The Double-Chapter 481 - 151 Accident_4

Beauties always bring pleasure to the mind.

Jih Heng smiled faintly, unfolded her fan, and waved it leisurely: "Have you said enough?"

On that fan, the splendid peony blossomed in a flash, but at that moment, it seemed ominously eerie, brimming with a murderous aura. Perhaps because she was fanning herself in winter, it felt particularly cold—even the smile on Wen Renyao’s face seemed to freeze.

Wen Renyao shivered, as if suddenly all the alcohol had worn off, and said, "Huh? What did I just say? I don’t remember, I think I’m drunk, my head is so dizzy..."

Jiang Li: "..."

Since Wen Renyao didn’t continue seeking death by pretending to be drunk, no one dared to broach that topic. Only Old General Jih would, but Old General Jih wasn’t genuinely interested in opera, and quickly started talking about other matters with Lu Jiu.

Jiang Li’s lips curled into a smile, which, this time, bore a trace of genuine feeling. She mentally noted that someone as unpredictable and deviously cunning as a murderous maniac having such a tender childhood seemed less frightening to her, even somewhat endearing.

Of course, once tonight was over, and daylight came, Jih Heng, as Duke Su, would be as ruthless as ever—there was no doubt about that.

"You seem very happy?" Jih Heng’s voice came from beside her, and Jiang Li looked back at him. As long as they didn’t talk about opera, Jih Heng was all smiles again. She laughed, "It feels lively, so there’s nothing to be unhappy about."

Jih Heng smiled faintly, noncommittal, simply playing with the folding fan in his hand. Jiang Li thought for a bit and asked, "Does the Duke particularly like this fan?"

"Something that saves my life, of course, is very precious," Jih Heng replied.

Jiang Li agreed wholeheartedly; she had seen the power of this fan herself. Aside from being a lethal weapon, its level of splendor suggested it was quite valuable. An ordinary family lucky enough to possess this fan might even treat it as a heirloom for future generations.

Jih Heng asked, "What about you? Don’t you have something precious?"

He was talking about "things," not "people." Jiang Li was taken aback for a moment and said, "No. There’s no lack of ordinary things at home, and as for weapons, none are as special as yours, Your Grace." After a pause, she added, "That’s not exactly true, I do have something precious."

She took out the jade pendant hanging around her neck from inside her collar.

The jade pendant was carved with a plump civet cat, personally sculpted for her by Xue Huaiyuan. After marrying into the Shen family, in assisting Shen Yurong with official affairs, she had pawned it. After she became Jiang Li and returned to Yanjing City, she had Tonger come up with an excuse to redeem the pendant from the pawnshop.

"This is my precious item," she said.

Jih Heng glanced at the jade pendant and realized, "I’ve seen it before."

"Yes," Jih Heng had even picked it up before.

"It looks very ordinary," Jih Heng remarked.

"It is ordinary, but it always feels special. Sometimes, the value of something precious isn’t in its worth, right?" Jiang Li replied with a smile while carefully tucking the jade pendant back into her collar. For her, this pendant was precious not only because it carried Xue Huaiyuan’s affection for her as a daughter but also because it constantly reminded her of her name.

She was Ah Li, as well as Ah Li. She was Jiang Li, as well as Xue Fangfei.

One must not forget who one is.

Jih Heng shrugged, picked up his wine bowl, and took a sip—it was empty. He appeared to have a good tolerance for alcohol, Jiang Li thought; indeed, for someone in Jih Heng’s position, if he got drunk after just one drink, he’d probably have died many times over already.

She hid her thoughts and picked up the porcelain cup in front of her, taking a tiny sip—how sweet it was.

The warmth of the courtyard’s fire was cozy. In an unfamiliar place, it seemed possible to be a stranger. The noise and bustle could conceal some unnatural things, allowing her not to behave exactly like Miss Jiang the Second. Even if she acted according to Xue Fangfei’s original personality, no one would notice.

This belated New Year’s Eve dinner ended with everyone full and drunk, except for Jiang Li.

Old General Jih was the first to retire to his room for the night; in fact, he had been snoring like thunder halfway through his drink. It was Lu Jiu and Kong Liu who had supported him back to his room. Hai Tang had also retired early; after all, she wasn’t very familiar with the folks from the Duke Residence, was less cheerful than before, and needed to rest early to heal the scars left by the Poisonous Spider, so she didn’t stay long.