In a dark corner, a large dog about half the height of a person sat motionless, looking innocently at the exasperated young man.
Jiang Zhan was so angry he was jumping up and down. “Who told you to sit here? Get out quickly! Do you want to be discovered?”
Erniu stood up, shook his fur, and gave Jiang Zhan a disdainful look before squeezing through the doorway.
Jiang Zhan leaned against a tree, panting.
That damned dog Erniu was infuriating!
A group of people came running over.
“Second Young Master, are you alright?”
Jiang Zhan composed himself, acting as if nothing had happened. He waved his hand dismissively. “It’s nothing.”
The gatekeeper’s eyes darted around. “Second Young Master, this servant just saw a large, furry black shadow run past. Could it have been a fox spirit?”
“Have you ever seen a fox spirit that big?” Jiang Zhan blurted out.
The gatekeeper thought about it seriously for a moment.
Indeed, fox spirits weren’t that large.
“Then what on earth was it?”
Jiang Zhan coughed and said sternly, “I didn’t see clearly and couldn’t catch up. Alright, everyone disperse.”
Seeing the Second Young Master walk away with his hands behind his back, the crowd looked at each other in confusion.
“Yang family’s woman, did you see a monster?”
Seeing that someone had asked, the gatekeeper immediately became animated. With great enthusiasm, she said, “Of course I did! I was sitting in my room cracking melon seeds when I heard a commotion and looked outside. Heavens, a huge creature darted past! It was too dark to see clearly what it was, but it looked furry. If that’s not a monster, what else could it be?”
Everyone gasped.
“The Second Young Master is so brave, daring to chase after a monster.”
“No wonder the Second Young Master could become a member of the Jinwu Guard. My mother always said that a person’s fortune is as great as their courage…”
“So the Second Young Master’s future is boundless.”
Jiang Zhan, hiding on the other side of the wall, rubbed his nose.
These servants could exaggerate. They had somehow gone from discussing monsters to his boundless future.
But then again, did they even need to mention his boundless future? It was obvious!
Jiang Zhan didn’t sleep well that night. Fortunately, he was off duty the next day. After hurriedly washing up, he went straight to the Hall of Compassion.
Fourth Sister would be going to pay respects to Grandmother, so it would be most convenient to catch her there.
As usual, the floor heating in the Hall of Compassion was burning vigorously. When Jiang Zhan arrived, Aunt Dou was already there, speaking softly with Madam Feng.
“Grandmother, Aunt,” Jiang Zhan greeted them with a bow, his face bearing a bright smile.
Aunt Dou couldn’t help but give Jiang Zhan an extra glance. She thought to herself that compared to the mysterious Fourth Miss, the Second Young Master was indeed open and straightforward, pleasantly so.
Thinking this, she lowered her gaze to look at her shoetips, unable to help worrying about her brother who was out alone.
Big Brother had been gone for several days and hadn’t caused any trouble yet…
Unaware of Aunt Dou’s concerns, Madam Feng rarely smiled when she saw Jiang Zhan. “You’re not on duty today?”
Since Jiang Zhan had taken up his official post, he often left earlier than the roosters crowed, so his visits to pay respects to Madam Feng were no longer at fixed times.
“No, I’m not. That’s why I came to see Grandmother,” he replied.
Madam Feng felt pleased hearing this and smiled, “That’s thoughtful of you.”
Soon after, the main members of each family branch arrived to pay their respects. As soon as Jiang Si entered, she met her elder brother’s gaze and inwardly sighed.
Second Brother had come to settle accounts.
After leaving the Hall of Compassion, Jiang Zhan indeed followed closely behind.
Jiang Si simply asked, “Does Second Brother have something to discuss?”
Seeing that no one was around, Jiang Zhan asked with a dark expression, “What happened last night?”
Jiang Si blinked innocently.
“How did Erniu end up at your place?”
Jiang Si covered her mouth with a handkerchief, looking shocked. “Was that Erniu? I heard it was a monster…”
Jiang Zhan was almost amused by his precious sister’s act. He lowered his voice angrily, “Fourth Sister, do you think I’m a fool?”
Jiang Si became honest and lowered her head. “Who knows why Erniu came?”
Jiang Zhan took a deep breath.
Stay calm, he told himself. His sister wasn’t like those rascals; he couldn’t hit her.
After calming down a bit, Jiang Zhan pulled Jiang Si to a nearby pavilion.
In winter, the open pavilion was quite windy, with a desolate view all around.
Jiang Zhan stood on the windward side, blocking the cold breeze. He asked seriously, “Fourth Sister, tell me the truth, is Brother Yu using Erniu to exchange secret letters with you?”
Not far away, Aman silently looked to the sky.
The Second Young Master was truly naive.
Jiang Si hesitated slightly, then nodded. “A few times.”
It wasn’t her intention to hide things from her father and brothers. Yu Qi was making efforts on his side, so she should gradually make her stance clear and slowly let her father and brothers accept it.
No, let Second Brother accept it. As for Father… well, it would be better to comfort Father after things were settled.
“What, what did he say?” Jiang Zhan jumped.
That scoundrel Brother Yu secretly sent letters to Fourth Sister! Was he still a gentleman?
Jiang Si lowered her eyes, her cheeks gradually turning red.
Seeing this expression, Jiang Zhan cried out in dismay. He was so angry he started pacing around the pavilion.
After a while, the cool breeze blowing from all sides calmed him down.
“Fourth Sister, you can’t trust a man’s sweet words…” Jiang Zhan began a long lecture, trying his best to save the misguided young girl.
Jiang Si remained silent with lowered eyes.
Finally, Jiang Zhan deflated. He stamped his foot and said, “Fourth Sister, just tell me what you’re thinking.”
Jiang Si raised her eyes to meet her brother’s gaze. Her eyes were clear as she said, “Second Brother, I have feelings for him.”
“You—” Jiang Zhan almost fainted, steadying himself against a pillar. After catching his breath, he looked at his sister again.
The seriousness in the young girl’s eyes made him pause, followed by a feeling of heartache.
That scoundrel Brother Yu had indeed stolen away his naive and innocent sister.
And Erniu was an accomplice!
He would teach that man and dog a lesson sooner or later!
After his burst of anger, Jiang Zhan deflated again.
Brother Yu was a prince; it wouldn’t be easy to teach him a lesson. Besides, he couldn’t beat him in a fight.
That cunning dog Erniu was too crafty; he wouldn’t be able to get the better of him either.
Ah, it was truly infuriating!
Jiang Si watched her brother fume and paced around, smiling with pressed lips.
Jiang Zhan suddenly stopped and asked Jiang Si seriously, “Fourth Sister, are you serious about this?”
“How could I joke about such a thing?”
Jiang Zhan touched the scabbard at his waist.
Although he was off duty, he had grown accustomed to wearing his sword.
He wondered if Fourth Sister would give up if he chopped Brother Yu into pieces…
“Fourth Sister, you and Brother Yu have no future together. He’s a prince.”
“I know.”
“He told you his identity?”
Jiang Si nodded with a smile. “Yes, I find him quite honest and reliable.”
Jiang Zhan wiped his face.
To hell with honesty! If Father hadn’t told him, he would still be in the dark.
“Second Brother, don’t you like Brother Yu?”
Jiang Zhan wanted to say yes, but he couldn’t lie. He snorted, “That’s beside the point. He’s a prince. Even if you have feelings for him, do you want to be a concubine?”
Jiang Si laughed. “Second Brother, why worry about these things? He wants to marry me, so let him figure out how. If he doesn’t succeed, we haven’t lost anything, have we?”
Jiang Zhan was stunned.
Huh, Fourth Sister seemed to have a point.
Still not reassured, he pressed, “If it doesn’t work out, you won’t insist on following him, will you?”
“Of course not.”
Jiang Zhan thought about it and laughed.
Thinking about it this way, it seemed alright.
The New Year soon arrived, and the date for the Plum Blossom Appreciation Banquet was set.