diskusbooks Chapter 290: Being a fool
Chapter 290: Being a fool
When Nianyao and Qin Jiu returned to Bianjing with Xue Chenxi and the wet nurse, they saw a messenger on the official road ride away in a flash and disappear before their eyes.
They arrived in Qingzhou and ate at an inn. They overheard people chatting, saying that Dongyang and Nanyue were at war. The conversation flowed, and the people at the table chimed in, one after another. Nianyao understood about 70-80% of what they were saying.
No sooner had Nianyao and Qin Jiu left than Prince Ming led several hundred men to attempt to land on Chongming Island. However, they were ambushed and intercepted by the Southern Yue navy. Several guards protected Prince Ming as he jumped into the water and escaped in a sorry state, while the rest perished in the Jingjiang River.
The message was rushed to Bianjing, and An Liangchen was furious. He immediately ordered the mobilization of troops. The former Dahe Gang brothers from Dongyang, together with the troops stationed in Haidong County, jointly formed the White Shark Army, led by Sun Chi.
The White Shark Army clashed head-on with the South Vietnamese navy. Neither side dared to advance recklessly, and neither was willing to retreat. The two sides were locked in a tug-of-war between Jinsha Island and Chongming Island.
They had just disbanded the Great River Gang when conflict broke out between the two countries; it seemed they were both waiting for something. Nianyao then thought again, she had already left Chongming Island and was no longer the leader of the Great River Gang. In the future, she would live in Heaven and Earth, raise Xue Chenxi, and nothing else would concern her.
Upon arriving in Bianjing and settling into Xizhai, Nianyao settled her wet nurse and Xue Chenxi before going with Qin Jiu to Jingling Mountain to pay respects to Nanfei. On their return, they parted ways; Qin Jiu went to the Liang State Duke's Mansion to visit Buzhi, while Nianyao returned to Xizhai.
An Liangchen was drinking tea in the warm pavilion when he saw Nianyao come in and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, you're back."
Nianyao sat opposite An Liangchen: "Your Highness, are you alone? Where is the Crown Princess?"
An Liangchen poured tea for Nianyao: "She's not feeling well, so I didn't bother her. Why don't you go to the palace for a while, sister-in-law, keep her company, chat with her, and offer her some advice?"
Nianyao couldn't tell if An Liangchen was being genuine or not, so she was quite direct: "We martial arts people are rough and don't know the rules, so we're not used to going to the palace. Why don't we let the Crown Princess stay at Xi Zhai for a while?"
An Liangchen said, "That's fine. We'll invite Princess Qingcheng to come too; the more the merrier. Sister-in-law, are you and Ninth Brother planning to settle down in Bianjing this time?"
Without a second thought, Nianyao said, "I'll wait here for Luo An to return from Bohai, and then we'll go back to Heaven and Earth with him. Ninth Brother will definitely go back; he's not a live-in son-in-law, so he can't stay at his in-laws' house all the time."
An Liangchen laughed and said, "Bianjing isn't part of the Duke's mansion. Ninth Brother can just buy a house in Bianjing and move there with his wife and children. With Ninth Brother's talent, he can do business in Bianjing or get a minor official position. He'll live well either way."
Nianyao was caught off guard: "Everyone has their own ambitions, and Ninth Brother is a very decisive person. Over the years in the Great River Gang, he has always been the one worrying about others, never the other way around..."
The two chatted over tea, neither mentioning the war. Nianyao was thinking about how much An Liangchen cared about her, Qin Jiu, and the brothers of the Dahe Gang when she heard An Liangchen say, "Luo An has returned."
Nianyao glanced at the doorway and then at An Liangchen, saying incredulously, "Your Highness can sense his whereabouts just by sitting here?"
What kind of special ability is this!
An Liangchen nearly spat out his tea. He coughed lightly and said, "He came back the day before yesterday. He didn't stay in Bianjing; he went straight back to Heaven and Earth."
Shouldn't we just get straight to the point? All this rambling and nonsense is a waste of time; it's almost dark.
Nianyao's anger flared up instantly, but she forcibly suppressed it: "Oh."
An Liangchen looked apologetic: "The manor lad said he caught a cold, and he probably didn't want me to tell you because he didn't want you to worry. I originally wanted to surprise you when he recovered and returned to Xizhai, but then I thought, you must want to know his whereabouts sooner..."
It was all a misunderstanding.
Nianyao immediately nodded: "Yes, yes, that's just how he is. But since he's at Heaven and Earth and is a doctor himself, I don't have much to worry about."
An Liangchen said, "It's good that you can relax, sister-in-law. Otherwise, he'll blame me for talking too much. It's late, sister-in-law, you should rest now. We'll invite Ninth Brother to go to Heaven and Earth together tomorrow."
This arrangement is reasonable. When Nianyao saw An Liangchen off, she was still thinking: Crown Prince An is so considerate and meticulous. No wonder he is so popular.
That night, Nianyao tossed and turned in bed, thinking about Chongming Island, Luo An, Qin Jiu, and An Jingchen... She didn't fall asleep until the early hours of the morning.
Just as dawn was breaking, Chunhua came to wake her up: "Madam, something has happened to Young Master Qin."
Nianyao rubbed her forehead and asked indistinctly, "Young Master Qin? Who is that?"
The maid said, "Young Master Qin Jiu."
Nianyao was stunned for a moment, then suddenly sat up: "What's wrong with him?"
Last night, Qin Jiu went to Wenxianglou for drinks. Somehow, he got into a fight with a rich young man over a girl.
The young nobleman's fancy but ineffective martial arts skills were no match for Qin Jiu, who grabbed him by the collar and threw him from the second floor to the first. The young nobleman broke his leg, and Qin Jiu was taken away by the authorities.
This matter caused quite a stir. It was said that Duke Liang went to Wenxianglou and then to the government office overnight.
Nianyao frowned more and more: "Guyu, are you sure that person is Qin Jiu?"
Gu Yu was certain: "Yes."
Nianyao was very skeptical: "Are you sure you're not mistaken? Ninth Brother, Qin Jiu, I've known him for so many years and I've never seen him act foolishly."
As for his relationship with Princess Qingcheng, we outsiders don't know the truth. But I bet you, Ninth Brother took responsibility and shouldered it himself; it's impossible that he made a mistake on his own initiative.
Ninth Brother is not a womanizer at all. Even in the Great River Gang, he would never steal a courtesan from someone. How could he possibly do something like this at this time and in this place?
Gu Yu stated the facts: "Young Master Qin is currently imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's jail."
Gu Yu remained calm. There was no point in lying about this, so where did the problem lie?
I had originally planned to go to Heaven and Earth with Qin Jiu, but now things have changed. Nothing in this world ever goes smoothly and according to one's wishes.
Nianyao sighed deeply, leaned back in her chair, and stared blankly at a painting on the wall.
There are no words or signatures on the painting, only a tree with a straight trunk and lush foliage, the rest is blank, its aloofness leaping off the paper.
Nianyao asked, "Is this painting newly hung? I don't think it was here before?"
Gu Yu followed Nian Yao's gaze and said, "This painting was done by the young master when he returned to Bianjing last time."
Nianyao walked up to the painting and looked at it closely, but she couldn't tell what kind of tree it was; she could only tell that it was a tall tree.
Tall trees! There are tall trees in the south? What is Luo An trying to express?
Luo An used to be devoted to Dongyang, and would get angry just mentioning Xuanzhi Mountain. So why did he go to Xuanzhi Mountain that time, amidst the tense situation between Dongyang and Nanyue? Was it to resolve his inner conflict? Or was it an attempt to let go?
Luo An went to Bohai to try to find Xu Sheng's birthday invitation, hoping to get Xu Sheng to sign a thirty-year peace treaty with Dongyang, proving that he did not want Dongyang and Nanyue to clash.
It seems unlikely that Roan wants peace between the two countries at present. If he knew that war had already begun, how would he react?