The Double-Chapter 388 - 133: Night Exploration

Maternal Aunt Hu sat for a while longer before she left.

When she left, Jiang Li had Tonger send some charcoal to Maternal Aunt Hu’s courtyard, otherwise, they might freeze to death before Jiang Li could expose Ji Shuran’s true colors.

Maternal Aunt Hu expressed that no matter what Jiang Li asked her to do, as long as it could avenge the Jiang Family’s Second Miss, she was willing to do anything.

After Maternal Aunt Hu left, Tonger closed the doors of the room and made sure there was no one else inside before saying, "Miss, although the words of Maternal Aunt Hu might not be entirely true, this matter is of great importance. You must investigate thoroughly."

"Indeed," Bai Xue also said, "If what Maternal Aunt Hu said is true, then Lady Ji is now bearing the accusation of murder. Having caused someone’s death before marrying into the family, if taken to Jingzhao Prefecture, even relatives of officials must pay with their lives."

Jiang Li waved her hand dismissively and said, "The words of Maternal Aunt Hu are but one side of the story. Before the truth of this matter comes to light, it must not be disclosed."

Tonger and Bai Xue, recognizing the gravity of the situation, immediately promised not to breathe a word of it to anyone else.

Jiang Li’s gaze grew deeper.

Initially, she had merely suspected that the death of the Jiang Family’s Second Miss wasn’t accidental. With bolder speculation, she thought the miscarriage incident of Ji Shuran might not be as simple as it seemed on the surface, and there might be more to it. But from the words of Maternal Aunt Hu, she learned of another astonishing fact: Ye Zhenzhen’s death was also not unrelated to Ji Shuran.

Although Jiang Li dismissed the matter as mere hearsay from Maternal Aunt Hu, her intuition told her that, perhaps, Maternal Aunt Hu’s words indeed held truth. However, what Jiang Li couldn’t understand was why Lady Ji, before her marriage and while Ye Zhenzhen was still alive, would be plotting to become Jiang Yuanbai’s second wife and even go as far as causing Ye Zhenzhen’s death.

Before this, Jiang Yuanbai and Lady Ji had had no contact. According to the information Jiang Li had gathered, it was after the passing of Ye Zhenzhen that Jiang Yuanbai took an interest in Lady Ji. Thus, it was unlikely that they had an affair before that which led to the murder of his first wife.

If it was true... Jiang Li felt a chill in her heart. With Ji Shuran and Jiang Yuanbai, wouldn’t that make another Princess Yongning and Shen Yurong? Poor Ye Zhenzhen, would she not have walked the same path as her?

Jiang Li’s mind raced with wild thoughts, unable to find a clue. To find out what really happened, she had to start with Ji Shuran. Yet, she didn’t have the manpower to inquire at the Ji family, and considering the time passed since the incident, tracing back to the few years before Lady Ji’s marriage was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Preoccupied with her thoughts, in a break from routine, Jiang Li did not visit the Ye Family today. Instead, she locked herself in her room within the courtyard and reflected through the night.

Tonger and Bai Xue thought Jiang Li had suddenly learned that her mother’s death might have been a murder and was so overcome with shock and grief that she couldn’t contain herself, which was why she locked herself in her room. The two tried to comfort her one after the other, but Jiang Li listened absentmindedly and only instructed them not to slack in their watch on Ji Shuran and Jiang Youyao.

As night fell and the sky darkened, Jiang Li sent Tonger and Bai Xue away as usual and stayed alone in her room.

She wondered how the task she had tasked Zhao Ke with was progressing. But Jiang Li thought that starting today, a fourth matter must be added: to investigate whether Ji Shuran had contact with Jiang Yuanbai before getting married and if they had any private entanglements.

Investigating her father and stepmother’s past was somewhat unfilial. Yet, Jiang Li had no great concern in her heart. First, she was not the real Second Miss of the Jiang Family, and it was difficult for her to feel the natural dependence on Jiang Yuanbai as a father. Second, at the moment Jiang Yuanbai might also be a murderer, and since she had taken over the body of the Second Miss, she had a responsibility to ascertain the true cause of the Second Miss’s mother’s death. She might not be able to do other things, but at least this matter would also have been of concern to the Second Miss if she were still alive.

Jiang Li clenched the whistle in her hand and, hesitating for a moment, gently blew it.

The Jiang Residence was silent, deep into the night, with everyone asleep. Outside, the sound of wind and snow was constant. Her courtyard, far from the main compound and named Fangfei Garden, was desolate at night with only the lonely tree shadows. Far from the aromatics and brilliance its name suggested, it felt exceedingly desolate. Under the cold stars of the solitary night, not even the sound of an insect could be heard.

Zhao Ke did not come.

Jiang Li’s frown deepened. She placed the white porcelain whistle to her lips and blew it gently again. The whistle’s sound was clear and soft, resembling the murmuring of a kind of bird, and did not attract attention in the night. It was unknown how those at the Duke Residence distinguished it.