The Double-Chapter 420 - 139: Meeting_3

Upon reaching the courtyard of the Ye Residence, Jiang Li saw Ye Mingyu coming out with a sword on his back. The gatekeeper likely hadn’t had time to announce her arrival, and upon seeing Jiang Li, Ye Mingyu almost jumped up, exclaiming, "Jiang Li, you’re here!"

"Uncle," Jiang Li approached.

"Why haven’t you visited the Ye Residence these past few days? I actually wanted to go to the Jiang Family to see you, but that youngster Shijie kept stopping me, saying you must have your own matters to tend to. What’s going on? Are you okay? Did your father beat you?"

Jiang Li shook her head, "I’m fine, uncle. I just caught a slight cold these past few days and couldn’t leave the house."

"Caught a cold?" Ye Mingyu’s eyes widened as he said, "Then why are you still going out? You should not be going out if you’ve caught a cold!"

"It’s already better. Cousin Ye isn’t here?" Jiang Li looked around but didn’t see Ye Shijie’s figure.

"There’s business at the Ministry of Revenue; he’s gone to deal with that," Ye Mingyu sat down on a chair with a sigh, "One would think he had become a high-ranking official, staying up late into the night. Several times I’ve woken up during the night to find the boy still reading official documents, heaven knows what he’s fussing over."

"Cousin Ye has just started his post; it’s his busiest time," Jiang Li smiled, "How has County Magistrate Xue been these days?"

"He’s been well," Ye Mingyu replied with a lack of enthusiasm, "I keep him company every day with games; how could he be unwell? For this, even my men under me have laughed at me," he grumbled unwillingly.

"It is only because I’ve asked you to take care of County Magistrate Xue that you have had such a hard time, uncle," Jiang Li said apologetically.

Seeing Jiang Li’s expression, Ye Mingyu quickly said, "No trouble at all, hey, absolutely no trouble. We’re family after all. Besides, I have nothing else to do in Yanjing City but to play with him. Jiang Li, you don’t need to thank me. It’s too formal!" Initially feeling he was not one to pity and coddle women, faced with a delicate girl looking at him with eyes filled with pleading and guilt, Ye Mingyu couldn’t manage to be harsh.

It was as if he himself was partly at fault.

"Right, Jiang Li," Ye Mingyu hesitated for a moment, then suddenly said, "Well, the Duke is at our residence."

Jiang Li had been pondering how to subtly bring up Ji Heng with Ye Mingyu, or whether Ji Heng simply hadn’t greeted Ye Mingyu and would appear when she found a quiet corner to be alone, but she was caught off guard by how bluntly Ye Mingyu spilled this information.

It gave her quite a shock.

"He said you would come this afternoon; I thought it was just talk," Ye Mingyu said, "But you’re actually here."

"He... is he in the residence now?" Jiang Li asked.

"Yes," Ye Mingyu said, "he came right after lunch." He wanted to complain, but then, fearing that Ji Heng might be a formidable figure and could cause trouble, he just murmured his gripe, "No one invited him. When he first arrived, I wanted to kick him out. But he mentioned he had arranged to meet you here, so I had no choice but to let him in. I figured since you’re both ’our own,’ there might be important matters to discuss, and I shouldn’t delay your business."

Jiang Li: "..." In Ye Mingyu’s eyes, Ji Heng and she are both considered ’one of us’?

She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. But then she thought, during the several times in Tongxiang, Ji Heng had met with her alone and hadn’t harmed her; in fact, he had even helped her. From another person’s perspective, indeed there was sufficient reason to believe they were on the same side.

"Then where are they now? I would like to go see them," Jiang Li said.

"How did you know he didn’t come alone?" Ye Mingyu asked curiously.

Jiang Li replied, "He and I had previously agreed on this."

"Makes sense," Ye Mingyu nodded, "If he weren’t accompanied by others, I wouldn’t feel at ease letting the two of you meet alone. You’re a lady after all, and he’s a man; if he harbored any improper thoughts towards you... I wouldn’t feel secure, Jiang Li. Your uncle tells you, a man’s most important quality is responsibility, not looks. He may be handsome, but good looks can’t sustain a lifetime. Once you age, you’ll still end up with wrinkles all over, no better than a twenty-year-old beggar on the street."

Jiang Li: "..."

Sometimes she really didn’t know whether to blame her uncle for worrying needlessly. She could only say, "I understand, uncle. He won’t harbor any improper thoughts towards me, and I have no interest in him either. My reason for finding him is strictly business. Uncle, let’s go meet him first."

Seeing how eager Jiang Li truly was, Ye Mingyu reluctantly nodded, "Alright."

...

The furnishing inside the Ye Residence was quite simple.

Perhaps because it was occupied by two men, Ye Shijie and Ye Mingyu, and even the person taking care of Xue Huaiyuan was a young male servant. Fearing that there might still be people in Yanjing City who wished to harm Xue Huaiyuan, particularly Princess Yongning, Ye Mingyu handled all affairs personally, not letting a single fly out of the Ye Residence.