Qin's Moon: I'm really not the Holy Lord of the Demonic Sect

Chapter 97 Cousins

Yang Che accompanied Prince Han An as he recounted his experiences in Xianyang. Prince Han An praised him repeatedly, and in his delight, he bestowed upon Yang Che rewards. Previously, it was an official position, and this time, it was a residence.

"When the Right Sima died in battle against Baiyue, his mansion remained vacant. Now that A Che is the Minister of Works of my Han state, it is no longer appropriate for him to stay at your uncle's house. Therefore, the Right Sima's mansion is hereby bestowed upon you." King Han An's generosity once again impressed Yang Che.

However, Yang Che hadn't considered moving out of the Zuo Sima Mansion. He didn't have much of a fondness for big houses, and he was quite comfortable living in the Zuo Sima Mansion, so why bother making a fuss?

Yang Che's troubled expression caught the eye of King Han An, which pleased the easygoing and robust king even more. He interpreted Yang Che's difficulty as reluctance to part with his uncle and aunt, and Yang Che's impression of him improved once again.

A person who remembers those who have helped them when they achieve success is a trustworthy person.

"Don't be reluctant to part with your uncle. The Right Sima Mansion is just across the street from the Left Sima Mansion. Whether the family lives separately or not, there's really no difference," Han Wang'an explained, believing he had seen through Yang Che's concerns.

"In that case, Yang Che thanks his uncle." Yang Che bowed again in thanks.

Just then, a pink figure ran in from outside the main hall, followed by a flustered eunuch trying to stop her. However, the pink figure was extremely fast, and the eunuch couldn't stop her at all. Of course, whether he couldn't stop her or dared not stop her is another matter.

"Honglian, with all your whirlwind manners, do you still have the demeanor of a princess?" King Han An looked at the newcomer with a helpless expression, but even more so with doting affection.

"Father." Honglian stuck out her little tongue, trying to get away with being cute.

Faced with such an adorable little daughter, what could King Han An do? He could only spoil her.

Honglian successfully fooled everyone, and then looked at Yang Che. Although it had only been a few months since they last met, it felt like an eternity had passed.

"Isn't this our Yang Zhongqing?" Honglian looked Yang Che up and down, saying something that seemed very distant and even a bit critical.

"Yang Che greets the princess." In front of her father, what could Yang Che do but pretend to be honest?

"Honglian, Yang Che is not an outsider. He is related to me by marriage. You should call Yang Che your cousin." Seeing his daughter's domineering attitude, King Han An took the initiative to bring up this matter.

"Him?" Honglian's eyes widened in surprise. What was going on?

However—Honglian's eyes darted around. Despite her seemingly foolish appearance, she was actually quite shrewd. After Han Wang'an's brief moment, she quickly realized what was going on.

The two of them are, after all, relatives.

When Han Wang'an saw that Honglian remained silent, he assumed that she was unwilling to acknowledge Yang Che as her cousin. Thinking of Honglian's past willfulness, he wondered what words he could use to persuade her. However, Honglian's next move surprised him greatly.

The previously arrogant and domineering Honglian suddenly became very obedient, bowing to Yang Che with a standard noblewoman's greeting and saying in a clear voice, "Honglian greets her cousin."

King Han stared in astonishment at his daughter, who had suddenly become so obedient. For a moment, he couldn't believe his eyes. Was there something he didn't know, or something he had forgotten? Was this still his daughter?

Yang Che was somewhat taken aback by Honglian's sudden obedience. Was this the Honglian Princess he remembered? Could it be that she had awakened the Crimson Flame attribute and was only being obedient to prepare for a powerful attack?

However, Yang Che could handle even two women like Jing Ni and Zhao Ji, let alone a mere little girl like Hong Lian. Faced with Hong Lian's obedience, Yang Che returned the greeting.

However, Honglian's subsequent behavior deepened Yang Che's suspicions. She was too obedient, completely different from the Honglian he remembered.

Yang Che was unaware that his suspicions stemmed from a misjudgment of the situation.

He could easily grasp Zhao Ji's thoughts because Zhao Ji was a woman, but Hong Lian was just a little girl in his eyes. He could control a woman's thoughts and a little girl's thoughts.

Especially since this young girl now has the mind of a woman, even if Yang Che is very smart, it would be difficult for him to see the womanly thoughts in Honglian for a while.

Yang Che talked with Han Wang An and his daughter Hong Lian for a long time until dusk, when they had dinner before he was able to leave.

After being well-behaved for most of the afternoon, Honglian suddenly said to Yang Che, who was about to leave, "Cousin, will you take me home?"

Before Yang Che could answer, Han Wang An spoke first, saying, "Yang Che, you should escort Hong Lian back, lest she cause trouble again."

Yang Che and Hong Lian left the main hall together. As expected, Hong Lian reverted to her true nature, immediately tugging at Yang Che's sleeve and asking expectantly, "Cousin, shouldn't you give me a gift?"

"A gift?" Looking at the smiling Honglian, Yang Che suddenly realized that she was probably about to revert to her true nature.

The Honglian who revealed her true nature was the Honglian Yang Che knew. Furthermore, with Han Wang An not present, Yang Che naturally felt no pressure facing the princess, and thus directly asked, "What does my cousin want?"

Honglian looked Yang Che up and down, then suddenly blushed, abruptly loosened her grip on Yang Che's sleeve, and said, "Remember you owe me a gift. I'll ask you for it again when I want it."

After saying that, Honglian ran off before Yang Che could answer, leaving Yang Che completely bewildered. What had Honglian gone through in the past few months to become so strange?

However, since he had promised Han Wang'an to send Honglian back, Yang Che had no reason to leave halfway, so he could only follow along, looking at Honglian ahead and at the butterfly that seemed to be flitting among the flowers.

Suddenly, Yang Che saw that tender flowers were already sprouting from the green grass on both sides of the palace path.

Before we knew it, spring had arrived.

Yang Che escorted Honglian back to her palace. As they parted, the young princess seemed a little melancholy and asked Yang Che, "When will I be able to see you again?"

"This shouldn't be too long, right?" Yang Che was speechless for a moment. This was not a good answer. After all, this was the Han King's Palace, not his own backyard. It was simply unrealistic for him to be able to come and go as he pleased with the Han King while flirting with the beauties in the harem.

"I'll come find you then." Honglian's sorrow was fleeting; a sly glint appeared in her eyes the next moment as she said, "Cousin, you certainly won't disappoint me, will you?"

"Of course." Yang Che smiled as well. He had to admit that Honglian was quite adorable when she wasn't up to any ulterior motives.

"See you next time then." Honglian waved her little hand at Yang Che, ran into the palace, and disappeared behind the palace gate.