The Double-Chapter 352 - 125: Furious_5

Princess Yongning was furious when she heard the news; she had thought that Jiang Li died in Tongxiang long ago. Before, Feng Yutang mentioned that Jiang Yuanbai’s daughter had come to Tongxiang to investigate the case involving the Xue family, intending to vindicate them. It was then that she ordered Feng Yutang to kill Jiang Li.

As for who Jiang Li was, even as Jiang Yuanbai’s daughter, she didn’t fear her in the slightest. Firstly, the Jiang Family was not as influential as it used to be, and secondly, Jiang Li was not particularly favored within the Jiang Family. Tongxiang was so remote, and who would know what happened there? Even if Feng Yutang was caught, she could silence him, and others would still not have any evidence against her.

But Princess Yongning did not expect Feng Yutang to be so incompetent, not only failing to kill Jiang Li but even being caught by her. Even less did she anticipate that Jiang Li would dare to bring the citizens of Tongxiang County to Yanjing to beat the Drum of Injustice.

When Princess Yongning first received the message, she sent someone to Changan Gate immediately, hoping to quietly assassinate Feng Yutang to silence him, but Jiang Li’s people were so formidable that her assassins couldn’t succeed.

Then, at night, Princess Yongning sent people again, but the inn where the Tongxiang County citizens were staying was tightly secured, and once more her attempt failed. Princess Yongning was not a fool; she couldn’t fathom how Jiang Li could find such formidable people. Her tall uncle, at most, was just a wanderer in the martial arts world and surely couldn’t overpower her men. This time, Princess Yongning vaguely sensed that someone might be helping Jiang Li from behind.

However, after much thought, she still had no clue. But the continuous failures had already made Princess Yongning extremely irate. She was not afraid that Feng Yutang would divulge her name; he did not have the courage, nor was there any evidence to implicate her. What angered her was that Jiang Li had managed to rescue Xue Huaiyuan.

That was Xue Huaiyuan, Xue Fangfei’s father! She wanted to exterminate the Xue family completely; the survival of any member of the Xue family displeased her!

Princess Yongning had disliked Jiang Li from the start. Xue Fangfei played the zither beautifully, and so did Jiang Li. Xue Fangfei was outstanding in her scholarship, and Jiang Li had taken the first place in the exams at Mingyi Hall. There were simply too many similarities between Jiang Li and Xue Fangfei, and every time she saw Jiang Li, Princess Yongning felt annoyed. freewebnoveℓ.com

Now, Jiang Li had gone and foiled her plan by rescuing Xue Huaiyuan! Truly detestable!

"Yongning, let’s drop this matter," said Shen Yurong.

Princess Yongning looked up and asked, "Mr. Shen, what do you mean by that?"

"You should stop interfering with Xue Huaiyuan’s case. Even if Jiang Li brings the Tongxiang County citizens to lodge a complaint at the main entrance, it won’t be traced back to you. If you provoke further troubles, things might become unpredictable."

Princess Yongning felt a jolt in her heart and looked at Shen Yurong without speaking.

She had not told Shen Yurong about the Xue family’s situation, the instruction to Feng Yutang to imprison Xue Huaiyuan; she was unsure whether Shen Yurong knew anything about it. However, she guessed that he did not, as his temperament would not allow him to stand idly by if he were aware, given his lingering feelings for Fangfei—he certainly could not just watch Fangfei’s father suffer.

When Jiang Li brought Xue Huaiyuan to the capital, Princess Yongning was eager to have someone kill him to silence him, not only to avoid implicating herself but also because she did not want Shen Yurong to find out. Of course, this was impossible; with such commotion, Shen Yurong would inevitably hear about it.

But with the way he calmly and gently laid out the matter, for some reason, Princess Yongning felt goosebumps all over her body.

He already knew, he might even know about what she had covertly ordered Feng Yutang to do to Xue Huaiyuan, but for some reason, he did not intervene and just quietly watched her actions.

Princess Yongning was suddenly confused about this man. Did he truly love Fangfei? If so, could he be so ruthless? Did he love her? Could he be just as cold towards her?

"Yongning," his voice contained a rational tenderness, "I don’t want anything to happen to you."

He seldom spoke such pleasant words. Princess Yongning knew he was highly educated and capable of composing eloquent prose, so speaking a couple of nice lines shouldn’t be difficult for him. But he always seemed stingy with them; it was not every day that she could hear words that were tender and considerate.

But today he said them, looking at Yongning, speaking sincerely.

Therefore, the confusion and unease in Princess Yongning’s heart were swept away in an instant, and she found herself caught up in his deep gaze.

"I just find it strange," said Princess Yongning, "this is merely a minor local case. Even if Jiang Li leads people to the main entrance to beat the Injustice Drum, it shouldn’t lead to an immediate review by the Ministry of Punishment. And even if it did, my imperial brother wouldn’t personally oversee it. There are innumerable matters big and small in Yanjing City every day; my imperial brother can’t possibly attend to everything. But it appears that not only has the emperor intervened, he’s also taking it very seriously."

"Mr. Shen, you’re intelligent. Can you think of why the emperor would go to such lengths?"

Shen Yurong shook his head.

He truly didn’t know, for the emperor’s actions were indeed unusual. He couldn’t help but think that if Fangfei were still alive, it would be good, as she was astute and quick-witted. A quick exchange with her might reveal the truth.

Unfortunately, there was only one Fangfei, and that one was already dead.

He had watched her die with his own eyes.