“Shen Lang, what should we do now?” Princess Yongning asked.
By now, neither Prince Cheng nor Consort Liu had sent anyone to coordinate with her, not even to speak a few words, to comfort her, to simply ask her to wait—just one sentence would have been enough to settle Princess Yongning’s heart. But there was nothing. From beginning to end, since the Three Judicial Offices’ trial concluded, she hadn’t seen a single person on her side. Even when she invoked the names of Prince Cheng and Consort Liu, these people paid her no mind. The way they looked at her was like looking at someone already dead.
Princess Yongning finally felt fear, felt uncertainty about the future. In all her life, she had never imagined that one day she would find herself so helpless in a prison cell. In the Princess Manor, she had set up a private dungeon, using all manner of bizarre and cruel methods to torture people, listening to their screams, watching them unable to live yet unable to die—the more terrified they screamed, the more pleased she became, enjoying the thrill of controlling life and death.
Yet now, she had become the meat on the chopping block, a prisoner awaiting others to decide her fate. What an absurd thing this was, making her feel as if it were all a dream.
Without Prince Cheng, without Consort Liu, and stripped of her identity as a princess, she could only grasp at her sole lifeline—Shen Yurun. She pushed him through the bars: “Shen Lang, say something!”
Shen Yurun turned his head and looked at her coolly. Somehow, those dead-ash eyes, utterly devoid of emotion, suddenly made Princess Yongning afraid. She unconsciously released her grip on his sleeve.
“There’s no way,” Shen Yurun said. “I have no solution.”
Princess Yongning stood frozen for a moment, as if only just comprehending what he was saying. She shrieked: “How can there be no way? Things have come to this point—how can you say you have no solution? You’re lying to me, aren’t you? Aren’t you? You still have a way. We won’t die, right, Shen Lang?!”
Her desperate pleading, her fearful and frenzied expression fell into Shen Yurun’s eyes, and somehow, a trace of satisfaction flashed through his heart.
As if deliberately trying to crush her, Shen Yurun added: “I’m not lying to you. There truly is no way. Accept your fate, Yongning. This is retribution.”
…
Princess Yongning and Shen Yurun had been imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice’s dungeon. Death row prisoners were not allowed visitors.
In Fangfei Courtyard, Jiang Li sat at the table, gazing out the window lost in thought.
A light rain was falling outside. As February came to an end and early March began, rain in Yanjing City grew more frequent. The pattering raindrops struck the window sill, and some fine droplets touched her body—cool and soft. The earth, parched through an entire winter, was becoming moist again, already sprouting new green.
No further news had come from the palace. Prince Cheng and Consort Liu must have exhausted their options by now. Princess Yongning and Shen Yurun couldn’t possibly escape this calamity. The things she had initially set out to do seemed to have been accomplished. Clear her name of false accusations, find the true murderer of Xue Zhao, expose the villain’s evil deeds to the world, and avenge the Xue family—all these things she had accomplished, even saving her father’s life. But when it was all done, she didn’t feel the relief or satisfaction of achieving her goals. Instead, she felt desolate.
She didn’t know how much longer her life would last, unable to acknowledge her father despite being so close. The past could never be undone, and indeed there was no longer a person named Xue Fangfei in the world. In this lifetime, she had no desire to marry or bear children. Her youthful dream of traveling famous mountains and rivers was now even more impossible to fulfill as the Chief Minister’s daughter. Living—not living according to her own wishes—felt rather meaningless.
“Miss,” Tong’er came over to close the window, saying, “Have you decided what to send to the Duke’s Manor?”
Previously, when Jiang Li had gone to the Duke’s Manor to see Ji Heng, she had asked him to rescue Jiang Youyao from Princess Yongning’s private dungeon. Though the matter was ultimately accomplished differently than she’d imagined, it was done nonetheless. After much thought, Jiang Li found she didn’t know what she could give Ji Heng as thanks. That man lacked neither gold nor silver, nor could she provide him with any great beauty.
Along this journey, her initial hostility, wariness, and suspicion toward Ji Heng had—she didn’t know when—long since vanished into thin air. In their place was a trust she herself hadn’t noticed, perhaps even a slight dependence.
“I’ll think about it more,” Jiang Li said. “First I’ll go to Yaoguang Pavilion. I have something to say to Father.”
Since the Three Judicial Offices’ trial ended, Jiang Yuanbai hadn’t attended court again, spending all day at the manor keeping Jiang Youyao company. His heart was filled with guilt. He felt that if he hadn’t been so cold to Jiang Youyao initially, she wouldn’t have run out in a fit of pique and encountered such disaster. Now that she had gone mad, Jiang Yuanbai often stayed with her, as if trying to compensate for something.
Arriving at Yaoguang Pavilion, she indeed spotted Jiang Yuanbai in the courtyard at first glance.
Jiang Yuanbai sat at the edge of the courtyard, staring at Jiang Youyao in a daze. Surrounded by maids, Jiang Youyao sat on a soft stool, staring blankly at the sky. The eye from which her eyeball had been gouged was wrapped in thick white cloth, leaving only the other eye, which was also dull and confused, unaware of time, unable to recognize anyone.
Jiang Li’s footsteps paused at the courtyard’s edge as she said, “Father.”
Jiang Yuanbai looked toward the sound and, seeing it was Jiang Li, said, “Ah Li, why have you come?”
“I came to see Third Sister, and to see Father as well.” As Jiang Li spoke, she stepped forward. Jiang Youyao was completely oblivious to her presence. She was immersed in her own world, where no one could disturb her, no longer showing any trace of her formerly spoiled and willful manner.
Jiang Yuanbai let out a long sigh. The Jiang family had been smooth sailing all these years, but in just one short year, they had fallen to pieces. Ji Shuran was dead. Of his two remaining daughters, Jiang Li had become distant and polite, while Jiang Youyao had gone completely mad. He suddenly felt powerless—even his official career now seemed uncertain.
Jiang Li said softly, “There’s something I’d like to ask Father’s help with.”
“What is it?” Jiang Yuanbai asked.
“In the Ministry of Justice’s dungeon, death row prisoners cannot receive visitors,” Jiang Li said. “I want to see Princess Yongning. I hope Father can speak with the people at the Ministry of Justice and make an exception.”
Hearing this, Jiang Yuanbai frowned and asked, “What are you going to the dungeon to see Princess Yongning for?”
“There are some answers to questions that only Princess Yongning can reveal to me. Consider it for County Magistrate Xue’s sake,” Jiang Li said. “I don’t need to go inside—just looking at her through the bars would be fine. Can Father agree to this? If not, I’ll think of another way.”
Her tone was mild, yet she said “I’ll think of another way” rather than “if not, then forget it.”
Jiang Yuanbai stared at Jiang Li. This daughter’s inner stubbornness was surprising and rare even to him, and she was extremely independent-minded. Moreover, she wasn’t entirely honest with him, her father.
She kept her secrets but wouldn’t tell him. Jiang Yuanbai felt quite powerless, but he couldn’t demand that Jiang Li do anything. When Jiang Li was young, because of his wrongful accusations, this daughter had suffered and grown distant from him. Through his negligence, Jiang Li’s birth mother had also been murdered. Anyone in such circumstances wouldn’t restore their former closeness with such a father. He had personally pushed Jiang Li out of his life, and now he had to swallow this bitter fruit he’d long since prepared.
So he could only say, “Alright, I’ll speak to them. You can just go.”
With Jiang Yuanbai’s status, having a word with the Ministry of Justice people to let his daughter see a death row prisoner wasn’t difficult. Especially since everyone knew Princess Yongning had killed Third Miss Jiang—Jiang Li wouldn’t take the opportunity to do anything improper.
Jiang Li smiled slightly: “Thank you, Father.” She glanced at Jiang Youyao again. “Since Father needs to care for Third Sister, I won’t disturb you further.” She turned and left.
Jiang Yuanbai watched Jiang Li’s departing figure with a bitter smile. Where was the special visit to see him or Jiang Youyao? Clearly she had come just to discuss this matter with him. This daughter… she really was like someone from the Ye family—business was business, keeping gratitude and grudges separate.
But being clever was good—at least she wouldn’t be easily deceived. Jiang Yuanbai sighed.
…
That evening, when Jiang Yuanbai’s people came to say they’d coordinated with the Ministry of Justice and Jiang Li could go “visit the prison” at any time, Jiang Li decided to set out immediately.
Bai Xue looked outside: “Miss, it’s still raining. Why not forget it?”
“The execution is tomorrow,” Jiang Li said. “If I don’t go today, there’ll be no opportunity tomorrow.”
She spoke so resolutely that the two maids stopped trying to dissuade her. They were both puzzled, though—why insist on going to the dungeon to see Shen Yurun and Princess Yongning? Although Princess Yongning had harmed Jiang Youyao, Jiang Li and Jiang Youyao weren’t close, so there was no need to stand up for Jiang Youyao. As for Xue Fangfei and Xue Zhao, Jiang Li didn’t even know them, nor had she sought out Princess Yongning over their affairs.
But the mistress’s words naturally had the mistress’s own reasoning. Tong’er was thinking when she suddenly saw Jiang Li arranging her own hair. Startled, she said, “Why is Miss doing her own hair? Let this servant do it.”
“No need,” Jiang Li had already inserted the last hairpin. “I’m already finished.”
She stood up, and both Tong’er and Bai Xue couldn’t help but freeze.
Jiang Li had always favored blue-green colors, with simple, plain clothing, and wore no makeup. But tonight’s Jiang Li seemed like a different person. She had darkened her eyebrows, applied a light layer of powder, making her skin appear even more like congealed cream, and wore pale red lip rouge. Her eyes remained clear as water yet held something indefinable. She wore a moon-white embroidered jacket, a crimson brocade skirt, her hair in a cloud-style bun with an agate hairpin, and tiny ruby earrings the size of rice grains in her earlobes, making her appear both radiant and unfamiliar.
Though her features were familiar, she seemed to have gained the perfect bearing of a young woman overnight, acquiring the exceptional beauty of a great beauty. Standing there, even the night rain became a misty backdrop, making it impossible to look away.
Tong’er murmured, “This servant almost doesn’t recognize Miss.”
Though Jiang Li had always shown herself to be different from before, with time Tong’er had grown accustomed to it. But today, this feeling was particularly strong. Tong’er felt the person before her wasn’t Second Miss Jiang, but some other woman—a beauty the Jiang family had never possessed.
“Let’s go,” Jiang Li smiled slightly. “Don’t wait until too late.” She pushed open the door and walked out.
The rain hadn’t stopped. Jiang Li walked slowly to avoid splashing mud onto her hem. Back when she was Xue Fangfei, she liked to dress this way—a woman adorns herself for one who appreciates her. She had been willing to make herself especially beautiful, to see the admiration and appreciation in Shen Yurun’s eyes. But tonight, dressing in this familiar way again wasn’t to please others, but only to remind them.
Xue Fangfei could live well, in another way, not as they imagined. Just before Princess Yongning had her strangled, she’d advised her to be reborn into a noble family in the next life. Tonight she would tell Princess Yongning that this wish had been granted—but she wondered what expression Princess Yongning would show now.
It was time to settle the grudges of the previous life.