The Double
Chapter 326 - 120 Gentle_4

Chapter 326: Chapter 120 Gentle_4

"Princess Yongning, your master," Jiang Li interrupted him.

Feng Yutang was stunned.

He believed that no one else knew he served Princess Yongning. How could Jiang Li possibly know? And knowing it, how dare she do this? How dare she sabotage Princess Yongning’s matters?

"Lord Feng, there’s something you need to know," Jiang Li stared at him and spoke slowly, "for you, a man who tortured the County Magistrate Xue, I treated you this way. Princess Yongning is the one behind it all, what do you think I would do to her?"

"I’m dealing with you to get to her," she said.

"She is Princess Yongning..." Feng Yutang said tremblingly, "Prince Cheng’s sister?"

"Prince Cheng’s sister?" Jiang Li mocked, "Then I’ll take on Prince Cheng too. You say Prince Cheng is Empress Dowager Liu’s son, then I’ll take him on too. I shall slay ghosts and gods alike; whoever harmed Xue Huaiyuan will pay in blood! So," Jiang Li said contemptuously, "stop talking about Princess Yongning. The name ’Princess Yongning’ is just a reason for me to act. The name ’Princess Yongning’ is the beginning of their doom!"

Feng Yutang felt weak in his hands and feet.

Under the night sky, Jiang Li’s eyes shone brightly, and he did not doubt that what he saw in them was deep-seated hatred. The ferocity that grew wildly like weeds, usually hidden under a soft exterior, was now fully exposed.

Her unabashed exposure of her other side only meant one thing—his death was imminent. To someone who was bound to die, she need not hide her secrets.

"Don’t worry, Lord Feng. I won’t let you die before things come to an end," she said. "I will make sure you live well, just like you did to Lord Xue."

She gave him a cold glance, picked up the lantern, and walked away.

In the snowy field, her silver-white cloak almost merged with the snow, only leaving deep and shallow footprints, serving as reminders that someone had passed by.

Feng Yutang felt even colder than before, unsure if it was because of the snow or because of her.

...

After leaving Feng Yutang’s prison cart, Jiang Li did not return to her quarters.

Strangely, she had no desire to sleep; her mood was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.

Her father was in such a state, and it was uncertain when he would come to his senses. Taking people back to Yanjing, the battle with Princess Yongning would officially begin. It wasn’t a simple matter, and after what she had done in Tongxiang, once Jiang Yuanbai found out, and Ji Shuran took the opportunity to whisper into his ear, she couldn’t fully predict what obstacles she would face within the Jiang Family.

Having cleared one path, she stepped onto another—new thorns awaited.

She sat on the large stone by the pond, thinking slowly, until Tonger suddenly cried out. Glancing up, she saw a beautiful figure holding an umbrella approaching through the snowy night.

Jih Heng was clad in a crimson cloak embroidered with black peonies, a perfect balance of rough and delicate. For once, he did not carry the golden silk folding fan—perhaps he had put it away—holding only a simple white silk umbrella as he walked from the distant snowy field.

In the deepening night’s dew, he seemed like a brightly colored spot, lighting up the cold world.

"Duke," Jiang Li said without standing up or performing any courtesies. She was too tired today.

Jih Heng walked up to Jiang Li, paused, and positioned the umbrella over her head.

His gesture could be considered tender and affectionate, and with the girl looking so pure and the man so enchanting, it was an extraordinarily fitting and harmonious scene. Tonger and Bai Xue were so mesmerized that they even forgot to intervene.

"Are you so troubled?" he asked with a smile. "It doesn’t seem like you."

"Are you being so gentle?" Jiang Li looked at him. "That doesn’t seem like you either."

Jih Heng burst into laughter. "You say this, and it hurts me. I spared you, yet you say I’m not gentle."

"I am merely surprised to be treated so well."

Jih Heng asked, "Can you now tell me why you would save Xue Huaiyuan, even if it means opposing Princess Yongning? You and the Xue Family should have no connection at all."

"Duke," Jiang Li said, "I don’t plan to hide anything from you because even if I don’t tell you, you will eventually find out on your own. So I will tell you the reason for this matter the day I entrust my life to you. I’ll tell you everything, putting both the beginning and the end in your hands. You won’t force me, right?"

She looked up, her eyes purer than the snow.

"Why do you always show weakness to me?" Jih Heng was puzzled. "Do I appear to be the type to sympathize with women? Even if I am..." he appraised Jiang Li, "are you a delicate flower?"