Chapter 101 Part 2: Bloom

Jiang Li asked: “Is there a drama troupe here?”

Ye Ming Yu pointed his lips at the not-too-far neighboring courtyard wall: “Recently moved, haven’t met the master of the house, but should be a drama fan. It appeared that there were people watching the opera inside in the past few days. Probably it’s their obsession.” Ye Ming Yu kept calm at strange sights. He had traveled for many years and had seen many people with eccentric hobbies. Organizing a troupe to perform a drama in one’s own house was already considered an ordinary thing.

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When Jiang Li heard this, her heart moved and immediately called to mind.

Nowadays Ji Heng was in Xiangyang, he happened to love watching operas, also not lacking silver to buy a courtyard in this area, enveloped in mystery, who else but Ji Heng?

No need to say that it might not be Ji Heng, Jiang Li gazed at that green bricked courtyard wall. She sighed inside, nine out of ten, she could be certain that the person in Ye Ming Yu’s mouth who just recently moved was Ji Heng.

Though this was Xiangyang’s most expensive section of land, it’s not necessary for Ji Heng to move here. With his identity, he could find many kind of good courtyard, yet he happened to be separated from the Ye residence by a wall. It really made it very difficult for people not to think that Ji Heng was coming for her.

Don’t tell me, this person wants to monitor me?

Suddenly, Jiang Li’s heart gave birth to anger. Up to now, she knew that Ji Heng and the Right Prime Minister and Cheng Wang were not as hostile as they seemed on the outside, there’s an unclear relationship among them. But Ji heng didn’t clarify and declare which side he was standing on. Cheng Wang was her pending enemy, supposed that Ji Heng was standing on Cheng Wang’s side, her odds for success was pitifully small.

Why every time she always ran into an even greater power pressing her? Even if she has become the chief assistant’s daughter, like before, she has no choice but to bow her head, had no choice but to silently endure and work out a strategy? Or are all the treacherous officials in court collude together, looking after one another?

Her heart was cold, her eyes were amazingly bright.

Ye Ming Yu did not discover Jiang Li’s weirdness, he just stretched his body and said to Jiang Li: “I better go to those brothers of mine to explain some matters. Ah Li, walk around the residence. If there’s nothing interesting, go and look for Jia Er. Two of you are young ladies, there are many topics you can say to each other.”

Jiang Li nodded.

After Ye Ming Yu rode his horse away, Jiang Li didn’t immediately return to the house. She stood at the gate and fixed her sight at that courtyard wall for a while. She could hear a fairly discernible opera voice floating through the courtyard walls, and she slowly took a step.

……

Different from the brightly lit Ye residence, this neighbor’s gate looked unusually austere. The color was black and white like the owner, there wasn’t even a lantern hanging by the gate. Jiang Li walked towards the gate and saw that the person watching the gate was a rather beautiful little brother.

When she saw this little brother’s face, Jiang Li was certain that the owner must be Ji Heng. Otherwise, which house would have such a good looking gatekeeper? With such a good look, he would still stand out as the shopkeeper of a shop.

When the gatekeeper saw Jiang Li coming, without saying anything, he directly opened the gate for her, giving a posture of welcoming a guest. He said, “Miss Jiang second”, as if he was already aware that Jiang Li would be coming for a visit. There’s no need to say, this must have been instructed by Ji Heng.

Jiang Li used to dislike people who toyed with people’s feelings. So, she loathed a person like Ji Heng who grasped all things in the palm of his hands, an evildoer who could penetrate people’s hearts even more. As a result, not only did she not feel happy for being treated respectfully as a guest, instead, she felt somewhat anxious.

After entering, a beautiful maid immediately came to show the way. Jiang Li noticed that there weren’t any decorations everywhere in the house. Black bricks and white stones, extremely somber. It’s hard to imagine Ji Heng, that person who was enchanting and gorgeous, to live in this place. On second thought, it seemed to set off each other well. His countenance was like a poppy blooming in this desolateness. If colors were added to colors, it would be like ten miles of red make-up, appearing frivolous.

Walking towards a courtyard, from afar, the four sides could already be seen. Unexpectedly, a tall platform was already erected. There were people splendidly dressed and brightly adorned moving fluidly on the stage, talking and singing as they performed. However, there was only one audience under the stage, a young man dressed in red, leaning on a bench. His back rested as he sipped tea leisurely.

The maid servant said with a smile: “Master, Miss Jiang second has arrived.”

Jiang Li advanced slowly.

Ji Heng did not turn his head around, as if engrossed in the play, all the way until Jiang Li arrived in front of him.

“The duke listened to the opera singing until Xiangyang.” Jiang Li said with a smile. Unknown whether there’s ridicule in her words.

“They came by themselves.” Ji Heng laughed, not the least bit concerned. Jiang Li looked at the stage and saw the face of the person playing a young female role. Though it was smeared with colorful makeup, it still made people unable to distinguish the appearance. The figure however, was of a graceful woman. Her soft voice made people aware that she was the one singing at Ji Man Tang at that time. The Little Peach who sang “Jiu Er Case”.

Why would Ji Man Tang come to Xiangyang? Jiang Li glanced at the Little Peach on the stage who was incessantly singing with the other actors yet the affection in the corners of her eyes was undoubtedly for Ji Heng.

Jiang Li suddenly realized, Ji Heng was able to let Jin Man Tang sing at Wang Xian Lou, Ji Heng was also able to grasp the popularity of Jin Man Tang, this recent theatrical troupe taking root in Yanjing. For the people of Jin Man Tang, firmly embracing Ji Heng’s thigh was much faster than properly performing and getting famous through painstaking efforts. As for Little Peach, such a powerful and influential backer, such a young and good looking person, it’s always easy for girls to fall.

But……. Jiang Li sneered slightly in her heart; before they decided to rely on Ji Heng, this huge tree, they had probably forgotten what kind of person Ji Heng was. As long as they asked how the previous famous and always fully packed Xiang Si Troupe became down and out, they wouldn’t be so sloppy in their decision.

Ji Heng was not a benevolent person. He was heartless, disregarding others’ feelings, weird and sophisticated. Whoever had the mind to calculate him, it’s guaranteed that in the end the person would be calculated by him til he had no place to cry.

On the stage, Little Peach was singing 《Jian Ge Wen Ling》, right at the part: “A person whose heart was broken would hear the voice of one’s heart breaking! It’s not the beautiful sound of a bell, not the beautiful sound of rain. How do I stop the unceasing yearning, stop the constant emotion. The pattering on the window lattice hits people’s hearts, breaking the passion into pieces, the creaking and sound of tree falling makes me unable to dream. The frightening clanking noise put me on edge, the cold, piercing to the bone, penetrating from the bottom…..”

Jiang Li looked at Ji Heng and said: “Duke seems to like hearing tragedy very much.”

Before, there was 《Jiu Er Case》, afterwards there’s 《Jian Ge Wen Ling》, both were mournful and tragic plays. Perhaps Ji Heng could not bear to see others be well, including operas, he refused to listen to happy ones.