Chapter 278 Deterrence
Despite Princess Shanmin's words revealing the truth, Ning Sihan remained unmoved and slowly spoke under various strange gazes:
"Three years ago, thanks to An'an's help, I was able to completely get rid of the torment of the poison. I have no way to repay the life-saving grace, so at the suggestion of Physician Wang and Physician Li, I have decided to recognize An'an as my sworn sister."
Those present looked enlightened upon hearing this.
I see!
For the first twenty-five years of his life, Prince Ning suffered greatly from cruel poisoning and was diagnosed by the Imperial Medical Academy as not living past the age of twenty-five. Otherwise, he would not have spent more than ten years recuperating in Jiangnan.
Three years ago, Prince Ning returned to the capital safely, shocking the entire upper class. Everyone wanted to know how the residual poison in his body had been cured.
Unexpectedly, the person who cured the poison was the wife of the third-ranked scholar.
Could it be that the wife of the third-ranked scholar is skilled in medicine, even more so than the imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital?
You can't tell at all!
The crowd looked at Sheng An with a mixture of belief and doubt, but no one questioned that she and Ning Sihan were sworn brothers and sisters.
What a joke! Prince Ning is favored by the Empress Dowager and His Majesty. Why would he need to tell them such a big lie?
Judging from the anxious look on Ning Shizi's face when he came in just now, it's enough to prove that he and the Third Scholar's wife have a very close relationship; it's almost as if they saved each other's lives.
Sheng An was dumbfounded. Who wouldn't be confused when a sworn brother suddenly appeared?
Moreover, this sworn brother is no ordinary person; he is someone who can confront her enemies head-on without any scruples.
Sure enough, she hadn't misjudged the person, nor had she saved the wrong person. It was worth it for her to cook for Ning Sihan for half a year!
It's such a great deal!
Sheng An didn't take Ning Sihan's words seriously, knowing that he was deliberately saying that to Princess Shanmin to protect her.
However, in front of everyone, she showed a look of affection towards Ning Sihan and exclaimed, "Brother, thank goodness you arrived in time, otherwise... otherwise I..."
After saying that, Sheng An pretended to be afraid and glanced at Princess Shanmin, then moved her feet slightly behind Ning Sihan.
A flash of heartache crossed Ning Sihan's eyes, but when she looked up at Princess Shanmin again, her voice carried a hint of coldness:
"Out of respect for Princess Pingyuan, I will consider what happened just now to be an unintentional act by the princess. However, if the princess dares to harm An'an again in the future, the entire An'nan Marquis's Mansion will not let this go!"
Now, the Marquis of An'nan's mansion is completely under Ning Sihan's control. Even the Marquis of An'nan, who favors the legitimate son born to his second wife, dares not have any other thoughts.
Upon hearing the threat in Ning Sihan's words, Princess Shanmin's face turned ashen.
She felt intense hatred and even harbored murderous intent towards Ning Sihan, but she could only suppress it desperately.
Finally, Princess Shanmin glanced at Xu Jinnian, her face dark, and left without saying a word.
As they watched her figure disappear completely, the ladies present breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling as if they had survived a disaster.
With the person who harbored murderous intent towards him gone, Sheng An secretly breathed a sigh of relief and curtsied to thank Ning Sihan: "Worldly..."
She had barely finished speaking when Ning Sihan raised his hand and stopped her with a smile: "As your older brother, it is my duty to help you. An'an, there is no need to thank me."
Sheng An, are you trying to solidify your sworn sibling relationship?
Since she was the one who benefited, Sheng An didn't dwell on it much and readily accepted the change in their roles: "Thank you, brother!"
This time, the "brother" sounded much more genuine than before.
Ning Sihan smiled gently, her eyes no longer showing the indifference she had shown when facing Princess Shanmin.
Seeing this, the others couldn't help but look at Sheng An with envy.
With her sworn brother, Prince Ning, protecting her, even Princess Shanmin has to be somewhat wary of her. This lady of the third-ranked scholar is truly blessed!
Xu Jinnian was worried about Sheng An and the child in her womb, and did not want to stay any longer, so she bid farewell to Song Zhihang.
Song Zhihang dared not ask them to stay, and said apologetically, "I was the one who invited you here, but I didn't expect this to happen. I'm sorry to have frightened you, sister-in-law."
Sheng An quickly said, "This is not your fault, you don't need to blame yourself."
Song Zhihang shook his head and personally saw the couple out.
Tan Zhenlin and his sister also wanted to leave and go see what was going on, but Xu Jinnian said to Tan Zhenlin, "The officialdom is like a battlefield. It will be good for you to stay and see and hear more."
After hesitating for a moment, Tan Zhenlin finally listened to him and stayed.
Ning Sihan did not stay. Using the excuse that she was worried about Sheng An, she got into the carriage and followed the couple to their home.
After the doctor came to Sheng'an's house to take her pulse and confirmed that Sheng'an and the child were not seriously injured and only needed to drink calming soup and rest for a period of time, Ning Sihan left with peace of mind.
Not long after, the steward of the Marquis of Annan's residence delivered a cartload of goods, including all kinds of food and daily necessities, as well as a box of aged tonic herbs, the most precious of which was a three-hundred-year-old ginseng.
Sheng An had been in this time and space for several years, and this was the first time he had seen ginseng of such high age. He was too embarrassed to accept it and immediately asked the steward to take it back.
The steward explained, "Madam, this ginseng was personally requested by the young master. He said that since you are about to give birth, it is for your convenience. He hopes that you will accept it without worry, otherwise I will not be able to explain myself when I return."
Having said that, Sheng An had no choice but to accept it: "Please thank the young master for me."
After seeing the steward off, Sheng An carefully put away the old ginseng and said to Xu Jinnian in a daze, "What happened today feels like a dream."
Xu Jinnian held her hand, his voice trembling slightly: "It's my fault for not protecting you well."
Sheng An raised her hand and gently stroked his face, leaning forward slightly to touch his forehead: "The culprit is that woman, you've already done very well."
After saying that, she kissed the man on the cheek, then stepped back and changed the subject with a smile: "What about that dagger? Did you do it? I didn't know you had that skill."
Seeing his wife's tenderness, Xu Jinnian felt even more distressed, and his disgust and hatred for Princess Shanmin deepened.
"Who didn't dream of becoming a knight-errant when they were young? I started learning martial arts by practicing throwing knives, but I stopped because I was focused on my studies, until today when you were in danger..."
Upon receiving a report from the maid that An'an was in danger, he immediately rushed to the garden. On the way, he saw several young masters from noble families playing a knife-throwing competition, so he casually picked up a knife and used it.
Upon hearing this, Sheng An couldn't help but give a thumbs up: "You're amazing!"
With just a small dagger, he pierced the maid's palm from a distance; such accuracy and power are not something everyone can master.
At least she doesn't have that ability.
Hearing his wife's unwavering praise did not lift Xu Jinnian's spirits.
He didn't show it, but picked up the calming soup to test the temperature, and only after confirming it wasn't too hot did he pick up a spoon and feed it to Sheng An:
"This is nothing. If An'an wants to learn, I will teach you after the baby is born."
The culprit who caused An'an's tragic death in her past life is, without a doubt, the woman who hurt An'an today.
If the occasion hadn't been inappropriate, a knife would have pierced her neck.
What a pity...
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