After the Foolish Beauty Wore Women's Clothes and Married the Brutal General - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: How Could I End Up with Such a Bastard!

Nan Jianxue wasn’t afraid to jump into any hole Liang Qifeng dug.

Especially since he was going to the palace next. That was his home turf. If Liang Qifeng dared to act tough with him, he would go and report him.

When Liang Qifeng changed his clothes, the two got into a carriage to go to the palace.

At first, they were supposed to take the general’s manor’s carriage, but Nan Jianxue found it too shabby and refused to get in. Qingqian had no choice but to send someone back to the princess’s manor to fetch their carriage.

Liang Qifeng thought Nan Jianxue was being a picky princess. How could his manor’s carriage be shabby?

But when Nan Jianxue’s carriage arrived, he finally felt that the general’s manor’s carriage was indeed very shabby.

This shabbiness wasn’t about the quality or size, but the details.

For one, the general’s manor’s carriage didn’t burn incense.

Liang Qifeng smelled the faint floral scent in the carriage and looked at the soft silk ribbons hanging everywhere, the carefully wrapped corners with animal fur, and the several pillows embroidered with exquisite patterns. He suddenly felt that the general’s manor’s carriage was indeed very shabby.

He took the tea that Qingqian handed him without expression, took a sip, and said, “The emperor might ask you about last night.”

Nan Jianxue leaned lazily against the side, also holding a cup of tea. Hearing him, he said, “So what if he asks? I’ll just answer.”

Liang Qifeng said, “Just tell him we got along well.”

Nan Jianxue: ?

“I’m not crazy,” Nan Jianxue frowned. “I don’t want to. If I say that, it’ll make it harder to get a divorce later.”

Liang Qifeng was speechless for a moment. “You’re thinking far ahead. But for now, a divorce is probably not going to happen. It’s just easier this way.”

Nan Jianxue rolled his eyes at him, not wanting to talk about it.

Seeing this, Liang Qifeng didn’t try to persuade him anymore. He just said, “As long as you don’t regret it.”

Nan Jianxue wasn’t afraid at all.

After entering the palace, he and Liang Qifeng went straight to the Hall of Purple Light.

But they found it empty.

The emperor had left the palace.

When he heard the eunuch say where the emperor had gone, Nan Jianxue’s eyes widened. “Where did you say Imperial Brother went?!”

The young eunuch was startled by Nan Jianxue’s sudden loud voice. He didn’t know if the princess was angry and was immediately afraid to speak.

Nan Jianxue urged him a few more times. The young eunuch then explained, “His Majesty said… said that since the Princess is going to serve tea to her parents-in-law today, and it would take a while to get to the palace, he… he took Eunuch Fulu and went to… the Liang manor.”

Nan Jianxue’s eyebrows immediately furrowed.

He thought of Liang Qifeng’s reaction when he heard he wasn’t going to serve tea. He immediately realized that he had known all along but hadn’t said anything, just to watch him make a fool of himself!

Nan Jianxue immediately turned to glare at Liang Qifeng.

Seeing this, the corner of Liang Qifeng’s mouth instantly curved into a smile. “I warned you.”

Nan Jianxue: ?

You call that a warning?!

He wanted to smack Liang Qifeng’s head. “Aren’t you boring?! You went through all that trouble and you still went on a trip for nothing!”

“It doesn’t matter,” Liang Qifeng said. “I’m a newlywed, so His Majesty has given me half a month off from court. I’m very free right now.”

Nan Jianxue was so angry he could die. Did he kill someone or set a fire in his previous life? How did he end up with such a bastard!

He turned around and walked away. Liang Qifeng followed behind him, saying in a leisurely tone, “What’s the rush? The emperor won’t…”

Before he could finish, Nan Jianxue turned around and pretended to kick him, but as soon as he lifted his leg, Liang Qifeng took a few steps back and dodged.

He smiled and said, “Girls should be more reserved. What kind of person just hits people all the time?”

Nan Jianxue was so angry that he chased him and hit him.

When they arrived at the Liang manor, Nan Jianxue was still angry. He got out of the carriage before it had even stopped completely and walked in furiously. From the looks of it, a person who didn’t know would think he was there to catch an affair.

Liang Qifeng followed him into the Liang manor. He saw many people sitting in the main hall, and on the main seat, besides his father, Liang Bailing, was Nan Zhanyuan.

The two of them walked in and saluted Nan Zhanyuan. “Greetings, Your Majesty.”

“No need for formalities,” Nan Zhanyuan waved his hand and smiled. “Why are you so late?”

Nan Jianxue was still angry and didn’t answer. He just glanced at Liang Qifeng.

Liang Qifeng said, “We were delayed by something.”

Nan Zhanyuan nodded at his words and didn’t ask what it was. Instead, he stood up and said, “Perfect. I’m a little tired of sitting. Let’s go for a walk in the garden.”

Liang Bailing knew he wanted to give them some space, so he quickly called for someone to lead the way for the emperor and to call for his wife.

Liang Bailing’s current wife was named Du Qian. She was his second wife and had no blood relation to Liang Qifeng. The two of them barely spoke to each other on a normal day, so when she came over and sat in the main seat, she seemed a little awkward and uncomfortable.

When everyone was seated, a maid came up with tea.

Nan Jianxue picked up one of the cups, walked in front of Liang Bailing, and slightly bent his knees. “Your daughter-in-law greets you, Father-in-law. Please have some tea.”

Liang Bailing nodded and was about to reach for it when he heard a very soft voice from the side: “Why are you calling him ‘Father-in-law’? Shouldn’t you be calling him ‘Father’?”

“She doesn’t even have to kneel,” another voice added. “What’s the big deal about what she calls him? Big Brother probably taught her that.”

The two of them were actually speaking quietly, but it was so quiet in the hall that their low voices could still be heard clearly. Most people looked over.

They saw two men who were about the same age as Nan Jianxue. They should be Liang Qifeng’s younger brothers. All the male members of the family had been called to the hall to meet the emperor and hadn’t left yet.

Liang Bailing immediately scolded them, “What nonsense are you two talking about?!”

Du Qian’s face also turned a little ugly. She added, “What are you two doing here? Go back to your rooms.”

After she said that, she carefully glanced at Nan Jianxue. Seeing that he was frowning, she could only look at Liang Bailing.

Liang Bailing quickly reached for the tea in Nan Jianxue’s hand, wanting to divert her attention, but Nan Jianxue moved to the side, avoiding his hand.

Liang Bailing was stunned.

“Should I change my address?” Nan Jianxue turned to look at Liang Bailing. His expression was obedient, but his eyes held a hint of scrutiny. “Lord Liang, do you want me to call you ‘Father’? Just like how I call Imperial Father?”

If he said yes, he would be putting himself on the same level as the late emperor.

Liang Bailing’s face instantly turned a little ugly. He quickly said, “They’re just being ignorant and talking nonsense. Whatever the Princess wants to call me is fine.” He said this and once again reached for the teacup in Nan Jianxue’s hand. This time, Nan Jianxue didn’t avoid him. He easily took the cup, took a sip, put it down, and handed a red envelope to Nan Jianxue. “From now on, get along well with Qifeng.”

Nan Jianxue reached out, and his fingers stopped just as they were about to touch the red envelope. He looked at Liang Bailing for a few seconds. Only after Liang Bailing glared at the two who had spoken did he take the red envelope and smile. “Thank you, Lord Liang.”

The three words instantly dropped the already unpleasant atmosphere to freezing point.

Nan Jianxue actually hadn’t thought that much just now.

As a princess, there were very few people he had to kneel to. Besides his Imperial Father and Imperial Mother, there was only his Imperial Brother. But his Imperial Mother never let her children kneel, and after his Imperial Brother ascended the throne, he also exempted him from these rituals. So since his Imperial Father passed away, he rarely knelt to anyone and had long gotten used to it.

As for the address… he did it on purpose.

For one, he and Liang Bailing weren’t familiar. He couldn’t bring himself to call him “Father” the first time they met. For another… he didn’t want this father.

And he certainly didn’t want this cheap consort, Liang Qifeng.

He glanced at Liang Qifeng, and seeing that he had no expression on his face, he pouted. He handed the red envelope to Qingqian and went to get another cup of tea for Du Qian.

Seeing him coming, Du Qian’s face turned a little pale, but she tried her best to force a smile.

Nan Jianxue slightly bent his knees and handed the tea over. “Your daughter-in-law greets…”

Before he could finish, Du Qian anxiously reached for the teacup. Nan Jianxue was caught off guard, and he couldn’t hold it steady. The teacup slipped out of his hand.

Liang Qifeng quickly grabbed him.

With a crisp sound, the hot tea spilled all over the ground and also soaked Nan Jianxue’s skirt.

Qingqian quickly came over and asked, “Princess, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Nan Jianxue looked down at his hand. A few drops had splashed on his hand, and it was already red and a little painful.

Qingqian saw it, and she was a little anxious. “This slave will go get the medicine from the carriage.”

She said this and ran outside.

Du Qian’s face instantly turned white.

Liang Bailing’s face also looked bad. He quickly had someone bring cold water to soothe the burned area on Nan Jianxue’s hand. The juniors who were watching this whole thing scattered.

Liang Qifeng also took a look, frowned, pulled him to the side, and said, “Wait here.”

He said this and turned to leave. He didn’t know where he went, but when he came back, he was holding a small jar.

Liang Qifeng walked back to Nan Jianxue, opened the jar, and scooped out some ointment, which he applied to the burned area.

Nan Jianxue smelled a very cool scent and asked, “Is this medicine?”

Liang Qifeng “hmm”ed. “It stops the pain and regenerates the skin.”

His movements were very gentle. His fingertip on the burned skin was a little itchy.

Both hot and itchy.

Nan Jianxue moved his hand uncomfortably. Liang Qifeng immediately said, “Don’t scratch it. It will leave a scar.”

Nan Jianxue immediately stopped moving, but he still frowned and said, “It’s itchy.”

Liang Qifeng then blew on the wound for him.

His movements were gentle, completely different from how annoying he was when he made him angry just now.

Nan Jianxue’s anger instantly dissipated.

He said, “Blow on it again.”

“Delicate,” Liang Qifeng said, frowning, but he still lowered his head and blew on it for him.

When Qingqian returned, Nan Jianxue had already finished applying the medicine. She only had time to help him put the medicine jar away.

Nan Jianxue looked at her. “You ran too slowly.”

Qingqian’s expression instantly fell. She explained, “This slave… ran the wrong way.”

Nan Jianxue shook his head helplessly. “Let’s go to Imperial Brother now.”

Hearing this, Du Qian’s already pale face turned even whiter.

She looked at Liang Bailing in fear. Liang Bailing sighed softly and bowed to Nan Jianxue. “Princess, this incident was a complete accident. Your mother-in-law didn’t do it on purpose.”

Nan Jianxue heard this and slightly frowned. “I know. What? Are you afraid I’ll complain to Imperial Brother? Don’t worry, I’m not that petty.”

Liang Bailing gave a dry laugh. “Yes, yes, the Princess would naturally not be petty about these things. This official will lead the way for the Princess.”

“No need,” Liang Qifeng said calmly, stopping him. “I’ll take him myself. No need to trouble Father.”

He said this and pulled Nan Jianxue towards the garden.

Nan Jianxue stumbled a little as he was pulled along. He kept looking back and could see Liang Bailing sighing with a grim face.

He asked out of curiosity, “Are you and your father not on good terms?”

Liang Qifeng didn’t turn his head and replied, “What’s it to you?”

“I’m just curious,” Nan Jianxue said. “And your mother, why is she so afraid of me? It’s not like I eat people.”

Hearing this, Liang Qifeng’s pace slowed. He said, “She’s my stepmother, not my mother.”

Nan Jianxue understood. “Your stepmother doesn’t treat you well, so you also hate your father?”

Liang Qifeng stopped and looked at him strangely. “Why would you think that?”

“That’s how it is in novels,” Nan Jianxue said. “It’s pretty common, right?”

Liang Qifeng started walking again. “You’ll be disappointed. It’s not that complicated. She wouldn’t dare abuse me.”

But to say they were on good terms, that was also not true.

She also had her own children. Compared to Liang Qifeng, she naturally favored her own, and she also wanted to get more for them.

When there’s a desire to compete, there will be a conflict of interest, and he was the biggest obstacle.

So Du Qian’s attitude towards him had always been cold, and it was impossible for him to give Du Qian a good look. They were in a state of mutual dislike.

Nan Jianxue understood. “She thinks you’ll talk bad about her.”

Liang Qifeng gave a faint “hmm.” “People with a dirty mind think everyone else is scheming.”

Nan Jianxue pouted and sighed, “My Imperial Mother is the best.”

Liang Qifeng didn’t reply and took him to the garden.

The garden was also lively, but the liveliness was a bit hidden.

Nan Jianxue saw a few girls gathered by the moon gate, peeking inside and whispering to each other.

Seeing their flushed faces, Nan Jianxue said, “They’re looking at Imperial Brother.”

Liang Qifeng “hmm”ed. “There are more inside.”

“More what?” As soon as Nan Jianxue showed confusion, Liang Qifeng pulled him into the garden and let him see the answer for himself.

Nan Zhanyuan was resting in a pavilion. Two people were surrounding him and saying something, but Nan Zhanyuan was clearly not interested. He didn’t even bother to put on a smile. He just tapped his finger on the stone table repeatedly.

Nan Jianxue knew he was impatient and quickly jogged over, calling out “Imperial Brother” in a sweet, soft voice.

Hearing this, a smile instantly appeared on Nan Zhanyuan’s face.

He and Nan Jianxue were only a third alike, but when they smiled, you could see the resemblance in their eyes.

“Why did you take so long?” Nan Zhanyuan said, beckoning to Nan Jianxue. When he came closer, he asked, “Did Liang Bailing make things difficult for you?”

Nan Jianxue immediately shook his head. “I’m a princess. Who would be so bold as to make things difficult for me?” He said, then looked at the two girls. “Who are they…?”

“Liang Bailing’s daughters,” Nan Zhanyuan said.

The two girls immediately curtsied to Nan Jianxue. “Sister-in-law.”

Before Nan Jianxue could answer, Liang Qifeng spoke first. “She is the Princess.”

The two of them blushed and quickly changed their address. “Greetings, Princess.”

Nan Jianxue nodded. “You two can leave now.” After he said that, he sat down next to Nan Zhanyuan. When the two girls had left, he said, “Imperial Brother, you usually don’t have the patience to deal with these things. Why are you so nice today?”

“Because it’s a common occurrence to encounter these things here,” Nan Zhanyuan said.

Nan Jianxue didn’t understand.

Nan Zhanyuan then explained it to him.

The Liang family had been officials for generations, and their family was already large. The current head of the family, Liang Bailing, Liang Qifeng’s father, was known for being a womanizer.

When he was young, he married Zhou, Liang Qifeng’s birth mother, who came from a family of equal status. It was said that he already had many female confidants at that time and had taken a few concubines, but he didn’t dare to be too arrogant because of his in-laws. Later, when Zhou died in childbirth while giving birth to her second child, he remarried soon after and took in one concubine after another, and he even kept a lover outside.

With more people came more children, but the family’s assets didn’t grow with the number of people, so everyone started to compete.

Even the girls. With so many people in the family, it was impossible for everyone to be carefully chosen for a good marriage. They had to find their own way. Besides the high-ranking families in the capital, the best place to go was probably to become a lady in the palace. So, every time Nan Zhanyuan came, he would encounter these things.

He found it annoying, but he also knew that these things were not uncommon, so he was patiently sitting there.

Nan Jianxue listened with a frown. His already not-so-good impression of Liang Bailing dropped to the bottom.

He looked at Liang Qifeng and said, “You’re smart to have moved out and started your own household so early.”

Nan Zhanyuan raised an eyebrow at his words. “It sounds like you’re quite happy with him?”

Nan Jianxue immediately shook his head and looked at Nan Zhanyuan with a serious face. “That’s two different things. Don’t mix them up. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to say. We are not going to happen!”

Nan Zhanyuan found his wary look amusing and didn’t say anything more. Instead, he looked at Liang Qifeng. “The assassins from yesterday. Have you found out anything?”

Liang Qifeng shook his head. “They were all assassins. When they saw they couldn’t escape, they killed themselves. Only one was saved, and we’re trying to get information from him.”

Nan Jianxue frowned when he heard this.

Nan Zhanyuan saw his expression and said helplessly, “If you’re scared, don’t listen.”

“You suddenly started talking about it. How can I not listen?” Nan Jianxue complained. “You didn’t even ask if I was hurt.”

Nan Zhanyuan smiled. “I saw you last night. Besides, with Qifeng there, if you were still hurt, then those assassins must have a big backer.”

When the topic of last night came up, Nan Jianxue’s eyebrows almost stood up. “You’re still talking about it! Why did you have his furniture moved?”

Nan Zhanyuan raised an eyebrow. “If I didn’t, would you two be sharing a bed?”

“Even if you did, we wouldn’t do anything!” Nan Jianxue said angrily. “Do you know that I didn’t sleep well last night? I had so many nightmares!”

He complained quickly and urgently, but his voice was soft, and he didn’t sound very angry. It was completely different from when he was talking to Liang Qifeng.

Nan Zhanyuan heard his complaints and wasn’t angry. He deliberately lowered his voice and even had a coaxing tone, smiling and telling him not to worry.

Liang Qifeng wanted to dig out his ears from hearing that voice.

He and Nan Zhanyuan had known each other for many years, but because of the difference in gender and the strict rules of the palace, he had never seen much of Nan Zhanyuan’s sisters. He had only heard him mention that he had a half-sister who was very cute and that he liked her very much.

But how much he liked her only became real at this moment.

This was the first time he had seen Nan Zhanyuan speaking in such a coaxing tone. He had never even been this… disgusting to his Empress.

In the end, it was Nan Jianxue who gave up first. He said wronged, “I don’t want to live in the general’s manor.”

“Then let Qifeng move to the princess’s manor,” Nan Zhanyuan said. “But he must sleep in the same bed as you.”

Nan Jianxue immediately shook his head.

“You don’t have a choice in this. Be obedient,” Nan Zhanyuan raised his hand and touched Nan Jianxue’s hair, saying softly, “You’re not a child anymore. You have to get married, don’t you?”

Nan Jianxue still shook his head. His face was even more wronged, and his eyes were even a little red.

It had to be said that his appearance was very heartbreaking. Nan Zhanyuan was instantly speechless.

Liang Qifeng saw his reaction and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Someone can actually control you.”

Nan Zhanyuan immediately gave him a cold look. “You will, too, eventually.”

Liang Qifeng shrugged and didn’t say anything.

Nan Zhanyuan looked at Nan Jianxue again and said softly, “Just try. Get along with him for a while, okay?”

Nan Jianxue pursed his lips and didn’t answer. He just glanced at Liang Qifeng.

Nan Zhanyuan immediately understood and gave Liang Qifeng a look.

Liang Qifeng was a man of his word. “Okay, I’ll go look at the fish outside for a bit.”

He said this and left the pavilion.

Only then did Nan Jianxue pull on Nan Zhanyuan’s sleeve and whisper, “Tell me the truth. Who is the person Liang Qifeng fancies?”

Nan Zhanyuan was obviously surprised by the question. He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow and ask, “Why are you asking this?”

Nan Jianxue naturally couldn’t say that he wanted to use this to get money from Liang Qifeng. He could only say vaguely, “Just don’t worry about it.”

Nan Zhanyuan didn’t ask further and said, “Actually, I haven’t met him either.”

Hearing this, Nan Jianxue’s head instantly drooped.

His Imperial Brother didn’t know either!

He was about to ask Nan Zhanyuan to think about it carefully when he heard Nan Zhanyuan say, “But he mentioned it to me.”