Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 334 Cuckoo

They agreed to stay in the palace for a few days, but before they even had a meal, Luo An took Nian Yao back to Heaven and Earth.

Luo An sat on the rooftop, staring blankly at the mimosa grove. The tall mimosa trees had lost all their leaves, and through the bare branches, one could see that the low-lying azaleas were in full bloom, their bright red blossoms dazzlingly eye-catching.

The azaleas were always this red every year, and Luo An had never thought of it as anything special. But at this moment, Luo An wished he could burn the azaleas to the ground.

What azalea? What Shu spirit? What Zigui?

What right did she have to make things difficult for her father while she was alive, and what right did she have to make things difficult for him after she died?

Nianyao leaped onto the roof, tucked the cloak into Luo An's clothes, sat down next to him, rested her chin on her hands, and quietly sat with him.

As soon as the sun went down, it quickly grew dark. The bright red azaleas in the forest blended into the night, making it impossible to distinguish between trees and flowers.

The eldest sister came over and lit the lantern in the courtyard, and Luo An slowly withdrew his gaze from the darkness. He took Nianyao's hand and held it in his palm: "Aren't you cold?"

Sitting on a rooftop on a mountain in the dead of winter, how could you not be cold?

Nianyao chuckled: "We share the good times and the bad, right?"

Luo An pulled her to her feet: "Let's go down."

However, after sitting with Luo An for a while, Luo An became unusually gentle, serving her food at mealtimes and drying her feet after soaking them.

Nianyao was flattered: "Master Luo, if the brothers in the manor knew about this, they would be shocked."

Luo An picked her up and placed her on the bed, his tone calm: "I'll fix your chin."

Nianyao laughed heartily: "You're so cute."

cute?

Luo An was self-aware; the word "cute" had never been associated with him from childhood to adulthood. He even scoffed at the label, as "cute" described naive children, and while he had been a child, he had never been naive.

If someone says Luo An is cute, Luo An will think that person either has something wrong with their eyes or something wrong with their brain.

But Nianyao's words touched Luo An inexplicably. Although he didn't know what was so endearing about him, he believed that Nianyao was genuinely praising him.

Outside it was freezing cold, but inside it was warm and cozy. The two fooled around until the wee hours of the morning before Luo An finally held Nian Yao in his arms and put her to sleep.

Nianyao couldn't fall asleep because she was thinking about what had happened recently. She gently raised Luo An's arm and tried to straighten his head so that he could lie flat.

Luo An instinctively tightened his arm around her and gently patted her head, his voice muffled: "What's wrong?"

Nianyao muttered softly, "It's pressing down on my hair."

Luo An slightly opened his eyes and saw that Nian Yao was in good spirits and showed no signs of sleepiness: "Not sleepy?"

Nianyao pulled her hair out from under Luo An's arm: "Let's chat!"

Luo An asked curiously, "Chatting in the middle of the night?"

Nianyao said, "Of course, there is an old saying that one should whisper when no one is around at midnight, which means that it is a very... interesting thing for a couple to chat when no one is around in the middle of the night."

Nianyao originally wanted to say it was a very interesting thing, but changed her words at the last minute.

Luo An knew exactly what Nian Yao was thinking, and smiled ambiguously: "You misunderstood the ancients. The whispers he spoke of were not conversations."

Nianyao lightly punched his chest: "The books of sages and worthies are meant to make you a sage, not a villain."

Luo An yawned: "The sages also said that food and sex are human nature."

You're so talkative! How come you didn't suffocate when you weren't talking before?

Nianyao was inwardly complaining when she saw Luo An close his eyes again. She tried to pull Luo An up and said, "Don't sleep, I have something to ask you."

Luo An was so sleepy: "Ask away, I can hear you."

Nianyao asked, "How did you and Prince An start arguing?"

Luo An didn't even open his eyes: "No noise."

Nianyao didn't believe it: "You didn't argue? Dexi said you two argued."

Luo An insisted, "We didn't argue."

Nianyao simply sat up and pulled all the blankets in front of her: "Get up."

Luo An slowly opened his eyes: "Are you trying to freeze me to death?"

Nianyao said, "The room isn't cold."

Luo An said, "If you're not cold, why are you piling the blankets all over yourself?"

Nianyao's expression darkened slightly, and she said angrily, "I told you to get up."

Luo An stared at her for a while, then suddenly pulled hard, causing Nian Yao to fall onto him. Luo An then rolled over and pressed himself against her, before shaking the blanket over her again.

Nianyao was familiar with Luo An's tricks. She used both hands to firmly support his face, preventing him from kissing her, and said resolutely, "Don't try to fool me."

Luo An's drowsiness was chased away by Nian Yao: "Let me kiss you, and I'll tell you."

Nianyao asked, half-believing, half-doubting, "Really?"

Luo An said very seriously, "Really!"

Nianyao thought for a moment, then slowly released her grip: "Just once!"

As dawn approached, Nianyao lay half-paralyzed on the bed, her eyes accusingly screaming: Liar, villain, bastard...

Luo An looked completely innocent: "Did I only kiss you once?"

Nianyao looked away: There's no point in reasoning with such a despicable person.

Luo An said, "I didn't say I couldn't do anything else."

She was clearly exhausted before, but now she's wide awake again. Nianyao grew angrier the more she thought about it, and said in a hoarse voice, "Weren't you sleepy?"

Luo An said, "This is called Yin-Yang dual cultivation, it's a way to rest. But you're too weak, I'll make you some later..."

Nianyao immediately refused: "No need."

Luo An buried his head in Nian Yao's shoulder and neck, laughing heartily: "Are you angry?"

Nianyao remained silent.

Luo An kept his word. He sat up with Nian Yao in his arms and then pulled the blanket over them, saying, "De Xi thought we had a fight because the atmosphere seemed off, but we didn't."

Nianyao nestled against Luo An's chest: "What was it that caused the unpleasantness?"

Luo An thought for a moment: "It's about Ninth Brother, and it's about money."

Nianyao said, "What about Ninth Brother? Ninth Brother is indeed in trouble. He seems like a different person. It's a good thing you said he was indulging in excessive sexual activity. If it were anyone else who said it, I would have called them a quack."

However, regarding Ninth Brother's matter, I think Liang Qingcheng is the most suspicious. She even tried to kill Ninth Brother before, and now she's pregnant. Could it be a fake pregnancy?

Luo An shook his head: "That's unlikely. If Liang Qingcheng were faking her pregnancy, Ninth Brother would have returned to Chongming Island long ago. I was saying Ninth Brother was acting strangely, could it be related to him?"

Even a fool would say it's okay, let alone An Liangchen.

Nianyao clicked her tongue twice: "You're asking way too directly. Money, what money?"

Luo An said, "I want twenty million taels of silver from him."

Nianyao said, "He doesn't agree. No, he doesn't have the money."

Luo An asked, "How did you know?"

Nianyao sat up straight, but felt cold as soon as she left Luo An's warm chest. She simply rested her chin on Luo An's chest and tilted her head back, saying:

"In the past, Dongyang fought three wars, which cost a lot of money. Now we are only fighting Dongyang, but before the troops move, the supplies must be prepared first. The Crown Princess said that Dongyang has prepared three years' worth of military supplies and has prepaid one year's worth of military pay."

Luo An asked curiously, "She talked to you about these things?"

Nianyao said, "Yeah, I was quite puzzled at the time too. Now that you've mentioned money, I remember. She also said that the palace is really poor now, and a lot of palace maids and eunuchs have been laid off."

Previously, the Empress's palace had ten maids; now there are only six. Previously, the Crown Princess's palace had six maids and two personal maids; now there are four in total.