The Double

Chapter 225: Silencing Witnesses

Yanjing had finally reached the depths of winter.

The snowflakes drifting from the sky had transformed from grains of salt into goose-feather flurries. Overnight, the streets and alleys were blanketed in thick snow. A thousand miles frozen solid, ten thousand miles of swirling snow—the world had turned silver-white. Occasionally, an unchained yellow dog would dart across the snow, leaving deep paw prints resembling plum blossoms.

Jiang Li stood in the courtyard, where glistening icicles hung upside down from the eaves like beaded curtains in a palace beauty’s bedchamber. She had risen early, and the snow had not yet ceased. Clad in a snow-white cloak, she nearly blended into the wintry landscape.

“It’s freezing today,” Tong’er remarked as she swept the snow in the yard. The iron bucket left outside had frozen into a solid lump of ice overnight, standing upright in the middle of the courtyard.

Gazing at the horizon, Jiang Li felt a wave of unease. In winter, the Jiang family’s flower gardens lay barren, and even the gardeners were absent. Yet Jiang Li knew that Zhao Ke had accompanied Ji Heng on a mission. She was unaware of the details—Ji Heng had left Yanjing City without informing her. It was Zhao Ke who, upon departing the Jiang residence, had quietly reminded her of his absence and urged her to be cautious in his absence.

Ji Heng’s silence could mean the matter was trivial or, conversely, too significant to worry her. Though most worldly affairs might seem inconsequential to Ji Heng, Jiang Li had sensed something different in Zhao Ke’s demeanor this time—a subtle shift from the usual.

This matter might be more critical than she had imagined. Over ten days had passed without Zhao Ke appearing at the Jiang residence, and there had been no news from Ji Heng.

A lingering disquiet tugged at Jiang Li’s heart. After some thought, she decided to visit the Duke’s residence proactively. At the very least, Old General Ji would be there, and she could inquire with him. Failing that, perhaps Situ Jiuyue, Wenren Yao, or Lu Ji might know a fragment of information.

“Let’s go to the Duke’s residence,” Jiang Li announced.

Tong’er and Bai Xue, misunderstanding, assumed Jiang Li intended to see Ji Heng. Since the emperor had personally decreed Jiang Li and Ji Heng’s marriage, such a visit was hardly improper. Unlike in previous dynasties, where betrothed maidens were forbidden from meeting their future husbands, Yanjing City imposed no such restrictions. Thus, Jiang Li’s actions were beyond reproach. When Old Madam Jiang learned of it, she offered no objection, merely advising Jiang Li to return early.

Jiang Li boarded a carriage with Tong’er and Bai Xue and headed to the Duke’s residence.

The streets teemed with frolicking children—winter’s greatest joy for the young, who tumbled freely in the snow. Crimson sugar-coated hawthorns stood out vividly against the white backdrop.

The lanterns adorning the Duke’s residence remained as ornate and vibrant as ever. The servant at the gate broke into a broad smile upon seeing Jiang Li. This was her first visit since the imperial betrothal, and everyone in the Duke’s household knew she was destined to become its mistress. The residence had been without a lady for many years, making her presence a novelty worthy of extra attention.

Jiang Li entered without needing guidance, making her way to Ji Heng’s courtyard. As expected, there was no sign of Ji Heng, nor of Wen Ji or Zhao Ke—he truly hadn’t returned to the capital yet.

With this realization, Jiang Li approached a servant stationed outside the study and asked, “Is Old General Ji in the residence at the moment?”The young servant shook his head and was about to answer when Jiang Li heard a familiar voice from behind, "He's missing."

Jiang Li turned around to see Situ Jiuyue emerging from the rear. She held a bamboo-woven basket in her hand, seemingly on her way to gather flowers from the garden. In winter, she wore a wolf-fur dress, still in dark brown, with deerskin boots and plum blossom daggers fastened at her waist. Despite her delicate and lively features, her attire made her appear unapproachable.

"Miss Jiuyue," Jiang Li said. Situ Jiuyue lived year-round in the Duke's residence because the garden contained materials for her potion-making. Jiang Li asked, "Did you just say Old General Ji is missing?"

"Yes," Situ Jiuyue replied. "The day after Ji Heng left Yanjing, Old General Ji disappeared. Kong Liu and Lu Ji sent people to search for him, but there's been no trace so far."

Jiang Li's heart tightened. "Was he taken by someone...?"

"No," Situ Jiuyue said. "He took the sword from his study."

This did little to ease Jiang Li's anxiety. The fact that Old General Ji had taken his sword indicated he had left voluntarily. Why take a sword? Most people's first thought would be revenge. But Old General Ji was already advanced in years—why would he do such a thing? Jiang Li asked, "Miss Jiuyue, do you know what exactly Ji Heng went to do when he left Yanjing City? Are Lord Lu and Lord Kong not here? Perhaps Young Master Wenren might know something."

"I don't know what he intends to do—he didn't tell me. Maybe he told Lu Ji and Kong Liu, but they wouldn't tell you either, because they're not at the Duke's residence right now. I don't know where they went. All I know is that Ji Heng is engaged in something very important and dangerous. The fewer people who know about it, the better."

Hearing this, Jiang Li felt no resentment toward Situ Jiuyue's response. She understood that Ji Heng's secrecy wasn't due to distrust but rather his deep care for her, wishing to keep her from being implicated.

This person... always insisted on handling everything alone, even if it meant being misunderstood.

Jiang Li sighed inwardly, realizing she was at a loss. There was no one who knew about Ji Heng's situation.

Situ Jiuyue didn't continue the conversation with Jiang Li but instead walked into the garden to gather flowers. The flowers in the Duke's residence remained vibrant even in winter, though they were far from ordinary—some were flat and elongated, others resembled animals, and a few would tremble when touched. Jiang Li couldn't assist; she didn't know which flowers Situ Jiuyue needed and could only watch from the side. As she observed, her thoughts drifted to the rumors about the Duke's residence.

She mused, "I originally thought Ji Heng collected exotic flowers in the estate because he loved them, but now it seems he spent heavily to gather these rare blooms because Miss Jiuyue uses them for brewing poisons. Or perhaps these flowers were actually collected by Miss Jiuyue herself, merely under Ji Heng's name."

Ji Heng had two known hobbies: loving flowers and watching operas. But if he were truly a flower enthusiast, why would he be so particular, seeking out rare and toxic varieties from across the land? It was more accurate to say he was collecting ingredients for poison-making. These ingredients were clearly useless to Ji Heng himself, as he didn't know how to concoct poisons, indicating they were intended for Situ Jiuyue."No, these were indeed collected by Ji Heng, but the purpose was truly for me to refine medicine, because he hoped I could create a miraculous poison to wake his father."

Jiang Li's eyes widened. This was the first time she had heard of this. According to rumors, when Ji Mínghán returned to the estate back then and learned of Yu Hongye's death, he left the capital and never appeared again. The world speculated that he had long died, but Situ Jiuyue's words implied that Ji Mínghán was actually still alive?

What was going on?

"He... the Golden Crow General is still alive?" Jiang Li asked.

"No, he is dead." Situ Jiuyue was carefully digging up a blue flower, using a small shovel to loosen the soil around it and harvesting the flower without damaging the roots.

"But... you just said..." Jiang Li couldn't understand.

"Because I failed to refine that poison, and instead of waking up, Ji Heng's father passed away due to the toxicity." At this point, Situ Jiuyue's hand seemed to tremble slightly. Though she tried hard to maintain a calm expression, a trace of unease still leaked through.

"Miss Jiuyue," Jiang Li asked as carefully and seriously as possible, "could you tell me what exactly happened?"

Situ Jiuyue turned her head and met her gaze calmly. After a moment, she lowered her head and continued her work, saying: "The world says Ji Heng collects rare flowers from everywhere, but actually it's because most highly toxic flowers are brightly colored and strangely shaped. What Ji Heng was looking for wasn't rare flowers, but rare poisons. He sought poisons only to cure his father's illness."

"His father's... illness?" Jiang Li whispered: "Rumors say the Golden Crow General disappeared many years ago."

"That's not true. General Ji has always been alive and never disappeared. I don't know what exactly happened, but when I first came to the Duke's estate, General Ji was already there. All these years, Ji Heng kept me by his side, even helping me evade Mulan's pursuit, because perhaps in this world, only I could wake General Ji."

"What happened to General Ji?"

"He was severely injured and poisoned beyond cure. I've been doing my best to contain the spread of the poison, using toxins to counteract toxins to prolong his life. All these years, he never woke up. There's no antidote for the poison he suffered from. Three years ago, the poison had reached his throat. I had no choice. If things continued like this, he would live at most one more year. At that time, Ji Heng's subordinates found a poisonous herb in the desert. I refined medicine from it, but didn't know the outcome. If General Ji took this medicine, he might wake up and be completely cured, or... it might accelerate the poison's spread and kill him immediately."

"On one side was one more year of life, on the other was possible awakening or immediate death. I couldn't make this decision for General Ji. The old general left the choice to Ji Heng, and Ji Heng decided to have his father take the medicine."

Hearing this, Jiang Li's heart couldn't help but tighten painfully. She already knew the outcome—Situ Jiuyue had just said it—but at this moment, she still couldn't help feeling sorrow for Ji Heng."We all hope for miracles to happen. Ji Heng never believed in fate, and before administering the medicine to General Ji, he also paid respects to his mother. Unfortunately, as Ji Heng himself said, even the comedies performed by theater troupes on stage feel too fake—no miracle occurred. I failed, and General Ji died."

Snowflakes swirled down one by one, landing on Situ Jiuyue. She seemed completely unaware, neither brushing off the snow nor using an umbrella, allowing the cold to settle on her. Jiang Li even felt that Situ Jiuyue might be shivering.

"This isn’t your fault," Jiang Li said softly. "And it’s not Ji Heng’s fault either."

"Of course, I know that." After a moment, Situ Jiuyue spoke again. "But after General Ji’s death, I still left Yanjing and only returned last year."

Last year—that was when Ji Heng asked Situ Jiuyue to treat Xue Huaiyuan.

"I don’t like owing anyone anything, but after that incident, I still felt indebted to Ji Heng. If he hadn’t asked me to treat Xue Huaiyuan, I would never have returned to Yanjing City in this lifetime. So whenever there’s a chance to make amends, I do my best. That’s why I agreed so readily when you asked me to treat Xue Huaiyuan and Xue Zhao—it’s all because three years ago, my poison killed his father."

Jiang Li couldn’t help but say again, "It’s not your fault, Miss Jiuyue. You did your best."

"But the outcome was the same. If I feel this way, you can imagine how Ji Heng must have felt." Situ Jiuyue said, "I’ve never seen anyone so dedicated to one thing their entire life. From the moment I met Ji Heng, he built this garden with the sole purpose of detoxifying General Ji. Sadly, all these years, he could only watch helplessly as the poison slowly spread, until in the end, he witnessed General Ji’s death—all because he made the wrong decision."

Jiang Li fell silent. Even just imagining it, she could guess how desperate Ji Heng must have felt at that moment.

Situ Jiuyue picked the last flower and stood up, saying, "That’s the answer. Actually, I originally thought he would dismantle this garden after his father’s death, but it’s still here. Perhaps to keep up appearances, or perhaps as a precaution."

Jiang Li asked, "Then, where is General Ji buried?"

"To avoid drawing attention and in accordance with his father’s dying wish, his body was cremated, and the ashes were placed in his mother’s tomb."

Jiang Li caught the key point in Situ Jiuyue’s words and asked, "To avoid drawing attention? Was General Ji’s poisoning intentional? Is the culprit still hiding in the shadows, here in the capital?"

Situ Jiuyue looked at Jiang Li and said, "Exactly. Since you’ve guessed it, I needn’t say more. But I don’t know much beyond that. Ji Heng doesn’t fully trust anyone, though you might be an exception. To protect you, he won’t tell you everything. The most terrifying and ugly truths are likely known only to him."Jiang Li now suddenly understood why Ji Heng had such a temperament. It was probably true that he was moody and killed without batting an eye, but after experiencing such things, there might be even more terrifying truths. From a young age, Ji Heng had learned to face darkness alone. For someone who emerged from the darkness, if they wanted to protect what mattered to them, the first lesson was to survive in that darkness. Expecting him to become as upright and honest as Ah Zhao or Xue Huaiyuan was impossible—in Ji Heng's eyes, such naivety was even laughable.

Jiang Li couldn't describe what she was feeling. It was as if a heavy stone weighed on her heart, making it hard to breathe. The layers of vibrant, elegant flowers in the garden—each one represented Ji Heng's hopes since his youth. Sadly, the flowers still bloomed luxuriantly, but those hopes had been dashed.

She recalled that late night when she came to the Duke's residence and saw Ji Heng planting a tree in the courtyard. He worked slowly, his gaze lonely as he looked at the full garden of flowers.

She suddenly couldn't bear to think any further.

Situ Jiuyue entered the alchemy room carrying a bamboo basket filled with flowers. But she didn't start preparing medicines right away. After setting the basket down, she walked to the edge of the courtyard and stared blankly at the snowy ground. She was likely thinking about the incident with General Ji again. No matter how cold her tone or calm her expression, her heart was not entirely undisturbed.

Both young women stood in the courtyard, the world around them a vast expanse of white, each lost in her own thoughts. They felt the unpredictability of life and the bitterness of human vicissitudes, an indescribable sense of helplessness and sorrow.

A long, long time passed—so long that the snow stopped, and Little Red in its cage woke up, opened its black bean-like eyes, flew to the eaves, and tilted its head to watch Jiang Li and the others.

Jiang Li said, "Miss Jiuyue, I'd like to visit my uncle at the Ye residence. Would you like to come check on Ah Zhao's injuries? Last time, we promised to prepare poison for his whip—I wonder if it's ready. If it is, we could deliver it to Ah Zhao today."

Her heart felt unusually stifled, urgently needing some distraction to ease the suffocating weight. Otherwise, she would be crushed by this sorrowful mood, her mind temporarily unable to focus on anything else. She wanted to see Ah Zhao, her father, Ye Mingyu, and Ye Shijie, to let her heart rest for a while.

She thought Situ Jiuyue felt the same. If Jiang Li weren't going, Situ Jiuyue would definitely not visit the Ye residence alone.

Situ Jiuyue was taken aback and looked at Jiang Li in confusion. When she last saw Xue Zhao, she had indeed mentioned preparing poison for his whip, but she hadn't expected Jiang Li to remember.

"Miss Jiuyue, let's go together," Jiang Li said.

Situ Jiuyue didn't refuse. "Alright," she replied.

The two of them left the Duke's residence and boarded the carriage with unusual haste, as if fleeing from some emotion. Tong'er and Bai Xue exchanged puzzled glances, unsure what had happened. They only felt the atmosphere between Situ Jiuyue and Jiang Li was somewhat strange and unusually quiet.

The carriage traveled a long distance before stopping at the entrance of the Ye residence. Jiang Li and Situ Jiuyue jumped down together. Perhaps because the weather was too cold, the servants were not at the gate. Tong'er stepped forward and knocked using the bronze lion door knocker.

No one answered for a long while.Jiang Li found it rather strange. Could it be that Ye Mingyu wasn't home? But even if he wasn't, the servants of the Ye residence should still be there. It couldn't be that such a large estate was completely empty. Wondering if Ye Mingyu might be practicing swordplay inside and hadn't heard the knocking, Jiang Li took a few steps forward and was about to knock again when her gaze suddenly froze.

From the gap beneath the main gate of the Ye residence, a thin streak of red had seeped out. It was so faint, and with the weather being so cold, the blood had congealed right at the doorstep. If one didn't look carefully, it could easily be mistaken for an illusion.

Jiang Li's eyes remained fixed on it. Situ Jiuyue also sensed something amiss, stepped forward to look, frowned, and without a word, pushed the door open.

With a loud clang, the door swung open.

As soon as it did, a gust of wind carrying a thick, metallic scent of blood rushed toward them. Not far from the entrance lay the servant who always greeted Jiang Li with a smile, now sprawled in a pool of blood. One of his hands was stretched toward the door, as if he had been trying to pull it open, but his life had been forever frozen in that moment.

Tong'er let out a sharp scream. Panic-stricken, Jiang Li lifted her skirts and rushed inside. Along the way, the bodies of Ye family servants and guards lay scattered in disarray. All of them had been killed with a single stab, the wounds piercing straight through from chest to back, a gruesome sight. Jiang Li couldn't help but cry out, "Uncle! Master Xue! Ah Zhao! Cousin Ye! Haitang!"

Situ Jiuyue followed closely behind, but no one answered. Jiang Li was so frightened she nearly burst into tears, on the verge of fainting. Ye Mingyu and Ye Shijie had treated her like family, without a doubt. As for Xue Zhao and Xue Huaiyuan, they had just been reunited as a family—could they have met such a tragic fate again? Was heaven toying with them?

Jiang Li was going mad. She searched everywhere but found no trace of her loved ones' bodies. She didn't know whether that was a good or bad sign. Then, she heard Situ Jiuyue call out, "Xue Zhao!"

Her heart leaped, and without a second thought, she ran over. There, she saw Situ Jiuyue standing motionless in the courtyard. The yard was in complete disarray, with several guards' corpses strewn about. Xue Zhao's wheelchair lay overturned on its side, and half of a whip was buried in the snow.

Situ Jiuyue picked up the whip, her hands trembling slightly.

They searched every corner of the Ye residence, inside and out, but found no sign of them. Everyone else was dead, as if the place had become a living hell.

"Young mistress, what should we do? Should we report this to the authorities first? It's not safe here. What if those villains are still around and harm you?" Bai Xue asked fearfully.

Jiang Li took the whip from Situ Jiuyue's hands. Not seeing the bodies of Xue Zhao and the others, her heart gradually calmed, allowing her to think more clearly. She shook her head and said, "Those villains are no longer here."

Situ Jiuyue and the two maids looked at her.

"All the servants of the Ye family are dead. Uncle and Cousin are missing. If this were the work of an enemy, why would they take Master Xue, Xue Zhao, and Haitang, who is also a servant? These people are all closely connected to me. The mastermind behind this likely isn't targeting them—they're targeting me."

Situ Jiuyue asked, "What do you mean?"

"They didn't kill Master Xue, Uncle, or the others because their bodies aren't here. If they were dead, they could have been left here. It's clear the goal wasn't murder but to take them away and hide them, to use them as leverage against me.""Threaten the young lady?" Tong'er asked, "Threaten her with what? To make her do something for them?"

Jiang Li said, "Miss Jiuyue, come over here for a moment."

Situ Jiuyue and Jiang Li walked aside. Frowning, Situ Jiuyue looked at Jiang Li and asked, "What have you thought of?"

"Someone wants to deal with the Jiang family, but there's no need to start with me. I'm not of much use to the Jiang family. Even if they use me to threaten my father into doing something, my father would never compromise. So I think it might not be about the Jiang family, but rather..."

"You mean Ji Heng?" Situ Jiuyue immediately said.

Jiang Li nodded. "Since you said Ji Heng is doing something very important, it might be equally important to the other party. I think their goal is to threaten me with the lives of the Ye family members, and then use me to threaten Ji Heng."

"What... are you going to do?" Situ Jiuyue asked hesitantly.

Jiang Li replied, "I think they will soon send me a message telling me what to do. We'll act according to circumstances."

(End of Chapter)