The Double-Chapter 681 - 210 Goodbye_2

What if... Yin Zhan is the next Prince Cheng?

Jiang Li’s heart unexpectedly gave rise to such a thought, and she startled herself; she quickly suppressed it, relieved that no one had discovered her inner musings.

Madam Jiang the Elder was silent for a moment before saying, "You can go back first."

Jiang Li nodded and turned to leave, but Madam Jiang the Elder’s voice came from behind her again, "Remember, you are a daughter of the Jiang Family, your surname is Jiang."

Hearing these words, Jiang Li’s heart felt even colder. It seemed that being part of a great family always meant placing family glory first, and thus her own life was to be sacrificed. Let alone what the real Miss Jiang the Second would choose, the Jiang Li of today was no longer the real Miss Jiang the Second. If one were to trace back to that daughter named Jiang, she would have died alone and unattended to on Green City Mountain, succumbed to the chill after falling into the water.

Having taken over Miss Jiang the Second’s body, she had cleared the girl of unfounded charges, found the murderer who killed Ye Zhenzhen, and relieved the Ye Family of trouble. But she owed nothing to the people before her now.

Jiang Li turned and walked out of Night Wind Hall.

Madam Jiang the Elder watched her silhouette, sighing softly.

This granddaughter was more stubborn than she had thought, probably because Jiang Li had not entirely forgiven the Jiang Family for their past misunderstandings and neglect. She felt no deep affection for the Jiang Family. It seemed that her considerations for the Jiang Family were merely due to her inherent kindness, but with that kindness alone, she would definitely refuse to go through fire and water for the Jiang Family. She would simply turn around and walk away, just as she did now.

Lady Lu asked cautiously, "Mother, does Little Jiang Li not like the Crown Prince? I think that the Crown Prince is truly excellent. Looking around Yanjing City, you couldn’t find a second person better than him. Now that Little Jiang Li is of marriageable age, I see that the Crown Prince treats her quite well. If she misses this opportunity, others might beat her to it. I am her aunt; surely I wouldn’t harm her, right? Mother, besides, you also saw it today; the Crown Prince is indeed a good match, isn’t he? Why doesn’t she like him?"

"Indeed," Madam Jiang the Elder gazed distantly, "why doesn’t she like him?"

Outside, Jiang Li silently returned to Fangfei Garden.

Neither Bai Xue nor Tonger dared to speak. After they closed the door, Tonger suddenly made an offhanded remark, "Actually, it’s quite natural for the young lady not to fancy that princely heir."

Bai Xue and Jiang Li both turned to look at Tonger.

With righteous indignation, Tonger said, "I think the Duke treats our young lady better, and he also looks better, plus his family has more silver. Before this, they were in Yunzhong, but the Duke is a Yanjing person, which naturally makes him a better match for our young lady." Seeing that Jiang Li did not interrupt, Tonger grew bolder, approached Jiang Li, and said earnestly, "Young lady, even if the old madam, Madam the Second, the old master, Old Master the Second, and the second and third young masters all think the Crown Prince is a good match, and you think the Duke is better, even if you feel outnumbered, you have us. I think the Duke is better too, and so does Bai Xue, right Bai Xue?"

Bai Xue hurriedly nodded, "I think the Duke is very good."

The two of them, probably worried that Jiang Li was feeling down and questioning her own judgment, were fully determined to prove to Jiang Li that her judgment was not wrong, amusing Jiang Li into a silent chuckle.

She couldn’t fool those around her; since Tonger and Bai Xue thought so, she was too lazy to correct them.

"It’s not for that reason," Jiang Li said.

Tonger asked, "Then what is the reason?"

"This Yin Household..." Jiang Li said, "I always feel that, perhaps, there are still some hidden truths."

...

In a spacious residence in Yanjing City, someone was speaking within a house.

The man sitting in the study, now beyond the age of forty, was tall and strikingly handsome. His complexion was dark, suggesting he was strong and muscular, yet there was an extraordinary scholarly elegance about him that softened his fierce demeanor. His features were sharp and prominent and bore some resemblance to the young man standing before him.

This was the Commandery Prince of Xia County, the illustrious Zhaode General, Yin Zhan.

He always spoke with a trace of a smile, giving him an air of heartiness. Patting Yin Zhili’s shoulder, he asked, "Zhili, today you went to the Jiang Residence, did you see that Second Miss from the Jiang Family?"

"I saw her," Yin Zhiqing interjected, "Father, we had actually met that Miss Jiang the Second a few days ago. At that time, a child had fallen from their carriage, and I saved him. She had thanked me. Today, when I went to the Jiang Residence and heard her claim to be the Second Miss, I was quite surprised."