Jiang Li did not go inside but stood in the courtyard, holding the little girl’s hand.
The girl remained quiet and well-behaved, not saying a word, as if the act of luring those girls into the trap earlier had not been her doing.
The matrons and maids went into the woodshed and were greatly relieved to see that the Princess was unharmed, merely unconscious.
They carried the Princess out and ordered more carriages to be prepared, intending to send all the girls, along with the human traffickers, to the local authorities.
The head matron walked up to Jiang Li and bowed respectfully.
“Thank you, Miss, for your act of saving her. May I ask for your name?”
Jiang Li needed the Grand Princess to know her, but she could not let the Yin family know that she had met with the Grand Princess.
Therefore, Jiang Li did not disclose her name. She shook her head and said: “I was also abducted, and I panicked when I heard she was a princess. If it weren’t for the traffickers having an internal conflict and this little sister saving me, I would not have had the chance to call for a kind-hearted big brother to help me deliver the message.”
The guard, described as a “kind-hearted big brother,” scratched his head in surprise. Fortunately, Jiang Li’s guards wore ordinary civilian clothes when they went out, so they did not attract attention, and no one doubted her explanation.
The matron had an idea after hearing this.
“If you don’t mind, Miss, would you be willing to accompany me to the Grand Princess’s estate?”
This matter could not be taken lightly; if the Grand Princess were to find out that the Princess had nearly been abducted, there was no telling how worried she would be. Having the Princess’s savior visit the estate would be the best way to explain the sequence of events.
Jiang Li feigned hesitation, but under the matron’s persuasion, she nodded in agreement.
Before long, Jiang Li and the girl arrived at the Grand Princess’s estate.
The Grand Princess first went to see Princess Baoqing and had a physician examine her. After confirming that she was unharmed, she went to the floral hall to meet Jiang Li.
Jiang Li stood up and bowed. She did not intend to hide her identity now; after all, she wanted to offer the Beauty Pill to the Grand Princess to prepare for her future divorce, so she needed the Grand Princess to know who she was.
The Grand Princess had met Jiang Li before and recognized her with just a glance.
“You are Master Tingshan’s granddaughter?”
Jiang Li did not expect the Grand Princess to recognize her instantly. She looked surprised but nodded: “Yes.”
The Grand Princess signaled for her to sit and said gently: “Tell me, what exactly happened today?”
Jiang Li explained that she had discovered human traffickers luring girls into an alley and had intended to help, only to find herself trapped in the situation as well, later discovering that one of the victims was Princess Baoqing.
Fortunately, she had persuaded the little girl to help her, and the traffickers had engaged in an internal conflict over the spoils, giving her the chance to ask someone to send word to the Princess’s estate.
The Grand Princess fell silent for a long time after hearing this. She thought to herself about what might have happened to her daughter, Princess Baoqing, had she truly been abducted.
Those people actually dared to touch her daughter—they truly had no desire to live.
“For today’s matter, thank you, Miss Jiang. I owe you a debt of gratitude that I will certainly repay.”
Jiang Li shook her head repeatedly: “No need. Even if they had abducted ordinary people, I would have helped if I had encountered it.”
There was no need to rush the presentation of the medicine. If she brought it up now, it would make her approach seem calculated.
Afterward, Jiang Li did not stay any longer; she took the little girl and left.
Jiang Li brought the girl to one of the Jiang family’s pastry shops before asking about her situation.
“Aren’t you concerned about what will happen to your mother now that she’s been arrested?”
The girl shook her head. There was not a shred of concern in her eyes, and what she said surprised Jiang Li.
“She is not my mother, and I am not some ‘Little Bean.’ My name is Agua. Three months ago, my mother brought me to the capital, saying she wanted to find my father. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find him, and my mother fell ill and died. After I ended up on the streets, those people took me in. They said as long as I was obedient, I would be fed and clothed, and I wouldn’t be beaten.”
Listening to Agua’s story, Jiang Li understood why she didn’t care about that young woman—she wasn’t her mother at all.
“What is your father’s name?”
Agua did not even need to think: “My mother said my father is named Pan Shiyan and that he is an official in the capital. But I have never seen him. My mother said he came to the capital to study shortly after I was born and passed the top scholar examinations two years ago.”
If it were just a name, it would be difficult to find someone in the capital.
But if it were Pan Shiyan, the top scholar from two years ago, it could only be that one person.
Jiang Li still had an impression of the top scholar, Pan Shiyan. In her memories, Pan Shiyan was polite and seemed like a decent man.
If Agua really was Pan Shiyan’s daughter, it was strange: why would Pan Shiyan come to the capital to study shortly after his biological daughter was born, and why did he not bring his wife and daughter to his side after passing the exams?
Jiang Li remembered that Pan Shiyan lived with his widowed mother. When he placed first in the examinations two years ago, many powerful families had intended to marry their daughters to him, all of which Pan Shiyan had refused.
There was likely something suspicious about this, and it required further investigation.
Jiang Li asked: “Do you want to find your father?”
Agua shook her head with a firm look in her eyes: “No. If we hadn’t come to the capital to find him, my mother wouldn’t have died. When we first arrived, my mother found his residence, but he wouldn’t acknowledge us.”
Jiang Li looked at Agua with complicated feelings. She was just a five- or six-year-old girl, yet she had experienced so much.
She actually wanted to believe what Agua said, but after having lived and died once, Jiang Li acted with more caution.
“You stay at the pastry shop for now. I will arrange a place for you to live in a few days.”
Jiang Li stood up to leave, but Agua tugged at her sleeve: “Are you going to abandon me?”
Facing the little girl’s grape-like, watery eyes, Jiang Li felt a pang of pity. She reached out and patted the girl’s head: “No. As long as you are obedient, I will not ignore you. I am currently living in someone else’s house, so it is inconvenient to bring you back. This pastry shop is mine; isn’t it true that you like the pastries here the most?”
Agua slowly released her small hand: “Okay, I will be obedient.”
The workers at the pastry shop lived on the premises, so Jiang Li left Agua in the care of a meticulous female worker before departing.
Afterward, she instructed her guards to investigate, not only into Agua’s background but also into Pan Shiyan’s affairs.
Two days later, before the results of the investigation came back, Jiang Li received an invitation from the Princess’s estate.
It stated that the estate was holding a floral viewing banquet and invited the ladies of the capital to join in the festivities.
Once the invitation arrived, the Yin family began to value Jiang Li again.
If the Princess’s estate were not considering Jiang Li’s status, how could an invitation have been sent to the Yin house?
The Yin family understood well that, given their family’s standing, they would not be favored by the Grand Princess.
Madam Fan, for once, showed a pleasant face to Jiang Li and called her in for questioning.
Jiang Li kept her head bowed, playing dumb, and did not mention her role in saving Princess Baoqing.
After asking a few questions, Madam Fan felt even more convinced that this daughter-in-law was spineless.
She figured the Grand Princess was simply being considerate of the status of Jiang Li’s grandfather when sending the invitation.
However, since Jiang Li’s grandfather was no longer alive, even if they invited Jiang Li this time, there was no guarantee they would send another one in the future.
Madam Fan suddenly lost the interest to continue questioning her and said: “Since it is a floral viewing banquet, you should take Ran Shuang with you to have a look.”