The Double

Chapter 131: The Truth

In the Jiang residence, Jiang Li stared fixedly at Zhao Ke.

Zhao Ke initially remained silent, but eventually yielded under her gaze. "When this subordinate arrived at the Jiang residence, the eldest young lady had already passed away," he said. "The master ordered me to keep watch here, so I gathered all the information I could. However, the internal conflicts of the inner quarters were beyond my scope of investigation, so I only learned the general outline."

"Speak," Jiang Li commanded.

"Regarding the early demise of the eldest young lady, though I did not witness it personally, the main branch of the Jiang family has always been tight-lipped about it. Since then, Hu Yiniang, the birth mother of the eldest young lady, moved to a side courtyard and nearly lost her life on several occasions."

Jiang Li's gaze sharpened. "What do you mean by that?"

"They were all accidents, but Hu Yiniang was fortunate enough to escape each time. Later, Old Madam Jiang took pity on her and often offered assistance. Moreover, Hu Yiniang frequently fell ill, and gradually, her presence faded from the household."

Jiang Li pondered for a moment before asking directly, "Zhao Ke, just tell me this: was the death of the eldest young lady related to Ji Shuran?"

Zhao Ke seemed uncomfortable discussing such matters and hesitated before replying, "Most likely."

"As I thought..." Jiang Li murmured. She then turned her attention back to Zhao Ke, her questions growing more pointed. "And how much do you know about my affairs?"

Zhao Ke was taken aback. "What?"

"Back then, my reputation for matricide and fratricide spread like wildfire throughout Yanjing City. For the Jiang family, it was a notable scandal. Since you came to the Jiang residence as a spy, you couldn't have overlooked this. How much do you know about what happened to me? For instance, why did I push Ji Shuran, causing her to miscarry? Before that, weren't Ji Shuran and I on good terms? How could a young child like me have been capable of such things? Perhaps there were hidden circumstances?"

The events of that year were too distant. Tong'er knew nothing about it, and Bai Xue had only entered the household later. It was said that all the maids and matrons involved in the incident had been expelled from the residence for negligence. Now, finding anyone with firsthand knowledge was impossible. Aside from a reputation for heinous crimes, no clues remained from that incident. But Jiang Li herself was not truly the Second Miss Jiang and had no memory of those events, leaving her completely in the dark about the truth.

Zhao Ke replied, "Second Miss, though this was a significant matter for the Jiang family, when you were sent to Qingcheng Mountain, you were effectively regarded as a discarded pawn in the eyes of Yanjing. The master ordered me to infiltrate the Jiang residence, but I had no reason to exhaustively investigate the affairs of a castoff."

Jiang Li fell silent.

Ji Heng's subordinate shared his master's temperament—blunt and unceremonious. Of course, he wasn't wrong. A daughter of the Grand Secretary, exiled to a nunnery thousands of miles away for spiritual cultivation—by all appearances, this young lady would likely never return to Yanjing in her lifetime. It would indeed be strange to invest too much effort into investigating a young lady forgotten by everyone.

"Moreover," Zhao Ke added, "why is Second Miss asking me these questions? Shouldn't you know the truth better than anyone?"She actually managed to turn the tables. It seemed Ji Heng’s subordinates were just like him—sharp-eyed and adept at pinpointing the crux of the matter. Jiang Li smiled. "But what I witnessed back then was also one-sided. I only saw a part of Ji Shuran’s hidden nature. What I saw may not be the whole truth. Perhaps there are deeper layers behind the truth, don’t you think?"

Zhao Ke replied, "Yes."

"Zhao Ke, are you truly completely unaware of what happened with Ji Shuran’s miscarriage back then?"

Zhao Ke answered, "This subordinate does not know."

Jiang Li studied his expression, confirming he wasn’t lying. Understanding dawning on her, she thought for a moment and said, "Very well, let’s not bring up Ji Shuran’s matters again. In the next few days, I need you to do three things for me. First, investigate as much as possible the reasons behind the early death of the eldest Miss Jiang back then. If you can’t uncover anything, gather as many trivial details about her as you can. Second, keep a close watch on Yanjing City for any notable figures appearing recently. I suspect Chongxu Daoren should have arrived by now. Third," she paused, "I need a master of vocal mimicry. Since the Duke’s residence has many talented and unusual individuals, I assume you know quite a few such people."

After listing these three tasks, Zhao Ke’s expression turned grim once more. He didn’t question why Jiang Li wanted these things done but said with clear reluctance, "Second Miss Jiang, you are not this subordinate’s master."

"I may not be your master, but your lord has lent you to me, which means I can use you as I see fit." Jiang Li smiled. "If you’re unhappy, you can go back and protest to your lord or leave the Jiang residence and have someone else take your place."

Zhao Ke was utterly frustrated. He was one of the top talents in the Duke’s residence—praised for his martial skills, disguises, and intellect. That was why his lord had entrusted him with such a dangerous mission as infiltrating the Jiang family. Yet now, Second Miss Jiang used him without the slightest hesitation, as effortlessly as if he were her personal servant. Anyone unaware would think he was her attendant and she his rightful master.

Using a talented person for trivial tasks—it was utterly unreasonable!

But he still didn’t dare ask Ji Heng to replace him.

Fine, just this once. Besides, if his lord knew he was being ordered around like this, he would surely remind Second Miss Jiang not to go too far and would understand Zhao Ke’s plight. Resigned, Zhao Ke replied, "Understood. If there’s nothing else, this subordinate will take his leave."

Jiang Li stopped him and asked, "Will you report every word of our conversation accurately to your lord?"

"Second Miss Jiang," Zhao Ke said solemnly, "My lord is this subordinate’s master."

"Good." Jiang Li said, "Then you can add this: if there are matters you cannot investigate, but your lord can, I wonder if he would be willing to assist?"

Zhao Ke stared at Jiang Li in stunned silence. How could she be so audacious? Not only did she dare to command him, but she also made such an unreasonable request of his lord?!

The shock he felt was so profound that his face remained completely expressionless. With a wooden demeanor, he vanished from the window.

Jiang Li closed the window and returned to sit on the couch, pondering Zhao Ke’s words. The fact that the events of the past were so difficult to uncover seemed to further confirm that Ji Shuran had been involved in many hidden deeds.Although she was not the real Second Miss Jiang, it was precisely because of Second Miss Jiang that she had survived. In a way, she could understand Second Miss Jiang's feelings. There was nothing she could do before, but now, perhaps the only thing she could do to help Second Miss Jiang was to uncover the truth for her and prevent her from bearing a crime that wasn't hers.

On the other side, in the Duke's residence, Lu Ji could no longer sit still upon hearing the news brought by Zhao Ke.

"She, she, she..." The usually composed and unflappable scholar in blue robes now abandoned his calm demeanor and said urgently, "How could she be so bold?"

Bold was an understatement—it was downright audacious. Just look at what she was saying: not only did she have the Duke's residence's experts working for her, but she even dared to order Ji Heng around. Was this girl raised on bear hearts and leopard gall? Did she not know how to write the word "fear" from birth?

Ji Heng, however, seemed unbothered by the matter and murmured to himself, "She asked about Ji Shuran's miscarriage?"

"Yes," Wen Ji replied. "Zhao Ke said that Second Miss Jiang asked exactly that."

"The first two tasks she assigned to Zhao Ke are somewhat understandable, but the third one—finding someone skilled in vocal mimicry... What does that mean?" Lu Ji shook his head. "Is she planning to perform tricks?"

"The Duke's residence has many retainers, Lu Ji. Go find one for her," Ji Heng said.

Lu Ji complied but wondered inwardly why Ji Heng was so accommodating to Jiang Li's requests. Initially, Ji Heng hadn't even cared whether Jiang Li lived or died. Lu Ji suspected there were other secrets between them, though he would never pry. But for Ji Heng to undergo such a significant change, Second Miss Jiang was truly remarkable.

"Second Miss Jiang seems to be investigating matters related to Ji Shi lately," Lu Ji remarked. "Could it be that she's planning to take action against Ji Shi? Behind Ji Shi is the Ji family, and the Ji family has Li Pin in the palace. If Second Miss Jiang targets Ji Shi, she'll be confronting Li Pin. And now, Yongning also holds a grudge against Second Miss Jiang. If Yongning and Li Pin join forces, Second Miss Jiang's days will be difficult." Lu Ji shook his head again. "She's always been shrewd—why would she do something like this at such a critical moment?"

"She's been holding back for too long," Ji Heng said. "Now, she can no longer endure it. But that's just as well—enemies aren't defeated by mere tolerance. Her approach is refreshing."

"Jiang Yuanbai may be astute in political matters, but in family affairs, he's not even as capable as his daughter," Lu Ji sighed. "Now, things are about to get interesting."

Ji Heng stared at the flickering candlelight on the table, a faint smile playing on his lips, but his gaze was profound.

Indeed, things were about to get interesting, for he himself had begun to grow curious.

...

In Yanjing City, winter sunlight was always a precious commodity. Yesterday had been sunny, but today seemed determined to reclaim that good weather. Early in the morning, a biting wind mixed with sleet and snow blew fiercely, causing many flower branches in the garden to snap under the weight of the accumulated snow.

Mingyue and Qingfeng, bundled in thick cotton-padded jackets, were busy gathering the broken branches in the courtyard. Jiang Li gazed out the window as Tong'er said, "Miss, the wind and snow are so heavy today. Shouldn't we postpone the visit to the Ye family?"In such a heavy snowstorm, only those commoners who had to struggle for a living would venture outside. Any family of even modest wealth need not leave their houses—it was simply too bitterly cold. Inside, the charcoal fire burned brightly, and Jiang Li held a hand warmer, yet standing at the courtyard entrance, she still felt the biting chill.

"I can’t not go," Jiang Li said, gazing at the sky. "But it’s truly inconvenient to go out now. Let’s wait until the afternoon when the snow lightens up a bit."

Tong’er resignedly lowered her head; this response from Jiang Li was entirely within her expectations. When it came to Xue Huaiyuan, whether through wind or rain, Jiang Li would insist on visiting. Sometimes, it was hard to understand—even if their young lady was kind-hearted, and County Magistrate Xue had others to care for him, why couldn’t she let go?

As she was pondering this, Bai Xue came in from outside and said, "Young lady, Hu Yiniang is here."

"Hu Yiniang?" Tong’er was taken aback.

Jiang Li, however, did not seem surprised at all. She smiled faintly and said, "She’s faster than I expected. Tong’er, go prepare tea. Bai Xue, please invite Hu Yiniang in."

When Hu Yiniang arrived, she was still accompanied by the same maid as the other day. It seemed she only had this one maid. After all, although she held the title of a concubine, practically no one in the mansion remembered her. She only had the title in name.

Hu Yiniang and her maid entered Jiang Li’s room together.

The inside and outside of the room felt like two different worlds, and Hu Yiniang and her maid probably hadn’t experienced such warmth in a long time. Jiang Li clearly noticed the maid unconsciously edging closer to the charcoal fire, greedily absorbing the slightest bit of heat in the room.

Jiang Li sighed inwardly. In the harsh cold of winter, this mistress and servant pair wore only thin cotton clothes. It was hard to imagine that in a large family like the Jiang residence, even the servants had winter clothing, yet these two lived in such destitution. Although Old Madam Jiang had the intention to assist Hu Yiniang, the authority over household management ultimately lay with Ji Shuran. Old Madam Jiang couldn’t possibly attend to every minor detail. As for Hu Yiniang and her maid falling into such circumstances, Jiang Li didn’t believe it could have happened without Ji Shuran’s tacit consent.

"It’s cold outside, Hu Yiniang. Have some hot tea," Jiang Li said, pushing the teacup slightly toward Hu Yiniang.

Hu Yiniang took the cup, sipped the tea, and seemed to regain a bit of warmth, a faint flush appearing on her pale face. She said, "Second Young Lady, I’ve come today to answer the question you asked yesterday."

Jiang Li smiled. Hu Yiniang was a clever woman; she hadn’t answered immediately yesterday, undoubtedly to weigh the pros and cons. But by today, she had already made her decision—it seemed she was indeed shrewd.

"There’s no hurry," Jiang Li said with a smile. "As I said, you may speak whenever you wish. There’s no need to rush; I won’t pressure you."

"Second Young Lady, with your compassionate heart, naturally you wouldn’t force me. But from my perspective, the fierce battle between you and Ji Shi is about to begin soon. I have an irreconcilable enmity with Ji Shi, so of course, I side with you. That’s why I’ve come today—to express my loyalty to you," she said. "I am willing to lend you a hand."

"Lend me a hand?" Jiang Li chuckled. "There’s no need to phrase it so righteously, Hu Yiniang. Whether it’s lending a hand or using someone as a tool, it’s just a different way of saying the same thing. Besides, helping me is no different from helping yourself, isn’t it?"Hu Yiniang looked at Jiang Li for a long moment before suddenly smiling. Her smile revealed a gentle and graceful demeanor as she said, "Second Young Lady and the Madam are truly quite different."

The "Madam" she referred to was naturally Ye Zhenzhen.

Jiang Li smiled indifferently. "I didn't spend much time with my mother, so I can only learn what kind of person she was from others. I've heard that Yiniang was once close to my mother, so you probably know."

"Madam was a good person," Hu Yiniang said softly.

"Because my mother could tolerate the existence of your elder sister, while Ji Shi could not."

At these words, everyone in the room fell silent. Tong'er and Bai Xue didn't even dare to breathe loudly, standing quietly behind Jiang Li.

"Second Young Lady is too bold," Hu Yiniang said. "Aren't you afraid the Master might hear such words?"

"You think too highly of my father's awareness," Jiang Li said calmly. "If he could truly see and hear everything, there wouldn't be so many muddled affairs in this household."

"Second Young Lady is quite perceptive." Hu Yiniang lowered her head and slowly said, "Yue'er's fall from the artificial mountain was indeed no accident."

"Yue'er" was the childhood name of the Jiang family's eldest young lady. In truth, whether it was her childhood name or formal name, it seemed no one in the entire Jiang family remembered anymore. She was merely a concubine-born daughter who shouldn't have existed in the first place, if not for Ye Zhenzhen's soft heart. Therefore, everyone considered Yue'er's eventual death as fate—a life that was never meant to be born, struggling to the end yet unable to escape destiny.

But whether it was fate or conspiracy, no one cared to investigate further, except for her birth mother.

"Take your time telling me."

"After I gave birth to Yue'er, the Madam later had you, Second Young Lady. The Madam treated Yue'er very well, always sharing good things with her. Although Yue'er was a concubine-born daughter, there wasn't much difference in treatment compared to you, Second Young Lady. Back then, I felt fortunate to have met such a good person as the Madam. I only wished for Yue'er to grow up safely, marry into an honest family, and live a peaceful life—that would have been enough."

"But who could have expected the Madam to pass away so early, and then Ji Shi entered the household." She looked at Jiang Li with a self-mocking smile. "Although Ji Shi appeared gentle and generous on the surface, and treated Yue'er well too, women have a certain intuition. There was always a sense of obstruction in her eyes when she looked at Yue'er."

"I wanted Yue'er to stay away from her, to not go near her, but unfortunately, disaster still struck."

"They treated Yue'er as a playmate for Jiang Youyao, but ordinary people wouldn't treat their playmates like that. That day..."

That day, the Jiang family's eldest young lady was playing with Jiang Youyao in the mansion. Jiang Youyao was just two years old—a child who understood nothing. The Jiang family's eldest young lady must have done something, somehow touching Jiang Youyao somewhere. Ji Shuran flew into a rage and kicked Jiang Yue'er. The Jiang family's eldest young lady was only four years old, but that kick showed no mercy, sending Jiang Yue'er falling backward, her head hitting the threshold. She died on the spot.

After only a moment of panic, Ji Shuran immediately made a decision. She had servants take Jiang Yue'er to the artificial mountain, making it appear as if Jiang Yue'er had accidentally fallen from the mountain, thus losing her life."They never stopped to think—Yue'er was only four years old, how could she have climbed such a rockery?" Though Hu Yiniang tried her best to speak calmly about the past, her body trembled slightly. She curled her fingers, clutching at the air as if trying to grasp her long-gone daughter. "My Yue'er died at Ji Shuran's hands," she said.

"How did you know?" Jiang Li asked.

"My maid, Baoqin," she replied, gesturing to the maid standing beside her. "Her twin sister was called Siqi. That day, Siqi was with Yue'er. She happened to witness Ji Shi instructing others to stage the scene outside. She immediately slipped away unnoticed and ran back to the courtyard to tell me."

"What happened to that maid?" Jiang Li asked.

"She died," Hu Yiniang said, lowering her head. "Everyone in the courtyard that day was made a scapegoat. Siqi was beaten to death for failing to protect the young miss. I couldn't save her."

"If you knew about this, why didn't you tell Father?" Jiang Li asked.

"Second Young Miss, do you think I didn't tell the master?" Hu Yiniang sneered. "But no one believed me. They all said I had gone mad with grief over losing Yue'er, that I was slandering and framing Ji Shi. They even wanted to send me to a temple. If not for the Old Madam speaking up for me out of loyalty to our past master-servant relationship, I would have likely met with an 'accident' on the way to some temple and died an untimely death."

Jiang Li fell silent for a moment before asking, "Did no one in the manor believe you?"

"How could they?" Hu Yiniang said. "She is a daughter of the Ji family, the current legal wife—gentle, generous, virtuous, and kind. No one would believe she would harm a young miss born of a concubine who posed no threat to her. Perhaps some sensed something amiss, but at that time, the Ji family was rising in influence. Who would offend such an in-law for the sake of someone already dead? Second Young Miss, you are also part of the Jiang family. You understand human relationships and interests better than I do. They have familial affection too, but even that is weighed against advantages. In the face of interests, it is very fragile."

Her words were half-sobbing, half-laughing, but Jiang Li seemed to see through the aged woman's face to the resentment and sorrow filling her heart.

After calming herself, Hu Yiniang whispered, "There is one person in this manor who should have believed me—the late Madam. Unfortunately, she is already dead. Perhaps this is my retribution."

"What do you mean?Jiang Li keenly detected another meaning in her words.

"Second Young Miss, this matter has been buried in my heart for many years," Hu Yiniang said with a bitter smile. "Everyone in this manor avoids me like the plague, and I've never been able to share this secret with anyone. But now that you're here, I think you should know this too. In truth, the late Madam's death was not an accident back then."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Li felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head. In the already chilly weather, the cold seemed to pierce her bones. Her smile vanished completely as she asked, "Hu Yiniang, you must explain this clearly."Hu Yiniang seemed not to notice the change in Jiang Li's expression and continued on her own: "Back when Ji Shi had just entered the household, I initially thought that as long as I appeared gentle and submissive, Ji Shi would spare us, mother and daughter, and not trouble us. At that time, I often tried to please Ji Shi, offering her food I had prepared, embroidery, and the like. One day, I overheard Ji Shi speaking with her matron, and they were discussing how the physician who had attended to the late lady had now returned to Yanjing City, and that they needed to find someone to silence him."

"What did you say?" Jiang Li frowned. "Didn't my mother pass away because her body was weakened from giving birth to me?" She had heard that the original Second Miss Jiang had carried immense guilt over this matter. If Ye Zhenzhen hadn't strained herself to give birth to her, she wouldn't have departed so early.

“A frail constitution can be gradually nursed back to health,” said Hu Yiniang. “But during those six months, Madam’s condition only worsened day by day. At the time, we didn’t think much of it, but one day, I suddenly sensed something amiss. After Madam passed away, her personal maids all left the Jiang residence for various reasons—some to return home and care for a critically ill mother, others to marry outside the estate. Within half a year, all traces of them vanished. Even the maids Madam left for you, Second Miss, are now mostly gone.”

“Looking back now, it’s entirely possible that Ji Shi bribed those maids and the attending physician to tamper with Madam’s medicinal meals, causing her demise.”

Jiang Li shook her head. “But there was no need for that. My father only took an interest in Ji Shi after my mother passed away. At that time, Ji Shi was still unmarried. Given the Ji family’s status in all of Yanjing City, while they might not have matched a family as prominent as the Jiangs, they could have easily married her off to a young master from an ordinary official household. There was no reason for her to become a second wife here.”

“That is what I, this humble one, also fail to understand,” Hu Yiniang’s face showed confusion. “If Ji Shi had already favored the master and resorted to such ruthless methods, it still doesn’t make sense. Ji Shi and the master had never met before.”

Jiang Li fell silent.

“After learning of this, I dared not speak of it, fearing that the more secrets I knew, the sooner I would die,” Hu Yiniang said. “I thought, as long as I could protect Yue’er and see her grow up, I would pretend to know nothing and bury these matters deep in my heart. But who would have thought…” She let out a bitter laugh. “This is heaven’s punishment for me. Madam treated me so well in her lifetime, yet I failed to seek justice for her. It is only right that I lost Yue’er. This is my own fault.”

Jiang Li looked at her. She knew Hu Yiniang was grieving, but she could no longer muster sympathy for her. If Hu Yiniang had revealed even a hint of these matters back then, the real Second Miss Jiang might have been wary of Ji Shi, and the final tragedy could have been avoided. Although everyone now saw her, this Second Miss Jiang, as having everything except a tarnished past, only Jiang Li knew that the real Second Miss Jiang no longer existed in this world.

The daughter Ye Zhenzhen had sought to protect had not survived in the Jiang family.

“Second Miss, I know you resent me, and I do not expect your forgiveness. But my sins are mine to bear. Yet Ji Shi, who carries two lives on her conscience, continues to live as comfortably as a fish in water—I cannot accept this.” This time, she even dropped the humble address of “this humble one.” She said, “I have endured all these years, thinking of ways to perish together with her, but I cannot even get close to her. I have no money, no power to command the servants. To put it bluntly, even if I wanted to poison her, I couldn’t afford to buy arsenic. And I also feel that letting Ji Shi die like that would be far too lenient. Even if I killed her, others would only say I was vicious and cruel for murdering the mistress of the house, and that it was only right my Yue’er did not live long. But what about Ji Shi? She would still retain her reputation for virtue, dying with honor. That is not what I want.”

Jiang Li looked at her and asked, “Why are you telling me all this?”

“Second Miss, I know you led the people of Tongxiang to beat the grievance drum at Chang’an Gate. For a stranger you had never met, you cleared his name. Setting aside Yue’er, Madam was your mother. Surely you have a way to prove her innocence in her death, don’t you?”"And what about you?" Jiang Li asked. "Hu Yiniang, what can you do?"

"I can... give everything." The woman, who had been as still as stagnant water, gradually ignited with the flames of vengeance in her eyes, like a lioness whose cub had been taken by a hunter, burning with the madness of mutual destruction. She said, "Including my life."

She suddenly stood up, faced Jiang Li, and knelt down.

"This humble one begs Second Miss."

Jiang Li looked at her and, for some reason, was reminded of her own past self—trapped under house arrest in the Shen residence, cornered and helpless.

Unable to even achieve mutual destruction.

She said, "Hu Yiniang, rise. I agree, but not for you. Rather, Ji Shi must die."

She ought to pay the price.

(End of Chapter)