The Double-Chapter 444 - 144 Inside Story_4

Jiang Li took the tea and took a sip.

The tea was fragrant with a hint of bitterness, steaming hot. Once it was in her stomach, it eased some of the chill from the snowstorm outside.

"Speak." Jih Heng said while pouring himself some tea, "What is it?"

Jiang Li hesitated before asking, "Where is the Chongxu Daoist Master now?"

Jih Heng paused in his action of pouring tea, looked at Jiang Li, and asked, "What do you mean?"

"My father mentioned he would reveal Chongxu Daoist Master’s true identity to Emperor Hongxiao. If the Emperor knew the Daoist Master’s identity, it would certainly provoke Consort Li. But now, there has been no stir with Consort Li, so I wonder if Chongxu Daoist Master is simply not in Yanjing City, or did my father change his mind at the last minute?"

"Oh." Jih Heng bowed his head again, slowly continuing to pour his tea. The amount was just right, barely covering the rim of the teacup, a pale brown that made the porcelain of the cup seem even more lustrous.

Looking up at Jiang Li once more with a half-smile, Jih Heng said, "Such matters, you should ask Jiang Yuanbai, why do you ask me?"

"My father may not tell me the truth." Jiang Li said.

"Then how can you be sure I won’t tell you lies?" Jih Heng responded leisurely.

Jiang Li smiled, "The Duke doesn’t need to deceive a young girl like me, I am not worth the Duke’s effort to lie."

"You need not belittle yourself; you are no little girl. To me, you seem more like a deceiver than Chongxu Daoist Master. Inquiring about Consort Li while using Chongxu as a smoke screen." Jih Heng reclined lazily, looking at her, "If you want to question about Consort Li, just do so, don’t use Chongxu as a pretext."

Jiang Li was at a loss for words.

After a long pause, she said, "The Duke sees very clearly, I am indeed ashamed."

"You don’t look ashamed. More like a broken jar ready to shatter." Jih Heng picked up a folding fan from the table and toyed with it, his long fingers sweeping over the handle. While the delicate, ’finger-like chopping roots’ often described the fingers of women, Jih Heng’s fingers were not so delicate – attractive in form but full of strength.

One could believe that if those hands were to grip someone’s throat, they could easily break it with little effort.

"May the Duke be willing to tell me?" Jiang Li tore her gaze away from Jih Heng’s fingers and politely inquired.

"I can." Jih Heng replied readily, "Chongxu is locked up in a Private Prison, and the Emperor knows his identity."

Jiang Li was taken aback and probed, "Could it be... the Emperor has already punished Consort Li, but because the matter is of great importance, it has not been divulged?" After all, acknowledging Chongxu Daoist Master’s identity would necessitate revisiting the old case, in which an innocent noble had died unjustly. Moreover, for the Emperor to admit to being deceived would also damage the prestige of the Imperial Family.

"No." Jih Heng’s answer surprised Jiang Li as he said, "Consort Li is safe and sound."

Now, Jiang Li truly could not conceal the shock on her face as she said, "Why? Has the Emperor truly become so enamored with Consort Li?"

If it were so, Consort Li would only need to whisper in the Emperor’s ear to have her every wish fulfilled. freewёbnoνel.com

Jih Heng glanced at Jiang Li with a smile, countering, "What do you think?"

In his tone, there was no telling what he thought of the matter, but it gradually calmed Jiang Li down. No, if Consort Li was truly so favorited, the Ji family would have risen significantly enough by now to stand toe-to-toe with the Jiang family. Over the years since Consort Li entered the palace, the Ji family had indeed advanced, but they had done so within the bounds of propriety, never overstepping.

Furthermore, if Emperor Hongxiao were such a foolish ruler, easily swayed by beauty, why would Jih Heng align himself with him? At least the Jiang Li of now believed that Emperor Hongxiao was not a feeble and incapable young monarch. He had his own methods, and he was certainly ambitious.

"Why would the Emperor know but say nothing?" Jiang Li posed the question with a facade of being eager to learn, "Does keeping Consort Li serve another purpose for him?"

Jih Heng still smiled, but his tone became sharp, "That’s palace confidential, Ah Li, you’d better not want to know everything, beware of courting a fatal disaster."

Unfortunately for him, Jiang Li was growing bolder in his presence, showing no fear but responding righteously, "But now my life is in the hands of the Duke. Secrets told to me will surely be taken to my grave, and the dead are best at keeping secrets, aren’t they? Given that, what harm is there in telling me?"

The young girl tilted her face up slightly; she was not old, in the prime of her youth, with the vitality of springtime readily seen in her demeanor, like the flowers in the courtyard of the Duke Residence, able to bloom brilliantly even in the depth of winter.

In his twenty-some years, Jih Heng had seen many who laughed in the face of death. There were death warriors with secrets and brave souls who died for noble causes. But he had never seen a fifteen-year-old girl talk calmly about her own demise. Her face bore no reverence for death, nor fear. She spoke with such nonchalance that it made one wonder what events had transpired in her life to cultivate such a contradictory nature.