ebookland Chapter 314 Reconciliation
Chapter 314 Reconciliation
On the way back, the family of three sat in a spacious carriage. The child would climb on An Liangchen one moment and on Nan Hua the next, breaking the otherwise somber atmosphere with the child's babbling.
Looking at the child, Nan Hua thought, this is the meaning of the continuation of life. When the two are speechless, at least the child can ease the atmosphere.
The child seemed to get sleepy as he crawled, so Nanhua held him in her arms and patted him gently. The child twisted and turned as if he felt something was wrong, and then struggled to crawl toward An Liangchen.
An Liangchen unbuttoned his fur coat, held the child in his arms, and then pulled the coat back up. The child squirmed a couple of times, then adjusted to the most comfortable position and fell asleep.
An Liangchen said, "Ever since you went to Heaven and Earth, the child has been crying before going to sleep. I have to hold him until he falls asleep before handing him to the wet nurse."
Nan Hua thought to herself: This man is so meticulous when it comes to children.
Seeing that she didn't speak, An Liangchen beckoned her over and said, "Come sit here."
Nan Hua slowly sat down next to him, but still kept a distance between them.
An Liangchen used one hand to pull her to his side; if Nan Hua hadn't caught her in time, she would have fallen on An Liangchen.
Nan Hua had no choice but to sit down next to An Liangchen, and couldn't help but feel displeased: "Your Highness was reckless."
An Liangchen leaned against the car wall, holding the child in one arm and resting the other on her shoulder. He tilted his head back slightly, closed his eyes, and yawned: "I've always been this impulsive. You haven't been back for so long, I almost forgot."
Reckless?
Nan Hua was familiar with this phrase: "Nan Hua, it was my recklessness!" "This prince was reckless, please punish me, lady..."
When An Liangchen was younger, he was always like this: if he was unhappy, he would deliberately scare or tease her, and then say that he was reckless.
The car fell silent, and Nan Hua unconsciously moved closer and closer until An Liangchen's breathing could be heard. Her long eyelashes cast shadows in the light of the luminous pearl.
Over the years, An Liangchen's appearance seems to have remained unchanged, only his temperament has become more reserved and profound than when he was younger.
An Liangchen suddenly opened his eyes wide, looking at Nan Hua who was clearly startled, and asked with a smile in his voice, "Between me and Luo An, who is more handsome?"
These words shattered Nan Hua's usual shyness. She touched her ear, seemingly unable to believe it: "Your Highness... what did you just say?"
An Liangchen said, "Did I... scare you?"
Nan Hua stared at him for a while, then suddenly said in an annoyed tone, "You scared me!"
An Liangchen reached into Nan Hua's scarf and touched the delicate skin on her neck and back: "You'll have to get used to it again."
Nan Hua felt a slight coolness from An Liangchen's fingertips: "What do you want with Luo An?"
An Liangchen countered, "Can't I come all the way to pick you up?"
Nan Hua naturally didn't have that hope: "It's not that you can't, it's just that you're too busy, too busy to pick me up."
An Liangchen seemed very serious: "No matter how busy I am, I have to come and pick up the Crown Princess. After all, Heaven and Earth is more comfortable than the palace, and Master Luo is more pleasing to the eye than the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince is afraid that if the Crown Princess stays too long, she will become so happy that she will want to divorce him."
Nan Hua looked down at the child's innocent sleeping face, as adorable as an innocent angel. Afraid of startling the child, she forced a smile and said, "I had no idea Your Highness could feel inferior?"
An Liangchen corrected her: "It's not inferiority complex, it's self-awareness."
Nan Hua rested his head on An Liangchen's shoulder: "The palace is not as comfortable as heaven and earth, but Your Highness, as the Crown Prince who oversees the country, it is not right for you to be so self-deprecating and doubt the Crown Princess."
An Liangchen replied, "Indeed, this was wrong. Please punish me, Your Highness."
The words "Please punish me, Your Highness" brought Nanhua back to her youthful days. Nanhua reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, whispering, "Your Highness knows perfectly well that I would never bear to do that."
An Liangchen gently stroked the top of her head with his chin, and neither of them spoke again. The intimate and warm atmosphere made them both feel a little dazed.
It was very late when they returned to the palace. An Liangchen handed the child to the wet nurse and went straight to Fanghua Tower with Nanhua.
Nanhua walked into the courtyard, then stepped back and looked up: the Fanghua Tower sign she had personally inscribed was gone, replaced by Fanghua Palace, the characters were strong and the strokes sharp, very familiar.
An Liangchen asked, "Is it well written?"
Nan Hua continued walking forward: "Your Highness's handwriting has always been beautiful."
Fanghua Palace has not only changed its sign, but the interior has also been completely renovated. If one were not familiar with Nanhua, they would surely suspect that they have gone to the wrong place.
The red carpet was replaced with a gold carpet with exquisite patterns, and the square table in the center was replaced with an elegant round table, set with delicate blue and white porcelain tea sets and fruit plates.
The walls are adorned with various famous paintings and calligraphy, while antiques and preserved flowers are displayed on the curio shelves by the window. The small bronze mirror on the dressing table has been replaced with a large bronze mirror, and jewelry in the open box on the left gleams in the light.
Even the bedding on the bed was replaced with silk with phoenix patterns, and the plain white bed curtains were transformed into exquisite mandarin duck curtains.
A faint scent of sandalwood filled the room, and a wisp of smoke drifted out from the tall incense burner.
An Liangchen followed her gaze and said, "This is agarwood that Luo An mixed. He added some medicine to it, which has a calming and sleep-inducing effect. You haven't been sleeping well lately, so light it when you're sleeping or feeling restless."
Nan Hua advised, "Your Highness, there's no need to spend so much. Now is the time when money is needed, and I don't really care about these things."
An Liangchen said, "I know you don't care, but it's still better to be more formal in the Crown Princess's palace, so that people won't gossip that I'm neglecting her. As for the money, it didn't cost the Imperial Household Department a single penny; it's all my private savings accumulated over the years."
Nan Hua couldn't help but laugh: "Your Highness doesn't need to care about those rumors. After all, the truth will eventually come out, and the falsehood will eventually become the truth. Besides, it's your own life to live, not for others to see. However, if Your Highness ever needs money, you can pawn these antiques and paintings. You won't lose out."
An Liangchen solemnly said, "Since it is given to the Crown Princess, it is her private property. Even if she wants to keep it, the Crown Princess should decide. However, as long as I am here, I will definitely not let the Crown Princess fall to the point of keeping it as her family property."
Nan Hua's eyes welled up with tears. She entered the palace in her teens and is now practically the mistress of the palace. Although she has always been cautious and unpretentious, she has always been at the center of wealth and power, and over time she has become indifferent to it all.
Fanghua Tower used to be empty, and she moved in after a simple tidying up, without paying much attention to these details. However, An Liangchen, despite being busy with political affairs, still took out his private savings to decorate her bedroom, which was truly a rare and thoughtful gesture.
That night, An Liangchen stayed at Fanghua Palace. The two seemed to be trying to mend their past unpleasantness, and naturally enjoyed a wonderful night together.
In the morning, Nan Hua was still half asleep when she sensed An Liangchen leaving. Just as she was about to open her eyes, An Liangchen covered her with the blanket and gently patted her, saying, "Go back to sleep."
Nan Hua vaguely heard An Liangchen instructing the palace servants not to disturb the Crown Princess unless necessary. She mostly slept in the morning at Heaven and Earth Palace and only got up to move around in the afternoon. In addition, she had been up until midnight last night, so she really needed rest.
Nan Hua smiled unconsciously, then turned over and continued sleeping.
Unexpectedly, a palace maid quickly came and woke her up: "Crown Princess, Her Majesty the Empress and Consort Fu have arrived."
When Nan Hua was helped to sit up from the bed by a palace maid, her mind was still a little muddled: The Empress? Consort Fu?
Which Consort Fu?