Brother and sister?

“We can be like family,” Chu Chanyin continued.

Zhao Youyi's heart, which had been pounding, slowly calmed down.

Although His Highness the King of Chu is wise and mighty, he speaks with great difficulty and pauses for breath!

That's a really bad habit!

Zhao Youyi glanced at him and saw that his expression remained unchanged, so she knew that he meant what he said. However, how could she dare to call the prince her brother and sister? Besides, they were husband and wife who had sworn an oath to heaven and earth. Although he did treat her like a younger sister, they were not really siblings.

Zhao Youyi forced a smile and feigned humility, saying, "Your Highness is of noble birth, while I am but a humble woman. How could I possibly treat Your Highness as if we were family?"

Hearing this, Chu Chanyin was puzzled and wanted to take her hand, but just then the waiter brought up the dishes, so he had to withdraw his outstretched hand.

Zhao Youyi pretended not to see it, "Your Highness, please finish your meal. I dare not touch anything if you do not eat."

“Cousin, there’s no need for this between us,” Chu Chanyin could tell she was angry even though he was slow to notice. He had wanted to say that we were like siblings and there was no need for this, but a sudden inspiration made him take back his words.

“What I mean is, you can rely on me just as you rely on Brother Nianling.” Chu Chanyin observed her expression, picked up a piece of glutinous rice cake with his chopsticks and put it in her bowl. “Eat, cousin.”

“But Nianwan can’t treat the Prince as her own brother.” Zhao Youyi always spoke her mind. “However, I will try to trust my cousin, and I hope that he will not hide things from me in the future.”

If she hadn't received intelligence from her spies last night and gone to the prefect's mansion, would this evidence still be in full before her eyes? Although she believed that the King of Chu genuinely wanted to avenge her brother, everyone has their own interests and desires. Therefore, she could use others to do what she wanted, but she couldn't be completely kept in the dark.

Seeing that she had resumed addressing him as before, Chu Chanyin breathed a sigh of relief. Although his cousin hadn't shown her anger on her face, her strange manner clearly expressed her displeasure.

"Of course, I will definitely discuss things with my cousin from now on and not make decisions on my own." Chu Chan smiled and served her half a bowl of porridge. "This is bird's nest porridge that I specially asked the kitchen staff to make. I don't know if it suits your taste."

Bird's nest is a precious commodity, so such a small shop naturally wouldn't have any on hand. To avoid attracting attention along the way, they kept their lodgings and meals simple. This bird's nest was probably specially ordered by His Highness the King of Chu to be purchased.

"Cousin, you've gone to so much trouble. Actually, I once secretly accompanied the army, so I can't be considered a pampered young lady. There's no need to make such elaborate food." Zhao Youyi took the bowl and tasted it. It was delicate and delicious, and it was indeed made with a lot of thought.

"Go with the army? Brother Nianling also agreed?" Chu Chanyin was somewhat shocked. Although Zhao Youyi was highly skilled in martial arts, she was only sixteen years old this year. Wasn't she just a little girl when she was fourteen or fifteen years old? Yet she had already gone to the battlefield.

“I didn’t agree, so it was done secretly.” Zhao Youyi smiled and put a piece of bamboo shoot on his plate. “I hid in the grain wagon, and my brother was so angry his hair stood on end!”

After her parents died in battle, she was fostered in her uncle's house. That year, her uncle died in battle, and her aunt died in childbirth upon hearing the tragic news, resulting in the deaths of both mother and child. At that time, she was afraid that Zhao Youli would also die in battle, so she insisted on going with him. Zhao Youli disagreed, so she secretly followed him.

Finally, Zhao Youli looked at his younger sister with a white flower in her hair and suddenly realized that there was no one left in their Zhao family. On the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes. If something happened to him, what would happen to Zhao Youyi, who was far away in the capital?

It would be better to keep her with him; if anything were to happen, he could order a trusted subordinate to send her to Jiangzhou.

However, Zhao Youli later achieved great military exploits, and the emperor regarded him as a thorn in his side. Without Zhao Youyi as a hostage in Shenjing, the emperor would not feel at ease letting him hold military power.

Recalling the past, Zhao Youyi felt a surge of emotions.

After finishing their breakfast, the two disguised themselves and went to the outskirts of the city. This was a civilian area, but for some reason, the people were all wary and subconsciously looked them over when they saw them.

The two exchanged a glance, both sensing that something was amiss in the place.

A thin, dark figure flashed by. Zhao Youyi reached out and grabbed it. Upon closer inspection, she saw that it was a dark-skinned, thin child holding her purse in his hand.

"Give me back my things!" Zhao Youyi looked the child up and down, and seeing that he was pale and thin, his brows furrowed even more. "Whose child are you? According to the laws of our dynasty, thieves shall not be punished with fifty strokes of the cane. Now give me back my purse."

Zhao Youyi was a veteran of the battlefield, and her eyes exuded a murderous aura. The child was so frightened by her that he loosened his grip, and his purse fell to the ground.

Chu Chanyin bent down to pick up the purse, but the people around him surrounded them and criticized them.

“You’re dressed in fine silks and satins, and you don’t look like you’re short of money. Why bother arguing with a child?”

"That's right! This black kid's father went to serve in the army a few years ago and died. The government didn't even pay him a pension. This kid had no choice but to steal!"

"These two are clearly from wealthy families; they have no idea about the hardships of ordinary people like us! They know how to enjoy wealth and luxury, but they've forgotten who brought us peace and stability!"

A group of people started criticizing each other, their spittle almost drowning them out.

Zhao Youyi released the child's hand without changing his expression and said calmly, "The soldiers who sacrificed for the Great Jin deserve respect, and their families should receive pensions. The court has already distributed them. If you haven't received them, you should ask your prefect. We are not just wealthy idlers who only know how to enjoy ourselves. It is the emperor, the labor service and taxes that have caused your poverty. Why are you criticizing us?"

The crowd exchanged glances and began to whisper about the prefect. Zhao Youyi, however, pulled the child out of the crowd, and Chu Chanyin followed with his sword in his arms.

Zhao Youyi casually snatched the purse from Chu Chanyin's waist, stuffed the pastries inside into the child's hands, and bent down to ask him, "Heiwa, tell me, why did you steal my purse?"

The child wolfed down his food, and after finishing one piece, he reached out for another. Meeting Zhao Youyi's gaze, he blurted out instinctively, "It was Mother who said that all of you court officials deserve to die! You harmed loyal officials and killed the Great General!"

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Chu Chanyin. Clearly, no matter how he disguised himself, he could not hide his noble bearing. However, their purpose in coming here was to attract the attention of the escaped soldier, and of course, to those who were secretly observing them. But, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Chu Chanyin's expression remained unchanged as he looked at the child. "Let him go."

Zhao Youyi stuffed the pastries into his hands and stepped back. The child, having received the pastries, quickly ran away, as if afraid that someone else would snatch them away.

"Follow me." Zhao Youyi gestured to Chu Chanyin. It was normal for the people to admire the great general who protected their country, but it was suspicious to pass on such treasonous words to their children. After all, although the current emperor was a foolish ruler, the concept of divine right of kings was deeply ingrained in people's minds. They would not hate the emperor so much unless their own interests were definitely threatened.

The child walked quickly and soon arrived at a tiled house deep in a narrow alley. A woman was drying herbs there. When she saw him return, she said in an unhappy tone, "Xiao Chao, where have you been again? Where did these pastries come from?"

Xiao Chao wouldn't say anything, but just handed her the pastries, saying, "Mother, eat!"

The woman sighed deeply when she saw him like this, and began to teach him not to go out and steal.

Zhao Youyi and Chu Chanyin watched from the rooftop, a heartwarming scene, their attention focused on the herbs.

"Miss, has Xiao Chao returned?" A man with a cane walked out of the house, his tone very gentle.

The two exchanged a glance, surprised that they had found it so quickly. Xiao Chao's father had died in battle, and the man was calling Xiao Chao "mother, miss." Moreover, the woman's courtyard was filled with herbs for treating knife wounds.

The two leaped down and arrived outside the gate. Everyone in the courtyard was surprised to see them, except for Xiao Chao, who pointed at them and said, "They gave us the pastries!"

The man looked wary. "Who are you?"

Chu Chanyin placed something into Zhao Youyi's hand. It was as smooth and warm as jade. Zhao Youyi carefully stroked it. It was a general's order!

“I am the 29th patriarch of the Zhao family. Seeing the general’s order is the same as seeing the general himself.” Zhao Youyi showed the token.

The man took two steps forward, both surprised and delighted. Only after seeing the character "Zhao" on the sign did he look at the two men. When his gaze fell on Zhao Youyi's face, he was filled with mixed emotions of sorrow and joy: "Young General, it's you! You've grown up so much, I didn't even recognize you."

When she first joined the army, Zhao Youyi disguised herself as a man. Later, she fought against a hundred men on the battlefield and attracted attention for her military achievements. Before the military achievements were reported, she revealed her identity as a woman. Because Zhao Youli was the commander-in-chief, the matter was suppressed. However, when the soldiers heard that she was the general's sister, they sighed that she was a tiger daughter of a military family, with the legacy of her late father and the bravery of her late mother. Although she did not have a military rank, everyone respectfully called her Young General.

Zhao Youyi looked closely and recognized the once spirited figure in his pale and haggard face. "Is that Brother Zheng Peng?"

"Yes!" Zheng Peng's eyes welled up with tears. The woman beside him, whose wary and worried expression faded when she heard the name of the young general, quickly invited them to sit down on the stone bench, while she excused herself to cook and give them some space.

"How is the young general? Now that the general is gone, you are all alone, surrounded by wolves and tigers. What will you do?" Zheng Peng thought of how he had been recuperating from his injuries and dared not go out these days, but after a little thought, he knew the difficulties Zhao Youyi was going through.

"And who is this young master?" His gaze finally fell on Chu Chanyin, his expression wary.

Zhao Youyi quickly introduced, "This is His Highness Prince Chu, my brother's closest friend. We were able to leave the capital smoothly thanks to His Highness."

Every citizen of the Great Jin Dynasty knew of the King of Chu's virtuous reputation and outstanding military achievements, and the military generals in the army held him in high esteem.

"So it's Your Highness, the King of Chu! I was blind to your greatness!" Zheng Peng tried to get up and bow, but Chu Chanyin quickly helped him up. "People in the military don't care about such formalities, especially since the young general is injured."

"I dare not accept Your Highness's title of Junior General. I am merely a lowly soldier with no outstanding military achievements. I am fortunate to have gained the General's favor, but my rank is not high. It was precisely because of this that I was able to escape that day." Zheng Peng knew that Zhao Youyi's visit must be about the poisoning of Zhao Youli, so he explained it in detail.