The Double

"Why pray to the heavens?" Jiang Li spoke indifferently, "If the heavens had eyes, they wouldn’t let such tragedies happen on earth. It’s better to rely on oneself."

Hai Tang looked at her, puzzled, and asked, "Miss Jiang the Second, although I don’t know who entrusted you, I want to ask you, do you intend to help our Miss seek justice?"

"Yes," Jiang Li answered.

Hai Tang gazed at her for a moment, suddenly got up, knelt down, and kowtowed twice to Jiang Li, saying, "Hai Tang has nothing of value to offer in return for your kindness. If you can help our Miss seek justice, I am willing to pay any price you ask!"

Xue Fangfei had already died, and in theory, Hai Tang was now free. She could go elsewhere and lead the life she wanted. But she stayed for the sake of the Xue Family.

Jiang Li helped her up, saying, "I don’t want you to pay any price; all you need to do is live well. As long as you are alive, you are the evidence of Shen Yurong and Princess Yongning’s crimes. With you here, on the day the truth comes out, you will be the living witness." She smiled, "I will do all in my power to protect you, to ensure they cannot find you, so you can live in peace. Just wait for the day, for the day when the Xue Family’s case sees the light again, and you will have your wish fulfilled."

Those words brought Hai Tang to the brink of tears. She had lived in darkness for so long that she had ceased to expect what light was like, knowing she couldn’t touch it, so she stopped thinking about it altogether. Suddenly, someone told her that the darkness was about to end, and as she walked on, she would see the daylight.

Finding a glimmer of hope amidst sorrow is like a drowning person clinging to a straw, never wanting to let go.