Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 242 Ice Cube

Nianyao sat in the tea room, telling Luo An about her experiences along the way, omitting, of course, the incident of Xu Sheng harassing her.

Nianyao concluded, "Jin Hu bears undeniable responsibility for the Yuezhou incident. But there's nothing we can do about it now."

The Great River Gang, after all, cannot easily clashed directly with the government. If Jin Hu were to die on the battlefield, it would be the best outcome for both of us.

Luo An asked, "Did you tell Xu Sheng?"

Nianyao shook her head: "He's trying to win over Jin Hu right now, so of course it's not convenient for me to tell him. But he's so smart, he should be able to figure it out. He's taken so much money from the Dahe Gang, he has to think about the Dahe Gang's future."

Luo An listened to Nian Yao's seemingly self-evident words and looked at her without saying anything.

Nianyao said, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Luo An asked, "Are you feeling guilty?"

Without a second thought, Nianyao immediately retorted, "What do I have to be ashamed of? It's the truth. He's now eyeing the Dahe Gang's grain supplies. Why should I give him anything if he doesn't offer me any benefits?"

Luo An held his teacup and slowly took a sip: "What can you do to him?"

Nianyao said, "What do you mean? What do you mean I can't do anything to him? If he bullies me, you won't help me? You can't even handle him?"

Luo An lowered his eyes, staring at the tea leaves in his cup without saying a word. After a while, he suddenly looked up and asked, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Nianyao said, "You didn't say anything either?"

Luo An said, "I didn't say anything, why aren't you angry?"

Is she really that easily angered? Nianyao looked at him, unsure of what to say.

Luo An put down his cup, got up and left the tea room.

Nianyao watched his retreating figure and muttered to herself, "How strange."

When Nianyao returned to Yaochi, she heard something amiss in the room on the right, but the door was open. After listening for a while, she kicked a chair in the small hall and made a clattering noise with the teapot and teacups while pouring tea.

Upon hearing the noise, Xue Yunting forcefully grabbed Duan Mingzhu's hands, buried his head in Duan Mingzhu's hair, and after a while, whispered, "Sister is back."

Duan Mingzhu whispered, "You're hurting me."

Xue Yunting quickly released his grip to check, thankfully there were no marks. Xue Yunting breathed a sigh of relief; he knew how to control his strength.

Duan Mingzhu lay on the bed looking at him, her voice soft and low: "Will you never lose control?"

Xue Yunting asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Duan Mingzhu rubbed her wrist: "It's nothing, I'm so hot, can you get me some ice?"

Xue Yunting straightened his clothes and came out to find Nianyao looking unwell in the small hall. He turned back, gently closed the door, and walked up to Nianyao.

Nianyao pulled Xue Yunting out of Yaochi and stood him in the corridor, looking at him with great disappointment: "Someone like Luo An actually held an umbrella for her, wasn't it because he was afraid she would faint? You really dared to do that?"

Xue Yunting hesitated, then sighed softly.

Nianyao glanced into the gate and lowered her voice, saying, "She's a bit emotionally unstable. Be careful lately and don't provoke her."

Xue Yunting nodded silently.

After not seeing him for several months, Xue Yunting had gotten darker and thinner, and looked somewhat haggard.

Nianyao suddenly felt a pang of heartache, reached out to straighten his clothes, and said softly, "Yunting, you must take good care of yourself."

Xue Yunting's eyes suddenly reddened, and his nose tingled. For so many years, everyone thought he was omnipotent, that he should be omnipotent, and no one ever told him to take good care of himself.

The Xue family had always kept track of Nianyao's whereabouts, and they were fully aware of any movements made by the Dahe Gang.

Although Nianyao wasn't familiar with him before, she cared for him like a younger brother. That kind of blood ties seemed to be truly innate.

Xue Yunting said in a low voice, "Sister, I know."

Nianyao sensed something was wrong with his voice and could only comfort him, "I know you're sensible and not a reckless person. Go in and see her, close the door, and call me if you need anything."

Xue Yunting said "okay," turned around, and before he even stepped through the gate, he turned back and asked, "Sister, where's the ice? Mingzhu says it's hot."

Nianyao looked puzzled: "Where do you get ice in the summer?"

Xue Yunting then realized that probably no one on Chongming Island used ice in the summer. He thought for a moment and said, "Sister, could you please send someone to deliver a letter to Magistrate Jiang in Wudong County?"

Xue Yunting's handwriting was elegant and unrestrained, which was inconsistent with his usual composure. The envelope was addressed to Magistrate Jiang, and on the left was written his humble nephew Yunting.

On one side was an official title, on the other a humble way of addressing someone as a junior. Nianyao stared at the words "foolish nephew": "Are you acquainted with Magistrate Jiang?"

Xue Yunting said, "Yes, he is one of the veteran generals of the Restoration Army, Long Zhan Tianxia."

The veteran of the Restoration Army had been relegated to the position of magistrate in a small border county for so many years, just like Zhou Yan, who had served as a boat captain on Jiangxin Island for so many years.

Nianyao felt quite uneasy: "Yunting, tell me the truth. Magistrate Jiang and Uncle Zhou, were they protecting me?"

Xue Yunting said, "What's the difference? They protect you, they protect the Dahe Gang, and they protect Nanyue."

Nianyao thought for a moment: "The King of Nanyue has given all the military power to Xu Sheng. Isn't he afraid that Xu Sheng... will seize power or rebel?"

Xue Yunting's answer was concise: "Trust those you employ, and don't employ those you don't trust."

Nianyao asked, "And you? Do you trust Xu Sheng too?"

Xue Yunting said, "The soldiers all obey orders. The prince is a disciple of Guigu, brave and resourceful, and capable of winning battles. All the brothers admire him."

Nianyao insisted on asking, "The soldiers' obedience to the general and the emperor's suspicion of the general are never contradictory, are they? Prince An Liangchen of Dongyang is also a man of great talent and ambition, yet he is wary of his wife's younger brother, Nanfei, and his sister-in-law, Yuan Feng."

Xu Sheng's prestige in the army is too high; the soldiers obey only him. If he were to betray the emperor one day and seize the throne, what could you do to him?

Xue Yunting looked Nianyao up and down: "Sister, is something the matter? You can speak freely about anything."

Nianyao said, "I just feel that you've spoiled Xu Sheng too much. You give him soldiers, money, and food... The soldiers only recognize him, so who will recognize the emperor in the future?"

"How many years has it been since the restoration of the Xu Kingdom? Luo An's mother abandoned her husband and children, pouring her heart and soul into achieving the prosperity of Nan Yue today. If Xu Sheng were to easily seize the throne, how would Luo An's mother, my mother, and the countless soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the restoration of their kingdom rest in peace?"

Xue Yunting's gaze suddenly turned serious: "Sister, is that what you're thinking?"

Nianyao's tone was somewhat agitated: "Can't I think like this? Shouldn't I think like this? Why are you all so at ease with Xu Sheng? He's an illegitimate child, and his origins are still unknown."

Have you ever considered that he couldn't possibly be from Nanyue? He's most likely from the Dongyang royal family, perhaps the son of some prince or duke? Or maybe the son of some princess or duke?

"Given Luo An's father's status and intelligence, how could he possibly just pick up a child off the street and raise him? A child like Xu Sheng is one in a million. Have you ever seen a peasant woman give birth to someone like that?"

Xue Yunting asked, "What does Sister mean?"

Nianyao said, "What I mean is, if Xu Sheng is from Dongyang, and after he drives out Xiling, he leads his troops to join forces with An Liangchen, wouldn't that be tantamount to handing over Nanyue to Dongyang? What will you do then?"