Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

So serious? Nan Fei instinctively became wary and walked towards her: "What is it?"

Nianyao walked around Nanfei and stood in front of Luo An, looking down at him and blocking his view.

Luo An's eyes were red, and his expression conveyed...sadness? Wasn't he a god? Even gods feel sadness?

Nianyao asked instinctively, "Are you crying?"

Luo An slightly turned his head away and said coldly, "No."

Her voice sounds off? She often tries hard not to cry, and that's how she speaks.

Nianyao looked him up and down suspiciously.

Nanfei, unusually impatient, said, "Chief Xue, if you have something to report, then leave the court."

Nianyao ignored Nanfei and half-squatted in front of Luo An: "When I was young, I had a serious illness and was rushed to the Imperial Hospital of Nanyue via the official post road. After I recovered, I stayed in the palace for a while, and the late emperor specially approved my admission to the Imperial Academy. The Imperial Academy of Nanyue is very strict, and only two people were specially approved by the late emperor to enter the Imperial Academy: one is the current Empress of Nanyue, and the other is me..."

Luo An shifted his gaze back to her.

Nianyao said, "So, that high-ranking official is your father, and the lady is your mother. My father didn't kill your mother and even took her child with him. After your mother returned to Nanyue and became emperor, she remembered my father's kindness, which is why she treated me this way."

No matter how capable my father was, he couldn't lead me across rivers and mountains. Uncle Liu and Uncle Zhou Yan both came from the Southern Yue army; they must have been sent by your mother to help my father.

Since my father used to be the steward in your household, then when you came to Chongming Island, you and my father both knew about each other's background, right?

Luo An remained silent. When she got serious, she was anything but childish; she was incredibly intelligent.

Nianyao said, "I'll take that as a yes. My father said he'd take both of us with him... Was he taking Xu Sheng or you?"

Luo An's eyes flickered.

Nianyao said, "That's Xu Sheng. Your mother's identity is special, and the late Emperor of Dongyang would never have allowed her to take you with her. Your father brought Xu Sheng to the mansion to impersonate you."

Nianyao shook her head: "I thought Xu Sheng was just talking nonsense, but it turns out he wasn't... So we really have a marriage agreement?"

Luo An said, "No."

Nianyao asked, "So, am I engaged to you?"

Luo An remained silent.

"I thought my father had gone mad and was marrying me off to you." Nianyao sighed, "You agreed to marry me because of this marriage agreement? These kinds of arranged marriages are usually just adults joking around. It's one thing for my honest and reasonable father to take it seriously, but you actually did? Aren't you just wasting your time?"

Luo An said, "It won't delay you."

Nanfei was shocked: So this is the kind of person the young master is, so serious... misleading!

Nianyao reached out and touched her neck, touching the longevity necklace.

Nianyao said, "That longevity lock wasn't a birthday gift from my father, but an engagement token from your mother?"

Luo An remained silent, but a hint of amusement seemed to flicker in his eyes.

Nianyao sighed, "Why didn't my father tell me about such a big thing? If we don't get married, wouldn't we be wasting your family's longevity lock? When people get engaged, they give gold necklaces, gold bracelets, gold hairpins and gold hair ornaments... Your family gave a longevity lock. As expected of the Empress, you don't follow the common customs."

Nianyao stood up straight: "I misunderstood Xu Sheng. If we have the chance to meet again, I must apologize to him..."

Luo An said, "No need."

Nianyao said, "If you're wrong, just admit it. There's no need for anything else."

It seems like something's been overlooked, but I can't quite remember it. Nianyao sighed, "Your mother is so grateful. She's not even worried that I'll grow up with a crooked mouth, slanted eyes, and a flat nose..."

Nanfei said, "A celestial being with a mortal body, how bad could it be?"

Nianyao nodded: "That's right. You are a celestial being in the mortal realm, and I am a celestial being with a mortal body. We are a perfect match, aren't we?"

Nanfei reminded him, "Young master is a divine physician, not a deity."

Nianyao said, "It's about the same, I don't mind."

Luo An stood up, his tone composed: "Thank you."

Nianyao asked blankly, "Thank you for what?"

Luo An walked back, leaving behind the words, "I don't mind."

"Thank you for not minding?" Nianyao and Nanfei exchanged glances. She was joking with Nanfei.

Was Luo An joking with her? Luo An joking? Is a deity descending to earth?

Nianyao was modifying the design blueprints for the Jingwei ship at Anshuntang. The Jingwei ship was a ship her father had built for her, and it was fine as long as it didn't sink to the bottom of the river.

She couldn't concentrate no matter what she did; the thought of her engagement to Luo An kept popping up and bothering her. Her marriage to Luo An was, in fact, perfectly natural. This realization brought Nianyao a sense of satisfaction.

When Nianyao returned to Yaochi, the lights there were still on. At this time, Luo An should be either daydreaming in the tea room or practicing martial arts in the training ground. Why is he here so early today?

Nianyao immediately noticed a copy of "Collection of Yuefu Poems" on the table in the small hall. On a whim, she picked it up and slowly flipped through it.

The sunflowers in the green garden await the morning dew and the rising sun.

Yangchun Budeze, all things shine.

I often fear the arrival of autumn, when the leaves turn yellow and wither.

All rivers flow eastward to the sea; when will they return westward?

If you don't work hard when you are young, you will regret it when you are old.

All things shine with glory... but the eldest son is left with only sorrow... Is it not the glory of handsome men? Nor is it the sorrow of infatuation?

Nianyao felt a little regretful. However, the principle is the same: if you don't cherish what you have, you will suffer.

Nianyao stood in front of Luo An's room—no, her own room—hesitating for a long time before raising her hand to knock.

"Come in." Luo An's voice didn't seem so...cold.

Nianyao pushed open the door: "I..."

Nianyao's voice was stuck in her throat.

Luo An sat on the bed, his white undergarment draped askew, revealing one shoulder. His hair cascaded over his shoulders, the silky black strands contrasting beautifully with his snow-white skin, a striking interplay of black and white...

Nianyao swallowed hard.

Luo An was engrossed in flipping through the book, not even looking up: "What is it?"

"It's nothing." Nianyao took a step back and reached out to close the door. Her heart was pounding, and she took a deep breath. Only after calming down a little did she realize something was wrong.

Nianyao pushed the door open again: "I have something to do."

Nianyao hung the glittering "Han Guang" back on the wall.

She didn't dare look at Luo An, her gaze fixed on the book in his hand: "This is what you wrote, here you go, no money needed."

Nianyao finished speaking and left, carefully closing the door behind her. She took two steps, then, as if remembering something, pushed the door open again: "You..."

Their eyes met, and both were shocked.

Why is she back again?

—How did he get dressed?

Luo An reacted first, put the book on the shelf, sat on the edge of the bed to get his coat: "Go to the outhouse."

Nianyao said "Oh," her tone excited: "Dr. Luo, were you just reading 'The Thirty-Six Stratagems'? I could recite it backwards when I was seven, and I know every single one of the stratagems very well..."

She didn't understand medical books, and she didn't like poetry collections. But she was familiar with the Thirty-Six Stratagems, so they finally had a common interest.

Luo An put on his coat and came out, with Nian Yao following behind him, talking non-stop: "Victory battles, enemy battles, offensive battles, chaotic battles, and defeat battles, each set has six strategies, from the Golden Cicada Shedding its Shell to the Borrowing a Path to Conquer Guo... I've deduced all the strategies, except for the Beauty Trap. I think the Beauty Trap is the most shameless, despicable, and undignified lowlife..."

Luo An stumbled, his toe hitting the threshold, causing him excruciating pain. He turned and slammed the Yaochi gate shut, closing it off along with Nian Yao and her discussion of the Thirty-Six Stratagems.