Ji Heng and Jiang Li walked to the study.

His study was still as austere and cold as ever, completely at odds with the vividness of his appearance. After Jiang Li entered the study, Ji Heng didn’t go in. He said, “I’ll go change my clothes first.”

His inner robe had gotten quite soiled with dirt. Jiang Li could wash her hands with water, but he had no choice but to change his clothes. She sat down at Ji Heng’s desk. On his desk were also some papers with writing on them—they should be papers he used for practicing calligraphy. Jiang Li picked them up for a look. Ji Heng’s handwriting was unexpectedly beautiful, and his brush strokes were rich and vivid, quite full of killing intent.

Very much like him as a person. He didn’t write any poems or verses either. From the looks of it, they seemed to be lines from theatrical plays. After Jiang Li looked at them briefly, she set them aside.

The tea on the table was hot, and there were two teacups. It seemed he had known all along that Jiang Li would come and had prepared two teacups in advance. It was always he who poured tea for Jiang Li. This time, Jiang Li filled both teacups with tea and placed one cup on the opposite side.

Just as she finished doing all this, someone pushed the door open and came in.

Ji Heng changed clothes very quickly. He had put on another red outer robe. His clothes were almost all red—only the patterns embroidered with gold or silver thread were different. Jiang Li rested her chin on her hand and watched him. He raised an eyebrow and while sitting down, asked, “Why are you looking at me?”

“The Yin family siblings came to our mansion today,” Jiang Li said. “Yin Zhan’s daughter is the young lady who saved Xiao Yao on the street that day.”

Ji Heng stared at her without speaking. His smile was also faint—one couldn’t discern his thoughts from it.

“When she was leaving, she asked me about you,” Jiang Li said. “She asked me what your identity was—the person who was with us that day.”

“You told her?” Ji Heng asked.

“I did. Even if I hadn’t told her, she would have found out sooner or later.”

Ji Heng looked at Jiang Li and said ambiguously, “How generous of you.”

Jiang Li didn’t understand what he meant by this. How was telling Yin Zhiqing his identity being generous? Ji Heng dressed so conspicuously every day—anyone who wanted to could find out with a little inquiry. Moreover, when Yin Zhiqing asked her, could she really say she didn’t know? After all, that day she and Ji Heng had been standing together—clearly they knew each other. If she didn’t tell Yin Zhiqing, Yin Zhiqing would probably think she was being deliberately evasive.

Thinking about this matter made Jiang Li feel somewhat imperceptibly annoyed. If anyone was to blame, it was Ji Heng himself. That day he clearly didn’t need to get out of the carriage. If he hadn’t gotten out, Yin Zhiqing wouldn’t have seen Ji Heng, and naturally there wouldn’t be so much trouble now.

Ji Heng seemed not to notice her annoyance and only asked, “Why did the Yin family siblings suddenly visit the Jiang family? Jiang Yuanbai and the Yin family don’t seem to have had much interaction in the past.”

“They originally had no dealings. As for now…” Jiang Li paused. Of course she knew why—because the “ideal husband” the Jiang family was considering for her was Yin Zhili.

She could have stated this openly and honestly, but somehow, when the words reached her lips, she just couldn’t say them.

“Don’t tell me the Yin family wants to become in-laws with the Jiang family?” Ji Heng said with a half-smile.

Jiang Li suddenly raised her head and met Ji Heng’s beautiful amber phoenix eyes. The emotions in his eyes were deep—Jiang Li couldn’t see them clearly, but she felt there was some probing and provocation in his words.

Ji Heng actually knew about this? Well, if he had a mind to investigate anything, as long as there were traces to follow, he could naturally find out. Moreover, he had been so attentive to Yin Zhan’s family from the start. The Yin family’s every move was probably all within Ji Heng’s grasp.

Since he already knew, all of Jiang Li’s previous hesitation and difficulty in speaking were now unnecessary. She simply nodded. “Perhaps so.”

“Looking at a husband for you?” Ji Heng asked with a smile.

Jiang Li bit her teeth and said, “Perhaps so.”

“So what do you think?” he asked with great interest.

Jiang Li looked at him. Ji Heng seemed completely unaffected by this news—he even had the leisure to ask her about these things. A self-mocking smile rose in Jiang Li’s heart. Sure enough, he could withdraw and become a bystander at any time. The affairs of the Jiang family were just a play to him that he could watch or not. Though he could still be called her friend and had done many things for her, in matters of the heart, he always stopped appropriately at just the right point.

“I don’t have any particular thoughts,” Jiang Li said. “We still don’t know what the Yin family’s true background is. If the Jiang family rashly forms a marriage alliance with the Yin family and ends up on a pirate ship, it will be difficult to get off later.”

“Besides that?” Ji Heng raised an eyebrow, leaned back against his seat, and played with the folding fan in his hand. Seemingly casual, he said, “As for Yin Zhili this person, have you been moved?”

His movements were casual, but in his tone there was a trace of coldness that wasn’t easy to detect. Jiang Li didn’t notice. She thought for a while before looking at Ji Heng and saying earnestly, “Your Grace knows that as Xue Fangfei, I already suffered bitterly once. To be easily moved again is really not that easy.”

“Yin Zhili seems quite good. I heard that your family members all like him very much,” Ji Heng said. “You have absolutely no feelings of liking for him?”

He wasn’t normally such a boring person. Even when he learned she was Xue Fangfei, Ji Heng hadn’t asked many questions about her past with Shen Yurun and their grievances—as if he completely didn’t care. If it were someone else, they probably would have inquired indirectly long ago. Ji Heng was different. He seemed to have no curiosity at all about people unrelated to him, so most of the time he just watched indifferently from the sidelines.

Today he had inexplicably asked many questions. This showed he attached great importance to the Yin family.

“I have absolutely no feelings of liking,” Jiang Li said. “The Commandery Prince’s Heir Apparent seems like a good person. To be fair, he’s much better than Shen Yurun. But perhaps Shen Yurun has made me avoid doctors for fear of treatment. The better someone seems, the more suspicious I feel, the less I dare get close. Naturally I can’t speak of liking or not liking, being moved or not moved.”

These words were spoken quite sincerely and were indeed what Jiang Li truly thought. As Ji Heng listened, he suddenly asked her, “Your meaning is that I’m not a good person then?”

Jiang Li was stunned. She heard him continue, “You certainly haven’t kept a respectful distance from me.”

“Your Grace is of course a good person,” Jiang Li smiled. She said, “But Your Grace’s goodness is somewhat different from theirs. Shen Yurun was one thing on the outside and another inside—a beast in human clothing. Yin Zhili appears to have righteousness in his heart. Having righteousness in one’s heart is naturally a good thing, but those standing beside such righteous people uniquely fear that one day, for the sake of the people of the world, he will let them down. But Your Grace—I think you would rather let the world down than allow the world to let down the people… you value.”

He laughed softly, as if what Jiang Li said made him feel very pleased. He said, “I’ve said it before—your mouth is truly very sweet. Even lies sound sincere and heartfelt when you tell them.”

“I’m not lying. Your Grace is exactly this kind of person,” the girl said with a smile, stubbornly repeating herself.

Being with a good person like Yin Zhili might truly be very nice. But such good people might one day be worthy of the people of the world yet unworthy of their own loved ones. Ji Heng was truly a villain in everyone’s eyes. Others thought him frightening and mercurial. But such a villain, when the day came to choose between the people of the world and his own people, would definitely choose his own—Jiang Li had no doubt about that.

Perhaps it was precisely because he was so completely different from Shen Yurun that she treated him differently.

Ji Heng said, “Then don’t lie now and answer my question.”

Jiang Li said, “All right.”

“Besides Shen Yurun, have you never been moved by anyone else?”

His voice dissipated into the night, more intoxicating than the spring breeze. Jiang Li stared blankly at the person before her. His lips held a smile, his eyes were captivating. Gentle and bewitching, he sat before her, giving people a false impression. He was a spirit demon grown from deep mountains, living by devouring people’s true hearts, demanding their lives.

Weren’t the legendary calamities that brought ruin to nations all women? Yet he was a man.

Jiang Li lowered her head. Her voice was docile as she said, “No.”

Ji Heng’s gaze flickered. The fan handle tapped the table as he said, “All right then.”

The suffocating, oppressive feeling disappeared. He had finally let her off.

“I don’t care what schemes Jiang Yuanbai is plotting, but as for Yin Zhili, you must keep your distance from him,” Ji Heng said.

Jiang Li asked, “Why?”

“Since you don’t like him anyway, there’s naturally no need to always be in his company. You keep asking me what connection the Yin family and the Duke’s Manor actually have. I can tell you—Yin Zhan will die by my hand sooner or later. Yin Zhili and Yin Zhiqing also cannot avoid becoming my enemies. Ah Li,” he said gently, “don’t get entangled with my enemies, and don’t make things difficult for me.”

His enemies?

This was the first time Ji Heng had personally admitted in front of Jiang Li that the Yin family indeed had a feud with the Duke’s Manor. But why—just as Jiang Li was about to ask, Ji Heng said, “Don’t ask why. I can’t tell you.”

“Does the Yin family know they’re enemies with you?” Jiang Li asked.

Ji Heng smiled slightly. He said, “Yin Zhan definitely knows.”

Yin Zhan definitely knew—did that mean Yin Zhili and Yin Zhiqing might not know? This made Jiang Li even more certain that the grievance between the Yin family and the Duke’s Manor was probably related to Ji Heng’s parents.

But since Ji Heng wouldn’t say, asking would be useless.

“What about Yin Zhiqing?” Jiang Li asked. “Regardless of how I handle things, Princess Pingyang took the initiative to ask me about your news. I think it definitely wasn’t just a whim. Your Grace, she probably thinks Your Grace is very good.”

“Are you jealous, Second Miss?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No such thing.”

“How regrettable.” He always said things that caused misunderstandings. Ji Heng said, “As for Yin Zhiqing, you needn’t worry. I’ve said before—vulgar rouge and powder had best not appear before me.”

He loved beauty and hated ugliness—this was a fact known throughout the realm. But… Jiang Li said, “Princess Pingyang’s appearance really has no flaws that can be criticized.”

Ji Heng shook his head. “Among all the women in the world, Xue Fangfei could be considered a beauty.”

Jiang Li’s heart jumped. Not understanding what Ji Heng meant, she could only remind him, “Xue Fangfei is already dead.”

“So now all the women in the entire world are vulgar rouge and powder in my eyes,” he said with a smile.

Jiang Li said, “Your Grace is cursing me along with them.”

“You’re different,” he pondered for a moment. “You’re more adorable than they are.”

Jiang Li was speechless.

After returning from the Duke’s Manor, Jiang Li no longer had trouble sleeping. She fell asleep almost as soon as she got into bed. Planting trees at night had also taken considerable effort. Her body was very tired, so naturally she slept very soundly. Later, on the morning of the second day, when Tong’er and Baixue discovered that the soles of her new shoes were covered in mud, they were startled. Jiang Li simply said she had walked around the courtyard and accidentally wandered into the garden, muddling through the situation.

After that, nothing particularly special happened in Yanjing City. Jiang Li didn’t know if it was because what she had said at Wanfeng Hall had ultimately still made some impression on the Jiang family members. At least during this past half month, Old Madam Jiang hadn’t mentioned the Yin family matter to Jiang Li again. The Yin family siblings also hadn’t come to “visit” the Jiang mansion.

This made Jiang Li breathe a big sigh of relief. She still remembered Ji Heng’s reminder—not to let the Jiang family get too close to the Yin family. Though she understood this clearly in her heart, if Jiang Yuanbai was set on his course, she couldn’t do anything about it either. Now this saved her some trouble.

Jiang Li was thinking that in the next couple of days she could take advantage of the gatekeepers’ inattention to secretly slip out of the mansion to go to the Ye family. However, the Jiang family’s gatekeepers had become increasingly strict.

During this half month, Prince Cheng’s troops had held their position without moving. They remained outside Yanjing City but delayed attacking and didn’t retreat either, causing the citizens inside Yanjing City to be on edge. Unable to go out, they stayed home day after day. Pedestrians playing and walking on the streets had decreased considerably.

Jiang Li knew that as time passed day by day, Prince Cheng’s troops couldn’t afford to drag this out. Sooner or later they would attack Yanjing City’s gates. As for how General Zhaode would respond at that time, Jiang Li couldn’t yet imagine.

Until that day.

That day was an evening.

Jiang Li had gone to bed early at night. Sleeping until the middle of the night, suddenly the outside became noisy and chaotic. Jiang Li groggily woke up. At first she thought she was dreaming, but then she discovered that the courtyard’s lamps were brightly lit and she wasn’t the only one who had woken. Only then did she realize this wasn’t the case.

She threw on clothes and got out of bed. Walking to the courtyard, just as she stood at the courtyard entrance, she saw maidservants rushing back and forth. Tong’er and Baixue were also outside—from their appearance, they had just been about to come wake her. Finding this strange, Jiang Li asked, “Tong’er, what’s going on?”

Tong’er said, “Miss, you’re up? This servant was just about to wake you. Old Madam told you to hurry to Wanfeng Hall and not stay in the courtyard.”

The anxiety in her tone couldn’t be concealed. Moreover, beyond the courtyard walls, sounds from the neighboring households seemed to be stirring as well. A thought suddenly surfaced in Jiang Li’s mind. She pulled Tong’er aside and said in a low voice, “Prince Cheng has made his move?”

“Miss, how did you know?” Tong’er looked at her in surprise, then said, “Second Master’s people instructed us not to speak of this everywhere, to avoid causing panic. Miss, you should go to Wanfeng Hall first. There are guards from the mansion protecting the outside of Wanfeng Hall—it will be safer.”

This was a major matter, so Jiang Li didn’t delay. She agreed and walked outside.

When she reached Wanfeng Hall, she discovered that the hall was packed full of people. Both First Branch and Second Branch members were there, and even the maidservants and servants stood at the entrance of Wanfeng Hall. It was fortunate that after the family division, Third Branch wasn’t here—otherwise with so many people, one Wanfeng Hall probably wouldn’t be enough to hold them all. Outside were all guards. Old Madam Jiang had everyone go inside the rooms within Wanfeng Hall.

Jiang Bingji was a small child. Sensing something was wrong with the atmosphere, he opened his mouth to cry. After Old Madam Jiang coaxed him a few times, Jiang Bingji finally quieted down. Then, tired from crying, he quickly fell asleep. Old Madam Jiang handed him to a nanny and had her take him to the inner room to sleep.

Jiang Youyao also sat in the room. One of her eyes was wrapped with a white gauze bandage so that when the servants saw her face they wouldn’t be too frightened. However, the other intact eye was also blank and wooden. She sat stupidly in the chair without saying a word.

Lu Shi was somewhat afraid. Although she no longer disliked Jiang Youyao as much as before, she also couldn’t bring herself to be close to her. Seeing Jiang Youyao like this made her feel increasingly unsettled, so she sat closer to Jiang Li.

“Where are Father and Second Uncle?” Not seeing Jiang Yuanbai or Jiang Yuanping, Jiang Li asked.

“They went out—they’re not in the mansion. But your Second Uncle said our mansion is safe and nothing will happen. Xiao Li doesn’t need to worry,” Lu Shi said with a smile. Though she said these words, there was some panic in her tone. Jiang Li knew that the people of Yanjing City hadn’t experienced war in many years, but having heard about what Prince Cheng had done in Huangzhou City, they would naturally feel somewhat afraid.

Jiang Li said, “I imagine General Zhaode will handle everything properly.”

She wasn’t speaking falsely. Since Yin Zhan still had the leisure to have Yin Zhili do such things at this time, if things had truly reached a desperate point, how could he have such concerns? This showed that to him, Prince Cheng wasn’t particularly frightening. Jiang Li also saw clearly that Ji Heng’s attitude toward Prince Cheng couldn’t really be called wary at all. But toward this General Zhaode, he treated him with seriousness.

She imagined tonight Yanjing City would be very peaceful, and Yin Zhan would win many people’s hearts in this battle with Prince Cheng. It was just that they were now inside the city and couldn’t hear what the situation outside was. Instead, these maidservants and servants were all talking softly at the entrance, their expressions very confused and frightened.

Jiang Jingrui asked Jiang Li, “How come you’re not afraid at all?”

“Second Aunt already said nothing will happen. Moreover, His Majesty specifically had General Zhaode return to the capital precisely to deal with Prince Cheng.”

“Ah, I heard General Zhaode also accumulated outstanding military achievements in the past,” Speaking of Yin Zhan, Jiang Jingrui seemed very interested. He said, “I wonder if Big Brother Yin will also become a general in the future.”

He affectionately called Yin Zhili Big Brother Yin, seeming not to find anything wrong with it. Hearing this, Jiang Li inwardly disagreed. Who said a general’s son would be a general? Ji Heng’s father was still the Golden Guards General, yet over all these years, no one had seen Ji Heng pick up a spear. The Golden Guards General’s military command token still hadn’t been found. Jiang Li’s heart stirred—could it be that Ji Heng was hiding some trump card? Though it was said that the Golden Guards General’s troops were all disbanded, perhaps this wasn’t true. He was just waiting for the day when he faced off against Yin Zhan, and they would suddenly appear?

But that way, Emperor Hongxiao would definitely become suspicious. These thoughts ran wild through Jiang Li’s mind. The room had unknowingly quieted down—no one spoke anymore. Everyone’s expressions were grave. As time passed like this, no one could say whether in the next moment enemy troops would break through the city gates and go on a killing spree in Yanjing City. No one could say for certain if they could survive this night, so naturally no one was in the mood to chat and laugh. Even those servants and maidservants outside had fallen silent. Everyone gazed at the sky above the courtyard, speculating about every possible situation that might be occurring outside.

At the Duke’s Manor, things were as usual. No one specifically gathered in one location, nor were all the mansion’s guards mobilized. Only Old General Ji went to the study for a turn. He walked to the golden armor and lovingly touched it. Finally he walked to the wall. On the wall hung with weapons, he found a long sword. He drew the sword out, moved a stool, and sat in the courtyard. The long sword hadn’t been used in a long time and had become somewhat rusty. He rolled up his sleeves and sat in the courtyard sharpening the blade.

In the pitch-black night, an old man with a head full of silver hair sat in the courtyard slowly sharpening his sword, producing a tooth-aching sound. If someone passed by, they would probably be scared out of their wits. But the servants in the Duke’s Manor had long grown accustomed to this and didn’t find it strange. However, the myna bird hanging under the eaves, though it saw people tonight, didn’t say any pretty words. It just kept fluttering in its cage, seeming somewhat agitated.

The youth called Ah Zhao also woke up in the middle of the night.

From outside the courtyard, sounds of people making noise could faintly be heard. He fumbled for the fire starter on the cabinet by the bed and lit the oil lamp. Then he saw what seemed to be a person’s shadow outside the room. Ah Zhao was stunned for a moment and called out uncertainly, “Doctor Situ?”

That shadow had originally been about to pass by, but hearing this, paused and turned back, pushing the door open and coming in. Seeing Ah Zhao like this, Situ Jiuyue frowned and asked, “Why are you awake?”

“It’s noisy outside, so I woke up.” He looked at Situ Jiuyue’s fully dressed appearance and asked curiously, “Doctor Situ is going out so late—has something happened outside?”

“Prince Cheng is rebelling and making his move tonight. Outside is very chaotic.” Situ Jiuyue glanced at him. “You should keep sleeping and don’t come out.” After saying this, she was about to close the door and leave.

“Wait.” Ah Zhao stopped her.

Situ Jiuyue asked impatiently, “What else do you want?”

“Prince Cheng is rebelling—the people in this manor won’t have any problems, will they?” Ah Zhao asked.

Situ Jiuyue found this amusing. She said, “If you’re worried about yourself being in danger, there’s no need. This is the Duke’s Manor. In all of Yanjing City, there’s no safer place than here—even the imperial palace is more dangerous than this. Living here, no one will dare break in to take your life. Never mind that Prince Cheng hasn’t attacked into the city yet—even if Prince Cheng did attack into the city, as long as you’re in this manor, no one would dare touch your life.”

Ah Zhao was stunned for a moment before replying, “That’s not what I meant. No matter how impregnable something seems, it’s still made by people. Sometimes things go wrong not because of lack of ability, but because people fear being caught off guard when someone finds a loophole.” He smiled. “That’s what happened to me.”

This time, it was Situ Jiuyue’s turn to be stunned.

“Doctor Situ is a doctor and also a woman. If you encounter danger, I’m afraid it will be difficult to save yourself…”

“You couldn’t be suggesting I stay here, could you?” Situ Jiuyue raised an eyebrow. “You can’t even walk now—how would you protect me?”

“I didn’t mean to say that. I’m just telling Doctor Situ to go find someone with high martial arts skills and not stay alone by yourself. However, if there’s no one in the manor and Doctor Situ encounters danger when I happen to be nearby, even though I have no way to get out of bed and walk, and have also lost my martial arts abilities, I can still block swords and blades for Doctor Situ.”

If an ordinary man said such words, women would inevitably feel he was being glib and deliberately trying to please them. But when Ah Zhao said this, it was very sincere, making people believe that this was truly what he thought, and that once said, he could do it.

“I don’t understand,” Situ Jiuyue said calmly. “You and I have no relationship or obligation to each other. Yet according to what you’re saying, you’re willing to sacrifice your life for me. Why is this? Just because I saved your life, you must repay me like this?”

“Even if Doctor Situ hadn’t saved my life, when encountering danger, I would still help. Because Doctor Situ is a woman, and I’m a man. Men should protect defenseless elderly people, children, and young ladies, shouldn’t they?”

His eyes were bright, and amid all the noise and commotion, they were especially steadfast. How strange—he was clearly someone whose martial arts had been completely destroyed, and now he couldn’t even walk. Such a person couldn’t possibly truly protect anyone. Yet Situ Jiuyue felt that being near this person gave her an especially secure feeling.

She said, “Then you’re wrong. I’m not some defenseless weak woman. When I was six years old, my uncle killed my father in order to seize everything my father possessed. Do you know what I did?”

Ah Zhao shook his head.

“I drugged their cook and threatened him to tamper with their food, adding poison I had specially prepared. I had their whole family eat it. My aunt and her son and daughter all ate the poison. Without the antidote, within three days they would die with their whole bodies festering. I thought he would be willing to trade his own life for his wife and children’s lives—that would count as revenge for my father. Who knew he was truly ruthless beyond measure? He actually watched his own wife and children die in agony.”

Ah Zhao looked at Situ Jiuyue. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing.

“After that, he tried every means to capture me and kill me. Because my existence was a threat to him. On my way fleeing from my hometown, I don’t know how many people I killed. I’ve been killing people since I was six years old. I truly have no martial arts abilities. The people pursuing me were all experts, yet they all died by my hand, precisely because every part of my body and every item I possess might contain poison.”

She spoke of these matters lightly, as if they were the most ordinary things. “I know you want to be a chivalrous warrior—you were probably such a person before. Punishing evil and promoting good, upholding justice, helping the weak, drawing your sword when seeing injustice—satisfying your heroic ambitions while also saving people’s lives. It’s something that makes everyone happy.”

“But I don’t like that,” Situ Jiuyue said. “From childhood I’ve believed in survival of the fittest. I don’t need others to save me. Whoever harms me, I’ll kill them. You and I are not the same kind of people. Don’t think about protecting me or saving me. To me, that’s very laughable and unnecessary.”

She said, “You should rest well.” After finishing this sentence, she turned and walked out.