ebookland Chapter 143 Beard
Chapter 143 Beard
Consort Ning is critically ill.
Bring Qin Jiu.
An Liangchen.
Nianyao said, "Is this how you write a letter? There's not even a salutation, it's like you've never been to school. Compared to this, the last letter was actually quite normal."
Luo An said, "If I weren't familiar with his handwriting, I would have suspected that someone else wrote it for me last time. It's both polite and pointless."
Nianyao looked up at the sky: "You and him are indeed family, neither of you are normal."
Luo An said, "He values Ninth Brother quite a bit."
Qin Jiu and Erhu were coming from the study when they vaguely heard Qin Jiu ask, "What's wrong?"
Nianyao handed him the letter: "Look for yourself. Last time you had the longest sentence, this time you have half of it. What else could this be but taking it seriously?"
Qin Jiu glanced at the letter and returned it to Nian Yao, remaining silent for a long while.
Luo An said, "The Crown Prince probably remembered Nan Fei's recommendation of you last time."
Nianyao said, "He's trying to poach our members? No way, Ninth Brother is a council member of the Great River Gang..."
Luo An said, "You can discuss it yourselves."
Nianyao retorted, "What kind of attitude is this? You're the son-in-law of the Dahe Gang, aren't you going to speak up for them?"
Seeing that things were not going well, Erhu hid behind Qin Jiu, intending to secretly watch the drama unfold.
Nianyao saw him acting suspiciously and said, "Erhu has been quite diligent lately, studying with Ninth Brother from morning till night."
Erhu peeked out from behind Qin Jiu, his face contorted in a grimace: "It's Brother Jiu who's been forcing me to study from morning till night..."
Nianyao said, "Ninth Brother, didn't you say you liked Chongming Island? The Dahe Gang treated you well, but it couldn't compare to a single word from Prince An."
Luo An said, "People strive for higher positions, just as water flows downhill. Ninth Brother is still young; he can't stay on Chongming Island forever."
Nianyao glared at Luo An: "What do you mean? Bianjing is so tall, and Heaven on Earth is even taller, so why did you come to Chongming Island?"
I haven't provoked Nianyao lately, so why is she so temperamental? Could it be...?
Luo An walked around to take her pulse.
Nianyao shook him off: "What are you doing?"
Luo An asked, "Do you think you're pregnant?"
Nianyao said, "Didn't you already examine her yesterday?"
Luo Andao said, "What if it's a misdiagnosis?"
Nianyao said, "You can even misdiagnose a pregnancy pulse? What kind of miracle doctor are you?"
Luo An looked completely innocent. Erhu tugged at Qin Jiu's sleeve, and the two of them turned their heads and lifted their feet like thieves.
Nianyao glanced at him and said, "Ninth Uncle, when you first came to the Dahe Gang, my father told me to call you Uncle."
The two stood rooted to the spot. Erhu was quite fair: "Are you suggesting that Prince An should call Ninth Brother 'Uncle'? Would Ninth Brother dare to accept that?"
After saying that, Erhu darted out of Xianzhou Courtyard and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Nianyao said, "...Bring Qin Jiu? He just says he'll bring him? Even the Duke of Zhou, who spat out his food to welcome a worthy man, couldn't resist the urge to visit him three times and be carried in a sedan chair. Ninth Brother, don't you think so?"
Qin Jiu said, "One is influenced by one's surroundings; the gang leader is more cultured than before."
Nianyao was very dissatisfied: "Ninth Brother, what do you mean? I was speaking up for you!"
Qin Jiu looked at Luo An: "Young Master, please prescribe some medicine to make Hu Zi mute. Ever since Eighth Sister got pregnant, Hu Zi has been telling everyone that a strong man can father a child quickly. You're not worried, but the Chief is almost dying of anxiety for you."
Nianyao angrily retorted, "Qin Jiu, what nonsense are you spouting?"
Qin Jiu said, "You know in your heart whether I'm talking nonsense or not."
After Qin Jiu finished speaking, he turned and left.
Is that so? Luo An looked at Nian Yao.
Nianyao pouted: "Don't listen to Qin Jiu's nonsense. He said the harvest was bad this year and we'll get less money at the end of the year."
Luo An said, "Oh, do you need relief? There's money in the Celestial Realm."
Nianyao's face paled even more, and she firmly refused, "No need."
The three returned to Bianjing at dusk, where Guyu greeted them at the city gate. Upon returning to Xizhai, Luo An noticed the unusual atmosphere; there were more guards than usual.
An Liangchen and Nan Fei were drinking in the warm pavilion when they saw the three of them arrive. Nan Fei greeted them warmly, as they hadn't seen each other in a long time.
An Liangchen looked Qin Jiu up and down; Qin Jiu was unusually quiet.
Nanfei said, "Brother-in-law, he is Qin Chuan, the ninth young master of Jingzhao Manor. I told you about him last time."
An Liangchen smiled, but his gaze was slightly cold, and his tone was neither warm nor cold: "Ninth Young Master, I have long admired you."
Qin Jiu reluctantly replied, "Your Highness is too kind."
Nan Fei and Luo An exchanged glances, their eyes lingering between An Liangchen and Qin Jiu: This doesn't seem like a recruitment drive for talent.
An Liangchen flicked his wrist, revealing a short sword in his hand, its cold light gleaming: "Ninth Young Master, everyone's busy, so I won't waste my time. Will you shave your own beard, or shall I do it for you?"
Qin Jiu turned his head slightly to look outside the door, where a large number of guards stood ready.
Qin Jiu laughed and said, "Your Highness thinks highly of me, how could I be so ungrateful?"
Qin Jiu reached up and touched his face, then took off his full beard and threw it on the ground; it turned out to be a fake beard.
"Wow!" Nianyao exclaimed involuntarily, then quickly looked at Luo An, realizing something was wrong. Luo An was staring at Qin Jiu, seemingly lost in thought.
Qin Jiu, now without his full beard, looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six. He had sharp features, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, exuding a sense of unruliness and arrogance. With the long sword in his hand, he looked like a dashing knight-errant from a folk tale.
Nianyao blurted out, "Brother Jingsong and Brother Xuesong will beat you to death."
The two men were older than Qin Jiu and had been calling her "uncle" for several years.
Qin Jiu grinned: "It's probably not their turn to make a move."
An Liangchen's face was cold and stern, and the air around him seemed to freeze. Nianyao moved closer to Luo An and didn't say anything more.
Luo An then turned around and pulled Nian Yao to sit down: "Are you cold?"
Nianyao shook her head. There was a charcoal brazier in the warm room, which made it very warm.
Nanfei said, "Since you're here, sit down and talk slowly."
Qin Jiu watched them sit down, but remained standing without moving.
Nanfei poured them drinks and said with a smile, "What terrible thing did Ninth Brother do? He's so nervous, he's even sweating."
Qin Jiu said, "Qin Jiu is just a commoner. How could I not be nervous when I see His Highness the Crown Prince?"
An Liangchen sneered: "Come in."
The one who entered was an imperial physician. He stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness, Master, Madam, and Young Master Nan."
Luo An raised his hand: "No need for formalities. Physician Wang works in the Imperial Hospital, so there's no need to address me as Master."
Physician Wang said, "Once a disciple of Heaven and Earth, always a disciple of Heaven and Earth."
Luo An stopped with the small talk: "What happened?"
Physician Wang said, "A few days ago, the young master developed a rash all over his body and had a persistent high fever. The Crown Prince sent me to the Princess's residence to take care of him. I happened to be there when the Princess reprimanded Princess Qingcheng, and I overheard the whole thing."
The eldest princess wanted to marry off the beautiful princess to someone else. The princess was unwilling and said that her father would visit her in Bianjing every year around the Mid-Autumn Festival, and she would bring him back to the mansion then. However, her father never came.
The eldest princess, believing the princess was lying, issued an ultimatum to Princess Qingcheng: either the princess marry someone far away from Bianjing, or the princess take her son and leave home to find her unknown father.
Princess Qingcheng's unmarried pregnancy and the unknown father of her son were scandalous affairs in Bianjing. The eldest princess's family suspected Luo An, and even the emperor harbored doubts. An Liangchen vouched for Luo An and firmly denied the allegations, thus the matter dragged on.
As the child grew older, he bore no resemblance to Luo Anquan whatsoever, making it impossible for her to deny the child's existence. At twenty, with a child in tow, no prominent family in the capital wanted to marry her, and the favored Princess Qingcheng looked down on her. The Princess was so anxious that her hair turned white.