Chapter 514 - 157 BMW_2
He still had the appearance of a carefree scholar, yet his gaze was like that of a fox sniffing the scent of its prey, intensely keen.
Jiang Li silently laughed to herself, thinking that on the surface, Jiang Yuanbai may hold office in the court, his political achievements being mediocre at best, and could only be described as slick. However, deep down, he was no better than those wily jackals and hyenas, sensing that something was amiss with this affair and had come specifically to deceive with his words.
Jiang Li expressed her surprise, "I have met Duke Su at the palace banquet before, and the only other time I met him was during a court discussion outside the hall. As for Old General Jih, I cannot even begin to talk about any close relations—we have never met."
Her words were half-truths. Indeed, the two times she had encountered Jih Heng were known to Jiang Yuanbai and were unavoidable. There were too many witnesses, and to claim she had never met Jih Heng would only arouse suspicion. As for Old General Jih, each time Jiang Li met him was in private visits to the Duke Residence, unknown to outsiders.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuanbai saw Jiang Li speak earnestly, her story matching exactly with the information he had, and he half-believed it already. In fact, the situation involving the Xue Family’s case where Jih Heng spoke for Jiang Li and confronted Prince Cheng had spread, albeit to a very limited extent within the court. In the beginning, Jiang Yuanbai didn’t care much about it, given that Duke Su had no ties with him for many years, and it wasn’t as if Jiang Li had any dealings with Jih Heng. Perhaps the rumors were exaggerated, warping the truth.
However, today, Madam Jiang the Elder’s servant hastily came to him with this strange invitation, leaving Jiang Yuanbai somewhat undecided.
Could it be that he had missed something? Perhaps there was some unknown connection between Jiang Li and Jih Heng.
But at least from Jiang Li’s current behavior, it was clear that Jiang Li and Jih Heng were not very familiar.