“I want to make a trip to Tongxiang.”
Ye Mingyu froze.
Jiang Li’s gaze was resolute. She had already thought it through—no matter what, knowing her father was suffering in prison, she couldn’t bear to delay his rescue even a moment longer. Right now she was staying with the Ye family, and she was a living person—she couldn’t just disappear without explanation. She had to tell the Ye family members. Otherwise, Old Madam Ye would worry as well.
It was just that finding a seamless reason was truly too difficult. As Second Miss Jiang, she should be visiting Xiangyang “for the first time,” let alone Tongxiang. Tongxiang should be just a strange place to her, somewhere she hadn’t even heard of. She had no reason to have any friends or relatives there. No matter how one looked at it, any lie would be full of holes.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Ye Mingyu immediately asked in surprise, “What are you going to Tongxiang for?”
“To be honest with you, Uncle, it’s a long story. I was entrusted by an old friend to settle a matter close to her heart. She has a sweetheart in Tongxiang. Knowing I was coming to Xiangyang, she asked if I could help deliver a message for her. These past days the Ye family had matters to attend to, so I forgot about this. Now that things have mostly been resolved, I remembered and decided to go to Tongxiang to find my friend’s sweetheart.”
After saying this, Jiang Li herself felt embarrassed. She had never told such a clumsy lie in her life, yet she truly couldn’t think of any better alternative.
Ye Mingyu stared at Jiang Li for a while, then after a long moment, he sighed and said, “A-Li, if you have something you find hard to talk about and it’s inconvenient to say, then don’t say it. Why rack your brains for such a reason? Even I can tell.”
Jiang Li’s cheeks flushed slightly. Though Ye Mingyu acted rough and bold, he wasn’t a fool. If he were truly slow and dull, how could he have survived in the cutthroat jianghu until now? He would have been tripped up by someone long ago and fallen somewhere unable to get back up.
“A-Li, I know sometimes there are things that are difficult to tell others, even family members. That’s fine—I won’t force you to say it. I’m different from Big Brother and Second Brother. We jianghu people don’t force others into difficult positions. When you want to talk about it, you naturally will. If you can’t talk about it, there must be a reason you can’t. Although I don’t know what you’re going to Tongxiang for, I imagine you’re a girl with your own mind and won’t act recklessly.”
Ye Mingyu paused, then continued, “But that reason you just gave—if you took it before Big Brother and Second Brother, it absolutely wouldn’t work. Especially Second Brother—he has just as many schemes as you do. Even I don’t believe what you said, so how could you fool him with it?”
What Ye Mingyu said wasn’t wrong. Ye Minghui and Ye Mingxuan from the Ye family, perhaps because they did business, weren’t easily deceived.
Jiang Li sighed quietly to herself.
She really didn’t want to deceive others, but some things truly couldn’t be spoken of.
Seeing Jiang Li’s troubled expression, Ye Mingyu suddenly patted his chest and said, “Don’t worry! I’m your uncle, so of course I won’t sit idly by regarding your affairs. Leave this matter to me. You want to go to Tongxiang—I’ll figure out a way to convince Mother and my brothers. You just come with me!”
“Come with you?” Jiang Li was surprised.
“Of course! You don’t think you, a young girl, could go alone to an unfamiliar place? Even if you’re bold, our family wouldn’t be at ease! How about you choose between Big Brother, Second Brother, and me—who do you want to accompany you?”
Jiang Li was speechless. If she really had to choose, she could only go with Ye Mingyu. Ye Mingxuan and Ye Minghui were too shrewd—they would inevitably suspect the truth. Ye Mingyu had the straightforward boldness of someone who wore his heart on his sleeve and didn’t like prying into others’ private affairs. Moreover… on this journey, she truly didn’t know what dangers she might encounter. Having Ye Mingyu by her side was certainly better than being alone.
She said, “Then I must thank Uncle Mingyu.”
Ye Mingyu was so delighted his eyebrows nearly flew off his face. He said, “Hey, don’t worry! A-Li, ever since you came to Xiangyang, you encountered our family in trouble. It’s always been you helping our family. I’m a grown man, yet I still need a young girl’s help—if word got out, my brothers would laugh at me. If you can use me, your Uncle Mingyu will naturally spare no effort to help.”
Jiang Li hesitated slightly before saying, “I know this matter is somewhat improper, but Uncle Mingyu, I was thinking that if possible, the sooner we can go the better. Arriving in Tongxiang even a moment earlier would be good.”
She couldn’t wait any longer.
A flash of confusion crossed Ye Mingyu’s face, but he quickly scratched his head and said, “Alright, you’ve never asked for anything before, this small request… Uncle will make it happen for you right away!” He suddenly stood up, tossing out a sentence: “You go pack up some things first, wait for me.” Then he left.
Jiang Li hadn’t expected Ye Mingyu to be so swift and decisive, but this was a good thing for her, so she got up and instructed Tong’er and Bai Xue outside the door, saying, “Let’s pack up our things.”
Before coming to the Ye family, Jiang Li hadn’t brought much luggage to begin with. Since the Ye family lacked nothing, packing up was particularly quick.
After Tong’er and Bai Xue finished packing, both were somewhat confused. Tong’er asked, “Miss, are we really going to Tongxiang? Is Tongxiang fun?”
Tong’er had been with Jiang Li all these years, and this was the first time she’d even heard of a place called Tongxiang. Not knowing what Jiang Li was going to do there, she assumed Tongxiang must be fun and that Jiang Li and Ye Mingyu were going there to enjoy themselves.
Jiang Li smiled and said, “How should I put it? It’s reasonably interesting, but we’re not going there to have fun.”
“Not to have fun?” Bai Xue was surprised. Just as she was about to ask more, she saw Ah Fu from Ye Mingxuan’s service standing outside, saying, “Young Miss, Old Madam and the masters request your presence in the main hall.”
Jiang Li smiled. Ye Mingyu’s actions were even faster than she’d imagined. She immediately said to Tong’er and Bai Xue, “Take the bundles, let’s go.”
Tong’er and Bai Xue quickly followed. When the group arrived outside the Ye family’s main hall, from far away they could see Ye Mingyu arguing about something with Ye Mingxuan and Ye Minghui, occasionally being scolded a few times by Old Madam Ye sitting on the couch. Seeing Jiang Li arrive, Ye Mingyu’s eyes lit up and he quickly said, “A-Li? You’re here! Perfect timing, come quickly and tell Mother—you’re willing to go to Tongxiang with me, right?”
Seeing Ye Mingyu give her a meaningful look, Jiang Li understood and smiled, saying, “Yes, I’m very willing to go to Tongxiang with Uncle Mingyu.”
“Dear child,” Old Madam Ye seemed somewhat anxious, “why are you going along with his nonsense? Your Third Uncle is just a troublemaker who spends his days wandering the streets. If you follow him, who knows what he’s going to Tongxiang for, and he’s taking you along—you might suffer hardships and grievances.”
In just a few words, Jiang Li immediately understood what Ye Mingyu’s plan was. Ye Mingyu probably truly thought Jiang Li’s clumsy lie was terrible, so he simply made up his own. He said that he himself needed to go to Tongxiang on business and needed Jiang Li’s help, so he proposed taking Jiang Li along to Tongxiang. Since Ye Mingyu didn’t do proper work in the Ye family, no one would specifically ask what exactly he was going to do. Even if they asked, Ye Mingyu could make up a whole bunch of reasons—nothing that came from his mouth would be surprising. But others’ criticism would be directed at Ye Mingyu, and no one would think Jiang Li was at fault.
Because Jiang Li was “being” taken away by Ye Mingyu.
Realizing this, Jiang Li cast a grateful look at Ye Mingyu. Ye Mingyu had considered everything thoroughly, protecting her, and she was very thankful.
Apparently stimulated by Jiang Li’s grateful gaze, Ye Mingyu immediately responded loudly, “Mother, that’s not fair! I’m A-Li’s uncle—could I harm A-Li? Absolutely not! And with me by her side, who would dare bully A-Li!”
“Having you by her side makes us even more worried,” Ye Mingxuan said irritably. “No, really, why do you need A-Li’s help out of the blue? A-Li is just a young girl, and you’re such a grown man, yet you’re asking a young girl for help—aren’t you ashamed?!”
“Second Brother, don’t try to sow discord here,” Ye Mingyu refused to back down. “So what if she’s a young girl? Never mind anything else, this time with the ancient fragrance satin matter, didn’t we rely on A-Li to resolve the trouble? Young girl, hmph—A-Li isn’t an ordinary young girl. She’s incredibly capable. Having A-Li’s help, I’m delighted—what’s there to be ashamed of!”
Ye Mingxuan was stunned speechless by Ye Mingyu’s shamelessness. Ye Minghui said sternly, “Nonsense! No matter what, if you want to mess around by yourself, fine, but don’t drag A-Li into it! Otherwise, just tell us exactly what you’re going to do?”
Ye Jia’er and Ye Rufeng kept looking back and forth between them. Although what Ye Mingyu said was somewhat excessive, the younger generation of the Ye family all enjoyed spending time with Ye Mingyu ordinarily, so they truly couldn’t bring themselves to kick him when he was down.
“Uncle Minghui, Uncle Mingxuan,” Jiang Li spoke up. “I’ve indeed discussed this matter with Uncle Mingyu. As for what we’re going to do, let’s not force Uncle Mingyu about that. I don’t mind. I came to Xiangyang this time wanting to walk around more and see more. I’ve never been to Tongxiang, so this time I can follow Uncle Mingyu and broaden my horizons. Besides, we’re all family—what’s all this talk about helping or not helping? I’m not afraid of trouble. In the future, if I have troubles, I might still need to rely on Uncle Mingyu and all of you for help.”
Ye Mingyu watched Jiang Li from the side, marveling to himself. People who’d studied in great households really were different—even unreasonable demands could be made to sound so logical and refined. Look at Big Brother and Second Brother, the most difficult to deal with—weren’t they now at a loss for words?
Guan Shi couldn’t help but say, “But we’re worried about you…”
Ye Mingyu’s eyes rolled upward. They worried about Jiang Li but not him—was he picked up by Old Madam Ye? Was he a fake member of the Ye family?
“You don’t need to worry about me,” Jiang Li smiled gently. “I swear to Grandmother and my uncles and aunts that Uncle Mingyu is definitely not going to mess around, but rather to do proper business. And there won’t be any danger.”
Her expression was gentle, her words sincere, always making it easy for people to involuntarily believe what she said. If the same words came from Ye Mingyu’s mouth, probably no one would believe them.
Old Madam Ye sighed and was the first to speak. She said, “Since you’ve already made up your mind, A-Li, then go ahead and do it.” She looked at Jiang Li with affection and said, “Don’t blame your uncles and aunts for talking too much—they’re truly worried that you, a young girl, won’t be able to handle things.”
Jiang Li took Old Madam Ye’s hand and smiled, saying, “I know. Grandmother, I’ve already grown up and can protect myself.”
Hearing this, Old Madam Ye felt dazed, as if she saw Ye Zhenzhen again from years ago, with her lovely face and jade-like beauty. When she was about to marry Jiang Yuanbai, Old Master Ye had worried she would suffer grievances after marrying over. Ye Zhenzhen had pouted and said in a sweet, coquettish voice, “Zhenzhen has already grown up and can protect herself.”
In the end, she hadn’t been able to protect herself.
Old Madam Ye’s heart ached, and she nearly shed tears. She patted Jiang Li’s hand and said, “In that case, you should go and return quickly.” She had a maid come over to help her walk toward the inner chamber.
Jiang Li fell silent.
She sensed it—Old Madam Ye must have been reminded of past events. In fact, everyone in the Ye family should have sensed it. Ye Mingyu broke the somber atmosphere with a shout, “Everyone agrees, right? Since everyone agrees, we won’t stay any longer—we’re in a hurry. A-Li, let’s go! Listen to Mother’s words—go and return quickly!”
Ye Minghui gave him a look and said, “Take good care of A-Li!”
…
The wish to leave Xiangyang for Tongxiang was realized so easily.
Sitting in the carriage, Jiang Li felt somewhat unreal about it all.
This time, returning from Yanking City to Xiangyang, her ultimate purpose was nothing more than to inquire about her father’s whereabouts and personally make a trip back to Tongxiang. If she could burn incense for her father, that would be good. She had never imagined she might see her father again, and her heart was secretly excited beyond control.
From Xiangyang to Tongxiang was roughly a day’s journey. Departing this afternoon, they would rest overnight at a roadside inn, and arrive the next afternoon. The traveling party wasn’t very large. Jiang Li didn’t want to bring the Jiang family’s guards, because those guards might not be loyal to her. Although they would protect her safety, they would inevitably restrict her actions. So Ye Minghui selected several of the most skilled guards from the Ye family to accompany them, along with Jiang Li’s maids and Ye Mingyu’s servant Ah Shun.
When night came, they rested at a roadside inn.
The Ye family’s movements, though discreet, didn’t escape the notice of their neighbors next door.
In the residence, Ji Heng was watering flowers by the flower bed.
The fine-necked brass watering can was lightly gripped in his hand. The flowers in the bed were a riot of purples and crimsons—their variety unknown. He rarely had such leisurely refined interest. Standing in the night, he gently tilted the teapot. The crystalline water droplets from the pot were like transparent gemstones, or like a beaded curtain, falling drop by drop onto the petals, rolling down the stems, and disappearing into the soil.
Only a faint fragrance remained in the air.
Lu Ji stood behind Ji Heng, his green robe stirring slightly in the wind. The black-clothed guard’s voice was flat and emotionless as he said, “Third Master Ye has accompanied Second Miss Jiang and departed for Tongxiang.”
He said Third Master Ye had accompanied Second Miss Jiang, not that Second Miss Jiang was accompanying Third Master Ye. In other words, the person leading this trip to Tongxiang was Jiang Li, not Ye Mingyu.
Ji Heng made a sound of acknowledgment.
He continued watering the flowers very attentively, as if this was the only thing in the world worthy of such careful treatment, unable to spare even a moment’s distraction.
Winter flowers blooming were especially bewitching, with a kind of jarring incongruity, a beautiful desolation. He carefully watered them one by one, taking half a shichen. Extending his hand, a servant took the brass watering can from him. Ji Heng drew out a handkerchief from his sleeve and carefully wiped his fingers.
He turned and looked at Wen Ji. “They left overnight?”
Wen Ji said, “Yes.”
Ji Heng laughed softly. “She truly couldn’t wait even a moment.”
Lu Ji stood in the shadows and couldn’t help but ask, “My lord, this time Jiang Li is going to Tongxiang—this should be what she plotted with Qiongzhi at Xihualou, correct?”
After Jiang Li met with Qiongzhi at Xihualou, she became distracted, then immediately went to Tongxiang with Ye Mingyu. No matter how one looked at it, they were connected.
“She came to Xiangyang for this Tongxiang trip,” Ji Heng said with a smile. “Guarding against the Jiang family, hiding from the Ye family—her ultimate goal will soon come to light. Just wait and see.”
Lu Ji shook his head. “But this Second Miss Jiang’s methods are truly unpredictable. Even if we know what she’s done, we may not know why she’s doing it.”
Just as he was speaking, a handsome-looking young servant came from outside and said respectfully, “My lord, the carriages and horses are ready.”
Lu Ji was startled and looked at Ji Heng. “My lord is leaving?”
Ji Heng glanced at the brilliantly blooming flowers in the bed and smiled. “Yes.”
“Where to?”
“Tongxiang.”
“Tongxiang?” Lu Ji was even more confused. “My lord wants to observe Jiang Li?”
“No,” Ji Heng said softly. “To watch the show.”
…
Early the next morning, the Ye family’s carriage set out on the road again.
Ye Mingyu apparently understood the urgency in Jiang Li’s heart and rushed their journey. Tong’er and Bai Xue found it strange and asked Jiang Li if Ye Mingyu really had some particularly urgent matter—otherwise why would he push so hard?
Jiang Li knew Ye Mingyu was doing this for her sake, and she was very grateful. No matter what, Ye Mingyu was doing his utmost to help her. She hoped the Ye family could grow stronger and become her solid support, but she also didn’t want to drag the Ye family into unrelated conflicts.
Without doubt, Xue Huaiyuan’s imprisonment was Yongning’s doing. Now that the common people of Tongxiang were so reticent about Xue Huaiyuan’s matter, there must be others involved as well. If she barged in so recklessly, she would be breaking the other party’s rules. Having received instructions from Yongning, they would superficially pretend to respect her as the Chief Minister’s daughter, but in reality wouldn’t take her seriously at all.
Once old accounts were reopened and the threads followed all the way up, it would eventually involve Yongning. Yongning would sooner or later learn she was investigating Xue Huaiyuan’s matter. Having dealt with Yongning before, Jiang Li knew Yongning’s temperament. She wouldn’t hold back just because Jiang Li was Jiang Yuanbai’s daughter. She would only use any means necessary, employing every vicious and vile method to achieve her goals.
This journey to Tongxiang would be fraught with difficulties. In a sense, she was alone and could only fight this battle by herself.
But she wouldn’t retreat. Never.
Because Ye Mingyu pushed the journey so hard, when they were about to reach Tongxiang, it was only just past noon.
On this winter day, Ye Mingyu had actually worked up a sweat. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with a cloth and had Jiang Li lift the curtain to look, saying, “A-Li, look—Tongxiang is just ahead.”
Tong’er and Bai Xue looked out. When they could clearly see the situation ahead, Tong’er couldn’t help but say, “So this is Tongxiang—it’s not as prosperous as Xiangyang.”
In the distance was Tongxiang’s main street. The street wasn’t as wide as Xiangyang’s, let alone Yanking City’s. On both sides were various shops scattered here and there, with many vendors setting up stalls on the street, selling things like candied hawthorn on sticks and other trinkets.
Hearing Tong’er’s words, Ye Mingyu said, “It’s much better now! In the past, Tongxiang was the poorest county in Xiangyang. Common people’s families had only one pair of shoes that brothers and sisters had to take turns wearing. Never mind having shops and the like—peddlers would come in once a month, and that counted as commerce. Later, Tongxiang got a county magistrate who was quite a capable and good official. He stayed here for over ten years, and Tongxiang gradually became prosperous. Although it can’t compare to Xiangyang, if you’d seen Tongxiang before, you’d be amazed.”
Jiang Li froze, suddenly hearing Ye Mingyu mention Xue Huaiyuan’s deeds. She didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. An unfamiliar emotion surged up from her throat, forcing her to lower her head slightly to hide her reddening eyes from others’ view.
After composing herself a bit, Jiang Li asked softly, “How is that county magistrate now?”
“How is he now?” Ye Mingyu scratched his head. “What do you mean how? Just however, I guess. I’ve never met that county magistrate—I only heard about him from others. Besides, it’s been so many years since I came to Tongxiang, and I spend most of my time away from Xiangyang, so I don’t know about these things! But I’d guess that since he governed so well, he probably got promoted long ago and went off to be a high official!”
A bitter smile appeared at the corner of Jiang Li’s mouth.
The reality was quite the opposite. Not only had Xue Huaiyuan not achieved success and advancement, he had become a prisoner instead. This was truly absurd.
“Let’s go,” Ye Mingyu urged the carriage convoy forward.
Tongxiang wasn’t like Yanking City or Xiangyang, which had soldiers guarding the city gates. Perhaps because there were also few people entering and leaving Tongxiang, the stone statues at the city gate had even accumulated a layer of dust. There were no gate guards, only occasionally a few herb gatherers with baskets on their backs, probably returning from gathering medicinal herbs in the mountains, passing by the gate. Sometimes they cast curious glances at Ye Mingyu’s group, probably because their faces were unfamiliar.
Tongxiang was very small. The common people were almost all acquainted—even if they couldn’t call out names, they could at least find faces familiar. Just upon entering, Tong’er and Bai Xue only felt it wasn’t as lively as Xiangyang or Yanking, but it could still be considered having simple folk customs, with a special down-to-earth feeling.
Ye Mingyu walked to the side of the carriage and asked Jiang Li, “A-Li, where do you want to go?” He handed the decision-making power over to Jiang Li, apparently letting Jiang Li freely do what she needed to do.
Jiang Li thought for a moment and said, “With so many of us, it’s also inconvenient to move about. Let’s first find a place to stay.”
“Alright, should we stay at an inn…” Before Ye Mingyu could finish, he heard Jiang Li interrupt him. “Staying at an inn here isn’t convenient. It would be better to find lodgings and rent them for a period of time.”
Ye Mingyu frowned. “Rent? A-Li, are you planning to stay here for a long time?”
“I don’t know either,” Jiang Li’s tone carried some melancholy. “Let’s just see how it goes.” Xue Huaiyuan’s matter indeed couldn’t be resolved in just a few days. How long it would drag on was truly impossible to judge right now. She couldn’t give up, so she had to be prepared to stay here for the long haul.
Hearing this, Ye Mingyu said, “In that case, let’s rent then.”
Jiang Li said, “I heard that Tongxiang has a place called Bluestone Alley, where the lodgings are quite good. Let’s head there.”
“No problem.” Ye Mingyu instructed one of the people in the carriage convoy, “Go find someone and ask which direction Bluestone Alley is in. We’ll head to Bluestone Alley right away.”
Jiang Li sat back in the carriage again.
Tong’er and Bai Xue curiously looked outside the carriage. Tongxiang was a small county, and here, Jiang Li didn’t need to worry about hiding her identity. There were virtually no people who could recognize her except for Ye Mingyu’s group. She didn’t need to wear the woven hat, so she didn’t restrict Tong’er and Bai Xue’s behavior either.
Bai Xue was fine—after all, she came from a farming family. But Tong’er was experiencing such a rural place for the first time. At first, she felt it wasn’t as prosperous as Yanking, but after looking for a while, she became captivated by the sugar sculptors and street performers on the roadside, and found Tongxiang interesting too.
The carriage wheels rolled toward Bluestone Alley.
That was the road most familiar to Jiang Li. The Xue residence, where she had once lived with her father and Xue Zhao, was there. She had walked the road from Tongxiang’s city gate to Bluestone Alley countless times. Later, she had left Bluestone Alley, but once she left, she never returned again. And when she did return, she had become Jiang Li, no longer A-Li.
Jiang Li seemed unusually silent.
The excited Tong’er and Bai Xue also noticed Jiang Li’s unusual state. Their voices gradually lowered, and they wanted to ask what was wrong with Jiang Li. But seeing that Jiang Li seemed immersed in her own emotions, the inquiry at their lips couldn’t be spoken. They could only sit carefully beside Jiang Li, worrying for her.
After who knows how long, the carriage stopped.
Ye Mingyu’s voice rang out outside the carriage. “A-Li, we’re here!”
Tong’er and Bai Xue jumped down from the carriage first, lifting the curtain and extending their hands to help Jiang Li down.
For an instant, Jiang Li felt both her hands trembling, along with her heart. She took a deep breath, placed her hand in Tong’er’s, and jumped down from the carriage.
Even the air was familiar.
The golden flower grass by the door emitted a familiar clear fragrance. On the bluestone slabs at the alley entrance were still small pits created by rain falling from the eaves. In the distance were sounds of children playing and laughing. Some curiously looked their way, with timid exploration, hiding behind stone lions.
The corner of Jiang Li’s mouth pulled into a smile, but this smile, in Ye Mingyu’s eyes, inexplicably carried some heartache.
Everything was familiar, everything was as it had been in her memories. Except for herself, nothing had ever changed.
“Let’s walk forward a bit,” Jiang Li said. Though these words were addressed to Ye Mingyu, before he could respond, she couldn’t help but walk forward on her own.
Soon, very soon—they would reach the Xue family home. She didn’t know what the Xue family home looked like now. She didn’t even dare to imagine. She had thought she would feel timid about approaching home, but when this moment truly arrived, she realized she couldn’t care about anything else. What hesitation was there? Following her instinct, she walked forward.
She was going home.
Ye Mingyu’s group quickly followed.
Suddenly, Jiang Li’s steps stopped.
Five or six paces in front of her was the gate of a residence. By the looks of it, the residence wasn’t large—compared to the Jiang and Ye family homes, it could even be called low and small. The green-tiled roof didn’t know if it was from wind and rain or disrepair, but some tiles had fallen off. The top was bare, and there was also a broken tree branch.
Though there was sunlight, it inexplicably gave one a feeling of desolation, as if the family had been ruined and scattered.
Ye Mingyu and his group, following close behind, saw Jiang Li standing in front of this residence without moving, and were all somewhat puzzled. Ye Mingyu said softly, “A-Li?”
“Mm.” Jiang Li’s mouth corners lifted, and tears instantly fell.
The Xue family’s gate was sealed with official notices. There was no more Xue family in this world.