The Double

"I know," Jiang Li said softly. "I don’t blame them." Actually, it was the same. If one day she were asked to plead for a good person but it might cost Xue Huaiyuan and Xue Zhao their lives, she would also hesitate. A knife does not hurt unless it cuts one’s own flesh; such is human nature, and no one is exempt.

"So what do we do?" Ye Mingyu scratched his head.

"Although the common people have their difficulties, we still need the people of Tongxiang to stand up. I know it’s dangerous, but there’s no other way. That’s just how the world works now; fairness and justice come at a price. Only if the people stand up can they become the final straw that breaks the camel’s back. I want to make the culprits who framed the Xue Family suffer this time, not to death, then flay them alive. Surely they won’t get off easily!" Jiang Li spoke with a growing intensity, flames seemingly flickering in her eyes, before she gradually calmed down.

"I’ll do it. There are a total of five hundred and sixty-eight households in Tongxiang; I’ll persuade them myself. Starting today, there are only five more days. There isn’t a single household in Tongxiang that hasn’t received some kindness from County Magistrate Xue. A small kindness is met with a gushing spring in return. Although help doesn’t require repayment, now is the time to repay. People’s hearts are made of flesh. I’ll knock on each door, inquire at each home; among five hundred and sixty-eight households, I refuse to believe I can’t find one willing to stand up." She looked at the people around her. "There will be one household, right?"

Everyone fell silent.

There was anticipation in Jiang Li’s eyes. She was naturally gentle and composed, even the most urgent matters conducted by her hands seemed to take on a leisurely pace. Therefore, her own emotions were rarely exposed and Ye Mingyu had never seen such an expectant expression from her before.

But now he had.

And it was as though in this moment, she became a true cardamom-aged girl, waiting with her whole heart for something good to happen, and anyone who shattered this carefully nurtured hope would be committing an unforgivable sin.

Peng Xiao said, "Right, there won’t just be one household; there will be many more. The people of Tongxiang are not ungrateful. Miss Jiang the Second, you mustn’t underestimate them."

Jiang Li’s lips curved up slightly. "I won’t. I’ve always believed in them."