Chapter 24

"Jiang He... Jiang He... I'm sorry."

Doctor Ji has visited the Jiang residence countless times in the past two days.

Xue Lingyu only had an upset stomach yesterday, but today she is bedridden. If this continues, her life may be in danger.

Doctor Ji prescribed a fever reducer. To prevent Xue Lingyu from having a persistent high fever even after taking the medicine, Doctor Ji decided to stay at the Jiang residence.

Jiang He thought so too. Xue Lingyu was a man after all. He usually seemed to be in good health, but this high fever came on so suddenly. Who knew what kind of accident might happen?

She instructed Yang Le to open the windows to ventilate the room, and then left Ji Xue behind to watch over Xue Lingyu.

Given Xue Lingyu's martial arts skills, it's impossible for anything else to happen to him.

If Xue Ji hadn't come to the courtyard today, hadn't caused all this commotion, and hadn't come to check on things, perhaps Xue Lingyu would have died from a high fever. Afterwards, when the investigation was conducted, everything seemed so seamless that no flaws could be found.

In the end, the matter was left unresolved.

After witnessing Xue Lingyu drink the medicine, Jiang He remembered the group of guards who had been assigned to the entrance of the small courtyard.

She never gave orders, not even in such an emergency, not to let anyone out. Besides, if you're unsure, you can always ask her.

But these people were very certain.

Jiang He ordered the arrest of the head guard. At first, the man gritted his teeth and said that he was following her orders, but now that something had happened, he had misunderstood and was willing to accept punishment.

After using some tricks, the woman finally revealed who was behind her.

The Jiang family's backyard has never been clean, and this has been going on for a while, but this is the first time they've done something so blatant.

Especially after she returned to the capital, those hiding in the shadows couldn't help but want to make a move.

Jiang He didn't tell her father, but instead dealt with these people swiftly and decisively, allowing the Jiang family's backyard to be quiet for a while.

When her father asked about it later, Jiang He did not reveal the real reason, only saying that she was not satisfied with the servants and had replaced them all.

Her temper flared up quickly and subsided just as fast, so Mr. Jiang didn't press her further.

The Prefect of Jingzhao was extremely efficient, and the traces left by the thieves were not particularly well hidden. In just one day, Su Yawan came to visit again.

"The assassins who tried to kill you have been caught. They are all assassins with some influence in the martial arts world. It wasn't cheap to hire them. Are you sure you want to kill them all?" Su Yawan rushed over as soon as he was caught, looking travel-worn.

Jiang He seemed to be in a bad mood. "Do I look like I'm joking?"

Su Yawan took a sip of tea, and as soon as she swallowed it, she said, "I was wondering if you really don't want a confession?"

Jiang He took out two pieces of paper from her sleeve: "This is the driver's statement."

Su Yawan took it and quickly glanced at it, then couldn't help but sigh, "Tsk, this is love turned to hate."

The fifth prince somehow managed to plant people in the Jiang family, and the coachman and the head guard were both acting under his orders.

Although the coachman had some martial arts skills, several of the Jiang family's highly skilled guards had died, while he only suffered a leg injury. Upon returning, he disregarded his injury and tried to pin the blame on the Xue family. It seemed that he was deliberately trying to confirm that the assassination was related to Xue Lingyu.

If Xue Lingyu hadn't had a high fever, the head guard might not have exposed himself so quickly.

Following the confession was the head guard's confession, which made Su Yawan's temples throb: "The coachman has been patient until now before finally revealing his true colors, but this head guard's background seems rather strange. Why did you send her to the small courtyard? Could it be...?"

Su Yawan suddenly had the illusion that Jiang He was using Xue Lingyu as bait.

If the Fifth Prince truly sees Xue Lingyu as a thorn in his side, he certainly won't let this opportunity pass him by.

Jiang He used calmness to cover up her feelings, "I didn't expect him to be so impatient, and things almost got out of my control."

She originally intended to lure the head guard into attacking Xue Lingyu, but unexpectedly Xue Lingyu suddenly developed a high fever.

The reason she was transferred back to Xue was to protect Xue Lingyu, but unexpectedly, the plan took an unexpected turn.

"But is it really because of you that the Fifth Prince wants to harm Xue Lingyu?" Su Yawan was puzzled by this, as the Fifth Prince didn't seem to like Jiang He much.

Besides, Jiang He has never shown any interest in him, so why would he want to harm her?

"Xue Lingyu used to be a young master from a prestigious family that everyone in the capital admired. Even the Fifth Prince couldn't compete with him, so he naturally harbored a grudge. The reason he wanted to choose me was largely because of Xue Lingyu."

If the Fifth Prince truly favored her, why would those assassins have initially come with the intention of killing her?

He spared her life only to make her misunderstand Xue Lingyu so that he could deal with him personally.

Su Yawan clicked her tongue in surprise: "We men don't understand the jealousy and rivalry between men."

"It seems that if you don't want to marry the Fifth Prince, sending Xue Lingyu away is the best solution."

Jiang He remained silent.

Now that the Jiang family's backyard has been cleared, Xue Lingyu will be safer here than before.

Jiang He will not let go unless he has the ability to escape on his own.

Xue Lingyu was in a coma for a long time due to the high fever. In his half-awake state, he felt his whole body floating up. He seemed to hear people talking in his ears. He tried to raise his fingers, but found that he couldn't muster any strength at all.

He had a very long dream in which he was only fifteen years old, and Jiang He gave him a pair of handmade mandarin duck kites and a hairpin.

He was young then and didn't understand what it meant, so he accepted it.

His father discovered this by chance and ordered him to break the kite and hairpin himself and return them to the Jiang family mansion.

Yang Le saw Xue Lingyu's eyelids twitch and exclaimed excitedly, "Young Master seems to be waking up."

Xue Lingyu had been unconscious for two days. Her fever had subsided, but she still hadn't woken up. This was extremely worrying. Doctor Ji even said that if she didn't wake up soon, it might be difficult for her to wake up again.

Jiang He walked to the bedside and saw that he was indeed showing signs of waking up. His originally rosy lips were so dry that they were peeling, but he moved slightly, as if trying to say something.

She leaned closer to listen.

Xue Lingyu's voice was hoarse, but her pronunciation was very clear.

"Jiang He... Jiang He... I'm sorry."

Jiang He was stunned and gave Xue Lingyu a deep look.

He wasn't fully awake yet and was still talking in his sleep.

Did he apologize to her in his dream?

She pretended not to hear anything and tucked the blanket around Xue Lingyu.

Jiang He instructed Yang Le: "Remember to ask the kitchen to cook some light porridge. Your young master has just woken up and can't eat anything too greasy. In particular, you must not let him eat preserved egg and lean pork porridge again."

Seeing that Jiang He was about to leave, Yang Le asked, "Miss, are you leaving? You've been watching over him for so long, the young master is about to wake up."

Jiang He nodded, "The business still has things to take care of, so please take good care of the young master."

Upon hearing that Jiang He was leaving, Xue Yi, who had been dozing off in the corner, immediately perked up.

He had spent half a day with the young lady in the handsome young man's room, and his playful nature was being suppressed to the point of extreme discomfort.

Jiang He assigned him other tasks: "Ji Xue, you stay here. If you encounter anything you can't handle, remember to call me. Don't try to be a hero on your own."

Xue nodded reluctantly.

Jiang He took one last look at Xue Lingyu lying on the bed before leaving.

Only then did Yang Le realize the identity of the boy in front of her.

It's said that the young lady brought back a mentally unstable boy named Ji Xue from the city of Wudu. Because of his high level of martial arts, she kept him by her side as a guard. It seems that this is the boy.

In Yang Le's memory, the young lady had never spoken to Young Master Xue in such a gentle tone before.

Because of Xue Lingyu's high fever, Jiang He did not deal with the business for two days in a row. Business in Beifang has gradually declined recently, and the popularity of Changping Street is not as good as before.

The He family's southern quarters were filled with many strange and unusual items, and they introduced a variety of new tricks, attracting everyone's attention.

The difference between the two neighborhoods is like heaven and earth. If it weren't for the Jiang family's reputation, the North Neighborhood would probably have gone bankrupt long ago.

These are not actually Jiang He's biggest concerns.

The existence of the four major workshops is not a recent phenomenon; they rely on their unique characteristics. If they blindly follow the same path for the sake of temporary gains, they will disrupt the original balance.

The water shop's business remained unchanged, mainly stocking Jiangnan goods such as rouge and face powder, as well as hairpins and clothing styles currently popular in Jiangnan.

While managing the water shop's business, Jiang He discovered a beautifully crafted gold hairpin with an ingenious design among the latest batch of goods.

Seeing that she had been looking at it for a long time, the shopkeeper stepped forward and explained, "Young master has a good eye. This is the most popular gold hairpin among the rich young men in Jiangnan right now. When worn, the beads don't wobble, which can better accentuate a man's dignified figure. Shops in Jiangnan have run out of stock, and it's rare for us to get one."

Jiang He looked at the shopkeeper, "Is this the only branch in the capital?"

"Yes." The shopkeeper could tell she liked it. "If the young master likes it, he might as well take it back and give it to the young master. No man would dislike such a pattern."

The shopkeeper, trying to decipher her thoughts, said...

Jiang He handed the hairpin to the shopkeeper, saying, "Please wrap it up for me."

When Xue Lingyu woke up, Yang Le had just brought over some cooked white porridge.

"Young Master, you're finally awake! I was so worried." Yang Le helped Xue Lingyu to his feet, first feeding him some water, then asking, "Young Master, are you hungry? Would you like some porridge?"

Xue Lingyu's head was still a little heavy, but when he saw someone by the bed, he looked at Yang Le with a puzzled expression.

"This is the guard that Miss instructed to stay and take care of you." Yang Le did not say Ji Xue's name, as he always felt that the name seemed to have some meaning.

When Xue Jian saw that Xue Lingyu had finally woken up, he was overjoyed, even though he had waited for another half an hour.

"Handsome brother, I haven't seen you in so long, do you still remember me?"

Xue Lingyu's vision gradually cleared, and she recognized Ji Xue.

He chuckled softly, "I remember."

“You are the little guard that Jiang He brought back from Wudu City. I even gave you candy before.”

It's a bit strange, since he was Jiang He's guard, why haven't I seen him since he entered the mansion?

Xue chuckled to himself, "Miss told me to return the candy to you; she doesn't know I secretly ate it."

He looked very cute, and he was a handsome young man with rosy lips and white teeth, making him quite pleasing to the eye.

Xue Lingyu has no younger brother; he is the only son in his family. Seeing such a thoughtful young man, he couldn't help but feel close to him.

"I still don't know your name."

"I'm so stupid, I haven't told the handsome brother my name yet." Ji Xue patted his head and grinned, "My name is Ji Xue."

Xue Lingyu's expression changed slightly. "Which reporter? Which Xue?"

A note from the author:

Recommend my friend's upcoming novel

"With My Imperial Brother" by Chan Rong tells the story of Chan Rong and her imperial brother's secret love affair.

The day her true identity was revealed, Chi Yu was reduced to a commoner overnight.

To confuse the royal bloodline is a capital offense. If one wishes to live, one must take the place of the beloved princess in marriage.

"A way out? What will you offer in exchange?" her former brother asked with a half-smile.

Having nothing left, what does she have to exchange for?

After a long while, she lowered her head obediently, and with trembling hands reached out to hook his palm.

In public, they portrayed a loving brother and sister; in private, however, they had the most absurd private affair in the world.

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 18:07:52 on January 7, 2022 and 16:36:37 on January 8, 2022!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Su Chan (1);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!

◎Latest Comments:

Why do I feel so much heartbreak when I read a female-dominated novel?

Yay! Yay!

【Here it comes!】

"Unless he has the ability to escape on his own, Jiang He will not let go."

[Crazy tapping on XP (Auntie smile)]

I want something sweet!!

Let it slowly, little by little, become sweet.

[QAQ Xue is such a great wingman!]

I really want something sweet.

-over-