The Double

Chapter 187: Seeking Help

The Jiang residence was currently in complete chaos.

Tong'er had been brought back to the estate, and the stab wound from the assassin was truly horrifying. The physician had come to re-dress her wound and wrote a prescription, while the kitchen was busy brewing the medicine.

Jiang Yuanbai had already gone out to seek officials to conduct a thorough investigation throughout Yanjing City. Old Madam Jiang, upon hearing the news, had fainted on the spot. Lu Shi was busy taking care of Old Madam Jiang, while Jiang Jingrui and Jiang Jingyou were ordered not to leave the estate. The entire Yanjing City was in a state of panic—a murderer suddenly appearing and indiscriminately attacking people seemed like a conspiracy. It was said that the emperor had also learned of the matter and was furious, ordering his officials to uncover the whereabouts of the culprit.

At this moment, no one seemed to pay any attention to Bai Xue.

Bai Xue stayed by Tong'er's bedside, feeling utterly helpless and unsure of what to do. After bringing Tong'er back to the estate, Bai Xue, unwilling to give up, returned to the street where the incident had occurred. She walked back and forth several times, even searching every shop along the street, but all her efforts were in vain.

She was certain she had lost Jiang Li and was overwhelmed with self-blame. When Jiang Li had first kept Bai Xue by her side, many people had been surprised. Bai Xue was not pretty, nor was she eloquent—her only notable trait was her physical strength. She had thought her strength would allow her to protect Jiang Li, but when danger struck, she realized she had not only failed to protect Jiang Li but had even fallen short compared to the frail Tong'er, who at least had taken a stab for Jiang Li.

She should have run with Jiang Li. If the assassin had pursued them, she could have taken the blow herself. That would have been better than the current situation, where Jiang Li was missing and her whereabouts unknown.

As she lost herself in these thoughts, the person on the bed stirred. Tong'er slowly woke up.

Upon waking, her face was still pale, and she seemed to be in pain from her wound, biting her lips. The first thing she did upon opening her eyes and seeing Bai Xue was ask, "Where is the young lady? Is she alright?"

Bai Xue could not bring herself to speak. She had no idea how to explain that she had lost her young lady and that her fate was now unknown.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Tong'er grew anxious at her silence and pressed, "Is the young lady alright?" Perhaps the effort of speaking tugged at her wound, as Tong'er let out a sharp hiss, sucking in a pained breath.

Bai Xue quickly replied, "The physician said your wound hasn't healed yet and you need to rest quietly for a few days. Don't get agitated."

"Tell me quickly, was the young lady injured?" Tong'er persisted.

Bai Xue shook her head and whispered, "I don't know... The young lady is missing."

Tong'er was stunned. "What do you mean, the young lady is missing?"

"After you took the stab for the young lady, the assassin was still coming. I pushed the young lady out of the carriage and told her to run. She fled into the crowd... Then the city guards arrived, and the assassins ran off. I searched the area for a long time but couldn't find any trace of the young lady... The master knows and has already sent people to look for her."

"How could you let the young lady run off alone!" Tong'er exclaimed angrily.

Bai Xue's lips trembled. "I'm sorry..."Seeing her self-reproachful expression, Tong'er's heart softened, knowing that Bai Xue must be feeling terrible too. She said, "Forget it, it's not your fault. If you hadn't pushed the young lady out of the carriage, that assassin would have eventually jumped in and killed her." Recalling the critical moment earlier, Tong'er still felt lingering fear. "The master has sent people to search for those assassins and the young lady's whereabouts. They will definitely find her. After all, Yanjing City is only so big..." She rambled on, as if comforting herself and Bai Xue alike.

But both of them simultaneously thought of how Jiang Youyao had also suddenly disappeared back then. Jiang Yuanbai had sent people to search for her, but they couldn't find her anywhere. Eventually, she was discovered in Princess Yongning's private prison, but only one eye remained.

Princess Yongning's private prison was gone, but who could guarantee that among so many households in Yanjing City, there weren't others secretly setting up private prisons in their mansions? If Jiang Li were also imprisoned in a private prison... they didn't even dare to imagine it.

"It'll be fine," Tong'er whispered. "The young lady is blessed and will surely escape danger."

Meanwhile, in the third household's quarters of the Jiang residence, Yang Shi and Jiang Yuanxing had also received the news.

After sending Jiang Yuyan out, Yang Shi and Jiang Yuanxing returned to their room. Yang Shi said quietly, "It was Prince Cheng who did it, right?"

Jiang Yuanxing replied, "I don't know."

After learning in advance that Jiang Li would be going out that day, Yang Shi had found a way to inform the Right Prime Minister. She knew that Li Zhongnan and Prince Cheng had recently been at odds, so she had Li Lian relay the message. Now that Jiang Li had gone missing on her outing today, Yang Shi refused to believe it was a coincidence—it was clearly Prince Cheng acting on the information.

"Since Prince Cheng succeeded, we've now fulfilled one of his wishes. Compared to the Right Prime Minister, Prince Cheng is much more generous. Husband, I think you're about to soar high, leaving the first and second households far behind."

But Jiang Yuanxing wasn't as joyful as Yang Shi; instead, he seemed irritable and gave vague responses.

Yang Shi noticed his distraction and grew displeased. "What's wrong with you? Having second thoughts? Or are you scared? I did all this for your sake!"

"She is still our niece, and just a young girl," Jiang Yuanxing said.

"Your daughter is also a young girl!" Yang Shi snapped. "Even if you pity Jiang Li, think of Yu'e and what it's like to be a concubine! And Yu Yan—Yu Yan needs to find a match soon. Do you want her to end up like Yu'e, becoming someone's concubine, or marrying a penniless scholar, struggling to make ends meet every day, living in fear in her husband's household?"

Jiang Yuanxing fell silent.

Seeing his dejected expression, Yang Shi hesitated, then softened her voice. "You need to understand, everything I do is for our own good. The Jiang family is not our family—we can only rely on ourselves."

Jiang Yuanxing let out a long sigh. "I know."

...

From day to night, the entire Yanjing City was gripped with panic and fear. No one knew when those ruthless assassins might strike again. The streets were almost empty of pedestrians, except for the soldiers still searching for Second Miss Jiang.Jiang Yuanbai returned to the residence, his expression utterly exhausted with red-rimmed eyes, unclear whether from fatigue or anxiety. Old Madam Jiang had finally regained consciousness and asked if Jiang Li had been found, to which Jiang Yuanbai could only shake his head.

Upon receiving the news, Mingyue and Qingfeng immediately reported back to Fragrant Garden Courtyard. Bai Xue, who had been keeping vigil by Tong'er's window, was rendered speechless upon hearing it.

Tong'er immediately broke down in tears, crying, "What will become of our lady? She's never been separated from me before. Those people who took her will surely treat her poorly. It's all my fault—if only I'd been more cautious, our lady wouldn't have been lost."

"Don't blame yourself, blame me," Bai Xue choked out.

Mingyue and Qingfeng were equally grief-stricken, and the entire Fragrant Garden Courtyard was shrouded in gloom. When Jiang Li was present, everyone felt anchored, for though she spoke little, her absence left the courtyard feeling cold and unfamiliar.

"Do you think our lady is frightened right now?" Tong'er murmured vacantly.

"No," Bai Xue replied, "Our lady is very brave."

Just as Tong'er was about to speak, her gaze suddenly fell upon the windowsill. There lay a white porcelain whistle. Tong'er knew that whenever Jiang Li blew it, the baby-faced guard would appear. Later, Jiang Li had placed the whistle on the windowsill, saying it would no longer be needed.

Tong'er thought perhaps the guard was no longer with the Jiang family, as they hadn't seen him in a long time. But looking at the whistle, she suddenly remembered something: Zhao Ke was from the Duke's residence.

Grasping Bai Xue's sleeve with her right hand, she leaned in and said, "Bai Xue, go quickly to the Duke's residence and beg Duke Su to find our lady."

Bai Xue was taken aback.

"If even the master can't find her, Duke Su will succeed immediately. I heard our lady say he was the one who discovered the third young lady's whereabouts too. What others cannot accomplish, Duke Su surely can." Tong'er's tone grew uncharacteristically calm.

"But Duke Su may not be willing to help our lady," Bai Xue said, "and our lady doesn't know about this."

"Listen, our lady trusts Duke Su," Tong'er insisted. "Ever since we returned to Yanjing City, I've understood—our lady rarely trusts anyone easily, but Duke Su is an exception. Our lady trusts him, and I trust those our lady trusts."

(End of Chapter)