The Double-Chapter 434 - 142: Spread Out_4

Jiang Youyao stared blankly at the scene before her, suddenly realizing that whether it was Madam Jiang the Elder or Jiang Yuanbai, they now had no means to control Jiang Li. It seemed as though no matter what Jiang Li did, they would concede.

Yes, concede. Because Jiang Li could always easily provoke their guilt and knew their bottom line so well that she would make the maximum demands within it.

Jiang Youyao, unwilling to give in, was about to say more when Madam Jiang the Elder had someone coldly order to take Jiang Youyao back to Yaoguang Mansion.

This implied house arrest.

Jiang Youyao was shocked, not understanding why she, the victim, should be the one punished. She wanted to plead with Jiang Yuanbai, hoping to stir his sympathy for her, but Jiang Yuanbai only looked at Jiang Li with a complex expression. As Jiang Youyao watched, the fire in her eyes gradually died.

Without saying a word, she let Madam Jiang the Elder’s people "escort" her back to her courtyard.

In her heart, however, she understood that her time in the Jiang family was up. No one would stand by her side anymore. She and Jiang Li were mortal enemies, bound for an inescapable vendetta. Yet now, should any conflict arise with Jiang Li, there was no doubt that everyone in the residence would side with Jiang Li.

The position of Chief Minister’s Daughter, along with Ji Shuran, who had passed away, had vanished and could no longer be reclaimed.

She had to find another way to survive.

...

Elsewhere, after returning to Fangfei Garden, Jiang Li sat down in the study.

Qingfeng and Ming Yue were busy cleaning up the mess from the earlier fight with Jiang Youyao’s maids. Bai Xue and Tonger bustled about as well, but Jiang Li’s heart was not as calm as she appeared on the surface.

It was evident from Jiang Youyao’s reaction that she had been clueless about the situation. It wasn’t Jiang Youyao or herself who spread the news. The only others present at the time were the Jiang family members and the servants of the Jiang Residence. Now that the affair of Ji Shuran’s infidelity had spread, there was no turning back. The Jiang family’s reputation was damaged, and it was inevitable that Jiang Yuanbai and Jiang Yuanping’s official careers would also suffer. This matter, in every regard, brought only harm and no benefit to the Jiang family.

Within the entire Jiang family, Jiang Li appeared to be the prime suspect, supposedly to clear her own name. But eliminating this possibility, could the leak have been someone intent on harming the Jiang family, using the affair of Ji Shuran to purposefully release the news?

Who could it be? The Right Chancellor Li’s Family? Princess Yongning? Prince Cheng? Or some other hidden figure lurking in the shadows? If it were any of these, there might be spies among the Jiang family’s servants. From now on, she would need to be more cautious with every single move she made within the Jiang family.

If it wasn’t these people, but rather a traitor within the Jiang family, that necessitated even greater attention. Since ancient times, the hardest foes to guard against were those within one’s own home. If an inside problem coincided with exterior forces working in concert, the Jiang family would face enormous difficulties.

Jiang Li felt her mind in turmoil and couldn’t help but press her hand against the nausea. Tonger, thinking she was distressed over the situation, came over to comfort her, "Miss, you don’t need to worry too much. The innocent fear no slander. Even if Master orders an investigation, they will find nothing on you. Though this matter is baffling, you have turned misfortune into luck. Now everyone in Yanjing City knows you were wronged in the past, and no blame can fall on you regardless of the wide heavens and vast earth."

"Besides, compared to us, it’s the Ji family who should be feeling the headache now." Tonger seemed to take pleasure in the Ji family’s misfortune, "With such an incident involving our Miss, all the women of the Ji family will have their reputations tarnished. Not to mention the unmarried daughters, even the married Ji family women will be subject to gossip. Isn’t Consort Li the elder sister of Lady Ji? If the Emperor hears about this, who knows what he’ll think of Consort Li."

Consort Li?!

Jiang Li suddenly stood up, startling Tonger, who asked, "Miss, what’s wrong?"

Jiang Li didn’t reply, her expression fluctuating. She always felt she had overlooked something but had not paid it much attention these days. It was only after Tonger brought it up that she suddenly remembered. The matter involving Chongxu Daoist Master included a key figure, Consort Li! It was Jiang Yuanbai who had caught Chongxu Daoist Master, and he had said he would report directly to Emperor Hongxiao about him.

If everything had gone as expected, Emperor Hongxiao should have known by now that Chongxu Daoist Master was a fraud and that the case involving Consort Li’s use of the Warding Technique years ago was false. But looking at it now, there was no news from the palace, so did Emperor Hongxiao still not know Chongxu Daoist Master was an imposter, or was the news withheld within the palace? But if it were withheld, at the very least the Ji family members would have approached Jiang Yuanbai to plead their case. Yet since Ji Shuran’s death, the Ji family members had not visited once, clearly not intending to be associated with the matter any longer.