The real reason, as Jian Hong said, was that she couldn't promise him a future, so she no longer wanted to give him hope.

Once he loses heart, he will naturally give up on her and return to his life as an emperor.

They were ultimately from two different worlds.

The brother and sister quickly bought the ingredients and returned to the house that Jian Yang rented.

"How about it? Not bad here, right?" Jian Yang said with a smile, showing off to Jian Hong.

Jian Hong nodded: "Not bad, the living environment is better than when we lived in Baihua Town."

By this time, the emperor had already returned to the residence before them. Just as Jian Yang had said, Jian Hong's horse had been brought back and had been thoughtfully fed hay.

Jian Yang rolled up her sleeves and went to the kitchen to get busy, while Jian Hong played chess with the emperor.

"What is the situation in the capital?" The emperor placed a white chess piece on the chessboard with his long, slender, jade-like fingers.

While pondering how to make his move, Jian Hong replied, "Your Majesty, all is well."

The emperor nodded, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I have had a slight misunderstanding with A-Yang, and I hope the general can mediate between us."

Jian Hong was taken aback, not expecting the emperor to ask him to be a peacemaker.

However, he had already figured out Jian Yang's feelings and would never betray his own sister, so he just brushed it off.

The emperor was overjoyed.

He had thought that with Jian Hong's persuasion, his relationship with Jian Yang would be eased.

But to his utter surprise, their relationship inexplicably deteriorated further.

Although Jian Yang no longer gets close to him, she still tries to communicate with him normally.

Since Jian Hong arrived, Jian Yang has spent most of her time with him and rarely speaks to him. She has even stopped asking him for help at the clinic.

This hurt the emperor deeply, as he didn't understand what he had done wrong recently.

Two days later, in the evening, Jian Yang was busy in the kitchen when Jian Hong walked in.

"Need any help?" he asked as he rolled up his sleeves and started washing the dishes.

Jian Yang quickly stopped her, saying, "I can manage on my own, I don't need your help. Go out for tea and snacks."

Jian Hong did not move, continuing to wash the vegetables diligently.

"Ayang, I'm leaving tomorrow. Take good care of yourself. If you encounter any difficulties, remember to tell me and I'll try my best to come and help you."

Upon hearing this, Jian Yang stopped chopping vegetables and asked in surprise, "Is there some important matter in the army that requires you to go back and handle?"

Jian Hong denied it, saying, "No."

"Then why did you leave in such a hurry?"

This place is quite a distance from the capital, and he traveled all this way to stay for only two days, which Jian Yang found rather strange.

"It's nothing, don't overthink it."

"Then you should stay a few more days. Since you're already here, you should stay for at least ten days or half a month."

Jian Hong arranged the washed vegetables neatly, sighed softly, and said, "Ayang, to tell you the truth, our father is ill."

Jian Yang was stunned.

“If I hadn’t been worried about you, I would have stayed by Father’s side to take care of him. Now that you are all well, I can rest assured.”

Sensing the feigned ease in his tone, Jian Yang immediately pressed, "What illness does Father have? Is it serious?"

“My father suddenly fainted one day, and afterwards he was often weak and dizzy. I asked a doctor from Baohetang to examine him, but the doctor couldn’t figure out what was wrong and just told him to rest well.”

Although Jian Hong spoke casually, Jian Yang could tell that things were definitely not as simple as he described.

She was a doctor after all, and she knew her adoptive father's health well; he was in excellent health.

However, it is impossible for a strong man to suddenly collapse from a minor illness.

Generally speaking, it is highly likely to be a malignant disease such as cancer or brain tumor.

However, due to limited medical resources in ancient times, people were unable to diagnose these kinds of diseases.

Jian Yang put down the kitchen knife and said firmly, "Then I'll go back with you."

“No!” Jian Honglai quickly dissuaded him. “The situation in the capital is still chaotic. If your identity is exposed, you will definitely be in danger. You should stay here.”

"I cannot neglect my filial duties just because I'm afraid of my identity being exposed," Jian Yang lied righteously.

As for filial piety, that word doesn't even exist in her dictionary.

However, since her adoptive father had put in a lot of effort to help her fake her death, this time it seemed more like she was going back to repay a favor.

Moreover, she was very curious about what illness her adoptive father had.

If it's an illness that even she can't cure, then Prime Minister Jian probably won't live much longer either.

She considered it as going back to take care of her elderly father in his old age and see him off in his final days.

Thinking about it, he's really filial.

Jian Hong had no idea what she was thinking. Just as he was about to try to persuade her again, the emperor walked into the kitchen.

“I also wanted to go back to the palace to check on the situation. Since A-Yang wants to go back, let the three of us go together.”

After speaking, the emperor looked at Jian Yang expectantly, as if he wanted to receive her praise.

However, Jian Yang remained unmoved.

emperor:"……"

Since the emperor had spoken, Jian Hong had no choice but to prepare for the three of them to return to the capital together.

Seven days later, the three returned to the capital.

To avoid revealing their identities, the emperor and Jian Yang disguised themselves as Jian Hong's attendants.

"Young Master, you're back." The official saw Jian Hong from afar and immediately went to greet him warmly.

Seeing Jian Hong leading the horse, the steward immediately said solicitously, "This old servant will lead your horse."

Jian Hong waved his hand: "No need."

Since the emperor really wanted to show off in front of Jian Hong, he looked around and finally his gaze fell on the two people behind Jian Hong.

"Who are these two?" the butler asked.

Jian Hongdao said, "I bought my attendants from outside."

Upon hearing that they were servants, the official immediately put on a stern face and said, "Don't you two have any sense of propriety? As servants, you actually make the young master personally lead the horse and carry the bundle!"

Jian Yang and the emperor ignored him.

Jian Yang, in particular, always remembered how this official had done a lot of things for her stepmother and Jian Fei, causing her a lot of trouble, and she disliked him even more.

Jian Hong was quite frightened and immediately shouted, "Who asked you to interfere? Get out of here!"

The official immediately ran away, looking aggrieved.

The three entered the Prime Minister's residence and immediately went to the courtyard where Prime Minister Jian lived.

Before even stepping inside, a familiar voice came from within: "My lord, this is a talisman water that I obtained for you at Xiangguo Temple. Drinking it will ensure your good health."

"What is she doing here?" Jian Yang asked Jian Hong in surprise.

The person speaking inside was none other than Wang, their stepmother, who had run away from home years ago.

Jian Hong said with a wry smile, "A few months ago, Wang came back and begged my father, saying that she knew she was wrong and begged him to forgive her. My father was soft-hearted and let her stay."

Jian Yang frowned upon hearing this.

But considering that visiting her adoptive father was the most important thing right now, she suppressed her displeasure and entered Prime Minister Jian's bedroom with Jian Hong.