The Double

"I don’t know what exactly he’s planning to do, he didn’t tell me. Maybe he told Lu Jiu and Kong Liu, but they wouldn’t tell you either, since they’re not in the Duke Residence now, I don’t where they have gone. I only know that Jih Heng is involved in something very important and dangerous, the fewer people know about it, the better."

When Jiang Li heard this, she didn’t feel any dissatisfaction with Situ Jiuyue’s response. She knew that Jih Heng’s decision to not inform her wasn’t due to any lack of trust, but rather because he valued her so greatly that he hoped to keep her out of trouble.

This man... he always insists on handling everything alone, even if it leads to misunderstandings.

Jiang Li sighed inwardly, realizing that she was helpless. There was no one around who knew what was going on with Jih Heng.

Situ Jiuyue didn’t continue the conversation with Jiang Li, but instead walked to the flower garden to pick flowers. The flowers in the Duke Residence were still vibrant in winter, but they were different from ordinary blossoms, with peculiar shapes; some were flat and elongated, others resembled animals, and some even trembled upon being touched. Jiang Li couldn’t be of any assistance, for she did not know which flowers Situ Jiuyue was selecting, so she could only stand by and watch. As she watched, she pondered over the rumors about the Duke Residence.

She said, "Initially, I thought Jih Heng gathered these rare flowers out of a love for flora, but now it seems that the reason he spent a fortune to collect so many bizarre flowers in the garden is that they are conducive to Miss Jiuyue’s poison-making. Or perhaps these flowers were actually collected by Miss Jiuyue for alchemy, using Jih Heng’s name merely as a cover."

Jih Heng had two hobbies, a love for flowers and watching plays. But a true flower enthusiast would not be as exacting as he was, seeking out the rare toxic blossoms of the world rather than just rare flowers. It’s more likely that what he was collecting were the ingredients for poison-making. And these ingredients were obviously of no use to Jih Heng himself since he didn’t engage in poison-making, so they must have been prepared for Situ Jiuyue.

"No, these indeed were collected by Jih Heng, but they were indeed for my alchemy because he hoped that I could concoct a unique poison to wake up his father."

Jiang Li’s eyes widened. This was the first time she had heard of such a thing. The rumors had it that General Jih had left the capital upon hearing of Yu Hongye’s death years ago and had never been seen since. Everyone believed he had long passed away, but from what Situ Jiuyue was suggesting, was General Jih still alive?