Chapter 129 Possessed by Evil
"But you surprised me. After going around in circles for so long, you finally uncovered Xue Fangfei's story."

Just one sentence made Jiang Li raise her head and look at Ji Heng. After a moment, she smiled and said, "What are you talking about, Duke? What does this have to do with Xue Fangfei?"

"Oh?" Ji Heng smiled: "You mentioned Xue Fangfei's name in the court because you were anxious to vindicate her. Princess Yongning will not be happy if you do this."

He was so smart that he could hide nothing from his eyes, but Jiang Li had never thought that even so, he still thought of Xue Fangfei's relationship in the Xue family case. And, it happened so quickly.

"Why should we rehabilitate Xue Fangfei?" Jiang Li said calmly, "She was not unfaithful to her husband. She had an affair with someone else. Zhongshu Shelang Shen Yurong did not divorce her because of their old relationship. Who knew that God would open his eyes and take her away soon? She had brought it upon herself. Why should we rehabilitate such a person?" She did not change her expression when she talked about herself. If she were an ordinary person, she would never have thought that he could say this about her.

Ji Heng laughed, and suddenly leaned forward, looking at Jiang Li's expression meaningfully, and suddenly laughed softly: "Why should we vindicate her? Don't you know best?"

Jiang Li was startled and said, "I don't understand what the Duke is talking about."

"You are a person who has clear likes and dislikes." Ji Heng said calmly, "Don't you realize that when you mentioned Shen Yurong, you didn't even call her Lord Shen. He must have a grudge against you." Ji Heng played with his folding fan nonchalantly, "Princess Yongning also has a grudge against you."

He was stating it in a statement tone, not questioning it. He already knew it and trusted his own judgment.

Jiang Li thought for a while and said, "Duke..."

"You know their relationship." Ji Heng looked at her.

Jiang Li took a deep breath. She didn't know how much Ji Heng knew, but one thing was certain, Ji Heng knew much more than she thought. If she kept pretending to be stupid, it would make this ally unhappy. It would be better to be honest and keep the final secret, true and false, and tell it all, maybe she could get some unexpected gains.

"What do you mean, Duke? Are you referring to the fact that Princess Yongning and Shen Yurong are in love with each other and have a deep affection for each other?" She said it sarcastically, and Ji Heng sneered when she heard it.

"From your tone, there is a hint of bitterness. Could it be that you also admire Master Xiao Shen?" Ji Heng said, "That's why I feel jealous."

"Sour? You must be joking, Lord. I don't think Shen Yurong is worthy of admiration."

"That's strange?" Ji Heng stared at her with interest. "Master Xiao Shen is handsome and gentle, and there are countless noble ladies in Yanjing who like him. I see that you are also at the age of falling in love, and you don't like such a handsome man?"

He was so good that he actually talked about such irrelevant things with Jiang Li at this time. Jiang Li sneered: "Shen Yurong is just a secretary in the end, and has no family support. To me, she is just one of those people who climbed up from the lowly common people by any means. I am also a lady of the Jiang family. In terms of being well-matched, Shen Yurong is not qualified."

This was a very sarcastic remark. Jiang Li herself had never thought that one day she would hear such harsh words from her own mouth. If the Shen family were here, they would probably be furious. But she just wanted to say that Princess Yongning said that she was of low status and was not worthy of Shen Yurong, who had already risen to prominence. Now that she was the daughter of the Prime Minister, even the rising Shen Yurong was not worth mentioning in her eyes. She was just a gigolo.

"You run around for the people of Tongxiang, eat and drink with them without looking down on their lowly status. But when you come to Lord Xiao Shen, you look down on his poor family background. It seems that you have a deep prejudice against Lord Xiao Shen. Is there a deep blood feud?" He replied with a smile, and every word was a test.

Jiang Li smiled and said, "I'm just telling the truth. Besides, although the Duke praises Shen Yurong all the time, in my opinion, Shen Yurong is not as good as the Duke. Whether it's appearance, family background, status, or literary and military strategies, Shen Yurong is far behind the Duke. Instead of being deceived by an ordinary person like Shen Yurong, it's better to be fascinated by a person like the Duke. Isn't it?"

Ji Heng looked at her quietly, and after a while, he suddenly laughed and said, "You are really good at talking. Jiang Yuanbai claims to be a clean official, but his daughter has a mouth like honey. If I am not as hard as iron, I am afraid I really will not want to let you go."

Jiang Li smiled. She certainly wasn't stupid enough to think that her flattery could please Ji Heng. In fact, if she were in Ji Heng's position, she would probably hear countless such flattery on a daily basis. If Ji Heng was really so easy to please, there wouldn't be the saying that he was "moody". But it's not easy to hit a smiling person, and she was also happy to belittle Shen Yurong and praise Ji Heng.

"But your actions have attracted the attention of Shen Yurong and Yongning." Ji Heng said: "Next, they will deal with you."

"Thank you for your reminder, Duke." Jiang Li looked at him and said seriously, "But Duke once said that my life belongs to you. No one can take anything from you, including my life. So I'm not worried, because I believe in Duke."

"Miss Jiang Er, are you trying to trick me into this?" His long eyes were charming, filled with a cold and sober expression. He said, "I said I would protect your life, but I don't mean I would be your personal bodyguard. If you want my protection in the court of Northern Yan, I'm afraid you can't afford the price."

This was quite arrogant, but Jiang Li knew that Ji Heng was not lying. King Cheng wanted to seek Ji Heng's protection, but even though he was rejected by Ji Heng, he did not even dare to think of "getting rid of him if he cannot be used by me". This shows how true it is.

Jiang Li said, "It is precisely because you are the one who can protect me the most in Beiyan that I hope to seek your protection. What I am planning is extremely rebellious and difficult. If I am not careful, I will implicate the people around me, so there are some things I can only do alone. But no matter how difficult it is, I will do it. Duke, thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west, the situation will change. Although I am a nobody and a useless young lady to you, in time, if you give me time, I may be able to help you."

"You are so young, but you are so arrogant. You want to help me?" He waved his fan, "You are still too young."

"At least I think I am more worthy of the Duke's trust than King Cheng and the others."

Ji Heng supports King Cheng to make the current court three-way, but he also wants Emperor Hong Xiao to rely on him. King Cheng can only maintain a balance. But Jiang Li thinks that King Cheng's willingness to maintain balance will not last long. The conflict between Emperor Hong Xiao and King Cheng did not form overnight. The exchanges between the two of them in the court are already intriguing. I'm afraid that the bloody battle for this position will come soon.

At that time, it was unknown which faction the Jiang family would side with. The Jiang family was also in the middle of it, and if they were not careful, they would become victims of this struggle. Throughout history, there have been countless such endings.

Ji Heng looked at her for a while and said, "Forget it, go and do your thing. I can't interfere too much in the internal affairs of the Jiang family. If you need me to rescue you in everything, you are not worthy of my protection. The flowers grown in our Duke's Mansion garden are not only beautiful, but also have miraculous effects. Ah Li," he called her name gently, but his words seemed to expose the cruelest truth in the world to her, "In Yanjing, it is easy to survive, but it is difficult to live well. Especially for people like you who hope to rely on yourself. I can't say that you are stupid, I can only say that you are naive, but you should be glad that I don't hate your naivety. So I won't interfere in what you care about, about Shen Yurong and Yongning."

"That's your business," he said.

Jiang Li smiled slowly.

She said, "Thank you, Duke."

Ji Heng didn't say anything else. He got off the carriage and suddenly thought of something. He took something out from his sleeve and threw it to Jiang Li, saying, "If you need anything, blow this whistle. I have people in your Jiang Mansion who will come to pick you up. It's a gift to you." He didn't look back, and there was a faint smile in his voice, like a sigh, but also like a gentle blessing.

"I hope you get what you want."

Ji Heng left. Bai Xue and Tong Er were also startled when they suddenly saw a big man getting off the carriage. When they saw clearly that it was Ji Heng, they felt a little relieved. Jiang Li and Ji Heng seemed to have a good relationship. At least every time after seeing Ji Heng, Jiang Li did not show any displeasure.

Tong'er and Baixue were not Jiang Yuanbai's people, so there was no need to report this to Jiang Yuanbai. Moreover, they had not lived in the mansion for a long time, and were not as pedantic as other maids. They felt that meeting a strange man privately was a great offense.

After getting on the carriage, Tong'er said to Jiang Li, "Miss, why did the Duke come to the carriage just now? Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing." Jiang Li looked at the whistle in her palm. Bai Xue followed her gaze and also saw the whistle. She said, "This whistle is so exquisitely made."

A black peony bloomed on the top of the snow-white porcelain whistle. Even on such a small object, the peony flower was depicted in great detail and lifelike. Jiang Li put the whistle away and said, "Yes."

Ji Heng gave her the whistle and tacitly acknowledged a fact. Although he could not guess that she was Xue Fangfei, he knew what he was going to do, which was to deal with Shen Yurong and Princess Yongning and overturn the case for Xue Fangfei and Xue Zhao.

He knows about it, but he won't ask any questions. He will agree to it, and he will even help at critical moments.

She now had another bargaining chip, the biggest bargaining chip in the Northern Yan Dynasty. Although this bargaining chip required her to pay a price, and what the price was was not clear at the moment.

But Jiang Li thought that this was a profitable business, so she could be almost fearless in the future.

She just needs to make a good plan. As for whether she can do it or whether she dares to do it, with Ji Heng, she has nothing to be afraid of.

……

Just as Ji Heng said, in the princess's mansion, Princess Yongning was furious.

Feng Yutang was hanged and never revealed Princess Yongning's name until his death. But Prince Cheng told Yongning that this was the case on the surface, but it is unknown what Zhou Dezhao, the Minister of Justice, later got out of Feng Yutang. Although Emperor Hong Xiao did not investigate the matter further, he had Jiang Li vindicate Xue Huaiyuan in the court meeting, which showed his attitude. It was no longer a secret that Emperor Hong Xiao wanted to deal with Prince Cheng.

A case involving the Xue family has exposed the undercurrents in the court of Northern Yan. King Cheng has gone back to discuss with Concubine Liu about Emperor Hong Xiao. The less Emperor Hong Xiao conceals his intention to kill King Cheng, the closer that day is to come, and they will start preparing for the uprising. Princess Yongning doesn't care about the turmoil in the court. In her opinion, she will be the king of the world sooner or later, and when that day comes, her status will only be higher, and there will be nothing she can't get. At the moment, the person she is most anxious and annoyed with is Jiang Li.

Jiang Li implicated herself in the Xue family case in the court discussion, which was fine, after all, there was no evidence. But at this critical moment, she finally persuaded Concubine Liu to choose a day to tell Emperor Hong Xiao that she wanted Shen Yurong to be his consort, and Shen Yurong agreed. At this time, the Xue family case was exposed, and Xue Fangfei, who had been gradually forgotten by Yanjing City, was mentioned again.

In this case, let alone her marrying Shen Yurong, as long as she has some relationship with Shen Yurong and gets closer, those who make groundless accusations will say: Princess Yongning instructed Feng Yutang to frame Xue Huaiyuan and put him in jail just to be with Shen Yurong. With this kind of means, it is possible that Xue Fangfei had an affair with someone in the past, and there is a lot of secrets involved!
Yongning absolutely disagrees with washing away the dirty water on Xue Fangfei and letting her become the most beautiful woman with both talent and beauty in Yanjing City!

What worried her the most was that Shen Yurong asked her to put her marriage with him on hold because of this case.

Princess Yongning has been in love with Shen Yurong for so long, and she has already figured out Shen Yurong's temperament. Shen Yurong is the most cautious person and is used to weighing the pros and cons. This matter is harmful to him and has no benefit. Shen Yurong will definitely reconsider marrying her. At least she will not marry her now. Shen Yurong can wait, but Princess Yongning cannot. What if something goes wrong in the middle? She can't wait to possess him.

But now Shen Yurong has backed off, and Princess Yongning almost turned against him over this matter. But Shen Yurong was very stubborn, and now even Yongning felt helpless. She couldn't do anything to Shen Yurong, so she transferred all her hatred to Jiang Li. If Jiang Li hadn't meddled in other people's business and wanted to investigate the Xue family's case, how could it have come to this!
Princess Yongning suspected that Jiang Li did it on purpose. She ordered Feng Yutang to assassinate Jiang Li at that time, but for some reason it failed. Jiang Li brought people from Tongxiang to the capital and killed her by surprise. She mentioned her name in the court meeting, which was obviously intentional. She knew that she was going to kill her, but she turned the tables. Princess Yongning even guessed that Jiang Li might have known that she was the master behind Feng Yutang, and it was not accidental that she learned about the letter. The name Xue Fangfei was not something she mentioned casually. Maybe Jiang Li even knew the cause of Xue Fangfei's death... How much did she know?
Princess Yongning stood up in a flash, her face full of anxiety. She had dealt with all the people who knew about Xue Fangfei's matter, and she believed that she had done it perfectly and no one else would know about it. But for some reason, Jiang Li's appearance made her feel vaguely uneasy, and she always felt that Xue Fangfei's case was not handled properly.

"No," she said with a hint of anger in her eyes, "Jiang Li can't live in this world."

Xue Fangfei is dead. Everything about Xue Fangfei and the Xue family should be buried deep underground like Xue Fangfei. No one will mention it. As time goes by, there will be no trace of their existence in the world. Since Jiang Li has touched the secret of the Xue family, even if it is just a possibility, she has no reason to live in this world anymore.

To cut the grass, you have to uproot it. It's her own fault that she had to think about it and get involved with the Xue family.

"Princess, no." Meixiang, Princess Yongning's personal maid, said, "The Xue family case has just been resolved. His Royal Highness Prince Cheng said that the Emperor is secretly planning something. If something happens to Second Miss Jiang at this critical moment, it will give the Emperor an opportunity to deal with our Princess' Mansion. Besides, Second Miss Jiang is not an ordinary family. She has many guards around her. If she attacks in Yanjing City, it will inevitably leave traces. Princess, it is too risky."

Meixiang is Princess Yongning's confidant, and Princess Yongning trusts her very much. Princess Yongning frowned and said impatiently: "This is not okay, that is not okay. Jiang Li simply doesn't take me seriously. Am I going to let her be so arrogant? If it weren't for her, how could I and Shen Lang end up in such a mess. I suffered a loss at her hands, am I going to swallow it silently? How is it possible?!"

Princess Yongning was used to being domineering, so she was not so dumb as to be unable to speak out her grievances. Meixiang came over, helped Princess Yongning sit down again, gently patted her shoulders, and said, "Princess, it's not that we don't want to deal with Miss Jiang, but we can't do it now. It won't be too late to take action after the storm has passed a little."

"That's easy to say." Princess Yongning sneered, "When I think of this now, I want to peel off the skin of this bitch. How can you ask me to be patient?"

"In fact, Princess, you don't have to be patient." Mei Xiang said patiently, "There are some things that you don't have to do yourself. Although Miss Jiang looks gentle, she has made many enemies in the Jiang family. If someone does it for you, you don't have to do anything. You just have to wait and reap the benefits. Isn't that a good thing?"

Princess Yongning heard the hidden meaning in her words and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I heard that Miss Jiang was sent to Qingcheng Mountain seven years ago because she was known for killing her mother and brother. Just think about it, how can Mrs. Jiang accept that her son died at the hands of this lady? The Jiang family has two legitimate daughters. Miss Jiang Youyao, the third daughter of the Jiang family, was famous in the capital and admired by everyone. Who would have thought that Miss Jiang had only been back in the capital for half a year, and not only did she win the first place in the examination and the gift from His Majesty, but now she has even won the hearts of the people. When the people in the capital heard Miss Jiang's name, they all praised her."

"In comparison, Miss Jiang San is much dimmer. People are judged by comparison. The more prosperous Miss Jiang Er is, who is the one who is uncomfortable? The one who is uncomfortable is Miss Jiang San. As Miss Jiang San's biological mother, Ji Shi has an old grudge against Miss Jiang Er. How can she feel comfortable? So, Princess, tell me, who hates Miss Jiang Er the most and regards her as a thorn in her side?"

"Yes... Ji." Princess Yongning's eyes flashed, but soon, she looked at her maid suspiciously: "How did you know all these things clearly? What evidence do you have? It is true that Ji hates Jiang Li, but Ji has always been known for her virtue. In order to preserve the reputation of Madam Jiang, what's wrong with being tolerant for a while? Besides, Jiang Li is so cunning and insidious, Ji may not be able to defeat her."

Meixiang whispered, "Princess, my cousin is working in the courtyard of the Third Miss of the Jiang family. My cousin told me, and I heard that this Ji hated Jiang Li so much that when Jiang Li went to Tongxiang, Ji bribed a killer to kill the Second Miss Jiang on the way. But for some reason, he failed, and the Second Miss Jiang returned to Yanjing City safely."

Hearing this, Princess Yongning gritted her teeth and said, "She is really lucky."

"So don't worry, Princess. Miss Jiang has done so many things, and there are countless people who want to kill her. This time, Miss Jiang won the Xue family's case again, which is even more incredible in the eyes of the Ji family. In order to eliminate future troubles, the Ji family will definitely take ruthless action. Princess, just watch. If the Ji family wins and Miss Jiang loses, everyone will be happy. If the Ji family loses, then the princess will have to be more cautious about Miss Jiang, which shows that Miss Jiang is not simple."

"You mean Ji?" Yongning said disdainfully, "She's just a woman. If she was really capable, how could she tolerate Jiang Li climbing over her head and reaching this point? It's obvious that she's incompetent. I don't think she can handle Jiang Li."

"The Ji family is not very good, but behind the Ji family is the Deputy Chief Censor Ji family. Princess, don't forget that Concubine Li is a member of the Ji family. She is the only one in the palace who is favored by His Majesty. Concubine Li is not a stupid person. The Ji family really has no other options. As long as they ask Concubine Li for a solution, Concubine Li will not sit idly by. In this way... it's hard to say who will win and who will lose in the end."

Princess Yongning nodded and said, "You have a point. Concubine Li is indeed quite smart. In this case..." She looked at Meixiang, "Since you are smart, you should think of a way to add fuel to the fire in this matter. Whether you use your cousin or think of a way yourself, within a month, I want Ji to take action against Jiang Li. No matter what the result is... there will be casualties between the two of them!"

Meixiang quickly agreed.

Princess Yongning seemed to feel relieved at this. She looked at Meixiang and said, "You are a loyal person. Don't worry. If this succeeds, you will be credited as the first meritorious service and you will be greatly rewarded."

Meixiang thanked him happily, and when she lowered her head, no one saw the strange look that flashed across her eyes.

……

In the Jiang Mansion, Ji Shuran was talking to Jiang Youyao.

Jiang Youyao leaned on Ji Shuran's knees. Ever since the incident with Zhou Yanbang, Ji Shuran had been looking for suitable young talents for Jiang Youyao. There were some good ones, but Jiang Youyao was absent-minded. Ji Shuran saw that she still had feelings for Zhou Yanbang, and was afraid that she would do something out of line, so she always had someone watching her, or accompanied her in person, to prevent Jiang Youyao from finding an opportunity to go out and make any mistakes again.

Jiang Youyao didn't know whether it was because she was discouraged or for some other reason, she also became much lazier. It was not until recently, when Jiang Li came back, that Jiang Youyao regained her fighting spirit and wished that Jiang Li would have a tragic end.

Unfortunately, her wish was not fulfilled. Jiang Li led the people of Tongxiang County to redress the Xue family case, which even made Jiang Li's reputation among the people better. And her well-reasoned and appropriate speech in the court discussion also won praise from some court officials.

No matter how you look at it, Jiang Li is gradually surpassing herself.

Ji Shuran's maid Xia Han came in and said, "Madam, the second young lady is not in the mansion. She said she went to the Ye family to visit Xue Huaiyuan."

"Xue Huaiyuan," Jiang Youyao snorted coldly after hearing this, "Isn't he just a lunatic? She goes to see him every day. She really knows how to pretend to be kind and seek fame. She wants to gain a reputation as a kind person."

Ji Shuran ignored Jiang Youyao's words and just asked, "Have you found out if Jiang Li and the Xue family had any Yuanyuan before?"

Xia Han shook her head: "The Second Miss has lived in Yanjing since she was a child. If she had been to any other place, it would have been to Qingcheng Mountain eight years ago. But the Xue family has never been to Qingcheng Mountain, so they really can't find any place that is related."

"That's strange." Ji Shuran's eyes flickered, "If they have no relationship, why do you care so much about Xue Huaiyuan?"

"Mom, I've already told you, she's just pretending to do it for others to see, so that they can see that she's kind-hearted. It's really disgusting."

Ji Shuran shook her head and said, "She's not acting."

Indeed, Jiang Li is a scheming woman. At her age, there are not many people who can hide their emotions like her. But because of this, her occasional emotional exposure seems particularly abnormal. Her concern and kindness towards Xue Huaiyuan are not fake.

Jiang Yuanbai also felt this, so these days, Ji Shuran has been whispering in Jiang Yuanbai's ear, telling him that Jiang Li is closer to an outsider than to him, her father.

Although Jiang Yuanbai didn't say it, he must be bothered in his heart. He treated Jiang Li indifferently these days.

For Ji Shuran, this was not enough. She had to dig out the hidden truth and find Jiang Li's handle to win in one fell swoop.

Xunchun said on the side: "I see that the Second Miss treats Xue Huaiyuan like a relative, taking care of everything. Could it be that the Second Miss is possessed by evil spirits?"

Possessed? Ji Shuran's heart moved.

She said, "What nonsense! Can you just say something like that?"

Hearing this, Jiang Youyao said disapprovingly, "I think she was possessed by an evil spirit. Otherwise, why did she become a different person after returning from Qingcheng Mountain? Qingcheng Mountain can turn fools into smart people. Those nuns and monks are all gods, right? Could it be that she was possessed by some fox spirit and came to our house to cause disaster?"

(End of this chapter)