The Gusu Mistake - Chapter 57

Time passed, and Jiang Yilan’s health gradually improved. Still, she didn’t go out much, preferring to stay in her room with Yuan Ruo.

“I’m almost fully recovered now!” Jiang Yilan said to Yuan Ruo with a meaningful tone after drinking her medicine and rinsing her mouth.

Yuan Ruo smiled and asked, “You don’t like staying at the Han family’s?”

Jiang Yilan looked toward the door. “Your second brother comes every single day. Could you stand it if you were me?”

Yuan Ruo took Jiang Yilan’s hand and held it. “Then in a few days, once you’re completely well, we can leave together?”

Jiang Yilan’s lips curved upward. “Are you willing to leave your home?”

Yuan Ruo toyed with Jiang Yilan’s fingers. “I wouldn’t be, but every time I see my second brother, my heart…”

“Let’s go!” Jiang Yilan knew Yuan Ruo was sad and stopped her from continuing. “We’ll leave in two days!”

“Good,” Yuan Ruo agreed. A long moment of silence followed, their gazes filled with lingering affection and contentment.

“Knock, knock!” The door was suddenly knocked on. Yuan Ruo opened it to find a maid holding a bowl of soup. “Miss, Madam has stewed some soup and asked me to bring it to Miss Jiang.”

Yuan Ruo didn’t suspect anything. She took the bowl, smelled it, and confirmed it was a nourishing tonic with nothing wrong. She then took it to Jiang Yilan. “Come, my mother stewed it. Drink it.”

Jiang Yilan didn’t refuse. She had been eating and drinking at the Han family’s home these past few days, so she allowed Yuan Ruo to feed her.

After the soup was finished, Yuan Ruo handed the empty bowl and the medicine tray back to the maid. “You can take these away together.”

The maid took them but didn’t leave. “Oh, that’s right, Miss. Madam asked me to tell you that she has a good ginseng root that she can give to Miss Jiang. Why don’t you come and see it yourself? It would be best to decide how to prepare it.”

“This…” Yuan Ruo hesitated, turning to look at Jiang Yilan.

“Don’t worry about me,” Jiang Yilan said. “If you have something to do, just go.”

“Okay, wait for me. I’ll be back soon,” Yuan Ruo said before leaving with the maid. What she didn’t know was that as soon as she was gone, Han Yi appeared at Jiang Yilan’s door.

Han Yi didn’t enter the room right away. He just stood there, pacing, as if waiting for something. When he heard a subtle sound from inside, he pushed the door open. He found Jiang Yilan sitting on the floor, her face flushed. He rushed to help her up. “Yilan, what’s wrong with you?”

At this point, Jiang Yilan was already a little disoriented, but when she saw it was Han Yi, she immediately pushed him away. “Get away from me!”

“Yilan!” Jiang Yilan was weak and only managed to push Han Yi a little before he lunged forward again, wrapping his arms around her. “You’re still unwell. Come, I’ll help you to bed.”

“Let go of me!” Jiang Yilan fought with all her might to break free, but she couldn’t. Seeing that he was about to drag her to the bed, she grew desperate and plunged a silver needle into his arm.

“Ah!” Han Yi cried out in pain and finally let go of Jiang Yilan, looking at her angrily. “You stabbed me?”

“Stabbing you is too light!” Jiang Yilan, holding onto the edge of the bed for support, glared at Han Yi. “That soup… did you tamper with it?”

“You figured it out!” Han Yi didn’t deny it; he even sounded proud. “My mother’s ‘handiwork’ will surely satisfy you. In a moment, you won’t even have the strength to stab anyone. Don’t struggle. Just submit and become my woman. Marry me, and I promise I’ll treat you well!”

“Shameless!” Jiang Yilan cursed, but she had no more strength to say anything or even stand. She collapsed onto the bed.

Seeing Jiang Yilan’s state, Han Yi smugly approached her again. He picked her up, put her on the bed, and without a word, began to unfasten her clothes.

“Han Yi, what are you doing?” Yuan Ruo’s voice made Han Yi’s hands tremble, and he froze.

“Li-little sister, why are you back?”

“If I didn’t come back, how would I have known my second brother was such a beast?” Yuan Ruo walked over, pushed Han Yi away, and covered Jiang Yilan with a quilt.

“Little sister!” Even at this moment, Han Yi didn’t think he was wrong. “In any case, Yilan was originally supposed to be your elder brother’s wife. Now that she’s with me, she’ll be your second brother’s wife. Just accept it.”

Yuan Ruo’s response was to draw her long sword. “If you dare touch her again, I won’t hold back!”

“You won’t hold back against who?” Han Qing suddenly entered the room, with an air of authority. He looked at Yuan Ruo. “Yan’er, what are you doing? Why are you pointing a sword at your second brother?”

“That’s right, Yan’er. Why are you treating your second brother like this?” It turned out that both parents had come. When Yuan Ruo’s mother arrived, Yuan Ruo immediately understood that this entire scheme was likely planned by all three of them.

“I can’t do this to my second brother?” Yuan Ruo sheathed her sword and looked at Han Yi with a dark expression. “Then how could my second brother do this to our elder brother?”

At this point, Yuan Ruo no longer showed Han Yi any mercy.

“What?” Hearing the mention of Han Ming, Han Qing and his wife were both shocked, especially Han Qing. “Yan’er, what nonsense are you speaking?”

“I’m not speaking nonsense!” Yuan Ruo pointed at Han Yi. “You don’t know, do you? It was him, my own second brother, who passed information to the spies from the Wu and Jiang families, which led to the harm of our elder brother!”

Han Qing looked at Han Yi in disbelief. “Is that true? Yi’er!”

“Father, don’t listen to her. I didn’t!” Han Yi’s eyes darted away, but he still tried to stand his ground. “I… how could I possibly harm my elder brother?”

“Whether you did or not, you know it in your heart!” Yuan Ruo looked at Han Qing. “Father, I know you wanted to use Yilan to establish a connection with the Jiang family, but the Jiang family has fallen now, and Yilan is not someone you can just defile!”

However, Han Qing didn’t hear any of Yuan Ruo’s later words. All he could focus on was, “Yi’er harmed Ming’er!”

“Father…” Han Yi tried to approach Han Qing, but he was pushed away.

“Don’t call me father!” Han Qing pointed at Han Yi. “Tell me, was it really you who harmed Ming’er?”

“I…” Han Yi shrank back, unable to speak.

“It was you. I’ll kill you!” Han Qing lunged, aiming for Han Yi’s neck, but Mrs. Han stopped him.

“Husband, do you want to lose another son?”

“Son… hahahaha… son…” Han Qing walked out of the room in a daze. Mrs. Han quickly followed him, and Han Yi also hurried out.

After everyone had left, Yuan Ruo locked the door and then went to the bed. Seeing Jiang Yilan, whose face was still flushed, she leaned close to her ear. “Yilan, are you willing to give me your answer now?”

Jiang Yilan’s eyes, still hazy, lifted. She didn’t say anything, but instead pulled Yuan Ruo down, bringing their lips together.

The night was too intimate for onlookers; even the birds seemed to instinctively stay away. It wasn’t until early the next morning that Yuan Ruo led Jiang Yilan out of the room, hand in hand.

“Do we really have to leave right now?” Jiang Yilan asked Yuan Ruo, a hint of shyness in her voice.

Yuan Ruo smiled and asked, “You don’t want to leave? Do you really want to stay and become my sister-in-law?”

“Stop talking nonsense!” Jiang Yilan shot Yuan Ruo a glance. “But you said your parents now know the truth. What about you…”

“Let them handle it themselves. We’ll leave first,” Yuan Ruo shook Jiang Yilan’s hand. “You don’t want them to drug you again, do you?”

Jiang Yilan’s face darkened. “If they do it again, I’ll kill him!”

“Hey!” Yuan Ruo looked innocent. “Those are my parents!”

“Fine, forget it,” Jiang Yilan waved a hand. “Let’s go. We won’t worry about anything for now.”

“Okay,” Yuan Ruo nodded. “So, shall we go to the capital?”

“Good. I can also go meet up with an old friend.”

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