Yu Ange was utterly bewildered. Yes, yes, she had indeed said she would attend to Shang Qingyan and serve him medicine, but…
She mentally hesitated for a long time, unable to articulate what exactly she was hesitant about.
In the end, she could only conclude that Shang Qingyan was vengeful and petty, willing to endure the hardships of travel despite his injuries just to torment her.
At that moment, Pan De arrived with a group of envoys from Jingdu, panting heavily, and advised, “The journey back to the capital is long and arduous. Will Your Highness’s health hold up? Perhaps it would be better to rest a while longer?”
From inside the carriage, Shang Qingyan replied, “My health won’t recover anytime soon, but I cannot delay the imperial decree and prevent Young Master Yu from fulfilling his filial duties before his grandmother.”
Pan De wiped the sweat from his brow. Though that was true, this was all too sudden.
Pan De had no choice but to frantically prepare the necessary supplies for the journey. This time, they were not only accompanied by envoys from Jingdu but also escorted by a large contingent of soldiers from Qizhou Fu.
Before Yu Ange could figure out where Shang Qingyan’s anger was coming from, she heard him say coldly, “What? Do I need to come down and invite you?”
Yu Ange cursed him inwardly for being unreasonable but still boarded Shang Qingyan’s carriage.
Shang Qingyan’s carriage was naturally extraordinary. To prevent the hardships of travel from worsening his injuries, it was not only spacious but also fully equipped. On the small table in the middle, there was even a chessboard and miscellaneous books.
While everyone outside was still busy, Yu Ange tried to make conversation: “How is Your Highness’s shoulder injury?”
Shang Qingyan gritted his teeth and said, “Thanks to Young Master Yu’s timely bandaging, I wasn’t left like Cen Tanhua, hindered in wielding a brush.”
At the mention of this, Yu Ange felt somewhat guilty. After all, upon hearing Cen Jiashu and his servant’s words, she had acted in anger and caused Shang Qingyan considerable suffering.
Yu Ange straightened her posture and clasped her hands in a respectful gesture toward Shang Qingyan, hinting at something: “Thank you, Your Highness… for avenging my younger sister.”
Having spent many years in the military, what kind of injury hadn’t she seen? She naturally understood that the arrow wound in Cen Jiashu’s shoulder wouldn’t render his right arm useless.
Recalling the earlier interaction between Imperial Physician Liu and Shang Qingyan, Yu Ange guessed that Imperial Physician Liu was Shang Qingyan’s man. As for Cen Jiashu’s difficulty in wielding a brush, it was undoubtedly Shang Qingyan’s doing.
Shang Qingyan did not admit that Imperial Physician Liu was his man: “I don’t understand this gratitude from Young Master Yu, but there is indeed something you should thank me for.”
As he spoke, Shang Qingyan took a note from his sleeve and handed it to Yu Ange: “Intercepted by Zhu Ying.”
Yu Ange unfolded the note and saw it was filled with slanderous remarks about her reputation—accusing her of being fickle, ugly, and fierce. Without a doubt, she knew where the note had come from.
Yu Ange’s expression darkened as she clenched the note tightly in her hand. At the same time, she was inwardly shocked by Shang Qingyan’s keen perception.
She had merely been slightly more emotional when facing Cen Jiashu, yet Shang Qingyan had already grasped all of Cen Jiashu’s movements.
Yu Ange said sincerely, “Thank you, Your Highness!”
Shang Qingyan replied, “Although one letter was intercepted, Cen Tanhua may not necessarily stop there. Does Young Master Yu have a plan to deal with this?”
Yu Ange said, “To be honest with Your Highness, on the day Cen Tanhua broke off the engagement, I sent a letter to the Cen residence, informing Cen’s grandfather of Cen Tanhua’s actions and ordering people to spread the news. The Yu family has already taken the initiative in the rumor mill. If Cen Tanhua remains obstinate and continues to slander my… younger sister, Cen’s grandfather, who has always been upright and principled, will not spare Cen Jiashu.”
Shang Qingyan nodded: “I’ve long heard that Young Master Yu is protective of his sister. It seems to be true.”
Yu Ange thought of her brother, her gaze softening, and her nose inexplicably tingling with sorrow.
Yes, her brother was the one who always protected her.
Their mother had died from a difficult childbirth while giving birth to them. When they were young, their father was stationed at the border, leaving the two siblings alone in the capital, relying on each other for survival.
Old Madame Yu was not their father’s birth mother, so naturally, she never treated them with genuine care. She indulged her brother to spoil him, while suppressing Yu Ange at every turn.
From a young age, Yu Ange had a rebellious and unruly nature. The more Old Madame Yu disliked her, openly or secretly criticizing and belittling her, the more she insisted on defying her.
It was only as she grew older that she gradually understood Old Madame Yu’s tactics of praising one while disparating the other were meant to drive a wedge between the siblings.
But siblings share a deep bond, and her brother always protected her. Though he was only born two hours earlier, he allowed her to grow up freely under Old Madame Yu’s oppression.
The past and present lives were both vast and uncertain. Looking back, only her brother’s decaying corpse constantly reminded her to seek revenge and protect him.
Having been reborn, she yearned desperately to see her brother again, but she had to leave hastily to impersonate him.
As the carriage set off, Yu Ange lifted the curtain and watched the road recede behind them, growing farther and farther from her brother and father.
Shengjing, Yu Fu.
In Shouchuntang, Old Madame Yu sat on the bed, her face filled with impatience. “Where have they gotten to?”
Though in her sixties, she wore a deep red pleated skirt adorned with scattered flowers. Her half-black, half-white hair was slicked with osmanthus oil, gleaming brightly, and a solid gold auspicious cloud hairpin was tucked into her round bun—exuding wealth but lacking grace.
Perhaps due to her foul mood, her eyelids and the corners of her mouth drooped downward, adding a touch of harshness to her appearance.
Xiang Yi, the wife of the second branch, sitting below, said, “The courier station said around the hour of Shen, so they should be arriving soon.”
Xiang Yi was from the south of the Yangtze River, and her words were gentle and soft, but they failed to soothe Old Madame Yu’s restless heart.
“Anhe and Ange grew up without proper guidance. Later, when they went to the border, they naturally ran wild without any discipline, raised by Yu Ting to be ill-mannered and lacking in family upbringing. Now, as their grandmother, I have to wait so long even while I’m ill.”
Old Madame Yu’s words were both venomous and unreasonable. Xiang Yi frowned slightly but had yet to say anything when Wei Shuimei, the wife of the third branch beside her, deliberately remarked, “Ah, who could blame Elder Brother for being favored by His Majesty? Even when you fell ill, it took an imperial decree and Nanchuanwang personally going to fetch them before they were willing to return.”
Wei Shuimei had always been the type to stir up trouble over nothing. With this single remark, she insinuated that Yu Ting of the eldest branch, stationed at the border for years without returning to the capital, was unfilial.
This only fueled the already impatient Old Madame Yu’s anger. She slammed the table and cursed, “Unfilial descendants!”
Xiang Yi frowned lightly. Yu Ting had not returned home for years, partly because his duties at the border kept him occupied, and partly because he had learned of Old Madame Yu’s past actions toward the Yu siblings.
Xiang Yi wanted to say a few words in his defense, but her young daughter, Yu Wanyun, gently tugged at her sleeve, timidly shaking her head as if worried that Old Madame Yu would vent her anger on them. Xiang Yi had no choice but to remain silent.
Fortunately, a servant promptly announced, “They’re back! The eldest young master is back!”
Xiang Yi stood up and said, “The eldest young master’s return is escorted by Nanchuanwang and envoys from Jingdu. My husband and Third Uncle are still at their posts and cannot return immediately. I will go to the gate to welcome them.”
Old Madame Yu gave a soft “hmm,” and Xiang Yi then led her daughter, along with Wei Shuimei, out of the room.
On the way to the main gate, Yu Wanyun quietly asked, “Will Second Sister be coming back too?”