lcionline Chapter 172 Secret Report
Chapter 172 Secret Report
An Liangchen was having dinner with Yu Shuxian at Xiandexuan when Dexi came over and said, "Your Highness."
Yu Shuxian said, "Eating is the most important thing. If Eunuch Dexi has something to say, let's talk about it after His Highness has finished eating."
Yu Shuxian placed a piece of chicken into An Liangchen's bowl: "Your Highness, this is a famous dish from my hometown called Gourd Chicken. It is named for its gourd-like shape. It is made with carefully selected young hens from the current year, first boiled until half-cooked, then steamed, and finally fried in high-quality rapeseed oil. This is my first time making it, Your Highness, please try it."
The gourd-shaped chicken was golden-red in color, and the meat easily fell off the bone with chopsticks. An Liangchen took a bite and found that the skin was indeed crispy, the meat tender, and the flavor rich.
Even if An Liangchen doesn't cook, people would think that it would take eight to ten years of cooking experience to reach this level.
An Liangchen chewed a couple of bites, then spat out the chicken. Yu Shuxian's eyes widened in surprise: "Your Highness, is it not tasty?"
An Liangchen frowned slightly: "I forgot to tell Consort Yu that I don't eat Sichuan peppercorns. Eating them makes my whole body turn red and itchy..."
Yu Shuxian quickly took a bite: "Your Highness, Sichuan peppercorns should be numbing, but this gourd chicken isn't."
An Liangchen put down his chopsticks: "Since this is Consort Yu's first time making it, she may have forgotten that slightly complicated dishes usually have Sichuan peppercorns added for flavor. Next time Consort Yu makes gourd chicken, please remember not to add Sichuan peppercorns."
An Liangchen left after speaking, with Dexi and Lixia following behind him. Yu Shuxian watched them walk away, then suddenly slammed her chopsticks on the ground: "I'm not eating anymore, I'm feeding it all to the dogs."
Dexi glanced back and said, "Your Highness, Consort Yu seems to be angry."
An Liangchen's tone was slightly cold: "What is it?"
An Liangchen disliked palace servants talking too much. Dexi felt a slight chill and quickly said, "General Yan sent someone to deliver a report of victory, which I have placed in the Imperial Study."
An Liangchen was overjoyed, took a few quick steps but then slowed down: "Did Yan Zeyu send someone to deliver this?"
Dexi nodded: "Yes."
An Liangchen's heart sank slightly. The victory report to the court should be written by the commander-in-chief himself; Yuan Fengzai's turn was not yet Yan Zeyu's.
The envelope was larger than usual. As soon as An Liangchen opened it, a secret report fell out. It was still sealed in vermilion lacquer, with four characters written in a way that looked like a crab crawling. An Liangchen half-recognized and half-guessed that it probably read: "To be opened by the Crown Prince!"
Xiaoman's handwriting was terrible; he wouldn't even write a letter with a knife to his throat. This was the first time An Liangchen had seen a letter from Yuan Feng in over two years.
An Liangchen quickly glanced at the victory report: a great victory over the Western Prefecture, killing over ten thousand enemies while inflicting over four thousand casualties on his own. The calligraphy was vigorous and slender, and the signature was Yan Zeyu.
Yan Zeyu knew his style; his reports of victory were so brief they contained not a single superfluous word. An Liangchen opened the secret report for Xiaoman (the beginning of summer), frowning as he carefully examined it.
There were no punctuation marks, and it only contained ten characters. An Liangchen stared at it for a long time, then said to Dexi, "Go and see if the Crown Princess has eaten or slept..."
Dexi accepted the order and left. When he returned, he saw An Liangchen copying the Stone Drum Inscriptions. Such a joyous occasion, yet An Liangchen showed no sign of happiness?
Dexi dared not ask and reported in detail: "Your Highness, the Crown Princess has eaten, just like usual, she ate a bowl of rice and drank a bowl of soup. Today's dishes included stewed goji berries and bird's nest, jade shrimp, stir-fried shredded vegetables, and goat milk and yam soup. The Crown Princess is not resting now, she is embroidering..."
Embroidery? An Liangchen had known Nan Hua for so many years, but he had no idea she had this skill.
An Liangchen continued practicing calligraphy and instructed, "Send a few dishes to Fanghua Tower and say that the Crown Princess is hungry. Send all the servants in Fanghua Tower away and say that the Crown Princess is going to sleep."
After giving the instructions, Dexi returned and waited to the side. An Liangchen only stood up after finishing writing a piece: "You may leave. There's no need for you to follow me."
Fanghua Building's doors and windows were tightly shut, and the interior was pitch black; even the lights were off. Was Nanhua angry? An Liangchen suddenly remembered that over the years, he had only ever seen Nanhua angry with one person: Nanfei.
An Liangchen stood outside Fanghua Tower, barely holding her breath. Nanhua sat motionless at the table, as if she were arguing with someone. But who could she argue with? She had chosen her path, and she had done her part.
An Liangchen visited the Nan residence during the New Year and said she wouldn't go again afterward, but Nan Hua insisted on going. An Liangchen could have refused if Nan Hua had asked her to go; why wouldn't she? He was the Crown Prince, now even more senior than the Emperor.
Footsteps sounded outside the door, then faded into the distance. Had An Liangchen left?
Nanhua groped her way to the bedside, kicked off her shoes, and without even taking off her clothes, pulled the blanket over herself. She gripped the blanket tightly with both hands, closed her eyes, and tears welled up in her eyes.
The baby seemed to sense its mother's displeasure and began to toss and turn. Nanhua gently touched her belly and began to cry softly. All the grievances she had held back for so many years seemed to erupt in the darkness, no longer able to be concealed.
The room suddenly lit up, and Nan Hua stopped talking in surprise, raising his sleeve to block the light and also to hide his disheveled appearance.
An Liangchen watched Nanhua by the lampstand for a while before slowly walking to the bedside. He helped Nanhua up and held her in his arms, his hand stroking Nanhua's round belly.
Nan Hua's tears, which she had just stopped, welled up again instantly. The tears silently seeped through her clothes and soaked An Liangchen's chest.
After an unknown amount of time, Nanhua finally calmed down. An Liangchen took out a handkerchief to wipe Nanhua's face clean, gently helped her take off her clothes and lay her down, then took off his own clothes, got into bed, and flicked the bed curtains to turn off the light.
An Liangchen lay on her side, one hand under Nan Hua's neck, the other hand gently stroking her belly through her inner garment. The baby seemed to sense its mother's quietness and quieted down as well.
Seeing that An Liangchen remained silent, seemingly with no intention of speaking, Nanhua hesitated for a moment, then finally couldn't hold back any longer: "What is it?"
Hearing her hoarse voice, An Liangchen kissed her cheek with affection: "Does it count as the Crown Prince sleeping with the Crown Princess?"
Nan Hua said irritably, "Is Consort Yu's cooking not good? Has she failed to win over His Highness's stomach?"
An Liangchen said, "Jealous? You were the one who suggested making her a concubine, and it's only now that you're jealous?"
Nan Hua grasped his hand, and An Liangchen intertwined his fingers with hers. Nan Hua seemed somewhat resentful: "If I hadn't suggested it, you wouldn't have made her a concubine?"
An Liangchen said, "It is my business to choose a concubine, and it is your business to make the suggestion. People as magnanimous as you are rare in this world."
Nan Hua pondered An Liangchen's words: "What do you mean?"
An Liangchen yawned: "I just wanted to see you get jealous. You used to bottle it up until you got sick, and now you secretly cry under the covers. You haven't improved at all over the years."
Nan Hua was stunned: "Then what do you think I should do?"
An Liangchen said, "If you are unhappy, you can hit me or scold Consort Yu. You are the Crown Princess, and your status in the harem is only that of the Empress. You can do whatever you want without any worries."
"Do as you please, why should you hold back?" An Liangchen said casually, but if she really did that... Nanhua remained silent for a long while...
An Liangchen thought she had taken his words to heart and was about to say go to sleep when he heard Nan Hua's voice soft and distant: "Do you really think that way, or are you trying to mislead me and prepare for the future removal of the Crown Princess?"