Since the last time Jiang Li met the Queen Mother in the palace, the days have been going by slowly. Emperor Hong Xiao did not ask her what she had said to the Queen Mother, and Jiang Li would not take the initiative to tell him.
Jiang Yuanbai did not ask either, but Old Lady Jiang, who heard that there was a miracle doctor in Yongzhou who could cure people's dementia, thought about taking Jiang Youyao to Yongzhou after Jiang Yuanbai resigned to see if she could restore Jiang Youyao's sanity.
The Jiang family was unexpectedly calm about the upcoming resignation. Except for Jiang Jingrui, the others did not say much. Everything that rises must fall. It is not easy for the Jiang family to get out of this unscathed. When there is no power to worry about, people will care more about family ties. So, Jiang Youyao's matter became a big deal for the Jiang family.
Jiang Yuanbai and Old Lady Jiang asked Jiang Li indirectly whether she was willing to go to Yongzhou. Yongzhou is north of Qingzhou and is also very safe. Jiang Li could stay in Yongzhou for a while, and then return to Yanjing when Ji Heng returned to Capital. However, Jiang Li refused as usual, saying that no matter what, she would wait for Ji Heng to return in Yanjing City.
Her attitude was so firm that Jiang Yuanbai and Old Lady Jiang did not ask any more questions. Jiang Yuanbai had already dealt with his subordinates in these days and submitted a memorial of resignation. Emperor Hong Xiao did not stop him, and did not even mean to keep him, and agreed happily.
So, Jiang Yuanbai and Jiang Yuanping, the two brothers, could not help but break out in a cold sweat in relief, and the regrets they had before were swept away. If they were not willing to withdraw at this time, maybe they would not know what kind of ending they would have in the future. As long as they are in the emperor's eyes, no one in the world can have a good end.
Spring passed like this, and summer came. In the hot summer, good news came frequently from Qingzhou. The Jinwu Army led by Ji Heng recaptured several cities, and Yin Zhili retreated to the south. After a long period of persistence, the troops of both sides were consumed.
Yin Zhili focused on tactics, while Ji Heng's Jinwu Army had a bit of the shadow of the Flying Dragon Cavalry in the past. They took a different approach, but they were ruthless in killing people and were full of momentum. Under such circumstances, Ji Heng had the upper hand and seemed to have gradually gotten used to the battlefield. Compared with the previous stalemate, the war at least opened up a new situation.
The people of Yanjing gradually diluted their worries about the war with the frequent reports of victory. The capital was still a scene of singing and dancing, as if nothing had happened. When Ye Shijie talked about this with Jiang Li, he also said that although the Yin family soldiers were very powerful and Yin Zhili's tactics were also very sophisticated, Yin Zhili was not very old after all, and often lacked the killing spirit of a general.
In contrast, the Jinwu Army was like a sharp sword unsheathed, murderous at every step, and Ji Heng was even more ruthless. He alone killed several generals under Yin Zhili, cut off their heads and hung them behind his horse's tail as a military achievement.
Ye Shijie felt very strange. Yin Zhili and Ji Heng were of similar age, but the murderous aura on Ji Heng was something Yin Zhili could never learn. Yin Zhili still lived in the clouds and was trained since childhood. Why was the gap between people so big?
Jiang Li heard this, just smiled and said nothing, but felt sad for Ji Heng in her heart. Although Yin Zhili was personally taught the way of using troops by Yin Zhan, Yin Zhili spent his childhood and adolescence in a relaxed and comfortable manner without knowing the truth.
There was no burden or darkness in his past life. He did not have to face the bloody truth, nor did he have to avoid disguise in order to survive. But Ji Heng was different. From birth to now, Ji Heng has not lived as easily as Yin Zhili.
So, although they are of similar age, their achievements are completely different. If she could go back to Ji Heng's childhood, Jiang Li really wanted to hug the poor little Ji Heng and tell him that he had done well and would do better in the future.
Yanjing City is thousands of miles away from Qingzhou. Ji Heng was busy with military affairs and could not send a letter to Jiang Li, but the war was getting more intense day by day. By late autumn, Ji Heng had taken back all the cities occupied by Yin's soldiers. Both sides suffered casualties, but Yin's soldiers suffered more. Ji Heng forced them into the mountains and forests of Qimin. There were only 100,000 soldiers left in the end.
Yin Zhili, the King of Xia, did not last long.
One day, Jiang Li felt her right eye twitching early in the morning, as if something was going to happen. She had some bad omens in her heart, but she couldn't tell why. When Bai Xue came to deliver breakfast, Jiang Li ate absent-mindedly.
Tong'er saw that something was wrong with her and couldn't help but said, "Miss, are you feeling unwell? You don't look very well today."
Jiang Li touched her face and found that her hands were also unusually cold. She shivered. Seeing this, Tong'er said anxiously, "Miss, did you catch a cold? The weather is getting colder and colder. You should make some pomegranate syrup to drink. I'll bring you a small cloak."
Jiang Li didn't feel warm after getting the cloak. Instead, she felt more and more uncomfortable. She didn't know why she always thought of Ji Heng. She warned herself not to think too much. Ji Heng was now in Qimin, and the war was going well. As long as the last troops of Yin Zhili were defeated, the war would be over. After the war was over, Ji Heng would return to Capital, and everything would be as they had agreed before.
"Forget it, let's go to the Duke's Mansion." Jiang Li stood up. She really couldn't suppress the inexplicable thoughts in her heart, so she thought about going to the Duke's Mansion to see Xue Zhao and others, just to distract her attention. Besides, after Jiang Yuanbai resigned, he was not very clear about the war. If Jiang Li wanted to know something, she had to go to the Duke's Mansion to ask Ye Shijie and Situ Jiuyue.
Bai Xue said: "The girl is missing the Duke."
Jiang Li smiled reluctantly, without commenting, and asked Bai Xue to go and talk to Old Madam Jiang. The three of them got on the carriage and left the Jiang Mansion.
It was a bit deserted in the late autumn season. But it still couldn't stop the prosperity of Yanjing City. The streets were still crowded, and the tension brought by the war could not be felt at all. Jiang Li lifted the curtain to look, as if as long as she lifted the curtain, she could see a beautiful woman in red sitting high up in the restaurant, watching a play with a smile. However, as far as the eye could see, it was empty, nothing.
She didn't feel it when he was there, but after he left, she felt as if Yanjing City became more lively because of him. When Ji Heng was away, the capital was still prosperous, but it became dim, and everything was strange.
On the way to the Duke's Mansion, they have to pass by Ye Mansion. The gate of Ye Mansion was closed. Now that the Ye family has moved into the Duke's Mansion, there is no one to take care of Ye Mansion, and even the servants have moved away. The ground in front of the door has not been swept for a long time, and dust has fallen, and there are a lot of weeds. Looking at it, it makes people feel bleak.
Jiang Li no longer looked out. When the carriage arrived at the gate of the Duke's Mansion, the driver stopped, Bai Xue helped Jiang Li jump off the carriage, and the guard at the gate saluted and said, "Second Miss." He turned sideways to open the door, and Jiang Li and the other two walked in.
As soon as they entered, they heard the sound of horse hooves. Jiang Li looked in the direction of the sound and saw Lin Yao sitting on Xiao Lan's back, and Wen Renyao was directing him on the side, and he was surprisingly happy. Jiang Li was shocked. Xiaolan was not an ordinary horse. It had a fierce temper. Lin Yao might not be able to tame it. It was too dangerous.
Jiang Li called "Mr. Wen", and Wen Renyao turned around to see her. Lin Yao on the horse shouted happily: "Sister Jiang!"
Wen Renyao took Lin Yao off the horse.
Lin Yao had grown a lot taller and had already become a little adult. Fortunately, when he was in Huangzhou, he saw his family die tragically. Jiang Li thought that the child would become taciturn, but under Wen Renyao's teaching, the child remained lively.
Jiang Li looked at Xiaolan again. The pony seemed to realize that Jiang Li was looking at him, and became more agile and handsome. In less than a year, the horse grew up quickly and was much taller than when Jiang Li first bought it. His fur was beautiful golden. If General Ji was here again, he would definitely praise him.
Jiang Li was a little sad when she thought of this. When Xiaolan was given to General Ji as a birthday gift, General Ji was very happy and thought that when Xiaolan grew up, he would take it everywhere. Now Xiaolan has grown up, but General Ji is no longer here. Fate is a cruel thing after all, and what it loves to give people the most is regret.
"Second Miss, why are you here suddenly?" Wen Renyao said, "Are you here to see Situ?"
Jiang Li went to see Situ Jiuyue, most of the time to ask about Ji Heng. As for what's going on ahead, the contact person on Situ Jiuyue's side will know it first.
Jiang Li smiled and replied, "No, I just didn't have anything to do in the mansion, so I came here for a walk."
"Oh, yes, it's quite lively here." Wen Renyao touched Lin Yao's head and said to Jiang Li, "Ah Heng has been busy these days, but Kong Liu may bring back some news today. I think Ah Heng's battle is almost over. How should I put it, not too fast or too slow, much better than expected. Yin Zhili is not cruel enough after all and has never played such a game with human lives as chess. He still can't compare with our Ah Heng." He said complacently, as if he was proud of it.
Listening to his words, Jiang Li's previous vague uneasiness also dissipated a little. She said, "But the battlefield is dangerous after all. Didn't you say to Ji Heng before that he had a disaster in his life?"
The prophecy has always been on Jiang Li's mind, so much so that when Yin Zhili surrounded and killed Ji Heng and Ji Heng was injured, her guilt reached its peak. After all, the prophecy sounded so shocking that it was hard to accept for a while.
"That prophecy," Wen Renyao thought for a long time, and seemed to remember what Jiang Li said. He said, "In fact, I only told you half of that prophecy, and there is another half."
Jiang Li was stunned: "What is the other half?"
"If you survive this disaster, your luck will turn, and your life will be smooth."
The complete prophecy was originally "Born in winter, a prince, will be robbed because of a woman's misfortune, and his body will be exposed in the wilderness, and hawks and dogs will peck at him. If you survive this disaster, your luck will turn, and your life will be smooth."
"Is that true?" Jiang Li breathed a sigh of relief in her heart, and her expression became brighter.
"That's true. Although my master said that I didn't calculate well, it seems that I calculated well now, and this prophecy is still very accurate. You see, when you were in Qingzhou, you were ambushed by that little bastard Yin Zhili, and Ji Heng almost died. Isn't this a robbery?"
"Yin Zhili kidnapped you to threaten Ji Heng, and I just treat you as a female disaster. The most important thing is that this robbery has passed, and Ah Heng will turn danger into safety in the future, and everything will go well. So," Wen Renyao said with concern: "Second Miss, don't worry about Ah Heng. He will definitely return safely. This time in Qimin, everything will go well. Second Miss might as well start preparing your wedding clothes. I guess when Ah Heng comes back, it will be your turn for the wedding."
He talked so far about the wedding for no reason, and Jiang Li was a little embarrassed, but unconsciously, she had some expectations in her heart. Lin Yao tugged at Wen Renyao's clothes and looked at him eagerly. Wen Renyao waved his hand and said, "Second Miss, Situ and the others are inside. Go talk to them first. I'll ride with my apprentice and come back."
Jiang Li said yes, and carefully told Wen Renyao to be careful of Lin Yao getting hurt. Wen Renyao agreed, and Jiang Li went to the Duke's Mansion.
Ye Mingyu was not at the mansion today. He probably went to visit the brothel with his friends. He was happy every day. He heard that Old Madam Ye had sent him several messages asking him to go back to Xiangyang to see the girl. Ye Mingyu simply didn't go back on the grounds that he had to stay in Yanjing City to protect Ye Shijie, and he was too lazy to deal with the family's urging to get married.
Ye Shijie was no longer at the mansion. He was more and more valued by Emperor Hong Xiao, and his daily official duties increased. When Jiang Li walked to the garden, she saw Situ Jiuyue picking flowers in the garden. Xue Zhao pushed the wheelchair and sat aside, watching her picking flowers. Perhaps because he was afraid that Situ Jiuyue would be bored alone, he chatted with her.
Jiang Li stood in the distance, watching silently, until a familiar voice came from behind: "A Li."
Jiang Li turned around and smiled immediately, "Dad."
Xue Huaiyuan came over and saw Jiang Li. He was also very happy and asked: "Why don't you go and talk to A Zhao?"
"I think A Zhao is busy now." Jiang Li blinked mischievously, "It's better not to disturb him."
Xue Huaiyuan laughed and looked at the scene in the flower garden with a very relieved look. Jiang Li looked at Xue Huaiyuan, and her heart moved, so she asked: "Dad, Miss Jiuyue seems to like Ah Zhao very much, and Ah Zhao also likes Miss Jiuyue very much. Let's not talk about whether they know each other's feelings. Dad, don't you have any thoughts about Miss Jiuyue?"
Xue Huaiyuan is upright and does things in an upright manner. Let's not talk about Situ Jiuyue's identity. Many people have died in her hands over the years.
Jiang Li likes Situ Jiuyue very much, but she is afraid that Xue Huaiyuan has other ideas about Situ Jiuyue, so she wants to secretly help Xue Zhao find out, so that Xue Zhao can prepare early.
Xue Huaiyuan glanced at Jiang Li and said clearly: "A Li, I know what you mean. I am old. Whether it is you or Ah Zhao, Dad will not interfere in your marriage. Dad also believes in your vision. Ah Zhao is not a child. What he believes naturally has his own reasons. Miss Jiuyue is a good child. If there really comes such a day, I will treat her as my own daughter."
Jiang Li smiled, took Xue Huaiyuan's arm, and said, "Dad is still as sensible as before."
Xue Huaiyuan looked at her happily, and suddenly remembered something, and said to Jiang Li, "Ali, I almost forgot something."
Jiang Li asked, "What is it?"
"At present, the Yin family soldiers are retreating step by step, and it seems that Yin Zhili is doomed to lose. I think that after this battle is over and Ji Heng returns to Capital, we will discuss when your wedding will be held. After confirming the date, I want to take you and A Zhao back to Tongxiang first."
"Ali," Xue Huaiyuan said, "After this trip to Tongxiang, I will never go back. I have thought about it. Dad is really worried about leaving you alone in Yanjing. Although Dad is a small person and can't do anything, I will stay with you. If you are wronged, I will fight for justice for you at the risk of my life."
Jiang Li was stunned, and then sighed. Shen Yurong's matter is over, but the harm brought to the Xue family that year has not completely passed. Although Xue Huaiyuan believed in Ji Heng, he was also afraid that what happened that year would happen again. That's why he wanted to stay in Yanjing City with Jiang Li. This time he returned to Tongxiang as a farewell, and he also dealt with all the house deeds in Tongxiang.
"Okay." She smiled like a flower, "I'm very happy that Dad can accompany me. I don't like to be separated from Dad. In the future, we will buy a house in Yanjing City, and A Zhao can do whatever he wants on weekdays. I will buy you a few maids and servants, and we will live in Yanjing."
The picture described was very beautiful, and Xue Huaiyuan couldn't help laughing.
While the two were laughing, they saw someone coming in from outside. Situ Jiuyue stood up from the flower garden and greeted the man, "Kong Liu."
Kong Liu strode in, his face full of anxiety, his brows furrowed, and he didn't see Jiang Li at a glance, but ran straight to Situ Jiuyue. Jiang Li was stunned, and heard Kong Liu approach Situ Jiuyue and talk, with the word "sir" faintly mixed in his words, and Situ Jiuyue's face changed drastically when she heard it.
Jiang Li's heart "beats" and she hurriedly said to Xue Huaiyuan, "Dad, I'll go see what Lord Kong is here for", and then she walked quickly into the flower garden.
When she arrived at the flower garden, before she got close, she heard Kong Liu's voice saying, "We haven't found the whereabouts yet."
"Who hasn't found the whereabouts?" Jiang Li asked.
The people in the flower garden didn't expect Jiang Li to appear suddenly, and they were startled. Xue Zhao looked at Jiang Li and said in surprise, "Sister, why are you here?"
Jiang Li didn't want to reminisce with Xue Zhao. She asked, "What's going on? Lord Kong, is what you said related to Ji Heng?"
Kong Liu looked embarrassed, as if he wanted to perfunctorily get over it, but he was clumsy in speech and couldn't think of a good way to say it for a while. Xue Zhao also fell silent. Jiang Li looked at Situ Jiuyue and asked, "Miss Jiuyue, did Ji Heng have an accident?"
Situ Jiuyue was usually serious, but she rarely had such an ugly expression. When she heard Jiang Li asking her, Situ Jiuyue seemed a little annoyed, but Jiang Li looked at her persistently, so she let out a breath and said, "Anyway, you will know this sooner or later, so I won't hide it from you. Ji Heng is missing."
"Missing?" Jiang Li took a breath, "How could he suddenly disappear?"
Situ Jiuyue pursed her lips at Kong Liu, "I don't know the specific details, Kong Liu, you should tell me."
Kong Liu scratched his head and said, "I received a report from Lu Ji this morning. Three days ago, Yin Zhili led the elite Yin family soldiers to attack at night. The Jinwu Army originally besieged Yin Zhili's Jinwu Army. The lord cut off Yin Zhili's mount with a knife and killed Yin Zhili."
"But after he killed Yin Zhili, he suddenly fell off the horse. Yin Zhili's deputy general took advantage of the chaos to cut the lord with a knife. The Yin family soldiers captured the lord. The lord fought desperately. When Lu Ji and others rushed over, the lord was gone."
"Was he taken away by the Yin family soldiers?" Jiang Li asked anxiously, her heart pounding. Even if he became a prisoner, at least he still had a life.
"The Yin family soldiers who were present at the time were all killed. The captured prisoners said that the master had escaped. Lu Ji is leading people to track down the master's whereabouts, but the terrain of the deep mountains in Qimin is complicated, there are many snakes, insects, rats and ants, and there are wild animals in the mountains and forests. It took a while to find the master's whereabouts and he has not been found yet."
Xue Zhao couldn't help but said: "No news may be good news, which means that at least my brother-in-law is still alive now. Sister, my brother-in-law will definitely escape unscathed."
"I'm just wondering, why did Ji Heng suddenly fall off the horse?" Situ Jiuyue wondered: "This is not his nature."
"It's his injury," Jiang Li murmured: "Before, when Yin Zhili ambushed the archers and used me to lure him into the trap, he was injured. Those injuries were very serious. He said it was not important, but how could it be unimportant? He must have had a relapse of his old illness on the horse, or perhaps he had a relapse of his old illness a long time ago, but he had been enduring it. He is used to covering it up, and at that time he must have been unable to cover it up at all."
Jiang Li's tears fell in large drops.
In an instant, her heart was torn. Ji Heng loved to show off his strength, although in the eyes of others, he was originally very strong. But when life and death were at stake, he still smiled calmly, and no one noticed the scars under the red armour. He always came to the end alone, and it was she who implicated him.
What to do? She said, "I'll go to Qimin, I'll find him."
Kong Liu was shocked and said, "Absolutely not. Although Yin Zhili is dead now, the Yin family soldiers are leaderless, but there are still some shrimp soldiers and crab generals who have not been cleared out. Lu Ji has sent people to find the whereabouts of the lord. Even if Miss Jiang went, it would be useless. It's better to stay in Yanjing City. In this way, when the lord return to Capital, they can see Miss Jiang the first time."
"That's right," Situ Jiuyue also comforted stiffly, "Don't worry, Ji Heng will not die. He is very tough and will definitely come back."
Will he come back? Jiang Li couldn't help but think of Wen Renyao's prophecy again. They all thought that the disaster in the prophecy referred to the time when Yin Zhili surrounded and killed Ji Heng, so the disaster had passed.
But what if they were all wrong, and the disaster had not passed, but referred to Ji Heng's disappearance this time?
The body was exposed, and the hawks and dogs pecked at it. Jiang Li closed her eyes and clenched her fists tightly.
It was creepy to think about it.
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