Hearing Jiang Li speak this way, Jiang Yuanbai was momentarily stunned, not knowing what expression he should wear at this moment.
The girl before him had somehow grown into a graceful young lady. She appeared even more slender and delicate than Jiang Youyao, and her features resembled his own even more closely. When Jiang Li had been sent to the nunnery, she had been only seven years old, still a chubby little girl. Eight years had passed in the blink of an eye, transforming that chubby little girl into a beautiful young lady, yet also obliterating the last trace of familiarity.
Jiang Yuanbai felt she was a stranger.
After all, he had missed eight years of Jiang Li’s life, so much so that the Jiang Li in his memory was still that unruly child, willful to the point of being spoiled rotten. Now that this child stood before him, gazing at him with clear black and white eyes, calmly stating her request, Jiang Yuanbai didn’t know how to respond.
He said: “Do you know what you’re saying? You haven’t received proper education—how could you possibly keep up with Mingyi Hall’s curriculum…”
“Father, I am also your daughter.” Jiang Li interrupted him. “We are both your daughters. Third Sister can attend Mingyi Hall, yet I can only follow tutors hired from outside, learning some superficial principles. Father, what you’re doing is unfair.”
Jiang Yuanbai was once again left speechless. Looking at Jiang Li, his mind suddenly drifted back to before Ji Shuran had entered the household, when he had two daughters. His eldest daughter was a concubine-born child, somewhat slow-witted. Jiang Li was his legitimate daughter, born plump and adorable. At that time, he had felt compassion for Ye Zhenzhen’s desperate effort to give birth to Jiang Li, and often held Jiang Li, letting her ride on his shoulders to play.
There had been some family joy. It was only later, when Jiang Li went too far, that those father-daughter bonds were worn away. But today, right now, watching Jiang Li, Jiang Yuanbai somehow recalled those past events. The single phrase “Father, what you’re doing is unfair” suddenly stirred a surge of bitterness in his heart.
He couldn’t remember when it had started—Jiang Yuanbai himself had forgotten that he had another daughter. He had pampered Jiang Youyao like a pearl in his palm, yet treated his other daughter with particular distance. And Jiang Li didn’t fight or compete, simply stood before him, calmly stating the facts, which filled Jiang Yuanbai with guilt.
This trace of guilt was observed by Jiang Li, and her heart also felt somewhat lighter.
She had long since discovered that Jiang Yuanbai was not entirely without father-daughter affection for Second Miss Jiang. On the day Second Miss Jiang returned to the manor, Jiang Yuanbai’s gaze had clearly contained some concern. Admittedly, Jiang Yuanbai was not a good father, but in this matter, Ji Shuran had certainly exerted considerable effort. She herself had no feelings for Jiang Yuanbai, but if she could utilize Jiang Yuanbai’s guilt and maintain surface harmony, she was willing to do so.
If she had spoken at length, constantly talking about how badly Jiang Yuanbai had treated her, he might not have been particularly moved. Instead, by speaking so calmly, she made Jiang Yuanbai think more deeply.
“Li’er, you’re not suitable for Mingyi Hall right now.” After a long while, Jiang Yuanbai finally said. Though it was a refusal, his tone had softened considerably.
“Father is unwilling to let me go to Mingyi Hall simply because he fears people will gossip behind our backs and bring shame to the Jiang family. Father’s intentions are kind, but has Father considered that His Majesty praises women’s education? Father, as the current Chief Grand Councilor and head of the literati, keeping your legitimate daughter at home with private tutors instead of sending her to Mingyi Hall—wouldn’t that be slapping His Majesty’s face?”
Jiang Yuanbai froze.
His mind had been entirely focused on whether Jiang Li would be gossiped about and whether the Jiang family would be shamed—he had forgotten about Emperor Hongxiao.
“This is the first point. Secondly, Father, our Jiang family has four daughters. Aside from Third Sister, Fourth Sister and Fifth Sister have both entered Mingyi Hall. Yet you specifically keep me at home—first, this is unfair; second, it’s an attempt to cover up that only makes things more obvious. Human nature is such that when things are displayed openly for all to see, others can’t be bothered to gossip. But the more you hide and conceal, the more others will probe. Father thinks that by hiding me in the manor, others won’t gossip about me—wrong. The more you do this, the more enthusiastically they’ll gossip.”
As Jiang Li said all this, she showed no particular emotion, as if discussing someone else’s affairs. Yet to Jiang Yuanbai’s ears, it all made perfect sense. Moreover, even Third Uncle Jiang Yuanxing had asked people to send gifts to get Jiang Yu’e and Jiang Yuyan into Mingyi Hall—all the more reason for their first branch to do so.
“Father,” Jiang Li lowered her eyes. “What happened back then was my fault. However, to err is human—the greatest virtue is to acknowledge mistakes and correct them. I was young and didn’t understand things then. Now that I’m older, I naturally comprehend principles. I’ve had no mother to guide me since childhood. Just because I took one wrong step, must I spend my entire life paying for it? I would be willing, but I am a daughter of the Jiang family—I don’t wish to become the Jiang family’s burden.”
That phrase “I’ve had no mother to guide me since childhood” struck directly at Jiang Yuanbai’s heart. His heart trembled as he said: “Li’er, but you…”
“Father, during my time at the nunnery on Mount Qingcheng, I didn’t simply while away the hours. I knew my father was the Chief Grand Councilor, and I couldn’t be an illiterate fool who would become a laughingstock. So I asked the young nun at the nunnery who could read to teach me to read and write. Though my writing isn’t excellent, I’ve read all the primers, and I can write quite a few characters.”
She suddenly walked to the desk, moved aside the character for “tranquility” that Jiang Yuanbai had just written, and laid out fresh paper. Jiang Li’s action startled Jiang Yuanbai, who instinctively looked at her.
Jiang Li rolled up her sleeves and slowly began grinding ink. Her wrists were slender, her movements gentle, and there was a special beauty in what she did that was pleasing to the eye. It was as if she had done this countless times before—utterly natural.
After finishing grinding the ink, she picked up the brush, dipped it thoroughly in the ink, and began to write. As she wrote, she spoke in gentle, measured tones: “Father, though Mingyi Hall is a school, one can also make many good connections there. As long as I don’t make mistakes inside and make many friends, it will always be beneficial and harmless to the Jiang family. My surname is Jiang—I naturally hope the Jiang family will prosper more and more.”
Her writing style was different from Jiang Yuanbai’s. Jiang Yuanbai wrote slowly and profoundly, each stroke drawn out especially long. Jiang Li was different. She appeared refined and amiable, yet when she wrote, there was a certain fighting spirit within. It was like a soldier wielding a blade, about to rush to the battlefield, ready to fight fiercely until dawn.
Jiang Yuanbai observed Jiang Li’s profile—an elegant beauty, graceful as jade, yet emanating fierce energy and bold grandeur.
With a final stroke, Jiang Li set down the brush with a dashing motion, placing it to the side, then said: “Done.”
Jiang Yuanbai raised his eyes to look, and at first glance was shocked.
The calligraphy was extremely beautiful, the brushwork vigorous and strong. Such writing would require at least ten years of hard practice to achieve. It was incomparably superior to Jiang Youyao’s handwriting. Moreover, these were not the decorative small script commonly used by women, but large, expansive characters—square and upright.
Square yet forceful, upright yet sharp-edged.
Seeing the calligraphy revealed the person—someone upright and honest, broad-minded and resilient.
Jiang Yuanbai examined the young lady before him as if she were a stranger. Jiang Li smiled at him and asked: “Will you agree to let me go to Mingyi Hall now, Father?”
Author’s Note:
Ali: My calligraphy scores 100 points [smile]