kvmb Chapter 270 Eavesdropping
Chapter 270 Eavesdropping
After finishing his official duties, An Liangchen was as late as usual. In the stillness of the night, An Liangchen dismissed the palace servants and stood quietly by the window for a while.
After more than half a year of feeling unsettled, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Suddenly, I feel that Chang Le Palace is a bit empty.
Nanhua used to live with him in Changle Palace, but after Yu Shuxian came, Nanhua moved out on his own initiative.
How could someone as principled and sensible as Nan Hua deliberately cause Consort Yu to miscarry? If it wasn't intentional, given Nan Hua's caution and skill, he wouldn't have failed to protect a pregnant woman.
An Liangchen closed the window and walked to the bedside. As soon as he lifted the curtain, he realized something was wrong: someone was there!
The man, his face covered, spread his five fingers and aimed directly at his face.
An Liangchen tilted his head back and took three steps back. Unexpectedly, the person floated down from the bed, pressing closer step by step with fierce moves.
In the dim light, An Liangchen only defended and did not attack. When he retreated to the table, he suddenly took a step to the side, and the man's hand missed and he was unable to stop his momentum and leaned forward.
In that instant, An Liangchen moved behind him, grabbed his neck, and pressed him down onto the table. The man naturally kicked him from behind.
An Liangchen pulled out a ribbon from somewhere, and with a slight tremor in his hand, wrapped the ribbon around the man's leg several times, while also applying slight pressure with his other hand.
The man was struggling to breathe, desperately trying to pry open An Liangchen's hand that was choking him. Suddenly, he felt his neck loosen, his waist tighten, and his body go cold. An Liangchen had entered from behind, causing the man to scream. It was Nan Hua.
Loosening his neck, buckling his waist, pulling down his underwear—this series of actions, seemingly sequential yet so fast they appeared to happen simultaneously, left Nan Hua slumped onto the table in disbelief, his body stiff and panting.
I've lost to An Liangchen before, but losing isn't shameful. I've used all sorts of positions with An Liangchen before, and that's not shameful either.
But the current situation made Nan Hua feel truly ashamed. She slowly regained her composure and protested, "Let go."
An Liangchen leaned down slightly against Nan Hua's back, pulled off her face mask, and bit her earlobe, saying, "Relax."
Driven by her competitive spirit, Nan Hua cursed under her breath, ripped off the belt binding her legs, and seemed about to raise her body to cooperate, but suddenly raised her arm and twisted her body to wrap the belt around An Liangchen's neck.
How ungrateful! An Liangchen originally thought that if Nanhua obediently complied, he wouldn't make things difficult for her. But Nanhua wouldn't give up...
An Liangchen kept one hand firmly on her waist, while raising the other to wrap the belt around her wrist. With a slight push of his feet, he slid Nanhua from the table to the edge of the bed.
An Liangchen turned off the light, got into bed, and pinned Nanhua beneath him. He pulled down the bed curtains and tore off her clothes. His movements were fluid and graceful, but Nanhua remained silent. Worried, he gently patted her face in the darkness: "Are you alright?"
Nan Hua said in a tearful voice, "It hurts... let go..."
An Liangchen's tone was slightly cold: "In the middle of the night, instead of sleeping properly, isn't it just because you need to practice?"
Despite his harsh words, An Liangchen stepped back slightly. He reached out and kneaded her chest, gently biting her shoulder and collarbone, waiting for her reaction.
In the darkness, Nan Hua couldn't see An Liangchen's expression at all. Precisely because he couldn't see, his senses were exceptionally sensitive and clear, with a slight pain lingering amidst the tingling sensation.
This is so heavy, it's clearly intentional: Did he just annoy An Liangchen? Or has An Liangchen been neglecting his duties for too long because Consort Yu is pregnant? Or perhaps Consort Yu miscarried, and An Liangchen is deliberately punishing her...?
Nan Hua felt increasingly disheartened as she thought about it, so she simply buried her head in the blanket and remained silent.
An Liangchen was extremely familiar with her body's reactions. He frowned slightly, turned her over, and bit her hard.
Nan Hua screamed in pain, "Ah... be gentle..."
An Liangchen seemed to be very obedient, gently biting down, his voice muffled and carrying a piercing oxygen: "Concentrate."
Nan Hua slowly raised her hand to hug An Liangchen's waist, which slightly pleased An Liangchen. He guided Nan Hua methodically until Nan Hua gradually succumbed to his desires.
An Liangchen, like a student who hadn't done his homework in a long time, had to review every subject. After a night of fussing, both of these self-disciplined individuals stayed up late, something that was unusual for them.
Dexi called softly through the bed curtains, "Your Highness, Your Highness..."
An Liangchen turned his head and said, "It's a day off today, you may leave."
Dexi hesitated and said, "...Her Majesty the Empress has arrived."
Nan opened her eyes groggily and asked in a hoarse voice, "What time is it?"
An Liangchen tucked her in and patted her gently, saying, "Sleep well, I'll be back in a bit."
The room fell silent. Nan Hua turned over, about to go back to sleep, when he suddenly sat up with a start: The Empress has arrived?!
Last night's clothes were torn to shreds by An Liangchen and were unwearable, so Nan Hua skillfully found a light purple dress in the closet, tidied herself up, and went out.
After leaving the dormitory, you walk through the corridor and through a door to the main hall. The door faces a screen, which blocks the view.
Just as Nan Hua was about to go in, Zhao Ziyu said, "...So you're just letting Nan Hua do whatever she wants, and the child can only be hers? There's a limit to everything. Such a big matter, and you're not going to do anything about it?"
An Liangchen said, "Mother, in ordinary families, the man is in charge of external affairs and the woman is in charge of internal affairs. I have enough to do in the front courtyard, and I also have to manage the harem. I might as well just work myself to death?"
"Since Father doesn't concern himself with politics, you shouldn't meddle in matters of the harem either. Nanhua is in charge of the harem; she decides right and wrong."
Zhao Ziyu looked him over and, seeing that he seemed somewhat tired, softened her tone: "You trust her that much?"
An Liangchen was silent for a while before saying, "Mother, Nanhua was also chosen by you."
Zhao Ziyu said, "Nanhua was good back then, but people change."
An Liangchen patiently said, "Yes, she can change, everyone can change. Mother, listen to me, in matters of the inner palace, right and wrong are not important."
Nanfei and Yuanfeng are gone, and Nanhua is in a bad mood. This matter should be let go if possible; we can't let it escalate further. Whatever your opinions, you have to be patient for a while.”
Zhao Ziyu was quite surprised: "Are you afraid of her?"
An Liangchen said, "I need her. I need someone to manage the harem. I can't afford to spend time and energy on the inner palace. Nanhua is someone I've been looking for for a long time, and so far, there's no one more suitable or capable than her."
Since I've employed her, I must give her power. She sent away both of her personal maids today, which is already a compromise and a consideration of the bigger picture. If I were to punish her or the Nan family further, it might easily provoke her murderous intent. At that point, not only the child, but even Consort Yu's survival would be uncertain.
I've just given Prince Ming a high position and promoted officials from Beirou, which has displeased the ministers. Offending the loyal families of Dongyang and the popular Crown Princess for the sake of a surrendered official's daughter and a concubine would only alienate the entire court; it's unnecessary.
Zhao Ziyu also found this quite reasonable: "Then why did you allow the surrendered officials from Beirou to enter the Hanlin Academy?"
An Liangchen said, "The Hanlin Academy is the emperor's private institution, and its influence on the court is easy to control. By appointing Prince Ming, protecting Consort Yu, promoting the surrendered officials from Beirou, and keeping the treatment of nobles unchanged, Beirou is more likely to be peacefully governed."
Otherwise, if Xu Sheng sends people to Northern Rou to sow discord, and Northern Rou doesn't trust us, they could easily rebel. Southern Yue has a lot of experience in uprisings and restoring a kingdom. We must now conserve our energy and manpower to deal with Southern Yue; we cannot wage large-scale war on two fronts simultaneously.”