Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

A light drizzle fell, and mist rose from the river, creating a scene reminiscent of a fairyland. Beside the lush mimosa grove, pink, feather-like mimosa blossoms carpeted the ground. Luo An bent down, picked up a blossom, and placed it in his palm; it was damp and refreshingly cool.

The mimosa tree shines in four directions, its image a symbol of enduring love. But even the most beautiful flower cannot withstand a single night of wind and rain; how can unfathomable human hearts truly symbolize eternal love?

Xu Sheng asked, "What exactly do you want?"

He just wanted a peaceful life, not any noise or commotion. Is even that a luxury now?

Luo An, holding his umbrella, turned and walked back. The teahouse was empty. Xu Lai, standing in the corridor, saw him and immediately approached, whispering, "Young Master, Ji Kongming is colluding with Xiling, which is extremely detrimental to Dongyang. You are the son-in-law of the Dahe Gang; if you could take down the Dahe Gang..."

Luo An walked towards the backyard, and Xu Lai raised his hand as if to stop him.

Nanfei called out to him, "Uncle Xu."

Xu Lai let go, and Nan Fei walked to his side and whispered, "Uncle Xu, why are you telling him all this?"

Xu Lai said, "Xiling controls Yuezhou, which directly threatens Dongyang. When the country is in trouble, every citizen has a responsibility. He is of royal blood from Dongyang, how can we let him go unchecked?"

Nanfei said, "Is there no one else in Dongyang? Why do we need a doctor to handle this?"

Xu Lai said, "Nanfei, how can you say such things to His Majesty, the Crown Prince, and the Crown Princess? Right now, all the ship owners are watching and waiting, and the gang leader hasn't made a single move. Have you thought about how many ship owners will defect to Ji Kongming by the fifteenth of next month?"

Nanfei said, "Chief Xue is planning to step down. The more ship owners who pledge allegiance to Ji Kongming, the more at ease she will be with him. Isn't that perfect? ​​Young Master agreed to this marriage not for Dongyang's sake. What's the point of telling him this?"

Xu Lai said, "You think I shouldn't have said that? You're the Crown Princess's own brother, and you're not even going to care?"

Nan Fei said, "I don't care. I'm just a medical apprentice. Other matters are none of my concern. The Great River Gang can't handle its own internal strife, and they expect two outsiders like me and the young master to do it? Don't you find that ridiculous?"

Luo An sat writing in the small hall of the South Garden. The mimosa flowers were wiped clean, the branches were neatly arranged, and a fine silver needle was stuck into the paper.

Love flowers, mimosa trees. The wind blows at four in the morning, the rain falls at five. Partridges cry on Xuanzhi Mountain, a lover walks away at the foot of Xuanzhi Mountain.

Luo An put down his pen and said to Nan Fei, who had just entered, "Let's go back."

Go back? Go back where? Nanfei asked to confirm, "Young Master, back to Dongyang?"

Luo An nodded.

Nanfei sat down at the table, thought for a moment, and immediately made arrangements: "Young master, return on the ninth day of the seventh month. When you go to the free clinic from the sixth to the eighth day, tell the Zhang family that they have treated us well over the years, and it is not appropriate to just leave."

Luo An nodded.

Nanfei said, "Young Master, why did you agree to the marriage in the first place? Chongming Island was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and when the wedding clothes were sent to Nanyuan, I thought they were inviting me to be Ji Kongming's best man. Who knew it was you? Marriage is a big deal. Once the ceremony is completed, it's real. Why didn't you discuss it with me? Now the Great River Gang has tens of thousands of members, and the four kingdoms of the world recognize you as their son-in-law..."

Luo An remained silent.

Nan Fei propped his head up with his hand and sighed, "My dear young master, it's going to be difficult for you to shake off the status of a son-in-law. There are seven grounds for divorce, a complete separation, and a voluntary divorce. Even then, it only becomes effective with the signatures of both spouses and their parents. The old gang leader's dying wish was to be married for three years. Xue Nianyao listens to the old gang leader and Liu Lin, so she definitely won't sign. I think Liu Lin is clinging to you, and Qin Jiu practically wants you two to consummate the marriage..."

Nanfei shook his head: "You probably didn't think that much back then, you were used by the old gang leader."

They had known each other for a while. Nanfei was two years younger than him and came from a wealthy and privileged family. Not only was his food, clothing, and shelter arranged perfectly for him, but even his marriage and divorce were carefully considered. It was truly rare.

Nanfei said, "Young master, you're not young anymore, it's time for you to get married. How about... well, never mind, you can't marry a wife now, you can only take a concubine. What respectable young lady would become someone's concubine? Aren't you just wasting your time?"

Seeing Nanfei's regret and worry, Luo An smiled and said, "It's alright, I'm not planning on getting married, so what's the delay?"

Looking at his smile, Nanfei relaxed a bit: "Young Master, I think Xu Sheng is quite pitiful. He was taken back by the old master shortly after birth, and then left with Qin... for ten years at a young age. He's twenty years old and doesn't know his origins. If it were anyone else, they would have already made their move on you, or at the very least, on the Heaven and Earth. Young Master, if you want to know his background, just tell him."

Why would Nanfei care about Xu Sheng?

Nanfei said, "Young Master, Xu Sheng told me that he didn't come for the Great River Gang, but to ask you about his background. If you don't tell him, he might stick to us and come to Dongyang with us. Young Master, you know about his background, right?"

Luo An shook his head.

Nanfei was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a long time: "No way? Even you don't know? Then, then no one knows? Old Master, this doesn't make sense."

Luo An lowered his eyes.

Looking at the black and white words on the paper in front of him, Nanfei cautiously asked, "Young Master, should we... go to Xuanzhi Mountain...?"

Before he could even utter the word "look," Luo An grabbed the paper in front of him, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it out the door.

The heavy atmosphere made Nanfei feel suffocated. Nanfei forced a smile and said, "It's a big deal that we're leaving. I'll go tell Uncle Liu now."

Luo An's smile was genuinely warm, but his anger was truly terrifying. Nan Fei dashed out of Nan Yuan like his pants were on fire, looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh, his eyes glancing at Nian Yao closing the Yaochi gate.

Nanfei suddenly wanted to laugh, thinking to himself, "Your mother abandoned her husband and children, and now you're abandoning your wife. It's true what they say, what goes around comes around."

Nanfei thought of himself again, and his smile vanished instantly. Somewhat dejected, he walked to Xianzhou Courtyard, where Xu Sheng was leaning against a pillar in the tea room, appreciating the rain: "You found out?"

Nanfei said arrogantly, "Of course. I'll tell you whenever you let the young master speak. It's a transaction on the spot, no deception between us."

Xu Sheng shifted his gaze from the rain and mist to him, as if to confirm that he wasn't lying. Nan Fei straightened his back, his face radiating righteousness.

Xu Sheng said, "Okay."

Nanfei asked, "How long will it take?"

Xu Sheng answered very simply: "I don't know."

Nanfei said, "I can't wait until I have a grandson, can I..."

Xu Sheng laughed and said, "At the latest, you should have a son. But I heard about your reputation for being a womanizer in Wudong County, so I predict the chances of you having a daughter are higher..."

Nanfei said, "If I can't give birth to a son, then you can't ask the young master to speak up, can you?"

Xu Sheng said, "If you stay on Chongming Island and don't go back, General Yuan will become an old maid, and whether she can have children will be a big problem."

Nanfei was quite surprised that he didn't argue with him: "Then you'd better hurry up, the young master plans to return to Dongyang next month."

Xu Sheng looked him up and down as if he didn't recognize him, and after a long while said, "Okay, thank you for your cooperation, Young Master Nan."

Nanfei, full of heroic spirit, said, "Anything is negotiable as long as you can get the young master to speak."

Xu Sheng smiled slightly, a smile that sent a chill down Nan Fei's spine.