The Double-Chapter 439 - 143 Winter Solstice_4

At this moment, Wen Renyao had made an appointment, and she could take advantage of it to visit the Duke Residence, but... showing up uninvited was something she just couldn’t do as casually as Wen Renyao.

"No problem, you can say that Wen Renyao tied you up and brought you here," Situ Jiuyue said indifferently, as if he had read her mind.

Wen Renyao’s spirits lifted upon hearing this. Far from arguing, he even smiled and said, "Glad to be of service."

And so, the matter was decided in a bizarre turn of events. No sooner had Jiang Li left the Ye Residence than she was whisked away towards the path leading to the Duke Residence.

Since they wanted to avoid attention, Jiang Li didn’t take the Jiang Family’s carriage, but traveled in a carriage with Situ instead. Throughout the journey, Wen Renyao was very talkative, constantly striking up conversation with Jiang Li. By comparison, Jiang Li was much more reserved. The journey wasn’t particularly long, but she found it exhausting. Even Jiang Jingrui, the most boisterous member of the Jiang Family, seemed "tranquil" compared to Wen Renyao. She really didn’t understand how such a graceful gentleman could be so overly friendly. Jiang Li swore that if Wen Renyao just stood by the roadside with his mouth shut and said nothing, he would attract more gazes than by speaking to the girls himself.

When the carriage arrived at the entrance of the Duke Residence, Wen Renyao hopped down. Tonger and Bai Xue helped Jiang Li out of the carriage, only to see Wen Renyao already chatting familiarly with the gatekeeper, urging him to open the grand gates promptly.

He entered as if he was entering his own home.

The gates of the Duke Residence opened.

Having lived two lifetimes, this was Jiang Li’s first visit to the Duke Residence. Rumors about the Duke Residence were either frightening or lascivious, making the estate seem like a holy realm of deities as well as an abyss of hell—an estate tarnished by the tales people told. When Jiang Li stepped inside, she had only one impression: it was beautiful.

Unlike the opulent Ye Family, or the refined Jiang Family, the Duke Residence was as colorful and vibrant as its master. In the cold of winter, the garden was still a riot of colors. Snow covered the branches, with traces of carefully brushed-off snow that hadn’t bowed the petals, making the white snow-laden landscape speckled with bright colors of spring more contrasting. It was hard to determine whether it was early spring or deep winter. Much like its master: whether passionate or heartless, always puzzling.

Wen Renyao was already accustomed to this, seeing Jiang Li carefully examining the flowers along the way, he said, "All the flowers here, top to bottom, are Jih Heng’s precious darlings. You mustn’t step on or touch them. Oh, it’s not because they are so precious or that Jih Heng has spent a fortune transplanting them and would make you into fertilizer if you stepped on them—it’s because most of these flowers are poisonous. If you’re not careful and get some on your hands, it could be life-threatening."

"Poisonous?" Jiang Li asked in surprise, turning her head back.

"Yes," Situ Jiuyue replied, "The more beautiful something is, the more poisonous it tends to be. Flowers are no exception."

Jiang Li fell silent, then thought that this indeed fitted Jih Heng’s personality. He was not the type to spend a lot of money on something simply for the sake of having it. Moreover, he had said himself that he only wanted things of value. The poison was the attached value of these flowers.

Passing through the corridor, around the flowerbeds, and most of the walkways, Jiang Li even saw a training ground. It was quite rare to see such a large training ground carved out of the Duke Residence. Some weapons and targets were scattered here and there. Wen Renyao, with the air of a host, explained, "This belongs to the old general. Jih Heng was worried about the old general flailing around with knives and damaging his beloved flowers, so he specially allocated this spot for him."

Jiang Li: "... The Duke Residence is certainly spacious enough."

It seemed there were no ladies in the residence. However, the rumors were true—every servant that came and went was handsome and pleasing to the eye. But these servants must have been rigorously trained; seeing Wen Renyao approaching with someone, they all kept to their tasks, gaze unwavering, without taking a second glance.

Finally, they reached the main hall.

The mansion was quite extensive. Just as they arrived at the main hall, laughter erupted from inside, loud and resonant, uplifting to those who heard it.

"Old master—" Wen Renyao called out warmly.

As Jiang Li stepped in, she saw an old man dressed in armor, sitting in the center holding a red-tasseled spear, demonstrating a flourish. Hearing Wen Renyao speak, the old master turned around and the spear, being too long, nearly poked Wen Renyao in the face.

"Wen Renyao, when did you return to Yanjing?" the old man bellowed with wide eyes. Then, turning to Situ Jiuyue, he said, "Yo, Jiuyue is here too!"