Marriage of the Di Daughter

Chapter 108 Part 2: Tyranny

“I’m going to sell embroidery.” Chun Fang at once pushed Jiang Li away, as if finding an excuse, then hurriedly rushed to escape. But after walking halfway, she hesitated for a while, turned her head around and said, “Miss, seeing that you just came, I’ll remind you a bit. In front of outsiders, you must not mention the Xue family, that will save you from troubles. You….. don’t act too ostentatiously.” After speaking, she carried her backet, without sparing a single glance at Jiang Li, as if there’s something scary about her, and quickly disappeared.

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Ye Ming Yu stepped forward and stood by Jiang Li’s side as he stared blankly at Chun Fang’s rear view. He said with dissatisfaction, “Really, Ah Li has such a nice voice and temper, why did she act as if she’s seen a ghost, afraid of death.” Then he looked at Jiang Li, “Just now I heard the two of you talked about the Xue family, what does it mean? Ah Li, what are you planning to do?” 

For no reason, Jiang Li came to Qingshi Lane, stopped in front of the sealed Xue residence for so long and inquired about the Xue family’s matter from an unfamiliar madam. Ye Ming Yu had figured that this was not in the least something incidental or a momentary interest. The purpose of Jiang Li’s visit had something to do with the Xue family.

“Uncle Ming Yu,” when Jiang Li spoke, she moved her head sideways to look straight at Ye Ming Yu’s eyes. This let Ye Ming Yu see the firmness in her eyes. She said, “I came to Tongxiang for this. Uncle, I want to redress the injustice of the Xue family.” 

Ye Ming Yu was dumbfounded, Tong’er and Bai Xue also froze. 

No matter how she looked at it, Jiang Li was the daughter of a chief assistant in Yanjing. Xue Huai Yuan was merely a deputy county of Tongxiang. These two people had never had any intersection. Jiang Li spoke so suddenly, Ye Ming Yu did not know how he ought to reply.

After a long while, Ye Ming Yu finally found his voice. He said, “You….. what are you saying?”

“I can’t tell you why I want to do so,” Jiang Li said apologetically, “This matter is complicated and not easy to say. It also can’t be expressed clearly in a few words. But Xue deputy county’s family was indeed wrongly accused and sent to prison. I was entrusted by someone to investigate this matter thoroughly and return deputy county’s innocence.”

“But how do you know that deputy county Xue is innocent? You are a young girl, how are you going to investigate thoroughly, how are you going to help him to redress his injustice? Ah Li, this can’t be done!”

“Uncle Ming Yu,” Jiang Li sounded very calm, as if this was something she had decided after careful deliberation. Looking without the slightest trace of doubt, she said, “Whether deputy county Xue is innocent or not will come to light with investigation. Although I am a girl, I’m still the daughter of the chief assistant, not lacking of power. Fully aware you must not do it but still do it is not because of anger but for fairness.” Jiang Li said, “On this earth, unable to tell black from white, failing to understand right and wrong is really too unfair. Besides, the person I wanted to help is someone whom I owed to. Just treat it as I’m repaying a debt of gratitude. Don’t the people of the rivers and lakes pay particular attention to taking revenge when there’s enmity, complain when there’s blame? I know that this concerns many things, also not willing to implicate uncle. If uncle feels that it’s inappropriate, please withdraw now, just me alone will suffice.”

Originally, these words sounded heavy in the ears, but spoken by Jiang it, it sounded stable. Ye Ming Yu stared at Jiang Li’s eyes. He knew that this niece of his was always very opinionated. But he only understood at this moment that Jiang Li always handled matters step by step with utmost determination. It’s not that she did not anticipate the possibility of trouble and terrible consequences in advance, but regardless, those would not shake her resolve to take a step.  

Let alone he as her uncle. So to speak, with or without him, this uncle, Jiang Li would not be delayed from doing her own thing. 

On second thought, Jiang Li, a little girl understood the principle of “fully aware you must not do it but still do”, while he, all day long still boasted of being a hero but could not be compared to a young girl, afraid of the slightest thing. At once, a sense of solitary bravery was born and he said, “Up a mountain of swords, down the sea of fire, this uncle will accompany you till the end!” He patted Jiang Li’s head and said lovingly, “Am I not your own maternal uncle?”

Jiang Li: “…..”

“Then uncle,” Jiang Li said, “after we settle down, there’s something that I need uncle to help with.”

“Say it!” Ye Ming Yu answered readily.

“Please ask these guards and uncle’s men to find a way to loudly ask about the sealing of the Xue family in the most lively places in Tongxiang. Wine shops, teahouses are fine. The more eye-catching the better, the better if everyone can hear.”

“Miss?” Tong’er spoke in a low voice, “Just now didn’t that aunt say not to mention anything about the Xue family in front of others so as not to attract troubles? Why….. why still need to specially let people know?”

Jiang Li smiled and said, “Because I want to beat the grass to startle the snake.”

Ye Ming Yu was puzzled.

“I can’t find the snake, so let the snake come to me.” She smiled slightly.

Yongning’s people let someone frame Xue Huai Yuan and imprisoned him, but the commoners just looked on and did nothing. These years, no one other than the people in Tongxiang understood better what kind of person Xue Huai Yuan was. In order to prevent the people from speaking nonsense, making the will of the people unsteady, they must have used a trick, not allowing the commoners to discuss this thing.

It’s obvious if suddenly a group of people loudly asked about Xue Huai Yuan’s affair, the other person would naturally take note. Soon after, the other person would come to the door.

She was too lazy to ask one by one about the other person. Just sit here and wait for the other person to talk into the trap. 

While she settled the account one by one, everyone had a share, it’s not urgent.

……

The peaceful life of the people in Tongxiang was thoroughly shattered in an afternoon. 

In the afternoon, a group of outsiders came out of nowhere, wandering around in all four directions; in the teahouses, restaurants and even the streets. What came out of their mouths was to inquire about the sealed house of Xue deputy county.  

Jiang Li and Ye Ming Yu sat inside a wine shop. This was Tongxiang’s most lively wine shop. In the old days, as long as there’s something happening in Tongxiang, the people liked to discuss spiritedly in this tiny wine shop. Xue Zhao was fond of bringing her here to eavesdrop, and sometimes they could hear many interesting stories.

But today was really different.