The Double-Chapter 528 - 160 Pregnancy

After returning to the mansion, it was already evening.

Jiang Li did not go straight back to her courtyard; instead, she went to Night Wind Hall. This visit to the Duke Residence had left both Madam Jiang the Elder and Jiang Yuanbai puzzled, so they had waited for her specially at Night Wind Hall. Seeing her return safe and sound, with no apparent distress in her demeanor, very tranquil, they finally put away their worries.

"Little Miss Li, when you visited the Duke Residence today, did you meet anyone in particular? What did you do there? Did Old General Jih say why he invited only you to the banquet?" asked Madam Jiang the Elder.

"At the birthday banquet of Old General Jih in the Duke Residence today, I wasn’t the only guest; there were five or six others. But all of them were unfamiliar to me, and they didn’t seem to be members of Yanjing’s Official Families. There were both men and women, presumably old acquaintances of the old general," Jiang Li fabricated without changing her expression and continued, "After eating, the old general inquired about some matters concerning archery. It seems that he learned of my performance in the Six Arts school examination and, thinking I had a deep understanding of the art, was curious about me, which was why he especially invited me. Later I had a casual conversation with several young ladies and returned in the evening. It appeared to be an ordinary family banquet, nothing special about it. As for why I was the only one invited, it really wasn’t appropriate to ask, and the old general didn’t say."

Her response seemed flawless, leaving Madam Jiang the Elder and Jiang Yuanbai with nothing else to ask. Even if they had questions, judging by Jiang Li’s appearance, she just went for a meal and knew nothing, and wouldn’t be able to provide any answers.

Jiang Yuanbai said, "Since that’s the case, you should go back and rest."

Jiang Li hesitated for a moment before adding, "Father, today at the Duke Residence’s birthday celebration, I overheard them discussing the political climate. It seems that Yanjing City may not be very peaceful lately... Father, please be prepared."

Jiang Yuanbai was jolted, "What do you mean by that?"

"I truly don’t know anything specific. They wouldn’t say too much at the banquet. Even that bit of information took me considerable effort to obtain," Jiang Li said. After saying this, she bowed to Jiang Yuanbai and Madam Jiang the Elder and returned to her own courtyard.

After Jiang Li had left, Madam Jiang the Elder asked, "Yuanbai, what did Second Miss mean by her words just now?"

Jiang Yuanbai’s expression grew grave, "Prince Cheng is probably going to make a move."

"Should the Jiang family... withdraw for a while and temporarily leave Yanjing?" Madam Jiang the Elder asked.

Jiang Yuanbai let out a wry smile, "Mother, even if I wanted to leave at such a critical moment, I wouldn’t be able to. Given my position, I have no choice but to face it head-on. I just hope that the emperor is not completely unprepared; there might still be a chance in this battle..."

Madam Jiang the Elder sighed deeply once more. With the situation being as it was, even though they were the family of the Grand Chancellor, their glory was but the plight of ants amidst power struggles. The winner becomes the king, the loser, the bandit; it has always been a bloody affair since ancient times. What can be done? Yet with Prince Cheng’s move and the emperor’s counter, who knows how Yanjing City would be drenched in blood again, how many families would be torn apart.

Meanwhile, Jiang Li returned to her courtyard.

Tonger and Bai Xue were busy tidying up, while she sat inside, her brows knitted with concerns. After thinking it through, she had mentioned one line to Jiang Yuanbai—although Jiang Li felt that Prince Cheng would likely lose the battle, the Jiang family was still in a precarious position, who knew what might happen. Now that she was part of the Jiang family, they needed to support each other. If the Jiang family fell into trouble, it wouldn’t be of any benefit to her.

Moreover, even though the Jiang family had wronged Miss Jiang the Second and produced a venomous woman like Ji Shuran, her daily meals and lifestyle still depended on the Jiang family. If Miss Jiang the Second were still around, she would not wish to see her family destroyed. If Jiang Yuanbai could be persuaded to prepare in advance, perhaps many troubles ahead could be reduced.

As for Jiang Youyao’s situation, Jiang Li also planned to take Jih Heng’s advice and not inform Jiang Yuanbai for the time being. She would first wait and see what Li Lian’s next move was. Jiang Youyao deserved to suffer for a while; if Jiang Li tried to help her return to the family now, Youyao would not only fail to appreciate the Jiang family members, but she might even think that they intentionally separated her from Li Lian. With such an ingrate, who knows when she might turn and bite the Jiang family? It might be better to leave her with Li Lian for the moment, so the Jiang family could enjoy some peace.

Even if Li Lian wanted to extract any secrets about the Jiang family from Jiang Youyao, it would be impossible. Youyao simply did not care about anything other than herself, hence any attempts by Li Lian to pry would be destined to fail.