“Brother, I told him that I would marry him if he could save Father.” Xu Nian concealed the fact that she had been forcibly taken back to the village by A Jiang.
"What? You're confused! How could you promise your marriage to someone else? Finding a husband is a lifelong matter for a young woman!" Xu Chengming pointed at Xu Nian, too angry to speak.
"No, this marriage has to be called off. Father won't agree to you sacrificing yourself to save him." Xu Chengming paced anxiously back and forth.
“Brother, I already promised Ah Jiang.” Xu Nian looked at her brother disapprovingly.
"Little sister, don't worry about this. Your brother and father will help you resolve it." Xu Chengming also understood that one should keep one's promises.
But she was his younger sister whom he had doted on since childhood. He couldn't bear to watch her marry a penniless man.
"Brother." Xu Nian was interrupted by Xu Chengming as soon as she opened her mouth.
"Sister, there are so many ways to repay a debt of gratitude, why must you sacrifice your happiness? Ask yourself honestly, do you like him?" Xu Chengming's words stumped Xu Nian.
She likes him? How could she like him?
Xu Nian's prolonged silence made Xu Chengming realize that his sister had no romantic feelings for the boy named A Jiang.
"Alright, don't worry, your brother will help you solve this." Xu Chengming patted Xu Nian's head.
"I've made my brother worry again," Xu Nian said, bowing her head in self-reproach.
Xu Chengming sighed. After all, she was his younger sister. If he didn't spoil her, who would?
"Sister, you can come in now." The tent flap was lifted, and A-Jiang's innocent smile made Xu Chengming, who understood the situation, feel a little guilty.
"Let's go! Let's go see how Father is doing." Xu Chengming took the lead and entered the tent. When he saw his father regain consciousness and sit on the edge of the bed, he almost cried tears of joy.
"Cheng'er, where is your sister?" Xu's father took a sip of the medicine that Doctor Fang had brought over, but he still felt uneasy when he didn't see Xu Nian.
He has a vague memory; he remembers swinging a knife at his own child, struggling desperately, but he doesn't remember what happened in the end.
"Father, I'm here!" Xu Nian came in with tears in her eyes, but when she saw that her father was alright, she held back her tears.
Today is a good day; she mustn't cry.
"Niannian, why have you lost so much weight lately? Has your brother not been feeding you?" Xu's father glared at Xu Chengming. Is this how he acts as an older brother? What kind of sister has she become?
"Father, you've wronged my brother. He's treated me very well." Xu Nian quickly cleared Xu Chengming's name, otherwise he would definitely get three lashes.
"Niannian, don't speak up for your brother. Your father won't wrong him." Father Xu pretended to blow his beard and glare, completely ruining the atmosphere that had just been relieved.
The gloom in Xu Nian and Xu Chengming's hearts dissipated, and looking at their father, who was as usual, the two of them smiled helplessly!
"Cheng'er, Niannian, quickly help your father thank this young man for saving your life." Father Xu noticed that A Jiang's eyes were fixed on his daughter. His gaze sharpened for a moment, but then he smiled again.
Xu Nian: "Thank you, A Jiang, for saving my life!"
Xu Chengming: "Thank you so much, Brother A Jiang, for saving my life!"
“Sister, A-Jiang said that you never need to thank A-Jiang.” A-Jiang didn’t like Xu Nian thanking him, as it made him feel a distance between them.
"Niannian, you go out first. Your father and brother have something to say to this young man." Xu's father winked at Xu Nian, urging her to leave quickly.
Xu Nian thought for a moment and then left the tent, but before leaving she said worriedly, "Father, brother, please don't make things difficult for A-Jiang."
"I don't want to make things difficult for him, I just have something to tell him." Mr. Xu chuckled to himself, wondering if his daughter was about to be kidnapped.
As soon as Xu Nian left, the atmosphere inside the tent returned to tense, especially between Xu's father and Xu Chengming.
Ah Jiang didn't care; he was more interested in seeing what his sister's family wanted to say to him.
...
Xu Nian left the tent, but instead of hiding to eavesdrop, she smiled and went back into her own tent.
Some time later, Xu Chengming came to find Xu Nian.
He told her that A-Jiang had already left, and that his promise to her had been rejected by him and his father.
Xu Nian asked how he refused, but Xu Chengming remained silent.
Just like he came, Ah Jiang arrived suddenly and left just as suddenly.
Xu Nian discovered that there were many more people guarding her around her tent. She went to find her father, who said it was to protect her.
Half a month after Xu's father recovered, an urgent letter suddenly arrived from the capital. The father and son looked at the contents of the letter, and their expressions became increasingly grim.
"The old emperor has no shame. He's almost in his grave, yet he still wants to marry my sister as a concubine. What a pipe dream!" Xu Chengming kicked over the table, clearly furious.
"Alas! If I had known this would happen, I would have let your sister go with that boy." Father Xu was filled with regret.
"Father, what do we do now? The old emperor's decree is already on its way." Xu Chengming, after being angry, began to worry about Xu Nian.
"If you don't want your sister to marry into the palace, make her disappear from this world before the imperial decree arrives." Xu's father had no intention of rebelling, but he could not disobey the imperial decree. His only plan now was to ensure that Xu Nian, the daughter of a general, would never exist in this world.
"Father, if we do this, we won't be able to recognize our sister anymore." Xu Chengming's eyes were bloodshot.
"Do we have any other options now?" Xu's father smiled bitterly. The late emperor had treated him well, and now the people of the world lived in peace and prosperity.
He cannot start a war for his own selfish reasons and disregard human lives.
The men in Xu's army also have families. When the war breaks out, they will be the first to die. How many of them will lose their husbands and fathers?
Xu's father also loved his children, so he was even more determined not to let the war start from his side.
"Father, I'm going to see my sister." Xu Chengming understood his father's concerns, and it was precisely because he understood them that he was in even greater pain.
"Go!" Mr. Xu slumped into his chair, exuding a sense of dejection.
Xu Chengming arrived at Xu Nian's tent, but found no one there. He asked the guards and learned that Xu Nian had left the camp quite some time ago.
"Did the young lady say where she's going?" Xu Chengming suddenly had a bad feeling.
"No, the young lady didn't say a word, she just rode away on her beloved horse," the guard recalled.
Xu Chengming was certain that Xu Nian's departure was unusual. Just as he was about to send someone to look for Xu Nian, a crow flew over.
The crow tossed the bamboo tube it was carrying in its beak into Xu Chengming's arms, then flapped its wings and flew away.
Regardless of whether it was a trap or not, Xu Chengming opened the bamboo tube and was so angry he almost laughed.
He took the letter from the bamboo tube to his father, who read it and pondered, "Cheng'er, go find a buried female corpse and pretend to be Niannian. Tell everyone that she is dead."
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