Thinking that Yi Huan had treated him quite well these days, even though she had malicious thoughts, she hadn't done anything to him in the end.

Shen Jiazhen was ultimately soft-hearted; if his father had really sent someone over, he would have killed this young lady.

He was both angry and conflicted.

Looking at Yi Huan behind him, he imagined a million possible outcomes: either he would be killed by her, or she would be dealt with once the Shen family found him.

Forget it, he decided to stop thinking about it. If this bandit princess didn't do anything to him, he would spare her life someday.

In three days, Yi Huan's merchant ship was repaired, and she arranged for people to move all the necessary items onto the ship.

Having lingered here for many days, it's time to return to the capital.

"Brother Chen, let's go..."

Yi Huan cured most of the poison in Shen Jiazhen's body, and he now feels completely relaxed.

"Where are you taking me? I don't want to go..."

Yi Huan changed her clothes. She was leaving this place today, so she specially styled her hair in a simple bun and drew her eyebrows.

Her bright, expressive black eyes seemed to speak volumes; her high, straight nose and perfect oval face made her breathtakingly beautiful with just a little makeup.

If it weren't for spending time with her every day and knowing what kind of person she is, looking at her face for too long, I'm afraid Shen Jiazhen would also fall for her.

“You have to leave whether you like it or not. Your father wrote back to me, asking the people from Dawangzhai to take you back to the capital. Look… we even brought a whole ship full of betrothal gifts. Your father has agreed to let you marry into his family.”

Shen Jiazhen was shocked: "How could this be... How could my father entrust me to you? You're lying to me..."

Yi Huan knew he wouldn't believe her, so she deliberately showed him the second half of the letter.

The second half of the letter was filled with Uncle Shen's words of gratitude to Yi Huan. He also said that they were relieved to have Jia Zhen in her care, and asked Yi Huan to show Shen Jia Zhen more of the world.

If they encounter any difficulties, they can get an advance from the Shen family's money exchange. Once they arrive in the capital, the Shen family will definitely hold a grand banquet to express their sincere gratitude...

Shen Jiazhen could hardly believe that his father would say such a thing, yet the handwriting between the lines was indeed his father's.

"Does my father not want me anymore? No... this can't be a letter from my father. There's still half of the letter. Let me see it."

The top half of the envelope reveals Yi Huan's true identity. If Shen Jiazhen were to see it, how could she continue to play the role of a female bandit?

She could already imagine the shock and disbelief on Shen Jiazhen's face when he learned her identity after they returned to the capital.

She is Princess Leyang of the Yuwang Mansion. Even if she completely deceives Shen Jiazhen, the Shen family will not say anything to her, after all, she is Shen Jiazhen's savior.

"Your father's meaning is very clear. Why don't you take a look at this?"

Yi Huan took out the Shen family's bank advance seal and threw it into Shen Jiazhen's arms. This seal could withdraw five hundred taels of silver from the Shen family's bank at a time.

Moreover, only members of the Shen family possess this seal; no one else has ever had the chance to see it.

"So, is this seal fake?"

Upon seeing the seal, Shen Jiazhen had no choice but to believe it. He didn't know what his father was thinking, why he didn't come to save him, and why he entrusted his life to this female bandit's daughter.

"If you don't leave now, the ship won't wait for you."

Shen Jiazhen originally had nothing, and it was Yi Huan who bought him some new clothes when he arrived at Dawanzhai.

These materials were not cheap, and he was never abused again after being rescued.

I grabbed two pieces of clothing and reluctantly went down the mountain.

After they left, the entire Dawangzhai village was deserted, and they sailed on the river in their boat.

He was furious when he saw the Shen family flag flying on the merchant ship, and he grabbed one of the people on the ship and roared at him.

"You, you, you... come here! Who gave you permission to hang the Shen family's banner on the boat? Our Shen family has nothing to do with your bunch of pirates."

“Young Master Shen, you can’t say that. We have a very close relationship with your Shen family.”

Shi Shuang came over and told the crew member to get off.

"Manager Shi, your leader isn't here, and you've moved the entire village away like this? Has there been an internal coup in your Dawang Village?"

Although Shen Jiazhen was young, he was not stupid. He had noticed the strangeness of Dawang Village in recent days.

Both heads of the household are gone, leaving only the eldest daughter in charge, and now they've all moved away—this is very strange.

"Young Master Shen, don't ask any questions. As long as you behave, our young lady won't make things difficult for you."

Shen Jiazhen thought to himself, "He says he won't make things difficult for me, but I live in constant fear."

“You’re using the Shen family’s name to flaunt yourselves on the ship, so of course I have to ask you about it.”

The young lady instructed them not to tell Shen Jiazhen about the matter, so they had no choice but to lie to Shen Jiazhen together with the young lady.

"It's like this, Young Master Shen. Our young lady said that once we go to the capital, we and the Shen family will be inseparable. So it's perfectly reasonable to use the Shen family's name in advance, and it's not considered deception."

"Who would be so familiar with you bunch of bandits? Even if I die, I will never marry your young lady."

Shen Jiazhen's youthful face puffed up with anger; he had never been treated like this before.

Shi Shuang shook her head and chuckled. The young master of the Shen family was still too inexperienced; he was no match for their young lady.

"The scenery on the river is quite nice, Young Master Shen, please enjoy it. I'm going to get back to work!"

Shen Jiazhen leaned weakly against the railing of the boat, his handsome face full of worry.

Yi Huan could see everything on the ship from her room, including Shen Jiazhen's sad expression.

"Miss, isn't it a bit inappropriate for us to keep deceiving Young Master Shen like this?"

Shi Shuang placed three or four account books on the table in front of Yi Huan, and looking at the people outside, she felt they were quite pitiful.

"He's a pampered young master who's never suffered hardship since childhood; we're just teaching him the wickedness of human nature."

Otherwise, given his naive nature, the Shen family would have been ruined by him sooner or later.

The boat traveled on the river for only a day, but Yi Huan and his companions traveled day and night to reach the capital.

She personally delivered dinner to Shen Jiazhen that evening, taking care of her younger brother with utmost care.

"Little brother Chen, hurry up and eat, then continue taking your medicine."

Shen Jiazhen lay on the bed in a daze, having already conditioned himself to obey Yi Huan's words.

Because he knew that even if he resisted, he would eventually get what Yi Huan wanted.

"My illness is cured, why do I still have to drink such bitter medicine..."

Yi Huan rolled her eyes at him and started brewing medicine on the deck next to him.

"If I say you're not better, then you're not better. Finish this drink today, and you won't need to drink it tomorrow. Just cooperate with my acupuncture."

"Oh, by the way, I heard from Steward Shi that you've been waking up startled these past few days. I specially prepared a few herbal packets; they have a calming effect. I'll have someone bring them over and hang them by your bedside in a bit."

Shen Jiazhen picked up his dinner and started eating, glancing occasionally at Yi Huan, who was sitting on a low stool brewing medicine for him.

Aside from her tendency to scare him with her words, this female bandit was otherwise quite nice to him.

He couldn't find a single fault in how he handled things, from his three meals a day and his clothes to taking care of his health.