Chapter 121: Setting Out

"Actually, you don't need to pretend to be obedient, A-Li," he said.

Jiang Li looked at Ji Heng with some confusion. His tone was far too familiar; she could clearly hear that he was calling her "A-Li," not "A-Li" (the character for pear). Perhaps he had seen through her from the very beginning, just as she had seen through him.

Jiang Li shrugged. "I'm used to it."

In her previous life, she had been truly obedient, though it had brought her nothing but blood and tears, and had even implicated her family. Now, she was more cautious and wary, making the act of playing the "obedient girl" second nature, embedded deep within her bones. Ji Heng was always talking about "getting into character"—well, wasn't she an actress herself? With greasepaint on her face to hide her true thoughts, performing twists and turns on stage, yet harboring murderous intent in her hands.

Ji Heng watched her for a moment and said, "Go back now." He handed the umbrella to Jiang Li, looking every bit the affectionate young nobleman, as if he couldn't bear to let his beloved suffer the slightest chill.

Jiang Li paused, took the umbrella from his hand, rose from the stone, and smiled charmingly. "Then I thank you, Duke."

"No need for thanks," Ji Heng replied. "It is only right to protect what is mine."

"When you put it that way," Jiang Li mused, "it makes me feel like I have a great backer behind me, and I feel like throwing caution to the wind and causing trouble without any restraint."

"As if the trouble you've caused is not enough already," Ji Heng said dismissively. "You're just as fierce whether you have a backer or not."

"True," Jiang Li nodded. "I'm off, then." She noticed that on the inside of the pale white canopy, there was a lightly embroidered peony—so faint that one might miss it if not looking closely—yet it was exactly the style Ji Heng favored.

Holding the umbrella, she returned to her quarters with Tong'er and Baixue.

Ji Heng did not leave immediately. He stood by the edge of the pond. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but the snow falling from the sky seemed to grow heavier. The wind whipped diagonally, carrying snowflakes across the surface of the water—tiny, crystalline white specks that vanished almost as soon as they touched the surface.

Wen Ji stood silently behind Ji Heng and asked in a low voice, "My Lord, why did you help the Second Miss Jiang?"

Wen Ji had followed Ji Heng since he was ten; they had over a decade of master-servant loyalty between them. Ji Heng was a lonely man; others feared him, calculated against him, framed him, and dared not ask him "why." But Wen Ji dared.

Ji Heng said, "To entrust one's life to another, to have one's existence forever hanging on the edge of a blade, and yet still be able to smile..." His voice held a trace of a smile, yet it was filled with a vast, desolate loneliness. "Wen Ji, don't you think she is much like me?"

The difference was that he had fallen into the abyss and bloomed flowers from the darkness, while Jiang Li was hacking a bloody path through the thorns, attempting to snatch a glimmer of sunlight through the gaps in the trees.

She had chosen a path entirely different from his, which was why he felt a flicker of compassion for her. It was like those rare flowers in his garden—born in places of extreme hardship, struggling desperately to climb upward. If not carefully nurtured, they would be like the night-blooming cereus: appearing for a fleeting moment, then withering away to disappear from the world forever.

There were many rare flowers in the world, but there was only one Jiang Li.

In the midst of chaos, she had disrupted his plans time and again. Though it was of no great consequence, it had led him to discover this fierce, unique, man-eating flower. Ji Heng could see through her duplicity, her utilization of others, and yet he could also see her occasional moments of genuine sorrow.

He wanted to see what would happen if he placed this seemingly tame yet ferocious plant into the garden of Yanjing—how much would remain after the slaughter?

They had encountered each other on a narrow path of pretense, tearing off each other's masks amidst the complex maneuvering of their chess game. Hypocritical yet sincere, and in their mutual utilization, there remained a trace of genuine mutual appreciation.

How wonderful.

Life lasted only a few decades, and to meet someone so similar yet so completely different was truly an interesting thing.

And so, he wanted her to live. At least for now.

...

The next day, Jiang Li and Ye Mingyu's party set off for Xiangyang.

Most of the villagers of Tongxiang had volunteered to go to Yanjing with Jiang Li to file a complaint—not only to punish Feng Yutang but to seek justice for the now-insane Xue Huaiyuan. Jiang Li had initially thought there were too many people, but the villagers were impassioned—many had wept at the sight of the mentally broken Xue Huaiyuan.

In the end, everyone except the elderly, the weak, and the women with children who could not travel far joined the carriage convoy.

As for the travel expenses, Feng Yutang had intended to flee with the wealth he had squeezed from the people. He had never expected to be blocked at the gates of the county office by the villagers before he could escape. The large chests had been left behind, and the gold and silver within were more than enough to cover the villagers' journey to Yanjing.

Before heading to Yanjing, they first had to return to Xiangyang to obtain the official orders and explain the situation to the Ye family. The villagers were in high spirits, but Jiang Li sat in the carriage with the delirious Xue Huaiyuan. He did not even look at her, happily playing with a small wooden doll, calling out "A-Li" and "A-Li," and occasionally saying, "I must give this to A-Li and A-Zhao to play with."

Jiang Li felt a pang of sorrow. Outside, Ye Mingyu took advantage of a rest stop to ask Jiang Li, "A-Li, although we told Mother and the others that I asked you to come and handle business for me, now that the matter has blown up, how are we going to clean this up?"

With so many Tongxiang villagers, Ye Mingxuan and the others would certainly be shocked. Once they returned to Yanjing, there would be the Grand Court of Justice to deal with, and she had even used Jiang Yuanbai's name to summon the Weaver’s Office official. If Jiang Yuanbai found out, there was no telling how he would blame Jiang Li.

These were not small matters; it all depended on how Jiang Li smoothed things over.

"It's fine," Jiang Li said. "I will explain it to Grandmother and the others." Ye Mingyu was right; he couldn't explain these things. He had no connection to Xue Huaiyuan and no reason to do this.

Jiang Li was different. Even if she couldn't explain it fully, the Ye family would not force her; they might even assume these things were done at Jiang Yuanbai's instruction, which would prevent them from worrying too much.

Ye Mingyu thought about it, agreed that Jiang Li was right, and accepted the plan.

The road back to Xiangyang was faster than the journey to Tongxiang. Perhaps the villagers were impatient to get the official order from the Prefect of Xiangyang to go to the capital and clear Xue Huaiyuan's name; no one lagged behind. Feng Yutang followed the crowd, locked in a prisoner cart, along with several of his cronies, all of them listless.

They couldn't run and they couldn't move; they knew the game was up and were utterly dejected. Jiang Li had Ye Mingyu's men keep a close eye on them, fearing that Princess Yongning's forces might get wind of the situation and kill them to silence them, leaving no evidence behind.

However, Jiang Li believed that with Ji Heng in the mix, such a thing was unlikely to happen. She had gone through such a massive detour just to accomplish this much; since Ji Heng loved watching the show, he wouldn't allow some riff-raff to ruin the play and prevent a satisfying ending.

Upon returning to Xiangyang, Jiang Li did not go to the Ye residence first. She had Ye Mingyu find a place to settle the villagers, then took her people directly to find Tong Zhiyang.

Tong Zhiyang was not at the Prefect's mansion; he was living in a rather unimpressive small courtyard with his concubine and son. It was said that after the argument with his wife, Lady He, she had returned to her maiden home. Tong's father had been furious, threatening to kill Tong Zhiyang to vent Lady He's anger. Tong Zhiyang was so scared he didn't even dare to act as Prefect; in truth, he couldn't anyway, as his position had relied entirely on Lady He's influence. Now that he had offended her, his official hat was gone. He spent his days hiding in this small courtyard with his concubine and son, keeping his head down.

Jiang Li did not waste words with Tong Zhiyang. "The official order I need—will you give it or not?"

Tong Zhiyang was afraid to show his anger to Jiang Li. "Second Miss Jiang, I don't even dare to step into the Prefect's office anymore..."

"Your wife is so arrogant only because Lady He's brother-in-law is an official in Yanjing, a Chief of the Bell Office," Jiang Li said. "If you want to live with dignity and not fear being hunted down by the He family, you must leave Lady He without support and ensure your brother-in-law loses his position." She glanced at Tong Zhiyang. "If you prepare this order for me, I will ensure Lady He's brother-in-law loses his post in the capital. Once the He family loses their backing, they will naturally not dare to touch you."

Tong Zhiyang's eyes lit up. "Is what you say true?"

"I am the daughter of the Chief Minister," Jiang Li smiled. "Do you not believe me?"

"No, no, no," Tong Zhiyang hurriedly said. "I believe, I believe." Of course he believed her. Jiang Li hadn't been in Tongxiang long before she had the Weaver’s Office official from Yanjing arrive in Xiangyang to handle the Ye family's case. And now, the order she wanted was to help clear the name of a disgraced official, Xue Huaiyuan. Since ancient times, overturning a case for a disgraced official was a delicate matter that could easily implicate oneself; if she didn't have solid backing, who would dare to do it? It was precisely because she was a Jiang family lady that she could be so fearless. If Jiang Li said she could do it, it must be possible.

"Second Miss Jiang, I have one more presumptuous request," Tong Zhiyang wiped the sweat from his brow. "If Lady He's brother-in-law loses his post, that is only natural. The Ye family's troubles were their doing, and I was only acting under orders... I am loyal to you and the Ye family! Can you let me continue as Prefect? I promise to look after the Ye family in the future!" He looked at Jiang Li with hope.

Jiang Li's smile vanished. She said coldly, "Prefect Tong, greed knows no bounds. Furthermore, as in-laws of the Jiang family, whoever serves as the Prefect of Xiangyang will naturally look after the Ye family; there is no need for you to trouble yourself with that. Besides, as you are now, you cannot even protect the mother and son in this house, and you are in danger yourself. I can make Lady He's brother-in-law lose his position, so you won't have to hide or worry about Tong Yu being killed; that is already a stroke of fortune in your misfortune. To ask for more is excessive."

Tong Zhiyang looked at Jiang Li and couldn't help but shrink back. Jiang Li's words weren't harsh, but the warning was crystal clear.

Jiang Li certainly didn't intend to help Tong Zhiyang out of the goodness of her heart. To her, the Right Minister, who was tied to King Cheng, would sooner or later be her enemy. Lady He's brother-in-law was the Right Minister's man; removing him was just a convenient task. Once she returned to Yanjing and spread word of the Ye family's affairs, that Chief of the Bell Office would naturally face trouble. Jiang Li did not believe the cunning Right Minister would care about morality enough to intervene for a mere Chief of the Bell Office.

As for Tong Zhiyang, a Prefect who had once taken orders to frame the Ye family, she would never give him a second chance. Now that the whole of Xiangyang knew the relationship between the Ye family and the Jiang family was not as bad as rumored, whoever the new Prefect was would be respectful to the Ye family; she really didn't need Tong Zhiyang's promises.

Tong Zhiyang knew he was in the wrong and said nothing more. "Second Miss Jiang, please wait a moment," he said, rising to go inside.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Tong Zhiyang returned with an official order. The text was copied from a template; all he had to do was affix the seal. Fortunately, Lady He hadn't made him hand over the official seal yet, so writing an order for Jiang Li was a simple matter.

Jiang Li took the order, glanced at it to ensure it was valid, and smiled at Tong Zhiyang. "In that case, thank you, Prefect Tong." She turned and left gracefully.

Tong Zhiyang chased after her, fawning. "Second Miss Jiang, about the Chief of the Bell Office... please don't forget!"

...

After obtaining the order, A-Shun arrived to pick up Jiang Li. Ye Mingyu had already returned to the Ye residence after settling the villagers. A group of people from Tongxiang entering Xiangyang naturally attracted a lot of attention. With such an earth-shattering event, the Ye family was likely still interrogating Ye Mingyu.

Ye Mingyu remembered what Jiang Li said about her explaining everything to the Ye family, so he had said nothing and sent A-Shun to pick her up.

Jiang Li arrived at the Ye residence. Because Xue Huaiyuan and Feng Yutang were no ordinary people, Jiang Li feared a mishap and had them settled in the Ye family's courtyard. As soon as she reached the gate, she saw the servants looking grave, as if the Ye house faced a crisis.

Seeing Jiang Li and A-Shun arrive, the gatekeeper immediately shouted inside: "The cousin is back! The cousin is back!"

Jiang Li: "..." It was as if her return would provide a perfectly logical explanation for everything.

Jiang Li entered the residence. In the Jin-Hua Hall, the entire Ye family was present. Ye Mingyu was surrounded in the center, hanging his head like a culprit.

"We told you not to cause trouble, and now look! You think you haven't caused enough trouble, so you go and kidnap an official? What is going on here?" Ye Mingxuan scolded him.

Ye Mingyu was very aggrieved. This time, it really wasn't his fault! Although he caused trouble, he never involved himself in the complex web of officialdom, and when traveling the pugilistic world, he always used a pseudonym. But he couldn't sell out his own niece. Hmph, what bad luck!

Just as he was thinking this, Jiang Li walked in.

Grandmother Ye saw her first. "A-Li!"

Jiang Li walked to Grandmother Ye's side. Grandmother Ye seemed to have more energy these days; with the help of a maid, she could stand and walk a few steps. She pulled Jiang Li over and looked her over carefully before letting out a sigh of relief. "Seeing you well, I can finally rest easy."

"Grandmother, please set your heart at ease. I am well," Jiang Li smiled. "Uncle has been taking good care of me."

"A-Li," Aunt Guan couldn't help but ask, "what is going on? Those people outside... and how did you get involved with the case of the Tongxiang county assistant?"

Jiang Li showed a look of slight hesitation. After a long moment, she said, "This... it was actually Father's intention."

"Jiang Yuanbai?" Ye Minghui frowned. "Jiang Yuanbai sent you to Xiangyang just for this?"

"In a way. Because I was returning to Xiangyang to see Grandfather, Father had other plans and asked me to go to Tongxiang. This matter was actually directed by Father; I was merely acting on his behalf. When we return to Yanjing, Father will personally oversee these matters," Jiang Li smiled. "It is my fault for causing Grandmother and Uncle and Aunt to worry."

She pushed the responsibility onto Jiang Yuanbai without hesitation. The Ye family didn't care much for Jiang Yuanbai, and if they thought she was merely following his orders, they would stop worrying so much.

Sure enough, the Ye family exchanged glances. Although their expressions were still strange, they were not as urgent as before. Jiang Yuanbai was an old fox; the Ye family didn't understand the ways of the official world, so they couldn't ask why he would do this.

Seeing this, Ye Mingyu gave Jiang Li a thumbs-up in his heart. It was good to be well-read; she had convinced the whole family in a few words. If he had Jiang Li's mouth, he wouldn't have been nagged by Grandmother and his brothers and sisters-in-law about marriage every year. It seemed that if one was dull, one should read more. Ye Mingyu resolved to hire a tutor to teach him how to speak properly one day.

Although she pushed the matter onto Jiang Yuanbai, Jiang Li still had to explain the Xue Huaiyuan case to the Ye family, though she omitted the fact that Feng Yutang had a superior. Thus, to the Ye family, it sounded as if Feng Yutang had framed Xue Huaiyuan and acted like a tyrant while serving as an assistant.

Ye Rufeng said, "Feng Yutang is truly a scoundrel! Poor Assistant Xue."

"To think there are such villains in the world," Ye Jia'er remarked with heavy emotion. "What's more terrifying is that such a villain could be an official."

Ye Mingxuan pondered for a moment. "So, Jiang Yuanbai actually did a good deed this time." He looked at Jiang Li.

Ye Mingxuan was a smart man. Although Jiang Li had pushed everything onto Jiang Yuanbai, he sensed something was wrong. What benefit could Jiang Yuanbai get from handling the Xue case? Jiang Yuanbai was not a selfless official, and more importantly, he had no connection to the Xue family. Why would he send Jiang Li to Tongxiang specifically to clear their name?

But suspicion was just suspicion. Without evidence, he had to let it go.

"Since it's a good deed, Assistant Xue is a pitiful man," Grandmother Ye said. "A-Li, you should return to Yanjing as soon as possible. The official order has a time limit, and it will take some time to get from Xiangyang to Yanjing. Leave early so you can return sooner." Grandmother Ye was a reasonable woman, and upon hearing the story, she advised Jiang Li accordingly.

"That's what I was thinking," Jiang Li smiled. "We will stay in Xiangyang for one more day and leave tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Aunt Zhuo was surprised. "Why so urgent?"

"Sister-in-law, we are going to handle serious business; we cannot afford to delay," Ye Mingyu said.

"What? You're going too?" Ye Mingxuan asked.

"Of course! A-Li said that with me there, she would be well taken care of. There are so many people—do you expect A-Li to take all these Tongxiang villagers to the capital alone? Do you want to exhaust her? I'm different. When I was wandering the pugilistic world, how many followers did I have? I'm the perfect person to lead. With me in charge, I guarantee A-Li will have a smooth journey. No bandits or robbers will dare to come near. If one comes, I'll kill him; if two come, I'll kill the pair!" He gestured fiercely.

"Forget it. I think you'll just cause trouble," Ye Mingxuan said irritably.

"Uncle Mingxuan, this time I truly relied on Uncle Mingyu's help," Jiang Li smiled. "I would feel much more at ease if Uncle Mingyu accompanied me to the capital." Ye Mingyu was a wonderful family member; he never asked questions, was rough around the edges, yet understood Jiang Li as much as anyone could. With him around, many things would be easier to handle.

Hearing Jiang Li speak up for him, Ye Mingyu proudly straightened his back and gave Ye Mingxuan a "see that?" look.

Ye Mingxuan was about to retort, but Grandmother Ye spoke up. "Alright, since A-Li wants the third one to go, let him go. A-Li is a girl after all; even with guards, I'm not at ease. Third son, I am entrusting A-Li to you. If anything happens to her, I will hold you accountable when you return."

"Don't worry, Mother," Ye Mingyu beamed. "You can trust me to handle this!"

Grandmother Ye turned back to Jiang Li, her eyes filled with reluctance. "A-Li, you've only just returned to Xiangyang, and now you're leaving... I don't know when I'll see you again."

Jiang Li's heart softened. She took Grandmother Ye's hand. "Grandmother, it's alright. Once I finish my business in Yanjing, I will find a chance to return to Xiangyang as soon as possible. When your health improves, let Uncle and Aunt bring you to Yanjing. Cousin Shijie is now a secretary in the Ministry of Revenue in Yanjing. Once he is established, it will be good for our Ye family to have a foothold in Yanjing."

The phrase "our Ye family" made Grandmother Ye feel incredibly comforted. She couldn't stop smiling. "Good, good. Then I will stay in Xiangyang, take good care of my health, and when I can travel, I will come to Yanjing with your uncle and aunt to see Shijie and you."

Ye Minghui and the others were moved. Before Jiang Li returned, Grandmother Ye had been so sick she couldn't leave her bed, and she had no spirit. But not long after Jiang Li returned, her health improved day by day.

It was better for people to have something to look forward to. With something to look forward to, there was hope.

They spoke with the Ye family until late into the night, and after dinner, everyone dispersed.

Xue Huaiyuan had already fallen asleep. Jiang Li checked on him, instructed the guards to keep a close watch, and returned to her room. She did not expect to find Ye Jia'er waiting for her.

Tong'er poured hot tea for Ye Jia'er. Jiang Li walked in and greeted her, "Cousin."

"Cousin," Ye Jia'er stood up.

Jiang Li asked, "Cousin, why are you looking for me so late? Is something the matter?"

Ye Jia'er pointed to a box on the table, looking embarrassed. "It's for you."

Jiang Li opened it and found a dress. It was a long gown with wide sleeves and a slim bodice, a soft, lustrous pearl-white, but under the lamplight, it shimmered with a faint, rippling glow, like the waves of the sea, flashing with tiny specks of blue light.

"We used some of the peacock feathers from Uncle's stash to make a sample fabric. We produced a few bolts—this is what it looks like," Ye Jia'er said. "Because we were just exploring, many attempts were scrapped. To date, this is the only successful bolt. I received permission from Father and Uncle to make it into a dress and give it to you. This was your idea—the business of the ancient fragrant silk couldn't be sustained, so we had to create a new material that could rival it... Cousin, what do you think of this fabric?"

Jiang Li said, "It is beautiful."

"Really?" Ye Jia'er's anticipation seemed to turn into reality instantly; her eyes were filled with uncontrollable joy as she looked at Jiang Li.

"I never lie."

"Hearing you say that, I'm relieved. You've seen many fine things in Yanjing. If you think it's good, it must be exceptional. I believe you," Ye Jia'er said happily. "We discussed it, and since the pattern looks like the sea, we'll call it the 'Wave Pattern'."

"Wave Pattern..." Jiang Li repeated it twice and looked at her. "That's a lovely name."

"It's what I thought of." Ye Jia'er shyly twisted the hem of her skirt. The usually composed girl looked a bit embarrassed. She said, "I thought, since you are the daughter of the Chief Minister, you must know many noble ladies. If you wear this dress out and others think it looks good, they will naturally ask what the fabric is and where it was made. At that point, you can naturally mention the 'Wave Pattern'." She paused. "Cousin, please don't think that because we are merchants, we are all obsessed with profit. It's just that the Ye family is currently in a state where, if we don't produce a fabric to replace the ancient silk, the business will eventually fail. I don't want the life's work of Grandmother and Grandfather to be in vain. Since I bear the name Ye, I must shoulder this responsibility."

She hesitated. "I know this is a presumptuous request..."

"It is not," Jiang Li said.

Ye Jia'er looked at her.

"Although I am not named Ye, my mother was a Ye. I have half the Ye family's blood flowing through my veins. The responsibility of the Ye family is naturally something I must bear," Jiang Li smiled. "Furthermore, I don't think there's anything wrong with this. The Wave Pattern currently only exists in one bolt, so it won't be easy to come by. Scarcity makes things valuable. The harder the Wave Pattern is to get, the more people will crave it."

"This is the Ye family's opportunity. Cousin, you have grasped it. I believe the Ye family's business will have no trouble finding a successor."

This was Jiang Li's sincere opinion. If Ye Jia'er didn't understand how to manage the Ye family's business, no matter how wealthy they were, the business would eventually dissipate once the older generation passed away. But Ye Jia'er was clearly smart; she had inherited the Ye family's business acumen and had already shown it at a young age.

"Cousin, leave this to me," Jiang Li stroked the dress in the box. "I will certainly wear it at an appropriate time when all eyes are on me."

Ye Jia'er stared at Jiang Li, then suddenly smiled and nodded vigorously.

"Mm!"