The Double-Chapter 445 - 144 Insider Information_5

He chuckled and said, "You speak as if you’ve died once."

Jiang Li’s gaze dimmed slightly.

Of course, she had died before. It was precisely because she had died once that she understood more clearly why Princess Yongning was determined to put her to death and exterminate her entire family. Because, in Princess Yongning’s view, only the dead keep secrets.

"Speaking of which," Jih Heng suddenly seemed to recall something, looking at Jiang Li, he said, "Since you keep saying that your life is mine, when do you plan to give it to me? Now that Ji Shuran is dead, there are no rivals left in the Chief Minister’s Residence for you."

Jiang Li was startled and looked up at him.

The young man, in his red robe contrasting with the snow, had a lazy, graceful demeanor. The pair of amber eyes were filled with a light, captivating smile, and the small red mole at the bottom of his eye added a touch of demoniac charm to his elegance.

Jiang Li lowered her eyes: "The time is not right yet."

"When will it be then?" he pressed, unusually aggressive.

"When Princess Yongning is dead," Jiang Li lifted her head and said resolutely, "I will handle everything and then personally visit your doorstep for you, Duke, to deal with as you please."

Her eyes were clear, her tone was gentle yet stubborn, obviously determined and not just empty talk. She was always cunning, leaving a way out for herself in everything she did. However, it seemed she was prepared to exhaust all her strength and stop at nothing to accomplish this one thing, regardless of the consequences.

Jih Heng raised an eyebrow.

He said, "You’re saying it just like that?"

"There’s nothing I need to hide from Duke," Jiang Li laughed, "Hiding would be a futile effort."

"You’re quite aware of the times," said Jih Heng, "and sweet-talking too. No one in my retinue is as likable as you."

Jiang Li’s eyes curved into a smile: "Thank you for the compliment, Duke."

When she smiled, she seemed incredibly warm, just like a heartless, naively merry young girl. A flash of profound meaning crossed Jih Heng’s eyes; he knew she was far from that.

This girl, too, stood on stage with a mask, her face painted so thickly that when people saw her smiling face, they could not perceive the truth hidden beneath the layers of paint.

No matter, the truth will eventually be discovered in due time.

He cleared his throat and said, "Do you really want to know why Consort Li is unharmed?"

Jiang Li said, "I do."

Jih Heng asked, "Why?"

"The secrets of the Imperial Family, everyone wants to hear them," Jiang Li stated matter-of-factly.

This excuse, which could hardly be called a reason, made Jih Heng choke up for a moment. After a pause, he said, "Consort Li belongs to Prince Cheng."

Jiang Li was about to pick up her teacup when she heard this. Her hand shook, almost spilling the tea, but Jih Heng, with his quick reflexes, caught her wrist just in time to prevent the cup from toppling over and the scalding tea from splashing onto her.

His hand was cool and refreshing on her skin, as though a piece of jade was being pressed against her, which inexplicably crossed Jiang Li’s mind. Jih Heng withdrew his hand without noticing Jiang Li’s distraction and only asked, "Are you that surprised?"

Jiang Li gazed at him in a daze, "Of course..."

Consort Li was Prince Cheng’s person!

Consort Li was part of the Ji family, and the Ji family was related by marriage to the Jiang Family, and although there was a temporary peace between the Jiang Family and Prince Cheng, it was known that if Prince Cheng ever nurtured the ambition to act on it and succeeded, the Jiang Family would not remain safe. The Ji family had actually sided with Prince Cheng? This must be unknown to Jiang Yuanbai!

"The Ji family has not sided with Prince Cheng," Jih Heng seemed to guess her thoughts and spoke in time, "It’s just the doing of Consort Li alone."

"Why, why?" Jiang Li asked, "The Ji family doesn’t know about this?"

"You’ve dealt with the Ji family members and ought to know their character," Jih Heng said with a smile tinged with a trace of mocking sarcasm, "When it comes to weighing pros and cons, no one beats them."

"Consort Li has been in the palace for many years without bearing a child; the Ji family has already planned for other Ji family women to enter the palace," Jih Heng said, and with just one sentence, Jiang Li understood.

Although Consort Li was favored by Emperor Hongxiao, all these years she had failed to give birth to a prince. Even with such favor, she could not be considered firmly established in the palace. Precisely for this reason, Consort Li had not become arrogant from the favor she received and could truly be said to be of a gentle nature.

But the Ji family was not satisfied with this. If Consort Li could not bear a prince and further solidify her position, the Ji family could not continue to rise. With insatiable greed like a snake trying to swallow an elephant, the Ji family planned to select some beautiful and intelligent girls from their clan to enter the palace, with Consort Li helping from the side, winning Emperor Hongxiao’s favor, and, hopefully, giving birth to offspring.

It seemed to be with the greater good in mind, but for Consort Li, it was extremely disadvantageous. There would be one more beautiful girl to divide the emperor’s affection, especially when it was orchestrated by her own family.

Consort Li would definitely be unwilling.

"Prince Cheng knew about Consort Li’s discontent," Jih Heng said, "He seduced Consort Li, and she fell for it." ƒreewebɳovel.com