After the Foolish Beauty Wore Women's Clothes and Married the Brutal General - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Just Consider that From Today On, I’ve Shifted My Affections.

Nan Jianxue truly felt that Liang Qifeng was being inexplicable; he even suspected that Liang Qifeng had been searching for his beloved for so long that he had gone mad.

Or perhaps, after hearing news of his beloved, he had gone mad with joy. Otherwise, why would he suddenly try to force the idea that Nan Jianxue was his beloved?

Nan Jianxue read many storybooks, but for a while, he couldn’t straighten out Liang Qifeng’s thoughts. He could only stay up late reading by lamplight, pulling out storybooks from the shelf he had already read, attempting to find an answer within them.

At first, Liang Qifeng found it strange that he had suddenly become so diligent. But when he asked, his expression immediately became hard to describe.

“When ordinary people encounter trouble, they either ask others for advice or flip through history books to see the wisdom of their predecessors. You… you flip through storybooks?” Liang Qifeng was speechless. “Even if I truly had gone mad, you should be looking for an imperial physician.”

“One must apply the right remedy to the case.” Nan Jianxue closed the storybook in his hand, his gaze becoming resolute. “I know the reason now.”

Liang Qifeng arched an eyebrow. “Tell me?”

“Have you fallen in love with me?” Nan Jianxue said.

Liang Qifeng laughed. “How many years have I loved you? Do you not know?”

Nan Jianxue shook his head, his face rarely serious. “But I truly am not your beloved. Do you feel guilty toward her, so you’re saying this just to make yourself feel better?”

Liang Qifeng: “…”

“That’s not good; she would be unhappy if she knew.” Nan Jianxue softened his tone, trying to persuade him. “You two only met by chance. You weren’t engaged, had no promises, and didn’t even know each other’s names. If you don’t love her anymore, you don’t love her anymore. It’s nothing. Don’t do the whole ‘replacement’ thing. It insults her and humiliates me.”

Liang Qifeng was instantly laughed into a rage.

Yet, Nan Jianxue’s tone was full of concern; he was truly trying to advise him.

He sat back in his chair in futility and said helplessly, “Do you know why the Emperor bestowed this marriage upon us?”

Nan Jianxue immediately stopped talking and looked at him warily. “Could it be that Royal Brother is also mistaken?”

Liang Qifeng didn’t hide it from him and told him everything Nan Zhanyuan had said.

Nan Jianxue remained wary. “You aren’t lying to me?”

“This is something you can get an answer to just by asking a single question. Why would I lie to you?” Liang Qifeng said. “You might as well suspect that your Royal Brother and I teamed up to lie to you.”

Nan Jianxue shook his head. “Royal Brother loves me so much; how could he help you lie to me?”

Liang Qifeng arched an eyebrow. “You think he would absolutely never lie to you?”

“Well, not necessarily.” Nan Jianxue thought for a bit and explained, “I just don’t think he would regarding this matter.”

Liang Qifeng said, “But he truly does hope we live a good life together. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have forced us to sleep in the same room.”

Although there were no longer guards watching the Princess’s Mansion, the two of them had grown used to it and hadn’t mentioned moving out. From that perspective, Nan Zhanyuan’s plan had indeed been successful. To facilitate their relationship, it wouldn’t be much for Nan Zhanyuan to tell another lie.

Nan Jianxue suddenly felt conflicted.

If he believed his Royal Brother, it meant he truly was Liang Qifeng’s beloved. But he really did not remember such a thing.

“How about you let me think about it some more?” Nan Jianxue said. “I’ll try to see if I can remember.”

His tone was hesitant, as if he were making a monumental choice. Hearing it, Liang Qifeng felt both helpless and amused.

“Forget it,” Liang Qifeng said. “If you can’t remember, then forget it.”

Nan Jianxue looked at him. “Don’t you care a lot?”

Liang Qifeng smiled. “It’s not so much that I care…”

It was more that he felt a bit unwilling. Having been unable to find the person for so many years, he had long prepared himself mentally for various outcomes. He had thought he might never find her, that she might already be married, or that she might not remember him at all.

If any of those results had been anyone else, he could have accepted it, let go, and forgotten.

But it happened to be Nan Jianxue.

His wife, wed with three letters and six rites through a formal marriage.

The second person to make his heart flutter.

If Nan Jianxue didn’t remember them, then wouldn’t…

Liang Qifeng didn’t dare think further, or it would only hurt more the more he thought.

“Just consider that you aren’t her then.” Liang Qifeng braced his hands on the table, stood back up, and leaned his body toward Nan Jianxue. “Just consider that from today on, I’ve shifted my affections.”

Nan Jianxue looked at the face that had suddenly drawn near, blinked, and gave a very soft “Oh.”

Liang Qifeng slightly quirked an eyebrow. “Just an ‘oh’?”

“Otherwise?” Nan Jianxue said. “Thank you?”

Hearing those two words, Liang Qifeng’s brow furrowed. “I said I love you, and you have nothing to say?”

Nan Jianxue looked at him blankly. After a good while, he said hesitantly, “Then in the future, should you… keep your distance to avoid suspicion?”

Liang Qifeng’s teeth ached with anger. “I’m asking you… do you have no other thoughts? Surprise? Shyness? Or… something else?”

Nan Jianxue shook his head. “I’m so good-looking; isn’t it normal for you to like me? There are so many people like you. If I had ‘thoughts’ about every single one, my head would be too busy.”

Liang Qifeng felt as if an arrow had struck his heart.

He couldn’t help but start wondering what exactly he liked about Nan Jianxue. Was it too late to change now?

He sat back in his chair powerlessly, watching Nan Jianxue happily flip through his pile of storybooks, feeling a dryness in his throat.

In Nan Jianxue’s eyes, he was no different from Ji Zheyan. Because he didn’t like either of them, there was no difference.

“Liang Qifeng.” While Liang Qifeng was feeling depressed, Nan Jianxue suddenly called his name, lifting his head from the book and handing it to him. “Look at this.”

Liang Qifeng didn’t really want to look; he leaned back in his chair and ignored him. Seeing this, Nan Jianxue moved closer with the book, pointing at something in it. “I want this.”

Liang Qifeng glanced at it and found it was a method for making human skin masks, with the recipe and production process written in detail.

Thinking of how Nan Jianxue had said he wanted to use disguises earlier that day, he arched an eyebrow. “Is this what you were looking for in those storybooks?”

“Well… part of it was for you,” Nan Jianxue said. “Originally, I wanted to see if I could find a solution for that problem of yours…”

“Problem?”

“Well… suspicion,” Nan Jianxue corrected himself. “Anyway, since that’s solved, I just took a look. Can it be made?”

Looking at his expectant expression, Liang Qifeng suddenly felt comfortable again.

He was still different from Ji Zheyan. Nan Jianxue wouldn’t make requests of Ji Zheyan, nor would he throw tantrums at him. To Nan Jianxue, Ji Zheyan was just a relatively good friend.

Refusal hovered on his lips but eventually turned into a light chuckle.

Liang Qifeng said, “Give me a kiss and I’ll tell you.”

He was immediately hit by Nan Jianxue. “If you won’t say, I can make it myself!”

Only then did Liang Qifeng explain, “I don’t know. I’ve never seen this recipe. It might actually be useful, or it might just be fabricated by the author. If you’re truly curious, you can ask the mansion’s physician. If it’s not toxic, then try it.”

Nan Jianxue immediately called for the physician. After confirming the recipe was fine, he ordered people to prepare the materials.

Seeing him suddenly become busy, Liang Qifeng smiled and sat nearby reading that book.

The female protagonist of this story was a poison master from Miaojiang who came to the capital for fun and accidentally met the high-ranking male protagonist. The two fell passionately in love. For the sake of the male protagonist, she helped him poison people to commit murders and did many bad things. However, after the male protagonist achieved his goals, he abandoned her. In a fit of rage, the female protagonist killed him too.

The story was somewhat clichè, but it was written well, especially the detailed descriptions of the poison and bug-refining processes. Liang Qifeng even suspected the author was a poison master.

He read quickly until he saw the female protagonist develop a new poison. This poison would cause the person who took it to have stomach pains; over time, the pain would grow more and more severe, feeling as if their internal organs were being sliced by knives, until they eventually died from the pain.

Liang Qifeng sat up straight instantly. His chair made a piercing screeching sound against the floor.

Hearing the noise, Nan Jianxue looked at him. “What is it?”

Liang Qifeng showed him the book.

Nan Jianxue took it and scanned it. He too was stunned. “It seems very similar to my situation.” After he finished speaking, he thought for a bit and shook his head. “But these are very normal symptoms. A coincidence, probably.”

“Regardless, I’ll have someone investigate.” As Liang Qifeng spoke, he went out.

Nan Jianxue wasn’t in a hurry and continued making his human skin mask. With subordinates helping, there were many things he didn’t have to do himself, and it was done very quickly. By the time Liang Qifeng returned after handling matters, the place had turned into a bustling workshop.

Nan Jianxue was standing by with a brush, drawing.

“I want to make the face of a great beauty.” As Nan Jianxue drew, he introduced it to Liang Qifeng, saying he wanted big eyes and a high nose, making Liang Qifeng want to laugh.

“You look very good just as you are,” Liang Qifeng said. “Others should be making masks based on your face. Why are you trying to copy others?”

Nan Jianxue’s hand paused upon hearing this. The way he looked at Liang Qifeng was a bit complex. “Don’t say such strange things. It’s scary.”

Liang Qifeng arched an eyebrow. “Am I wrong?”

“No, but you never used to talk like that.” Nan Jianxue continued drawing with his head down. “The sudden change in tone is scary.”

Liang Qifeng sat down beside him and smiled. “No, I’ve thought that way from the beginning.”

Nan Jianxue gave an “Oh.” “Hypocrite.” He then looked up at Liang Qifeng. “Do you truly think I’m very beautiful?”

“You don’t?” Liang Qifeng said. “Just now you said it was normal for me to like you.”

“I do think so. My mother was so beautiful; of course, I am also very good-looking,” Nan Jianxue said. “But I want to look more—”

He paused, took a fresh piece of paper, and with a few strokes, outlined a silhouette that bore some resemblance to himself, then made various alterations on it. Finally, he came up with a sharply chiseled face.

Liang Qifeng fell into silence looking at that somewhat rugged face on the paper.

He looked at Nan Jianxue with a somewhat hard-to-describe expression. “You… you like this kind of face?”

“No, I just think it would be nice if I looked like this.” Nan Jianxue tightened his face, making a very fierce expression. “That way, when others see me, they’ll think I’m very formidable.”

Liang Qifeng: “…”

He was caught between laughter and tears. “There are no girls who look like that.”

Nan Jianxue gave a “Hmph,” didn’t speak, grabbed the original paper, crumpled it up and threw it away. “I’m going to disguise myself like this.”

Liang Qifeng: “Fine. I’ll help you once the materials are ready.”

This work lasted the whole night. Because Nan Jianxue was sleepy, he went to bed early and didn’t see how the mask was made at all. By morning, the object was finished and drying to the side.

Nan Jianxue immediately leaned in. He didn’t touch it, but after a few glances, he turned to ask the person guarding nearby, “What time did Liang Qifeng go to sleep yesterday?”

The person replied, “He didn’t sleep until nearly the Hour of the Rabbit (5 AM).”

Nan Jianxue frowned upon hearing this. Just as he was about to go back and check, he saw Liang Qifeng standing behind him at some unknown time, yawning. Upon meeting his eyes, Liang Qifeng immediately revealed a smile. “Does it look alright?”

Nan Jianxue didn’t answer but asked him, “Why did you stay up so late?”

“To win your favor,” Liang Qifeng said. “Won’t you praise me?”

“Why praise you?” Nan Jianxue frowned. “This isn’t some vital item. If you sleep that late, what about your health!”

Liang Qifeng was in a pleasant mood after being scolded and nodded. “Yes, I won’t dare do it again next time.”

Nan Jianxue was angered by his completely unrepentant tone. “Go to sleep!”

“I’m awake now; no more sleep.” As Liang Qifeng spoke, seeing that Nan Jianxue wanted to say more, he waved his hand. “Back when things were busy, even being able to nap for a moment was a luxury. I’m used to it. Let’s eat.”

Before Nan Jianxue could speak, he was pulled into the room.

After they sat down, Liang Qifeng said, “That mask was missing two ingredients. The first one I made had a problem.”

“What problem?” Nan Jianxue asked. “It can’t be used?”

“It couldn’t solidify and take shape,” Liang Qifeng said. “That author likely did it on purpose. If we can find him, we might be able to get your antidote ahead of schedule.”

Nan Jianxue didn’t hold much hope, but seeing Liang Qifeng in such a good mood, he didn’t contradict him. He gave an “Oh” and focused on eating.

To his surprise, someone actually delivered the antidote that afternoon.

At the time, Nan Jianxue was drinking tea in the courtyard. He was stunned to hear the news. “It couldn’t really be that author, could it?”

“No,” Liang Qifeng said. “The person hasn’t been found yet. It should be time to pull in the net we cast earlier.”

Nan Jianxue’s eyes lit up. “Then can I attend the banquet tomorrow?”

Liang Qifeng shook his head. “Even if the poison is cleared, your body will be weak for a while. And it might not necessarily be the antidote.”

Nan Jianxue instantly wilted.

Seeing this, Liang Qifeng smiled and reached out to stroke his hair. “Wait here. I’ll go take a look.”

“No, I want to go too!” Nan Jianxue glanced at the mask still drying. “Is that ready to use?”

“No,” Liang Qifeng said. “If you want to watch, hide outside and watch like last time.”

Nan Jianxue immediately rose and followed him, happily heading toward the front courtyard.

Liang Qifeng’s gaze fell on him, the color in his eyes softening significantly. He asked, “Is the medicine not bitter?”

“What?”

“The medicine to suppress the poison,” Liang Qifeng said. “Every time you drink it, you look like you’re about to hang yourself.”

“I really want to,” Nan Jianxue said. “But the kitchen made a lot of snacks.”

“So that’s why you’re so happy?” Liang Qifeng said. “When others are poisoned, it’s all gloom and doom, but you’re happy day after day.”

“Gloom and doom won’t clear the poison,” Nan Jianxue said. “Anyway, as long as the poison can be suppressed, it’s not a big problem. Since my health is already like this, of course I should live my days happily!”

Liang Qifeng smiled again and led him to the front hall.

Waiting there was a very refined-looking man. Seeing Liang Qifeng approach, he immediately smiled and greeted him.

Liang Qifeng simply nodded in response. After sitting in the main seat, he asked directly, “You have the antidote?”

The man likely hadn’t expected him to be so direct; he froze for a moment before recovering and nodding. “Yes. This is a secret recipe passed down through my family. It can definitely clear the Princess’s poison.”

Liang Qifeng looked at him with a dark face. “You don’t even know what poison the Princess was given, yet you say you can clear it?”

The man choked and hurriedly said, “This medicine can clear a hundred poisons.”

Liang Qifeng let out a scoff from his nose but did not respond.

Seeing this, the man frowned, his tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction. “I am here today to help clear the Princess’s poison. What kind of attitude is this, General?”

Liang Qifeng simply looked at him expressionlessly, without speaking.

His appearance was very terrifying. The man suddenly felt a bit of trepidation; his back bowed slightly, but he soon felt that this was too cowardly, so he straightened his back again and lifted his head.

At this moment, Qingqian walked in and whispered a few words into Liang Qifeng’s ear.

Liang Qifeng nodded and waved her away. Once she had retreated, Liang Qifeng said, “Your name is Huo Wenkang? From the Huo family?”

Huo Wenkang’s face immediately showed a look of pride. The Huo family was a family of medical experts; the current Director of the Imperial Academy of Medicine was a member of the Huo family.

Liang Qifeng remained unimpressed. “If the Huo family truly had such a secret ancestral recipe, they would have brought it out long ago.”

“That’s because… because Grandfather didn’t know!” Huo Wenkang frowned. “I found it in the family’s book pavilion! It’s a very old book; Grandfather hadn’t read it.”

Liang Qifeng nodded and beckoned. Immediately, several household guards walked over and bowed. “General.”

“Huo Chun possessed a secret medicine but did not offer it, deceiving the Emperor and deliberately delaying treatment with the intent to harm the Princess.” Liang Qifeng narrowed his eyes, his voice carrying a hint of killing intent. “Go to the Imperial Academy of Medicine and seize him. Throw him directly into the dungeon. Prepare the torture instruments; I intend to interrogate him personally.”

The guards responded with a “Yes.” Before they could turn to leave, Huo Wenkang knelt with a “thud,” his face deathly pale. He kowtowed heavily on the ground. “General, please see the truth! Grandfather truly did not know!!”

Liang Qifeng ignored him and only said to the guards, “Go.”

The guards immediately left.

Nan Jianxue, behind the wall, was dumbstruck. What madness had suddenly overtaken Liang Qifeng? What did this have to do with Director Huo?!

He hurriedly beckoned Shuying, who was standing in the distance, unfastened the token at his waist and gave it to her, saying, “Go stop those men. Do not allow them to go!”

Shuying didn’t take it and explained helplessly, “The General won’t do anything to Lord Huo.”

Nan Jianxue froze, then quickly realized that Liang Qifeng was just scaring the man. So he poked his head back out to watch the situation, only to see Liang Qifeng smiling and arching an eyebrow toward him.

Nan Jianxue: “…”

He had almost forgotten Liang Qifeng had excellent hearing and could hear their movements over here. So he whispered toward Liang Qifeng, “You looked even more terrifying than a ghost just now.”

Liang Qifeng immediately let out a joyful laugh, laughing so much that Huo Wenkang kowtowed repeatedly on the ground, his voice carrying a sob: “General, have mercy! This medicine wasn’t found in the family’s book pavilion!! Grandfather truly has no knowledge of this!!”

Only then did Liang Qifeng return his gaze to the person groveling on the ground, coldly spitting out a question: “Where did you get it?”

“A master of changing faces,” Nan Jianxue whispered to Qingqian beside him.

Liang Qifeng curved his lips again, though this time he didn’t make a sound.

Huo Wenkang was so terrified he didn’t dare lift his head; he couldn’t see his current expression at all. His whole body shook like a sieve and he didn’t even dare open his mouth, for fear that if he said another wrong word, Liang Qifeng would seize his entire family next.

Liang Qifeng waited a short while. Seeing that the man wouldn’t even let out a squeak, he made an impatient “Tsk.” “Men!”

Hearing those words, Huo Wenkang said hurriedly, “I-I-I-I will speak! I’ll speak!! I’ll speak!!”

Liang Qifeng waved his hand and let the guards return.

Huo Wenkang immediately spilled everything like beans from a jar. He was so scared that he was somewhat incoherent, repeating one thing three times before Liang Qifeng roughly understood.

This Huo Wenkang was an idle dandy. Usually, his greatest hobby was visiting brothels. Last night he went again and happened to overhear a man telling a courtesan that his ancestors included a divine physician who left behind many prescriptions. One of them could clear a hundred poisons. He had made a lot of money with that secret recipe; a few days ago, he cured a wealthy merchant and received a large sum of money, which was why he was there squandering it.

At the time, Huo Wenkang thought of the news about Grand Princess Anle being poisoned, so he went to negotiate with the man, wanting to buy the prescription. The man had little worldly knowledge. As soon as he heard the price Huo Wenkang offered, he immediately gave him the prescription.

“Later I took a look; it was just a very ordinary detoxifying pill,” Huo Wenkang said. “I was originally quite disappointed, so I thought I’d see if there was anything else interesting. If there was, I’d take it back to Grandfather so the money wasn’t spent in vain.”

As it turned out, in flipping through, he actually found a certain medicine. He had heard his grandfather mention Grand Princess Anle’s general symptoms before and thought they seemed very similar, so he took note. This morning, he went specifically to his grandfather to confirm. Knowing he had truly stumbled upon the antidote, he quickly prepared the medicine and came to the Grand Princess’s Mansion.

As for why he said it belonged to his own family… firstly, it was more persuasive, and secondly… he wanted to claim the credit.

Seeing the uncontrollable admiration on his face when he mentioned Nan Jianxue, Liang Qifeng roughly understood.

Liang Qifeng looked at the prescription he offered and the completed pills and laughed. “Not bad.”

Huo Wenkang felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, a surge of joy at having survived a disaster rising in his heart.

Then he heard Liang Qifeng speak again, his voice even gentler than before, but his tone carried a chilling killing intent: “To dare lust after the Princess—it seems your days have been too peaceful! Men!”

Huo Wenkang was stunned instantly. Before he could understand what was happening, he had already been seized by several guards.

As soon as the man was gone, Nan Jianxue ran out. “Why did you seize him again!”

“To teach him a lesson, to save him from thinking about things he shouldn’t all day long.” Liang Qifeng said as he looked at Nan Jianxue. “Do you have a dungeon here?”

Nan Jianxue: “…Yes.”

But it had never been used. It was built originally only because Grand Princess Anping’s mansion had one, so the Emperor had gotten him one as well. But no one had ever been imprisoned there; it was likely uninhabitable now.

Liang Qifeng nodded and beckoned a few more people, instructing: “Lead him around the mansion for a few more laps. The rest of you, take this time to give the dungeon a simple cleaning and splash some blood around randomly.”

Nan Jianxue: ?

“You are truly malicious,” Nan Jianxue commented. “The man just told a small lie, and you want to throw him into the dungeon!”

“What I mentioned was clearly that he lusted after you.” Liang Qifeng glanced at him. “In the future, your mansion’s dungeon will be used specifically to imprison those who don’t know the heights of the heavens and dare to have improper thoughts about you.”

“You are truly barbaric,” Nan Jianxue lamented. “Well, once the imprisonment is over, remember to have them wash it clean for me! Don’t get my residence all dirty. Not even the dungeon!”

Liang Qifeng laughed, raised his hands, and gave her a proper bow, his voice filled with amusement: “As you command, Your Highness the Grand Princess.”

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