The Double

Jiang Li looked at the dowry list and thought that, for the Chief Minister’s Daughter, it was not considered low, but it was not particularly high either. Many items were those that Ye Zhenzhen had brought with her in previous years. Jiang Li didn’t mind, as she never cared about the amount of the dowry. However, she couldn’t help feeling sorry for the real Miss Jiang the Second; it was difficult enough to have retrieved her mother’s belongings, only for them to end up with someone else—herself, the usurper.

The days passed uneventfully until Jiang Li received news from Zhao Ke: Prince of Xia County, Yin Zhan, no longer needed to return to Yunzhong.

When Jiang Li heard this news, she wasn’t very surprised, probably because Ji Heng had already warned her that the Yin Household was not as peaceful as it appeared on the surface. Still, she asked, "Why?"

Zhao Ke replied, "They say that winter has come and that the journey from Yanjing to Yunzhong is difficult due to heavy snows, making it hard for troops and horses to travel. It wastes provisions, and there’s no need to defend Yunzhong. Instead, we should guard against Prince Cheng’s power rising again. Yanjing City is the place that’s truly in danger."

Jiang Li smiled faintly. The reason given was neither particularly good nor bad. It was clear that Yin Zhan truly wished to stay in Yanjing City, and he probably realized from the last marriage bestowed by Emperor Hongxiao that the emperor had grown suspicious of the Yin Household. Yin Zhan no longer concealed his ambition, even if he had to be blatant to remain.

Yin Zhan and Prince Cheng were different. Emperor Hongxiao had prepared for many years to deal with Prince Cheng, using him as a bargaining chip. But Yin Zhan had only returned to Yanjing City much later, and for many years, the imperial court had nearly forgotten him. If it weren’t for his surprising valor during the recent rehabilitation, no one in the imperial audience hall would have taken him seriously. For Yin Zhan, Emperor Hongxiao was unprepared and had no understanding, so he could not act rashly. The method of lying in wait like catching turtles in a jar, waiting for others to walk into a trap, was not applicable to Yin Zhan.

Both sides were in a deadlock.

Worries started to grow in Jiang Li’s heart. She wondered how long these peaceful days would last. Once they were over, the Duke Residence and the Jiang Family would inevitably be implicated.

She could only hope for peace.

...

Deep within the palace, after the bloom of countless flowers, there was now a different kind of desolation.