The Double
Chapter 300 - 115 My_3

Chapter 300: Chapter 115 My_3

The screams rose and fell within the forest; at this moment, it resembled a hell on earth.

Jiang Li instinctively leaned closer to Jih Heng, but she felt his robe was ice-cold, as if he were not of this world, devoid of any warmth.

Time seemed indistinct until the screams outside finally ceased. Jih Heng’s movements also halted.

A mocking voice resounded overhead, "Miss Jiang the Second, the scene has been cleaned up."

Jiang Li slowly released her grip and raised her head to look around.

Under the moonlight, the bodies of men in black were scattered haphazardly, the ground splattered with blood, reminiscent of the purgatory depicted in temple murals.

Jih Heng alone had killed more than a dozen men, and it seemed as if only a short quarter of an hour had passed.

Jiang Li turned her head towards Jih Heng.

The moon slowly climbed back up the branches, as if the scene before it wasn’t terrifying enough. The moonlight was exceptionally bright, its purity mingling with the bloodshed on the ground, blurring the line between nightmare and reality.

There stood Jih Heng amid the bloodstains. His robe was a vivid red, making one suspect it was dyed with the blood from the ground. But he held his folding fan as if he were oblivious to the discomfort of it all, merely looking at Jiang Li and saying, "Miss Jiang the Second, shouldn’t you thank me?"

Jiang Li was speechless.

The next moment, the fan suddenly pressed against Jiang Li’s throat. Jih Heng didn’t come any closer, even maintaining a certain distance from her, yet his expression was exceptionally cold. Ever since she had known Jih Heng, he had always been all smiles, appearing lazy even though she knew it was a facade. But when the venomous beast finally bared its fangs, anyone would feel a chill in their heart.

Jiang Li found it terrifying as well.

"Miss Jiang the Second, I’ve said it before, I don’t like to play part in the act. Why, oh why did you insist on dragging me into the plot?" His voice was soft like an intimate whisper between lovers but filled with an inexplicable chill that crept up one’s spine, sending shivers down their back.

"There was no other way," Jiang Li looked directly into his eyes, with a tone that was finally soft, as if she genuinely felt sorry, and she said, "I don’t want to die."

Just before, she could clearly feel that Jih Heng truly had no intention to make a move and seemed content to stand by and watch. But she could not allow that to happen. If Jih Heng didn’t act, then she would have to die there. Her father was still in jail, the truth behind Xue Zhao’s death had not yet been fully uncovered, and she could not die there, at least not now. So, she had no choice but to make a move.

Therefore, she could only reveal the secret she had glimpsed long ago.

At some undetermined point, while pondering the relationship between Jih Heng, Prince Cheng, Emperor Hongxiao, and Jiang Yuanbai, she suddenly had an epiphany. There was no particular event, just a sudden realization.

In the current imperial court, power was divided into three camps: Prince Cheng and the faction of Jiang Yuanbai, and Emperor Hongxiao’s faction. But Prince Cheng wasn’t as stable before his alliance with the Right Chancellor. Back then, the court could roughly be considered as two factions, the Jiang Family and Emperor Hongxiao, who shared a mentor-student relationship. If Jiang Yuanbai harbored no treasonous intentions, Emperor Hongxiao would not have had too many concerns.

However, after Prince Cheng suddenly teamed up with the Right Chancellor, the balance within the court was disrupted. Prince Cheng’s influence sowed discord between Jiang Yuanbai and Emperor Hongxiao; the bond of teacher and student remained, but trust was gone. Jiang Li believed that if one day actual evidence of the Jiang Family’s rebellion emerged, Emperor Hongxiao would not hesitate to imprison Jiang Yuanbai.

With no chance of Emperor Hongxiao allying with Jiang Yuanbai and Emperor Hongxiao’s influence waning, Jiang Li had sensed that Emperor Hongxiao, whose birth mother, Noble Consort Xia, had died early, was not as easily manipulated as he seemed on the surface. Perhaps Jih Heng, seeing Emperor Hongxiao’s ambition, decided to stand with Emperor Hongxiao’s faction.

There are people in the world who aim for the best in everything they do; merely being one of Emperor Hongxiao’s ministers was clearly not Jih Heng’s desire. The situation that Jih Heng hoped to create was to become a confidant of Emperor Hongxiao, the person he trusted the most. Although Jiang Li did not know the reason, she was certain that it was to achieve this goal that Jih Heng supported Prince Cheng.

In other words, from the beginning, Jih Heng had maneuvered to support Prince Cheng, allowing him to join forces with the Right Chancellor to become a threat to the Jiang Family. Prince Cheng stirred trouble, causing Emperor Hongxiao and Jiang Yuanbai to drift apart, thus dividing the entire imperial court according to Jih Heng’s wishes. Emperor Hongxiao, isolated, chose to trust Jih Heng, making him a confidant.

Thinking this through, Jiang Li also felt a chill. Jih Heng’s schemes were so elaborate that speaking of them might lead others to disbelief, as they required far-sightedness, precise planning, and a fearlessness against all odds. And yet, he had done just that, and succeeded at it.