Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 292 Revealed

Nianyao had something on her mind and hadn't fully recovered, but she couldn't wait to drag Luo An down the mountain.

Unaware of the passage of time in the mountains, by the time they returned to Bianjing, the situation had drastically changed.

Prince Ming and Sun Chi joined forces to defeat the Nanyue navy stationed on Shadong Island, and Zhou Yan led his troops to Mianzhou and headed north. Thus, the war between Dongyang and Nanyue officially began.

As for Qin Jiu, he was still in the Ministry of Justice prison and had not been interrogated. Nian Yao didn't need to worry about the war between the two countries, but Qin Jiu was saved.

Nianyao said, "Fighting in brothels is nothing unusual; at worst, they just pay compensation and apologize. Why hand this over to the Ministry of Justice? Is the Dongyang Ministry of Justice really that idle? Luo An, don't you think someone is deliberately targeting and framing Ninth Brother?"

Luo An asked, "You mean, someone from the Duke's mansion wants to harm him?"

Nianyao's face clearly said yes, and she replied, "I didn't say it had to be the Duke's mansion."

Luo An asked Gu Yu, "Which young master did Qin Jiu beat up?"

Gu Yu said, "I heard that he is the grandson of the late Grand Tutor and the youngest son of the Prefect of Yuzhou. He failed the imperial examination and was recruited into the Imperial Academy."

Nianyao asked in surprise, "Guyu, I see you're always in Xizhai, how come you're so well-informed?"

Gu Yu said, "Chun Hua said so."

As soon as you speak of the devil, Chunhua comes over: "Young master, His Highness the Crown Prince invites you. The carriage is waiting at the door."

Nianyao quickly said, "The school on Chongming Island is finished, and we're just waiting for Ninth Brother to become a teacher. You should quickly plead with the Crown Prince to spare Ninth Brother's life..."

Luo An said, "The emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners, and this matter has nothing to do with the crown prince."

Nianyao said, "Don't talk nonsense. Dongyang is still ruled by the Crown Prince. Anyway, you have to rescue Ninth Brother. If you don't, I'll..."

Luo An asked curiously, "What about you?"

In a moment of quick thinking, Nianyao grabbed the embroidered handkerchief from Chunhua's hand and wiped it on her nose, imitating the young wife in the play who cried out, "...I don't want to live anymore."

Luo An leaned closer to look at her eyes: "Are you missing two tears?"

Nianyao dropped the pretense and pushed Luo An out: "You don't need to come back tonight. Drink more with the Crown Prince and beg him to spare Ninth Brother. Ninth Brother will repay him in his next life as a cow or a horse..."

Given how busy An Liangchen is, he probably won't have time to chat about such trivial matters during the day. Luo An instructed, "Then go to bed early tonight, don't wait for me."

Nianyao raised her hand and promised, "I promise I'll go to bed early and get up early, and I definitely won't let you worry. Go quickly..."

Fighting is a common occurrence, but since the Grand Tutor was concerned about the Emperor's reputation, he simply locked Qin Jiu up as a formality, without needing to interrogate him.

Furthermore, the fact that a student from the Imperial Academy got into a fight while visiting a brothel would escalate the situation and be bad for the young nobleman. Besides, even the late Grand Tutor's influence couldn't surpass that of Luo An.

Nianyao naturally assumed that since both sides were at fault, they should each be punished severely, and the matter would be over. Luo An didn't return very late, which meant he was really obedient, staying overnight in the palace while drinking with the Crown Prince. Therefore, Qin Jiu's matter was naturally out of the question.

As long as Luo An takes charge, there's nothing he can't handle; he's that trustworthy. Nian Yao slept soundly, relieved that she needed to be well-rested to pick up Qin Jiu the next day.

The chirping of birds in the tree woke Nianyao. She slowly stretched her limbs and asked, "Chunhua, what time is it?"

Luo An's voice rang out: "The sun is high in the sky."

Nianyao sat up abruptly, excitedly asking, "You're back? When did you get back? We've already agreed on everything, right? Shall we go pick up Ninth Brother together?"

Luo An stood in front of the bed, looking down at her with a probing gaze and a suppressed voice: "You've been back for a long time, and you're sleeping soundly."

Nianyao then realized something was amiss and speculated, "His Highness the Crown Prince disagrees? He can't be that upright, can he? What are the laws of Dongyang for defining the crime of fighting?"

Luo An asked, "Are you hiding something from me?"

Nianyao was baffled: "What could I possibly be hiding from you? Could it be that Liang Qingcheng suspects me and Ninth Brother? That's utterly ridiculous, you wouldn't actually believe that, would you?"

Luo An said, "I don't believe it."

Nianyao kicked off the blanket: "What's wrong? Are you trying to worry me to death?"

Luo An paused for a moment before saying, "When you come back from Mount Oulu, tell Qin Jiu that you're coming back to Bianjing to find me..."

When Nianyao heard the name Ou Lushan, her face froze and her expression stiffened: Luo Anding went to the prison to pick up Qin Jiu, and Qin Jiu told him all about these things.

Luo An's heart sank slightly, and his tone became somewhat harsh: "Where did you go?"

Nianyao slowly looked away and whispered, "You knew everything?"

Luo An said, "I don't know. Tell me now, where did you go?"

Nianyao reached for her coat on the low cabinet, but Luo An swept it to the floor first. Nianyao's eyes instantly reddened. She jumped off the bed, picked up the coat, and put it on.

Seeing that she had her back to him, Luo An was furious: "Turn around and look at me when you talk. Haven't you always prided yourself on being bold, responsible, and upright? Why are you turning into a coward when things come to this?"

Nianyao slowly turned to face Luo An: "It's just like you know."

Luo An pressed, "What do I know? What should I know? What are the facts? Tell me!"

Nianyao whispered, "I'm going to the Northern Desert to find An Jingchen... He... He's dead..."

Luo An clenched his fists and suddenly kicked the chair, sending the fine huanghuali chair crashing into the wall and shattering into pieces.

In that instant, Nianyao felt as if her heart was cracking open like the chair: what was meant to come would eventually come, just like a thorn in her throat that always had to be removed.

Just then, the wet nurse, carrying a child, knocked on the door: "Madam, everything is packed."

Yesterday, Nianyao told her nanny that she would pick up Qin Jiu in the morning and return to Heaven on Earth in the afternoon, and that she would stay there from now on. She asked her nanny to pack her things in advance.

All the imagined beauty and happiness are so fragile in reality.

Nianyao opened the door, her voice trembling despite her best efforts to control herself: "Nanny, wait a moment."

Seeing the tears in Nianyao's eyes, and recalling the loud noise she had just heard, the wet nurse asked in a low voice, "Is Madam alright?"

Nianyao shook her head, closed the door, and faced Luo An: "I'm sorry, it's my fault. You can hit me, scold me, or even kill me, whatever you want."

Luo An pressed on relentlessly: "Then Jing Chen can come back to life?"

Nianyao fell silent. Human life was at stake; saying anything more would be of no use.

She was often so timid yet stubborn in front of Luo An, which made Luo An feel both sorry for her and angry:

"Duan Mingzhu's childbirth was a life-for-life exchange, a fact that no one can change. Even if I were gone, there would still be Song Yuan, and Qinzhou would send the imperial physician. Even if I were here, I couldn't save Duan Mingzhu."

“If we had gone back from Baishan to save An Jingchen, An Jingchen would be alive. Xue Yunting is your brother, and you care about him. But have you ever put yourself in his shoes? An Jingchen is my brother.”

Luo An's voice gradually shifted from anger and fury to a dejected calm: "Xue Nianyao, how could you be so selfish? How could you do this to me?"