The Double

"But you really surprised me, after going in such big circles, you finally brought up the matter of Xue Fangfei."

With just one sentence, Jiang Li couldn’t help but lift her head to look at Jih Heng. A moment later, she laughed and said, "What are you talking about, Duke? What does this have to do with Xue Fangfei?"

"Oh?" Jih Heng chuckled. "Aren’t you eagerly trying to exonerate Xue Fangfei, revealing her name during the court debate? Doing this will not please Princess Yongning."

He was extremely cunning, almost devilishly intelligent, and nothing could escape his eyes, but Jiang Li hadn’t expected that, even so, he would think of Xue Fangfei’s connection to the case of the Xue Family, and so quickly at that.

"Why exonerate Xue Fangfei?" Jiang Li asked impassively. "Isn’t she unchaste, involved in an affair? Assistant Head Writer Shen Yurong, out of old affection, couldn’t bear to divorce her. Who knew that heaven would have its eyes open and soon took her, a case of reaping what she sowed. Why should such a person be exonerated?" As she spoke about herself, her expression didn’t change, and ordinary people would never suspect that she could speak of herself in such a way.

Jih Heng laughed, his body suddenly leaning forward, his gaze meaningfully fixed on Jiang Li as he said in a low voice, "Why exonerate her, you would know best, wouldn’t you?"

Jiang Li was startled and said, "I do not understand what you mean, Duke."

"You’re someone with a clear sense of right and wrong," Jih Heng stated calmly. "Haven’t you noticed yourself, when you speak of Shen Yurong, you don’t even refer to him as ’Lord Shen’? He must have wronged you."

Jih Heng carelessly fiddled with his folding fan, "Princess Yongning has wronged you as well."

His tone was that of stating a fact, not a question; he had known already, and he trusted his judgment.