Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 148 True or False

Nianyao sat in the warm pavilion, staring at Duan Mingzhu: "How did you and him... Xue Yunting meet?"

Duan Mingzhu's eyes flickered, and she seemed rather uneasy: "I went to Minghu Lake to play, and I don't know what I stepped on, but I fell into the lake. Yun Ting happened to be playing there too, and he jumped into the lake to save me."

"Just right?" Nianyao asked, "He saved you, so you're going to repay him with your body?"

Duan Mingzhu's face flushed red: "No... he's my savior... I invited him to my residence... after he arrived, he developed a high fever... which didn't subside until evening... I couldn't sleep that night, so I went to see him... when I was changing his cold compress, he suddenly woke up... grabbed me and said he was so hot and I was so cool..."

Nianyao said, "And then you got pregnant? You got married because of the pregnancy?"

"No, no... He took me to Mount Oulu to see the sunrise... The rocks on Mount Oulu are black and white, just like in the legends." Duan Mingzhu's expression became dazed and confused: "Sister, have you ever seen the sunrise at Mount Oulu? The sky starts out orange, then it turns tangerine, and then it turns golden..."

Golden rays of sunlight, in countless strands, illuminated the perpetually white snow. The sunlight dispersed the clouds, the light shifting and changing; the sky was a clear blue, the snow pure white—a scene both passionate and gentle, making one feel that the world is inherently romantic…

Is the world all romance? Nianyao asked coldly and clearly: "You fell into the water, he jumped into the water, you didn't get a fever, but how come he, a grown man, got a fever?"

Duan Mingzhu was gentle and timid; even the fiercest person would soften in her presence. Nian Yao, on the other hand, was aggressive, as if she had committed a grave error.

Duan Mingzhu lowered her voice: "I don't know."

Nianyao was exasperated: "Then how did you get married? Was it an arranged marriage? Or did you two elope?"

Duan Mingzhu quickly said, "No, no, we really got married. He said he was an adopted son, and his stepparents were cruel and treated him badly since he was a child. He went out to travel when he was fourteen and never came back... My mother said that a son-in-law is half a son, and he will be a member of the Duan family from now on..."

Adopted son? Cruel stepparents? Nianyao said, "He's already a son of the Duan family, wouldn't it be better for you to stay with him in the Duan family?"

Duan Mingzhu said, "Yunting said that if I live at my parents' house after getting married, people will laugh at me. Yunting said I'm only staying with my sister temporarily, until I recover after giving birth..."

Yun Ting kept saying, Yun Ting kept saying… Nian Yao got a headache listening to this and quickly stopped him: “Okay, okay… stop talking… I know…”

Duan Mingzhu had never suffered any injustice in her life. Seeing Nian Yao's impatience and thinking that Nian Yao was annoyed with her, she immediately stood up and walked out: "I'm going to find Yun Ting."

Luo An stood beneath the plum tree, his expression calm and composed, radiating a calming aura. His voice was steady and even: "Miss Duan."

Duan Mingzhu calmed down and slowly walked up to Luo An: "Can you take me to find Yun Ting?"

Before Luo An could answer, a voice rang out: "I'll take you there."

The two looked up and saw An Liangchen and Nan Fei walking over. Nian Yao also came out of the warm pavilion when she heard the noise.

Nan Fei reached out and broke off a plum blossom, tucking it into Duan Mingzhu's hair. Duan Mingzhu's skin was fair and delicate, but lacked color, making her face appear even paler against the backdrop of the red plum blossom.

Nanfei looked her over and said, "I know where Xue Yunting is. I'll take you there."

When Duan Mingzhu saw Nan Fei trying to take her hand, she hid her hand behind her back and said, "I can walk by myself."

Seeing that Duan Mingzhu was really leaving with Nan Fei, Nian Yao quickly followed and pulled Duan Mingzhu back, saying, "You're just going to go with him like this? Do you know who he is? Do you know where he's taking you?"

Duan Mingzhu said, "He said he would take me to find Yunting."

Nianyao said, "You believe him just because he says so? Let me tell you, he specializes in abducting spoiled young ladies like you who know nothing. Do you even know what a brothel is? You don't even know..."

Duan Mingzhu shook off Nian Yao's hand: "It's none of your business."

Nianyao scoffed, "Small in stature but big in temper? You don't want me to manage you? If you don't want me to manage you, then don't come back with me. If you come back with me, then you have to obey me."

Duan Mingzhu frowned slightly, her breathing becoming rapid. She pressed her hand to her chest and moved behind Nan Fei: "Let's go."

Nianyao said in a deep voice, "Nanfei."

An Liangchen smiled and said, "The little girl is timid, sister-in-law, don't frighten her. How about this, sister-in-law, take her to rest first, and wait for Yunting to return."

Duan Mingzhu said, "I don't want to rest, I want to go find him."

Several people stared at Duan Mingzhu. They had never seen a girl like her before and were at a loss for how to react.

Luo An said gently, "Mingzhu, come here."

Duan Mingzhu hesitated, looking at him. Perhaps it was Luo An's calm demeanor that eased her discomfort, or perhaps it was his clear and bright voice that made her feel at ease. Duan Mingzhu slowly walked up to Luo An.

Luo An said, "You're tired, go to sleep first. You can go find Yun Ting when you're refreshed, okay?"

Duan Mingzhu lowered her head slightly, as if she was thinking seriously.

Luo An moved with lightning speed, piercing the back of her neck with a silver needle. Duan Mingzhu felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck and fainted before she could react.

Luo An helped Duan Mingzhu up and gestured to Nianyao, "You take her to rest first."

Nianyao came over and picked up Duan Mingzhu: "She can't come with us. Chongming Island can't accommodate someone like her..."

She's delicate, weak, and brainless; I don't know how Xue Yunting could possibly be interested in her. Is he blinded by lust?

Nianyao thought to herself, but still carried Duan Mingzhu away; it was effortless for her. Nianyao didn't know if it was because she was too strong or because Duan Mingzhu was too petite.

The group returned to the warm pavilion. Luo An initially intended to pour tea, but then thought better of it and took the wine instead: "What happened? Where is Xue Yunting?"

An Liangchen said, "Xue Yunting sneaked into the meeting hall last night and told the envoy from the northern desert two things: first, the defense of the southern desert is weak; second, Duoyi is a fake. The real Duoyi has already perished in the fire."

Luo An was pouring wine when he accidentally spilled some. Nan Fei took the wine pot and used a handkerchief to wipe the wine stains off the table.

An Liangchen said, "We couldn't get any useful information out of Duoyi. She harbors resentment towards the Nan family and Dongyang and can't bear to leave them alive. I specifically found Jixiang and Ruyi; they both have a similar figure and appearance to Duoyi."

Nanfei, being soft-hearted, insisted that I spare Duoyi's life, so I sent Duoyi away. Jixiang's impersonation was quite convincing; she disguised herself as Duoyi and lived in the palace. Since her voice was difficult to imitate, she claimed that her voice had become hoarse from the fire at the Yuan residence.

Jixiang lived in the palace, and her speech, behavior, handwriting, and dance were very similar to Duoyi's. Her personality was slightly calm, which was explained as having become more composed after experiencing a life-or-death ordeal. Even the envoy from the northern desert did not notice anything unusual.

Luo An knew there must be something fishy about the fire at the Yuan residence: "Where did you send Duoyi? How did Xue Yunting know she was an imposter? Did he find Duoyi?"

Nanfei shook his head: "It's unlikely. Duoyi was sent to Laoshan Village, and their route doesn't intersect with theirs."

Luo An asked, "Why go to Laoshan Village?"

Nanfei said, "Duoyi said she has never seen the sea. Laoshan is a perfect place to view the sea."

Luo An glanced at An Liangchen and didn't ask any further questions.

The war between Dongyang and Mobei is inevitable. The hostage has lost its meaning, and Jingchen's chances of survival are zero.