Chapter 121: 121. As long as you don ‘t mind being sisters with me (Update 1)
Translator: 549690339
Lin Xueqing was completely confused, “Who is the Fourth Prince?”
She knew that Qian Country had four princes, but she had never met them.
Why would that person want to marry her?
Lin Boyan pulled Lin Xueqing into the room and sat down, sighing deeply, “It’s all my fault for insisting on staying in the capital city to serve in office, I didn’t plan your marriage early enough.”
Lin Xueqing looked at Lin Shuzhi, and her eyes instantly turned red, “Dad, I don’t want to marry the Fourth Prince, he will have many women, right?” The answer to this question is self-evident.
Because Duanmu Chen intended Lin Xueqing to be his Imperial Concubine.
From any angle, this was something that Lin Shuzhi and Lin Boyan could not accept.
Even if Duanmu Chen let Lin Xueqing be his main wife, they wouldn’t be willing to accept it.
There was only one precious daughter in the family of four – how could they send her into the ruthless royal family?
“Dad, I’ll resign from my position, and we’ll return to our hometown.” Lin Boyan said with a serious face.
Lin Shuzhi frowned, “If you do that now, it will only offend the Fourth Prince, and the emperor will think that the Lin family is ungrateful. The result may be even worse.”
Also, Lin Bojun had previously offended the Second Prince.
“We can’t let Xueqing marry into the royal family!” Lin Boyan’s expression was furious. At this moment, he didn’t care at all if his future might be tied up by Xueqing’s marriage; those were all secondary matters.
Lin Xueqing’s mind was chaotic. Her father and brother were her pride, but she always felt that she was just an ordinary person.
She never expected that such a thing would happen to her one day.
“Don’t be afraid, your father won’t let you jump into the fire pit,” Lin Shuzhi comforted her daughter, but he was only calm on the surface. He couldn’t even decide if he should regret his impulsiveness to resign his office years ago or regret that he allowed his two sons to stay in the capital city.
If they followed the first choice, he would have earned himself fame by now, and maybe wouldn’t be so passive in this situation. But at the same time, his daughter might be an object of desire for even more people…
“Xiaoliang…” Lin Boyan suddenly remembered what Su Liang said, “She seems to have a good relationship with the Fourth Prince. Could we ask her for help to persuade the Fourth Prince to give up on marrying Xueqing?
If it were any other time, Lin Shuzhi and Lin Boyan wouldn’t have wanted to trouble Su Liang. But now they really had no choice. They had no connections, and since Lin Bojun had saved Qin Yujin, it wouldn’t be appropriate to ask Duke Qin’s mansion to intervene. The only person they knew who could speak with the Fourth Prince was Su Liang.
“Sister Su slapped the Second Prince at Huguo Temple today…” Lin Xueqing said in a muffled voice, “He deserved it. He tried to take advantage of her!”
Lin Shuzhi’s expression condensed. The Fourth Prince Duanmu Chen and the Second Prince Duanmu Ao had always been at odds.
“You two stay at home and don’t go out. I’ll go find Liang girl and ask her.” Lin Shuzhi stood up and walked out after saying.
After a while, Lin Xueqing suddenly remembered, “Sister Su moved today, she’s not at the Tea House anymore!” But when she ran out, Lin Shuzhi was already far away, and Lin Xueqing didn’t know where Su Liang’s new residence was.
At the Marquis Zhongxin Mansion.
Xing Yusheng was helping Old Madame Xing get out of the carriage, and they were still talking about Lin Xueqing.
It was mostly Old Madame Xing talking, and Xing Yusheng agreed with all the praise she was expressing.
“Mother.” Xing Ji came towards them, glanced at Xing Yusheng, and saluted Old Madame Xing.
Old Madame Xing smiled happily, “You’re going out?”
Xing Ji nodded, “The emperor has arranged an assignment.”
It wasn’t a good assignment, seemingly simple, but in reality, a little carelessness could easily lead to big problems.
Old Madame Xing, however, looked at Xing Yusheng, “You go back first. I have something to say to your father.” Xing Yusheng nodded and left.
“Mother, if it’s not an urgent matter, let’s talk about it when I return.” Xing Ji said.
Old Madame Xing snorted lightly, “It’s urgent.”
Xing Ji sighed lightly, dismissed the servants, and personally took Old Lady Xing back to her room.
“Yuyu is not young anymore, what do you plan for his marriage?” Old Lady Xing asked.
Xing Ji hesitated for a moment, “The Qin Family will arrange it for him. I have no objection as long as my father-in-law and brother-in-law think it’s good.”
Old Lady Xing glared at Xing Ji, “You really don’t have to worry! Isn’t Yuyu your own son?”
Xing Ji looked helpless, “Mother, even if we want to plan a marriage for
Yusheng, we have to pass the Qin Family’s hurdle first.”
Old Lady Xing nodded, “That hurdle has already been crossed. It’s your turn to act now. ”
Xing Ji frowned, “Mother means… ‘
“Your father-in-law and eldest brother-in-law have found a good girl for Yuyu. I have seen her today and I am very satisfied,” said Old Lady Xing, “This matter needs to be settled as soon as possible. If Yuyu’s uncles step in, it will make our Xing Family seem like no one is available. You should go propose marriage for Yuyu.”
Xing Ji was puzzled, “Whose daughter is she?”
“The Lin Family, daughter of Lin Shuzhi,” Old Lady Xing said, “What do you think?”
Xing Ji’s expression changed slightly, “Of course the Lin Family is good, but Lin Shuzhi doesn’t know about this, does he?”
“It was only brought up in the past few days,” Old Lady Xing said.
“Today, I went to the palace and met the fourth prince who was seeking the emperor’s permission for marriage,” Xing Ji said.
Old Lady Xing furrowed her brows, “What does that have to do with us… ‘
Suddenly her voice stopped. “Is he seeking marriage with Miss Lin?”
Xing Ji nodded, “The emperor has agreed, and I was there at the time.”
Old Lady Xing’s face stiffened, “Is it too late?”
“The imperial decree has not yet been issued,” Xing Ji said.
“Do you intend to snatch the girl away knowing that the fourth prince wants to marry her?” Old Lady Xing looked annoyed. If only they had acted two days earlier.
Xing Ji asked, “Does Yusheng like Miss Lin?”
“Of course,” Old Lady Xing sighed several times, but at this point, she felt that the promising marriage had slipped away.
“Then I will go to the palace to ask the emperor for the marriage decree for Yusheng,” Xing Ji said.
Old Lady Xing was dumbfounded, “Are you tired of living?!”
It would be fine if Xing Ji didn’t know that the fourth prince was seeking the emperor’s permission for marriage. But he did know!
How would the emperor feel about Xing Ji competing with his son for a woman?
“Mother, you only need to tell me if you really want Yusheng to marry Miss Lin?” Xing Ji asked.
“What I want most is for the family to be safe and sound!” Old Lady Xing said. “I understand,” Xing Ji nodded, “Mother, go back and rest. Leave this matter to me.”
As soon as the words fell, Xing Ji turned and strode out. Old Lady Xing looked anxious, “Where are you going? Don’t be impulsive!”
“I’m going to the palace to ask for permission,” Xing Ji said as he walked away.
Old Lady Xing recalled that her reckless son had slipped away to fight wars for days without returning when he was younger, which had scared her to death.
Old Lady Xing then went to find Xing Yusheng and told him about Xing Ji’s plan to go to the palace.
Xing Yusheng was surprised, as he had always felt that Xing Ji was not very concerned about him and had been somewhat cold towards him.
“Does Father think that the more arrogant he is, the more reassured the emperor will be about him?” Xing Yusheng said.
Old Lady Xing slapped Xing Yusheng, “Nonsense! Your father is doing this for you!”
Xing Yusheng’s face looked a little strange, “Then let’s wait and see if he can get things done first.”
“If it doesn’t work out, will you give up?” Old Lady Xing asked.
Xing Yusheng sighed, “I don’t mind eloping with Miss Lin, but that would be extremely irresponsible. At this point, I just hope that the emperor cancels the marriage decree for the fourth prince. Even if she doesn’t want to marry me afterward, she would still have other options. If the emperor really agrees to my father’s request, I will tell the Lin family that if they don’t agree, I will propose to withdraw from the marriage once the storm has passed. I promise not to cause any trouble for the Lin family.”
Old Lady Xing held Xing Yusheng’s hand and let out a long sigh, “Let’s discuss this when your father comes back.”
Su Liang first went with Qin Yujin to the Qin’s residence, and after applying acupuncture treatment, they left. They followed the address given by Chang’an and found their new house.
Qi Jun, who had driven her there, left.
Su Liang carried the vegetarian dishes for Ning Jing, pushed open the slightly ajar door, and walked in.
It had been renovated and cleaned recently; although the winter was bleak, there were many cypresses planted, and greenery could be seen everywhere.
This was Ning Jing’s request for many trees.
The architectural style was simple and elegant, which Su Liang thought was nice.
She went through the front hall and found Ning Jing fishing on the lake in the backyard…
From a distance, the scene looked like a beautifully frozen painting.
Su Liang walked over, and Ning Jing heard the footsteps. He glanced back, his gaze lowered to the food box in her hand, and he stood up, putting down his fishing rod to walk towards the pavilion next to him. “Are there any fish in the lake?” Su Liang asked.
Ning Jing shook his head, “I don’t know.”
“These are vegetarian dishes from Huguo Temple, but they’ve become cold.” Su Liang said.
Ning Jing opened the food box and spread it on the stone table, “I didn’t have lunch.”
“If I didn’t come back, you would have stayed hungry?” Su Liang was speechless.
“I planned to roast fish.” Ning Jing said.
Su Liang asked, “Where’s the fish?”
Ning Jing replied indifferently, “Maybe in the lake.”
Su Liang thought: So, you won’t eat unless you catch a fish, huh? Sure enough, Ning Jing hasn’t changed, still so laid-back.
“You lived in Huguo Temple for several years before, right?” Su Liang recalled. Ning Jing nodded, and he was quite familiar with these vegetarian dishes.
“I met Nian Ruxue today,” Su Liang said.
Ning Jing focused on eating and didn’t react.
Su Liang then told him about how Nian Ruxue had tricked her.
Ning Jing frowned, “What about Duanmu Ao?”
“He’s alive, just crippled,” Su Liang said.
Ning Jing nodded, “Good.”
“You don’t have anything to say about Nian Ruxue?” Su Liang was curious.
“She’s just a stranger, there’s nothing to talk about.” Ning Jing shook his head.
Lin Shuzhi arrived at the tea house first and learned that Ning Jing and Su Liang were not there. The tea house manager told him the location of their new house, so Lin Shuzhi hurried over.
Su Liang was in the room packing her clothes when she heard Ning Jing talking to someone.
“Little Liang, Xueqing is in trouble, ” Lin Shuzhi sighed solemnly as he saw Su Liang coming out.
Su Liang’s expression changed, “I watched her go home. How could something happen?”
Lin Shuzhi shook his head, and Ning Jing said, “Duanmu Chen has asked for an
Imperial Decree to marry her as an imperial concubine.”
Su Liang frowned, “Has the Imperial Decree been issued?”
“Not yet, but it’s coming soon.” Lin Shuzhi’s face was bitter, “You know the Fourth Prince; is there any way you can…”
“I’ll go find him!” No sooner had Su Liang finished speaking than she disappeared.
Lin Shuzhi looked at Ning Jing, who appeared calm, “Master, don’t worry; she won’t let Xueqing marry Duanmu Chen.”
“What about you…” Lin Shuzhi wondered if Ning Jing needed to go and protect Su Liang.
Ning Jing shook his head, “She can handle it herself.”
Duanmu Chen came out of the palace in a good mood. He heard from Chang’an that Ning Jing and Su Liang had moved into their new house, which he had gifted them. He smiled slightly, “If they have any complaints and they don’t mention them today, I won’t acknowledge them tomorrow.”
“There’s one more thing.” Chang’an said, “The Second Prince went to Huguo
Temple today and was carried down the mountain.” Duanmu Chen straightened up suddenly, “Is he dead?” Chang’an shook his head, “No, just unconscious.”
Duanmu Chen looked disappointed, “Who did it?”
“I don’t know. There were quite a few people at Huguo Temple today, including the son of Marquis Zhongxin and the young lady from the Qin’s residence. Su Liang was also there.” Chang’an said.
Duanmu Chen was stunned, “Su Liang? Didn’t you say she was moving today?”
“She went to Huguo Temple with Miss Qin, and Ning Jing moved by himself,” Chang’an said.
Duanmu Chen raised his eyebrow, “Could it be that Duanmu Ao was beaten by Su Liang?”
Chang’an indicated that he thought so too.
Duanmu Chen laughed, “Interesting. I knew she couldn’t stay out of trouble after coming to the capital. Well done. Next time, I hope she kills him outright.”
“We’ll see about that next time.”
A familiar female voice suddenly came from outside the door.
Duanmu Chen and Chang’an both looked startled.
“Miss Su? How did you…” Chang’an was shocked to see Su Liang pushing the door in.
“Sorry for intruding,” Su Liang said.
Duanmu Chen’s eyes narrowed, thinking how Su Liang had managed to enter his residence during the day like it was an uninhabited place? It seemed that his guards were too useless and needed to be strengthened.
“What’s the matter? You’re in such a hurry to see me?” Duanmu Chen asked without offering Su Liang a seat.
“I heard that the Fourth Prince wants to marry Lin Xueqing as a concubine?” Su Liang got straight to the point.
Duanmu Chen was very surprised, “How did you know?”
“Your Highness, it doesn’t matter how I found out. Is it happening?” Su Liang asked.
Duanmu Chen nodded, “Yes, but I don’t think it has anything to do with you.” “It does. She’s my friend.” Su Liang said.
Duanmu Chen looked puzzled, “What do you mean she’s your friend? Are you and the Lin family…”
“Your Highness, we have a partnership. I came to see you today for a negotiation. What do you want to let go of marrying Xueqing? Tell me your conditions.” Su Liang said.
Duanmu Chen looked at Su Liang, his eyes narrowing slightly, and then laughed slowly, “It’s not impossible, but I’m afraid you won’t agree to my terms.”
“Let me hear it,” Su Liang said indifferently.
“If I don’t marry her, will you be my concubine?” Duanmu Chen asked, his eyes deep.
Su Liang nodded, “Fine, as long as you don’t mind us being sisters.”
“Sisters?” Chang’an had a strange look on his face.
Su Liang explained seriously, “If I were forced to marry a man I didn’t like, my only way to avoid hurting him would be to turn him into a good sister — the kind you’d find in the palace. You know what I mean..”