The Double-Chapter 44 - 42 Seeing the Letter

44: Chapter 42: Seeing the Letter

44 -42: Seeing the Letter

Hearing Jiang Li speak in such a manner, Jiang Yuanbai was momentarily stunned, not knowing what expression he should wear at this moment.

The girl before him had somehow grown into a slender young lady.

She looked even more delicate and frail than Jiang Youyao, and her eyes and brows bore a closer resemblance to his own.

When he had sent Jiang Li to the temple, she was only seven years old, still a chubby little girl.

Eight years had flown by, turning the chubby girl into a beautiful maiden, yet also erasing the last traces of familiarity.

Jiang Yuanbai felt estranged.

After all, he had missed eight years of Jiang Li’s life, so much so that the Jiang Li in his memory was still the ignorant, capricious, and spoiled brat.

When that child stood in front of him, her clear eyes asking calmly for what she wanted, Jiang Yuanbai didn’t know how to respond.

He said, “Do you even know what you’re saying?

You haven’t had a proper education, how could you keep up with the coursework at Mingyi Hall…”

“Father, I am also your daughter,” Jiang Li interrupted him.

“We’re all your daughters, but while the third can attend Mingyi Hall, I can only learn from a tutor invited from outside, studying only the simplest rudiments.

Father, what you’re doing is unfair.”

Jiang Yuanbai was at a loss for words once again.

He looked at Jiang Li, and suddenly, memories of the time before Ji Shuran entered their home resurfaced—when he had two daughters.

His eldest daughter was a daughter of a concubine and somewhat dull.

Jiang Li was his legitimate daughter, adorable and roly-poly.

Back then, he felt pity for Ye Zhenzhen who had struggled to give birth to Jiang Li, and he would often hold Jiang Li and let her play by riding on his neck.

There had been some joyful moments of family bonding.

But as time passed and Jiang Li became too much to handle, those father-daughter affections faded.

However, today, seeing Jiang Li in front of him, he couldn’t help but recall those old times.

The words “Father, what you’re doing is unfair,” stirred a sour feeling in his heart.

Somehow, without realizing it, Jiang Yuanbai had forgotten that he had another daughter.

He doted on Jiang Youyao as his cherished pearl, yet he remained distant from his other daughter.

Jiang Li was not competing or clamoring for attention; she simply stood there, calmly narrating her thoughts, prompting a sense of guilt in Jiang Yuanbai.

Jiang Li noticed this trace of guilt, and it brought her a sense of relief.

She had long realized that Jiang Yuanbai had not completely lacked affection for Miss Jiang the Second.

On the day Miss Jiang the Second returned to the family home, the look in Jiang Yuanbai’s eyes clearly held some concern.

Granted, Jiang Yuanbai was not a good father, but within this dynamic, Ji Shuran surely played a significant role.

Jiang Li did not harbor any affection for Jiang Yuanbai, yet if she could take advantage of his guilt to keep up appearances of harmony, she was willing to do so.

If she had launched into a lengthy tirade, constantly criticizing Jiang Yuanbai for his treatment of her, it’s unlikely he would have been moved.

Instead, her calmness made Jiang Yuanbai think more deeply.

“Lili, it is not appropriate for you to attend Mingyi Hall now,” Jiang Yuanbai finally said after a long while.

Although it was a refusal, his tone had softened considerably.

“The reason you are reluctant to let me go to Mingyi Hall is nothing more than fear of people gossiping behind our backs, bringing shame to the Jiang Family.” Father, your concern is well-intentioned, but have you ever considered that Emperor Hongxiao applauds women pursuing education?

You, as the Grand Secretary and leader of scholars, if you keep your legitimate daughter at home with a private tutor instead of sending her to Mingyi Hall, wouldn’t you be slapping the Emperor in the face?”

Jiang Yuanbai was taken aback.

His mind had been preoccupied with whether Jiang Li would be subject to gossip and whether the Jiang Family would be shamed, but he had forgotten about Emperor Hongxiao.

“Firstly, Father, in our Jiang Family, of the four daughters, excluding the third sister, both the fourth and the fifth sisters have entered Mingyi Hall.

Yet, you specifically leave me at home.

One, it is unjust; two, it attempts to hide something but only reveals more.

Human nature is such that when matters are openly presented, others aren’t inclined to gossip.

The more one conceals, the more others will probe.

Father thinks by hiding me within the estate, others won’t gossip about me.

Wrong, the more you do it, the more they enjoy talking.”

When Jiang Li spoke all of this, there was no particular emotion, as if discussing someone else’s affairs.

Yet to Jiang Yuanbai’s ears, it sounded extremely reasonable.

Moreover, the third branch of the family, under Jiang Yuanxing, had already sent gifts to Mingyi Hall to have both Jiang Yue and Jiang Yuyan admitted, let alone his own main branch.

“Father,” Jiang Li lowered her gaze, “I admit I was wrong in the past.

But no one is a sage; who can be free of fault?

It is worse still to know one’s error and not change.

I was young and ignorant then, but now I have grown, and naturally, I understand the logic of things.

Having been without a mother’s guidance since childhood, should I have to pay for one wrong step with my entire life?

I am willing, yet I am the daughter of the Jiang family; I do not wish to become the burden of the Jiang family.”

That phrase “having been without a mother’s guidance since childhood” struck Jiang Yuanbai’s heart, causing a tremor.

He said, “Lili, are you…”

“Father, in the temple at Green City Mountain, I was not deprived of learning to write.

Knowing that my father is the Grand Secretary, I can’t afford to be an illiterate laughingstock.

So, I asked a literate young nun there to teach me reading and writing.

Although my writing is not great, I’ve gone through the primer books, and I can write quite a bit.”

She suddenly walked to the table, pushed aside the character “tranquility” that Jiang Yuanbai had just written, and laid out a fresh piece of paper.

Jiang Li’s movements made Jiang Yuanbai pause, watching her unconsciously.

Jiang Li rolled up her sleeves and slowly ground the ink.

Her wrist was delicate, her movements gentle, exuding a special beauty, a feast for the eyes.

It seemed as if she had done this countless times, incredibly natural.

Once the ink was ready, she dipped the brush and began to write.

While writing, she spoke softly, “Father, although Mingyi Hall is a school, one can also make many good acquaintances there.

As long as I make no mistakes inside, having more friends will only benefit the Jiang family.

My surname is Jiang; I always hope for the Jiang family to flourish.

Her way of writing differed from Jiang Yuanbai’s.

His writing was slow and profound, each stroke exceedingly drawn out.

Jiang Li, however, was different.

She seemed bookish and polite, yet when she wrote, there was a sense of battle within her.

As if she was a soldier with a sword, about to rush into battle, fighting until dawn.

Jiang Yuanbai looked at Jiang Li’s silhouette, an elegant beauty with the grace of fine jade, yet brimming with a fierce, bold spirit.

The brush stopped; Jiang Li put it down briskly and set it aside before saying, “Done.”

Jiang Yuanbai looked up, and at first glance, he was taken aback.

The characters were extremely beautiful, full of strong brushwork.

Such penmanship would normally require ten years of hard work to develop.

It was several times better than Jiang Youyao’s.

The script was not the zan flower small script often used by women, but instead was large and expansive, square and even.

There was strength in the squareness, sharpness within the evenness.

To see her writing was to see a person bright, straightforward, open, and resilient.

Jiang Yuanbai scrutinized the young girl before him as if she were a stranger.

Jiang Li looked at him with a smile, asking, “Do you agree to let me attend Mingyi Hall now, Father?”