Chapter 23: A Glimpse
At Auspicious Pavilion, Jiang Li and her two companions were still selecting jewelry.
Perhaps fearing Jiang Li's "notorious reputation," the shopkeeper and assistants were all on high alert while attending to her. Coincidentally, there were no other customers today, so the shopkeeper brought out almost all the newly crafted jewelry for Jiang Li to choose from.
Xiang Qiao had initially thought that when Jiang Li picked a gift for Jiang Youyao, she wouldn't put in much effort and might even secretly cause trouble. To her surprise, Jiang Li earnestly made her selections and even generously purchased a full set of red jadeite phoenix-head hair ornaments adorned with pearl drops—a set that cost a full three hundred taels of silver.
The box of silver Old Madam Jiang had given Jiang Li contained only four hundred taels in total. After buying this set, only one hundred taels remained.
Yet Jiang Li showed no sign of regret. Xiang Qiao felt she truly couldn't fathom what this Second Miss Jiang was thinking.
The shopkeeper and his assistants had been nervously serving her all day, but unexpectedly, Jiang Li never gave them any trouble from start to finish. In fact, she was even more amiable than other noble young ladies in Yanjing, which left them somewhat bewildered.
After purchasing the hair ornament set, there wasn't enough silver left to buy anything else from Auspicious Pavilion. As the three of them stepped outside and headed toward their carriage, Tong'er suddenly pointed at a pawnshop not far away and said to Jiang Li, "Miss, before I left the capital, I pawned a jade pendant left by my late mother here. I'd like to go see if it's still there. If it is, I'd like to redeem it as a keepsake."
Jiang Li replied, "Go ahead." She then handed Tong'er the remaining silver, adding, "Use this."
Unable to refuse, Tong'er took the silver and walked toward the pawnshop. Left behind, Xiang Qiao stared blankly at Jiang Li. Jiang Li was truly too good to her servants—even she herself had received many benefits from Jiang Li. Honestly speaking, having such a mistress was far better than serving Third Miss Jiang or Ji Shuran. Xiang Qiao felt a pang of regret: if Jiang Li weren't the Second Miss of the Jiang family, destined to be targeted by Ji Shuran and meet a tragic end, she would even be willing to follow this mistress—life would surely be much more comfortable.
The scene of the three of them in front of Auspicious Pavilion was fully observed by two figures standing by the window of the nearby "Gazing Immortal Pavilion."
Seated at the pearwood table were two men. One had thick eyebrows and large eyes, his black armor edged with yellow ribbons, suggesting a military background. His tea-drinking manner was bold and carried a chivalrous air. He blurted out bluntly, "Which young lady of the Jiang family is that? Why is she going to a pawnshop?"
After a moment, the man across from him answered slowly, "The second one."
"The second one?" The armored soldier smacked his lips, suddenly catching on. "Second Miss Jiang? The eldest daughter of Jiang Yuanbai, who recently returned to the capital? You mean that evil woman who killed her mother and brother? Damn it, it can't be, can it?!"
The two figures in front of Auspicious Pavilion—one clearly a maid, the other slender and delicate, like a willow swaying in the wind. This armored soldier likely had sharp eyesight, able to roughly make out Second Miss Jiang's appearance. He muttered to himself, "She looks so pitiful—this is Second Miss Jiang? I, Kong Liu, have never misjudged anyone! Either you've mistaken her for someone else, or this young lady never did such things in the first place!"
The man opposite him paid no attention.
Seeing his friend ignore him, Kong Liu pressed again, "...Is it really her?"The person across from him remained silent, so Kong Liu understood—this was indeed true. He said, "Damn, you really can't judge a book by its cover. But how do you know this is Second Miss Jiang? Have you met her before?"
The person across replied, "Yes."
"Hey." Kong Liu shook his head. "Rumors are unreliable. They all say Second Miss Jiang is hideously ugly, but I think she looks quite nice—delicate and elegant, don't you agree?" he asked.
"Utterly bland."
Kong Liu choked back a retort. "What about Third Miss Jiang? She's quite lovely, isn't she?"
"Common and vulgar."
"Damn it, what about Xue Fangfei? She's Yanjing's number one beauty—you have to admit she's beautiful!"
"Beautiful?" The tone from across was icy. "You want me to evaluate a... dead woman?"
As he spoke, he finally withdrew his gaze and looked at Kong Liu opposite him.
The young man wore a crimson robe with black-and-gold phoenix butterflies embroidered at the collar, casting an elusive, bewitching glow on his face. He had narrow, phoenix-like eyes that slanted upward at the corners—a feature that should have conveyed arrogance, but a red mole at the edge of his eye lent his haughtiness a restrained allure.
His lips were thin yet strikingly red, his skin excessively pale, making his sharp features all the more pronounced. The young man's radiance was impossible to conceal, yet his demeanor was aloof, even his fleeting interest seeming callous.
Kong Liu nearly choked again.
He had to admit—the person across from him truly had the right to criticize the world's beauties. His own appearance gave him the privilege to disregard all renowned beauties.
This was Duke Su, Ji Heng.
"Fine, fine, let's not talk about women." Kong Liu scratched his head. "The Right Prime Minister's recent maneuvers are growing bolder. He's secretly trying to win over last year's top scholar, Shen Yurong. Shen Yurong seems to be weighing his options. If he can be swayed, the Right Prime Minister and the Jiang family will be evenly matched in court influence."
"Then go help the Right Prime Minister," Ji Heng's tone was gentle, "ensure the top scholar is firmly won over by him."
"In a few days, it's Third Miss Jiang's hair-pinning ceremony. I suspect the Shen family will send someone to sound out Jiang Yuanbai."
Ji Heng said, "Shen Yurong is favored by the Hongxiao Emperor. Both Jiang Yuanbai and the Right Prime Minister are vying for his support. However," his lips curved slightly, "he must not be swayed by the Jiang family."
"I understand." Kong Liu grasped the implication. "The Jiang family's future is about to become troublesome."
"Pitiful." Ji Heng sighed softly. Kong Liu felt a chill—he knew this guy across from him didn't genuinely pity anyone. On the contrary, those he deemed pitiful would inevitably meet a wretched fate.
Perhaps stirred by sympathy for the Jiang family's future, Kong Liu gazed at the figure in front of Auspicious Tower with a sigh. He said, "With Second Miss Jiang's pure and charming face, the rumors about her killing her mother and brother might be a misunderstanding. Maybe she never did such things."
"No." Surprisingly, Ji Heng responded. He said, "Judging by this Second Miss Jiang's countenance, she is absolutely capable of killing her mother and brother."
Kong Liu rolled his eyes and fell silent.
Consort Ji: When it comes to looks, I'm number one under heaven—regardless of gender ╭(╯^╰)╮
(End of chapter)
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