"Sister!"
When Jiang Zhenlin arrived, he saw Jiang Yanwan standing anxiously outside the courtyard gate. Her nose was red from the cold because she had been waiting for so long.
"She won't let you in?"
Jiang Yanwan was surprised to see him at first, then lowered her eyes in a wronged manner, "I..."
Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Zhenlin glared at the guards at the door and said, "She's my older sister. She's here to see Lin Qingwan. What right do you have to stop her?"
The guard, a man of the Crown Prince, gave Jiang Zhenlin a cold look and said, "After she arrived, she just stood by the door looking inside without saying a word. If we didn't know she was the daughter of the Prime Minister's family, do you think we would have let her linger here for so long, Young Master Jiang?"
Jiang Zhenlin's curse words were stuck in his throat.
Jiang Yanwan didn't expect the guard to be so direct, but she remained calm and said, "I was afraid that Qingwan wouldn't want to see me, but I was worried about her and wanted her to come back to celebrate the New Year with me. I was also afraid of upsetting her."
"After all, she suffered so much before her health improved."
When Jiang Zhenlin learned that she had come to see Lin Qingwan, he was afraid that she would be wronged, so he rushed over without stopping. It was hard for his older sister to think so much about Lin Qingwan, and when he thought about Lin Qingwan's attitude towards him a few days ago, he couldn't help but feel angry.
"Don't worry about her, she's having a great time here."
Jiang Zhenlin reached out to grab Jiang Yanwan, but suddenly smelled a very faint scent of blood. His heart skipped a beat. "Sister?"
Jiang Yanwan's eyes flickered and she quickly pulled her hand into her sleeve. Jiang Zhenlin saw this and pulled her over hard. He saw a very thin and shallow wound on her originally fair and smooth arm.
Jiang Zhenlin glared angrily at the guards, "They hit you?"
The guard glared back at him. "Young Master Jiang, can't you have a little discernment? If the Eastern Palace guards can only draw a line on her arm, wouldn't that be too incompetent?"
Jiang Zhenlin was taken aback, "Then my older sister..."
Xia Yan said aggrievedly, "Young Master, Miss was injured by that Mr. Ruan."
"When Miss came over, she ran into Mr. Ruan and wanted to ask about Miss Qingwan's situation. Mr. Ruan insisted that Miss had harmed him and even slashed Miss with a dagger."
Jiang Yanwan snapped, "Shut up! Who told you to talk nonsense?"
"Ah Lin, don't listen to Xia Yan's nonsense, we..."
Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Zhenlin started fighting with the guards and yelled into the room, "Lin Qingwan, let that Ruan guy out!"
"If I don't beat him to death today, I'm not a Jiang!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Tong Di opened the door from the inside, looked coldly at Jiang Zhenlin, and ordered the guards, "Throw them out."
Jiang Zhenlin became even angrier when he saw Tong Di was there too. "Have you no shame? She's a young woman who's always coming and going with you guys. Are you doing this for her own good, or do you just want her to be drowned in your spittle?"
The guards showed no mercy in their actions, and they were equally sharp-tongued, saying, "Where in the capital is there anyone who spits as much as Young Master Jiang?"
"What we're saying is, if you're sick, go see a doctor. Don't go around biting people like a mad dog."
Seeing this, Jiang Yanwan immediately came over to stop him, saying, "Ah Lin, stop hitting him. Don't make your mother worry."
"Let's go home!"
Jiang Yanwan burst into tears before Jiang Zhenlin finally calmed down, glaring angrily inside, "You'd better not let that Ruan guy leave the house!"
As Lin Qingwan heard the fighting outside had stopped, her brows slowly relaxed.
Mu Xue bandaged him very gently, but when she finally tightened the gauze, Ruan Tinghuai still let out a muffled groan.
Lin Qingwan asked, "How did you two get into a conflict?"
Ruan Tinghuai's eyes were filled with hatred. "She used me to hurt you, and then pretended to come see you."
He said with suppressed anger, "Qingwan, did you see that? Even if you endure this humiliation and go back, they won't let me go. In that case, why should you suffer? Let's escape together!"
With his hands in hers and her eyes filled with eager anticipation, how could Lin Qingwan not feel a surge of desire?
"Sir, please calm down."
"Qingwan, promise me." Ruan Tinghuai refused to let go.
There was a light knock on the door twice. Lin Qingwan withdrew her hands. "We'll talk about this after the New Year. Guard Tong will take care of things for you in the next few days."
"Take good care of yourself and don't think too much."
Ruan Tinghuai's eyes lit up when he saw that she had relented.
He prepared the meal and then followed Tong Di out of the courtyard. "Guard Tong, why can't I spend New Year's Eve with Qingwan? She has always wanted someone to celebrate the New Year with her."
He didn't know the Crown Prince was coming.
Tong Di stood up straight, one hand gripping the hilt of his sword at his waist. "This is the Crown Prince's courtyard, not Mr. Ruan's lodging in the capital."
“I know. I had my eye on a courtyard house, but time was short, and I didn’t have time to move Qingwan there before the New Year.”
Tong Di's voice was devoid of any emotion. "Mr. Ruan is far too confident. With Miss Qingwan by your side, can you really protect her?"
"I am certainly no match for the Crown Prince, but I am willing to give it a try."
Tong Di's eyes narrowed. "I don't know whether to praise your courage or to lament your simplistic thinking."
"You're forcing her to jump off a cliff."
Ruan Tinghuai, who had been behaving gently and friendly all this time, suddenly turned cold. "Does Guard Tong also like Qingwan?"
Tong Di's back stiffened.
Ruan Tinghuai said disdainfully, "I am very grateful for your life-saving rescue, but what Qingwan needs is not love, but freedom. She needs someone who can take her away from this devilish place, even if it's a cliff, she is willing to try with me."
Tong Di gripped the hilt of his sword, slammed his fist against the wall beside him, and suddenly turned around, his gaze sharp. "Even when she was drained of blood, she hoped that I would take her away alive. She fought with all her might to survive, and in the Prime Minister's residence, she was unwilling to suffer any injustice she shouldn't have."
"You! Someone who abandoned her before, what right do you have to make her die with you!"
Tong Di's hot breath made Ruan Tinghuai feel as if he had a fishbone stuck in his throat.
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