shijie is my eldest cousin from the Ye family of Xiangyang, then my action was even more correct. Although my birth mother has passed away, the Ye family and our household were once related by marriage. If family relatives are in deep trouble and I had simply walked away at the time, others would have seen it and later would only say the Jiang family is cold-hearted and hard as iron. Father serves as an official at court—his every word and action is watched. If someone used this to impeach Father, what then?”

“We only need to do our own affairs well and leave no faults for others to pick at, then naturally we can live in peace. Moreover, this wasn’t a big matter to begin with. Young Master Liu himself said it was just a misunderstanding. To resolve a misunderstanding with just a few words—isn’t that a wonderful thing? It requires neither gold nor silver, just one sentence to help someone—if I were still stingy with the effort of one sentence, then I truly wouldn’t deserve to be human.”

This last sentence, however, mocked both Jiang Youyao and Jiang Yu’e together.