Jiang Li and Ye Mingyu followed this squad of officers and left.

In the wine shop, the common people who had left earlier gradually gathered again. They watched the backs of this group, and though they didn’t speak, they exchanged glances with each other. If a historian recording history had witnessed this, they would surely be greatly shocked—this was a real-life example of “communicating only with glances.”

Perhaps intimidated by what Jiang Li had said, fearing they’d bring unnecessary trouble upon themselves, the lead soldier didn’t have his subordinates escort them forward under guard. Instead, he stood on either side of Jiang Li and Ye Mingyu. Ye Mingyu’s expression was calm, and Jiang Li wore a slight smile, making it look as if these soldiers were like the Ye family’s guards, protecting their safety on both sides.

Jiang Li had walked the road from the wine shop to the county yamen too many times. As she walked, she paid attention to the surroundings. Tongxiang was still Tongxiang, looking no different from before, but Jiang Li discovered that the common people had changed.

The common people passing by, upon seeing these officers, all took detours, their expressions panicked, as if they’d encountered bandits. Some familiar small shops on the street had closed for good, while others had changed their appearance entirely. Most obviously, in the past when the people of Tongxiang walked the streets, whether old with white hair or young children, they were carefree and content. Now in Tongxiang, everyone’s face bore deep exhaustion, lifeless and spiritless.

It seemed this newly appointed county magistrate who had replaced Xue Huaiyuan, this “superior,” was not an honest official who loved the people. This made sense—when the beam above is crooked, the beam below will be crooked too. Anyone who would serve Yongning, one could imagine their character. When Jiang Li first came to Tongxiang, she hadn’t known what identity the person behind this used to do these things, so she staged this “alerting the enemy” scheme. Now that the snake had been alerted and came seeking on its own, it perfectly confirmed her suspicion—Yongning had found someone in the official bureaucracy.

Someone like Yongning who wielded power and styled herself as nobility naturally enjoyed dominating others’ lives to achieve her own sick pleasure. Pulling down the original county magistrate and replacing him with her own person, the newcomer would naturally work even harder to torture Xue Huaiyuan to please Yongning in order to curry favor.

Jiang Li’s palms tightened.

Seeing her press her lips together without saying a word, Ye Mingyu lowered his head and asked softly, “A-Li, are you afraid?”

Jiang Li smiled. “No.”

“I’m not afraid either,” Ye Mingyu snorted lightly. “But the person in charge of Tongxiang now is really too arrogant—taking advantage of being far from the capital, like a monkey proclaiming itself king.”

“Isn’t that so,” Jiang Li said softly. “When petty people gain power, they become wild.”

Ye Mingyu shrugged. “No matter what, when we get there, you stand behind me. If there’s danger, these guards will take you away.”

Jiang Li couldn’t help but smile. Ye Mingyu was used to roaming the jianghu and did things according to jianghu ways—if you can’t win, run. She smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Uncle. Nothing will happen. I can handle it.”

Seeing she truly showed no signs of worry, Ye Mingyu finally relaxed. Tong’er and Bai Xue, however, were somewhat uneasy and protected Jiang Li even more closely. In Yanking City, naturally there would be nothing to fear—everyone would respect Jiang Yuanbai’s face. But in this unfamiliar small county, others might not recognize Jiang Li. If they didn’t believe her identity, what then?

Jiang Li didn’t think that much. She knew this confrontation was unavoidable, and the contest with the other party was only just beginning. She had known this all along.

After the time of two incense sticks, they arrived at the county yamen.

Just arriving at the yamen gate, Ye Mingyu gave a small exclamation, saying, “This county yamen is quite grand!”

Jiang Li looked at the yamen entrance, her gaze shifting slightly.

When Xue Huaiyuan was in office, to reduce expenses, the county yamen continued using the previous structure. Except when repairs were absolutely necessary because things looked too shabby, ordinarily the yamen appeared even somewhat simple.

However, the yamen before her eyes now was completely different from before. The entire yamen had been freshly painted bright red, and even the pillars had been re-carved. Even the plaque had become gilded.

This new county magistrate had quite deep pockets and knew how to enjoy himself. One just didn’t know through what means he had amassed the silver used for these renovations.

Before even meeting him, she already had a measure of this magistrate.

The lead soldier said, “You wait here. I’ll go report to the superior!”

Jiang Li nodded. She could even guess what the other party would do. If that magistrate was a smart person, he wouldn’t underestimate the background of their group, but to maintain his dignity, he would have to make them wait here for a period of time, letting them suffer a little.

But none of this was important.

Bai Xue said, “This looks much more imposing than the county yamen back in our hometown.”

“Who knows what ill-gotten gains paid for it,” Ye Mingyu said disdainfully. “If he’d taken the silver spent on renovating the yamen to help the poor, I don’t think there’d be so many beggars on the streets.”

Jiang Li said, “Uncle sees things clearly.”

“Of course,” Ye Mingyu nodded proudly.

Sure enough, as Jiang Li expected, the other party indeed intended to leave them waiting for a while. At least within the time of one incense stick, no one came out from inside the yamen gate to greet them, and the officers responsible for watching them knew nothing when asked. After standing for a long time without tea to drink, Ye Mingyu became thirsty and impatient, saying, “What are these people dawdling about? Are we meeting or not?”

“People who think themselves very important always need to do something for appearances,” Jiang Li smiled. “Wait patiently—I think it’ll be soon.”

“Why?” Ye Mingyu asked.

“He wants to call us in precisely when we can’t wait any longer. Since you’re already impatient, Uncle, seeing your discomfort makes him comfortable inside. Naturally, there’s no need to make us wait anymore.”

Ye Mingyu said irritably, “So he just wants to make us uncomfortable, is that it? What kind of person is this?”

“I also want to see what kind of person this is,” Jiang Li said with a smile.

After waiting patiently a while longer, someone finally came out from inside—not the lead soldier from before, but someone who seemed like an attendant. Walking up to Jiang Li and the others, he looked them over before saying, “The superior asks you to enter.”

Ye Mingyu snorted through his nose and said, “Superior this, superior that—I’m not from Tongxiang. Why should I care about his superior or inferior status?”

The attendant probably had anger too, but feared Ye Mingyu’s fists the size of sandbags, so he suppressed his anger and said, “Come in then.”

Only then did Jiang Li and Ye Mingyu follow.

The deeper they went into the county yamen, the more Jiang Li discovered everything inside was completely renewed—not only were the furnishings brand new, but all the officers, guards, and even those serving tea were completely new, not a single familiar face.

They must truly fear criticism to be so eager to destroy evidence.

When they reached the main hall of the yamen, they saw officers standing lined up on both sides of the great hall, holding staffs, their expressions fierce. When Jiang Li and Ye Mingyu walked in, it was like criminals being brought up during a court session, about to receive punishment.

The attendant said, “Superior, the people have been brought.”

Jiang Li raised her eyes to look.

Seated in the high position at the front of the main hall was a thin, middle-aged man. This person was gaunt with a sharp monkey-like face that immediately made one uncomfortable to look at—especially a pair of upward-slanting triangular eyes. When he sized people up, his gaze seemed even more wretched. If no one had said so, who would believe this was a county magistrate in ordinary circumstances? Though one shouldn’t judge by appearances, there’s also the saying that one’s face reflects one’s heart. This person clearly had improper intentions at first glance—calling him a street hoodlum wouldn’t be far off. As for being a magistrate, that seemed far too generous.

His sitting posture was also quite improper. Jiang Li frowned slightly. The position where this person sat was where Xue Huaiyuan used to often sit. Her own father had sat here to administer justice for the people, yet this person sitting here was like a monkey wearing a crown—just the sight was displeasing, as if insulting the yamen itself.

“So you’re the ones who wanted to see this official?” the thin monkey-like magistrate asked arrogantly.

Catching sight of this person’s features, Jiang Li felt he looked somewhat familiar and couldn’t help but ponder where she had seen this person before. Seeing Jiang Li look over, the man also looked at Jiang Li. When he clearly saw Jiang Li’s appearance, a flash of greed showed in his eyes.

Ye Mingyu immediately caught this and became furious, quickly shielding Jiang Li behind him, nearly cursing aloud.

Just at this moment, Jiang Li suddenly remembered this person’s identity—Feng Yutang!

She was greatly shocked, not expecting that the person who replaced Xue Huaiyuan as the newly appointed county magistrate was actually Feng Yutang!

Jiang Li had encountered Feng Yutang before. Initially, when the yamen’s previous legal secretary’s elderly mother became gravely ill and he needed to return home to care for her, the secretary voluntarily resigned. Later, someone recommended Feng Yutang. Feng Yutang was a xiucai from Tongxiang who had failed the imperial examinations many times but could read and write essays. Xue Huaiyuan brought him to his side, thinking that now Feng Yutang had obtained this position, he would work hard. Who knew that in the yamen, Feng Yutang would take bribes, collude with litigation tricksters, manipulate things behind the scenes, and attempt to influence Xue Huaiyuan’s judgments.

Later, when Xue Huaiyuan discovered this, he was furious. By then, Feng Yutang had amassed considerable wealth through corruption. Xue Huaiyuan had Feng Yutang severely beaten with dozens of heavy strikes and expelled him from the yamen. She remembered that at the time, Feng Yutang had threatened that Xue Huaiyuan would pay a price, and was nearly chased down by Xue Zhao for another beating.

She never expected to see Feng Yutang again here today, and he had indeed fulfilled his threat from back then—he now sat in Xue Huaiyuan’s position and had imprisoned Xue Huaiyuan!

Jiang Li’s heart turned ice-cold in an instant. No wonder, no wonder it was him. Having someone who already harbored resentment against Xue Huaiyuan sit in this position meant that without Yongning even reminding him, Feng Yutang would only torture Xue Huaiyuan even more viciously, thinking of every way to make Xue Huaiyuan wish for death rather than life.

Seeing Ye Mingyu block Jiang Li behind him, Feng Yutang’s gaze showed some disappointment. He coughed lightly and demanded, “Who comes here? You’ve been causing trouble everywhere in Tongxiang—what are your intentions?”

Right from the start, a label was slapped on them. The way he said it made it sound as if Jiang Li and the others were accomplices of a criminal minister—once a crime was defined, they could all be arrested together.

Ye Mingyu didn’t even think before saying, “Bored, wanted to inquire so we inquired. What about it? Does your Tongxiang also control common people’s idle chatter? Your authority reaches pretty far—do you also manage people’s eating, drinking, and relieving themselves?”

Feng Yutang flew into a rage. He apparently hadn’t expected Ye Mingyu to also be so difficult, and immediately was about to draw his waist sword and point it at Ye Mingyu. But Ye Mingyu’s eyes widened, and with one motion he drew the long knife from his waist, his fierce nature fully revealed.

Those who roamed the jianghu didn’t rely on soft hearts and gentle kindness—everyone was a ruthless character.

The soldiers all drew their weapons in unison. Ye Mingyu’s men all drew their weapons in unison. The two sides faced off, frightening the young waiter into hiding under a table.

In this tense standoff, the beauty laughed softly. Jiang Li walked forward. She extended one finger and gently, very gently, pushed the sword point aimed at Ye Mingyu to the side.

Her slender finger like a pale green onion shoot, white and soft, rested on the cold, hard, silver-gleaming sword point. Not only did it not appear fragile, it instead carried a clear, cold intent. Yet her smile was completely different from the sword point—warm and gentle. She wasn’t afraid of the soldiers at all. She said with a faint smile, “Uncle, stop joking. This officer, we’re not looking for the criminal minister Xue Huaiyuan.” She emphasized “criminal minister” heavily, paused, then said, “What we’re looking for is your superior.”

“Our superior?” Feng Yutang frowned. “What do you mean?”

“It’s very simple,” Jiang Li said. “I don’t know where your superior is, I don’t know how to invite him here, and I don’t know how to let him know we’ve arrived. I heard that as long as we mention the Xue family matter here, your superior will appear. So I mentioned it—how miraculous, and you came.”

She smiled sweetly, but the sarcasm in her words made these soldiers feel stifled inside. Their faces flushed red then pale, yet they couldn’t refute Jiang Li’s words. To refute would be protesting too much—how truly frustrating.

“Enough nonsense!” The lead soldier was somewhat embarrassed and angry. “What do you want with our superior? What are you scheming?”

“Actually, even if I didn’t come find your superior, once he learned I’d come to Tongxiang, he would definitely come invite me himself,” Jiang Li said nonchalantly. “But we’re pressed for time on this trip, so we’re in such a hurry to see him.”

Ye Mingyu said impatiently, “A-Li, why waste so many words on them? Quickly lead the way and let us meet this so-called superior!”

The soldier chief had probably never encountered people who regarded them so lightly. He sneered and said, “You want to see our superior so you can see him? Who do you think you are? Your words are arrogant, but who knows what relationship you have with the criminal minister Xue Huaiyuan.” He waved his hand. “Take them all away!”

Jiang Li smiled and asked back, “Are you certain you want to do this?”

The soldier chief looked at her disdainfully, about to say something, when he suddenly noticed a jade earring by Jiang Li’s earlobe and abruptly shut his mouth.

That jade earring was entirely emerald green, tender as if about to drip, obviously worth a fortune at a glance. He remembered that the most favored concubine of the current superior had a bracelet of inferior quality to this, and even that bracelet had cost the superior great sums of money to acquire.

This girl was only about fifteen or sixteen years old, yet her dress was extremely refined. Especially the gentle, spiritual air between her brows—she had a kind of nobility cultivated by wealthy families. Even walking on Tongxiang’s streets, she would be an extremely eye-catching presence. And the tall man beside her whom she called “Uncle”—clearly a rough man, yet on the handle of his long knife was a ruby the size of a pigeon’s egg.

This group had extraordinary status—at least they weren’t from ordinary families. The soldier’s heart lurched, and when he looked at Jiang Li again, he felt somewhat uncertain.

But in front of so many people, especially his own subordinates, to back down like this seemed too face-losing. After quickly weighing things in his mind, the soldier chief still decided to issue some more threats. But before he could speak, he saw the girl before him looking at her fingertips, saying quite casually, “If I were you, I’d lead the way while I’m still speaking nicely. Otherwise…” She raised her head and gave him a brilliant smile. “The one who’ll be unlucky definitely won’t be us.”

Her appearance was clearly gentle and harmless, but in that instant, the lead soldier indeed glimpsed malice in the girl’s smile. He had an intuition that if he really didn’t do as Jiang Li said, in the end, the result would very likely be as she described.

He didn’t want to be unlucky.

He looked Jiang Li and her group up and down several times, kept a stiff face, and rigidly spat out: “Take them to see the superior!” Probably feeling he’d lost face, he quickly walked to the front of the formation, unwilling to look at Jiang Li again.

Perhaps he also felt that even continuing to look wouldn’t give him the upper hand. In any case, in terms of presence, he couldn’t shake this delicate girl.

Ye Mingyu gave Jiang Li a meaningful look and said in a low voice, “Not bad, A-Li! That composed demeanor even when Mount Tai collapses before you—very much like my style back in the day. Excellent!”

Tong’er patted her chest. “Miss, you scared this servant to death. Those soldiers were so fierce… Yet you still dared to confront them directly.”

Jiang Li smiled faintly. “Paper tigers, that’s all.” She had grown up with Xue Huaiyuan and had seen plenty of soldiers. Those uncles and brothers, once they took off their official uniforms, were just the most ordinary common people. They would buy her candy and pat her head before going to fight the bullies who picked on her.

Jiang Li had originally been most familiar with people wearing official uniforms.

But the soldiers who came today weren’t those familiar uncles and brothers—every face was completely strange. Without doubt, Xue Huaiyuan’s men had all been purged and replaced. What remained now were all people who obeyed the current “superior.”

She wanted to see just what kind of person dared to act so tyrannically in Tongxiang, creating this situation of “communicating only with glances,” eagerly serving as Princess Yongning’s watchdog—this so-called “superior.”

…

Jiang Li looked at him, her gaze calm as she stared at Feng Yutang.

Back when Xue Huaiyuan detested Feng Yutang, it was because Feng Yutang was greedy and shameless. Jiang Li detested Feng Yutang because when she was still Xue Fangfei, every time she went to find her father and encountered Feng Yutang, he would look at her with sticky, clammy eyes that clung to her. She extremely hated that kind of gaze—as if becoming someone’s prey. She could only keep a respectful distance.

After so many years, Feng Yutang, who now used his powerful connections to become county magistrate, still hadn’t changed his nature. But this time, she wouldn’t keep a respectful distance—she had to strip away a layer of his skin.

“We haven’t caused trouble,” Jiang Li said with a smile. “We just came to see you, Superior.”

Her words were soft and gentle, her expression much gentler than Ye Mingyu’s, and she was an elegant beauty. Feng Yutang’s lustful gaze swept over Jiang Li’s body. Though his tone softened, it still carried several parts of borrowed arrogance as he said, “Oh? You’ve come to see this official—for what purpose?”

These people obviously weren’t from Tongxiang, yet they were inquiring everywhere about Xue Huaiyuan’s matter. He had received instructions from the start, so naturally he didn’t dare take it lightly. Unexpectedly, his subordinates reported that these people didn’t seem like ordinary folk and had specifically come to see him. Feng Yutang hadn’t been an official long, but he was well-versed in such ways. This back-and-forth exchange was actually probing. But the result of the probing didn’t let him learn anything—instead, he became even more confused.

Jiang Li looked at him, parted her vermilion lips slightly, and spoke a sentence: “We’ve come to see Magistrate Feng to understand why the former Tongxiang County Magistrate Xue Huaiyuan was imprisoned.”

At these words, everyone in the room fell silent.

What Ye Mingyu and the others didn’t understand was how, when no one along the way had mentioned this superior’s surname or given name, Jiang Li knew to call him “Magistrate Feng” as soon as she arrived. When had she learned this? Had she heard it early on?

What shocked Feng Yutang, however, was that Jiang Li actually dared to ask this question right to his face!

In Tongxiang now, no one dared ask this question. When the soldiers brought Jiang Li here earlier, they said she had inquired about the Xue family matter in order to see him. But now, having seen him, she said she’d come to see him in order to ask about the Xue family matter.

She was toying with them!

Rage and humiliation at being played immediately surged in Feng Yutang’s heart. He shouted, “To actually ask about the criminal minister Xue family matter right to this official’s face—this official thinks you’re accomplices of the Xue family! Someone, arrest all these Xue family accomplices!”

The surrounding soldiers immediately moved to arrest them.

Ye Mingyu drew his long knife in one motion, shouting loudly, “Whoever dares move, I’ll chop his head to pieces!”

Ye Mingyu still had some skill at intimidation. One full-throated angry roar nearly made Feng Yutang unable to sit steady. He steadied his crooked hat, saying in exasperation, “What are you standing around for? Act!”

Just then, Jiang Li suddenly laughed softly.

In such a dangerous moment, the beauty’s soft laugh was like a dark-colored crabapple blooming in an abyss flashing with blade light—delicate mixed with ferocity, stunning beauty mixed with cold light.

Everyone couldn’t help but look at her.

Feng Yutang stared even more intently, licking his lips.

It wasn’t that Tongxiang had no beauties, but they were all petty beauties. There had been one Xue Fangfei before, already a supreme treasure among treasures, but before he could think of a way to get his hands on her, she’d been sent away by Xue Huaiyuan. Later, Xue Fangfei married far away to Yanking, and he’d regretted it for a long time. If Xue Fangfei were still alive now, he would definitely get her into his manor and indulge in pleasure daily.

Seeing Feng Yutang’s drifting, unfocused gaze, Jiang Li knew what he was scheming. Suppressing her inner disgust, her face instead broke into a smile as she said, “Magistrate Feng, I am Jiang Li.”

Feng Yutang looked at her. “What Jiang Li?”

“I mean,” Jiang Li said deliberately, “my name is Jiang Li.”

Jiang Li? Feng Yutang thought through his mind. Tongxiang wasn’t large—he could name most of its people. Even those he couldn’t name, he could at least recognize by face. But Jiang Li was definitely not from Tongxiang, because such an outstanding woman, if she were from Tongxiang, he wouldn’t have missed her from the start.

At this point, Feng Yutang actually relaxed. Though that big fellow looked fierce, two fists couldn’t defeat four hands—sooner or later he wouldn’t be able to leave this yamen. This little beauty looked quite tasteful—why not keep her and savor her slowly? For now, consider it a game, playing along with her for fun.

He said unhurriedly, “What? Does the young miss tell this official her name so that this official will remember you and call your name?” These words carried three parts ambiguity.

The hall full of soldiers burst into boisterous laughter. Where was this like a county yamen? It was more like a gathering place for street thugs and rogues, full of riffraff.

Hearing this, Ye Mingyu became even more furious and cursed, “You dog of an official, how dare you!” At this moment, he also secretly felt regret in his heart. Earlier, he had confidently brought Jiang Li here, thinking that after all it was a county yamen—no matter how excessive, on the surface they’d have to put on a show. Just like Tong Zhiyang in Xiangyang, who still had to worry about public opinion. He hadn’t expected Tongxiang’s county magistrate to be so shameless—calling him a street thug wouldn’t be going too far. He even dared to molest Jiang Li openly in the public hall—his audacity knew no bounds!

Jiang Li looked coldly at Feng Yutang’s smug appearance. Feng Yutang had replaced all the soldiers who’d followed Xue Huaiyuan with his own people. What kind of person had what kind of dogs—Yongning was cruel and vicious, so she had cunning villains like Feng Yutang as dogs. Feng Yutang was greedy and lustful, so he had a pack of revolting “soldiers.”

They’d turned this hall under broad daylight into a filthy, degrading place.

Jiang Li said, “Magistrate Feng is the authority in Tongxiang, knowing the name of every common person—truly a good official, busy with official duties daily. It’s natural you don’t recognize me, since this isn’t Yanking after all.”

Feng Yutang had been listening to Jiang Li speak with a somewhat smug smile, but when he heard the last few words, his smile gradually faded. He asked, “Yanking?”

Jiang Li looked at him with a faint smile.

Feng Yutang’s heart skipped a beat. Of course he knew Yanking—the noble personage who promoted him was a noble from Yanking. What, could this clear-browed, pretty little beauty before him also be a noble from Yanking, perhaps sent by that master? No, no, impossible. If that master sent someone, there’d be no need to ask about the Xue family matter. This little beauty clearly didn’t come to add insult to Xue Huaiyuan’s injury.

His heart filled with suspicion and uncertainty, he asked aloud, “Who are you from Yanking?”

Ye Mingyu could see clearly now and simply crossed his arms, standing beside Jiang Li as if watching a show. Though he didn’t like the bureaucratic coldness and rigidity of official circles, he had to admit that sometimes, an official title was quite useful—especially when encountering this kind of dog who looked down on people. It worked every single time.

Jiang Li smiled and said, “Even if Magistrate Feng hasn’t met him, you should have heard of the current Chief Minister’s reputation. Unfortunately, I am the legitimate daughter of Chief Minister Jiang, second in the Jiang family. Magistrate Feng should address me as Second Miss Jiang.”

Her tone was neither light nor heavy, neither cold nor warm, yet it carried just the right amount of mockery. Though she smiled, there was a kind of looking-down-from-above disdain.

Feng Yutang was stunned. The soldiers surrounding Ye Mingyu were also instantly frightened. They might be local tyrants in Tongxiang, but they also knew who Jiang Yuanbai was. At his height, nearly half the court officials were Jiang Yuanbai’s students. In a place like Tongxiang, Jiang Yuanbai was a legendary figure. Now that Jiang Li claimed to be Jiang Yuanbai’s daughter, that made her a proper daughter of the Chief Minister. What would be the consequences of offending the Chief Minister’s daughter? These people didn’t even dare think about it.

“You, you, you…” Feng Yutang said several “you”s in succession, unable to get words out.

Jiang Li’s inner contempt grew stronger. Even making Feng Yutang a county magistrate couldn’t change his nature of bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Once he encountered someone of higher status than himself, his presence softened by half.

Perhaps she should thank Jiang Yuanbai—at least the title of Second Miss Jiang could save her considerable trouble.

“Second, Second Miss Jiang,” sweat appeared on Feng Yutang’s forehead. He called out stiffly, “You’ve come to see this humble official—for what purpose?”

Ye Mingyu laughed out loud with a “pft”—from “this official” to “humble official,” Feng Yutang’s face changed quite quickly. That such a person could become county magistrate made him feel sympathy for Tongxiang’s common people.

“Haven’t I already said?” Jiang Li replied. “I’ve come to find Magistrate Feng to ask why the Xue family was sealed, why Magistrate Xue was imprisoned.”

Feng Yutang looked at Jiang Li, his mind rapidly calculating. From this single sentence, he could determine she was definitely not one of Princess Yongning’s people. How would Princess Yongning’s people not know about the Xue family matter? But Second Miss Jiang suddenly coming here to ask about this—he didn’t know if it was a whim or if she had another purpose.

But he absolutely couldn’t bungle the task Princess Yongning had assigned.

Feng Yutang said seriously, “The Xue family was sealed because the criminal minister Xue Huaiyuan embezzled disaster relief silver. The evidence is irrefutable. The court severely punishes corrupt officials, which is why he was imprisoned.”

“Oh?” This was the answer Jiang Li had already anticipated. She asked, “The evidence is irrefutable?”

“Correct.”

“I see,” Jiang Li nodded, somewhat helplessly saying, “Then there’s no helping it.”

Feng Yutang’s heart leaped with joy. Before he could speak, he saw Jiang Li raise her head again, smiling as she looked at him. “In that case, Magistrate Feng, may I go see this criminal minister Xue Huaiyuan?”

Feng Yutang froze. Ye Mingyu also looked at Jiang Li in surprise.

“Second Miss Jiang, how could you…” Feng Yutang’s words weren’t finished when, seeing Jiang Li’s composed expression, his heart stirred and he suddenly understood. Second Miss Jiang couldn’t possibly be acting on a whim. How could the dignified daughter of the Chief Minister attach such importance to a prisoner? Though she didn’t press about Xue Huaiyuan’s matter, she proposed to see Xue Huaiyuan—she was going to ruin things!

Remembering his master’s instructions, Feng Yutang said, “Second Miss Jiang, according to Northern Yan law, death row prisoners cannot receive visitors.”

“Death row?” Jiang Li’s smile instantly vanished completely.

“Yes,” Feng Yutang said. “According to the case files, the criminal minister Xue Huaiyuan should have been executed half a year ago. It’s just that later he suddenly lost his sanity, which delayed things for a period. But now, seven days from now, he’s to be beheaded at the noon gate.”

Ye Mingyu, Tong’er, and Bai Xue all looked toward Jiang Li together.

Though they didn’t quite understand what Jiang Li was trying to do, one thing was now clear to everyone—Jiang Li wanted to overturn Magistrate Xue Huaiyuan’s conviction and rescue him from prison. But now Feng Yutang was saying Xue Huaiyuan would be executed in seven days? Had Jiang Li made this trip for nothing?

Jiang Li sneered inwardly. Delayed for a period? More likely Yongning wanted to torture Xue Huaiyuan for a longer period. Now that enough time had passed and Xue Fangfei was already dead, further torturing Xue Huaiyuan held little interest for Yongning, which was why she would so readily “execute” him.

“Magistrate Feng wouldn’t be deceiving me, would he?” Jiang Li smiled faintly. “It’s not that you’re afraid I’ll do something for Magistrate Xue, creating complications, so you hastily made this decision? The so-called execution in seven days was perhaps a decision made just a moment ago?”

Feng Yutang was caught in a bind, unable to defend himself. He suddenly thought of something, his eyes rolling as he said with a fake smile, “This is true. If Second Miss Jiang doesn’t believe it, you can write a letter back to Yanking City to inquire with your superiors. However… there’s something I also don’t understand. You say you’re Second Miss Jiang, but do you have proof? If you have no proof and are impersonating the family member of a court official, do you know what crime that is?”

“Of course I know what crime that is. However, whether or not I’m truly Second Miss Jiang—can’t Magistrate Feng tell?” Jiang Li asked back.

Feng Yutang looked at Jiang Li, his palms sweating.

His intuition told him that this clear-headed little beauty was indeed the real Second Miss Jiang. Never mind anything else—just her confidence alone left no room for doubt. However, he couldn’t just admit it like this. Second Miss Jiang clearly came for the Xue family and seemed intent on protecting them. Having received orders from Princess Yongning, he absolutely couldn’t let this happen. He could only pretend not to believe her, act first and report later. At worst, he could apologize to Second Miss Jiang afterward—at most he’d get blamed for failing to recognize someone important. But if he let Xue Huaiyuan escape, when Princess Yongning blamed him, ten heads wouldn’t be enough to lose.

Moreover, behind him stood Princess Yongning, the younger sister of the current Prince Cheng. So what if Second Miss Jiang’s father was the Chief Minister? In the end, he was just a subject. That Prince Cheng might become Emperor in the future. Against Prince Cheng, wouldn’t Jiang Yuanbai still have to yield three parts? If Second Miss Jiang really pressed the matter, he’d just bring up Princess Yongning. Who was afraid of whom?

Thinking this through, Feng Yutang’s heart settled again. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Jiang Li call out “Magistrate Feng.”

“Magistrate Feng,” Jiang Li said indifferently, “I advise you not to harbor thoughts of pretending not to believe my identity and apologizing afterward. In fact, to prevent this very situation, I specifically brought my father’s token.” She slowly drew out a token from her sleeve, casually twirling it in her hand, yet allowing people to clearly see the writing on it—undoubtedly Jiang Yuanbai’s seal.

Feng Yutang’s heart sank.

With this, even if he wanted to feign blindness, it would be impossible. With such evidence, he had no choice but to acknowledge Jiang Li’s identity as the Chief Minister’s daughter. And with such status, Jiang Li’s words and actions would no longer be restricted—she would have more freedom.

This was not a good thing.

While he was thinking of countermeasures, he heard Jiang Li’s calm voice again.

Jiang Li said, “I know Magistrate Feng’s master has considerable backing, which allows Magistrate Feng to act without restraint. But there’s a saying Magistrate Feng should have heard: when immortals fight, little ghosts suffer.”

“Whether Magistrate Feng is an immortal or a little ghost, you should have some self-awareness,” she said.