The Double-Chapter 493 - 153 Xiao Hong_2

The parrot had been in the Shen residence for several years, moving from a broken-down house to a mansion bestowed by the emperor. Over those years, it had learned a few sentences and was very perceptive. Whenever it saw Xue Fangfei, it would call out, "Fangfei, Fangfei," but it didn’t do so with anyone else approaching. Shen Yurong had even joked that the parrot could recognize people.

Now, under such circumstances, when the parrot suddenly blurted out that phrase, it startled Jiang Li, who then realized it was a false alarm. She was both annoyed and amused, saying, "Stop calling that!"

Still tilting its head, the parrot watched her, then suddenly flew to the side next to Jiang Li, gripping the cage door with its claws and loudly calling, "Fangfei, Fangfei!"

This was certainly no small matter. Jiang Li looked at it in astonishment. Logically, now that she had changed her appearance, not even standing in front of Shen Yurong or Xue Huaiyuan would they recognize her as Xue Fangfei. How could this parrot recognize her, continuously calling her "Fangfei"? Could animals recognize people better than humans? Or was it that while her appearance had altered, her aura had not, thus allowing the parrot to recognize her?

Regardless, she couldn’t linger here. If someone else saw her standing here and this parrot kept calling "Fangfei" at her, despite being somewhat unbelievable, it would inevitably lead to suspicion. If Shen Yurong found out, it might lead to some discovery.

Jiang Li never underestimated Shen Yurong.

Just as she was about to step away, a voice suddenly rang out from behind her, saying, "When you encounter such a situation, of course, you eliminate the witness. What are you hesitating for?"

Jiang Li turned around and saw Jih Heng standing a few steps away, looking at her with a faint smile.

"Duke?" she asked, "What brings you here?"

"I was passing by and noticed it was lively, so I came to have a look," he replied with ease, "The Shen family is very welcoming."

His excuse was quite similar to the one given by Princess Yongning when she had entered, leaving Jiang Li at a loss for words for a moment.

"It seems this bird knows quite a bit," he said nonchalantly.

Jiang Li’s heart skipped a beat, but she responded with a smile, "I don’t know why either. It suddenly started calling Fangfei. I heard that the Madam of the Top Scholar is named Fangfei; perhaps it is missing its owner." She was attempting to explain, but in front of Jih Heng, it seemed rather forced.

Jih Heng also smiled, walked up to the birdcage, and extended a finger to tease the parrot. The parrot pecked towards his finger but missed as Jih Heng dodged and tapped on its head.

"In any case..." he said, raising an eyebrow, "its calling you Fangfei could lead to misunderstandings. Haven’t I taught you not to leave loose ends?"

Jiang Li: "..."

She certainly knew that, but this was just a bird. There were other ways around it, just avoiding it would suffice. Why would he insist on taking its life? Jih Heng’s fingers scratched at the parrot’s feathers, which seemed quite comfortable and didn’t shy away, tilting its head and looking at him obediently, seemingly charmed by his mesmerizing appearance.

But Jiang Li knew that the same beautiful fingers could take the bird’s life at any moment.

Sure enough, Jih Heng smiled and opened the birdcage, capturing the parrot in his hand.

The parrot had been raised in the Shen residence for several years and had grown very tame around humans. It did not struggle when Jih Heng suddenly took it out, lying docile in the palm of his hand and becoming quiet.

Jiang Li watched as Jih Heng slowly clenched his hand.

She tensed up and couldn’t help but exclaim, "No!"

Jih Heng looked up at her, asking leisurely, "Why not?"

Jiang Li was at a loss for words; she had raised that parrot for three years. She had found it and brought it to the Shen residence. Following her death, everything in the Shen residence became unrelated to her, leaving no one who truly cared for it. The parrot was only a bird, but it might be the only thing left in the Shen residence that bore her no malice.

Even if it was just a bird.

Jih Heng still wore a smiling face, but his eyes betrayed a cold indifference.

Taking a moment, Jiang Li said, "Maybe Miss Jiuyue has Mute Medicine."

"To poison a bird into silence, Jiang Li," he rarely called her by her full name, but when he did, there was a casually dismissive humor in his tone. He asked, "Are you alright?"

Jiang Li herself knew that her idea was rather far-fetched. To a person as "capricious" as Jih Heng, to go to such lengths for a bird? Unlikely. He didn’t even have that level of patience with people. Why worry over executing a bird, much less prattle about nonsense.

Before Jiang Li could speak, she saw Jih Heng’s palm close swiftly, and the parrot vanished from his grasp.