Jiang Zhan placed his hand firmly on the table, gripping it tightly as he spoke each word deliberately: “There’s a traitor on the Great Zhou side!”
Jiang Si’s expression changed: “Was Second Brother’s peril the result of someone’s scheme?”
Jiang Zhan nodded: “At the time, I was in the thick of battle with the enemy forces. We had the upper hand, but then an arrow struck me from behind. That’s how I ended up being cut and falling into the river…”
“So, Second Brother doesn’t know who shot that arrow?” Anger welled up inside Jiang Si, but her face remained impassive.
Jiang Zhan slammed his fist on the table in frustration: “If I knew who it was, I’d kill them myself!”
“I’ll investigate this matter,” Yu Jin spoke up.
Jiang Zhan, still dissatisfied but unable to think of anyone he might have offended since coming south, could only say: “Then I’ll have to trouble Your Highness. When you find out who tried to harm me, please let me know.”
“Of course,” Yu Jin patted Jiang Zhan’s arm, advising, “Don’t dwell on it too much. Fortune and misfortune are often intertwined, it’s hard to say sometimes.”
Jiang Zhan couldn’t help but laugh bitterly: “I was almost killed by someone’s plot. How could that possibly be considered fortunate?”
“In the battle at Ji River, the Great Zhou army was almost annihilated,” Yu Jin stated.
The total annihilation of the Great Zhou army didn’t mean every single soldier had perished. In any battle, neither side commits their entire force but rather deploys a portion of their troops.
When Yu Jin mentioned the near-total annihilation of the Great Zhou army, he was referring to the troops who had been sent into battle.
Jiang Zhan fell silent.
He understood Yu Jin’s meaning.
With their side almost completely wiped out, if he hadn’t fallen into the Ji River and had continued fighting, he might have ended up wrapped in a horse’s hide for burial.
No, he certainly would have ended up wrapped in a horse’s hide.
In such circumstances, fighting to the death without retreat would have been the expected choice for a soldier.
But he would have preferred to share the fate of his comrades.
Thinking of those brothers-in-arms—the young ones, the old ones—their faces flashed through his mind, and Jiang Zhan’s eyes grew moist.
At this moment, even in front of Jiang Si and the others, he couldn’t hide his emotions. He raised his hand to wipe his eyes, his voice hoarse as he spoke: “I made many friends… There was a lad called Tie Dan who was always pestering me to help him find a wife. Another called A Shan, loved to brag about having a son and a daughter, but the fool didn’t even know how many months it takes for a woman to give birth. Fourth Sister, you should have seen it—a bunch of grown men arguing themselves red in the face over this…”
By the end, Jiang Zhan was in tears.
They were all dead. All those men were dead.
He clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging on the backs of his hands.
Those hands were no longer those of the noble young master Jiang Si remembered but had become rough and calloused.
Everyone fell silent.
After a long while, Jiang Zhan composed himself and managed a hearty smile: “Your Highness is right, I am a fortunate man.”
He turned to Jiang Si with a hint of sheepish pleading: “Fourth Sister, I feel that having survived such a close call, I must have good fortune coming my way—”
Jiang Si gave him a cool look: “Second Brother, if you wish to return to the battlefield in the future, you need not consult me. Just get Father’s approval.”
Her second brother was no longer the dissolute young master he once was but had grown into a man with a sense of duty to his country.
Though she was reluctant, she couldn’t firmly oppose some things. But after this close call, she was truly frightened…
Yu Jin held Jiang Si’s hand and said to Jiang Zhan: “It’s too early to think about such things now. Let’s return to the capital first. At the very least, I don’t recommend you return to the battlefield until we’ve rooted out whoever plotted against you.”
This Jiang Second was truly vexing, always pushing such difficult decisions onto A Si. If something were to happen again in the future, how could A Si bear it?
Ultimately, Jiang Second just needed a wife. He should hurry up and marry, then he could discuss these matters with his wife.
Jiang Zhan gave an awkward smile: “Of course, returning to the capital comes first.”
It was said that all of Jing City believed him dead; if he didn’t return soon, they might even erect a cenotaph for him.
“Rest for the night, we’ll set out tomorrow,” Yu Jin said, then left with Jiang Si in tow.
Long Dan glanced at the sky and muttered: “Isn’t it a bit early to rest now?”
Yu Jin cast a cold glare at Long Dan.
Long Dan felt a chill run down his spine and quickly smiled: “Oh my, I am feeling tired after all. Second Young Master, are you going to rest?”
Jiang Zhan looked bewildered.
Rest? He wasn’t tired at all. He still had so much to say to his sister.
By the time Jiang Zhan realized what was happening, Yu Jin had already led Jiang Si away.
After closing the door to their room, Yu Jin moved to embrace Jiang Si but hesitated upon seeing her unfamiliar face. He suggested: “A Si, why don’t you remove your disguise first?”
“Alright.” Jiang Si took out a special ointment and, using a palm-sized flower-shaped mirror she carried, slowly removed her disguise.
Although Elder Hua had advised her to keep the disguise until they left the South, she had no intention of doing so.
Elder Hua and A Hua were on the Jin Lin Guard’s wanted list. It wouldn’t be appropriate for her to appear here in her true form, nor was it safe to interact with A Jin while disguised as A Hua.
The safest option was to become a person who didn’t exist in this world.
Yu Jin watched eagerly as Jiang Si revealed her true appearance, but soon those delicate hands were applying more cosmetics to her fair face, transforming her into yet another person.
A clear-eyed, unremarkable young… man?
Yu Jin was stunned: “A Si, why have you made yourself look like this?”
Jiang Si smiled charmingly: “Does it look convincing?”
She wasn’t particularly skilled in the art of disguise. It would be difficult for her to make herself look eight or nine parts similar to another person like Elder Hua could, but altering her features slightly to become a non-existent person wasn’t hard.
With her current appearance and a set of men’s clothes, she needn’t worry about being recognized by anyone.
Once the disguise was removed, who could find a person who never existed in the first place?
“Do I look too much like a young man? You seem dumbfounded,” Jiang Si chuckled, giving Yu Jin a playful push when he didn’t respond.
“You do…” Yu Jin answered, his feelings quite complex.
He thought he might have been able to bring himself to kiss A Si when she looked like an unfamiliar girl, but now—
Yu Jin could only smile wryly, abandoning thoughts of intimacy and turning to more pressing matters: “I’ve uncovered some clues about the plot against Jiang Zhan during my time here.”
Jiang Si’s expression turned serious: “You have led?”
Yu Jin nodded: “One of the men secretly protecting Jiang Zhan survived. From him, I learned the identity of the archer. It’s a common soldier named Huang Qi, a man from Hedong. On the surface, there’s nothing unusual about his background, but we’ll need to investigate further once we’re back in the capital.”
“Having a lead is good. If we follow the thread, we’re bound to uncover something.”
“Yes, I suspect the mastermind behind the attack on Jiang Zhan might be targeting us. For now, it’s best not to mention this to Jiang Zhan, lest he gives something away when we return to the capital and alerts our enemies.”
Jiang Si nodded and briefly recounted her agreement with the Wu Miao Grand Elder, concluding: “I didn’t mention Nanny Duo to the Grand Elder, also fearing we might tip our hand. The reason Elder Hua and Nanny Duo came to the capital likely relates to the other two prophecies the Grand Elder was reluctant to disclose.”