The Double

The most intelligent member of the younger generation has now become muddled over such an important matter. Madam Jiang the Elder said, "I don’t wish to blame her, after all, she is my granddaughter. But Eldest Son, Second Miss always forgets one thing; she is a daughter of our Jiang Family, and before she does anything, she should first consider whether it will affect the Jiang Family. Now, because of what she’s done, the whole city is in uproar. Never mind the Jiang Family, how will you and your brother manage? What will your colleagues think of you, what will the emperor think? And Youyao, her marriage arrangement with the Zhou Family is already ruined, and she still needs to marry someone eventually. With Second Miss causing such a scene, Youyao’s marriage prospects will also be affected; what on earth is she doing!" Madam Jiang the Elder shook her head repeatedly.

Upon hearing Jiang Youyao’s name, Ji Shuran immediately seized the opportunity and said with tears, "My dear, what Mother said is right; this time, Lili has really gone too far. Youyao hasn’t done anything, and first it was Prince Zhou, and now I don’t want anything other than to be able to find another suitable marriage arrangement for Youyao... With Lili causing such trouble, which good family in Yanjing City would dare to associate with us now? I, I really have no idea what to do. I am Lili’s stepmother, I dare not reprimand her on a normal day, I can’t control her, my dear, you are her birth father, you must take control!"

Ji Shuran wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, and whether she was genuinely concerned for Jiang Youyao was unclear, but she seemed very real. These words were harsh to the ears of Jiang Yuanbai. He said in a deep voice, "What do you mean dare not dare? You are the wife of the main branch, she calls you mother, what do you have to fear! If she talks back in the future, bring her to me! I refuse to believe that in this Jiang Family, there’s no one who can handle her. I thought she had matured after coming back from Green City Mountain, but now it seems she is still just as incorrigible as before. I should have never agreed to bring her back to the residence!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Shuran’s heart leaped with joy; Jiang Yuanbai’s words were a clear sign of disappointment in Jiang Li. As long as the guilt in Jiang Yuanbai’s heart was gone, complete disappointment, and getting Jiang Yuanbai to loathe Jiang Li, was just a matter of time.

Madam Jiang the Elder glanced at Ji Shuran; she was well aware of what Ji Shuran was plotting, yet she simply said, "The matter has already happened, and blaming anyone at this point can wait; the urgent task at hand is to decide what to do now."

"That’s right, big brother," Jiang Yuanping also said, "Lili has just returned to the capital, and the whole city is watching us, we can’t let her continue like this."

"I’ve made up my mind," Jiang Yuanbai said grimly, "as soon as they return to the residence, I will confine her, no one is allowed to see her! Whether it’s the case of the wrongly condemned or the commotion in Tongxiang, it all has nothing to do with her, or with our Jiang Family! Let those people make as much noise as they like, but Jiang Li is not to be involved! Without Jiang Li, I don’t believe they can amount to much; just treat it like a joke, laugh it off, and the matter will pass. No one should speak of it ever again! It’s as if the Jiang Family has just played the clown in a play, entertaining the audience, that’s all!"