Chapter 269 - Chapter 269: 269. Su Liang’s Counterattack

Chapter 269: 269. Su Liang’s Counterattack

Translator: 549690339

The Sixth Princess Duanmu Qianqian, who had been betrothed to Liang

Country, was murdered within the palace in the dead of night, and Su Liang was placed under house arrest. The truth about the previous incident where Duanmu Qianqian falsely accused Su Liang after being injured had not been publicized in order to protect the reputation of the royal family. This lead many opportunistic people to assume that it could very well have been Su Liang who killed Duanmu Qianqian.

Lin Xueqing was distressed, “It couldn’t possibly have been done by Su Liang!”

Xing Yusheng was also anxious, but he tried to reassure Lin Xueqing, “Su Liang is so smart, she is sure to come up with a way to prove her innocence.”

Lin Xueqing frowned, “But that’s something Su Liang didn’t do at all, where would any evidence come from? Why is it that some people just can’t stand to see Su Liang doing well!”

Xing Yusheng sighed, “That’s because she’s too good, so those unscrupulous insects hide in the shadows, trying to ruin her.”

“So, are we just going to wait? After all, this time it’s the princess who was murdered, what if the Emperor truly doesn’t believe Su Liang?” Lin Xueqing looked worried.

Xing Yusheng held her hand, a once unthinkable thought crossing his mind: if his father were the emperor, Su Liang’s status would be equal to that of a princess, who would dare to harm her then?

But Xing Yusheng knew that this thought was unrealistic, not what his father wanted, nor what Su Liang want. He sighed deeply, planning to wait and see, “In the worst-case scenario, there’s always the gold medallion granting immunity from death at my grandfather’s.”

If things reached the point of requiring the death immunity gold medallion, Su Liang’s prospects would be ruined. Even though she might not care much, there is a difference between wanting to give up herself and being forced to give up because of a fabricated accusation.

Outside the palace, Su Liang was once again pushed into the limelight, but in the palace where she was confined, she remained calm.

Called into the palace before daybreak, Su Liang thought perhaps a noble had fallen ill, so she brought her medicine box, in which were also two medical books she had recently been reading.

Therefore, when Duanmu Yi was ushered in and saw Su Liang reading a book with rapt attention, her side profile serious and beautiful, he unconsciously treaded lightly and his suspicion towards her began to waver.

Although Duanmu Yi had reprimanded Duanmu Chen for his changed, gentler ways of handling things, ever since Su Liang appeared, Duanmu Yi had been considering a question: Can one’s character be wholly trusted, and is it unchanging?

Sensing his gaze on her, Su Liang turned to see Duanmu Yi, closing the book and rose to salute him.

Duanmu Yi walked over with a cold face and sat down, “Stand up. I am here to listen to your defense. Have you thought about what to say?”

Su Liang remained calm, “Your Majesty, it’s something I haven’t done, and also haven’t had the chance to investigate. I slept alone last night, with no one by my side. All of these are against me. I can only defend myself by asserting that I had no motive to kill the Sixth Princess. However, due to some past incidents, people might think that I do.”

Duanmu Yi said coldly, “You should be very clear about how I have treated you.” Su Liang nodded, “Indeed, Your Majesty has bestowed utmost trust upon me, and has always been lenient and generous. I keep this kindness engraved in my heart.”

“I actually don’t believe that you killed Qianqian. But I want to ask you, did you really do nothing about Ao’er and Sheng’er’s affair?” Duanmu Yi looked at her piercingly.

Even though Duanmu Che’s analysis sounded reasonable, Duanmu Yi had his own judgement. Su Liang’s enmity with Duanmu Qianqian was insignificant; the ones who truly harbored deep hatred for her were Duanmu Sheng and Duanmu Ao.

“I admit,” Su Liang began to speak, and Duanmu Yi tensed up. He heard her sigh, “The Eldest Prince and the Second Prince are responsible for the death of my entire family. I knew this long ago, and it was Fifth Prince who informed me.”

Upon hearing Su Liang mention Duanmu Che, Duanmu Yi’s eyes narrowed, and she continued, “As Your Majesty knows, the Fifth Prince is my savior, having rescued a barely breathing me and arranged for me to fake my death. When I returned to the capital after suffering from memory loss, I wanted to clarify the situation and pleaded several times for the Fifth Prince to tell me the truth. I even knelt in front of him.”

Duanmu Yi interrupted Su Liang, “You’re saying you knelt and pleaded with Che’er to tell you the truth?”

Su Liang nodded, “Yes.”

“What did he say?” Duanmu Yi asked coldly.

“The Fifth Prince said that he saw the Eldest Prince meeting secretly with the former second Prince’s wife and he speculated that my grandfather’s death resulted from knowing some secrets and they were all silenced.” Su Liang replied.

Duanmu Yi’s face turned grim, “You knew about this from the very beginning!” “Yes.” Su Liang nodded.

“So, you plotted time and time again to strip Cheng’er of his position as crown prince and kill Aoao, didn’t you?” Duanmu Yi asked sharply.

Despite feeling pressured, Su Liang’s expression did not change, and shaking her head, she said, “I confess that when I first discovered the truth, I yearned to take revenge on those who did this to my relatives.”

“What audacity!” Duanmu Yi coldly exclaimed.

Su Liang sighed slightly, “That was just my thought. I am self-aware. I may stand out in the Military Exam due to my martial arts but there are many masters in the world who are more formidable than me.”

“You mean, you know what Cheng’er and Aoao did but did nothing?” Duanmu Yi said, clearly disbelieving.

Su Liang  shook her head slightly, “I have thought about how to take revenge. Initially, since the Fifth Prince saved me and was favored by the Emperor, I planned to help him seize the position of the crown prince.”

Duanmu Yi said coldly, “You were clearly helping Chen’er all the time.”

Su Liang sighed, “Indeed, I met the Crown Prince in Bei’an County, but how could that compare to the life-saving kindness of the Fifth Prince? However, I

intended to be loyal to the Fifth Prince but he despised me greatly.”

“Che’er has made it clear that he likes you.” Duanmu Yi coldly huffed.

Su Liang shook her head, “That happened later. At first, when I went to the Fifth Prince to investigate the truth behind my family’s death, he was deeply prejudiced against me and withheld his help. He demanded that I kneel down and thank him before he would speak. Moreover, he repeatedly humiliated me. That is all true. Later, when I distinguished myself in the Military Exam, the

Fifth Prince suddenly changed his attitude and wanted to marry me. Honestly,

I am still unsure what kind of person the Fifth Prince really is.”

Duanmu Yi remembered that at first, Duanmu Che did indeed say some negative things about Su Liang, but later, he insisted on marrying her.

“Ning Jing’s death…” Su Liang took a deep breath, “As per my knowledge, it was also related to the Fifth Prince.”

Duanmu Yi’s face turned grim, “What proof do you have?”

“I know about the blood word.” Su Liang said solemnly, “The son of the Wan Family wanted to kill Ning Jing to take revenge on me. It is true, but the person who actually killed Ning Jing may be someone from the Fifth Prince’s camp. When I returned to the capital, I found a jade pendant in the garden which was dropped by Huang Bol s son, the old housekeeper of the Fifth Prince’s Manor.”

“Where is that jade pendant? Why didn’t you tell me?” Duanmu Yi asked coldly.

“That jade pendant is in my house.” Su Liang said calmly, “I still don’t know whether the blood word with half of the Eldest Prince’s name was written by Ning Jing before her death, or written by the murderer who cut off her hands using her own blood. I did not submit it to the Emperor nor did I publicize it because the Fifth Prince had saved me and I was unsure who the real murderer was. Since the Emperor believed it was the Eldest Prince, I did not want to complicate the matter further.”

Duanmu Yi recalled that at the time, Duanmu Cheng insisted that he had nothing to do with Ning Jing’s death. The son of Wan Cong confessed under severe torture, but he kept saying that it was not Duanmu Cheng who ordered them to kill, and they did not speak to Ning Jing, so she could not know who they were. Furthermore, they did not cut off Ning Jing’s hands… Could it be that everything they said was true and there was another party involved that night? Perhaps, the real culprit was hiding in the dark and set Duanmu Cheng up…

Su Liang had evidence and did not claim Duanmu Che was the murderer, but at this moment Duanmu Yi thought about Duanmu Che’s clear and forceful arguments today, his obvious infatuation with Su Liang in the past, and his almost overt intention of wanting to “destroy her if he could not have her”.

Duanmu Che claimed that the deaths of Duanmu Sheng, Duanmu Ao and

Duanmu Qianqian were all related to Su Liang and it sounded reasonable.

But Su Liang said that from the very beginning Duanmu Che knew about Duanmu Sheng’s affair with his brother and sister and conspired with Duanmu Ao to wipe out her family. He even told her about it openly. Ning Jing’s death is related to Duanmu Che and she had evidence for it. The blood word could potentially have been left deliberately by Duanmu Che’s men after they cut off Ning Jing’s hands to frame Duanmu Sheng!

Su Liang took a deep breath, looking directly at Duanmu Yi with a candid expression in her eyes, “Your Majesty, I admit, the disasters that befell the Eldest Prince and the Second Prince seemed like retribution for their evil deeds and I was pleased to see that. But I did not harm them. As for the murder of the Sixth Princess, I had absolutely no involvement. I cannot prove that I did not kill the Sixth Princess, but I believe that Your Majesty will surely find out the truth and bring it to the Sixth Princess’s spirit in heaven. Then, I won’t need to prove my innocence.”

Duanmu Yi looked at her deeply, “Are you hinting that it was Che’er who killed

Qianqian and framed you?”

Su Liang  nodded, “Having heard the fifth prince’s accusations against me, along with Ning Jing’s mysterious death, I indeed suspected if the fifth prince had done something. Up to now, my impression of him is erratic and extremely paranoid. When I initially hid that jade pendant, I hoped we would clear our bad blood, severing all links. Until today, I still thought the same. But what transpired today made it seem as though the fifth prince wishes ill upon me.”

Duanmu Yi’s face turned gloomy, and after a long silence, he stood up, “Where is the jade pendant hidden, and how can it prove that it belongs to one of Che’er’s subordinates?”

“The person’s name is on the jade pendant,” Su Liang replied, “It’s buried under the pomegranate tree in my garden.”

Duanmu Yi stormed away, and Su Liang, watching his figure vanish from her sight, resumed reading her book, releasing a relieved sigh.

It was Gu Ling who hid one of Huang Bols son’s jade pendants in the garden, stating it might come in handy someday.

Su Liang could not help but marvel, the Great God indeed is remarkable. The reason Gu Ling did not kill Duanmu Che at that time was not because Su Liang wanted to repay a favor but because if Duanmu Yi’s third son met with a mishap, especially when the three sons all had grudges against Su Liang, she would inevitably face great trouble. Particularly because she was on the same side as Duanmu Chen and Duanmu Yi sensed this, he would likely suspect Su Liang was colluding with Duanmu Chen to remove obstacles for the power struggle.

Keeping Duanmu Che alive was to make him a scapegoat if Su Liang was once again suspected of harming Duanmu Cheng and Duanmu Ao. This was highly likely to happen, considering those two were Duanmu Yi’s sons and held deep hatred towards Su Liang from the familicide incident.

The current situation proved just this.

As for the favor Su Liang had mentioned, it was written off as soon as she treated Duanmu Che and saved his life.

There was actually another piece of evidence, but Su Liang couldn’t mention it—the missing hands on “Ning Jing’”s corpse.

That night, Gu Ling chopped off both Huang Bo’s son’s hands, discarded them somewhere else, primarily to prevent revealing that it wasn’t Ning Jing from the hands, as one’s hands, other than the face, were mostly exposed to the public. “Ning Jing,” being a scholar, would have great differences compared to the stand-in, who had rough calluses and wounds on his hands.

Those hands were surreptitiously thrown into the lake of the fifth prince’s garden by Gu Ling the same night and were likely just bones by now.

If they could be found, Duanmu Yi would certainly believe, “Ning Jing” was killed by Duanmu Che, framing Duanmu Cheng. Hence, suspecting that Duanmu Cheng was harmed by Duanmu Che would be very reasonable.

Unfortunately, Su Liang shouldn’t have known this, nor could she proactively mention it. It’s unlikely for the skeletal hands at the bottom of the lake in the fifth prince’s garden to be discovered, it’s all up to fate now.

Duanmu Yi found the jade pendant buried beneath the pomegranate tree at the

Su Mansion. He sent men to investigate Huang Bo and his son, learning that Huang Bols son had disappeared for quite a while. Huang Bo had gone to look for him and never returned, and the housekeeper of the fifth prince’s mansion had already been replaced.

Huang Bo’s son vanished around the time Ning Jing was killed.

Based on the “facts” that Su Liang presented, Duanmu Yi could not help but suspect that Duanmu Che had sent Huang Bo’s son to kill Ning Jing, framed Duanmu Cheng, then silenced the culprit.

The murderer of Duanmu Qianqian left only half a footprint, providing no leads. However, judging by how the murderer could come and go freely in the palace, either their martial arts were very high, or they were very familiar with the guard deployment everywhere.

Duanmu Yi didn’t want to believe that Duanmu Che was behind this all along, merely taking revenge on Su Liang. But after hearing Su Liang’s words, his suspicion towards Duanmu Che grew heavier and heavier.

Su Liang  after being put under house arrest in the palace for three days, was secretly approached by Xing Yusheng who sought out Crown Prince Duanmu Chen. Duanmu Chen urged him to do nothing, the current matter was too serious, the more was said in front of Duanmu Yi, the more mistakes could be made. After all, the Qin family still had a life-saving token reserved for Su Liang.

On this day, under the order of Duanmu Yi, Su Liang was transferred from the palace to the Heavenly Prison, concluding the verdict for Duanmu Qianqian’s death.

Duanmu Chen secluded himself, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to save Su Liang, but at this moment, he had to stay out of the situation to avoid implicating himself so that he could have the opportunity to help Su Liang later.

Neither the Qin Duke Mansion nor the Xing and Lin families did anything; they were just waiting to use their life-saving token.

Duanmu Che made another visit to Duanmu Yi in the palace.

Duanmu Che spoke respectfully, “Father, I suspect that the eldest prince is possibly alive in Su Liang’s hands. How about if I visit her in the prison, to see whether she might reveal anything?”

“That’s fine. You go.” Duanmu Yi nodded.

In the depths of the Heavenly Prison, the air reeked of blood. Su Liang, with disheveled hair, was tied to a column. Her clothes were heavily stained with blood.

As Duanmu Che entered, he had the prison officers stay away. In the gloomy prison cell, only he and Su Liang remained.

Duanmu Che approached, reached out to grab Su Liang’s hair, forcing her to lift her head. His eyes were predatory and he sneered, “Unexpected turn of events for you, isn’t it?”

Su Liang pursed her lips and glared coldly at Duanmu Che, remaining silent.

“Ning Jing is dead, and now you’ve set your eyes on Gu Ling. Do you know how much I hated it when I saw you smiling so pleasantly at Gu Ling that day? Clearly, your life now is granted by me, yet you dare to reject me? I’ve treated you so well, yet you see me as an enemy.” Duanmu Che’s voice was melancholy, “In that case, I might as well take back the life I’ve granted you. Hehe.” “It was you… who killed the sixth princess…” Su Liangs voice was low.

Duanmu Che reached out and strangled Su Liang’s neck, laughing coldly, “It’s quite simple, isn’t it? Who made you antagonistic to all three of them – the brother and sisters? I can no longer stand watching you chase after Gu Ling, hear about how much you like him. But don’t worry, I’ll send him to accompany you in the underworld. Don’t look at me like that, you won’t have a chance to see father again. No need to count on the Qin family’s golden amnesty, because I’ve been looking forward to this moment for too long. I’ve come to send you on your way! You should have been hanged from the start!”

Duanmu Che suddenly tightened his grip, “I’ll tell father that during the interrogation for the whereabouts of the eldest prince, I accidentally used excessive force in a moment of urgency.”

Just then, Duanmu Che was forcibly pushed back, falling onto his side. In disbelief, he looked at the person who suddenly appeared out of nowhere – it was Su Liang!

Standing behind Su Liang were Duanmu Yi and Duanmu Chen. Duanmu Yi looked at Duanmu Che, disappointment plain in his eyes, “All to frame Su Liang, you even killed Qianqian?!”

The person who had been impersonating Su Liang, Ren Dong, was untied from the pole and shook her head, indicating she was fine.

This show was directed by Duanmu Yi because he wanted to know if it was Duanmu Che who killed Duanmu Qianqian. And now, he had his answer. No more evidence was needed.

“Father… it wasn’t me!” Duanmu Che scrambled up in a panic, “It’s Su Liang who set me up!”

Duanmu Yi didn’t want to hear another word from Duanmu Che, “Chen’er, take people to search the Fifth Prince’s mansion. Leave no stone unturned. If there is anything suspicious, report it to me immediately!” With that, he left with a stern face.

Duanmu Chen responded respectfully.

If Gu Ling was present at Su Liang’s side at this moment, Su Liang would definitely give him a big thumbs up. It seemed the pair of hands at the bottom of the lake at the Fifth Prince’s mansion would be revealed soon.

Meanwhile, Gu Ling, who was nearly at Bei’an County, was playing a game of chess in the carriage with Lin Boyan when he suddenly sneezed.

Not long after they had departed from the capital, Lin Boyan had confirmed that the “Ning Jing” he encountered before was Gu Ling in disguise. When he asked, Gu Ling admitted it.

Lin Boyan looked at him with a calm expression, “Xiao Liang prepared so many clothes for you, and you’re still feeling cold?”

Gu Ling shook his head slightly, “No, I’m not cold. Perhaps someone is thinking about me..”