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Chapter 1095: The Couple's Resemblance
🕑 Added 2024-11-22 12:40:16 +0000 UTCLiu Bei held his son proudly, driving his carriage to block Chen Xi's. "Zichuan, let me take a look at your daughter."
"..." Chen Xi stuck his head out and saw Liu Bei, beaming with happiness as he held his son A'dou. Chen Xi smirked, "She’s not as good-looking as my daughter."
"Hahaha, my son doesn’t need to be good-looking," Liu Bei said as he sized up Chen Xi. "As long as he has a mind as brilliant as yours, Zichuan, that's enough."
"Greetings, Lord Xuande," said Fan Jian and Chen Lan, attempting to bow, but Liu Bei waved them off. "No need for such formalities; I’m not one for rigid etiquette." He leaned over to take a closer look at Chen Lan’s daughter, then glanced back at A'dou, and suddenly said something that almost made Chen Xi spit out his tea.
"These two have a real couple’s resemblance," Liu Bei remarked after examining both children closely, even extending his arms to hold them at a distance for a better view.
"Pfft!" Chen Xi burst out laughing. "Lord Xuande, you’re something else. You can tell just by looking?"
"I’m serious!" Liu Bei laughed heartily.
"Alright, if it’s suitable, I won’t mind. But if it’s not, your son will be the one to suffer, believe me," Chen Xi grinned as he leaned against the carriage window. "He’ll have to be like my own son, half of him anyway."
"Well, you're already his master, aren’t you? Master and son—it’s no loss!" Liu Bei said nonchalantly. "Then your daughter will be half mine."
"I feel like something isn’t quite right," Chen Xi suddenly realized, thinking about the future. A'dou would probably address Zhen Mi as "sister," just like how Liu Che called Princess Shucheng "sister." Chen Xi's expression turned odd—what a strange situation this was.
"What’s wrong with that?" Liu Bei rolled his eyes. "We’re great men, no need to worry about such trivial things." As he spoke, he pulled out a jade pendant with a phoenix motif from his robe and tied it around Chen Xi’s daughter's neck. The more he looked at it, the more it pleased him. Then he glanced at the dragon-patterned jade pendant hanging from A'dou, clearly prepared long in advance.
Chen Xi didn’t find it out of place. Liu Bei, as a Liu family prince, had essentially become a king among the nobility. He had set up his own offices, held a high rank, and except for a few pearls missing from his imperial robe compared to the emperor’s, he had everything the emperor had. It showed how powerful a well-positioned noble could be.
"Fine, there’s nothing wrong with it," Chen Xi said with a resigned wave. "Even though the full month has passed, I still plan to celebrate my daughter's birth."
"Just bring her tonight," Liu Bei said dismissively. "It’ll be a private banquet, but everyone who should be there will come. I’m sure both my son and your daughter will be quite charming."
"Alright," Chen Xi nodded. This was something he could easily agree to. As for Fan Jian and Chen Lan, they would always defer to Chen Xi in public matters, even if he made a mistake, they wouldn’t point it out at such a time.
Taking A'dou in his arms, Chen Xi looked at the baby. He seemed like an ordinary infant, confirming that upbringing and education would be crucial for his development.
"By the way, I haven’t seen Physician Hua around, only his disciples," Chen Xi said, scanning the surroundings.
"He didn’t come. He’s still in Fenggao," Liu Bei explained. "According to Zilong, both he and Hanmou are engrossed in their respective research. Hanmou has entered a critical phase and can’t leave, and Physician Hua hasn’t finished packing up yet."
"I see," Chen Xi understood, and just then, Jia Xu's carriage passed by and came to a stop. Lu Xun hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should inform Chen Xi.
"Wenhe, come take a look at my son," Liu Bei called out excitedly.
"..." Jia Xu didn’t know how to respond to Liu Bei but still approached to take a look at A'dou. To Jia Xu, the significance of Liu Bei’s son was mainly about stabilizing the faction; beyond that, there wasn’t much to it.
Jia Xu took A'dou in his arms, his usually indifferent face softening as he examined the child. He then glanced at Chen Xi’s daughter and stroked his beard. "Hmm, Lord Xuande’s son and Zichuan’s daughter do seem to have a couple’s resemblance."
"..." Chen Xi suddenly had the urge to punch Jia Xu in the face. Liu Bei, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear, clearly pleased and even gave Jia Xu a pat, praising him for his insight.
Li You's carriage followed shortly after, and upon Liu Bei’s greeting, he too came over. After looking at the children, he calmly remarked, "They do, indeed."
"You’re all messing with me!" Chen Xi fumed.
"Ahem," Liu Bei coughed awkwardly, turning his head to the side. "It seems it’s true—great minds think alike."
"If you didn’t turn away like that, I might actually believe you," Chen Xi said as he pulled his daughter into his arms and glanced at A'dou in Li You’s hands. "..."
After observing the children for a while, Chen Xi couldn’t tell if it was because of Li You and the others’ suggestions or something else, but he actually started to see the couple’s resemblance. What kind of sorcery was this in broad daylight?
Several more carriages passed by, carrying people like Zhuge Liang, Huang Yueying, Cai Zhaoji, and Cai Zhenji, all well-versed in various mystic arts. Naturally, they also noticed the resemblance.
"Lord Chen, it seems you can see it too," Zhuge Liang teased with a smile. Chen Xi often liked to joke about bending destiny to his will, and he always claimed he didn’t understand such things. But Zhuge Liang was sure Chen Xi’s current expression belied his supposed ignorance.
"If you don’t mind, may I, an old man, take a look?" At this moment, Fan Liang stepped out from his carriage, leaning on a cane, with Fan Jian quickly supporting him.
"Why would I mind, Father-in-law?" Liu Bei made a gesture of invitation. After all, this man was Chen Xi’s father-in-law, and although Chen Qian was born of Chen Lan, in this era, she was still considered Fan Liang’s granddaughter. Naturally, there was no issue with him looking at his granddaughter.
Fan Liang's family was renowned for their expertise in astrology and fortune-telling, and with just a glance, he understood much of the situation.
"I always thought it was just a rumor, but it turns out it really is the complete constellation of Ziwei Doushu, without any deviation," Fan Liang was slightly amazed. He had thought the rumor of Lady Gan dreaming of the Northern Dipper and giving birth to a son was mere gossip, but it seemed to be true.
"As for my granddaughter, she’s still the same as before. After being held by Zichuan, her aura of purple energy has increased significantly. But as for the couple’s resemblance... well, it’s real."
Fan Liang handed Chen Qian and A'dou back to Chen Xi and Liu Bei, smiling wryly. "If they didn’t have the resemblance before, they certainly do now."
Chen Xi was full of confusion, unable to grasp what Fan Liang meant. What was going on?
"Fan Elder means that these two noble children, when brought together, naturally complement each other," Zi Xu suddenly appeared and explained. "Though they may not be the best choices for one another, they are the most suitable, not just for themselves, but for everyone around them."
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