Chapter 185 - Chapter 185: 185. New Task

Chapter 185: 185. New Task

Translator: 549690339

In the Imperial Study, Duanmu Chen took his seat and heard Duanmu Yi ask

coldly, “Fourth brother, what do you think?”

After pondering for a moment, Duanmu Chen spoke, “Your son heard yesterday that the eldest prince and the second prince were somewhat unhappy in Changchun Garden.”

At the time, Duanmu Chen was not present. He believed that the information he received was also known to Duanmu Yi.

Two days ago, deposed Duanmu Cheng’s crown prince status and appointed Duanmu Ao as crown prince, and yesterday’s quarrel between the brothers in the garden could completely become Duanmu Cheng’s motive to kill Duanmu Ao, and it seemed very reasonable no matter how you looked at it.

Furthermore, Duanmu Yi and Duanmu Chen both knew that if Duanmu Cheng got rid of Duanmu Ao, the Wan family would fully support him to take the throne, and they might even rebel.

It was only by getting rid of Duanmu Ao that Duanmu Cheng would have the chance to rise again.

This was an undeniable fact.

Duanmu Yi had already said that it was Duanmu Cheng who sent people to kill Duanmu Ao, and then asked Duanmu Chen what he thought, which made him uncertain about what Duanmu Yi wanted to hear.

After a pause, Duanmu Chen spoke again, “Your son is not clear about the circumstances of the second prince’s death, but thinks that perhaps someone took advantage of this opportunity to kill the second prince and frame the eldest prince.”

When entering the palace, Duanmu Chen thought that if the evidence pointed to Su Liang, he would have to find a way to lead it to Duanmu Cheng.

But he didn’t expect that there wouldn’t be much dispute over the matter.

However, since Duanmu Yi asked him, Duanmu Chen still had to say a few polite words.

His meaning was that Duanmu Cheng indeed had a clear motive to get rid of Duanmu Ao, and this point could be used by someone with ulterior motives to kill Duanmu Ao and frame Duanmu Cheng.

Duanmu Yi frowned, “The captured assassin is the eldest brother’s man. Are you saying that the person framing him has control over his mind?”

Hearing this, Duanmu Chen actually wanted to laugh a little in his heart, but he naturally needed to control himself and show a look of surprise and a touch of sadness on the surface.

At this point, Duanmu Chen still believed that Su Liang must have done something crucial in the middle, perhaps buying the inferior antidote from him? It was too far-fetched for him to believe that it was all fate.

“The weapon of the assassin is similar to Su Liang’s,” said Duanmu Yi with a cold face. “The death of the Su family is related to the eldest and second brothers, and it is also the direct reason why I deposed the crown prince’s position.”

Duanmu Chen had known this long ago, but still showed the perfect amount of astonishment, “This…”

So the fact that Duanmu Yi determined was that Duanmu Cheng killed Duanmu Ao and tried to frame Su Liang?

Duanmu Chen could only describe the death of Duanmu Ao with two words:

Perfect.

Su Liang not only had no suspicion but was also as innocent as possible and almost wronged.

“I want to call Wan Shan back to the capital. Who do you think is the most suitable person to take his place?” Duanmu Yi asked Duanmu Chen.

Duanmu Chen’s heart skipped a beat, and then he became overjoyed.

The biggest backing behind the brothers Duanmu Cheng and Duanmu Ao was their uncle, the Grand Marshal of Qian Country, Wan Shan, who was now stationed at the northern border.

This was also the biggest obstacle for Duanmu Chen to ascend to power.

He needed the support of military commanders.

At this moment, Duanmu Chen heard the meaning of Duanmu Yi’s intention to completely abandon the Wan family and immediately understood why Duanmu Yi chose to depose the crown prince when the Su family died.

It was not really because of the death of the Su family, but because Duanmu Yi had long been jealous of the powerful Wan family.

Duanmu Chen even suspected that the opportunities he had received in the past two years were Duanmu Yi’s deliberate cultivation, for today.

After careful consideration, Duanmu Chen answered Duanmu Yi’s question, “The current generals with military achievements are either too old and not suitable for important positions or they have various ties with the Wan family.” This was quite a straightforward statement, but it was true.

For military commanders to emerge was not easy. The strongest military families in Qian Country, excluding Duanmu Che’s maternal grandfather’s Lian family, had been infiltrated and controlled by the Wan family. Intricate marital ties, sometimes very secretive, could not be controlled.

By the time Duanmu Yi discovered the problem, it had reached the point where pulling one hair affected the whole body, and in order to maintain stability in Qian Country, he could not act rashly.

As for the Lian family, they had completely declined to the point of Lian Shun, leaving only the prestige of their ancestors.

This was also one of the reasons why Duanmu Yi had previously intentionally promoted young military officers and attached importance to the Military Exam.

Unfortunately, the young officer Nian Jincheng he had once wanted to cultivate was dismissed in a word.

Lin Bojun, as well as Su Liang, who was just selected this year, have never been on a battlefield.

Duanmu Chen would not recommend someone as young and inexperienced as Lin Bojun or Su Liang to replace Wan Shan. It would be too risky, and they would not be able to command respect from others.

But at this critical moment, someone has to seize Wan Shan’s military power and prevent Qian Country from falling into chaos.

Duanmu Yi has been planning to make a move against the Wan family for a long time, and this time finally found an opportunity to take action against his two useless sons, but the Wan family is still a big problem.

Originally, Duanmu Yi wanted to appoint Duanmu Ao as the crown prince, in order to make a smooth transition and gradually weaken the Wan family.

Who knew that one day later, Duanmu Cheng would kill Duanmu Ao, causing the conflict to intensify completely.

Duanmu Yi cannot possibly give the position of crown prince to Duanmu Cheng again, so he has to guard against the Wan family’s rebellion.

At the moment, Duanmu Chen was thinking about the nobles related to Su Liang in the capital city, but unfortunately there were no military commanders among them.

But suddenly, a thought occurred to him, and he blurted out, “Marquis Zhong Xin!”

Duanmu Yi looked at him intently, “Xing Ji?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Duanmu Chen said seriously, “After the previous events, I believe his loyalty is beyond doubt. He is a man who values love and loyalty. As long as his entire family is in the capital city, there is no need to worry about him doing anything detrimental to Qian Country. Although his identity does not classify him as a military commander, he fought bravely on the battlefield in his youth and even captured enemy generals. His courage is evident.” Duanmu Yi pondered with a frown.

Duanmu Chen continued, “Marquis Zhong Xin is in his prime, with status, prestige, military achievements, and a marriage alliance with the Lin Family. Why not let him go north with Lin Bojun? Su Liang can also go with them. She is very shrewd. At this time, it is not a matter of fighting a war, but of winning the hearts of the people on the surface and being tough behind the scenes.” The internal situation must remain stable; otherwise, it will provide an opportunity for the enemy to take advantage of.

“What do you think I should do about the eldest son?” Duanmu Yi brought up Duanmu Cheng again.

Duanmu Chen, of course, dared not speak at will, “It is up to Your Majesty to decide; this humble official does not dare to be arbitrary.”

In fact, he could say that for the sake of the Empress Dowager and the Empress, at least let Duanmu Cheng live.

But Duanmu Chen didn’t want to say that.

“You may leave. Summon Marquis Zhong Xin, Lin Bojun, and Su Liang to the palace immediately!” Duanmu Yi had a dark expression on his face.

Duanmu Chen respectfully replied, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Upon stepping out of the Imperial Study, Duanmu Chen looked at the gloomy sky and felt that his future was bright.

Just as Duanmu Chen left, Huang Bo brought Duanmu Che in his wheelchair to seek an audience with Duanmu Yi.

Ning Jing had been too busy to poison Duanmu Che in the past few days, so he hadn’t had any more of his intermittent fits, but his complexion was still poor. “Didn’t you walk before?” Duanmu Yi asked.

Duanmu Che shook his head, “This humble son feels weak and powerless today.”

“What’s the matter?” Duanmu Yi’s attitude was not as caring as before.

Duanmu Che felt it and frowned, “Father Emperor, I heard that eldest imperial brother killed second imperial brother?”

“You don’t have to worry about these things; just focus on recovering your health first.” Duanmu Yi had no intention of discussing serious matters with Duanmu Che.

But Duanmu Che sneered, “Father Emperor, I believe Su Liang must be the one scheming behind the scenes! Killing second imperial brother and slandering eldest imperial brother, I think it’s all her doing! Father Emperor, please don’t be deceived by her!”

Duanmu Yi’s face darkened instantly upon hearing this, “Che’er, Su Liang simply refused you, and since you couldn’t get her, you had to destroy her? How could your mind be so narrow? It is very disappointing! Someone, escort the fifth prince out of the palace back to his mansion!”

Duanmu Che didn’t expect Duanmu Yi would so quickly determine that the murderer was Duanmu Cheng, without any suspicion of Su Liang, and instead got annoyed with him and didn’t even allow him to stay in the palace any longer.

Duanmu Che still wanted to say something, but Huang Bo had already entered the room.

Duanmu Yi went straight to the side palace without wanting to hear another word from Duanmu Che.

Huang Bo pushed Duanmu Che’s wheelchair out of the Imperial Study and sighed deeply, “Master, there’s nothing impossible about the Eldest Prince killing the Second Prince. Why do you insist on involving Miss Su? Even if the deaths of the Su family members were related to those two princes, it doesn’t mean Miss Su did such a thing just because she wanted to kill Second Prince.” “How do you know it wasn’t her doing?” Duanmu Che retorted coldly.

Huang Bo bitter smiled, “How do you know it wasn’t the eldest prince? If His Majesty thinks it was him, there must be solid evidence. In my opinion, both the eldest prince and Miss Su wanted to kill the second prince, but the eldest prince made the first move, and Miss Su did nothing, so she has nothing to do with it.”

“But I have a strong feeling that she did it!” Duanmu Che’s face was gloomy.

Huang Bo shook his head, “Master, please focus on recovering your health first.

The other matters are not related to us, so let’s not get involved.”

When Duanmu Chen went to the Marquis Zhong Xin Mansion to notify Xing Ji, he was looking at the dowry prepared by Miao Family for their daughter.

After Old Master Qin’s deliberate reminder, Xing Ji realized that he was being too harsh on the Miao Family and their children. He softened his attitude in the past two days, and besides Xing Yusheng, the family was quite harmonious.

The betrothal gift from Xing Yusheng to Lin Xueqing was prepared by Madam Xing, and Miao Family was not allowed to interfere.

Seeing Duanmu Chen come to visit, Xing Ji was very surprised, and quickly bowed, “This humble servant pays his respects to the Fourth Prince.”

The capital city was experiencing turbulent times, but Xing Ji felt it had nothing to do with them.

Until he heard Duanmu Chen say that the emperor wanted him to enter the palace immediately for an important discussion.

Mrs. Miao was quite happy, “Hurry and go, husband!”

Duanmu Chen didn’t even sit down and left directly with Xing Ji.

When Xing Ji asked, Duanmu Chen didn’t keep him guessing and directly told him about Duanmu Yi’s plan.

“It was I who recommended Marquis Zhong Xin,” Duanmu Chen spoke plainly. Whether Xing Ji was willing or not, it would not be a bad thing for Xing Family.

Xing Ji didn’t say anything and parted ways with Duanmu Chen, then went to find Lin Bojun himself.

As for Su Liang, she was already in the palace and didn’t know that she was arranged by Duanmu Chen.

When Wan Family saw Su Liang again, they directly cursed her out, accusing her of scheming in the dark, killing Duanmu Ao, framing Duanmu Cheng, and ordering her arrest.

However, Duanmu Yi had already changed the servants in Ci’an Palace, so no one listened to Wan Family’s orders.

Su Liang was in a good mood.

She had laid out all her plans meticulously, all in anticipation of today.

She wasn’t afraid of being suspected.

But not only did all the evidence point to Duanmu Cheng, but Duanmu Cheng also actually wanted to kill Duanmu Ao last night.

Perhaps even Duanmu Cheng himself felt that it was his arranged assassin who bought inferior drugs, causing the plan to fail at the last moment.

“Empress Dowager, you must mourn properly and take care of your health,” Su Liang’s smile didn’t reach her eyes.

Is it painful? It should be.

Back then, these high-ranking and powerful people trampled on the lives of others. Now, they will lose everything.

The wheel of karma turns, and those who commit wrongdoings will be punished in the end.

Wan Family gritted their teeth in rage, “Wretched woman! We will tear you into pieces sooner or later!”

Su Liang’s face remained calm, “I’m so scared.”

Since they were already at odds, they didn’t need to be hypocritical.

Wan Family was so furious that they almost coughed blood, “Your Majesty! Listen to this wretched woman! She’s disrespectful to her superiors; she doesn’t take us seriously at all!”

As Su Liang put away the last gold needle, a eunuch’s voice came from outside the palace, “The emperor orders Su Liang to go to the Imperial Study immediately after treating the Empress Dowager’s illness. ”

“Alright,” Su Liang replied, looking at the distorted face of Wan Family, smiling faintly, “The emperor has summoned me to the Imperial Study. It must be an important matter to discuss. I will inform the emperor that the Empress Dowager wants to see him, whether he comes or not, I don’t know.”

With her medicine box on her back, Su Liang walked out of Ci’an Palace calmly, looked up at the sky and saw rain clouds gathering.

Su Liang didn’t know whether the emperor wanted to see her because he suspected her involvement or for other reasons, but she had made full preparations in advance and was not worried about any situation.

Entering the door, Su Liang saw Duanmu Chen, Xing Ji, and Lin Bojun, and was a bit surprised.

After paying her respects, Duanmu Yi asked about the Empress Dowager’s health.

Su Liang told the truth, “Empress Dowager is suffering from heartache and needs careful recuperation.”

However, with one grandson dead and another crippled or possibly facing execution, the Empress Dowager would not be able to recuperate well.

Although Duanmu Chen and Duanmu Che were also Wan Family’s grandsons, she had always preferred those with Wan Family bloodline. Empress Dowager wants to see the emperor,” Su Liang said.

Duanmu Yi’s face darkened, “Sit down.”

Su Liang sat down where Lin Bojun had prepared the seat, still not knowing Duanmu Yi’s intentions.

But since Xing Ji and Lin Bojun were present, Su Liang thought it wouldn’t be discussing matters like how Duanmu Ao died.

Duanmu Yi didn’t beat around the bush, and directly told them of his arrangements, asking Xing Ji to lead Lin Bojun and Su Liang to the Northern Border to take over the military power held by the Wan Family and their two sons, ordering them to return to the capital.

The most surprised person was Xing Ji.

He hadn’t expected to be trusted again, let alone at this critical juncture and for such a significant matter to be entrusted to him.

“Marquis Zhong Xin, do you understand what I said?” Duanmu Yi asked Xing Ji.

Xing Ji respectfully replied, “This humble servant understands and will not let

Your Majesty’s trust down.”

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Chen felt that it was the North Jingwang who dared to break into the enemy camp back then.

“Very good!” Duanmu Yi was very satisfied with Xing Ji’s answer, “If anyone dares to defy the decree, they will be executed on the spot! General Lin and General Su will assist Marquis Zhong Xin, and they must complete what I have entrusted to them without causing any trouble!”

Lin Bojun and Su Liang didn’t even get a chance to express their intentions, so they could only accept the order and thank him for his grace. Today, they will set out with the Imperial Decree and Imperial Sword,”

Duanmu Yi said.

Xing Ji took the Imperial Decree and the sword, then left with Lin Bojun and Su Liang.

Upon leaving the Imperial Study, Su Liang sighed, “Second Brother Lin, your wedding will have to be postponed.”

Xing Ji said, “Yu Sheng and Xueqing’s wedding cannot be postponed.”

Lin Bojun: …So not only can’t he marry his bride on time, he also can’t send his beloved sister off for her wedding? Does it have to be this miserable?

“If I go back and ask for the emperor’s permission to take Ning Jing with me, would I be allowed?” Su Liang asked.

She was serious because she felt Ning Jing probably wouldn’t want to go to the Ministry of Revenue for tea every day. Going out and playing would be more fun.

Xing Ji and Lin Bojun both looked at Su Liang.

Xing Ji said, “No.”

Ning Jing was a civil official, and the emperor wouldn’t allow it since this matter was of great importance.

Moreover, the other members of Xing Family and Lin Family were in the capital city, which was a premise for the emperor to trust them with this important task.

This was an unwritten rule.

They each returned home to pack their bags and agreed to meet at the military camp outside the city in an hour.

Carrying her medicine box, Su Liang walked into the courtyard and saw Ning Jing sitting by the window, copying books, looking calm and beautiful from the side.

When Ning Jing heard the sound, he looked up, “Yang Yu is practicing martial arts in the backyard.”

When Nian Jincheng returned last night, Su Liang informed him this morning that they should start training Yang Yu.

Su Liang walked over, “The emperor ordered Marquis Zhong Xin, Second Brother Lin, and me to go to the Northern Border to take over the military power from Wan Family. We will leave today.”

Ning Jing heard and put down his pen, “I want to go, too.”

Su Liang shook her head, “Unless you let the emperor know that you’re hiding your talents, he definitely won’t let you go.”

After a moment of silence, Ning Jing said, “Never mind..”