The Double

Chapter 97: Stirring Up Trouble

After Ye Minghui and his brother left the Ye family, the household fell into a temporary silence.

Old Madam Ye’s health was poor, and now she couldn’t even leave her bed. No one dared to tell her about the situation. Zhuo Shi and Guan Shi had to force smiles while caring for Old Madam Ye, ensuring she wouldn’t notice anything amiss—her condition had finally shown some improvement, and they couldn’t let their efforts go to waste at this critical moment.

As for Jiang Li’s mention of Tong Zhiyang’s brother-in-law, Zhong Guanling in Yanjing City, aside from surprising the Ye family with Jiang Li’s clear memory of official positions, it didn’t attract much attention from them.

Jiang Li, however, thought differently. The Li family and Tong Zhiyang were connected by just one Zhong Guanling—such a close association made it hard for her not to speculate.

Yet, if she brought this up to the Ye family, they likely wouldn’t believe her.

After returning to her courtyard, Jiang Li sat in her room, lost in deep thought.

Tong’er and Bai Xue didn’t dare disturb her and quietly retreated outside. Because of Ye Minghui and Ye Mingxuan’s situation, the servants in the Ye household had grown much more subdued, and the entire estate suddenly felt stifled. It was as if an invisible gloom had settled over everyone, making it impossible to feel lighthearted.

As the saying goes, adversity reveals true feelings. Although no one wanted to see the Ye family in trouble, for Jiang Li, it wasn’t entirely without opportunity. Melting a block of ice by doing nothing and waiting for it to thaw slowly was possible, but it took too long. And time was what she lacked the most. If she could contribute in some way during this crisis and help the Ye family overcome it, then after this ordeal, most of the previous estrangements would likely vanish.

At that point, “reconciling” with the Ye family would become an easy task.

However, the first step was to figure out exactly what was going on with the Ye family’s Ancient Fragrance Satin. Jiang Li faintly sensed a conspiracy at play. So far, she only suspected the Right Prime Minister’s Li family was involved but had no evidence.

They could only wait for Ye Minghui and his brother to return to the estate before discussing further.

...

Ye Minghui and Ye Mingxuan did not return to the estate that night.

Not only that, but they also disappeared without a trace in the following days. At first, Guan Shi and Zhuo Shi waited anxiously at home. After three to five days without any news, they could no longer hold back and went personally to the magistrate’s office to see Prefect Tong, hoping to find out what had happened.

But Prefect Tong refused to see Guan Shi, sending only his assistant to exchange evasive words with her. The assistant claimed that Ye Da and Ye Er were “guests” at the office and would return home once their matters were settled.

Despite Guan Shi’s usual tact and diplomacy, she was helpless against the slippery Tong Zhiyang. Returning to Zhuo Shi, she complained, “I couldn’t even get a meeting with Tong Zhiyang! Let alone ask about our husband and brother-in-law. I think he’s doing this on purpose—he knew I’d come looking and deliberately avoided me!”

Zhuo Shi, who was more timid, worriedly said, “What does he want? Detaining the men at the office—I wonder how they’re faring? He wouldn’t use unauthorized punishment on them, would he? I’ve heard of officials keeping people in jail just to torment them.”When Ye Mingyu overheard this, he immediately roared in fury, "Torture? They've got some nerve! Sisters-in-law, just wait. Tong Zhiyang refuses to see us? Damn it, I'll barge in and hold a knife to his throat—we'll see if he still refuses!"

Guan Shi and Zhuo Shi repeatedly urged against it, but how could they stop Ye Mingyu? He directly selected a fine horse outside the gate and galloped off, clearly intending to settle scores with Tong Zhiyang.

Ye Mingyu carried a heavy air of martial recklessness, unaware that not everything in the world could be resolved with fists. Jiang Li, who had rushed to the front hall upon hearing the news, saw Guan Shi and Zhuo Shi ordering people to chase after Ye Mingyu, though it was uncertain if they could catch up.

Ye Jia'er and Ye Rufeng also hurried over. Upon learning the whole story, Ye Rufeng declared without hesitation, "I'll go find Third Uncle!"

"Rufeng!" Zhuo Shi grabbed him. "Don't add to the trouble now! There are no men left in the residence—only weak women remain. This is truly... ah!"

Ye Jia'er was also deeply troubled. Noticing Jiang Li standing aside, she approached and whispered, "You must find this unbelievable too, cousin."

"Indeed," Jiang Li nodded. "Before coming to the Ye family, I didn't know they had such troubles. I thought the Ye family was living well in Xiangyang."

"The Ye family was indeed living well in Xiangyang—but that was months ago." Ye Jia'er smiled bitterly. "But look at us now. People say extreme prosperity precedes decline. Has our Ye family reached its time to fall?"

Her tone couldn't conceal her despondency. Though usually poised and proper, she was still young and suddenly faced with this crisis—especially with her eldest uncle and father detained under unknown circumstances—it inevitably affected her. Jiang Li noticed the dark circles under her eyes; she likely hadn't slept well these past days.

"Human determination can overcome fate. There's no such thing as 'the right time' for decline. Moreover, the Ye family has done no evil—heaven will treat them kindly." Even as Jiang Li comforted her, she nearly laughed at her own words. Heaven didn't reward goodness—in her past life, every member of the Xue family had been righteous and honorable, yet they ended in utter ruin. Heaven was never reliable; one could only rely on oneself.

Collecting herself, she told Ye Jia'er, "Don't speak so despairingly, cousin. In my view, your uncles in the government office likely aren't in immediate danger. If someone truly meant them harm, they would have declared it outright. This secrecy suggests negotiation. I suspect Tong Zhiyang keeps refusing the aunts' visits because he's waiting for the right price."

"Waiting for the right price?" Ye Jia'er looked puzzled.

"Isn't this common in business? Deals are rarely settled instantly—there's always back-and-forth, a stalemate where both sides concede bit by bit until reaching an acceptable price. It comes down to who holds stronger leverage. The party with greater leverage acts fearlessly, patient enough to wait, while the other—if panicked and impatient—tends to concede first and offer more."Ye Jia'er suddenly understood and said, "You mean, right now Prefect Tong and our Ye family are like conducting a business deal. Prefect Tong won't let our family members see Father and Uncle. If our family becomes too anxious and can't hold back, we'll take the initiative to make concessions. At that point, whatever conditions Prefect Tong sets, we'll have to accept them."

"Exactly," Jiang Li smiled. Ye Jia'er was very clever.

"But what kind of business does Prefect Tong actually want to do with us?" Ye Jia'er still didn't understand. "What does he want by detaining our family members?" Unconsciously, Ye Jia'er had developed the habit of consulting Jiang Li when encountering problems. After all, Guan Shi and Zhuo Shi didn't handle business matters, and Ye Rufeng was still somewhat immature. Looking around the room, the only one who could offer meaningful advice was actually Jiang Li.

"That depends on what conditions Tong Zhiyang proposes," Jiang Li said. "Don't worry. If Tong Zhiyang truly intends to make a deal, he'll soon state his terms. We just have to wait."

Seeing Jiang Li's confident demeanor, Ye Jia'er seemed to find her anchor and gradually calmed down as well. Her expression softened slightly, and she teased, "But Cousin, why do you keep calling Prefect Tong by his full name? If someone overheard..."

"He's just a prefect," Jiang Li smiled, her eyes curving with a touch of innocent nonchalance. "My father is the Grand Secretary. Even if I stood right in front of him and called him by his name, no matter how dissatisfied he might feel inside, he'd only know to keep his head down."

Ye Jia'er was taken aback, and Ye Rufeng also turned to look at Jiang Li.

Although they had long been aware of this cousin's past "remarkable achievements," since coming to the Ye family, Jiang Li had always been gentle and considerate, making it hard to connect her with the rumors of a vicious eldest daughter. Over time, everyone had come to think that Jiang Li had a good temper and was very mild-mannered. But at this moment, the contempt in her tone when speaking of Tong Zhiyang was clearly noticed by both Ye Jia'er and Ye Rufeng.

Jiang Li genuinely looked down on Tong Zhiyang.

Indeed, Jiang Li despised Tong Zhiyang, though not simply because he was merely a prefect. This Tong Zhiyang had attained his position as prefect only through his brother-in-law's influence and by riding on his wife's coattails. While he appeared deeply henpecked, he kept a mistress outside and even had a child with her.

At the end of each year, county magistrates had to go to the prefectural office for evaluations. Xue Huaiyuan, being incorruptible and unlike other magistrates who sent silver to Tong Zhiyang, became a target of Tong Zhiyang's deliberate nitpicking. Xue Zhao couldn't stand it and tried to find some leverage over Tong Zhiyang. Unexpectedly, he discovered this secret and used it to threaten Tong Zhiyang, preventing him from causing further trouble for Xue Huaiyuan.

Xue Huaiyuan never knew about Xue Zhao's involvement, only wondering why Tong Zhiyang had stopped bothering him in recent years. In truth, if Xue Zhao hadn't accidentally stumbled upon Tong Zhiyang's secret back then, it would have been hard to say how many more years Xue Huaiyuan could have remained as county magistrate. Given Tong Zhiyang's narrow-mindedness, he would surely have found some excuse to strip Xue Huaiyuan of his official position.

Jiang Li sneered at people like Tong Zhiyang. Never expecting that the one causing trouble for the Ye family would be this same Tong Zhiyang, she naturally showed no favorable disposition toward him.

Guan Shi said to Zhuo Shi, "Why haven't the people sent to chase after Third Brother returned yet? Could it be they failed to stop him?""It's highly possible." Lady Zhuo was somewhat nervous. "Third Brother's martial arts are excellent, even better than the guards in our mansion. At that time, he was determined to confront Magistrate Tong, so he must have left in a hurry... I hope he hasn't caused any trouble. At this critical moment, we can't afford any more problems."

"No, I must go to the yamen." Guan Shi stood up hurriedly. "How could the mansion guards possibly persuade Third Brother? With his temper... I need to check on him."

"I'll go with you," Lady Zhuo said.

Just as the two were about to leave, they saw Afu rushing in through the door. These days, he and A Shun had been helping at Lizheng Hall and weren't needed at the mansion.

"Afu, what happened to you?" Lady Zhuo was shocked.

Jiang Li looked over and saw that Afu's clothes were mostly torn, hanging in tatters on him. His face was bruised with green and red marks, as if he had been punched or slapped, and there seemed to be blood at the corner of his mouth. His hair was an utter mess. It looked like he had been in a fight somewhere.

"Madam, Second Madam, it's terrible." Afu paused to catch his breath, as if even speaking was difficult. After a moment, he continued, "Lizheng Hall... Lizheng Hall has been smashed up. The guards couldn't stop them. The shopkeeper is surrounded, and A Shun is still there trying to protect him. Those people came in and started breaking everything, they wouldn't stop, they even smashed Lizheng Hall's signboard. Madam, you should go take a look!"

He said all this in one breath.

"Lizheng Hall has been smashed?" Lady Zhuo nearly fainted.

"Exactly," Afu tugged at his torn clothes. "If I weren't small and hadn't slipped away quickly, I wouldn't have been able to come back to report. Those people were completely out of control, they wouldn't let anyone from Lizheng Hall leave."

"Afu," Jiang Li asked, "what kind of people were they who came to smash the shop?"

Lizheng Hall was the Ye family's business. Everyone in Xiangyang knew the Ye family. Whoever dared to smash Lizheng Hall must have considerable nerve.

Afu didn't even stop to consider whether he should be wary of this young lady asking questions, and immediately replied, "They were just ordinary commoners."

"What kind of troublemakers dare to run wild at Lizheng Hall? They're tired of living!" Ye Rufeng was furious. "Why didn't you report it to the authorities?"

"The officials have already arrested our master, Young Master. What's the point of reporting it now?" Afu answered with a mournful face.

Jiang Li asked, "Then why did they smash the shop? For no reason? Did Lizheng Hall provoke them in some way? Why would they come looking for trouble?"

"I heard it's because of the Ancient Fragrance Satin," Afu's expression turned grave. "The commoners who came said that wearing clothes made from our Ancient Fragrance Satin gave them rashes. Now none of the clothing shops in Xiangyang will accept Ancient Fragrance Satin. But the Ancient Fragrance Satin that's already been sold is still causing harm. A few days ago, someone who wore Ancient Fragrance Satin died."

Someone died?

Ye Jia'er suddenly covered her mouth. As a merchant's daughter, she clearly understood that once the rumor that "Ancient Fragrance Satin can kill people" spread, the Ye family would truly have no chance of recovery.

And now, this rumor had already spread.

Lady Zhuo and Guan Shi nearly collapsed.

Ye Rufeng clenched his fists tightly.Afu looked at the crowded room and, for some reason, felt a pang of desolation. At present, both Ye Da and Ye Er had been summoned to the magistrate's office, Ye Mingyu had gone to seek help with no news of his whereabouts, Old Madam Ye was bedridden with illness, leaving behind a house full of people. Ye Rufeng was still young and inexperienced, while the others were delicate women. Yet the Ye family's crisis was raging fiercely—what could be done?

"I'm going to Lizheng Hall," Ye Rufeng declared.

"Rufeng, what can you do there now?" Zhuo Shi tried to stop him.

"Mother, if I don't go, what else can I do? Lizheng Hall is the foundation built by our ancestors—it cannot be destroyed in our hands. I am the only man left in the house, and I must go," he insisted. "I have to go."

Zhuo Shi stared blankly before releasing her grip.

Jiang Li, however, felt a surge of admiration. Although Ye Rufeng indeed appeared somewhat immature, his ability to recognize his responsibilities was a rare quality. Never shrinking back at critical moments—this trait was quite similar to Xue Zhao.

Her gaze suddenly softened.

"I'll go with you," Jiang Li said. "Don't be afraid. I'll think of a way."

"You..." Ye Rufeng started to speak, but Ye Jia'er had already taken Jiang Li's hand. "I'm coming too."

...

At Lizheng Hall, chaos reigned outside.

The street was completely blocked, with shopkeepers from neighboring stores leaning against their doorways watching the spectacle. In the past, Lizheng Hall occupied the best location in Xiangyang, its business thriving beyond measure, inevitably arousing envy. Competitors looked down on each other, and even non-competitors harbored jealousy. Now, seeing Lizheng Hall in trouble, they feigned sympathy while inwardly rejoicing.

It seemed they simply couldn't bear to see others succeed.

A Shun stood guard at the entrance. Though not tall, his years of traveling north and south with Ye Mingyu had taught him some martial skills and imbued him with a roguish air. The fact that Lizheng Hall's entrance hadn't been stormed was largely due to his command of the guards holding the line. Even so, the cabinets near the door had been completely smashed, torn fabrics lay scattered haphazardly on the ground, and the crowd grew increasingly agitated, with more people continuously surging forward, brandishing clubs and sticks.

Two fists are no match for four hands. If this continued, he wouldn't be able to hold them off much longer.

A Shun inwardly lamented his misfortune. If only Ye Mingyu were here—he might have been able to intimidate the crowd. But Ye Mingyu had vanished at this critical moment. No matter how hard A Shun tried alone, he couldn't possibly stop the relentless tide of people.

Among the crowd were servants sent by wealthy families, as well as ordinary citizens who didn't appear affluent, all shouting angrily.

"The Ye family kills for profit! Ancient Fragrance Satin has killed people!"

"Deceitful merchants, the Ye family! Bring out the head of the Ye family!"

"May the Ye family die horribly!"

The Ye family had always been charitable in Xiangyang, never cheating their customers, and this was the first time they had faced such vile accusations. A Shun felt dizzy and disoriented. Someone rolled up their sleeve to show the dense red rashes on their arm, eliciting gasps from the onlookers, which only fueled more violent destruction of the shop.

This was the scene that greeted Ye Jia'er and her companions when they arrived at Lizheng Hall.

Guan Shi and Zhuo Shi had not come—Guan Shi had gone to the magistrate's office to find Ye Mingyu, while Zhuo Shi stayed at the mansion awaiting news. Before leaving, Jiang Li had summoned all the guards she brought from the Jiang family.

Fortunately, Jiang Li had called the guards. For as soon as the group approached Lizheng Hall, someone spotted them and immediately shouted, "The Ye family's young lady and young master are here!""Whoosh!" The crowd surged forward in an aggressive wave. A Shun inwardly cursed at the sight, but then the guards behind Jiang Li simultaneously drew their blades with a sharp swish.

The Grand Secretary's guards appeared far more stern and imposing than the Ye family's guards. Their mere presence was intimidating enough, at least matching the authority of the government officers who had come to arrest people from the Ye household. People naturally bully the weak and fear the strong; seeing so many fierce-looking guards, the crowd instinctively halted.

Fear gripped their hearts, preventing them from advancing.

Only then did A Shun and the shopkeeper breathe a sigh of relief. If anything happened to the young master, young lady, or their cousin from the capital today, they as servants would bear grave responsibility.

The guards protected Jiang Li and the others as they retreated toward Lizheng Hall. The rioters still wanted to follow but feared the long blades in the guards' hands, so they could only crowd around cautiously.

When they reached the entrance of Lizheng Hall, Jiang Li glanced inside and saw complete chaos. Shopkeeper Qian was holding a handkerchief to his forehead, blood seeping through—likely injured by some thrown object. It seemed the rioters had struck suddenly, catching Lizheng Hall's people completely off guard.

"Everyone..." Ye Rufeng mustered his courage and said, "Please remain calm. I am the young master of the Ye family. Whatever the matter, let's sit down and discuss it properly. The Ye family will not shirk responsibility..."

Before he could finish, an egg came flying toward Ye Rufeng's head. One of Jiang Li's guards blocked it, otherwise Ye Rufeng would have been hit squarely.

"What do you mean 'won't shirk responsibility'? Your Ancient Fragrance Satin has killed people! You've taken lives yet still want to profit from Xiangyang's citizens? You're earning blood money, building your fortune on corpses!"

Ye Rufeng's face flushed bright red. In the past, whenever the Ye family was mentioned, everyone in Xiangyang would praise them. As the young master, he had always been respected. But now he felt like a rat scurrying through the streets, the contempt in people's eyes all too real. They were condemning him.

The young man had never experienced anything like this before. He felt bewildered, confused, and most of all, disheartened. No one was willing to believe him. He had known the fickleness of human relationships, but this was bitterly cold.

Ye Jia'er, being slightly older than Ye Rufeng, felt sorry for her brother but had no time to comfort him now. She stepped forward and said, "Everyone, I don't know where this rumor about Ancient Fragrance Satin killing people came from. We haven't yet investigated this matter thoroughly. The Ye family has been doing business in Xiangyang for many years, and our commercial reputation is well-known to all. We would never deceive you."

But her words were immediately drowned out by the clamor. Jiang Li even saw someone bending down to pick up stones, preparing to throw them at Ye Jia'er.

Jiang Li quickly pulled Ye Jia'er back, making her hide behind the guards.

"Who said Ancient Fragrance Satin can kill people?" A clear, slightly cold female voice, though not loud, seemed to penetrate through the noise and reach everyone's ears clearly.

The crowd looked forward.

They saw a young maiden standing before the guards, her dress varying shades of bluish-green, exceptionally clean and fresh. Her features were delicate and gentle, bright and lovely.

Perhaps the transition from "merchant's daughter" to "Grand Secretary's daughter" brought with it even a subtle difference in aura. While the commoners dared to throw stones at Ye Jia'er, facing this seemingly gentle young girl, they didn't dare utter harsh words, as if restrained by some unspoken apprehension.Perhaps there was an air of utter fearlessness about Jiang Li.

"Who are you? Everyone knows there's a problem with the Ancient Fragrance Satin! Look at us!" The man, perhaps intending to embarrass a young girl like Jiang Li, roughly rolled up his sleeve to show her the dense red rashes on his arm.

He likely expected Jiang Li to fluster and cover her eyes, but she merely cast a calm glance at his bare arm—as indifferent as if she were looking at a teacup, a bowl, or an oil lamp—without the slightest reaction.

"Oh," she said flatly, then drew a short dagger from her sleeve.

The surrounding crowd was startled and instinctively stepped back. Was this young girl really drawing a blade at the slightest disagreement? Could she be planning to kill someone? Though they kept accusing the Ye family of murder, they knew deep down that the Ye family wouldn't commit murder in broad daylight.

"Cousin—" Ye Jia'er urgently tried to intervene.

Xue Huaiyuan had once told her: One never knows true pain until the blade cuts their own flesh. It wasn't easy for common folk to empathize with others' suffering, but if you could make them believe you genuinely understood their plight, many problems could be resolved.

No one came forward to inspect Jiang Li's arm, perhaps because her expression was so forthright that people couldn't help but believe the arm beneath that torn sleeve was as flawless as her face.

Some skeptical villagers picked up the severed sleeve fragment to examine it closely, eventually nodding in reluctant acknowledgment: "It really is Ancient Fragrance Satin."

Jiang Li smiled: "You see, if Ancient Fragrance Satin truly had problems, why would I wear it myself and seek death?"

"What's so impossible about that?" someone in the crowd muttered. "What if you're just a plant hired by the Ye family? Putting on a show for silver - what's one life worth anyway?"

Before Jiang Li could respond, Tong'er beside her exploded with anger: "Nonsense! Our young lady's life is far more precious than silver!" But she kept her lips sealed about Jiang Li's true identity.

The Xiangyang locals had never seen Jiang Li before and didn't know who she was. Hearing Ye Jia'er call Jiang Li "cousin," they assumed she was some distant relative of the Ye family who had come seeking shelter.

Jiang Li said: "I truly have no need to serve as the Ye family's plant. My life is arguably worth more than this entire Lizheng Hall."

"Just who are you anyway?" someone asked mockingly. "Are you some princess?"

The word "princess" made Jiang Li's expression darken momentarily before she raised the corners of her mouth in a smile tinged with sarcasm.

"I'm no princess," she declared. "I am the legitimate daughter of Yanjing's Grand Secretary, Jiang Yuanfu - Second Miss Jiang."

The mockery in the crowd gradually faded into silence.

Jiang Li's smile turned completely frosty.

Across from Lizheng Hall, in a small teahouse, a handsome young man in red robes sipped his tea while watching the drama unfold.Lu Ji, the scholar in blue robes, stood opposite, observing the scene in Lizheng Hall with a slight frown. "I didn't expect Second Miss Jiang to stand up for the Ye family."

Ji Heng rested his chin on one hand while lightly twirling a folding fan with the other. The fan was folded into a narrow strip, and as he swayed it carelessly, faint golden threads could be glimpsed within.

"Tong Zhiyang's plan has failed," he said.

(End of Chapter)