Jiang Li didn’t follow them inside. Instead, she stood in the courtyard, holding the young girl’s hand. The girl remained quiet and well-behaved, not saying a word, as if she wasn’t the one who had tricked those young ladies into coming here earlier.
The senior servants and maids entered the woodshed. Seeing that the Commandery Princess was completely unharmed and had merely fainted, they breathed a massive sigh of relief. After carrying the Commandery Princess out, they ordered the guards to prepare an extra carriage so the young ladies and the human traffickers could be sent to the government.
The head servant walked up to Jiang Li and bowed respectfully. "Thank you for saving her, Miss. If it’s convenient, could you leave us your name?"
Jiang Li needed the Eldest Princess to know about her, but she couldn’t let the Yin Family find out that she had met with the Eldest Princess. Therefore, she didn’t reveal her name. Instead, she shook her head. "I was also abducted. When I heard she was a Commandery Princess, I panicked a little. If these traffickers hadn’t started fighting among themselves, and if this little sister hadn’t saved me, I wouldn’t have had the chance to call a kind-hearted man over to help pass on the message."
The guard, whom she described as a "kind-hearted man," scratched his head in surprise. Fortunately, Jiang Li’s guards always wore the clothes of commoners when they went out, so they didn’t attract attention. No one would doubt her words now.
Hearing this, the head servant formulated a plan. "If you don’t mind, Miss, would you be willing to follow this servant to the Princess Mansion?"
This matter couldn’t bear too much scrutiny. If the Eldest Princess learned that the Commandery Princess had almost been abducted, who knew how worried she would be? Having the Commandery Princess’s savior visit the Princess Mansion would help explain the entire cause and effect of the incident.
Jiang Li feigned hesitation. Only after the head servant’s continued persuasion did she finally nod in agreement.
A short while later, Jiang Li brought the young girl to the Princess Mansion. The Eldest Princess first went to see Commandery Princess Baoqing and summoned a doctor to examine her. Only after confirming she was unharmed did she head to the flower hall to meet Jiang Li.
Jiang Li stood up and curtsied. She didn’t plan to hide her identity now. After all, she wanted to present the Beauty Pill to the Eldest Princess to pave the way for her future divorce. To do that, she had to let the Eldest Princess know who she was.
The Eldest Princess had met Jiang Li before. With just one glance, she recognized her. "Are you Mr. Ting Shan’s granddaughter?"
Jiang Li hadn’t expected the Eldest Princess to recognize her instantly. Looking surprised, she nodded. "Yes."
The Eldest Princess gestured for her to sit down and asked gently, "Tell me, what exactly happened today?"
Jiang Li explained that she had spotted traffickers tricking a few young girls into an alley and wanted to help, only to find herself trapped as well, which was when she learned one of the victims was Commandery Princess Baoqing. Fortunately, she managed to persuade the little girl to help her. While the traffickers fought over the division of their spoils, she found a chance to ask someone to deliver a message to the Princess Mansion.
The Eldest Princess fell silent for a long time after hearing this. She imagined the horrific fate that would have befallen her daughter if Commandery Princess Baoqing had truly been taken away. Those scoundrels actually dared to lay a hand on her daughter—they were simply tired of living.
"Thank you for today, Miss Jiang. I owe you a debt of gratitude, and I will definitely repay it."
Jiang Li quickly shook her head. "There is no need. Even if they had abducted ordinary people, I would have still helped since I encountered it."
There was no rush to present the medicine. If she brought it up now, it would make her approach seem overly calculated. Afterward, Jiang Li didn’t stay much longer and left with the young girl.
Jiang Li brought the young girl to a pastry shop owned by the Jiang family before finally asking about her situation. "Aren’t you worried about what will happen to your mother now that she’s been caught?"
The girl shook her head, not a trace of concern in her eyes. Her words took Jiang Li by surprise.
"She’s not my mother, and I’m not Little Doudou. My name is A Gua. Three months ago, my mother brought me to the Capital City, saying we were going to find my dad. Unfortunately, we didn’t find him, and she died of illness. After I ended up wandering the streets, those people took me in. They said as long as I was obedient, I would have food to eat, warm clothes to wear, and I wouldn’t be beaten."
Hearing A Gua’s story, Jiang Li understood why she didn’t care about the young woman—she wasn’t her mother at all.
"What’s your father’s name?" she asked.
A Gua didn’t even have to think before answering. "My mother said my dad is named Pan Shiyan and that he’s an official in the Capital City. But I’ve never met him. Mom said he came to the Capital City to study shortly after I was born and placed first in the imperial examinations two years ago."
If she only had a name, it would be extremely difficult to find someone in the Capital City. However, if it was Pan Shiyan, the top scholar from two years ago, then it could only be that specific person.
Jiang Li still had some impression of the top scholar, Pan Shiyan. In her memory, he was a polite and courteous man who seemed like a decent person. If A Gua truly was Pan Shiyan’s daughter, then things were very strange. Why would Pan Shiyan come to the Capital City to study right after his biological daughter was born, and why hadn’t he brought his wife and daughter to live with him after becoming the top scholar?
Jiang Li remembered that Pan Shiyan lived with his widowed mother. When he placed first in the exams two years ago, quite a few nobles had wanted to marry their daughters to him, but he had politely declined them all.
There was likely something fishy going on here. She needed to have someone investigate further.
Jiang Li asked, "Do you want to go find your dad?"
A Gua firmly shook her small head. "No. If we hadn’t come to the Capital City to find him, my mom wouldn’t have died. When we first arrived, my mom found where he lived, but he refused to acknowledge us."
Jiang Li looked at A Gua with complicated feelings. She was just a five or six-year-old girl, yet she had already been through so much. In truth, Jiang Li was inclined to believe A Gua’s words. However, having died once, she was much more cautious in everything she did.
"Stay here at the pastry shop for now. I’ll arrange a proper place for you in a few days," Jiang Li said, standing up to leave.
But A Gua grabbed her sleeve. "Are you going to abandon me?"
Meeting the little girl’s watery, grape-like eyes, Jiang Li’s heart ached. She reached out and patted the girl’s head. "No. As long as you’re good, I won’t ignore you. I’m currently living at someone else’s house, so it’s not convenient for me to take you back with me. I opened this pastry shop, and don’t you like the pastries here the best?"
Only then did A Gua slowly release her small grip. "Okay, I’ll be good."
The pastry shop staff all lived on the premises. After entrusting A Gua to one of the more attentive female workers, Jiang Li took her leave. She then ordered her guards to launch an investigation. They were to look into not only A Gua’s past but also Pan Shiyan’s affairs.
Two days later, before the investigation results had even come out, Jiang Li received an invitation from the Princess Mansion. It stated that the Princess Mansion was hosting a flower-viewing banquet and invited the female family members of the Capital City to join in the festivities.
The arrival of the invitation forced the Yin Family to finally take Jiang Li seriously again. If the Princess Mansion wasn’t taking Jiang Li’s status into account, why would they ever send an invitation to the Yin Family?
The Yin Family was acutely aware that, given their family’s standing, they would never earn the favor of the Eldest Princess.
In a rare display of amicability, Mrs. Fan showed Jiang Li a pleasant expression and called her over for questioning. Jiang Li kept her head down the entire time, acting completely oblivious to everything. Naturally, she didn’t breathe a word about saving Commandery Princess Baoqing.
After asking a few questions, Mrs. Fan became even more convinced that this daughter-in-law of hers was a spineless coward. The Eldest Princess had likely sent the invitation merely out of respect for Jiang Li’s grandfather. However, since Jiang Li’s grandfather had already passed away, even if she was invited this time, she probably wouldn’t receive another invitation in the future.
Mrs. Fan suddenly lost all interest in pressing the matter. Instead, she said, "Since it’s a flower-viewing banquet, take Ranshuang with you to have a look."