The Double-Chapter 494 - 153 Xiao Hong_3

He glanced at Jiang Li and said, "Don’t be foolish."

Jiang Li silently sighed in her heart, looking at the now empty birdcage, and silently stopped speaking.

After walking a few steps away from the empty birdcage with Jih Heng, Jiang Li said, "Duke, I must wait here for my friend Liu Xu. I’m afraid I cannot accompany you any further. Besides..." Besides, it would likely arouse curious stares if she were seen walking with Jih Heng at the Shen family’s residence.

Jih Heng looked at her intently, as if trying to see right through her, and suddenly asked, "How do you plan to deal with Xiao Deyin?"

Jiang Li was startled. Jih Heng continued, "The piece you played earlier, ’Guanshan Yue,’ greatly disturbed Xiao Deyin. Although I do not know the reason," he said, fondling the handle of his folding fan, "you played it for her."

He knew about that too. When exactly had he come? Feeling his probing gaze, Jiang Li thought for a moment and said, "It’s a long story. That piece was indeed played for Xiao Deyin. What I want to do next is simple. I want Princess Yongning to feel that Xiao Deyin’s existence is a threat, and that she needs to silence her."

"You cannot stop Yongning from silencing Xiao Deyin," Jih Heng stated pointedly, "She will not give you a chance to save Xiao Deyin, and you have no reason to save her anyway."

Always able to pinpoint the essence of the problem, Jiang Li smiled faintly and said, "That’s why I have no real intention of letting Princess Yongning silence Xiao Deyin because if Xiao Deyin were really dead, Xue Fangfei’s case would lose a witness. I won’t let that happen," she said, "I just need Xiao Deyin to believe that it was Princess Yongning who sent someone after her, that’s all."

"Are you planning to sow discord?" Jih Heng’s lips curled in a smile, as if he was praising a pet he had raised that had finally learned to bite, "Clever girl."

"You could say that. I have to make Xiao Deyin believe that Yongning will act against her while making Yongning believe Xiao Deyin is unreliable. Of course, I will find a way to keep Xiao Deyin alive. She should live to face her punishment, and not die and cause trouble for others."

She rarely had such a detached moment; most of the time, she maintained a gentle smile, as if she could accept any hardship and injustice. But in that moment, the fleeting hatred in her eyes was still caught by Jih Heng.

He regarded Jiang Li thoughtfully for a while and then asked, "Since you already have a plan in mind, who do you intend to have do this deed?"

"Are you referring to the person who will pretend to silence her, Duke?" Jiang Li laughed, "I have no need to hide it from you. My uncle is a person from the martial arts world with many friends. It’s not difficult to use some silver to pay people to put on an act."

"Do you plan to move against Yongning and Lord Xiao Shen now?" asked Jih Heng.

"The time has come."

"Then, I’ll leave you to it," Jih Heng said, his hands behind his back as he watched her, "Good luck." After saying this, he indeed turned and left without a hint of reluctance. This caught Jiang Li off guard; she had thought Jih Heng would say more. But after thinking it over, she let it go, as the matter of Princess Yongning was not related to Jih Heng at all. He was used to being a spectator and rarely got involved. Even though she had progressively drawn him in, it didn’t mean it was to be taken for granted.

If he could stay far away, then let him be; after all, this was her own battle.

In a short while, Liu Xu came out, approached her upon seeing her, and said, "How did you get here? When I came out earlier and didn’t see you on the gallery, I searched for a long time before I found you. I thought you might have gone back. Hey," she said, looking at the empty birdcage hanging by the column under the eaves, "Why is there an empty birdcage here? Isn’t there a bird inside?"

Looking at the empty birdcage, Jiang Li shook her head: "I don’t know." But inwardly, she sighed deeply—this last item related to her past with the Shen family was also lost.

There was indeed a trace of wistfulness. novelbuddy.cσ๓

By the time they reached the pavilion, a good while had passed. Many of the ladies who had been strolling in the gardens had already returned. Jiang Li noticed that Xiao Deyin was no longer there. She approached Lady Lu and asked, "Why isn’t Mr. Xiao here?"

"He said he wasn’t feeling well, it could be a cold, as he went pale as paper and has already left," explained Lady Lu, thinking that Jiang Li was concerned about the teacher from the school.

Jiang Li sneered inwardly. She had originally thought Xiao Deyin, having conspired with Princess Yongning to frame Xue Fangfei, must be a bold person. Yet, it turned out she was as timid as a mouse, her facade breaking at the first scare. Using her to deal with Princess Yongning seemed not so difficult after all.