Chapter 33
It was a few days before my brother was about to leave the confinement room. I was teasing the little baby in the bedroom, "Nian Nian, look at your auntie."
My brother leaned against the head of the bed, half sitting, "Do you like children?"
I didn't notice anything unusual and said casually, "I like it. It's so cute, isn't it, Nian Nian."
The Emperor's aunt had already given him a name, Yu Yisheng. His brother had a nickname, Nian Nian.
As soon as I finished answering, my brother's sarcastic voice came over, "If you like someone else, why don't you want to have a child of your own?"
I raised my head and smiled awkwardly.
"Haha. You can still laugh?" My brother was already a little angry.
I stood obediently by the bed. Kong Qing quickly had the nurse take Nian Nian away and closed the door. I was so grateful for his thoughtfulness. I felt like crying, but I couldn't.
"An Lan, if you don't like Chen An, don't waste his time!" said the brother seriously.
I quickly replied, "I like it." I never hide anything in front of my brother.
"Is that a sign of affection?" the brother asked sternly, "This world is different from ours. You should understand the situation of men in this world even more. You openly say that you may not have children. So, how do you want Chen An to answer you? Will he marry you regardless of whether you give him the child or not? Are you forcing him to answer like this?"
I quickly defended myself, "No, brother, you should know that this is not what I meant. I was just worried about what might happen."
After hearing this, the brother became even more angry. "If that's not what you meant, then why don't you just say it nicely? I don't know when you learned the ways of the women here. You act dictatorially and arbitrarily in the name of love! If anything happens, you can still protect yourself, right?"
I almost fell to my knees, overwhelmed by shame.
"I know I was wrong, brother." I bowed my head and admitted my mistake sincerely. In fact, I had already realized that the timing and way of my conversation were wrong.
My brother was silent for a long time before he spoke again, "An Lan, does my existence put too many restrictions on you? Although I haven't read novels of this kind, I have heard that many stories about women who travel to countries where women are dominant have three husbands and four concubines. Because I require monogamy, your choices are also limited. Tell me the truth, when you chose Chen An, was there also a consideration of "exchanging hostages"? "
This time I really knelt down, and I felt that words were not enough. I hated myself for making my brother have such thoughts, but I didn't know how to make him let it go.
"Brother, I didn't. You have to believe me! In modern times, I am an upright young man who adheres to the five virtues and four beauties. You don't know me, but don't you believe that you can infect and attract people in the future? I am a person who pursues light. Brother, I really like Chen An, at least, I like him very much now." I was so anxious that I spoke incoherently and didn't even know what I was saying.
I knelt down and moved to my brother's bed, holding his hands tightly with both hands.
Before I could say anything more, the Third Princess rushed in, took two steps at a time, and pulled my hand away, mumbling, "What do you like? An Lan, you're not a child anymore."
Kong Qing stood at the door and said helplessly, "Master, I couldn't stop him."
My brother was speechless, not knowing how much this fool had heard. He waved his hand and let Kong Qing go.
"Your brother is in confinement after giving birth, so don't bother him all the time!" The third princess looked at me with an expression that said "you are annoying".
"Shut up!" My brother glared at her, then looked at me who was still kneeling on the ground. He was silent for a while, "Lanlan, go back first. Think about it carefully."
My brother knew that I would not have any estrangement with my sister-in-law, so he did not speak for her.
I nodded, stood up, and left without even saying hello to the Third Princess. I could faintly hear the Third Princess applying eye drops to me, "Look, An Lan didn't even say goodbye to her sister-in-law."
The corners of my mouth couldn't help but twitch. My sister-in-law has been competing with me for favor for years.
It was as if this incident had never happened, and I never saw Chen An again.
Soon it was Nian Nian's full-moon banquet. I dressed up and went to attend with great enthusiasm. I looked around but couldn't find Chen An. Was he still avoiding me? I was a little anxious.
After I returned to my seat in a depressed mood, my father spoke slowly, "I forgot to tell you that Chen An went to the Kaiyuan Temple in the south city to worship Buddha. He won't be back for ten days."
I stared at my father in amazement. How could he forget this? He'd been watching me spinning in circles for so long, was he trying to make fun of me?
I glanced at the people at the tables around me; surprisingly, everyone avoided my gaze. The Queen held up a handkerchief to hide the corners of her mouth. Okay, so you all know everything, but you're hiding it from me?
I was very angry and pouted, muttering, "You're so young, why are you worshipping Buddha? You're just trying to avoid me."
After hearing this, my father slapped me and said, "Nonsense!" He put his hands together and muttered to himself, "My little girl is young and talking nonsense. Please don't blame the gods or Buddhas."
I secretly curled my lips, but didn't dare to say anything else. After all, the existence of my brother and I was not very scientific.
My brother came out holding the baby and showed his face for a moment before going back home. During this time, I kept trying to convince my sister-in-law that it was important to have a full 42-day confinement period, and she agreed.
Anyway, it's always good to pay more attention for a few days, even though my brother is already very impatient.
I ran to my brother's room, but the third princess was not there this time, after all, there were a lot of people outside.
"Chen An ran away, right?" The brother sat on the bed, feeling very gloating.
I just nodded, but I seriously doubted it was my brother's idea. He was punishing me, teaching me a lesson!
"How do you feel? Do you feel unwell?" I sat on the edge of the bed and looked at my brother.
My brother stretched out his body and said, "I feel like my bones are all weak from lying down. I need to start exercising soon." Then he remembered my 42-day statement and rolled his eyes at me. "It's all your fault. You said 42 days, and you've kept me home for a few more days."
"It's better to rest more." I looked at my brother seriously, and he could only sigh.
"Time is running out, so prepare for your wedding well. I have prepared a lot of rare things, and I will ask your sister-in-law to send them to you tomorrow and put them in the betrothal gifts." My brother was very excited and seemed to be looking forward to it.
The eldest brother is like a father! I agreed readily, and said with a playful smile, "Yes, thank you, brother. I have prepared a lot of betrothal gifts. I will put the excess in his private warehouse." After thinking about it, I declined again, "Forget it, brother, you should let my sister-in-law send it to Chen An as a dowry."
My brother smiled knowingly and said, "Our family is very wealthy, and there is no way I would let Chen An down in the betrothal gift."
But my brother shook his head. "The royal family has its own standards, and the quota is limited. Besides, I can't go beyond Jin Yan's side. I'd better give it to our family, and you can give it to Chen An privately."
"By the way, your sister-in-law told me that the palace has chosen the house next door to ours to be the prince's residence."
"Oh? No wonder the neighbors moved some time ago, and there have been so many clanging noises recently." I suddenly realized.
Hearing my concern, my brother's face suddenly turned black. "I mean, where are you going to live after you get married?"
My thoughts were very simple. I thought it didn't matter where I lived. After hearing this, my brother could only look at me speechlessly.
Unable to bear it any longer, my brother poked my head and said, "How can it be the same? Doesn't this concern the title of Marquis Jing'an?"
My brother was at a loss for words as to how stupid I was.
Only then did I understand my brother's intention, and it made him worry so much.
I thought for a moment before cautiously saying, "I've thought about it, why don't we move to the Prince's Mansion after some time after the wedding."
I looked at my brother's face as I spoke. He raised his chin and said, "Go on."
Seeing that my brother's expression didn't change, I became bolder.
"First of all, the prince's mansion is next door, just missing a side door. Nothing much will change, but it will greatly reduce the conflict between father and son-in-law. Of course, my father and Chen An have always had a good relationship. Besides, we have An Qi in our family. Now that I have entered the court, it is no problem for me to get a third-rank rank. Moreover, Chen An is a prince himself, so he will not lack a title in the future. I want An Qi to inherit the title."
"What else?" My brother looked at me.
I touched my nose and said, "Besides, if we really don't have children, Chen An won't be stressed."
My brother was very puzzled and asked me doubtfully, "Why are you always worried about not having children in the future?"
I glanced at the inner room door and whispered in my brother's ear, "I didn't come here later, so I don't know how things are going. Our family does have few children."
My brother frowned, a little worried, "Are you feeling unwell?"
I shook my head. “Not really.”
My brother didn't say anything else, but he started to worry, "No wonder." He might have been thinking about the quarrel between me and Chen An some time ago.
Seeing my brother's expression, I regretted telling the truth. "Anyway, I'm fine, and having a child isn't necessary. Don't worry, you might be able to have one after you get married. It's all just my imagination."
My brother could only nod.
Time passed quickly, and after Chen An came back, he only gave me a message. After all, he was getting married soon, so the two of them couldn't meet each other.
For the first few days, I began visiting the elders of each family. I was exhausted after running around for several days. But the night before, I was still a little excited and couldn't sleep. Finally, Zhixia made me a bowl of sleep-inducing soup, and I finally fell asleep. In the morning, I woke up early and showered and changed.
Well, the hair crown on my head isn't much lighter than my brother's. I padded up a bit and followed the instructions to pay my respects in the ancestral hall, then to the main hall. Grandmother sat in a chair, looking energetic, her smile showing through her teeth.
I knelt down to pay my respects one by one, listened to the elders' instructions, and after completing the family rituals, we set off for the palace. The Emperor's aunt, the Empress, the Crown Princess's family, and my brother's family were all seated in the main hall.
After the palace's worship and banquet procedures were completed, I finally stood before the little prince. The palace was different from the outside world. After a simple play, I finally got the little prince to sit in the sedan chair.
Chen An's palms were already a little wet, and he was probably very nervous. I quietly moved my fingers and tickled his palms, which made him twitch slightly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com