Chapter 233 - Chapter 233: 233. My Family’s Young Master (Second Update)

Chapter 233: 233. My Family’s Young Master (Second Update)

Translator: 549690339

When Duanmu Chen saw Duanmu Yi again, it was still in the Imperial Study. He felt that Duanmu Yi seemed to be in a good mood, yet feigned calmness.

This confirmed Duanmu Chen’s belief that something significant had happened.

However, Duanmu Chen did not ask about it, because he knew that if Duanmu Yi wanted to share, he would. Otherwise, asking would be in vain and might even upset Duanmu Yi.

“By the way, did you say you had something to tell me?” Duanmu Yi asked Duanmu Chen.

Duanmu Chen composed himself and said, “The Emperor previously suggested brides for me, but this was interrupted. I wonder if this will continue? My mother wishes to be a grandmother, and I also need a proper lady to manage my household. ”

“The matter of selecting a bride, huh?” Duanmu Yi chuckled, “If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have found you. We need to arrange this as soon as possible. Today, I will have the Ministry of Rites handle it! If you fancy a certain lady, your mother can also have a say.”

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Chen dutifully expressed his gratitude, but something seemed amiss.

Just the day before, Duanmu Yi had sought Su Liang, expressing his desire to make her the crown princess. So, Su Liang had specifically sought Duanmu Chen last night to discuss this matter, asking him to handle it.

This was also the reason Duanmu Chen had come to the palace that day.

But before he could say anything, Duanmu Yi did not even mention Su Liang’s name when the matter of choosing the crown princess was brought up. If Duanmu Yi truly favored Su Liang as the crown princess, shouldn’t he tell him, the crown prince, about it?

Or, did Duanmu Yi only mention the crown princess matter to Su Liang as a way of testing her, not really intending to make her the crown princess? If so, it would make sense.

Duanmu Chen subdued his doubts and excused himself.

On his way back to the prince’s mansion after leaving the palace, Chang’an couldn’t help but ask, “Master, you were in the palace for so long, did everything go smoothly?”

Duanmu Chen looked somewhat inscrutable, “Smoothly, very smoothly.” He didn’t even have a chance to use the words he had prepared. But since Duanmu Yi was going to continue choosing his bride, he would naturally stop focusing on Su Liang. This was a good thing, and Duanmu Chen believed he had fulfilled his promise to Su Liang.

Upon returning to the prince’s mansion, Duanmu Chen ordered Chang’an to find out if anything unusual had happened at Huguo Temple that day.

Chang’an reported back to Duanmu Chen, saying that Lin Bojun had transported something from Huguo Temple into the palace with his troops, but he couldn’t find out what it was, and the monks at Huguo Temple couldn’t clarify.

“Today Miss Su went to Huguo Temple with that child from the Wan family, and met a little monk called Cheng Yun.” Chang’an said. Su Liang’s visit was quite public and many people had seen her.

“Since she was at Huguo Temple and she is so close to Lin Bojun, she may know something. Once it gets dark, you can go to the Su Mansion and ask her, but avoid being noticed.” Duanmu Chen instructed.

In the afternoon, Su Liang specifically requested the brothers Qi Yan and Qi Jun to help her turn the room that “Ning Jing” had been living in into her study. The bed that had seen a death was removed and replaced with a comfortable, spacious lounger.

This was primarily to address a problem; the room would attract suspicion if a light was lit in the night, but as Gu Ling lived here and often read during the night, it was necessary to have a light. If it was Su Liang’s frequently used study, having a light wouldn’t be strange.

Just as everything was set up, Xing Yusheng and Lin Xueqing came by, and persuaded Su Liang to simply move to the loft closer to the garden. The view was better, and it was also more spacious.

Though the couple were both earnest in their persuasion, they both felt that Su Liang most likely wouldn’t heed their advice.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing their words, Su Liang readily agreed, “Yes, there’s a loft over there. How could I have forgotten? I haven’t had a detailed look at that place yet, might as well check it out tomorrow. If it’s suitable, I’ll clean it and move there.”

Now, Xing Yusheng and Lin Xueqing could only conclude that they had overthought things. Su Liang continued to live here simply because she was not afraid of ghosts and gods, and was too lazy to move. But they still could not explain the appearance of a full set of bedding in the next room. Moving away was the best solution.

Su Liang knew about the loft in the garden. Although she often walked by the beautifully constructed building hidden by trees in the past, she didn’t pay much attention, merely regarding it as a beautiful and elegant decorative building within the mansion.

Now, she felt it would be great to move there, because she and Gu Ling could live on the second floor, and the first floor could be used for guests. This would offer more privacy, as they wouldn’t have to worry about anyone seeing anything if they came. Gu Ling would also be more comfortable.

“Let’s go and have a look now!” Xing Yusheng was slightly doubtful that Su Liang was just humoring them, so he wanted to finalize this matter as soon as possible.

Having witnessed the ghastly death of “Ning Jing” with his own eyes, Xing Yusheng was deeply traumatized. Now, each time he entered this courtyard, he could not help but recall that horrifying scene.

Going over a few days ago to open the door of “Ning Jing’s” room out of nowhere, was Xing Yusheng trying to overcome his trauma.

Lin Xueqing quickly added, “Yes! It’s still early. The Qi brothers are here, and we can help too. Why not move over today, Miss Su? The garden is quite beautiful now, and whenever you get tired of reading, you can look out the window to appreciate the scenery.”

Su Liang knew why the couple were so eager to have her move, but she didn’t say anything. Although they had different motives, the end result was the same, so she agreed to their proposal.

At this moment, Gu Ling wasn’t around. Because of renovation planned next door, his stuff had been moved into the warehouse early on to avoid suspicion.

They all went to visit the attic. It was fully furnished with fairly valuable items. It was Duanmu Chen who had prepared everything last year as agreed for Su Liang’s mansion. Even the flower hall on the first floor was ready to use after a simple clean-up.

Outside, there was a rock with the word “Yuanming” carved into it. The attic was named Yuanming Pavilion.

“This place is really good. There are two rooms upstairs with great views. We can use one as Su’s bedroom and the other as a study room; it’s just perfect,” Lin Xueqing said as she opened the window. The beautiful lake view is reflected in her eyes, causing her to exclaim, “I want to move here and live with Su!”

Xing Yusheng quickly changed the subject: “Ajun, you guys should hurry and clean up this place so that Su Liang could move in before dark. Go home and call some people over.”

Qi Jun immediately went next door to the Xing Mansion and got a few servants to help. Su Liang and Lin Xueqing went back to the original courtyard to pack their things.

By sunset, Su Liang’s room on the second floor of the Yuanming Pavilion was all settled. Xing Yusheng brought up the vase that his grandmother had given to Su Liang, which still held fresh flowers.

Lin Xueqing shook Su Liang’s arm and asked, “Su, aren’t you scared to stay here alone at night?”

Xing Yusheng coughed lightly and said, “No way. The courtyard where Su Liang used to stay was way scarier.”

Su Liang shook her head and said seriously, “I’m not afraid of either. What scares me is sharing my bed.”

Lin Xueqing glared at Su Liang and said “Su, you’re so mean. I’m ignoring you from now on!”

The only problem here is the lack of a kitchen. Su Liang chose a spot next door with the plan to build a kitchen the next day.

At nightfall, Su Liang had arranged the other room on the second floor and laid out a set of new bedding. There was an open space between the two rooms with a table and two chairs. There’s a window that can be opened. Su Liang planned to use it as a dining room. She set up a screen around it and usually ate there

Qi Jun brought food from the restaurant because Su Liang said she was very hungry that day, so the meal was quite rich. He left right after putting the food down.

As usual, Su Liang set the food and Gu Ling appeared on time.

“Great God, did you come here following the smell?” Su Liang asked.

Gu Ling sat across from her and looked outside through the window, slightly nodding his head. He felt like Su Liang seemed to be scolding him, but he had no evidence.

Chang’an was ordered to find Su Liang. He arrived at the courtyard where she used to stay and found it empty. After wandering around the mansion, he finally saw light on the second floor of the Yuanming Pavilion.

“Miss Su?” Chang’an called from downstairs.

Gu Ling was eating quietly. Su Liang poked her head out the window, glanced at Chang’an, and said, ‘Wait a minute.” Then she put down her chopsticks and went downstairs.

Seeing Su Liang, Chang’an said with a smile, “Last year, our master prepared this mansion and said that Miss Su would definitely like it.”

Su Liang nodded, “Is the crown prince looking for me for something?”

“Miss Su, there’s no need to come over. The master just has a question for you,”

Chang’an spoke courteously, “Today, General Lin moved something from the Huguo Temple into the palace. Do you know about this?”

Su Liang nodded, “I know.”

Chang’an looked delighted, “Could Miss Su tell me, what is it?”

Su Liang said two words, “A rock.”

Chang’an froze, listening to Su Liang explain that she had heard today at the Huguo Temple that a peculiar stone fell from the sky last night and then it was transported into the palace. She didn’t see it with her own eyes, so she didn’t know what was special about the stone.

“Shouldn’t General Lin know?” Chang’an asked tentatively.

Su Liang shook her head, “If even His Highness the Crown Prince is not clear about it and needed to ask me, I reckon that Second Brother Lin only knows how heavy that stone is. He shouldn’t know anything else.”

Chang’an nodded seriously, “Indeed. I will report truthfully to the master. Sorry for the inconvenience, I will take my leave.”

After Chang’an left, Su Liang stood looking at the peaceful garden under the night sky, deep in thought. Duanmu Yi had specifically ordered the Forbidden Army to transport that rock into the palace. Could there really be a divine message? Up to this point, Duanmu Yi had trusted Duanmu Chen enough to appoint him as crown prince but hadn’t let Duanmu Chen see the rock himself?

Returning to sit upstairs, Su Liang said, “Could it be that another prince’s name is written on that stone? The emperor doesn’t let the crown prince know because he has believed the divine message from the stone and harbored other intentions

Gu Ling’s expression was indifferent, “Perhaps.”

“But if there really is the name of another prince on the stone, shouldn’t the Emperor be the first to suspect that the prince intentionally made it happen?” Su Liang felt that Duanmu Yi would not be so careless.

But just as she told Chang’an, if Duanmu Chen didn’t know the inside story, even Lin Bojun, who had touched the stone, couldn’t possibly know either. He was just following orders and had obviously been sworn to silence.

Gu Ling put down his chopsticks, picked up a spoon, and after sipping some soup, looked at Su liang and said, “I’ll go to the Imperial Palace tonight and

see. ”

Su Liang picked up a small steamed bun for Gu Ling, “Great God, you’re working hard.”

The news that Chang’an brought back didn’t relax Duanmu Chen but made him feel even more perplexed. When he calmed down, he also thought of the possibility that Su Liang mentioned: That Duanmu Yi was hiding something from him. What if the stone really had the name of another prince written on

“Yuchang Palace…” Duanmu Chen tapped his fingers on the table, thinking it was imprudent to send someone to infiltrate the Imperial Palace for information, especially since Duanmu Yi was valuing it highly and probably had it heavily guarded.

After thinking about it, Duanmu Chen decided to not do anything for now, and observe how things unfold. After all, with his current legitimate position, he needed to be careful and avoid any complications.

It was late at night

Su Liang was reading her book, waiting for Gu Ling to come back

After midnight, Gu Ling floated in through the open window. Su Liang put down her book and stood up, “So? Did you see the stone?”

Gu Ling nodded, “I saw it, shattered.”

Su Liang frowned, “It was shattered?”

“By the time I got there, the Emperor was arranging for the Forbidden Army to smash the stone while being blindfolded,” Gu Ling said.

“He doesn’t want others to Imow what’s on the stone? Is it really a divine decree?” Su Liang became even more curious, “Could it be a guide for the Emperor to unite the world? Therefore, he can’t allow anyone else to see it because that would be a threat to him?”

“Stop thinking about it.” Gu Ling said.

Su Liang sighed lightly, “Thinking won’t help, the whole thing is mysterious from beginning to end. Except for the Emperor, only the martial monk who first discovered the stone, and Master Pu Hui know about it. But they probably won’t tell.”

“Stop thinking about it,” Gu Ling said again.

Su Liang nodded, “Alright, I’m going back to sleep. Good night, great god.”

This was Gu Ling’s room. While Su Liang was about to leave, before Gu Ling could even tell her, she remembered and turned back, realizing she had forgotten to tell the story.

However, when Gu Ling saw the tired look on her face, he said he was sleepy and didn’t want to hear a story tonight.

The next day, the servants of the Xing Mansion helped to build a kitchen next to the Yuanming Pavilion. Su Liang drew a sketch, and according to her design, it was even more spacious and convenient to use than the previous kitchen.

Afterwards, Su Liang visited the Gao family twice. Gao Jiabao’s health was recovering nicely and he was a lot cheerier, the only troubling thing was that his mother was introducing him to potential matches…

Duanmu Chen’s crown prince coronation ceremony took place as scheduled and without any mishaps. Duanmu Chen felt that Duanmu Yi’s attitude towards him had not changed noticeably for the worse, except that he had never mentioned the stone.

No matter how Duanmu Chen investigated, he could not find any useful information. He could only put the stone matter aside for now and be a good crown prince, assisting Duanmu Yi in managing state affairs. He was even more outstanding than the former crown prince, Duanmu Cheng.

After Duanmu Ao was murdered and Duanmu Cheng disappeared, Empress Dowager Wan and Little Empress Wan had made a bit of a fuss but then stayed quiet, spending their time in the Imperial Harem devoted to Buddha. They seldom even saw Duanmu Yi.

However, to Duanmu Yi’s eyes, they seemed to have learned that Duanmu Cheng was still alive and hiding somewhere, waiting to return and fight for the throne, and that was why they were being obedient for now. He just had someone keep an eye on them, no longer caring for them like before.

Although she was an imperial physician, Su Liang didn’t need to go to the

Imperial Medical Bureau to work on a daily basis. Only occasionally, when

some concubine in the palace fell ill, would she be asked to come and attend to her.

Eventually, Su Liang received a message on a day in late July, the King Yue Situ Xie from Liang Country would arrive in the capital of Qian country the next day. She had to assist crown prince Duanmu Chen in handling the reception.

This was agreed upon beforehand, so Su Liang was not surprised.

Xing Yusheng comes over to mention that a troop had been assigned to “protect” the Liang country’s envoy to Xuanbei City, and they were expected to arrive in the capital city the next day. However, Xing Ji had not been allowed to return to the capital.

“Grandmother is very disappointed,” Xing Yusheng sighed, “I got married without even my father present. It seems the Emperor intends to have him stationed in Xuanbei City for quite some time.”

Su Liang shook her head slightly, “Not necessarily. If a suitable candidate is found to replace your Uncle Xing, the Emperor might allow him to return.”

Xing Yusheng knew that Su Liang was trying to comfort him. But he was actually okay and did not need comfort. He thought it was not a bad thing for Xing Ji to pursue what he liked, instead of having to guard the house all the time. After all, the elderly Xing matriarch was getting on in years and always hoped for a family reunion. The border was not a place of peace and inevitable worry and concern prevailed.

While they were talking, Xing Yusheng mentioned Situ Xie, “Su Liang, do you know the Yue King from Liang country?”

Su Liang shook her head, “No. The first time I heard of his name was when the Emperor recently ordered me to help the Crown Prince receive the Liang country’s envoy.”

Xing Yusheng knew a bit, “Situ Xie is the uncle of the Emperor of Liang, his daughter Situ Ning married into Qian Country many years ago. She married the son of the general guarding Xuanbei City, Gu Yuan. Gu Yuan made meritorious service and returned to the capital to be named Marquis Chang Xin, from thence he resided long in the capital city. Situ Ning died due to sickness four years ago and Gu Yuan elevated his side consort, also his cousin, to wife status. Two years ago, the Gu family was annihilated for plotting rebellion, with only the Crown Prince Gu Ling was not in the capital city at the time and has since disappeared. Qian Country has been hunting for Gu Ling ever since, the most recent news of him was after the Nian family had their troubles and Nian Jincheng was rescued, it is said that Gu Ling did it.”

All these things, Gu Ling knew best, but he didn’t mention them and Su Liang did not ask. Hearing from Xing Yusheng, Su Liang still could not imagine what kind of people Gu Yuan and Situ Ning were, and what the rebellion was like.

But all that has passed, what concerns Su Liang now is whether Situ Xie’s arrival can remove the rebel label on Gu Ling’s head. This was the only thing relevant to her.

“By the way, there are rumors that the two countries are about to have a marriage alliance, it is spread that the Emperor is about to marry the Sixth princess off to the Liang country,” Xing Yusheng said.

Su Liang almost forgot about the princess Duanmu Qianqian. She remembered the first time she heard of the “Sixth princess” was when Xing Yusheng was suddenly taken to the capital city from Bei’an county. The claim was that the emperor was choosing a husband for his most beloved Sixth Princess.

Duanmu Qianqian left impressions on Su Liang in two incidents – first, her close relationship with Nian Ruxue, second, the gossip that the Emperor favored Lin Boyan as the Sixth Princess’s consort, but it fell through. Lin Boyan is now married, and his wife is already pregnant. Xing Yusheng is also married, leading a sweet life.

And the once lofty princess, after her elder brother’s misfortune, has fallen to the point of marrying a prince from another country.

The so-called “Emperor’s doting,” turns out to be but a joke.

That night, Gu Ling was nowhere to be seen after dinner, and Su Liang didn’t

Imow where he went.

Just as Su Liang was about to rest, an uninvited guest arrived.

“Miss Su, where’s my master?” The visitor began with a degree of interrogation. Who could it be Other than Uncle Liang?

Upon seeing Uncle Liang, Su Liang realized that Gu Ling disappeared tonight probably because he expected him to show up and didn’t wish to meet him.

“Uncle Liang, he left Xunyang City after seeing you, and I don’t know where he went,” Su Liang’s expression was calm.

Uncle Liang snorted, “You shouldn’t lie to me! You must know where the young master is!”

Su Liang really disliked this presumptuous old man, “When he left, he said he had to meet a friend. He explained that if Uncle Liang came again, I only need to tell you that once the matter he mentioned was settled, he would show up and meet you.”

Uncle Liang frowned, “You really don’t know?”

Su Liang nodded, “Yes.”

“What exactly is your relationship with my young master?” Uncle Liang asked Su Liang.

Faced with Uncle Liang’s unfriendly gaze, Su Liang snorted lightly, “He is madly in love with me and I can’t get rid of him. If he didn’t have important things to do, he wouldn’t leave. You’re not satisfied with me being with him? Think I’m unworthy of your young master? It’s simple, bring me a million taels of gold, and I’ll leave him immediately.”

Upon hearing this, Uncle Liang steamed, his beard bristling and eyes bulging, “I knew it! You, who hid so deeply before, are no good! My young master is infatuated with you? Stop daydreaming! I see that you are the one who is staying with my young master and refusing to leave!”

“Yes, yes, yes.” Su Liang nodded, “Everything you said is correct. Completely correct.”

Uncle Liang opened his mouth, but suddenly didn’t know what to say. He gave Su Liang a harsh stare, “Stay away from my young master in the future!” With these words, he stormed off.

Su Liang chuckled lightly, “Your young master? Don’t flatter yourself. Clearly, he’s my young master.”

Gu Ling suddenly appeared at the door, “You’re correct..”