Jiang Si stood motionless, her eyes welling up with tears she couldn’t control. She didn’t want to cry in front of others, but there was a saying about tears of joy, and this was beyond rational control. The overwhelming joy of seeing her brother, whom she had believed dead, alive before her was enough to overwhelm her.
Elder Hua coughed lightly, “Hua, let’s go.”
Jiang Si didn’t move.
Elder Hua lowered her voice, “Hua, you said you’d leave after seeing him.”
Jiang Si pressed the corners of her eyes, her voice now sounding calm, “But I’m not sure if the person lying there is my brother.”
“Surely you can recognize your brother?” Elder Hua’s expression changed slightly. The Princess of Yan was pushing her luck. Did she intend to stay here?
Jiang Si pointed at her face without speaking.
Elder Hua immediately understood her meaning. Since she could disguise the Princess of Yan as Hua, it wasn’t surprising that the princess doubted the identity of the person on the bed.
Elder Hua smiled wryly, “The art of disguise isn’t something that can be used to make anyone look like someone else—”
“I don’t care. I need to confirm if this person is my brother,” Jiang Si interrupted Elder Hua’s long explanation, her face expressionless. Though not an expert in Wu Miao’s disguise techniques, she knew enough and had no patience for Elder Hua’s explanations now.
“Then what do you want to do?” Elder Hua asked, almost gritting her teeth. She had to endure; when in need, one must bow their head. There would be time for retribution later.
Jiang Si glanced at Elder Hua and walked towards the bamboo bed.
Elder Hua wanted to stop her but ultimately remained silent. She couldn’t stop her anyway and was curious to see how the Princess would confirm the identity.
Jiang Si reached the bedside and sat on a nearby bamboo stool, gazing at the person on the bed.
Identifying by scent was difficult. The room was filled with the fragrance of hanging scent balls, and the person on the bed exuded a strong medicinal smell, masking his natural scent.
Jiang Si hesitated, then took Jiang Zhan’s hand and brought it to her nose.
At that moment, Elder Hua’s eyes widened, her expression peculiar. What was the Princess doing? It looked like she was about to kiss her brother’s hand.
Jiang Si didn’t care what Elder Hua thought. Having confirmed that this was indeed her brother, she was about to let go when Jiang Zhan suddenly opened his eyes.
The siblings’ eyes met, and Jiang Si’s eyes suddenly brightened.
Jiang Zhan lowered his gaze to his hand, which was being held by the stranger. His expression suddenly became blank, then he jerked his hand away as if it were a hot iron, shouting, “Who are you?”
Hearing his voice, Jiang Si’s heart settled even more. It was indeed her Second Brother.
“Ahem,” Elder Hua coughed timely.
Jiang Si swallowed her words, her eyes bright as she looked at Jiang Zhan.
Jiang Zhan, just thinking about what this young woman might have done while he was unconscious, felt his ears burning with embarrassment and anger. Just because he was handsome didn’t mean she could take advantage!
With this realization, Jiang Zhan felt he couldn’t even sleep safely anymore. He looked at Elder Hua with hostility, “What exactly do you mean? You say you saved me, and now that I’m mostly healed, why are you preventing me from leaving?”
He needed to contact his people urgently; they must think he was dead by now. Mistaking his death wasn’t a big deal, he didn’t mind that, but there was one person he needed to find.
At the height of the battle between the enemy and his forces, when he had the upper hand, an arrow struck his shoulder, causing him to be slashed by the enemy and fall into the Ji River.
That arrow had come from behind.
Though simple-minded, Jiang Zhan knew what an arrow from behind meant. There was an 80-90% chance that someone on his side wanted him dead!
Why? He didn’t think he had offended anyone or stolen anyone’s credit. Who was lurking in the shadows, trying to harm him?
Being ambushed like this, Jiang Zhan couldn’t swallow this anger.
But he was trapped here.
Since he woke up, he had only seen women coming and going, old and young… but no men.
They said they had rescued him from the water and wanted him to recover fully. But now that he was mostly healed and wanted to leave, they wouldn’t let him.
He had gone from politely asking to now feeling irritated and wary.
This made no sense. Did they want to keep him as a live-in son-in-law?
Glancing at the young woman in the flowered jacket, Jiang Zhan felt a strong sense of crisis.
Jiang Si’s mouth twitched.
What did that look in Second Brother’s eyes mean?
At this moment, Elder Hua spoke, “Young Master, please be patient. Once you’re fully recovered, we’ll send you on your way.”
Jiang Zhan felt like rolling his eyes, “Madam, I can already move.”
Elder Hua’s mouth twitched, “Young Master, you can barely stand steadily. Is that what you call being able to move?”
Jiang Zhan was momentarily at a loss for words.
“Young Master, don’t be impatient. Even the most urgent matters must wait until you’re fully recovered. It’s our rule to see a rescue through to the end, so we certainly can’t let you leave now.” Elder Hua’s eyes darted to Jiang Si, and she suggested with a hint of a smile, “If Young Master finds Ah Lan’s care unsatisfactory, perhaps Hua could attend to you instead?”
Jiang Si looked at Elder Hua in surprise.
Was Elder Hua being genuinely considerate?
Elder Hua inwardly smirked coldly.
The Princess of Yan was a troublemaker. Rather than having her make this request after leaving the room, it was better to propose it first.
If her brother rejected her directly, the Princess might give up.
Elder Hua, wise with age, had already seen through Jiang Zhan’s wariness.
As Elder Hua expected, Jiang Zhan’s face changed immediately upon hearing this suggestion. He hurriedly said, “That won’t be necessary. Ah Lan is fine.”
The previous young girl was at least proper and well-behaved, but this girl before him was too dangerous. Just now… just now she had tried to take advantage of him!
Jiang Si’s eyes narrowed, her gaze turning dangerous.
What did Second Brother say? Ah Lan was fine?
She had agreed with Elder Hua not to reveal her identity to her brother for now, to prevent him from giving anything away that Elder Hua could use against them.
But she never expected that her foolish Second Brother would actually reject her in favor of Ah Lan!
How long had it been? Had Second Brother already been captivated by Ah Lan?
Jiang Si was inwardly furious and glared at Jiang Zhan.
Jiang Zhan kept a straight face and averted his gaze.
Hmph, this young girl was so fierce. What if she took advantage of his weakened state and forced herself on him?
He certainly couldn’t let his guard down.
To express his determination to keep the previous maid, Jiang Zhan cleared his throat and said, “Ah Lan is quite good, and her name rolls off the tongue better than Hua.”
Jiang Si’s face darkened further, wishing she could stuff something in Jiang Zhan’s mouth to shut him up.
Elder Hua chuckled, giving Jiang Si a deep look before saying, “Since Young Master insists, we’ll let Ah Lan continue to care for you.”
Jiang Zhan visibly relaxed.
“Hua, let’s go,” Elder Hua said.
Jiang Si, barely controlling her urge to beat her brother senselessly, nodded slightly.
After Elder Hua left with Jiang Si, Jiang Zhan struggled to sit up and took a few steps away from the bed. The familiar feeling of dizziness overcame him.