Chapter 46
"My lord, what has happened to warrant the detention of my husband? He is an honest and law-abiding man; there must be some injustice involved."
"Yes, sir, you must be mistaken! Please release them!"
The women stood up one after another, their expressions agitated, some even bursting into tears, and the hall descended into chaos.
Li Wan also quietly looked up, wanting to hear an explanation.
Standing behind Xie Qi, Mo Qi raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet: "Please calm down, everyone. This matter is under thorough investigation. As long as it is found that your family members are innocent, they will be released immediately."
Mo Qi glanced at Li Wan out of the corner of his eye, and then said, "Next, our master needs to question them one by one." Knowing that the excuse was clumsy, but since his master wanted to keep them behind for private, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "First... the family of Deputy Commander Lu Liang."
Upon hearing this, Li Wan also suddenly raised her head, subconsciously feeling that they must have recognized her. Even if they hadn't, with a face so similar to Jiang Feiwan's, they would definitely be suspicious.
Li Wan's fingertips were icy cold, her nails almost digging into her palms, barely managing to maintain a calm facade.
The women gradually calmed down. Although they were still worried, they could only suppress their anxiety for the time being. After thanking the guards, they left.
Li Wan was left alone in the huge hall.
The air seemed to freeze instantly. Li Wan stood there, her fingers gripping the hem of her skirt tightly. She didn't dare to look up at the person. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, almost bursting out of her chest.
Xie Qi sat in the armchair, staring greedily and unscrupulously at the person in front of him.
Her skin was still very fair, but her body appeared more rosy and fuller than before. Her long eyelashes drooped, obscuring the emotions in her eyes, revealing only the tip of her small nose and slightly pursed lips. Her lips were a deeper color, full and glossy.
If she was once a delicate young girl, now her true body is that of a mature and alluring woman.
Xie Qi was silent for a moment, then her voice was much softer than before, as if she were testing him: "You are Lu Liang's fiancée?"
Li Wan stiffened, not thinking about why he was impersonating the commander of the Imperial Guards. She lowered her head, concealing all the emotions in her eyes, and said in a voice with just the right amount of timidity and worry: "Yes, this humble woman Li Wan greets Commander."
“Li Wan, Li Wan... A Wan.”
Xie Qi pondered the name, his fingers unconsciously stroking it. Even the name was similar; how could it not be her?
In the years since losing her, after enduring the initial devastation, the question he has thought about most is who she is.
She is not the original Jiang Feiwan, that much is certain. But the body is definitely Jiang Feiwan's, otherwise the Jiang family would have noticed. Therefore, the inside of that body must belong to someone else.
If the body dies, and the other person's consciousness has not dissipated, it can only return to the original body.
Xie Qi stared intently at her, scrutinizing her closely.
Compared to the Jiang Feiwan of my memory, she has lost some of the liveliness and flamboyance of yesteryear, and gained more gentleness and timidity.
He stood up and slowly walked to Li Wan.
His figure was very tall, standing in front of Li Wan, completely enveloping her in shadow. Li Wan could clearly feel the oppressive aura emanating from him, a kind of majesty that only those who had long held a high position possessed, making her want to back away, yet forcing herself to stand still, not daring to make the slightest move.
Xie Qi looked down at her, his gaze deep. After a moment of silence, he suddenly spoke, his voice low and slow, "Lady Wan, you look very much like an old friend of mine."
He didn't call her Miss Li, nor Madam Lu, but Miss Wan... Li Wan's heart clenched and jumped, but she managed to steady herself and said, "Is that so? However, I have just arrived in the capital from the border and am of humble status. I certainly cannot compare with your old friend, sir."
Xie Qi took in her flustered appearance, slightly turned to create distance between them, and his tone returned to its previous calm: "Lu Liang, what are your plans?"
Li Wan paused, "This humble woman came today to know about my husband..."
"As far as I know, you and he are not yet married," Xie Qi interrupted her.
Li Wan bit her lip and changed her words: "This humble woman wants to know what crime Lu Liang committed and why he has been detained?"
Xie Qi's pupils shifted, and he said, "He is suspected of forming a faction with Vice Minister Jiang of the Ministry of Personnel to seek personal gain for Prince Rui, with ulterior motives."
"Minister Jiang?" Li Wan blurted out, then realized her mistake and quickly stopped herself.
Xie Qi smiled and said, "Minister Jiang is the son of Jiang Nanyue, the Minister of Revenue. He was the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination two years ago and is now serving in the Ministry of Personnel." He quietly bent down, his thin lips close to Li Wan's profile, and whispered, "His name is Jiang Feiche."
Li Wan felt a warmth on her earlobe from his breath and took a step back. At the same time, she realized that the Prince Rui he mentioned was the former Sixth Prince, Xiao Zhuo, and that Jiang Feiche had indeed always been on good terms with Xiao Zhuo. Li Wan immediately began to believe Xie Qi's words to some extent.
Xie Qi seemed to be giving a hint. He said, "Whether Lu Liang is guilty or not depends entirely on what Vice Minister Jiang says. If Vice Minister Jiang doesn't implicate him, he'll be fine."
After a moment's thought, Li Wan realized that she had no choice but to go find Jiang Feiche.
"Thank you, Commander. I understand." Li Wan curtsied. Then, almost as if fleeing, she turned and quickly walked out of the hall.
Xie Qi watched her retreating figure, his eyes dark and unfathomable. He got up, went back to his room to change into casual clothes, and silently followed her.
In the summer, the lush green leaves overlapped in layers. Li Wan stood in front of the Jiang residence, and it was already dark.
She was dressed simply, with her hair in a simple updo, and stood out conspicuously alone in front of the vermilion gate.
The guard walked up to her, about to reprimand her, but when he saw Li Wan's face, his impatience suddenly froze, and he opened his mouth but didn't utter a sound.
Li Wan recognized him as a former gatekeeper, but said nothing more, only saying, "Please inform him that I, Li Wan, wish to see Young Master Jiang."
The guard snapped out of his daze and said in a trembling voice, "Yes, Miss, please wait a moment."
Li Wan stood still, her gaze passing over the half-open gate, catching a glimpse of the scenery inside the courtyard. Three years had passed, yet nothing had changed.
A moment later, she was invited into the main hall.
Just as they arrived, a series of hurried footsteps approached, and Jiang Nanyue and Jiang Feiche quickly came out.
Jiang Nanyue's hair was now completely white, and his once straight back was now slightly hunched. Behind him, Jiang Feiche was already half a head taller than Jiang Nanyue, having shed his youthful immaturity and grown into a tall, handsome, and elegant young man.
When Jiang Nanyue's gaze fell on Li Wan's face, he abruptly stopped, as if nailed to the spot. Those once sharp eyes were now filled with tears; his pupils contracted, and he asked incredulously, "Who are you?"
Looking at his gray hair and hunched back, Li Wan felt a sharp pain in her heart.
She used to think of Jiang Nanyue as a towering mountain, steady and majestic, seemingly unshakeable by anything. But now, seeing his aged and haggard appearance, she suddenly realized how heartbroken he must have been when Jiang Feiwan passed away suddenly three years ago. Her unexpected "death" left her loved ones with such endless torment.
Li Wan's throat tightened, her nose stung, and her eyes instantly reddened. She could deny her identity to the death and then make up some excuse saying she didn't know she looked like Jiang Feiwan, but to do so would be too cruel and selfish to Jiang Nanyue, who had been grieving for three years.
So, Li Wan could no longer hold back, took two steps forward, and knelt down with a "plop".
"Father," she called out, her voice choked with emotion, "Your daughter is unfilial, I have caused you suffering."
Jiang Nanyue trembled at the word "father," but he remained lucid, knowing full well that his Wanwan was dead and that the person before him was not her.
"Who are you?" Jiangnan Yue asked again.
“My name is Li Wan. I was originally a village girl from the border of Jin State. Five years ago…”
Li Wan's voice was slow and undulating as she slowly recounted everything.
After she finished speaking, Jiangnan Yue's longing and grief, which had been building up for three years, burst forth instantly, and tears streamed down his face.
Li Wan raised her head, tears blurring her vision. "Father... Lord Jiang, I had no choice but to deceive you back then. From now on, if you miss your daughter, just send someone to deliver a message and I will come immediately. I will fulfill Fei Wan's filial duty in her place."
Jiang Nanyue looked at her, wanting to reach out and stroke her hair, but he didn't raise his hand. He turned away in solitude and started walking towards the inner courtyard.
Just when Li Wan thought he wouldn't forgive her, she suddenly heard Jiang Nanyue say in a low voice, "From now on, come home more often."
"Yes, daughter understands." Li Wan said happily as she watched his retreating figure.
After Jiang Nanyue left, only Li Wan and Jiang Feiche remained in the hall, and the atmosphere became somewhat quiet.
“You don’t seem surprised,” Li Wan said softly, breaking the silence.
She could tell that Jiang Feiche, from the moment he saw her, was not as shocked as Jiang Nanyue and the servants, as if he had known all along that she was not the real Jiang Feiwan.
Sure enough, Jiang Feiche raised his head and looked at Li Wan's face. His cold eyes were completely calm as he said indifferently, "I have long suspected something." His voice was very calm. "Your way of doing things is completely different from the Fei Wan of the past."
The two were silent for a moment. Li Wan frowned, remembering what Xie Qi had said, and said, "I came here today for another question. Xie Qi said that you formed a faction with the Imperial Guards for the Sixth Prince. Is that true?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Feiche's previously calm face finally showed a slight change. He was slightly taken aback, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes, before shaking his head and stating firmly, "After entering the court, I severed ties with the Sixth Prince and have never engaged in any factionalism or self-serving activities."
Li Wan's heart sank; it was just as she had imagined.
She and Jiang Feiche exchanged a glance, both of them understanding each other perfectly. Xie Qi had said this on purpose, surely to make her come to the Jiang residence to verify, thus exposing her identity.
The thought had barely formed when a servant's hurried and respectful voice came from outside the courtyard: "His Majesty has arrived!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a tall man in a brocade robe walked in. The man was tall and handsome, with a gentle smile in his eyes, but deep in his eyes was an undeniable powerful aura.
Jiang Nanyue rushed over, and Li Wan and Jiang Feiche followed suit, bowing and saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Xie Qi unceremoniously lifted his robe and sat down in the main seat.
Jiangnan Yue stood below, neither humble nor arrogant, and asked, "Your Majesty, what brings you to my humble abode?"
Xie Qi's gaze passed over Jiang Nanyue and Jiang Feiche and landed directly on Li Wan. His gentle smile deepened as he said, "Naturally, I've come to take my wife back to the palace."
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