Marriage of the Di Daughter

Chapter 42 Part 1: Seeing the character

Hearing Jiang Li say it this way, Jiang Yuanbai was momentarily stunned. He actually didn’t know what kind of expression he ought to make now.

He didn’t know when the girl standing in front of him had grown to be a slender and elegant young lady. She seemed to be a little slimmer and more delicate than Jiang You Yao and her appearance resembled him more. At that time when Jiang Li was sent to the nunnery, she was just seven years old, still a chubby little girl. Eight years, time passed quickly, the chubby little girl had turned into a fine young lady. Yet in the end, the slightest sense of familiarity had disappeared.

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Jiang Yuanbai felt strange.

After all was said and done, he had missed eight years of Jiang Li’s life, to the extent that the memory he had of Jiang Li was still that of an insensitive, arrogant and unruly child. As that child stood in front of him with her pair of clear eyes, seemingly able to distinguish clearly right from wrong, and serenely put forward her request, Jiang Yuanbai didn’t know how he should respond.

He said: “Do you know what you are saying? You’ve never received proper teachings, how are you going to keep up with the assignments from Ming Yi Hall…….”

“Father, I am also your daughter.” Jiang Li interrupted him: “We both are equally your daughters, third sister can attend Ming Yi Hall, yet I can only follow a teacher invited from outside and learn a few superficial knowledge. Father, you are being unfair.”

Jiang Yuanbai was once again at a loss for words. He looked at Jiang Li and suddenly the time before Ji Shuran entered the door appeared in his mind. He had two daughters, the eldest daughter was a concubine-born, somewhat unsophisticated. Jiang Li was the daughter born from his first wife, she was born smooth and round, adorable and lovely. At that time, he was very sorry towards Ye Zhen Zhen for giving birth to Jiang Li with a lot of effort and often held Jiang Li, letting her ride on his neck to play as a child. 

Those were some days spent with family love, but afterwards, Jiang Li was too excessive and the father-daughter relationship was obliterated. However today, before his eyes, Jiang Yuanbai looked at Jiang Li and didn’t know why he recalled those past events. A sentence, “father, you are being unfair”, unexpectedly made his heart ache.

Jiang Yuanbai wasn’t aware since when it started, he himself also forgot that he still had another daughter. He held Jiang You Yao, spoiled her as a pearl in the palm of his hand, yet treating the other daughter particularly alienated. Yet Jiang Li didn’t strive or fight over, merely standing in front of him and looking at him, calmly narrating, making him ashamed.

This point of feeling ashamed was observed by Jiang Li and she relaxed.

Since earlier, she discovered that Jiang Yuanbai was not completely without father-daughter feelings. On the day when Jiang second miss returned to the residence, Jiang Yuanbai’s eyes clearly still held some concern. It was true that Jiang Yuanbai wasn’t a good father, but apart from this, Ji Shuran must have exerted a lot of ability. She also had no feelings towards Jiang Yuanbai, however to be able to make use of Jiang Yuanbai’s feeling of being ashamed, she was willing to accomplish the harmonious relationship on the surface.

If she made a lengthy discussion, saying  from the beginning how Jiang Yuanbai wasn’t treating her well, Jiang Yuanbai might not be moved. On the contrary, by her speaking serenely, Jiang Yuanbai would think more deeply.

“Jiang Li, now you are not suitable to attend Ming Yi Hall.” After a long time, Jiang Yuanbai spoke. Although he rejected her, his tone as he was speaking was much gentler.

“The reason why father is not willing to let me attend Ming Yi Hall is because of the fear that people will point their fingers behind, causing the Jiang family to be humiliated. Father has good intentions, however has father ever thought that the current ministers prais female learning? Father as the Chief Assistant in court, the head of the scholars, yet permits the first wife’s daughter to invite a teacher home and not attend Ming Yi Hall. How is this not hitting the emperor’s face?”

Chapter 42 Part 2: Seeing the Character

Jiang Yuanbai was stumped.

He considered deeply whether Jiang Li was given directions by other people. He cared about the Jiang family being humiliated, yet he forgot about keeping on Emperor Hong Xiao’s good side.

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“This is one thing, the other thing, father, we the Jiang family, with four daughters, aside from third sister, the fourth and fifth sisters also attend Ming Yi Hall. But against reason, I stay at home, first it’s unfair, second, trying to hide it will make it more conspicuous. Human nature is like this, naturally unfolding to let others see. Others still disdain to comment, but the more it is concealed and hidden, the more others want to investigate. Father thought by hiding me at home others won’t talk about me. But that’s wrong, the more it is done this way, the more happily they will discuss.”

When Jiang Li said all these, she didn’t carry any special mood, seemingly talking about someone else’s matters. But in Jiang Yuanbai’s ears, those words were completely reasonable. Moreover, the third branch’s Jiang Yuan Xing brived people with some gifts for Jiang Yu’e  and Jiang Yu Yan to attend Ming Yi Hall, let alone them from the main branch.

“Father,” Jiang Li lowered her eyes: “the matter at that time was my mistake. However, people are not sages who wouldn’t do any wrongdoings, if you don’t correct your mistakes, you can’t do anything good. I was young and not sensible, now that I’m bigger, naturally I understand logic. Since young I had no mother to guide me, after taking a step in the wrong direction, don’t tell me I have to use my whole lifetime to repay? I am willing to do so, but I am a daughter of the Jiang family and I am not willing to become the Jiang family’s burden.” 

The sentence, “since young I had no mother to guide me”, hit Jiang Yuanbai right in his heart. His heart shook as he said: “Li’er, but you…….” 

“Father, when I was in Mount Qingcheng’s nunnery, it’s not as if I didn’t practice writing characters. I know my father is the Chief Assistant in court and must not be a commoner who only smiles magnanimously. So I asked a small teacher in the nunnery who knows how to read to teach me how to write. Even though the writing is not good, I’ve read the books of enlightenment and can write many characters.”

She unexpectedly walked towards the table where Jiang Yuanbai just now wrote the word “quiet” and moved it to the side before spreading a blank paper. Jiang Li’s movement startled Jiang Yuanbai, who subconsciously looked at Jiang Li.  

Jiang Li lifted her sleeve and slowly rubbed the ink with an ink stick. Her wrist was slim, her actions gentle and soft, producing an unusual sense of beauty, warming the hearts and delighting the eyes of others. She seemed to have done this thing countless times and looked very natural.

After the ink was rubbed well, she took up a brush and dipped it in ink before she started writing. While writing, she softly said: “Father, even though Ming Yi Hall is a school, there are many people inside who could be friends. As long as I don’t make any mistakes there, make many good friends, it can be said that it’s always beneficial and harmless for the Jiang family. My surname is Jiang, so I always wish the Jiang family will become more and more prosperous.”  

Her writing wasn’t the same as Jiang Yuanbai’s writing. Jiang Yuanbai’s writing was slow but deep, each stroke took especially long to write. However, Jiang Li wasn’t the same, she appeared gentle and elegant, polite and amiable but when she wrote, there was a feeling of being in the middle of a battle. It was similar to a soldier taking up a blade, rushing to the scene of killing, the feeling of fighting thoroughly until daybreak.

Jiang Yuanbai looked at Jiang Li’s profile, an elegant beauty, graceful like jade, yet ferocious, bold and heroic.

The brush stopped, Jiang Li put it away with a valiant movement at the side then said: “Done.”

Jiang Yuanbai raised his eyes to take a look and was shocked at first glance.

The character was extremely beautiful, vigorous and powerful. This kind of writing needed at least ten years of hard practice to succeed. Compared to Jiang You Yao’s writing, it was much, much better. Also, the character really wasn’t the flowery girly pattern that females usually used, rather it was broadly joined together, neat and smooth.

The square had vigor, the meeting point at the edges appeared sharp. 

Seeing the character was like seeing through a person. Actually a straightforward and upright, tough and tenacious person, 

Jiang Yuanbai sized up the girl in front of him like a stranger. Jiang Li looked at him all smiles and asked: “Now do you agree for me to go to Ming Yi Hall, father?”