"Afan?"
"You... what are you doing here??"
Su Ruodan looked at the young man in front of her in disbelief, her voice trembling.
The joy of entering the palace cooled considerably.
"I don't need to prove to you that I'm not a tyrant, but seeing is believing, hearing is deceiving. Su Ruofan, see for yourself."
Yin Jiuxiao suddenly sneered.
Zi Xi suddenly coughed.
Yin Jiuxiao said lazily, "The people have arrived. Bring them all up."
Several guards were brought in; they were the same guards who had watched over Su Ruodan back then.
"Speak, this is Miss Su's younger brother. Tell him everything you heard and saw while you were watching over Miss Su."
Zi Xi said calmly.
The guards knelt down, and one of them stepped forward to answer: "Your Majesty, on the day Miss Su was released from the dungeon, this humble servant informed her of the whereabouts of the Su family and even prepared a carriage and money."
"But she tore up her travel permit, saying that since she had been abandoned, why should she go back to that heartless home?"
The leading guard hesitated.
"Impossible! How could my sister..."
"We...have been wanting to come and find you..."
Su Ruofan was struck dumb.
ungrateful?
How could my sister think of them like that?!
"Looking for me?! Where were you when I was imprisoned in the dungeon?"
Where were you when I was homeless and living on the streets?!
Su Ruodan's voice was shrill, as if she had no recollection of refusing to return to her hometown and leaving without even taking the money.
"My parents have been seriously ill these past few years, and I..."
Su Ruofan thought Su Ruodan would understand.
"Enough!"
"Having abandoned me time and time again, what's with this pretense of deep affection?! It only makes you look more hypocritical!!"
She gave a bitter laugh, her tone resolute.
Zi Xi pulled Yin Jiu Xiao silently to the door, leaving the siblings alone.
Yin Jiuxiao leaned against a pillar outside the corridor, raising an eyebrow: "That's it? You're not going to watch anymore? Didn't you want to know?"
"Your Majesty! You know perfectly well what kind of nightmare I had!"
Am I the kind of person who enjoys helping others?
Zi Xi said softly, and Yin Jiuxiao snorted, but quietly took her hand.
"Dreams are always the opposite of reality. My empire will never be taken away by such an indecisive person."
A breeze swept through the courtyard, causing their hair to intertwine.
*
Su Ruofan stood in the hall, staring intently at the woman before him, his throat tightening.
Is this really his older sister?
In his memory, Su Ruodan had sharp, piercing eyes and a spirited smile. She was a horseman and archer, no less than any man, which made him admire her greatly and see her as his role model.
But the sharp-tongued, mean-spirited person in front of him is his older sister?
"Sister, you... have changed."
Su Ruofan's voice trembled as she managed to squeeze out these words from her throat.
"No one stays the same forever. Haven't you become this hypocritical person too?!"
Su Ruodan gave a cold laugh.
Even the voice has changed.
It was no longer the clear, cheerful tone I remembered, but a sharp, shrill voice.
Su Ruofan felt a tightness in her chest and suddenly stepped forward, grabbing her wrist: "Sister! Look at me!!"
"Let me go!"
Su Ruodan slapped him skillfully and rubbed her wrist.
Su Ruofan felt as if she had been struck by lightning, her face burning as she released her grip.
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