kvmb Chapter 144 Young
Chapter 144 Young
The imperial physician continued, "Princess Qingcheng gave a scroll to the eldest princess, saying that the person in the painting was her father, and asked the eldest princess to look for him in the portrait. The eldest princess showed it to her wet nurse and asked if she had seen this person around the Mid-Autumn Festival two years ago."
The wet nurse said no, and the eldest princess, thinking the princess was lying to her, angrily tore the portrait in half and threw it in the courtyard, and also confined Princess Qingcheng to her quarters. I picked up the portrait and pieced it together, and it looked very familiar.
A few days later, it suddenly occurred to me that the person in the painting was none other than Young Hero Qin. When Princess Qingcheng was recuperating at Heaven and Earth, Young Hero Qin brought a mentally unstable woman there for medical treatment, and I was the one who treated her at the third medical door.
One day, a woman who had lost her mind trespassed into the forbidden area of the back mountain, triggering a trap that unleashed a hail of arrows. The woman died instantly, but Princess Qingcheng, who was also in the back mountain, was accidentally injured. Young Hero Qin buried the woman in the back mountain, went to visit Princess Qingcheng, and then disappeared.
Li Xia stepped forward and unfurled the scroll. Despite careful repairs, cracks were still visible. The person in the painting was Qin Jiu, and a poem was inscribed in small regular script beside him.
Nianyao beckoned, and Lixia placed the scroll on the table.
Nianyao read aloud: "The scenery is in the middle of autumn, the lamplight on the wall is thin, the Qin Mountains suddenly shatter, the sun and moon shine on Sichuan and Tibet... This calligraphy and painting, Ninth Brother, is this your work?"
Qin Jiu recognized him frankly and directly: "It's me."
An Liangchen was somewhat surprised; he had thought he would have to use more words, but it was so easy.
This unexpected turn of events caught everyone off guard, and the scene fell silent for a moment.
Nianyao came to her senses and said, "Ninth Brother, Uncle Liu wanted to arrange a marriage for you before, and you said you had been married and had children. Why did you later tell me you didn't...?"
Qin Jiu said, "I am not married, and the child does not recognize me, so it is as if I do not exist."
Nianyao asked, "Then what do we do now?"
No one spoke. Gu Yu came over: "The Crown Princess has arrived."
An Liangchen said, "Men, take him to the prison to await trial."
The guards at the door responded and came in, escorting Qin Jiu out.
Nianyao stood up: "Wait..."
Luo An pressed down on her shoulder: "He's fine, don't worry. Let's eat first, I'm hungry."
Although Nan Hua was heavy, she was still agile and looked very pregnant, like a young woman immersed in happiness.
After dinner, the three men sat down to drink and chat. Nianyao sat down next to Nanhua and asked, "Princess Consort, may I touch you?"
Nan Hua took her hand and placed it on her stomach.
Nianyao exclaimed in surprise, "Sister Crown Princess, he moved! He kicked me!"
Nan Hua said, "Yes, he gets rowdy after he's eaten."
Nianyao lowered her hand and rested her chin on it: "That's nice."
The voice seemed to carry a hint of envy. Nan Hua said, "You are still young, there's no rush."
Nianyao said, "We're not young anymore. We were both born in the first half of the year. After the New Year, Luo An will be twenty-two, and I will be twenty."
After Nianyao finished speaking, she turned around and saw that all three of them were looking at her. She immediately felt a little embarrassed: "I'm sleepy, I'll go to sleep first, you guys can continue chatting."
Nianyao left after she finished speaking.
Nan Hua stood up and said, "The imperial physician said I should walk around a bit after the meal..."
Nanfei immediately said, "Sister, let's eat together. I'm too full and need to move around."
Nanfei took the white fur coat and draped it over Nanhua, then helped Nanhua out the door.
An Liangchen watched them leave before turning back to ask Luo An, "Dad asked me last time when your twins were due, and whether we should come back early... You've been married for so long, and you still haven't made it real?"
After a long pause, Luo An said, "Why would I want a child? I don't have a throne to inherit."
An Liangchen sized him up: "Is it your problem or her problem?"
Luo An took a sip of his drink: "No problem, I'm young and don't want that."
Unable to find anything to talk about, An Liangchen changed the subject: "...You just said you plan to farm on Chongming Island and need a lot of seeds?"
When Luo An mentioned Nian Yao's plans, An Liangchen listened absentmindedly, glancing towards the door every now and then.
Luo An rarely teased him, saying, "Even Your Highness the Crown Prince has met with this! Let's go take a look."
The two stepped out of the warm pavilion and saw Nan Hua and Nan Fei standing under the lanterns by the corridor pillars. Nan Fei peeked at Nan Hua by pulling open his collar, then covered himself up again.
Nan Hua and Nan Fei spoke in low voices, and because they were some distance apart, they couldn't hear each other very clearly.
An Liangchen frowned slightly and walked over with Luo An. There they saw Nan Fei whispering something in Nan Hua's ear.
Nan Hua turned around and saw them coming. She was shocked and flustered, and replied in a low voice.
As the two drew closer, Nanfei laughed and said, "As expected, girls are outgoing, but devoted to their husbands."
An Liangchen said, "Nanfei is a son-in-law who lives with his wife's family, so he has a deep understanding of this."
Nan Fei choked for a moment.
An Liangchen helped Nan Hua up: "Nan Fei, you stay at Xi Zhai. Let's go back first."
An Liangchen and Nan Hua left, both wearing black cloaks and white fur coats, looking very well-matched.
Luo An asked, "How is General Yuan's health?"
Nanfei paused for a moment before saying, "You said before that she had difficulty conceiving, and I didn't think much of it. Just to be on the safe side, I had Dr. Hua examine her before I left, and there was nothing wrong."
Luo An suddenly said, "If the Crown Princess were as fragile as an ordinary woman, the Crown Prince would not even consider her."
Nanfei asked blankly, "What do you mean?"
Luo An simply said, "Concern leads to confusion. You should get some rest. If you want some wine, go to the cellar and get it yourself."
After finishing his sentence, Luo An went to the hot spring room.
Nanfei stood there motionless for a long time: "Young master, is this so profound?"
Nianyao was lying by the pool, half asleep, when she heard a sound and slightly opened her eyes: "How did you know I was here?"
"You're so clever!" Luo An smiled wickedly, squatting down next to her. "Since you like hot springs, we'll stay here. We'll go back to Chongming Island next March when the weather gets warmer."
Nianyao reached out to splash water, getting Luo An all over. She simply pulled Luo An into the water: "My husband is so considerate."
An Liangchen dismissed the palace maids, helped Nanhua take off her clothes and shoes, and helped her lie down. He sat on the edge of the bed, leaned down and kissed Nanhua's belly through her clothes: "Little boy, sleep well and don't bother your mother. Otherwise, when you come back, Daddy will spank you..."
The little one inside my belly stirred a couple of times and then quieted down.
Nan Hua said softly, "You scared him."
An Liangchen said, "Don't worry, he is the eldest grandson of the emperor, so he needs to be tempered and not spoiled."
Nan Hua smiled and said, "You should get some rest and not overwork yourself."
An Liangchen sat on the edge of the bed without moving: "Is this the second time Nanfei has said that you are devoted to your husband?"
Nan Hua said, "Don't you know I'm on your side?"
An Liangchen said, "I know. I'm especially happy that Nanfei has a problem with me."
Nan Hua said, "Naive."
An Liangchen leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I'm only childish in front of you."
Nan Hua turned her head slightly, her lips brushing against An Liangchen's cheek: "Liangchen, I know you won't only have me. It's okay, whatever you want to do, I will support you."
Even if you cripple me, I won't blame you. Having made my choice, I'll go all in, no matter what. Liangchen, I love you and understand you more than you think.
An Liangchen looked up after a while, her eyes slightly red: "Nanhua truly deserves to be my Crown Princess."
Nan Hua said, "Go on with your work, I'm afraid you'll cry if we keep talking."
An Liangchen chuckled: "So what if you cry? It's not like I've never cried in front of you before."