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Marriage of the Di Daughter Chapter 120 Part 4: Tenderness
Ji Heng walked until he arrived in front of Jiang Li, stopped, and put the umbrella on his hand on top of her head.
His movements were considered gentle and affectionate. The girl was charming, the man enchanting and they looked exceptionally harmonious together. Tong’er and Bai Xue looked stunned and actually forgot to obstruct.
“So sad?” He smiled and said, “It doesn’t seem like you.”
“So gentle?” Jiang looked at him, “It also doesn’t seem like you.”
Ji Heng laughed, “I’m deeply hurt you talked about me like that. I treat you leniently, yet you said I’m not gentle.”
“I’m just overwhelmed by the favor.”
Ji Heng asked, “Now you can tell me why you want to save Xue Huai Yuan even if you become enemies with Princess Yongning.” He said, “You and the Xue family should have no relationship at all.”
“Duke,” Jiang Li said, “I never planned to conceal anything from you. Because even if I don’t want to say it, sooner or later you can investigate it yourself. Therefore, I can tell you the reason behind this. Wait for the day when I hand my life over to you, I will then tell you everything, consider it as carrying things through. You can’t possibly force me, right?”
She raised her head, her pair of eyes looked clearer and purer than snow.
“Why do you always show weakness to me?” Ji Heng was puzzled, “Don’t tell me I look like someone who pity the fragrance and cherish the jade? In that case…..” He looked Jiang Li up and down, then said, “Are you a delicate flower?”
Jiang Li asked, “Am I not?”
“You are a man-eating flower.” Ji Heng said.
Jiang Li laughed.
When the two of them first got acquainted, they were suspicious of each other, both guarding against each other. Until later, that was, when Jiang Li abruptly spoke of Ji Heng’s calculation, and when she put her life in front of him. It was like they exchanged a secret, there’s a feeling of empathy and alliance.
Naturally, this could also be Jiang Li’s illusion. But whether Ji Heng was acting in a play or being sincere, it was still the first time for the two of them to sit peacefully and discuss things together.
“I’m going back to Xiangyang first, then to Yanjing tomorrow.” Jiang Li said, “On this journey, perhaps Princess Yongning would have gotten the news and chased to kill, or maybe Ji Shuran’s people did not die. Trouble the duke to help solve the obstructions on the whole journey.”
“You take me as your bodyguard?” Ji Heng laughed with ridicule, “You are not afraid that I’ll kill you.”
“My life is yours, that is your thing.” Jiang Li acted dumb, “To defend your own thing, killing some robbers, isn’t it a very normal thing?”
Ji Heng’s dark guards who were hiding in the dark were all dumbstruck upon hearing this. Even though Jiang Li’s speech basically had no sense at all, when they heard it being said like this, they actually felt that what she said was reasonable and there’s no grounds to refuse.
“It seems that what I received was not your life,” Ji Heng said, “but a burden.”
“Maybe there’s a day in the future where this burden can help you.” Jiang Li smiled.
She said it very seriously, not a bit like making a joke. Ji Heng said, “If you know what I’m doing, you will not say this. For now,” he laughed in a low voice, “children’s words carry no harm.”
Jiang Li at this moment was at a girl’s best age. But in Ji Heng’s eyes, she was just a “child”.
Jiang Li looked at Ji Heng, calculating, if she adds both her lives’ ages, Ji Heng and she will be about the same age. But at such a young age, this person does not seem like a youngster. He seems to have countless secrets and each secret is heavy. Because he’s used to this kind of secrets, when he looks at others, he doesn’t take many things that others could not accept as important.
Everyone has their own secrets.
Jiang Li said, “Who knows? Maybe, when that day comes, my decision will go beyond the duke’s expectation, isn’t it? But first, I must live to that day.”
Talking about life or death, the girl seemed not to care about it at all. However, this not caring was not because it was too far away to care about, but it was because she understood thoroughly. She understood and did not care. She did not think that she would live a long life, yet at the same time, she was not afraid.
Ji Heng looked at her with interest. Jiang Li was a young lady with secrets. Looking at how she did things, she did not look like a person who gave up easily, but more like a weed who crazily tried to survive through the cracks, tough and full of vitality. Yet when she said that she wanted to give her life up, she was unconstrained, as if her whole life, walking on this world solely to do just this one thing. For this matter, she strived to live. Once this matter was completed, she no longer cared about anything else, including her life.
“This drama is very long,” Ji Heng smiled softly and said, “It would be a pity if you are not around.”
“Really?” Jiang Li tilted her head to look at him, her feet swaying slowly under her skirt, just like a carefree young girl. She also smiled and said, “It’s my honor to be able to make the duke feel pity. If the duke can be a part of the play and sing the same drama as me, perhaps the ending of this drama would be to everyone’s delight and satisfaction.”
Ji Heng’s beautiful long eyes narrowed, “Little girl, why do you always want to pull me into the play? I’ve said it before, I don’t get involved in dramas.”
Yes, he doesn’t enter the play, because the greatest play in the world has him operating in the rear. Even the venerable nine-five at the throne room is played in his hand. The tricky situation, all parties’ power, the unstable ups and downs, power struggle; in the end, going round and round, but unaware of who they are making a wedding dress for?
“I want to stand on the duke’s side. At least won’t be enemies with the duke.” She seldom appeared lovable.
Being a Jiang family member, the chief assistant of the Northern Yan dynasty, when the court moved, the Jiang family must certainly take a side. It had been like that since ancient times. Standing on the right side would naturally make one achieve success, but if standing on the wrong side, nobody could expect the consequences. There’s no regret in Cheng Wang’s defeat, after all, it was a road that he chose himself.
Leaving aside the fact that Princess Yongning was Cheng Wang’s younger sister, merely by looking at the possibility, with a glance, Jiang Li was willing to pick the one that was impossible to lose. Ji Heng’s determination and his calmness made people feel dread.
Such a person was very likely to become the final winner.
She had changed her strategy early on and would not meet force with force. Since they could not live together in harmony, then the attitude had to be made clear and aligned herself from the start.
Regardless whether Ji Heng agreed or not, being able to scare the opponents was also a good thing.
Ji Heng looked at her with a smile, as if seeing through all her attempts. Flicking off a snowflake that fell on his sleeve, he said, “Actually, you don’t have to pretend to be lovable, Ah Li1.”
Footnotes:
1: The “Ah Li” used here is the nickname Xue Huai Yuan used on Xue Fang Fei. 阿狸, which means racoon. While Jiang Li’s “Ah Li”, 阿梨, means pear.
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