“No.”
Jiang Yuanbai’s voice was firm and decisive, leaving no room for argument. He said: “Last time the incident happened on your way to the Ye family. We don’t know if there are still assassins at large in Yanjing City. If you appear, you’ll inevitably face danger. If you want to see them, you can have them come to the Jiang Manor, but for the next few days, you’d best not go out.”
Jiang Li sighed inwardly. She had actually anticipated that Jiang Yuanbai would say this. Before she could even argue, Jiang Yuanbai opened the study door and walked out, leaving no room for negotiation.
Jiang Li was helpless.
When she returned to Fangfei Courtyard, she ran into Tong’er and Baixue, who had just received the news and were rushing out to find her. Upon seeing Jiang Li, Tong’er’s lips trembled, tears streaming down as she said: “Miss, you’ve finally come back! This servant thought she’d never see you again… wuu…”
“I’m fine. But you,” Jiang Li took her hand to examine it, “you blocked a blade for me at the time… are you still alright?”
Tong’er sniffled and shook her head: “The master had a physician examine this servant. There’s nothing serious. In the future, I’ll be able to serve Miss just like before. But Miss must have suffered greatly this time. Those bandits are truly detestable. I heard Miss was abducted to Huangzhou, and there’s still fighting going on there… This servant was truly worried sick, fearing something would happen to Miss.” She was wholeheartedly concerned for Jiang Li. Jiang Li could only comfort her in return: “I truly am fine. Look, I’m perfectly well now, aren’t I?”
Baixue also gathered around. She was more silent than Tong’er, but now her eyes couldn’t help reddening as well. She said: “It’s all this servant’s fault for being useless. I didn’t watch over Miss properly at the time, otherwise Miss wouldn’t have had to suffer like this.”
Jiang Li said softly: “I know everything about the Duke’s Manor. If you hadn’t gone to the Duke’s Manor for help, the Duke of Su wouldn’t have learned so quickly about my disappearance. You did very well, Baixue. Thank you.”
Baixue looked at her, at a loss.
After also seeing Qingfeng and Mingyue, Jiang Li returned to her room. After closing the door, Tong’er repeatedly confirmed that Jiang Li truly hadn’t injured even a single finger before finally setting her heart at ease. She then asked Jiang Li about other matters, saying: “I heard Miss was rescued by someone, but I don’t know who… Miss, earlier you mentioned the Duke’s Manor… that person is the Duke, isn’t it?”
Jiang Yuanbai and Jiang Yuanping hadn’t told anyone else about this, but Jiang Li didn’t hide it from her two maids. She simply said: “Yes.”
Both Tong’er and Baixue knew that Jiang Li’s relationship with Ji Heng was quite close, so they didn’t find it strange. Tong’er even said: “The Duke is truly a good person. Helping Miss time and again like this—clearly he considers Miss as one of his own. These past days Miss has been in Huangzhou with the Duke…” She carefully studied Jiang Li, and though her words remained unspoken, Jiang Li understood her meaning in an instant.
Jiang Li smiled faintly and said: “We didn’t actually see each other every day. He had matters to attend to and entrusted me to others.”
Upon hearing this, Tong’er made a sound of understanding, and her earlier expression faded considerably. But Jiang Li found herself stirred by inexplicable emotions from this exchange, feeling somewhat troubled in her heart.
She stood up and walked to the table, saying: “Baixue, help me grind ink. Since I’ve returned to the manor, I should properly see Uncle and Cousin. But Father won’t let me leave the manor, so I must trouble them to make the trip here instead.”
Baixue hurried over to lay out paper and grind ink for Jiang Li.
…
At the Ye Manor in Yanjing City, a young servant rushed before Ye Mingyu, who was sitting in the courtyard in a daze, holding a letter. He said: “Master, the Jiang family—the Jiang family has sent an invitation!”
Ye Mingyu frowned: “An invitation from the Jiang family—what’s worth seeing about that! What scheme is Jiang Yuanbai plotting now? Don’t accept it!”
“It’s not from Chief Minister Jiang, it’s from Young Miss—Young Miss’s invitation!” the servant explained.
“Ah Li?” Ye Mingyu jumped up from his chair in one motion, snatching the invitation from the servant’s hand. Upon reading it and confirming it was indeed an invitation from Jiang Li, he first froze, then exclaimed with wild joy: “Ah Li has returned!”
He was overjoyed! During the twenty-some days since Jiang Li had been abducted, Yanjing City had first seen Consort Liu sentenced to death and Prince Cheng flee, then the incident in Huangzhou occurred. When Ye Mingyu first learned of Jiang Li’s disappearance, he had his friends in the martial world search everywhere for her whereabouts, but to no avail. After several days, the Jiang family suddenly sent a letter saying that Jiang Li had been found and was in Huangzhou.
Upon hearing this, Ye Mingyu wanted to send someone to bring Jiang Li back, but was stopped by Jiang Yuanbai, who said it was Jiang Li’s own idea. Ye Mingyu didn’t believe it at first, but Jiang Yuanbai produced Jiang Li’s letter for him to read personally, and only then did Ye Mingyu let the matter rest.
But then Huangzhou suddenly erupted into warfare, with Prince Cheng’s troops just outside the city walls. He heard that even within Huangzhou City it wasn’t peaceful—people were burning, killing, and plundering inside. Ye Mingyu became even more worried.
But he couldn’t help with anything now, so every day he could only sit in the courtyard burning with anxiety. He didn’t even want to visit the flower houses anymore. He heard that when his temper flared, he even scolded a few of the girls he was close with at the flower house, making them unhappy.
And now, finally receiving news from Jiang Li and being able to end this anxiety—how could Ye Mingyu not be delighted? He immediately had someone summon Ye Shijie and, after straightening his clothes, prepared to go out to see Jiang Li.
Upon receiving the news, Ye Shijie was also very happy. Though he didn’t show it outwardly, he quickly had someone prepare the carriage. Just as they were about to leave, Xue Huaiyuan came over. His complexion had improved considerably these past days. It seemed that ever since Princess Yongning and Shen Yurun were executed and the true culprits in the cases of Xue Fangfei and Xue Zhao were exposed to the world, Xue Huaiyuan had shed a heavy burden. Every day he would go to Xue Zhao’s grave to talk, and teach Ye Shijie a bit about the way of being an official. Gradually, he began to show some traces of Magistrate Xue, or rather, Xue Lingyun.
“Master Ye,” Xue Huaiyuan said, “I just heard that Miss Jiang has returned to the Jiang family.”
Ye Mingyu nodded: “Yes, ah, sorry about that—I was so excited just now that I forgot to tell you, old sir.”
“I’d also like to go see Miss Jiang,” Xue Huaiyuan said. “Before, Miss Jiang helped our Xue family so much. After Miss Jiang’s incident, my heart has been worried all along.”
He still hesitated somewhat, probably feeling that it was natural for Ye Mingyu and Ye Shijie to visit Jiang Li at the Jiang family since they were her uncle and cousin, while he himself had no blood relation with Jiang Li, making it somewhat awkward to mention.
However, Xue Huaiyuan felt a uniquely wonderful feeling toward Jiang Li in his heart. Perhaps it was because Jiang Li had helped clear Fangfei’s name, or perhaps because Miss Jiang herself was straightforward and magnanimous, or possibly because she and Ah Li were remarkably similar in certain ways. When Jiang Li was abducted, Xue Huaiyuan’s heart had also given rise to anxiety and worry. This feeling was wonderful, making it difficult for him to sleep well at night. So when Ye Mingyu and the others were anxious, Xue Huaiyuan appeared calm but was actually the same as Ye Mingyu.
And when he learned today that Jiang Li had returned to the Jiang Manor, the burden on Xue Huaiyuan’s heart immediately lifted. He also wanted to see whether Jiang Li had been injured and how she was doing now.
Xue Huaiyuan looked at Ye Mingyu. Ye Shijie spoke up: “Master Xue, please come with us. I think my cousin will be very happy to see Master Xue as well.”
Ye Mingyu was carefree and naturally wouldn’t notice anything. He immediately waved his hand and said: “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s all go together!”
…
Jiang Li sat in her room. The invitation had already been sent to the Ye family. She couldn’t leave the manor. After the incident with Princess Yongning and Shen Yurun, she momentarily didn’t know what else she could do. It seemed that all she could do next was to properly be a young miss of the Chief Minister’s household, but this felt rather melancholy.
She couldn’t help but press her hand to her chest and pull out a jade pendant carved with a raccoon cat.
The pendant’s patterns were clear and still carried warmth. As Jiang Li’s fingers traced the pendant’s patterns, her mind involuntarily recalled that day when Ji Heng disappeared from the carriage, then suddenly appeared outside the thatched hut at night. He had opened his hand to her, holding this jade pendant.
He had said: “You still don’t trust me, Ah Li.”
His appearance was intensely beautiful, so naturally one would assume his emotions were also resolute and vivid—the kind that made people hesitant to approach, afraid to draw near. Jiang Li somewhat understood why he was so determined to remain a spectator rather than enter the play. What he feared most was entering the play himself and giving his true heart, only to become part of someone else’s play in the end, where all joy and sorrow were false.
She thought again of those days in Huangzhou. She had held the oil-paper package containing pastries while he held her sleeve, walking unhurriedly through the streets. It was clearly a scene of devastation everywhere, not exactly pleasant scenery, yet she could clearly feel spring’s arrival.
She didn’t know when spring had arrived, just as she didn’t know from which moment her heart had begun to stir. By the time she realized it, the grass was already growing, orioles were flying, flowers were red and willows green—too precious to let go.
She closed her eyes.
Just then, the voices of Qingfeng and Mingyue rang out from outside: “Miss, Miss, Third Master Ye and Young Master Ye have come to see you!”
Jiang Li was startled. Her invitation had only been sent to the Ye family half an hour ago. She had thought they wouldn’t come today, but unexpectedly Ye Mingyu had arrived so quickly. They must have received the invitation and rushed over immediately without stopping.
After her initial surprise, Jiang Li couldn’t help but smile. She still wasn’t quite accustomed to this, but thinking about it, if it had been Xue Zhao and Xue Huaiyuan learning that Xue Fangfei had been abducted and then returned, they would naturally rush over without delay as well. Family was like this—genuine concern and feigned concern were ultimately different.
Jiang Li opened the door and saw the figures of Ye Mingyu and Ye Shijie hurrying over from outside the courtyard. Behind them, Haitang and Xue Huaiyuan had also come.
Seeing Jiang Li, Ye Mingyu waved at her from afar: “Ah Li! Hey, Ah Li!”
Jiang Li smiled and called out: “Uncle.”
When the group reached her, Ye Mingyu grabbed Jiang Li and looked her up and down, saying: “Ah Li, are you alright? You were gone so long? Were you injured? Where are those bandits now? Did they harm you? Ah, if I’d known this would happen, I should have taught you some martial arts back then, so you wouldn’t have been so easily abducted.”
Jiang Li smiled and interrupted him: “I’m truly fine. Uncle, Cousin, Master Xue, please come inside and sit. Baixue, serve tea.”
Once everyone was inside, the originally spacious room immediately filled with people. Baixue brought hot tea. Ye Mingyu, without ceremony, drained a cup in one gulp, caught his breath, and said: “Ah Li, as soon as we got your invitation, we rushed right over.”
“I should have been the one to visit you at the Ye Manor,” Jiang Li smiled. “But Father feels that Yanjing City is still unsettled and asked me not to go out, so I could only send you an invitation.”
“Your father doesn’t do many things well, but this one thing he’s right about.” Ye Mingyu finally agreed with Jiang Yuanbai for once. He said: “Don’t leave the manor these next few days. What if those people are unrepentant and abduct you again? I heard those were Prince Cheng’s subordinates—those bastards, truly treasonous rebels with wolfish ambitions. I see he’s not only plotting to usurp the throne, he won’t even spare a young girl!”
Ye Shijie said: “Third Uncle, be careful with your words.”
Although everyone could discuss Prince Cheng, it was still better to say less about court matters.
Ye Mingyu said: “Alright, alright, I won’t say anymore.”
Jiang Li said: “The bandits who abducted me are already dead. Uncle needn’t worry.”
Ye Shijie looked at Jiang Li and asked in a low voice: “Was it… him?”
The “him” he spoke of naturally referred to the Duke of Su. Jiang Li hadn’t hidden it from Jiang Yuanbai, nor from Ye Mingyu. Back in Tongxiang, Ye Mingyu had already witnessed the relationship between Jiang Li and Ji Heng.
Jiang Li nodded.
“Ah Li,” Ye Mingyu frowned and asked, “what exactly does he mean by all this? Later I asked Shijie about him—this person is not a good man in the court. He… hasn’t taken a fancy to you, has he?”
Tong’er’s eyes widened. Ye Mingyu’s words were truly too direct and unsubtle. Even Xue Huaiyuan and Haitang, hearing this, couldn’t help but glance sideways slightly.
“That’s not the case, Uncle,” Jiang Li could only explain calmly. “He just happened to pass by and recognized me. As for rescuing me, it was probably also because of Father’s position. Court matters are very complicated. The connections involved—probably only Father understands them clearly. I don’t know the specific reasons either. But it absolutely couldn’t be for the reason Uncle mentioned. He’s seen all kinds of people—I’m truly not worth mentioning.”
“What do you mean you’re not worth mentioning?” Upon hearing this, Ye Mingyu immediately became displeased. “You’re a young lady of our Ye family. You mustn’t belittle yourself. I was about to say, he’s just somewhat better-looking, only good for deceiving young girls. Ah Li, you’re so intelligent and don’t only judge by appearance—surely you won’t be fooled by him, right?”
Ye Mingyu stared at Jiang Li, as if he absolutely required Jiang Li to give him this reassurance.
Jiang Li didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and could only say: “Yes, yes, yes, Uncle, I won’t be fooled by him.”
Jiang Li found it very strange. When she had no such feelings, everything seemed calm. But once she discovered her own feelings and became troubled by them, it was as if overnight everyone had discovered it too. Whether it was Jiang Yuanbai, Tong’er, or now Ye Mingyu—all were subtly reminding her that they weren’t the same kind of people and naturally couldn’t end up together.
Why bother with this unnecessary gesture? She understood better than anyone.
Ye Mingyu asked about what had happened to Jiang Li in Huangzhou City and what the current situation there was. Contrary to Jiang Li’s expectations, she had thought Ye Mingyu would continue asking about matters related to Ji Heng, but unexpectedly, after reminding Jiang Li just now, Ye Mingyu didn’t mention it again. Thinking about it, Jiang Li realized that of course—Ye Mingyu wasn’t a court official, so naturally he wouldn’t care much about Ji Heng’s other affairs.
Ye Mingyu and Ye Shijie stayed until evening before planning to return. They asked detailed questions, and Jiang Li patiently answered. Xue Huaiyuan also asked Jiang Li some questions, which she answered one by one. She had originally decided that after returning to the capital this time, she would go to the Ye family and reveal her identity to Xue Huaiyuan. Now Jiang Yuanbai wouldn’t let her leave the manor. If she spoke of it here and now, she feared that walls had ears. And if Xue Huaiyuan’s expression showed anything unusual after hearing it, it might arouse suspicion among the manor’s people. Jiang Li could only restrain herself, planning to go to the Ye Manor and explain everything clearly to Xue Huaiyuan after this period passed.
The sky had grown late. The Ye family couldn’t possibly stay overnight here. Ye Mingyu and Ye Shijie were preparing to leave. Jiang Li saw them to the door, but noticed that Xue Huaiyuan had suddenly stopped moving in front of her writing desk.
Jiang Li found this strange and walked over to ask: “What’s wrong, Master Xue?” Her words died in her throat as she saw Xue Huaiyuan looking down at something in his hand. What he was holding was precisely that jade pendant carved with a raccoon cat.
Earlier, Ye Mingyu had come in such a rush and Jiang Li had left in such a hurry that she hadn’t noticed and had casually placed the pendant on the desk. But now Xue Huaiyuan had seen it. He held the pendant, looking at Jiang Li with trembling excitement, his tone somewhat agitated: “Miss Jiang, this jade pendant… how did you come by this pendant?”
Ye Mingyu and Ye Shijie’s footsteps paused. Both looked at Xue Huaiyuan in confusion, not understanding why he was so fixated on this jade pendant. Seeing this, Tong’er said in surprise: “Miss, isn’t this the one we redeemed from the pawn shop…”
“I redeemed this from a pawn shop,” Jiang Li interrupted Tong’er’s words. “At the time, I saw this jade pendant in the pawn shop and thought the raccoon cat carved on it was very well done, so I redeemed it.”
She couldn’t reveal the truth here in front of Ye Mingyu and Ye Shijie.
Ye Mingyu asked: “Master Xue, what about this pendant?”
“This is Ah Li’s jade pendant…” Xue Huaiyuan murmured. “The raccoon cat on it—I carved it myself…”
Both Ye Mingyu and Ye Shijie froze, only then realizing that Xue Huaiyuan had said “Ah Li” (raccoon) and not “Ah Li” (pear). Ye Mingyu, being simple-minded, didn’t think too deeply about it. He just laughed heartily: “Really? That’s truly fate! Our Ah Li and the Xue family must have formed a bond in a previous life to encounter this!”
Haitang moved her lips but said nothing. Tong’er looked completely puzzled. But Ye Shijie gave Jiang Li another strange look.
“Miss Jiang…” Xue Huaiyuan looked at her and said, “Could you sell this jade pendant to me? Ah Li’s belongings—I want to recover them.”
Jiang Li said: “Since it belonged to Miss Fangfei, Master Xue please take it. There’s no need to pay anything.” She wanted to comfort Xue Huaiyuan with a few words but didn’t know what she could say.
“Thank you, Miss Jiang.” Xue Huaiyuan carefully placed the jade pendant in his hand, as if he had obtained a priceless treasure, treasuring it and hiding it away with great care. He looked at Jiang Li, seeming to want to say something more, but in the end said nothing.
Jiang Li knew that Xue Huaiyuan probably wanted to ask about what she had mentioned before—telling him what connection she had with the Xue family. But Xue Huaiyuan also realized now wasn’t the time to talk, so he could only hold back.
After Ye Mingyu’s group left, Tong’er stood in the room, looking at Jiang Li and asking: “Miss, didn’t you have this servant redeem that jade pendant? How at the beginning… did you already know it belonged to Miss Xue?”
She couldn’t understand at all. Jiang Li had clearly done this deliberately, yet told Xue Huaiyuan she had redeemed it by chance upon seeing it. Tong’er didn’t understand why Jiang Li had lied, nor did she understand the significance of Jiang Li redeeming this pendant. And how had she known from the start that it belonged to Xue Fangfei? Before this, Jiang Li and Xue Fangfei had never even met!
Jiang Li said: “Yes, I knew from the beginning. I imagine Master Xue knows now too.”
After all, they were father and daughter. In front of Xue Huaiyuan, she wouldn’t deliberately conceal things—in fact, she hoped Xue Huaiyuan would notice her differences, so she had been revealing more and more slips. Father was an intelligent man. This time, he had probably truly become suspicious.
She should find a way to confess to Father as soon as possible.
…
At the Duke’s Manor, Ji Heng’s return to the manor didn’t seem to attract as much attention as Jiang Li’s. This was natural—he frequently left the city on business, sometimes not returning for ten days or half a month. Even Old General Ji was accustomed to it, so it wasn’t anything unusual.
However, the mynah bird hanging in a cage under the eaves, upon seeing Ji Heng return, enthusiastically welcomed him: “Beauty! Beauty!”
This mynah looked like a lecherous character. It was fortunate that Ji Heng was exceptionally tolerant of it and hadn’t strangled it in one grip. This only encouraged its arrogant attitude, as if it had backing. It had pecked everyone in the courtyard. Last time it even snatched meat from Zhao Ke’s plate.
And no one dared touch it.
The mynah’s voice was loud—everyone in the entire courtyard heard it. Naturally, this included Situ Jiuyue. Speaking of which, this mynah was probably the type to bully the weak and fear the strong. Toward Situ Jiuyue, it absolutely didn’t dare be presumptuous. It didn’t even dare approach her, keeping far away. It probably also knew that Situ Jiuyue was a ruthless character—if she became impatient and threw some poisonous smoke, its little life would be forfeit. Therefore, in the Duke’s Manor, the mynah confronted heaven and earth, fawned over Ji Heng, but kept a respectful distance from Situ Jiuyue.
Situ Jiuyue was picking flowers in the garden. The flowers here grew extremely fast and needed tending. Every few days, Situ Jiuyue would pick some plants to refine medicine, which was much simpler than going to the trouble of searching for materials herself.
When Wenren Yao came pulling Lin Yao along, he proudly showed Situ Jiuyue, saying: “This is my little disciple, Lin Yao. Come, little disciple, this is Sister Situ.”
Situ Jiuyue merely glanced at Lin Yao, and Lin Yao was so frightened he shuddered and hid behind Wenren Yao. Situ Jiuyue said: “Just like you—a coward.”
“You’re too fierce—you scared the child.” Wenren Yao pulled Lin Yao away. “Little Yao, let’s go, ignore this fierce sister. Remember, all the flowers in this garden are poisonous. You must normally stay far away from them. Except for that poison sister just now, no one else will easily walk here. Although these flowers look beautiful, they’re actually very toxic. Once poisoned, your life is forfeit—even immortals couldn’t save you.”
Lin Yao obediently nodded.
Situ Jiuyue restrained herself, placed the picked flowers and plants in a box, and walked toward the medicine refining room. Wen Ji and Zhao Ke stood to the side. Zhao Ke asked: “Miss Situ, about that young man sent here before… how is he?”
“He appears to have no problems, but his martial arts are completely ruined and he can’t possibly stand up again. If Ji Heng wants him to join you all, it’s absolutely impossible.” Situ Jiuyue answered.
This answer was quite absolute, but Zhao Ke and Wen Ji didn’t doubt it in the slightest. The facts were indeed thus. Besides proper medical skills, Situ Jiuyue also had various obscure and peculiar prescriptions. If even Situ Jiuyue said there was no hope, then no one in the world could cure him.
“Then what do we do now?” Zhao Ke asked Wen Ji for a decision. “Should we inform His Lordship? His Lordship has probably forgotten about this person—haven’t heard him mention it. We can’t just keep letting him stay at the Duke’s Manor without even knowing his identity.”
“You can investigate his background thoroughly,” Situ Jiuyue raised an eyebrow. “I told him his legs can never recover, but he’s still trying. Several times he’s even tried to get out of bed behind my back—impossible, of course. I see he’s a person with obsessions, different from ordinary people.”
Zhao Ke said: “Since he was in Princess Yongning’s private prison, he must be someone who had a grudge with Princess Yongning. Just investigate along that line.”
Situ Jiuyue: “That’s your business.” After saying this, she walked away with the box, but when she reached the door of the small room next to the medicine refining room, she paused briefly before still walking in.
Inside the room, the young man called Ah Zhao held a book in his hands, reading. When Situ Jiuyue looked, she saw he was reading some travel journal about mountains and waters. She felt strange inside. His legs could never recover—what meaning was there in reading these? After all, he couldn’t actually travel to these places one by one. It would only make things more difficult the more he read.
Yet this young man showed no trace of sadness. Upon seeing Situ Jiuyue enter, he put down the book and smiled at her: “Physician Situ.”
“Continue recuperating from your external injuries. Before long, they’ll all be healed.”
“Thank you, Physician Situ.” Ah Zhao hesitated before saying: “In the past, I’ve also had injuries, but recuperation truly required a very long time. Physician Situ only used such a short time and I’ve already recovered—clearly Physician Situ’s medical skills are brilliant.”
“I’m not a true physician. You needn’t flatter me like this.” Situ Jiuyue said: “There’s something I want to ask you. What deep hatred do you have with Princess Yongning?”
Ah Zhao froze, seeming not to have expected Situ Jiuyue would ask this. These past days, Situ Jiuyue had been cold and distant, speaking with him very little, and mostly about his injuries. She didn’t actively inquire about his family matters. The Duke’s Manor servants brought him food and water but didn’t talk much with him. Ah Zhao didn’t know what the situation was outside, only that his enemy had died.
“She caused the death of my entire family,” Ah Zhao said.
Situ Jiuyue nodded, as if not surprised by this answer.
“There’s something I also want to ask Physician Situ,” Ah Zhao said. “Last time Physician Situ said Princess Yongning and Shen Yurun were executed for the crime of murder requiring a life for a life, but didn’t say which family. May I ask…”
Situ Jiuyue answered: “There were many. Those two are said to have killed quite a few people. But the most important was probably that Princess Yongning gouged out the eyes of the current Chief Minister’s young daughter and imprisoned her in a private jail, offending the Chief Minister, which led to them being thrown in prison.”