The Double

The events at the Li family in these days, Jiang Li did not know. She didn’t pay much attention to it either, probably because she knew that everything was going according to her plan, not too fast nor too slow. Princess Yongning will eventually meet the end that had been set for her from the beginning, so there was no need to rush beforehand.

She became even fonder of visiting the Ye family.

Perhaps it was because Jiang Yuanbai had been preoccupied with his own affairs lately, he turned a blind eye to the fact that Jiang Li almost visited the Ye family daily. When Jiang Li went to the Ye family, it was naturally to see Xue Huaiyuan. She didn’t do much when she saw Xue Huaiyuan every day, sometimes chatting with him, but more often she simply accompanied him in silence. When Xue Huaiyuan read, Jiang Li would also take a book and read at a distance. In Xue Huaiyuan’s eyes, Jiang Li was the Second Miss of the Jiang Family, but in Jiang Li’s eyes, Xue Huaiyuan was always her father, whose presence alone could give her endless strength and courage.

Occasionally, Xue Huaiyuan would ask about the details of the Tongxiang case and the evidence concerning Xue Fangfei. Hai Tang told Jiang Li that Xue Huaiyuan often inquired about what kind of life Xue Fangfei had at the Shen family and what had happened to her before Hai Tang left the residence. After hearing the accounts, Xue Huaiyuan would sit hunched over, silently shedding tears on the ground, which was heartrending.

Just thinking of this scene made Jiang Li’s heart wrench. Moreover, while Xue Huaiyuan had seemingly been persuaded by Jiang Li not to make any more decisions about the spring examination, he had begun to make discreet inquiries about the case of Xue Zhao encountering robbers. He couldn’t leave the residence, lest he be spotted by people from Princess Yongning or Shen Yurong, so he asked Ye Mingyu’s people to gather information. Jiang Li warned Ye Mingyu to make sure under no circumstances should Xue Huaiyuan go out alone; Jiang Li was well aware of the many in Yanjing City who wished Xue Huaiyuan dead.

Princess Yongning alone would be enough, as she had harmed Xue Huaiyuan once, and Jiang Li would not allow her to hurt him a second time.

Ye Mingyu said to Jiang Li, "Mr. Xue is indeed too stubborn. There were already few who knew about the Xue Zhao case, and much time has passed, yet he’s incredibly obstinate. You may not see it, but the old master often smiles amicably, as if he’s very civilized, but deep down, I suspect he’s very opinionated and impossible to persuade."

He glanced at Jiang Li, "If one didn’t know better, they might think you got your temperament from the old master."

Jiang Li smiled and said, "Really?"