allonlinenovel Chapter 261 Going up the mountain
Chapter 261 Going up the mountain
Nan Hua stepped up the stairs, took the clothes from the palace maid, and led An Liangchen inside.
An Liangchen didn't react in time and followed her back in a daze.
Back in their dormitory, Nan Hua released him, saying, "It's not dawn yet, go back to sleep."
An Liangchen coughed lightly, poured himself a glass of water, drank it all in one gulp, and calmed himself down: "Is there something you need?"
This is the An Liangchen that Nan Hua is familiar with; his brief moment of distraction is a rare instance of him losing his composure.
Nan Hua took the cloak and wanted to put it on him, but An Liangchen took it and put it aside: "I'm not cold, you tell me."
Nan Hua said, "I want to move Xiao Fei and Yuan Feng to the Nan family."
An Liangchen said, "Yesterday we were busy setting up the mourning hall, so I didn't have time to ask my parents-in-law to come over. I'll send someone to pick them up first thing this morning..."
Nan Hua interrupted him: "There's no need. There's no precedent for a subject to be laid to rest in the palace; it would only invite gossip. My parents wouldn't feel comfortable coming to the palace either."
Xiaofei hasn't spent much time at home in the past few years, so we let him stay home for the last few days. He's naturally lively and energetic, so a lively atmosphere at home is nice.
An Liangchen said, "Then bury them at the foot of Yangsheng Mountain as a secondary mausoleum."
Nan Hua was somewhat surprised, and after a while, he said, "Thank you, but it's alright."
An Liangchen was sincere, but after being rejected by Nan Hua, he remained silent.
Nan Hua realized he had gone too far and softened his tone: "When Xiao Fei didn't come back, A Feng told me that if she died, she should be buried next to her parents' graves on Jingling Mountain."
Later, Xiaofei returned, and Afeng told me that if she died, her marriage with Xiaofei would naturally end. She should still be buried next to her parents, and Xiaofei could freely marry again after returning to the Nan family.
Ah Feng had a hard life these past years, so she was buried with her parents next to General Yuan and his wife. She was lonely in life, but in death, having her parents and Xiao Fei by her side is some consolation.
An Liangchen nodded: "Okay. I'll make the arrangements."
Nan Hua said, "It's still early, you should rest first, I'll make the arrangements. I'll take Nan Fei back and stay home with my parents."
An Liangchen didn't insist: "Alright, if anything happens, have someone from the manor come to find me."
The Nan family mansion was brightly lit. No one in the Nan family slept all night; they all stayed in the hall, waiting for the palace to summon them at any time.
The Imperial Guards were responsible for carrying the coffin, and it was just dawn when they delivered it to the Nan residence. Old Madam Nan's eyes were swollen, and she couldn't even cry out.
Nan Hua methodically instructed his servants to set up the mourning hall and invited a Taoist priest to perform rituals, which lasted for seven days and seven nights. On the eighth day, at dawn, the funeral procession departed from the Nan family home, bathed in the first rays of sunlight.
Besides the auspicious timing, Nan Hua didn't want to disturb too many people or the common folk. But as soon as he stepped out the gate, he saw An Liangchen and Luo An standing there.
Yan Zeyu and Tang Bing stepped forward to carry the coffin from the South Gate of the Manor to Jingling Mountain, with soldiers wearing white flowers standing on both sides. Such treatment was not even given to the funerals of princes.
The two coffins were buried together, and An Liangchen and the Crown Prince shoveled the first handful of earth. Several generals immediately followed, so the Nan family relatives and friends didn't need to lift a finger. Tang Bing, a rough man, was even more moved, his eyes brimming with tears.
The general who recognized him as his brother, bestowed honor upon him, forced him to learn to read, and helped him change his fate, was buried by him personally carrying his coffin.
Madam Nan insisted on coming, and no one could dissuade her. On the way down the mountain, Nan Hua and Jun Xin Yue each supported Madam Nan on either side as they walked slowly.
At the foot of the mountain, Madam Nan gently pushed Nan Hua away: "You go back with His Highness."
Before Nanhua could speak, Jun Xinyue added, "Nanhua, you have your father and us at home. You can go back with His Highness without worry."
An Liangchen said from the side, "Mother, sister-in-law, let Nanhua stay at her parents' house for a while. I will go and pick her up in a while."
Madam Nan's hair had turned quite a bit whiter recently, but she was still lucid. She glanced at Nan Hua.
Nan Hua, being a reasonable person, said in a low voice, "Mother, I'll go back first and come back to see you later."
The Nan family followed proper etiquette, so An Liangchen respected their wishes. He summoned a carriage, helped Nan Hua into it, and said to Luo An, "Shall we go back together?"
Luo An shook his head: "I'm going back to Xi Zhai. I'll go to Chongming Island tomorrow."
An Liangchen frowned slightly. He had asked people from the same era as Master Luo, and even found some of the original servants of the Luo family, but still came up empty-handed. Luo An returned to Chongming Island alone without any information about Xu Sheng's birthday, his fate uncertain.
Nan Hua suddenly poked his head out: "Your Highness, let's go back to Xi Zhai together."
The palace was not as free as Xi Zhai. Besides, after she returned, Yu Shuxian would definitely have to come and pay her respects again according to etiquette. She really didn't want to deal with it.
Qin Jiu, dressed in a dark blue robe, sat on a stone bench at the entrance of Xi Zhai, his head slightly tilted back. Seeing Luo An alight from his carriage, he immediately approached, saying, "Young Master, it's been a long time."
Luo An thought Qin Jiu had come after hearing about Nan Fei, but seeing Qin Jiu's smiling face, he felt something was off.
When An Liangchen came downstairs and saw Qin Jiu, he casually asked, "You came back alone?"
"The princess and I don't know if they've returned to the Duke's mansion. I came to find you, young master." Qin Jiu then noticed that all three of them were dressed in white, and Nan Hua looked particularly sad as he looked at Luo An with a questioning expression.
Luo An nodded slightly: "Let's go inside and talk."
Xu Sheng gave Qin Jiu two choices: either return to Bianjing and bring Luo An back, or lead troops across the river to attack Dongyang. Qin Jiu then returned with Liang Qingcheng and Bu Zhi.
"Take him back?" Luo An asked. "Why doesn't he come by himself?"
Qin Jiu thought for a moment: "Maybe he's... lazy? Young Master, where's the gang leader?"
Luo An's heart skipped a beat: "Didn't she go to Mount Oulu with Xue Yunting? Hasn't she returned yet?"
Qin Jiu said, "She went back a long time ago. Didn't she come to Dongyang to look for you?"
Luo An picked up the cup but didn't drink it. He held it in his hand and slowly turned it around without saying a word.
Qin Jiu's heart was in his throat: "Young Master, the gang leader came to find you as soon as he returned from Mount Oulu, without wasting a single day."
An Liangchen glanced at Luo An: "Your sister-in-law has indeed not been here. If she had appeared in Bianjing, we would have known."
Qin Jiu was a little nervous: "The journey from Chongming Island to Bianjing should be quite safe now. The gang leader isn't old-fashioned; he's capable of protecting himself. If he can't win, he can run away."
Nan Hua said, "Could it be that Xu Sheng robbed us?"
Not impossible! Luo An said to Qin Jiu, "Let's go back to Chongming Island together this afternoon."
Qin Jiu originally wanted to stay in Bianjing for a while longer, since Liang Qingcheng and Bu Zhi hadn't been back for a long time.
Now that Nianyao has disappeared, Qin Jiu could only reply, "Alright, then the princess will stay in Bianjing for the time being."
If a war were to break out, Chongming Island would definitely not be as safe as Bianjing.
An Liangchen suddenly said, "It's unlikely to be Xu Sheng."
Everyone looked at An Liangchen, and Nan Hua asked, "How do you know?"
An Liangchen said, "It's a feeling."
Luo An glanced at An Liangchen, as if to say: "Human life is at stake, what do you think?"
An Liangchen analyzed, "I've heard a lot about him. Based on my understanding, I'd guess that Xu Sheng wouldn't kidnap his younger siblings on the way. Even if he did, he wouldn't hide them. He shouldn't be that insidious."
Besides, if he really kidnapped your siblings, he'd inevitably become your enemy. General Xue and the King of Nanyue wouldn't be satisfied either. The Great River Gang would be leaderless, which wouldn't benefit Nanyue or him.