Chapter 002: Jiang Li

As for the person they referred to as "unable to endure this summer," it should be the second young lady of the Jiang family, Jiang Li

The doctor said he cannot survive this summer, should I inform the master

The quilt was originally very thin, but it became cold and heavy due to dampness, making it extremely uncomfortable to cover herself with. She lifted the quilt and felt much more comfortable in her chest, slowly sitting up.

Not far from Helin Temple, there is a hermitage. Compared to the constant stream of pilgrims at Helin Temple, this hermitage appears rather desolate, almost devoid of visitors

"Miss," Tong'er appeared on the verge of tears as she said, "Miss, I know you are feeling unhappy. How could the Second Miss and the others take away your engagement? That was an engagement arranged by the Madam when she was still alive. How could the family of Lord Ningyuan commit such treacherous acts? And as for the Master, Miss, I know you hold resentment towards him, but you cannot give up everything. If you do not think of yourself, you must think of the Madam. How heartbroken she would be to see you like this from the heavens!"

Calling her a young lady, could she be a maid? Yet even if she was a maid beside her before marriage in Tongxiang, she should not be dressed so poorly

This is not her voice

Xue Fangfei closed her eyes

The sound of crying around me suddenly ceased, and in the dim candlelight on the table, a face filled with barely concealed joy came into view. She exclaimed, "The girl is awake!"

Tong Er was taken aback

... ...

The Helin Temple on Qingcheng Mountain is a renowned temple

Xue Fangfei looked blankly at the little girl crying out loud, yet in her heart, she wondered what this had to do with the Marquis of Ningyuan. Xue Fangfei knew that the heir of the Marquis of Ningyuan, Shen Yurong's younger sister Shen Ruyun, was very fond of the heir, who was known as a handsome man in the city of Yanjing. But what did this have to do with her

The rain is falling heavily... The beautiful young girl gazes out the window, somewhat lost in thought

This voice... delicate and crisp, though weary, still carries the unique softness of a young girl.

Miss Jiang Er, Jiang Li, was sent to the temple to learn propriety five years ago due to a mistake. For the past five years, it seems that the Jiang family has not had such a person. Now, the head of the household is Ji Shuran, and the only remaining legitimate daughter of the Jiang family is Jiang Youyao. The legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's main wife is now on the verge of not being able to endure this summer, yet no one in the household is aware of it

Ruyi paused for a moment, holding the fruit yogurt and cold tea as she stepped outside, faintly hearing voices speaking behind her

The young girl became more anxious, and she said: "Miss, I am Tong'er!"

"Who am I?" Xue Fangfei asked

The beautiful woman glanced at her and said, "Eat less of the cold food, so that when your father returns in the evening, you will still have an appetite for dinner." After saying this, she turned to the maid beside her and instructed, "Ruyi, take away the fruit yogurt, this pot of tea has gone cold; bring a pot of hot fragrant tea instead"

Xue Fangfei suddenly realized that something was amiss

The world is such that when people leave, the tea grows cold

Although the mountain path is rugged, the pines and rocks on the mountain are deep and beautiful, with lush forests and tall bamboos, making the scenery quite splendid. Especially renowned is Master Tongming, the abbot, who is famous far and wide. It is said that prayers at Songhe Temple are particularly effective, which is why many people go to great lengths to reach Helin Temple, just to offer a stick of incense

With a sigh in her heart, Ruyi glanced at the cold tea in her hand, but what could be done? The late Madam has already passed away, and Miss Jiang Er has such an unappealing reputation.

Young lady ... ... what should the young lady do ... ...

Although the young girl felt somewhat dissatisfied, she said nothing and put down the fan. She bent down to pick up the fruit pudding from the table and was just about to leave when an elderly woman dressed in silk garments walked in from outside. Upon seeing her, the elderly woman did not greet her but walked straight to the side of the beautiful lady, clearly in a hurry.

young lady

What are you talking about? Tong'er thought she was displeased, and immediately said: "You are the legitimate daughter of the current Prime Minister Jiang, the second young lady of the Jiang family." She added, "A proper golden branch and jade leaf, the daughter of the Prime Minister!"

What a pitiful person. Ru Yi thought to herself, her steps unceasing as she carried the silver tray towards the kitchen

"Who am I?" Xue Fangfei asked once again

Princess Yongning! Suddenly, a series of images flashed before Xue Fangfei's eyes. She remembered clearly that it was Princess Yongning who had come to provoke her. She had been strangled to death by Princess Yongning's servant. Could it be that she did not die? How could that be possible? A person like Princess Yongning, who eradicates all threats, would never leave her life intact

Even if one knows, it seems that there is no change

I am not in good health and have been unable to get out of bed due to illness

Could it be that... she was rescued by someone? Was it Shen Yurong? Or someone else?

The room was cool and refreshing. In front of a small table, a beautiful woman sat languidly, resting her chin on one hand as she lazily gazed at the account books before her. Beside this woman was a delicate young girl, around thirteen or fourteen years old, who was eating a sweetened fruit jelly with crushed ice while casually flipping through a stack of papers that was as high as a small mountain. Two maids stood quietly behind them, gently fanning the two ladies.

As soon as Xue Fangfei opened her eyes, she felt a cacophony of noise by her ears. She struggled to move her fingers, only to realize that her body felt unbearably heavy. Upon attempting to move again, she suddenly understood that it was not her body that was heavy, but rather the quilt covering her that was too heavy.

Xue Fangfei stared straight at the young girl without saying a word, causing the girl's silly smile to fade. Feeling somewhat frightened, she whispered, "Miss? Miss?"

In Yanjing, the summer heat arrives early each year, and ice must be transported from cellars located a hundred miles away. A small piece of ice is worth ten taels of silver. One should not use a complete block of ice, the size of a stone slab, nor should one use the four corners of the house, where four identical green oxen are placed.

"Who are you?" Xue Fangfei asked. As soon as the words left her mouth, she was taken aback, as if sensing something was amiss, yet she could not recall what exactly was wrong.

The wind blew against the window, causing it to rattle. The maid reached out to close the window. On the floor of the room, there was a bronze green ox, its belly filled with heavy ice blocks

Xue Fangfei suddenly came to her senses, realizing that the key point was that she did not remember having such a maid. After marrying into Yanjing, she had four personal maids, two of whom later got married. Of the remaining two, after the incident during the banquet, Shen Yurong's biological mother wanted to kill both maids, but Xue Fangfei pleaded desperately and managed to stop it, allowing them to be released. The people who later served her must have been the eyes and ears of Princess Yongning.

Jiang family, the daughter of the Prime Minister, Miss Jiang Er, Jiang Li

She became Jiang Li

Immediately after, the unique and charming voice of the young girl rang out: "No matter what she does, she should at least consider who she is and what kind of people she dares to associate with"

Tong Er? Xue Fangfei cannot recall such a person

Xue Fangfei was taken aback, examining the person in front of her. The girl before her appeared to be only about fifteen or sixteen years old, with eyes swollen like peach pits. She was quite cute in appearance, but her emaciated figure was heart-wrenching to behold. She wore an ill-fitting deep blue cloth garment, and there was not a single piece of jewelry on her body, looking at Xue Fangfei with a silly smile.

The lady in the room is the current Prime Minister Jiang Yuanbai's second wife, Ji Shuran. The young girl is the Prime Minister's daughter, Ji Shuran's biological daughter, Jiang Youyao, the third young lady of the Jiang family

It is said that the illness is quite serious... Upon learning about the engagement of the third young lady, she had a fierce quarrel with Master Jing'an...

The little girl was lost in her tears when suddenly a thunderclap outside illuminated the room. The cold, dilapidated house, with its icy quilt, also shed light on Xue Fangfei herself

The room fell silent for a moment, and the gentle voice of the beautiful woman broke the stillness: "The master has been busy with official duties lately, so there is no need to trouble him with these trivial matters. I will speak to him personally when he has some free time."

"Let’s not talk about that." The woman changed the subject, "I heard that the wife of the newly appointed top scholar passed away a few days ago, and we must go pay our respects tomorrow." Her voice sounded very sympathetic, "How could someone so young have died? What a pitiful person indeed"

After a night of continuous rain, the mountain wind grew colder. In a room adjacent to the woodshed of the temple, the sound of a woman's sobbing could be heard incessantly.