Chapter 51 The boundary between siblings has long since been blurred.

This was the tenth time Jiang Tingfeng had walked this street, and he gripped the knife tightly in his hand.

He didn't understand why he had come.

It is an undeniable fact that Mingyu Tan's father betrayed military intelligence, leading to the deaths of her parents.

He should hate her parents and stay away from her as well.

But the hatred is unclear, and the love is too vague.

After Yu Tan was driven out of the Marquis's mansion, she did not live well. The sight of the once pampered lady of the Marquis's mansion having to carry account books and collect debts every day in order to make a living stung his eyes.

He comforted himself, thinking he had only come to see if she was having a hard time.

The enemy's daughter is not doing well.

With this excuse, he appeared on this street every day, but what he did was act as a tyrant behind the uncollectible debts of Yu Tan.

Today, even the accounts were settled, and he waited in the streets as usual, but he never saw her carrying the account book in and out again.

He stood in the teahouse where Yu Tan usually listened to storytelling, and waited for an hour until all the listeners had left before Yu Tan slowly emerged from inside.

Yu Tan always seems to avoid crowds; didn't she used to love liveliness the most?

He hid in a corner and secretly watched her for ten days, but she didn't notice.

Yu Tan bent over in front of the small bookstall, selecting storybooks, but her expression was not very natural.

Before there was so much love and hate between them, he had asked Yu Tan this question.

"Young Lady Yu, why do you like reading storybooks so much? What's so special about storybooks?"

Yu Tan closed the book and lowered her head: "Because I can't go, I want to see what the outside world is like."

He was an orphan, a wanderer, and there was nowhere in the world he couldn't go.

If you want to go, you can ride a horse, take a vehicle, or even walk over mountains; you can always get there.

On the tenth day, he took her home. Perhaps because he hadn't been discovered before, he relaxed his guard and followed her closer than ever before.

It's been discovered.

In the blink of an eye, Yu Tan disappeared.

After chasing away the dogs in the alley, he picked up the storybook that Yu Tan had dropped and ran after her, wanting to return it to her.

Then I saw two people embracing tightly at the gate of the courtyard, their relationship no longer resembling that of siblings.

It turns out that Yu Tan had been living here ever since she was expelled from the Marquis's mansion.

I recalled how Yu Tan had awkwardly bought a fire-avoidance picture at the small bookstall just now.

Yu Tan actually bought the Fire Avoidance Map for Yu He'an; it turns out she's wearing white now because of him.

It turns out that the person she liked was Yu He'an.

Even if Yu He'an likes Yu Tan, why did he place Yu Tan here and keep her as something that can't be seen in the light of day?

Jiang Tingfeng clenched her fists, indignant. Why could they treat her like this?

After a long while, he reluctantly let go and turned to walk into the darkness.

He is more shameful than anyone else.

Even unspoken love is wrong.

*

As soon as Yu Tan entered the courtyard, she quickly moved to the side. These days, her body had become increasingly sensitive. Whenever she was near Yu He'an, she would feel hot and humid all over. She had tried to relieve the discomfort several times, but she could not change the situation.

Even when listening to audiobooks, she could only hide in the highest private box, as far away from the crowd as possible.

She used to dislike going out, but with the intimate contact and the imprisonment scenes being completed one after another in the story, she developed a real fear of being imprisoned.

She was relieved that she could come and go as she pleased; after all, things were different from the storyline.

Fearing Yu He'an's wrath, Yu Tan took the initiative.

"It was boring staying in the yard, so I didn't run around. I just went to listen to audiobooks."

He pressed his large hand against his lower abdomen, and his body trembled slightly. "Are you feeling unwell again?"

"No." A warm palm covered her lower abdomen. The thin gauze could not block it at all. The heat traveled from her palm to her lower abdomen and rushed down, making her feel hot and humid.

Getting close to Yu He'an would only hasten the onset of the Gu worms, so she hurriedly waved her hand away and broke free.

"Why did you run so fast?" With her arms empty, Yu He'an looked down to see what books she had bought.

"Brother, you can't look, give it back to me." She didn't care about keeping her distance from Yu He'an anymore, and hurriedly tried to grab it, pressing herself against him, a heat rising between them.

Fortunately, the fire-avoidance diagram was tucked inside the storybook and was not seen by Yu He'an.

Once the fire avoidance diagram was discovered, everything was over. Only when all the books were back in her hands did she feel a little relieved.

Once that began, Yu He'an's help became natural during the difficult days that followed. Even when the Gu worms weren't acting up and she only experienced occasional fever, she would still help. Perhaps that's why she was able to move freely in and out of the streets.

She clearly bought it just to... figure things out.

"I encountered a dog at the alley entrance, which is why I ran fast."

Yu He'an thought Yu Tan was cursing Jiang Tingfeng and was amused, saying, "The dog is quite big."

Judging from the sound, it was a big one, so she hid and didn't dare to look.

"Brother, you have a day off tomorrow."

Yu Tan hid the storybook and went to the courtyard to wash her hands.

"Hmm." Yu He'an's gaze fell on her. "What is it?"

She paused in her scooping of water, realizing she had indeed forgotten.

It's almost June, and the first wave of night-blooming cereus will soon be in bloom.

"We will return to the Marquis's residence tomorrow and hold a banquet."

"oh……"

Zhao Qiuci's return to the Marquis's residence requires a grand birthday banquet to make an appearance in the prestigious families of Bianjing. As the eldest brother, Yu He'an will naturally be present.

She washed her hands carefully, the water flowing out along the ditch. "Will Chu Minglang come?"

"He has left Bianjing to do business for the Crown Prince, and he won't be back for half a month."

"Huh?" Does that mean the matter of removing the curse will have to be postponed again? Tomorrow is the one-month deadline.

“However, we’ve captured someone, which might offer some solutions. You recognize him; he’s a Miao man from Zhao Qin’s household named Yue Lang.” Yu He’an’s gaze fell on her face, where the blush had not yet completely faded.

Since Yu He'an was the one who captured the person, Yue Lang will surely have a way to deal with it.

The curse can be lifted.

Sure enough, she's been having pretty good luck lately.

"Brother, that's wonderful! I knew you'd be willing to help me."

"I'll go ask around in a bit. If we hurry, we might find a solution by tomorrow."

Yu Tan's eyes lit up: "Tomorrow."

Her excitement lasted into dinner; Yu Tan moved around more than usual and even forgot to maintain a safe distance.

She carried a lantern to see Yu He'an off at the mansion, but her hand was taken by a warm palm that enveloped hers. The lantern was taken from her palm and she was placed on the swing. Yu He'an stood beside her, very close.

She tried to get up and move away, but Yu He'an put his hands on her shoulders to stop her from getting up, as if he had something to say to her.

"Don't you sit on the swing and talk to Aunt He every day after dinner?"

Although Aunt He is a little hard of hearing, she loves nothing more than chatting with people.

Every morning, after cleaning the yard and preparing breakfast, I would go to the alley entrance to chat with a few elderly women. In half a day, I could find out all the gossip and stories about the entire street. In the afternoon, I would tell Uncle Chen the same stories, and in the evening, I would tell them to her again.

Yu He'an stood in the spot where Aunt He usually stood, gave her a push on the swing, and after the swing swung high, she protected her waist and swung it even higher.

"We have found a lead in Lord Zhao's case. We have found strong evidence, and there are even refugees from back then who are willing to testify."

Most importantly, the person behind this matter is not the emperor, so there is always a possibility of overturning the verdict.

"Regarding General Xie's matter, I have read the original letters. There are some issues, and it should be resolved soon. The one who framed him is the mastermind behind the murder of Lord Zhao. The two cases can be combined because of the soldiers who survived from back then."

She was always looking at the mountain of files she had every day. After returning from the Hanlin Academy, she would either go to the Dali Temple or visit witnesses after dinner.

Who exactly entrusted Yu He'an with investigating these two cases, and why is Yu He'an so concerned about them?

"It is a great merit to be able to find out the truth of the case and clear the name of the wronged. If their descendants knew about it, they would go to the temple to ask for a longevity tablet for you."

"Then there's no need. I want to find out the truth as soon as possible and settle these two cases before my grandmother's birthday banquet."

Tomorrow is over, I'm going on a long trip, and everything should be resolved when I get back.

Everything will be alright, Yaoyao.

Under the bright moonlight, Yu He'an maintained his usual serious expression; if he wanted to do something, he would definitely do it.

She got up to see him off, but Yu He'an held her in his arms, and the unbearable heat returned.

The heat and stickiness constantly reminded her that their closeness was inappropriate.

A brief reassurance is merely a temporary fix; it will eventually ignite into a raging fire that will burn them all to ashes.

She was walking on a thin rope with a bottomless abyss below; a slight misstep would send her plummeting into the abyss, never to recover.

She wanted to find a balance, to fight for that sliver of hope.

The moonlight was gentle, and the only sounds around were the chirping of insects and the sound of breathing beside one's ear. Even Aunt He had gone back to her side room to rest.

Only then did she dare to hug him back: "Brother."

When she was completely at ease before, she dared to hug Yu He'an without any hesitation.

Yu He'an tightened her embrace around his waist, gently instructing him, "Go to sleep early, don't wait for me, I might not be back tonight."

"Brother, when you return to the Marquis's residence tomorrow, please check on those maids in Lanfang Courtyard. Have they recovered from their injuries? They were also implicated because of me."

Yu He'an was going on a long trip. She had been putting it off for a long time, always thinking she would ask again later, but this time she finally asked.

"I've finally decided to ask. They're all doing well. Lanxin is getting married soon. If things move quickly, you might be able to see her get married someday."

She stood at the entrance of the courtyard, nodded, and watched Yu He'an leave.

She was certain she would go to see Lanxin's wedding. She returned to her room, closed the door, and took out the fire-avoidance diagram that she had secretly hidden.

When Ji Yushang kidnapped Zhao Qingwu, the courtyard of the Ji residence was indeed filled with fire-avoidance diagrams. However, at the time, she was blinded by anger and her long-standing upbringing made her not dare to look up and carefully examine those fire-avoidance diagrams. She only vaguely saw a man and a woman embracing each other.

The room was lit only by a tiny lamp. She unfolded the fire avoidance diagram, carefully studied two pages, and a blush crept onto her cheeks.

He quickly closed the fire-avoidance diagram, hurriedly hid it under his pillow, and pressed it down forcefully.

They are clearly different.

What exactly happened?

She pulled the blanket over her head, held her breath for a while, then pulled the blanket off, got up, and drank a large glass of water to calm herself down.

She reached for the book on the low table and grabbed it. Only then did she realize that the book that had fallen in the alley was her favorite, "The Princess Returns to Court." She didn't know what happened next and wanted to muster up the courage to read the rest.

She started reading a new storybook, and when the third watch gong sounded, she finally felt sleepy.

Just before drifting off to sleep, she was still thinking that Yuhean wasn't here tonight, and that the annoying nightmares wouldn't come again.

In the dim candlelight, layers of sky-blue gauze curtains were layered.

As the mist dissipated from her face, she could see clearly that stern face, its cold brows and eyes now flushed red.

Just as she was about to uncontrollably call out his name, she suddenly woke up, gasping for breath in a panic.

It constantly reminded her of what she was dreaming about.

She covered her face with her hands, hiding her utter dejection.

She kept reassuring herself that it was just a dream and that no one would know her secret.

After calming down for several breaths, she dared to remove her hand from her hand, only to see a scene more terrifying than seeing a ghost.

Yu He'an stood by the bedside bathed in moonlight, his puzzled gaze falling on her. She quickly pulled the blanket up.

"What kind of dream was that? Why did I hear you calling my name?"

Author's note: Thank you for the nutrient solution from "Can't Write a Single Piece of Carp Tofu Soup Rice Cat Embraces the Bright Moon Xiao".