Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 166 Drugging

The next day, Nianyao slept until almost noon before getting up.

On the bedside table sat a pale yellow padded jacket and a bright red cloak. Yun Ting guessed correctly; they were indeed for her.

Xi Zhai is usually not lively, but today it seems unusually quiet.

When Nianyao opened the door, she saw Guyu waiting outside and asked, "Did Luo An go to the palace again?"

Gu Yu said, "Last night, the people from Nanyue who came to fetch the bride arrived in Bianjing and were accommodated at the Huitong Hall. Today, the Duke's Mansion is hosting a banquet, and the bride will be sent out before noon. The young master and General Xue and his wife have gone to visit the guests."

Nianyao was slightly taken aback: "I am Qin Jiu's gang leader, and Qin Jiu is my person. When Qin Jiu is getting married, the Duke's mansion is sending off the bride. Shouldn't I have a place? Are all you Dongyang people so... lacking in manners?"

Gu Yu said in a flat tone, "Madam overslept."

Nianyao said, "Did I oversleep? Didn't Luo An wake me up?"

Gu Yu replied respectfully and objectively, "This humble one does not know."

Nianyao took a few steps and turned back, asking, "What did he say?"

Gu Yu said, "Young Master said that meals are always ready, and Madam can eat as soon as she wakes up. Madam, would you like the meal served now?"

Nianyao blurted out, "What the hell!"

He remained calm and composed despite the shock during the Grain Rain season.

Nianyao asked again, "What else did he say?"

Gu Yu confirmed, "No."

Nianyao took a few deep breaths and strode back to her room. Smoke wafted from the incense burner, faint and ethereal. A delicate medicinal fragrance filled the room, calming the mind. She opened the incense burner and saw that the incense was less than half burned.

Luo An once said that the incense in Xi Zhai was all blended by himself and could help people sleep. Each incense burner could burn for six hours, starting when it got dark and going out when it got light.

So, it must have been because Luo An lit a new incense burner after getting up that she slept until now. Nian Yao carefully closed the incense burner, walked out of the room, and stood in front of Gu Yu, staring at him.

Gu Yu bowed slightly: "Madam?"

Nianyao said, "Your young master is truly the most arrogant, the most self-righteous, the most incapable of negotiation, the most incorrigible, the most unrepentant, the most, the most..."

Seeing that Nianyao was having trouble breathing, Gu Yu comforted her, "Madam, speak slowly, there's no rush..."

Nianyao roared, "The most, most, most unreasonable pig!"

Gu Yu sympathetically agreed, "What you say is true, Madam."

Nianyao said, "You're saying he's a pig?"

Gu Yu paused slightly: "Madam, it was you who said it."

Nianyao said, "If you say I'm right, then that means in your heart, he's a pig."

Gu Yu paused slightly: "Young Master's instructions are correct, and Madam's words are true."

Nianyao said, "Didn't you say that he didn't say anything else?"

Gu Yu was not ashamed: "When Madam first came to Xi Zhai, the young master gave instructions, not what he said today."

Nianyao shook her head: "Like master, like servant. Neither of you are good people, you're both cunning and slippery."

Gu Yu replied expressionlessly, "What you say is true, Madam."

Nianyao strode away. She rushed out the gate and almost bumped into Luo An.

Luo An steadied her, asking, "Have you eaten? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Nianyao shook off Luo An: "Don't you know whether I ate it or not?"

Luo An laughed and said, "Everyone else is happily preparing for the New Year, why are you so angry?"

Nianyao was too lazy to beat around the bush with him: "Where's Yunting? What did you do to Yunting?"

Luo An said, "He went back with the bride and groom."

Nianyao pointed to herself: "And what about me?"

Luo An asked curiously, "Weren't you going to the northern desert with me?"

Nianyao said, "I need to go back to Chongming Island first."

Luo An asked suspiciously, "You yesterday..."

Nianyao said, "I will go back to Chongming Island first, kill Ji Kongming, disband the Jinhe Gang, move my family to Chongming Island, and then disband the Dahe Gang... After I finish these things, I will go to Mobei to find you."

Kill Ji Kongming? Luo An looked at her, but hadn't had a chance to speak yet.

Nianyao continued, "Why didn't you let me go to the Duke's mansion's banquet for the wedding? Don't spout nonsense about me sleeping too late."

Luo An said, "Tomorrow is the Little New Year. According to Dongyang custom, married daughters are not allowed to spend the New Year at their parents' home..."

Nianyao interrupted him: "My question is, why won't you let me go?"

Luo An said, "You said yesterday that you would come with me to the northern desert, so I've decided to take you. If you go to the Duke's banquet, who knows what bad ideas Duan Mingzhu might have?"

Nianyao asked, "What does this have to do with Duan Mingzhu?"

Luo An said, "Duan Mingzhu values ​​her child very much. She wants to rest and prepare for childbirth on Chongming Island, so naturally she hopes you'll be there. If you go to the Duke's mansion but don't go with them, Duan Mingzhu will definitely cause trouble. I'm telling you, if you oversleep, you'll catch up with them when you wake up..."

Nianyao said, "How could she have such great abilities?"

Luo An exclaimed, "Oh!" and then saw Li Xia rushing over in a panic: "Young Master, Young Master, the Crown Prince has a stomachache. The imperial physician said it was food poisoning. The Crown Prince sent me to find you..."

Luo An and Nian Yao caught up with the Nan Yue wedding procession twenty miles away from Nanxun Gate.

Luo An ignored Qin Jiu and directly opened the second carriage. Duan Mingzhu was lying on Xue Yunting's chest, and Xue Yunting was dozing off while holding Duan Mingzhu. The two of them opened their eyes at the sound.

Duan Mingzhu helped Xue Yunting sit up: "Brother-in-law..."

Luo An stared at Duan Mingzhu and smiled slightly, a smile that sent chills down the spines of Qin Jiu and Nian Yao.

Duan Mingzhu said, "My brother-in-law drugged Yun Ting, but I was able to counteract it. I drugged the Crown Prince, but can't my brother-in-law counteract it?"

Luo An's smile vanished instantly, his face turning as cold as ice: "Duan Mingzhu, did you drug me?"

Duan Mingzhu asked, "What else could it be but medicine?"

Luo An said, "Duan Mingzhu, you've got some nerve. I wasn't going to hold what you said to Nianyao accountable. But now you've schemed against the Crown Prince... Aren't you afraid you won't be able to go back?"

Duan Mingzhu said, "If we can't go back, the princess's happy occasion will probably turn into a funeral, and the crown prince's son will become a posthumous child... If brother-in-law isn't afraid, then I have nothing to be afraid of either."

Luo An lunged forward, his small sword flashing coldly, about to be held against Duan Mingzhu's neck. Xue Yunting moved with lightning speed, blocking with his dagger.

Luo An slowly withdrew his sword: "Miss Duan, the biggest difference between me and Xue Yunting is probably that I don't tolerate being deceived, used, or threatened. No one can, including Nianyao, let alone you."

Miss Duan, you say your father is still the nominal King of Kunzhou. But in reality, the entire Duan family has been replaced. Your eldest brother is imprisoned, your father suffered a stroke, and your third aunt and seventh sister were murdered…

"Su Wuming took your father's seal, forged your father's handwriting, issued orders, took control of Kunzhou, and then covered all these matters up completely."

Duan Mingzhu said, "Since Lord Su kept it a secret so well, how did you find out?"

Luo An said, "Miss Duan, you don't care about your elder brother, your father, or your relatives in the Duan family, but you're nitpicking over words here, which proves that you've been very clear about everything from beginning to end."

Miss Duan, you've schemed and plotted, even framing your own father. Truly, a woman's heart is the most poisonous. It seems General Xue, from a reputable family, is doomed to fall into your hands.

Duan Mingzhu slowly placed her hand on her chest and then slowly lowered it, her back slightly straightened, as if she did not want others to see her weakness.