The Double

Chapter 168 Miscarriage

"I promise you."

Jiang Li blinked. He always agreed so readily. From his initial aloofness to now offering assistance almost every time, she couldn't fathom what Ji Heng was thinking.

After some contemplation, she asked, "Once this matter is over, will Prince Cheng immediately launch his rebellion?"

"If Yongning and the Li family suffer complete reputation ruin and severe damage in this affair, it will accelerate his actions."

Jiang Li pressed further, "If it happens earlier, will it affect your plans?"

Ji Heng looked at her: "You know about my plans?"

Jiang Li shook her head frankly: "I don't. But given your position, Prince Cheng's every move should have some impact on you."

"The impact is minimal."

Jiang Li breathed a sigh of relief: "Then I'm reassured."

"Little one," Ji Heng raised an eyebrow, "you seem quite concerned about me."

An ordinary phrase, when spoken in his lowered voice, carried a hint of flirtation. Jiang Li felt her face grow warm and replied, "Naturally. The Duke still holds my life and future in his hands. I'll need to rely on your support."

Ji Heng chuckled lightly: "Do you know how the Emperor would deploy troops after Prince Cheng's rebellion?"

"The court currently has General Wuwei and General Pingrong," Jiang Li said. "Wouldn't it be these two?"

"Both rose from military ranks and are relatively young. Compared to Prince Cheng's forces, they may not hold much advantage," Ji Heng said calmly.

Jiang Li responded, "But the previous emperor emphasized civil over military affairs, resulting in few military generals in court. These two are already the best... Ah, I remember! There's also General Zhaode, Prince Xia!"

Prince Xia was the previous emperor's half-brother. Though not sharing the same mother, the previous emperor and Prince Xia maintained fraternal harmony. Later, for unknown reasons, the previous emperor sent Prince Xia to guard the harsh northwestern border, where he couldn't return to the capital all year. Now Prince Xia's son is probably about the same age as Hongxiao Emperor.

This Prince Xia was the renowned General Zhaode, whose soldiers fought bravely. Some speculated this was precisely why the previous emperor sent General Zhaode to the northwest rather than demoting him. His troops, while courageous in battle, were wild and difficult to control - only General Zhaode could keep them properly disciplined.

"You know about Prince Xia?" Ji Heng seemed surprised. "You're quite knowledgeable."

After all, when General Zhaode went northwest, Jiang Li hadn't even been born. For a girl her age, she should have rarely heard this name. Probably many in Yanjing City had long forgotten this person.

"Is he the one you meant, Duke?"

Ji Heng's eyes darkened slightly. He didn't answer immediately, only after a long pause did he slowly curve his lips and say, "Who knows?"

Jiang Li watched him. Ji Heng seemed lost in thought, making his amber eyes appear deeper in color. Though she couldn't guess what Ji Heng was thinking, she sensitively perceived that this Prince Xia, General Zhaode, might hold significant influence over Ji Heng.She suddenly recalled that in Northern Yan, there was another brave and skilled general—Ji Heng’s biological father, the Golden Crow General Ji Mínghán. In those days, people used to say, "Golden Crow in the north, Zhaode in the south." In terms of military achievements, the two were likely evenly matched. If Ji Mínghán had not disappeared without a trace, the one resisting Prince Cheng now should have been him, not the Zhaode General who had been summoned from afar.

Ji Heng… perhaps he was thinking of his father, Jiang Li silently mused.

……

After meeting Ji Heng at the Duke’s residence that day, Jiang Li did not take any further action.

Since Ji Heng had agreed to help, it would not be mere empty words. Jiang Li knew that as long as Ji Heng’s people stirred up a little trouble in the Right Prime Minister’s residence, the conflict between the Li family and Princess Yongning would inevitably ignite. Moreover, once it started, they would not need anyone else to intervene—they would stoke the flames themselves until they were utterly consumed.

However, after leaving the Duke’s residence, she found herself frequently thinking about the Duke of Xia, whom Ji Heng had mentioned that day. Ji Heng would not bring up this person without reason, and Jiang Li felt his attitude toward the Duke of Xia was particularly strange. But the Duke of Xia had left Yanjing City over twenty years ago. Twenty years was long enough for those who once knew him to pass away—even the previous emperor who had sent the Duke of Xia to the northwest was no longer alive. Very few people remembered him now, and Jiang Li had no means to learn about this unfamiliar duke.

She could not ask Jiang Yuanbai. If he heard her inquiring about this person, he would surely read too much into it and grow suspicious. However, there was one person Jiang Li could turn to—Xue Huaiyuan. When she visited the Ye residence to see Xue Huaiyuan, she took the opportunity to ask about the Duke of Xia. Although Xue Huaiyuan did not know much, he was aware of some rumors. Moreover, he would not question why Jiang Li was asking about these matters. Whatever she asked, he answered gently, just as he had in the past.

Jiang Li felt as if she had returned to her former days, receiving her father’s guidance and gradually growing into adulthood.

Such peaceful days passed quickly, and nearly a month went by in the blink of an eye. By then, the tensions brewing in the Right Prime Minister’s residence should have reached their climax.

……

Recently, there was a joyous event in the Right Prime Minister’s residence.

Everyone in Yanjing City knew that Princess Yongning, who had married into the Li family just over a month ago, was already pregnant. This was considered a blessing and a cause for celebration for the Li family. Even the emperor had instructed the Lis to take good care of Princess Yongning. As a result, the Li family’s servants treated Princess Yongning as if she were a celestial being, granting her every wish. Onlookers remarked that marrying a princess was indeed different—not only was she free from any constraints, but she also lived with even greater ease and luxury.

Princess Yongning resided in the Right Prime Minister’s residence, where tonics were delivered to her continuously, and she took her fetus-protecting medicine daily. On the surface, the Li family seemed to care deeply for this child. Yet, for some reason, Princess Yongning always felt that whenever Li Xian looked at her abdomen, there was no warmth in his gaze—only a chilling indifference.

This made her extremely uneasy, and she often worried that Li Xian had discovered the child’s true identity. Meixiang constantly reassured her, saying that if Li Xian had truly realized the child was not of the Li bloodline, he would not be taking such meticulous care of Princess Yongning’s health. If the Li family had uncovered the truth, they would surely demand an explanation, for they had done nothing wrong and would never tolerate such a humiliation in silence.Princess Yongning thought it over and found it reasonable, so she settled down to nurture her pregnancy. She caressed her lower abdomen and said, "In a few more days, this child will be three months old."

Three months might seem like a short period, but Princess Yongning had truly gone through a lot. First, she discovered she was pregnant, then she failed to persuade the emperor to grant her a marriage, and instead ended up wedded to Shen Yurong. On their wedding night, she had to devise ways to deceive him, and afterward, she anxiously fabricated a perfect explanation for the child's existence. None of these tasks were easy, and she was constantly on edge.

Princess Yongning had never been one to fear much, but these past days had been unbearably unsettling. She tossed and turned at night, faced Shen Yurong's indifference, and endured the discomforts of pregnancy. In just a few months, her once radiant beauty had faded, leaving her looking haggard and frail, a shadow of her former self.

As she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she couldn't help but murmur to herself, "Looking like this, I'm afraid even Shen Lang would despise me..."

Suddenly, she thought of Xue Fangfei. After the incident of Xue Fangfei's alleged affair, she had been confined to the estate, fell gravely "ill," and was dosed with medicine daily, which left her equally haggard. When Princess Yongning went to see Xue Fangfei for the last time, she was no longer her bright and beautiful self. Yet, there was no trace of self-pity or even despair on her face. She spoke calmly, her eyes still shining brightly.

Perhaps it was that very composure that infuriated Yongning even more.

Staring at her own disheveled reflection and thinking of that woman who, even in dire straits, grew more tragically enchanting, a sudden, inexplicable rage surged within Yongning. She flung the mirror away and snapped irrationally, "I don't want to stay in this room anymore. Let's go out for a walk."

"Alright," Meixiang hurried over to support her.

The servants in the Right Prime Minister's estate all bowed and paid their respects upon seeing Princess Yongning, but today, she found their presence irritating. The constant coming and going made her dizzy and only fueled her anger. Moreover, for some reason, after leaving her room, she felt her heart racing, as if something was about to happen.

She had Meixiang escort her toward Li Xian's courtyard.

Although Li Xian's courtyard was remote, it was quiet and free of other servants. Only a mute was confined to the study, and since the mute couldn't speak, and she didn't have to enter the study—just stroll in the courtyard—she could enjoy a moment of peace.

Whether intentionally arranged by Li Xian or not, after walking for a while, there were no servants in sight. A dozen or so steps further, and Li Xian's courtyard would come into view. Princess Yongning remarked, "Li Xian certainly knows how to pick a spot."

Just as Meixiang was about to respond, suddenly, a figure leaped out from the grass behind them. Before Meixiang could react, the person struck her on the back of the neck with a hand chop, knocking her unconscious. Princess Yongning let out a scream, and the assailant shoved her hard. Behind the grass was a decorative step about five feet high. Pushed with such force, Princess Yongning tumbled down!

She screamed, everything went black before her eyes, and she immediately lost consciousness.

...

In the Right Prime Minister's estate, on this night that seemed no different from any other, sudden chaos erupted.Upon receiving the news, the imperial physician hurried to the Right Prime Minister’s residence late at night. This was Princess Yongning, Prince Cheng’s sister, and the child in her womb carried royal blood—what if something went wrong? However, after taking Princess Yongning’s pulse, the physician could only shake his head and sigh deeply at Li Xian.

Li Xian understood immediately: the child in Princess Yongning’s womb was gone.

He immediately put on a pained expression, as if unwilling to utter another word. It was Li Lian and Li Zhongnan who escorted the physician out. Li Xian sat on the stool by Princess Yongning’s bedside, watching her, barely able to suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

For the past month, Li Xian had devised countless methods to make the child in Princess Yongning’s womb “accidentally” miscarry. Yet no matter what he tried, Princess Yongning remained unharmed. The oil spilled on the floor, the miscarriage-inducing herbs burned in the incense, the discreetly added medicinal ingredients in her food—none of them had any effect. It seemed Princess Yongning was extremely cautious about the child in her womb, refusing to entrust anything to others, rendering his schemes useless.

Li Xian found it frustrating. He couldn’t openly harm the child, or the imperial family would blame them for failing to care for the princess properly. But if he missed this opportunity, the child would grow larger, and a miscarriage at a later stage would be even more dangerous. Although none of the Li family would grieve if Princess Yongning died, they still needed her at this time to maintain their relationship with Prince Cheng, making him feel indebted to the Li family and compensate them accordingly.

Thus, Princess Yongning must not die.

Just as he was racking his brains for a way to discreetly cause Princess Yongning to miscarry, he suddenly heard screams near his courtyard today. When the servants rushed over, they found Princess Yongning and her maid collapsed on the ground—the maid unconscious, and Princess Yongning lying at the foot of the steps, a pool of blood beneath her.

At first, Li Xian was briefly alarmed, thinking an assassin had entered the residence and that Princess Yongning was dead. But after the physician’s careful examination, it was confirmed that aside from the fall, Princess Yongning had no other injuries—she had miscarried.

Li Xian was inwardly overjoyed. Li Lian suggested that perhaps Princess Yongning had slipped and fallen during her walk, leading to the miscarriage. The unconscious maid nearby couldn’t provide any clarity. Li Xian had always hoped to remove this unwanted child in a gentle, undetectable manner, so he certainly hadn’t orchestrated the fall.

Nevertheless, it solved his problem, and his expression relaxed.

Just as these thoughts crossed his mind, Princess Yongning woke up.

At the sight of Li Xian, Princess Yongning was startled, as if surprised to find him in her room. Then, her face paled, as if recalling what had happened, and she instinctively reached for her abdomen. Finding it flat, she looked at Li Xian and asked tremulously, “My…?”

“Princess,” Li Xian sighed deeply, gazing at her with sorrow, “the child is gone. Our child is gone.”When mentioning "we," a trace of mockery flashed in Li Xian's eyes. He felt no sorrow at all. If the woman before him weren't Princess Yongning, weren't Prince Cheng's sister, she wouldn't even have her life now—how could she merely lose a bastard child?

Princess Yongning stared at him blankly, then suddenly cried out, "Impossible!" She tried to rise from the bed, exclaiming, "I want to see the imperial physician! You're deceiving me! How could my child be gone?"

"Princess!" Li Xian suppressed his disgust and grabbed her arm, saying with feigned pain, "It's true! You fell down the steps. The imperial physician has already been here. The child is gone. You must take care of your health. We can have more children in the future."

"Fell down the steps..." Princess Yongning murmured, "No, that's not right. I didn't fall down the steps—someone pushed me!" She grabbed Li Xian's arm in return. "Li Xian, someone in your mansion attempted to assassinate me! They pushed me and caused me to lose my child!"

Li Xian's heart stirred, but his expression remained unchanged as he pressed, "Did you see the face of the person who pushed you?"

Princess Yongning shook her head. "No, they were masked. I couldn't see anything."

Li Xian breathed an inward sigh of relief. Princess Yongning then glared at him with hatred and declared, "They killed my child! The security in your Li Mansion is so lax that I was put in grave danger. This is your fault! I will report this to Consort Liu and tell my elder brother. If this person isn't found and skinned alive, I swear I won't be human!" By the end, she was gnashing her teeth, clearly consumed by venomous hatred.

Li Xian was startled by Princess Yongning's ferocity, never expecting her to care so deeply about the bastard in her womb that she would still seek revenge for it at such a time. He was pondering how to console her further when a tearful cry of "Your Highness!" came from outside. Meixiang stumbled into the room.

This maid always accompanied Princess Yongning and seemed highly trusted by her, treated as a confidante. Meixiang threw herself before the princess's bed, weeping, "It's all my fault! I failed to protect the young prince..."

Princess Yongning closed her eyes, then suddenly slapped Meixiang hard across the face, raging, "It is you! If you had been more alert and noticed that person earlier, if you hadn't been knocked out, my child wouldn't have died! You wretched girl!"

Meixiang, struck without understanding why, said nothing but covered her face and sobbed. As Princess Yongning watched, her own tears began to fall like rain, and she wailed mournfully, "My child..."

She had married into the Li family solely to protect this child, rushing into the marriage to give the baby in her womb a legitimate status. Now that the child was gone, everything she had done before was meaningless. Why should she remain in the Li Mansion? Moreover, she had married Li Xian for nothing. If she had known it would come to this, she might as well have listened to Consort Liu's advice earlier or followed Shen Yurong's suggestion to take medicine and abort the child. Then she wouldn't have married into the Li family, would still be free, and could have waited for an opportunity to marry Shen Yurong.

Now she had lost both the battle and the reinforcements. Princess Yongning saw no future ahead and felt utterly adrift.Seeing her despondent appearance, Li Xian felt another surge of satisfaction. This Princess Yongning had treated their Li family like fools—attempting to marry into the household with a child without even asking if the Li family would consent. Now that the child was lost, she was putting on this heartbroken act for everyone to see. However, everyone in the Li family knew the child wasn’t Li Xian’s, so they wouldn’t shed a single tear of grief for it.

Why bother?

He offered Princess Yongning a few perfunctory words of comfort, but the more he did so, the more she wished to avoid him. If she hadn’t gone to Li Xian’s courtyard, she wouldn’t have suffered this misfortune. Princess Yongning was blaming everyone she possibly could.

After Li Xian left, Princess Yongning sat leaning against the bed, staring blankly at the sky, and said, "It’s all over…"

Meixiang sobbed, "Your Highness, you mustn’t say that."

"What should I do?" Princess Yongning seemed not to hear her. "Now that I’m part of the Li family and the child is gone, everything has lost its meaning. Lord Shen won’t want me anymore, and I don’t want to marry Li Xian either. Everything is finished…"

"Your Highness, please don’t speak like that." Meixiang crawled closer to Princess Yongning. "Even for the sake of the young one who’s passed, you must pull yourself together! Someone clearly plotted against you this time—you must avenge the young one!"

As if jolted awake by Meixiang’s words, Princess Yongning looked at her and said, "You’re right… I must avenge my child. Someone clearly set a trap for me on that path, someone who didn’t want me to carry his child, who wanted to harm my baby… I must find them!"

Everything else aside, a black-clad figure had suddenly appeared at the Right Prime Minister’s residence. They hadn’t taken Meixiang’s or her life but had pushed her down—clearly targeting the child in Princess Yongning’s womb. Who could it be, wanting to harm her child?

In that moment, Princess Yongning’s anger and hatred surged to their peak. She had endured humiliation and made compromises for this child, only to be schemed against and lose it in the end. No matter who the perpetrator was, she would make them regret it for the rest of their lives!

"That person must still be in the Right Prime Minister’s residence," Meixiang said. "Your Highness, now is not the time to leave. You mustn’t speak of returning to the princess’s residence or going to the palace to recuperate. Since the assailant appeared here, and no outsiders enter the residence during the day, it’s likely someone from within the household. If we search carefully, we’re bound to find clues. Your Highness, this servant will uncover who it is and avenge the young one!"

Influenced by Meixiang’s determination, Princess Yongning gradually calmed down. She said, "You’re right. I can’t just leave like this. I’ll demand an explanation from the Li family—this is their failure. Once we find that person, I’ll make them pay a hundred, a thousandfold. They will pay in blood!"

…

No one else in the Li family was aware of the conversation between Princess Yongning and Meixiang. Meanwhile, Li Xian was speaking with Li Zhongnan and Li Lian.

"Are you sure you had nothing to do with this?" Li Zhongnan asked.

Li Xian shook his head. "I wouldn’t use such a direct method and leave evidence behind."

Li Zhongnan looked at Li Lian, who also said, "It wasn’t me either. I’ve never dared interfere in Eldest Brother’s affairs."

Li Zhongnan found it strange. "How odd. Could an assassin have truly entered the residence? We’ve already sent people to investigate today, but nothing seemed amiss in the household.""Or did one of your trusted aides handle it for you?" Li Lian asked. "Knowing you were troubled by this matter, they took the initiative to act?"

"How could that be?" Li Xian said. "If they had done it, they would naturally come to claim credit, but I haven't even seen anyone. Still, no matter what, this has lifted a weight off my mind. I ought to thank them."

"This may not be a good thing," Li Zhongnan frowned. "After all, it happened in our residence, and she appeared as an assassin. Princess Yongning has always been arrogant and domineering. While Consort Liu might be manageable, if this matter is reported to Prince Cheng and exaggerated, Prince Cheng might hold some criticism against our Li family."

"Speaking of who has wronged whom, isn't that woman the one who has truly wronged our Li family? Prince Cheng even tried to make us wear a green hat. Even if we don't know who was behind this incident, even if it were truly our doing, wouldn't Prince Cheng be the one at fault? Can we really expect the Li family to raise another man's child? Why doesn't Prince Cheng raise it himself?" Li Lian retorted.

Regarding the matter of Princess Yongning having been pregnant with someone else's child, the Li family had finally developed a rift with Prince Cheng. This affair had been handled in an utterly underhanded manner.

"Although that may be true, he is now our master. We have no choice but to accept his arrangements," Li Zhongnan said with a face as dark as water. "Xian'er, I think you should thoroughly investigate this matter within the residence. If you truly cannot find out who did it, then find a way to give Princess Yongning the explanation she wants."

This implied finding a scapegoat. Princess Yongning was now searching for the culprit merely as an outlet for her rage. If the culprit remained unfound, she would likely direct her anger toward the Li family. By providing her with a "culprit" to vent her fury and hatred, this matter could be put to rest.

"I understand, Father," Li Xian said.

Li Zhongnan gazed out the window at the night sky, thick and impenetrable, deep and pitch black. He said, "At this critical juncture, we must accommodate her in every way and avoid any conflict with Prince Cheng. We can deal with everything after this matter is settled."

...

At the Right Prime Minister's residence, the news of Princess Yongning's miscarriage had not yet spread, but Zhao Ke was the first to inform Jiang Li.

"So soon?" Jiang Li asked Zhao Ke. "Have Princess Yongning and the Li family grown suspicious?"

Zhao Ke shook his head.

Jiang Li felt relieved, thinking that the Li family and Princess Yongning were currently most concerned with identifying the culprit. As for whether the child in Princess Yongning's womb was genuine or not, they hadn't looked into it carefully. She didn't know what method Ji Heng's people had used to make the miscarriage appear seamless, perfectly covering up the disappearance of pregnancy symptoms three months later when the drug's effects wore off.

There was probably no problem in the world he couldn't solve.

"Princess Yongning wants to find the culprit. To keep the peace, the Li family will inevitably present her with a 'culprit' within the next few days. They will fabricate a plausible and convincing story, and Princess Yongning will be no exception. Given her intellect, she won't question its authenticity but will instead vent her anger first."

Zhao Ke listened quietly, aware that Jiang Li was about to assign him a task.

Sure enough, Jiang Li turned to him with a slight smile and said, "The next matter will require your assistance, Brother Zhao."

"Please go ahead, Second Young Lady," Zhao Ke replied.

"We must find a way to inform Princess Yongning that the one who wanted her unborn child dead was none other than her husband, Eldest Son Li. Eldest Son Li has already discovered the secret of Princess Yongning cuckolding him. For the sake of fairness, Princess Yongning should also learn one of Eldest Son Li's secrets."

"She must uncover Eldest Son Li's secret," she said.Zhao Ke shuddered, thinking that Second Miss Jiang was truly formidable. With just a few words spoken from afar, she effortlessly set the Li family and Princess Yongning at each other’s throats. She was clearly waiting to see the Li family and Princess Yongning make a complete spectacle of themselves—or perhaps not just a spectacle, but their downfall.

Who knew what deep-seated grudge lay behind it all?

After Zhao Ke departed on his mission, Jiang Li gazed out the window. It was spring, and the stars in the sky were gradually multiplying, twinkling brightly.

Tomorrow’s weather would surely be fine, she thought.

(End of Chapter)