Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 347 Lingyue

It is similar, but it's not uncommon for women to have male names, but Guan Lingyue is not one of them. She has two names: Guan Lingyue when dressed as a man, and Guan Lingyue when dressed as a woman.

Guan Lingyue made a living by performing acrobatics with her parents from a young age, traveling all over the country and honing her skills in swindling, cheating, and stealing. She also had an exceptional eye for talent.

How good is she? She can stand on the side of the road, casually glance around, and pick out the richest person from among them, with almost no mistakes, even if that person is dressed plainly.

If you were to ask Guan Lingyue how she figured it out, she would solemnly declare, "I didn't use my eyes, I used my nose!"

Money has a stench that Guan Lingyue can smell immediately. Coupled with her invisibility, thick skin, and silver tongue, she has managed to get by without major incident over the years.

If you walk by the river often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet! Besides, Guan Lingyue didn't even get her shoes wet; she fell straight into the river.

At that time, Lord Dongyang was still the Crown Prince of Dongyang, and Master Luo was the Prime Minister of Dongyang. Coincidentally, a major disaster struck Tuanzhou, and soldiers were responsible for escorting relief silver and supplies. How could Guan Lingyue's nose escape such a strong smell of money?

Robbing disaster relief funds was a capital offense punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. At that time, Guan Lingyue's parents had passed away, and she was all alone, so she had nothing to fear. She wasn't greedy; she only thought about stealing a tiny fraction, enough for her to eat, drink, and live a life of luxury for a while.

Guan Lingyue somehow obtained a set of military uniform and mingled among the escorting soldiers. Just as she was about to open the silver chest at night, she encountered bandits robbing the official silver, which alarmed the escorting soldiers.

A chaotic battle ensued, during which government silver and grain were robbed. The robbers were quite arrogant, and deliberately left a few survivors to go back and report, including Guan Lingyue, who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead.

The surviving soldiers did not recognize Guan Lingyue, but Guan Lingyue was dressed in Dongyang soldier uniform, covered in blood but unharmed. There was only one possibility: Guan Lingyue was a spy!

Guan Lingyue later learned that the robbers were soldiers from the Southern Yue's Long Zhan Tian Xia army, led by the young General Xue, the Zhenguo General. She only wanted to steal some silver, but unexpectedly got caught up in the conflict between the two countries.

This is a matter of great importance! The Emperor has dispatched Prime Minister Luo to investigate the facts and reassure the people. Guan Lingyue, who had been imprisoned, is finally brought to the courthouse in the prefecture.

Before Guan Lingyue could even look at the people on the platform, she knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down her face, and began to plead her innocence. Being a spy is a serious matter, theft a minor one. Stealing official silver is a serious matter, stealing official grain a minor one. Being caught stealing is a serious matter, not being caught stealing is a minor one.

In the face of a major war between two nations, the fact that she didn't steal something so trivial couldn't be ignored; at least it meant she was alive. As long as you're alive, you can always fight another day. Survival is the most important thing.

Guan Lingyue also had a skill: even when she was crying her eyes out, she could still speak clearly so that everyone could hear her perfectly.

"Your Honor, I am from Guanjia Village, and my name is Guan Lingyue. My parents wanted a son, but they gave birth to a son who was a financial burden. They never treated me like a human being from a young age, always beating and scolding me. Look at me, my hands and legs are covered in old wounds, and my chest and back are also covered in injuries."

Your Honor, our village has suffered a complete crop failure. Many villagers have starved to death, including my parents. I'm so hungry I have no choice but to steal some grain. I'm truly not a spy; I'm just so hungry I want to steal some food.

"Your Honor, I swear I didn't steal any government silver. I just wanted to steal some grain. I'm so hungry. If you can just give me a full meal, I'll serve you like a slave for the rest of my life. I'm so hungry..."

It was heartbreaking to hear, and filled me with pity. A girl from a drought-stricken hometown was starving and emaciated. In her attempt to steal some food, she was drawn into a conflict between two nations. How pitiful!

Only Luo Qing remained unmoved, asking indifferently, "Where did you get the military uniform?"

How vicious! Didn't you hear how pitiful she was? And you call yourself a righteous official? This is like a bolt from the blue.

Guan Lingyue inwardly grumbled, then pitifully looked up: "Qing..."

No, it's not a righteous official, nor a bolt from the blue, it's a god!

Having sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and a face as smooth as a jade plate is not rare at all. What's truly remarkable is a face without a single flaw, and an aloof and ethereal air, like that of a celestial being.

Guan Lingyue had roamed the world for many years, with a wide range of interests. She had flirted with respectable men and frequented brothels, but she had never known that a man could be so handsome. Although they were so close, separated only by a table, it was as if an entire world was between them, one in heaven and the other on earth.

Guan Lingyue stared at Luo Qing, completely forgetting where she was, until the drool at the corner of her mouth fell to the ground with a splatter, bringing her back to her senses.

Luo Qing gestured for the soldiers to untie Guan Lingyue and then got up to leave. Guan Lingyue's tearful plea did not move Luo Qing, but a drop of saliva saved her life.

From then on, Guan Lingyue became obsessed with Luo Qing. Luo Qing was of noble status, and Guan Lingyue could not get close to him, but wherever Luo Qing appeared, Guan Lingyue would appear.

Luo Qing was speaking to the people on the city wall, while Guan Lingyue mingled among them. Luo Qing returned to Bianjing by carriage, and Guan Lingyue followed on horseback about 300 meters away.

Upon returning to Bianjing, Luo Qing would see Guan Lingyue at the morning court session as usual, as soon as he stepped out of his house. Luo Qing would walk ahead, with Guan Lingyue following fifty meters behind, all the way to the palace gate.

If someone tried to drive her away, she wouldn't hesitate and would simply turn around and leave, only to do the same thing the next day. This continued day after day, until everyone knew of her, and Guan Lingyue became extremely famous in Bianjing.

No matter who it is, if they talk about Luo Qing, they will always mention Guan Lingyue. And if they mention Guan Lingyue, they will mention Luo Qing. That's how the two are linked together.

Luo Qing was arrogant and didn't care about these comments at all. He even felt it was alright, since Guan Lingyue was just following him and had never really bothered him.

To Guan Lingyue's surprise, Luo An ignored her, but Madam Nan Qiao of the Luo family approached her: "Since you like him so much, would you be willing to be his concubine?"

Guan Lingyue was overjoyed and nodded vigorously: "I do, I do, I do."

Nan Qiao said, "I heard you're a circus performer, and you're very good at cheating, swindling, and stealing. So steal something for me. If you succeed, you'll be the young mistress of the Nan family."

Guan Lingyue agreed without hesitation, wanting to become Luo Qing's concubine. She secretly gave her belongings to Nan Qiao and then moved into the Luo residence.

Luo Qing was aloof and had never considered having multiple wives or concubines, so he found Nan Qiao's suggestion incomprehensible. Although Guan Lingyue moved into the Luo residence, she was usually treated as a servant.

Guan Lingyue didn't mind; she was already quite satisfied that she could openly see Luo Qing at the Luo residence. As Nan Qiao's true identity was exposed, Luo Qing, disheartened, went to the army, and Guan Lingyue went to great lengths to infiltrate the army as well.

On one side is Nan Qiao, who schemes and manipulates him; on the other is Guan Lingyue, who is devoted to him, loyal, and willing to risk her life to save him. Anyone with a brain knows how to choose.

So later, the couple had a daughter named Luo Anxin, which means "the darkness dissipates and the sun rises."