Chapter 477

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuanrang felt a heavy weight in his heart. What was he doing back then? He ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‍was in Lucheng, in the Jiang residence, managing all the affairs of the Jiang family.

He had no idea he even had a younger sister, let alone that she had been plotted against by scoundrels.

Thinking about this, Jiang Yuanrang clenched his fists tightly.

But then, recalling that Li Tianyou had agreed to the betrothal, Jiang Yuanrang cursed under his breath, "That stubborn old man!"

"Elder Brother, at the time, Father and Mother had no choice. After all, we were only a small merchant family back then. A household like the Ru'an Marquis Manor was not something we could refuse." Seeing Jiang Yuanrang's fury, Li Zhiwei sighed inwardly. She had indeed received too much of her parents' love over the years. Even the affection her parents had meant for her elder brother had been given to her.

"Hmm." Although Jiang Yuanrang knew that what Li Zhiwei said was true, he still found it unforgivable.

Looking at Li Zhiwei before him, he sighed. He was no longer an ignorant young man; he fully understood the helplessness of adulthood.

In the front courtyard.

Xu Heming felt extremely uneasy the moment he thought of Li Zhiwei walking away with another man. Although Jiang Yuanrang might be Li Zhiwei's elder brother, the two had never lived together all these years.

What if this man was not Li Tianyou's son at all?

The more Xu Heming thought about it, the more anxious he became.

No, he could not allow Li Zhiwei to be alone with this man.

"Your Highness, what are you doing?" Li Tianyou watched Xu Heming pace back and forth, feeling dizzy from the sight.

"Father-in-law, don't you think it's inappropriate for them to be alone together in a room like this?" Xu Heming looked at Li Tianyou with displeasure.

Even if that man was his son, he had not grown up under his watch. Xu Heming had no idea what kind of character the man had. If he truly harmed Li Zhiwei, wouldn't Li Tianyou regret it?

"Your Highness, you overthink things. That man is Weiwei's elder brother!" Li Tianyou rolled his eyes. Xu Heming was actually jealous of siblings.

"Father-in-law, aren't you afraid he might be an impostor?" Xu Heming was extremely frustrated. If Li Tianyou hadn't been holding him back, he would have gone inside by now.

"Prince An, isn't that question a little foolish? With a face that's a spitting image of mine, do I need to doubt it?" Li Tianyou looked at Xu Heming and once again felt that this man must be after his family fortune.

Now that he had a son again, Xu Heming seemed dissatisfied.

"Father-in-law, that's not what I meant. I'm just worried about Weiwei's safety." Xu Heming quickly caught the look in Li Tianyou's eyes and hastily explained.

"Master, His Highness surely didn't mean it that way." Lady Yao gently tugged at Li Tianyou's sleeve, afraid he might say something to offend Xu Heming.

"Your Highness, when I was pregnant with Weiwei, Zhou'er loved to lie on my belly and call her 'little sister.' As a child, he always looked forward to her birth. Now, after being separated for so many years, they've finally met. They must have some things to discuss privately. Rest assured, Zhou'er knows his limits," Lady Yao said with a smile to Xu Heming.

"How can you be so sure that he is your eldest son?" Xu Heming asked, both anxious and exasperated.

Li Tianyou and Lady Yao exchanged a knowing smile.

How could they not recognize their own child?

The moment they saw Jiang Yuanrang, they knew it was their son.

But along with relief, their eyes were filled with guilt.

"Your Highness, to be honest, we have you to thank. If it weren't for you, we would never have known our child was still alive," Li Tianyou said, his spirits lifted by the good news. Even his gaze toward Xu Heming softened a little.

If Xu Heming hadn't gone to Lucheng and, by chance, saved Jiang Yuanrang, then not only sent word back to the capital but also brought the man back, Li Tianyou acknowledged that debt.

He thought to himself that aside from being a bit older, having been married to a princess before, and having a son, Xu Heming was still worthy of his daughter.

But then again, considering Xu Heming was the emperor's favorite, if it weren't for these circumstances, his daughter might not have had the chance to marry him.

Now, even with these conditions, Xu Heming could still marry any aristocratic lady in the capital if he wished.

It was simply that Xu Heming himself didn't want to.

Xu Heming, who had been anxious all along, now regretted it bitterly upon hearing this.

If he had known, he should have waited until after his wedding to Li Zhiwei before bringing the man back.

Otherwise, just before the grand wedding, his self-found brother-in-law wanted to break off the engagement.

Thinking of the Jiang family's pharmaceutical business, if Jiang Yuanrang offered precious medicinal herbs, the emperor, who had a habit of being ungrateful, might actually be tempted.

At this thought, Xu Heming grew even more displeased.

"Your Highness, is that expression on your face because you're unhappy about me finding my son?" Li Tianyou could not help but ask when he saw Xu Heming's gloomy expression.

“My lord, the prince surely didn’t mean it that way.” Lady Yao gently tugged at Li Tianyou’s sleeve. Although she, too, felt that Xu Heming’s expression was somewhat somber at this moment, if they were to say Xu Heming had actually done something wrong, they really couldn’t point out exactly what his mistake was.

“Your Highness, please don’t fret. Zhou’er holds a misunderstanding toward my wife and me, so Wei’er surely wants to clear things up with him.” Li Tianyou glanced around the courtyard and understood his daughter’s intentions—after all, the Ruiyun Pavilion had been carefully prepared for Li Tingzhou by the three of them.

“Hmph!” Xu Heming was displeased, but this man was someone he himself had brought back—what could he do about it?

He could only sit to one side, his gaze never leaving the direction of the Ruiyun Pavilion.

Jiang Yuanrang and Li Zhiwei sat facing each other.

The brother and sister talked for a long time.

“Little sister, do you truly want to marry that Prince An?” Jiang Yuanrang wasn’t exactly averse to Xu Heming, but he didn’t know why—he just felt a desire to protect this sister. In his heart, he didn’t want Li Zhiwei to marry Xu Heming.

Even though Xu Heming was actually his lifesaver.

“Brother, the prince treats me very well, and Father and Mother truly cherish me.” Li Zhiwei looked at her elder brother with some amusement.

She had to admit—it really felt good to have a brother!

“Hmph, saying they cherish you isn’t enough. I’ll stay and see for myself.” Although Jiang Yuanrang believed Li Zhiwei’s words in his heart, he wasn’t about to forgive them so quickly with his mouth.

After all, back then, how could they have misidentified even their own child’s body?

If it hadn’t been for that, he wouldn’t have been so late in meeting his sister—and his sister had already passed the age when she needed his care.

At the thought, Jiang Yuanrang was deeply dissatisfied.

Especially now that he had just returned and only just learned he had a sister—only for her to be taken away entirely by some wretched man.

“Big brother, you agree to stay?” Li Zhiwei was overjoyed.