The Double-Chapter 392 - 133 Night Visit_5

Jiang Li was at a loss for words.

"One day as husband and wife means an eternal bond," Liu Wencai and Ji Shuran had also shared years of affection after all. Even though Liu Wencai later married someone else, when he returned to Yanjing years later and Ji Shuran bore him a child, it proved that Ji Shuran might still harbor feelings for him.

Still harboring feelings, yet she managed to kill him without a backward glance?

Jih Heng seemed to perceive her bewilderment and said, "Ji Shuran didn’t love him."

"Didn’t love?"

"Liu Wencai was down and out," Jih Heng said indifferently, "penniless. How could Ji Shuran, the Madam Chief Minister, still think highly of Liu Wencai? Her being with Liu Wencai was to get revenge for his abandonment. From the beginning, she planned to desert Liu Wencai, and not only that, she wanted his life. No wonder people say," he sighed, "’the green bamboo snake bites, and the wasp stings the tail; both are not as venomous as the heart of a woman.’

His sigh, however, carried an air of casualness and ridicule that is peculiar to onlookers of a spectacle.

"At first, I didn’t think so," Jiang Li said, "I didn’t think I was in the way of Ji Shuran, and even if I were, there was no need to take a life. But having heard what you said, I now understand. Someone like Ji Shuran is venomous to the bone and would eradicate me even if I didn’t provoke her, simply because she’s malevolent."

"Are you just realizing this now?" Jih Heng said. "Having clashed with her, I thought you would have known this already."

His lips curled into a smile, and his tone was leisurely, as if he did not care, but Jiang Li knew that every word from Jih Heng was worth pondering. Today, he came on his own initiative, candidly sharing with her the secrets he knew. On the surface, it seemed he was at a disadvantage. But in reality, Jih Heng benefited quite a bit from this encounter.

He probably already suspected there was something off about her, Miss Jiang the Second.

Jiang Li wasn’t surprised at all. Regardless of what Jih Heng guessed, what she intended to do had never changed.

Jiang Li looked at Jih Heng. "Anyway, thanks to the Duke for telling me all this."

"Actually, I didn’t really want to tell you any of this," Jih Heng said while staring at her playfully. "You seem so kind and naive; the truth is always harsh. But... Ah Li," when he called "Ah Li," the ordinarily mundane two characters seemed to carry the romance of spring, an emotional entanglement, "if you want to survive and go further, you have to see the truth early. Besides, you can handle it, right?"

Jiang Li also smiled and said, "Bitter medicine cures sick; frank advice grates upon the ears. What’s said to His Majesty also applies to me. I can’t thank you enough for telling me the truth, Duke."

"But knowing the truth, living too clearly, that’s a tough thing to deal with."

"Is it?" Jiang Li stared into his eyes. "Hasn’t the Duke been through the same?"

For a moment, Jiang Li felt even the teardrop mole under his eyes became more vivid. The smile at the corner of his lips froze, or perhaps disappeared. He just looked at Jiang Li, his expression devoid of teasing, of flirting, of scrutiny or probing, passing only the faintest trace of something very complicated. freewebnoveℓ.com

After a while, he started to smile again and said, "It seems a bit embarrassing to be seen through by you."

"No one dares think you can be embarrassed," Jiang Li smiled.

Suddenly, Jih Heng stretched out his hand and grasped her chin.

His fingertips were cool, making it hard to imagine that a man with such a striking appearance had no warmth in his touch; it felt like the cold dew from outside. He sidled up, cornered her from above, and looked down at Jiang Li, the smile on his lips deepening as he spoke softly, "Your lips are just too sweet; makes one very tempted to taste."

Jiang Li’s body stiffened.

She did not fear Jih Heng, whether his moods were unpredictable, whether he was brimming with ambition, because the Jih Heng she glimpsed inside did not entirely lack traces to follow. But when Jih Heng made ambiguous advances, she felt at a loss. She couldn’t just push him away, and in fact, she couldn’t do it at all. She knew that Jih Heng was just having fun, teasing with malice, but as his breath grew close enough to clearly see the shadow cast by his long eyelashes, to see her own reflection in his clear eyes, and notice his intrigued look, his upturned, rosy lips... Jiang Li suddenly dropped her gaze, avoiding Jih Heng’s meaningful eyes, refusing to show him her vulnerability any longer.

His lips stopped within a hair’s breadth from hers.

Instead, came his voice, tinged with amusement, "So, you are still afraid of me. Here I thought you had become recklessly bold around me."

Jiang Li felt relieved as she found room to breathe.

The next moment, Jih Heng let go and sat back in his original position, wearing a lazy, charming smile.

Under the lamplight, his features were flawless, his somewhat vibrant smile making him appear like a dangerously enchanting Spirit Demon.

Jiang Li shifted her gaze away. He was just... too dazzling.

"Already too afraid to look at me? I thought you were very brave," he teased as he folded his fan, stood up, and said, "That’s enough for today; it’s getting late. If you need anything, feel free to blow your whistle. Zhao Ke will answer your questions, and sometimes," he said with a brimming smile, "I might come as well."

Jiang Li said, "That won’t be necessary."

"It’s not for you to decide," he retorted, as he opened the window, leaving behind a parting remark, "Till next time, Ah Li," and the next moment, his figure had disappeared from the room.

Only the flickering lamplight remained, as if a fragrance lingered.