The Double-Chapter 629 - 187 Accident

The spring rain that had persisted throughout the day finally ceased at night.

Recently, tranquility prevailed in the Jiang Residence, as if nothing had ever happened. Jiang Youyao had been found, mad indeed, but her madness was of a quiet kind. The old madam kept Jiang Yuanbai close, caring for him daily with such attentiveness that she scarcely had a moment to spare. The two brothers, Jiang Yuanbai and Jiang Yuanping, were busy with government affairs, returning home late every evening.

In the third branch, Lady Yang entered with several bolts of new fabric and immediately called out, "Yu Yan, come here."

Jiang Yuyan emerged from behind the door, carrying a lamp that cast a dim light in the room. The fabrics in Lady Yang’s hands were elaborately patterned, and she held them up against Jiang Yuyan’s figure, saying, "You can have two new outfits made from these."

"Mother, I can’t wear these..." Jiang Yuyan shrank back slightly. Her looks were plain, and she had always dressed simply, disliking ornate clothes as they only accentuated her ordinary appearance. Lady Yang, however, seemed oblivious to this, insistent on adorning her with all manner of fine and imposing garments.

"There’s nothing you can’t wear," Lady Yang glared at her, "You’re always dressed in that drab gray, what kind of image does that present? In a few days, I’m taking you to a banquet. You should look pretty, since you’re of marriageable age. If the ladies see you looking attractive, they will surely take more notice of you. Don’t you want to marry a decent husband?"

Jiang Yuyan nodded meekly without answering. She dared not argue, as she had to heed Lady Yang’s words. However, Jiang Yuyan understood that she couldn’t compare to Jiang Li, who had a Father serving as Grand Secretary, nor was she as pretty as Jiang Yue. Given her lineage and appearance, there was not much to be proud of; the prospect of marrying her Ideal Gentleman seemed unlikely.

"Mother, where did these floral fabrics come from?" asked Jiang Yuyan.

"Your sister sent them," Lady Yang replied. "In Marquis Ningyuan’s Mansion, they have plenty of fabric. She chose two bolts to send for your dresses, always thinking of you, she is. You should learn more from your sister."

Jiang Yuanxing walked in from outside just in time to hear Lady Yang scolding Jiang Yuyan. Like Lady Yang, who was fierce, Jiang Yue was shrewd, while Jiang Yuyan shared Jiang Yuanxing’s simple-mindedness. Thus, Lady Yang was always displeased with Jiang Yuyan, urging her to emulate Jiang Yue. But how could one easily change their nature?

"Stop nagging at Yu Yan," Jiang Yuanxing couldn’t help but interject, "What’s there to talk about?"

Seeing Jiang Yuanxing’s return, Lady Yang said to Jiang Yuyan, "You go back to your room and rest first; your father and I have things to discuss."

Jiang Yuyan nodded, turned, and walked out of the room with her lamp. Jiang Yuanxing sat down on a stool and asked, "What is it?"

Yue has sent a letter today," Lady Yang pulled a letter from a drawer and handed it to Jiang Yuanxing, saying, "It mentions that Zhou Yanbang has divorced his wife."

"Divorced?" Jiang Yuanxing frowned at first, then nodded, "Given the troubles with the Shen family, it’s only natural for Marquis Ningyuan’s Mansion to seek a divorce."

"In the letter, Yue implies that although Marquis Ningyuan’s Mansion is not bad, Zhou Yanbang cannot enter officialdom, and no high-born lady would willingly marry into the Zhou Family so easily. With that, she has a chance to become the Princely Heir’s wife," Lady Yang said.

"The Princely Heir’s wife?" repeated Jiang Yuanxing, "How is that possible?"

"Why not?" Lady Yang became irritated when Jiang Yuanxing dismissed the idea without even reading the letter, "Think about it, how does Yue compare to the Official’s daughters in terms of talent and beauty? There’s no reason she can’t be the Princely Heir’s wife. According to Yue, Zhou Yanbang is treating her well now, which shows they have a good relationship. The only issue is her background."

This comment struck a nerve in Jiang Yuanxing, who retorted, "So? How can one change their background? Although we belong to the Jiang Family, we are neither from the first nor the second branch!"

"You’ve forgotten," Lady Yang gave him a push. "Relying on the Jiang Family alone, we have nothing, but now, you are Right Chancellor’s man, and he is Prince Cheng’s man. We are the ones risking our lives for Prince Cheng. If we curried favor with Prince Cheng and succeeded in a significant task, earning you a promotion, everything would fall into place. At that time, our daughter’s status would be exceptional. Marquis Ningyuan’s Mansion would not dare to slight us, rushing eagerly to make Yue the legal wife!"

"You make it sound so easy, but what can we do? The previous incident was happenstance," Jiang Yuanxing said. "Right now, the Right Chancellor hardly pays us any heed!"

The matter involving Ji Shuran, which the third branch reported to the Right Chancellor, had earned them a substantial sum of silver. The Right Chancellor also promised that, should they have any news in the future, he would reward them handsomely. Initially, Jiang Yuanxing and Lady Yang tasted fortune and thought their luck was turning. But aside from Ji Shuran’s case, they had no secret information from the Jiang Family to share with the Right Chancellor. Consequently, he gradually neglected them, for they held no value.

"My dear husband, you truly lack imagination," Lady Yang whispered conspiratorially. "Have you not considered how Princess Yongning ended up in her current dire straits? If it wasn’t for the meddling of the Second Miss from our household, who saved Xue Huaiyuan in Tongxiang, Xue Huaiyuan would not have recovered his senses and accused Princess Yongning and Shen Yurong. In essence, without Jiang Li, Princess Yongning would not have met her end. The person she despises the most must surely be Jiang Li!"

Jiang Yuanxing’s gaze darkened. "You mean to say..." freēwēbnovel.com

"Princess Yongning is Prince Cheng’s sister, and Prince Cheng will surely seek revenge for her. Although we don’t know the secrets of the Jiang Family, Jiang Yuanbai and Jiang Yuanping are as cunning as foxes, leaving no trace behind. But Jiang Li is just a young girl; no matter how capable she is, she cannot turn the sky upside down. If Prince Cheng wants to take action against Jiang Li, we just need to tell him when she passes by, when she leaves the house, and even help to arrange things a little bit, and naturally, it will be done."

"By then, having accomplished a great deed, Prince Cheng will be pleased, your career will prosper, and is Yu’er worried she won’t be elevated to the principal wife?"

...

The third branch of the Jiang Family planned to use themselves as a gesture of allegiance to Prince Cheng, something Jiang Li was unaware of. The days were unusually peaceful, though only temporarily so, which was nevertheless precious.

By the time the peach blossoms in Yanjing City had successively bloomed, the weather had warmed up enough to be called "warm spring". The grass grew tall, the orioles flew, the trees and flowers were vibrant with color, and after the spring rain at night, the next day would bring bright sunshine.

Tomorrow was Jiang Li’s birthday, or rather, it was Xue Fangfei’s birthday. Jiang Li had already arranged with Ye Mingyu to visit the Ye Family the next day. To say she was visiting, Jiang Li wanted to take this opportunity to spend her birthday with Xue Huaiyuan, knowing he would not forget that it was Ah Li’s birthday. Then she would reveal her identity to Xue Huaiyuan.

She had to make it clear to Xue Huaiyuan that she was, in fact, Xue Fangfei, whether he believed it or not. If Xue Huaiyuan believed her, then as father and daughter, they would have one more reason to live on in this world, and one more reliance, hoping that everything was still possible for each other’s sake.

Therefore, the next morning, Jiang Li woke up early to dress and make up.

Jiang Li chose the same color of clothes and jewelry that Xue Fangfei used to wear, which puzzled Tonger and Bai Xue. But they thought Jiang Li looked good dressed up like that, so they assumed she just wanted to try a different look. After informing the gatekeeper of the Jiang Residence, Jiang Li got into the carriage and headed for the Ye Family.

The sunlight outside was just right, and it was said that in the past few days many people had gone to the nearby mountains to see the peach blossoms and also to pray for romance at the temples. Spring was always a gentle season, making people feel that anything they do or wish for at this time will have a blissful return.

Jiang Li sat in the carriage, listening to the bustling crowd on the street outside, not knowing whether her nervousness was due to facing Xue Huaiyuan with honesty or something else. Since last night, she had been restless and her eyelids twitched incessantly, feeling as if something was about to happen. She tried to comfort herself, thinking she was worried that Xue Huaiyuan might not recognize her, reminding herself again and again that it was not a big deal, it was bound to happen sooner or later. As long as she spoke well, her father would surely believe her.

The road from the Jiang Residence to the Ye Family was one she had traveled countless times, and not just the coachman, even Jiang Li, was familiar with it. But today, it seemed exceptionally long.

"Miss, are you feeling warm?" Tonger took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat that was gradually seeping out on Jiang Li’s forehead.

"Why are you sweating?" Bai Xue asked, "Did you catch a cold?"

Hearing this, Tonger also became anxious, "No way, right? Should we go to the clinic to see a doctor?"

Jiang Li shook her head, "There’s no need, I’m just feeling a bit hot." Just after saying that, her heart suddenly skipped a beat, and for some reason, she felt even more uneasy and tense.

Before she had time to say anything more, a scream suddenly came from outside, and the carriage jerked to one side. Tonger and Bai Xue, caught off guard, were thrown to the back of the carriage. Tonger said, "What’s going on?"

Gripping the edge of the carriage window, Jiang Li remained steady unlike Tonger and Bai Xue. She heard the coachman’s voice from outside, "Second Miss, there has been an accident ahead, a lot of people, we can’t get through!"

Jiang Li lifted the carriage curtain to look outside and saw many people running around in a panic, and other carriages like Jiang Li’s crashing recklessly. The coachman had just finished speaking when the horses in front seemed to be provoked by something, running wildly, but they couldn’t get anywhere because of the crowd.

"What’s happening? Why are there so many people?" Bai Xue exclaimed in fright.

Right after that, someone in the crowd shouted, "Murder!"

As if on cue, the cries of "Murder!" rose one after another, mixed with screams, wails, and curses in the tumult, enough to make one’s ears buzz and limbs go weak. Jiang Li’s heart raced faster still.

"What on earth happened?" Tonger asked in panic, but no one could answer her.