“Father, I am A Li.”
This single sentence in the room left Xue Huaiyuan stunned.
He rarely experienced such shock, yet today twice in succession—first Xue Zhao, then Jiang Li—these two left him speechless one after another.
Jiang Li had many things to say. She wanted to slowly, bit by bit, recount the past events to make Xue Huaiyuan believe her, that she was Xue Fangfei. But as soon as she called out “Father,” her tears flowed down, unstoppable.
A young lady with no blood relation to him had helped the Xue family many times, but Xue Huaiyuan knew she was Jiang Yuanbai’s daughter. His A Li had long been killed by Shen Yurun and Princess Yongning. Jiang Li and Xue Fangfei were completely different people. Yet when the girl before him looked at him with tear-filled eyes, he suddenly saw A Li as a small child. The little girl had such a good temperament. Back when he had just arrived in Tong Township handling government affairs, he would return home very late each day. Xue Zhao was a boy, naturally rough in character, but A Li was a girl who would sit obediently in the courtyard waiting for him to return after dark. At that time, when Xue Huaiyuan came home, the little girl would jump up and softly call him “Father,” her voice both aggrieved and happy, melting his heart completely.
When he saw Jiang Li crying tears before him, Xue Huaiyuan couldn’t help but reach out his hand, wanting to touch her head. He did just that, saying in a daze, “A Li…”
Jiang Li was also stunned.
She hadn’t expected Xue Huaiyuan to believe her so easily, or rather, she hadn’t thought Xue Huaiyuan would recognize her so easily. This was perhaps the bond of blood kinship, inseverable. Even after changing identity and face, one could still be recognized effortlessly. It wasn’t as difficult as she had imagined, with all that doubt. Everything just happened so naturally.
Xue Zhao had also been watching them tensely, afraid Xue Huaiyuan wouldn’t believe Jiang Li’s words and hurt his sister’s heart. He was thinking that he would help prove it for his sister, but he hadn’t expected Xue Huaiyuan to call out “A Li.”
Jiang Li could be certain he called “A Li” and not “A Li” (Jiang Li’s courtesy name), because Xue Huaiyuan had always called Second Miss Jiang “Miss Jiang.”
“Father, you believe Sister’s words!” Xue Zhao said. “That’s wonderful!”
“A Li…” Xue Huaiyuan also burst into tears. He had originally been a middle-aged man of considerable bearing, but now he had aged as much as Old General Ji. He reached out to grasp Jiang Li’s hand, not knowing if this was a hazy dream or waking reality. He asked, “A Li… Father’s A Li is still alive…”
Jiang Li immediately stood up from her chair and knelt down before Xue Huaiyuan. “Father, your daughter is unfilial. If I hadn’t married Shen Yurun back then, how would such calamity have befallen the Xue family, implicating Father and A Zhao to suffer such torment? It’s all my fault!”
“No, no, no,” Xue Huaiyuan frantically tried to help her up. There wasn’t a trace of blame in his tone as he said, “How can this be blamed on A Li? It’s all Father’s fault. Father was busy with official duties every day and didn’t care for you… didn’t investigate clearly what kind of person Shen Yurun was before marrying you off like that. You must have suffered so much in the Shen family, and Father didn’t even know…”
“Stop saying this to each other,” Xue Zhao said. “This matter isn’t Father’s fault, nor is it Sister’s fault. Who could have known Shen Yurun would be such a person? You can know a person’s face but not their heart. When Shen Yurun was in Tong Township, he seemed perfectly respectable too. If it were someone else investigating, they wouldn’t have found anything either. A person’s true nature only shows when facing major choices. Before, Shen Yurun had no choices, so naturally he seemed decent. Later when he became wealthy and noble, only then did his heart change.”
These words from Xue Zhao seemed to gradually bring Xue Huaiyuan back to his senses. He pulled Jiang Li to sit beside him. Looking at Jiang Li, her face was completely different from Xue Fangfei’s, yet her expressions and movements made Xue Huaiyuan feel as if Xue Fangfei was right before him. Xue Huaiyuan was somewhat confused for a moment. He said, “A Li… your face, how did you become… become Jiang Yuanbai’s daughter?”
Jiang Li and Xue Zhao exchanged a glance. This matter would have to be explained sooner or later. Jiang Li then explained again what she had previously explained to Xue Zhao. After Xue Huaiyuan listened, his eyes showed amazement. Xue Zhao interjected from the side, “Sister, this is a case of borrowing a corpse to return the soul! I’ve only heard of such things from storytellers at taverns before, never imagined it would happen to you. But Heaven has treated you fairly well. You became Second Miss Jiang, at least from an official family. Fortunately, you didn’t become a man. Otherwise, even if you found Father and told him you were Sister, Father wouldn’t believe you and would think you were a lunatic.”
Since seeing Jiang Li and learning that Xue Huaiyuan was also in Yanjing City, Xue Zhao had gradually recovered his former lively nature, not taking anything to heart. Jiang Li had previously worried he would be depressed and despondent because he couldn’t stand up, but now it seemed she could be greatly relieved. He could even speak of such matters in a joking tone, showing he was no different from before.
“So you’re saying that although you are A Li, you now have the identity of Second Miss Jiang?” Xue Huaiyuan asked. A sour feeling surged in his heart. She was clearly his daughter, yet now she had to call someone else Father and couldn’t openly acknowledge their relationship.
“It’s alright, Father. I’ve already thought about it,” Jiang Li said. “In the future, I’ll find a way for you to become my adoptive father. If Chief Minister Jiang agrees, I can call you Father. Others will only think we have an adoptive father-daughter relationship, but as long as we know the truth ourselves, that’s enough.”
“It won’t be that easy,” Xue Zhao interjected. “Official families have many rules. Taking an adoptive father isn’t as simple as it was in Tong Township. Sister, if you were to take an adoptive father who was a high-ranking official, that would be fine, but taking Father… I’m afraid that Chief Minister will think you’re being foolish.”
Jiang Li said, “I have my ways.”
“What ways?” Xue Zhao seized the opportunity to ask. “Could it be you want that lord to help?”
Jiang Li froze, then understood. That “lord” referred to Ji Heng. That night when she acknowledged Xue Zhao, she hadn’t avoided Ji Heng. Ji Heng had even held her hand—Xue Zhao must have seen it. Even a fool could guess that she and Ji Heng didn’t have an ordinary relationship.
“What lord?” Xue Huaiyuan asked in confusion.
“No… nothing.” Jiang Li was like a child caught doing something wrong, smiling to brush it off. “Just someone who once helped us.” She glared at Xue Zhao, who turned his head away, pretending not to see Jiang Li’s look.
“No wonder,” Xue Huaiyuan didn’t notice Xue Zhao’s expression and only said to himself, “you’ve been helping the Xue family all along…”
Of course Jiang Li had deep connections with the Xue family—because she was originally the Xue family’s daughter, Xue Fangfei!
“What about A Zhao?” Xue Huaiyuan looked at Xue Zhao again. “How did you rescue A Zhao?”
Before Xue Zhao could speak, Jiang Li jumped in first. She said, “It was a friend of mine. I asked him to help go to the private dungeon to rescue Third Miss Jiang, Jiang Youyao, from the Jiang family. That friend saw A Zhao in the dungeon. A Zhao pleaded with him for help. He didn’t know A Zhao was my younger brother and rescued A Zhao. Later, I… when I went to that friend’s mansion, I happened to see A Zhao and realized A Zhao was actually alive. We’d all been deceived by Princess Yongning before. After A Zhao and I acknowledged each other, I decided to bring A Zhao to see you.”
Xue Zhao blinked at Jiang Li, indicating that her explanation concealed far too much. Xue Zhao also found it incredible. Back when Xue Fangfei and Shen Yurun developed feelings for each other, Xue Fangfei never hid it from Xue Huaiyuan and him. Though she was shy, she was still quite open about it. Why was she being so secretive about the Duke?
Xue Huaiyuan didn’t suspect anything and only sighed, “What a coincidence, A Li. You must properly thank your friend. He saved A Zhao’s life.”
“I know,” Jiang Li answered.
“That gentleman didn’t just save my life. He also helped a lot with Sister’s matters and Father’s matters,” Xue Zhao said with raised eyebrows. “I heard from the doctor treating my injuries at his mansion that he also helped a lot with Father’s case in Tong Township. You could say he’s a benefactor of our Xue family.”
Hearing this, Xue Huaiyuan asked in surprise, “A Li, is this friend of yours a young master?”
Jiang Li could only awkwardly confirm, then added, “I came to know him actually because he knows Chief Minister Jiang…”
“That gentleman is a good person. Father, you remember Doctor Situ who treated your illness? She was entrusted by him to help. Doctor Situ later saved me too. On the day Prince Cheng raised his rebellion, they protected me very well. I think that even helping me this much must be for Sister’s sake. Helping Sister, he surely did even more.”
Xue Huaiyuan wasn’t a fool. With Xue Zhao hinting so obviously, he immediately caught on and looked at Jiang Li in surprise. Jiang Li was giving Xue Zhao pointed looks, telling him not to talk nonsense. This made Xue Huaiyuan even more surprised. He had raised this daughter himself—he knew her temperament best. If there truly was nothing between her and the “gentleman” Xue Zhao mentioned, she could naturally deny it openly. However, she only told Xue Zhao to be quiet without denying it, which already explained some things.
“A Li…” Xue Huaiyuan said.
“Father, A Zhao is talking nonsense. My friend has indeed helped me greatly, and I will thank him in the future.”
Xue Huaiyuan looked at Jiang Li and sighed inwardly. When she was Xue Fangfei, she was born so beautiful that families from ten miles around came to inquire, wanting to marry A Li. But Xue Huaiyuan felt none of those families were good enough. A Li was a girl with her own mind. In the end, he saw that A Li had fallen for Shen Yurun. When the Shen family came to propose marriage, he agreed. Xue Huaiyuan was fairly satisfied with Shen Yurun. This young man was talented—getting ahead was only a matter of time, and he seemed to treat A Li well. The only thing Xue Huaiyuan felt was wrong was that the Shen family was in Yanjing City. In a place like Yanjing, with the Shen family holding no official position and A Li’s appearance too striking, if someone harbored ill intentions, the Shen family probably couldn’t protect her.
However, Shen Yurun stood before Xue Huaiyuan and solemnly promised that he would definitely pass the imperial examination to become a top scholar and an official, protecting A Li for life. Xue Huaiyuan found him sincere and agreed. The person A Li liked must be good.
When news reached Tong Township that Shen Yurun had passed as top scholar and became an official, the townspeople all came to congratulate him, saying A Li was blessed and had good judgment—she could now be a well-fed official’s wife. Xue Huaiyuan smiled on the surface, but in his heart, he always had some worries. Sure enough, in the end, his worries became reality. It turned out Shen Yurun could take the official path for Xue Fangfei’s sake, but he could also sacrifice Xue Fangfei to climb higher.
Although A Li wasn’t saying it now, Xue Huaiyuan could imagine how much grievance A Li had suffered in the Shen family back then. Now, though her appearance was also attractive, it wasn’t as eye-catching as when she was Xue Fangfei. Moreover, she was now a daughter of an official family—ordinary people probably wouldn’t dare target Jiang Li.
Xue Huaiyuan knew that A Li becoming Jiang Li naturally had benefits, but there were also disadvantages. Setting aside the scheming and infighting of great households, even now with A Li’s marriage, Xue Huaiyuan couldn’t make decisions. Parents’ orders and matchmakers’ words—the more official the family, the less likely they would let their children marry according to their own wishes. Many factors had to be considered: matching social status, whether it could bring leverage for official careers. Marriage was no longer just marriage. Being in the Jiang family, how difficult it was for A Li to marry someone she liked—Xue Huaiyuan understood.
Right now, Xue Zhao’s hints and A Li’s reactions all indicated that A Li might have someone in her heart—that “gentleman” who saved Xue Zhao.
Xue Huaiyuan didn’t know whether to feel joy or worry. He was glad A Li hadn’t lost faith in people because of Shen Yurun’s betrayal and no longer trusted others. He worried that A Li’s current beloved might not be able to be with A Li. But regardless, about A Li having someone she liked, Xue Huaiyuan felt not a bit of displeasure.
His daughter was originally a rare, excellent young lady in this world. It was natural for good men to like and seek to marry her. Even if A Li had misjudged before, that wasn’t her fault. If she liked someone else again, Xue Huaiyuan would only feel happy for her in his heart.
He was even proud of her. This was a daughter of the Xue family—daring to love and hate, forever having courage and hope.
His heart was full of thoughts, but his face showed a kind and gentle smile. He said, “I understand. Whenever there’s an opportunity in the future, A Li, let me see your friend too. I also want to thank him in person for taking care of you.”
Jiang Li froze, her cheeks warming, but her heart felt warm. This was Father—Father would always stand behind her. Whatever decision she made, there would be family support behind her. Those anxieties, worries, and entanglements would vanish in the warmth of family.
Because there was nothing to fear.
Xue Zhao asked Jiang Li, “Sister, what are your plans next?”
For the Xue family to reunite was truly an unexpected joy for Jiang Li. Jiang Li hesitated before saying, “I’m now with the Jiang family and can’t leave Yanjing. I’m afraid I can’t return to Tong Township. A Zhao, Father, do you want to stay in Yanjing or return to Tong Township?”
“Return to Tong Township for what?” Xue Zhao said. “Father is no longer a county magistrate now. Besides, how can we let Sister stay in Yanjing City alone? Back then, it was precisely because we let Sister stay alone in Yanjing City that she was harmed by that beast Shen Yurun. If we stay in Yanjing City, at least we can protect you.”
“That’s right, A Li,” Xue Huaiyuan also said. “Father can’t rest easy leaving you alone.”
The tears Jiang Li had finally stopped were about to flow again. She said, “Alright, then none of us will leave. We’ll all stay in Yanjing City.”
“I want to live with Father,” Xue Zhao said. “Sister, that Lord Ye seems to be Second Miss Jiang’s uncle. Can you speak with him and let me stay at the Ye family, or we could move out together. Father and I together would at least have each other to rely on.”
“That’s easy to arrange,” Jiang Li said. “The Ye mansion is such a large estate with only Cousin Shijie and Uncle—just the two of them. Uncle is very easygoing. If you live here, I’m sure he won’t mind.”
“A Li,” Xue Huaiyuan said hesitantly, “your brother and I are now living at the Ye mansion. I couldn’t tell you before, but now I’m no longer a county magistrate and have no salary. Your brother can’t stand up, and our family savings were all taken by Feng Yutang long ago. We’re staying here imposing on Lord Ye without contributing a single coin. It’s really… really inexcusable.”
Xue Huaiyuan was extremely proud in his bones and definitely not the type to freeload. Taking advantage of others already made him very uncomfortable, but the current situation couldn’t be changed temporarily. Previously, he didn’t know Jiang Li was Xue Fangfei, so he couldn’t tell her. Now that he knew, he said it directly.
“Father, don’t worry,” Jiang Li smiled. “After becoming Second Miss Jiang, I’ve accumulated quite a bit of savings. Old Madam Jiang and Chief Minister Jiang have been quite generous to me. I haven’t really spent much of that jewelry and silver—I can exchange it all for bank notes. If you feel uncomfortable, I’ll give you the bank notes and you can give them to Uncle.”
Xue Huaiyuan felt extremely ashamed. “A Li, how can we have you support us…”
A trace of dimness flashed in Xue Zhao’s eyes too. Supporting the family was something that should have been his responsibility. As the man of the Xue family, he should have held up the entire family and protected his family members. Now with his martial arts completely ruined and having become a cripple, never able to stand up again in the future, these matters naturally couldn’t be discussed.
“I was originally a person of the Xue family,” Jiang Li said softly. “If Father wants to calculate so clearly, is it because I now have the surname Jiang that you’ve grown distant?”
Hearing this, Xue Huaiyuan immediately said, “Of course not! In Father’s heart, you will forever be Father’s A Li.”
Jiang Li smiled.
Xue Zhao looked at Jiang Li, then at Xue Huaiyuan, shook his head, and also smiled. Forget it—regardless of everything, what was happening now, the three family members still able to reunite, was already like a great gift from Heaven. Insufficient greed leads a snake to try swallowing an elephant. If they were too greedy, what if Heaven took all this back? They should feel content.
Jiang Li stayed with Xue Huaiyuan and Xue Zhao talking for quite a while longer. After the three of them acknowledged each other, they recounted everything the others didn’t know about these years. Jiang Li also told how she had been harmed by Shen Yurun and Princess Yongning that year. She skipped over the cruel details, speaking lightly, but even so, it still made Xue Huaiyuan and Xue Zhao sad and pained.
This conversation lasted until the afternoon.
Ye Mingyu knocked on the door outside. “Master Xue, Young Master Xue, A Li, when are you coming out? You’ve been talking for so long. Why don’t you come out and eat something before continuing?”
Only then did they remember that until now, they hadn’t had time to eat lunch. Only after Ye Mingyu’s reminder did they feel hungry.
Jiang Li pushed open the door and apologized to Ye Mingyu, having Xue Huaiyuan and Xue Zhao come out together to eat. Since all three of them hadn’t eaten, Ye Mingyu could only accompany them in going hungry. Ye Shijie had also returned from court long ago. Learning that Xue Huaiyuan’s son Xue Zhao was still alive and was right now at his mansion, he was also greatly surprised.
At the table, Ye Mingyu congratulated the Xue father and son on their reunion. They didn’t know Jiang Li was Xue Fangfei—they only thought the Xue family was grateful because Jiang Li had repeatedly extended aid to them. At the table, Jiang Li also brought up whether Xue Zhao could continue living here in the future.
Ye Mingyu agreed without even thinking. “Stay, stay. It would be good for A Zhao to live here. This mansion only has Shijie and me—just the two of us. Shijie is often not around, so with you living here, I won’t worry about Master Xue being lonely all the time.”
“About the silver…” Before Jiang Li could finish, she was interrupted by Ye Mingyu, who said, “A Li, have you forgotten what our family lacks least? It’s silver! Master Xue and A Zhao living at our Ye family—why would we need silver? Don’t talk about such things. It hurts feelings!”
Having said this much, to insist further would seem strange. Jiang Li could only suppress her words, though looking at Xue Zhao and Xue Huaiyuan’s expressions, they seemed somewhat more relaxed.
Xue Zhao really enjoyed talking with Ye Mingyu. Knowing that Ye Mingyu had traveled far and wide to many places, he asked him about many things. After Ye Mingyu learned that Xue Zhao’s excellent martial arts had all been ruined by Princess Yongning’s people and his legs broken, he felt very sorry. But he offered to teach Xue Zhao sword techniques anew—the kind that could be practiced while sitting in a chair without needing to move. Xue Zhao immediately agreed very happily.
Ye Shijie felt somewhat strange. He sensed an invisible natural ease between Jiang Li and Xue Zhao. Moreover, Jiang Li’s smile when facing Xue Zhao was one of tolerance, as if habitually accustomed, and a genuinely sincere smile. He kept watching Jiang Li, hesitating to speak several times, but in the end said nothing.
This day lasted until the sky grew dark before Jiang Li had to return to the mansion. Ye Mingyu and Ye Shijie wanted to see her to the mansion gate, but Jiang Li refused. Instead, Xue Zhao proposed he had something to say to Jiang Li, and Jiang Li agreed.
Ye Shijie watched them leave with a strange expression.
On the way out of the mansion, Jiang Li kept pushing Xue Zhao’s wheelchair, with Zhao Ke following far behind. Xue Zhao sat in the wheelchair, casually breaking off a blade of grass from the roadside to play with. He said softly, “Sister, that Young Master Ye kept watching us during the meal.”
“He’s probably surprised by our relationship,” Jiang Li didn’t think much of it and only said, “After all, in their view, you and I seem too familiar—it’s a bit strange.”
“Tch—” Xue Zhao laughed. “He’s completely ‘caring about one thing while meaning another.’ What’s our relationship to him? From his attitude, he clearly has hostility toward me.”
“Nonsense,” Jiang Li replied. “For no reason, how could he have hostility toward you?”
“That depends on what Sister has done,” Xue Zhao smiled mischievously. “Back in Tong Township, my sister always had many young masters constantly climbing our family’s walls. If Young Master Ye had been in Tong Township, he’d probably be the one climbing the highest.”
Jiang Li knocked his head without humor. “I see your injuries are fully healed and you don’t know pain anymore—daring to say anything.”
“Seems like ‘the fallen flower has feelings, but the flowing water is heartless’—” Xue Zhao deliberately drew out his voice. This was nothing new. Previously, many young masters, including his good friends in Tong Township, always asked Xue Zhao to bring things to Xue Fangfei. Sometimes it was rouge and powder, sometimes kites. Each time Xue Zhao brought something back, Xue Huaiyuan would beat him. Later, Xue Zhao stopped bringing things. Whoever coveted his sister was hoping for his beating—Xue Zhao ignored them all.
Now it was just like returning to those past times.
His sister, even after changing appearance, indeed still never lacked people falling for her.
“Sister, let me ask you something. From the looks of it, you don’t like Young Master Ye, right?”
Jiang Li felt both annoyed and amused. Xue Zhao was consistently lively as always. She said, “Cousin Ye is my cousin. Stop using him as your excuse.”
Xue Zhao wasn’t swayed by Jiang Li’s words at all. He suddenly asked, “What’s your relationship with the Duke?”
Jiang Li froze. Pushing Xue Zhao’s wheelchair, she unconsciously slowed down. She knew Xue Zhao would ask this question sooner or later. When facing Xue Huaiyuan, the things Xue Zhao said showed that he had long noticed the intimacy between her and Ji Heng that night.
But she truly didn’t know how to tell Xue Zhao.
She had been married before, had been hurt terribly by Shen Yurun, and had turned around to like someone else. Others might say she was fickle—that was one thing. Jiang Li knew that Xue Zhao and Xue Huaiyuan absolutely wouldn’t. They would think from her perspective and be happy she had found someone she liked.
What troubled Jiang Li was that this person was Ji Heng.
Just like the Jiang family’s view of her marriage—Yin Zhili was an excellent choice. His appearance and talent were impeccable, his temperament gentle, and his heart kind. If others were choosing a husband, they would also think Yin Zhili was an excellent choice. But Ji Heng was different. Though his appearance was good, it was too gorgeous. His temperament was even more unpredictable—rumors said he was ruthless and cold-blooded, killing people like flies. Such a person seemed full of danger no matter how you looked at him. The Jiang family advised her not to get too close to Ji Heng. Ye Mingyu had also advised her this way.
She was truly afraid—afraid that Xue Zhao and Xue Huaiyuan would also advise her this way.
After all, he really wasn’t a good person in others’ eyes. But liking someone had no cause and effect.
“Sister, you like the Duke, don’t you?” Xue Zhao pressed.
Jiang Li’s footsteps completely stopped. She heard her own voice, soft and somewhat uncertain, asking, “If I said yes, would A Zhao try to stop me?”
“Stop you?” Xue Zhao froze and couldn’t help turning his head.
On a summer evening, the sunset glow had faded. Her features became blurred, just like her voice, or perhaps her mood—anxious, cautious, and careful.
Xue Zhao turned his head back, facing away from Jiang Li. He smiled and said cheerfully, “Why would I stop you? It’s not like he doesn’t like you—he even wants to be my brother-in-law.”