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"What?! My elder sister has been made a princess?!"
Jiang Chaoyu learned about this from Zeng Chenhua. She had heard about the death of the eldest princess when she went out, but when she returned, she heard something even more important.
Jiang Chaoyu couldn't help but rub her temples and sigh deeply; she really couldn't understand it.
"Your elder sister was used as a pawn in a political marriage."
For some reason, Jiang Chaoyu felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if her heart was being squeezed. She felt sad, and a tear rolled down her cheek as she looked up.
She had heard that princesses sent to marry foreign rulers often disappeared from people's memories soon after, leaving no trace of whether they were good or bad in any particular country. At this moment, she didn't want her sister to suffer the same fate.
Jiang Chaoyu took Zeng Chenhua's hand. "Is there any way?"
On the surface, she asked this question helplessly, but in reality, she already had a bolder idea in mind.
Zeng Chenhua was, after all, the person who shared a bed with her. Even if she couldn't hear what she was thinking, she could guess some of her thoughts just by looking at her expression.
He grasped her hand, but said no, "We can't. Her status is different now. If she dies, what will happen to the Jiang family?"
What they didn't know was that after the imperial decree was announced, someone brought Jiang Yuyao into the palace, ostensibly to teach her etiquette.
But it's just to prevent a repeat of the past. This time, with the secret guards watching over them, there's absolutely no chance of any problems arising again.
Jiang Chaoyu was still worried about Jiang Yuyao. Seeing Jiang Chaoyu's furrowed brows, Zeng Chenhua wondered if he should bring forward the plan.
Jiang Chaoyu pretended that it was nothing, not wanting to put Zeng Chenhua in a difficult position, but she had a bigger plan in mind.
As night fell, she sneaked into Jiang Yuyao's courtyard while Zeng Chenhua was out, but not a single light was on, and not even her maid was by her side.
Jiang Chaoyu was very curious. Where had the person gone? Had they been summoned to the palace?
Just as she was about to open the door, she quickly heard a loud noise outside the courtyard. She leaned against the wall and listened to the sounds outside.
Jiang Chaoyu caught sight of Xie Yunyin again through the gaps in the room. Jiang Chaoyu was unaware that Jiang Yunxin's feelings for Jiang Yuyao were not simply those of siblings. Xie Yunyin's visit to the mansion was at Jiang Yunxin's invitation.
In the torchlight, only two figures could be seen swaying in the wind; as for what they were saying, he had no idea.
Jiang Chaoyu gripped the soft sword at her waist, ready to strike immediately if she were noticed.
Normally, the two would have noticed someone nearby, but tonight their discussion was quite intense, even bordering on treachery.
It's a pity we were too far away, otherwise we could have heard what they were saying.
But where did Jiang Yuyao go? Unable to find the answer, she had no choice but to try to find out from someone else.
It's time to find the traitor of the Crescent Moon Sect. Fortunately, he didn't pose a real threat to the sect.
"Junior brother, where are you coming from?"
Jiang Chaoyu appeared in the pavilion of the Crescent Moon Gate, sitting quietly as if waiting for Xu Ninghui to appear. Xu Ninghui had returned to the pavilion after carrying out some mission, and perhaps because he was a little tired, he poured himself a cup of tea and drank it all in one gulp.
Jiang Chaoyu kept a close eye on Xu Ninghui's movements. Only after seeing him finally drink it did a triumphant smile appear on her lips. She then gently placed the teacup on the table.
After quenching his thirst, Xu Ninghui slowly recounted, "The Crescent Moon Sect is investigating an eighth-level criminal, and I almost caught him today."
"Oh, is that so? Then Junior Brother knows about the Jiang family's eldest daughter being sent to a political marriage, right?"
The people in the News Pavilion would quickly receive all the news from the capital, so those who frequently stayed at the Crescent Moon Gate could obtain information rapidly.
So Xu Ninghui nodded without hesitation, "Of course."
"But didn't Junior Brother say that the Eldest Princess wasn't dead? Why was the princess sent for the marriage changed?"
Jiang Chaoyu asked casually, but in reality she was waiting for the medicine to take effect. Her medicine was colorless and odorless, and it could make people unable to muster strength for a short time. Even a big, strong person would be helpless. Moreover, it was very effective at getting people to talk. However, the effect took a while, so Jiang Chaoyu wanted to stall for time.
Xu Ninghui frowned, pretending that he didn't know about the matter either. "Logically speaking, when I set the fire, I saw people being rescued, so it's impossible for them to have died."
Upon hearing this answer, Jiang Chaoyu raised an eyebrow with interest, then pretended to suddenly realize something, "Oh~ it seems that Junior Brother witnessed the scene of the cat switching the prince."
Xu Ninghui didn't know what to say, so he just echoed Jiang Chaoyu, "It seems so."
It was almost time, so Jiang Chaoyu pretended to stand up and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
"Okay, I'll see you off... Senior Sister~" Xu Ninghui stood up to see Jiang Chaoyu off, but the moment he stood up, his legs seemed to lose strength and he couldn't stand up. He collapsed next to the table, his eyes fixed on the culprit Jiang Chaoyu in front of him.
She smiled and leaned closer to look at me, as if admiring her prey. "Come out, senior sister."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Yuanxiu appeared out of nowhere in front of him, and Xu Ninghui realized that he had been tricked.
Still intending to put up a stubborn resistance, they asked, "Senior sisters, what are you doing?"
But Jiang Chaoyu didn't want to pretend anymore and directly exposed Xu Ninghui's identity, "You are the Princess's deceased younger brother, aren't you?"
That year, the Xu family died on the battlefield, leaving only Xu Huanong and Xu Ninghui. The two were separated, and Xu Ninghui met Shanyao and claimed to be Shanyao's younger brother.
It wasn't until the Eldest Princess went to Jincheng Temple that they recognized each other's identities. By then, Xu Ninghui was already at Wanyue Gate, so all of Xu Huanong's medicines were given to her by Xu Ninghui, including the fake death medicine she received this time.
Jiang Chaoyu had suspected for a long time who in the Crescent Moon Sect could possess such extraordinary abilities, and it wasn't until she found clues from Shanyao that she finally identified Xu Ninghui as the culprit.
Considering the previous arson attack by the Eldest Princess, it was unexpected that it really was Xu Ninghui.
On the surface, he was a member of the Crescent Moon Sect, but in reality, he was a member of Zeng Chenhua's faction. In the end, he was actually a member of the Eldest Princess's faction.
Fortunately, he didn't do anything bad, but as long as he's still at Crescent Moon Gate, he'll ruin things there.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, Jiang Chaoyu and Li Yuanxiu forced him into a secret room.
"You were the one who gave the princess the drug to fake her death, weren't you?"
"yes!"
"That letter from Crescent Moon Gate was also left by you, wasn't it?"
"yes!"
"The carrier pigeon that Xie Yunyin had before was also given to you by you, wasn't it?"
"yes!"
Xu Ninghui was bound tightly with ropes at this time, and even after he regained his strength, he was unable to break free. Moreover, he was still under the influence of the drug, and everything he said was true.
Xu Ninghui narrowed his eyes, looking at Jiang Chaoyu and Li Yuanxiu in front of him, "Then when did Senior Sister find out that I am the Princess's younger brother?"
“You told me that you and Shanyao were siblings, but when I asked Shanyao about your parents that day, she said that she picked you up when she was fleeing on the road. That’s when I realized your true identity.”
Upon hearing this answer, Xu Ninghui suddenly realized what was going on and couldn't help but sneer, "Then, senior sisters, you can kill me or do whatever you want with me!"
After all, we've been fellow disciples for so long, so the bond between us is still there.
"Of course I won't kill you, but your sister will be very worried about your disappearance."
These words struck at Xu Ninghui's weak spot, and he immediately became agitated. "If you're going to attack, attack me! My sister finally got her freedom, please let her live her own life, okay?"
For the sake of his elder sister, Xu Ninghui disregarded everything else. He believed that their relationship was still strong enough to spare him from harming his sister.
But there's still the revenge for my master that I haven't taken, all because of the South City Organization. If it weren't for them, how could my master have died?
"Your older sister isn't as weak as you think; she's the leader of the South City Organization."
But in the eyes of her family, she was always the weakest, and they were always afraid that she would be wronged.
"Senior sisters, I'm begging you."
Even though he was tied to a pillar, even though his own life was in danger, he still wanted to give his older sister the chance to live. He himself had enjoyed a long and carefree life; only his sister had been confined by the imperial city. She had finally escaped, and hadn't even had a few days to enjoy it. He didn't want…
Jiang Chaoyu ignored Xu Ninghui's pleas for help. He had people to protect, and she had her own grudges to avenge. In the end, they could never reach an agreement.
Now all we have to do is wait for the birds to leave the nest, but we don't know how much Xu Huanong values her younger brother.
After making inquiries at the News Pavilion, Jiang Chaoyu finally learned of Jiang Yuyao's whereabouts.
Using her supernatural abilities once again, Jiang Chaoyu arrived at the palace where Jiang Yuyao was staying. Fearing that someone was guarding outside, Jiang Chaoyu went directly to Jiang Yuyao.
When Jiang Yuyao saw her appear directly in front of her, her eyes widened and her face was filled with shock.
She didn't expect Jiang Chaoyu to appear out of thin air in front of her. Just as she was about to exclaim, Jiang Chaoyu covered her mouth.
His eyes were still scanning around when he realized that there were indeed people guarding outside. He then pulled Jiang Yuyao into the bed curtains.
"Sister, how have you been lately?"
Jiang Chaoyu released her hand, but Jiang Yuyao was still immersed in the shock of what had just happened and had not yet recovered.
Jiang Chaoyu shook his hand vigorously in front of her to bring Jiang Yuyao back to her senses.
"Why did you appear here out of thin air?" Jiang Yuyao whispered. At this moment, she didn't care about Jiang Chaoyu's question anymore, she was only thinking about how Jiang Chaoyu had appeared out of thin air.
"It's a long story, sister, I want to save you."
Jiang Chaoyu tried to pull Jiang Yuyao away, but Jiang Yuyao let go of Jiang Chaoyu's hand.
Her eyes held a detached indifference that seemed to see through everything, and her tone carried a hint of despair. The way she looked at Jiang Chaoyu was as if she were looking at someone else entirely.
"You're not my real little sister, and with my profit-driven father and my brother whom I've hated for so long, there's no reason for me to go back to this family." Her eyes were like a still lake that had been stagnant for a long time, unfathomable, and her tone was equally devoid of any lingering affection.
But Jiang Chaoyu felt something was very wrong when she heard this. "Sister, what are you saying? I am your little sister."
Jiang Yuyao stared intently at Jiang Chaoyu, trying to see a shadow of another person in her, but she didn't. She lowered her head and sighed, "Don't pretend with me anymore. You don't belong to this world. I hated you before and tried to accept you, but I can't. I know you have no ill intentions towards us, but accepting you is like forgetting my real little sister. I'm sorry."
Jiang Yuyao held her hand tightly, feeling warmth as well as a surging emotion that didn't belong to her, and her head also throbbed with pain.
Seeing Jiang Chaoyu's somewhat pained expression, Jiang Yuyao wondered if she had forgotten that memory, which was why she thought she was Jiang Chaoyu.
“I have gone to Jincheng Temple many times to pray that the real Jiang Zhaoyu could come back, but now it seems that you have become the ‘real Jiang Zhaoyu’.”
Jiang Yuyao stroked Jiang Chaoyu's cold hand, trying to give her some warmth. "When you first came, some of your actions were too strange. Maybe you wanted to go home then, but now you're becoming more and more like one of us. I'm starting to realize that you might have been assimilated by us."
"Strange? Assimilation?"
Jiang Chaoyu was somewhat confused about Jiang Yuyao's meaning. Who exactly was she, and why were there suddenly some memories in her mind that didn't belong to her?
"Mom and Dad, wait for me!"
She heard her own voice, but who were the two people carrying her on their backs?
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