Chapter 343 - Chapter 343: Leave the medicine behind

Chapter 343: Leave the medicine behind

Translator: 549690339

“What, are you unwilling to swear? Are you really treating people like Su Liang and Gu Ling as friends?” Duanmu Yi’s face darkened like ink.

Duanmu Chen was shocked in his heart and hurriedly shook his head, “No, Father misunderstood. I was just considering how to word it.”

“Let me teach you.” Duanmu Yi’s eyes were icy cold, “Once the world is unified, I will definitely kill Su Liang and Gu Ling and their children. If I break this oath, I will never be at peace in the rest of my life and I will fall into hell after death!”

Duanmu Chen knelt on the ground, lowered his eyes, and said respectfully, “Yes, Father.” After finishing his words, he took a deep breath and repeated the oath taught by Duanmu Yi word by word.

After listening to the oath, Duanmu Yi’s face lightened slightly, and he pulled Duanmu Chen up.

Father and son faced each other, their eyes met. Duanmu Yi patted Duanmu Chen’s shoulder, his words heavy and sincere, “You are the smartest among all my sons, and you should understand my painstaking efforts. Making you swear is not just for your deceased brothers, nor is it only for the Qian Country, but also for you!”

Duanmu Chen’s expression was serious, “Thank you for your guidance, Father. I will bear this in mind and never break my promise!”

“Very good.” Duanmu Yi’s face was filled with gratification, “The future of the Qian Country lies with you. Do not disappoint me.”

Duanmu Chen’s expression was extremely serious, “I will definitely not fail Father’s trust in me!”

Marquis Zhong Xin Mansion.

Grandma Xing was walking in the grape vineyard with Lin Xueqing, talking about the garden originally belonging to the Gu Family of Marquis Chang Xin Mansion, and mentioned Gu Ling and Su Liang.

“I don’t know if little Su Liang is safe now.” Grandma Xing sighed.

Lin Xueqing knew that Su Liang was fine, but she did not tell Grandma Xing about it. She comforted, “Grandma, don’t worry too much. Su Liang is so smart and capable, she will be fine.”

“Yes, she is just too smart and capable, that’s why she can’t even have a peaceful life.” Grandma Xing shook her head, “Every time I see her, she is always happy, as if nothing in the world could bother her. But I know that she has been struggling all along.”

Lin Xueqing, who was pregnant, should have been sensitive to emotions. When she heard the last sentence, her eyes reddened suddenly, “Su Liang has always been so good to us, bearing all the hardships and fatigue by herself.”

Xing Yusheng hurriedly came over and saw Lin Xueqing crying, immediately frowning, “Qingqing, what’s wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?”

Grandma Xing quickly said that nothing was wrong, they were just worried about Su Liang, and comforted Lin Xueqing to ease her mind.

Xing Yusheng coaxed her for a while before remembering the main point, “Someone from the palace has come to deliver an imperial decree, let’s go quickly.”

Grandma Xing’s face changed. A sudden imperial decree always made people feel uneasy. The last time the Xing Family received an imperial decree, it was for Xing Yuyan to be conferred as a princess and marry into the Liang Country.

But this time, it really was “good news”, and it was still related to Xing Yuyan.

The entire Xing Family knelt down to receive the decree, and after listening to the contents of the decree, Xing Yusheng and Lin Xueqing looked at each other, while Miao’s face could hardly conceal her delight. Her children, including Xing Yuyan, were all surprised and happy.

Because Xing Yuyan had actually been granted to marry Crown Prince Duanmu Chen as Crown Princess!

The imperial palace had not yet announced the enthronement of the new emperor, so they still did not know that Duanmu Chen was about to ascend the Dragon Throne as the new emperor of Qian Country.

Grandma Xing led the younger generation to accept the decree and express her gratitude. After sending away the people from the palace, she turned around and saw Miao’s hands clasped together, her face full of smiles, “Thank heavens! This time Yuyan has turned her misfortune into a blessing!”

Grandma Xing’s face darkened, “What nonsense are you talking about!” What is misfortune? What is a blessing? She really can’t make sense of it!

Miao reacted and realized that she had said something wrong. She dared not defy Grandma Xing, so she hurriedly slapped her own mouth, saying that she was just too happy.

“This is a great grace from heaven, a happy event. It is right to be happy, but remember to be cautious and prudent in your words and deeds, both at home and outside!” Grandma Xing swept her gaze sternly around the room.

Her grandchildren all said they would remember this.

Xing Yusheng was too surprised, so he left Marquis Zhong Xin Mansion with Lin Xueqing, and asked Qi Yan to go and find out more about the news. This was a good thing for the Xing Family, and from now on, they would truly become the Royal Family. However, from the bottom of his heart, Xing Yusheng was very resistant to the idea, because the recent events made him secretly calculate that it might also be good for his father to help Su Liang and Gu Ling rebel…

It wasn’t that Xing Yusheng wanted to be the crown prince, it was just that he was worried that Duanmu Yi would make a move against Su Liang and Gu Ling.

Today’s imperial marriage grant made Xing Yusheng even more suspicious. Duanmu Yi really intended to act against Su Liang and Gu Ling, binding the Xing family and the royal family together first, cutting off their possibility of rebellion!

Xing Yusheng and Lin Xueqing went to Lin Mansion, and Lin Shuzhi had already received the news of the imperial marriage grant. As soon as the imperial decree arrived at Marquis Zhong Xin’s mansion, the news spread rapidly in the capital city.

“Father, what to do? The emperor granting a marriage to the crown prince to my sister must be to hurt Su Liang, right?” Xing Yusheng was deeply worried.

Lin Shuzhi shook his head, “Don’t think or say anything without basis.” There is no cause and effect between “imperial marriage” and “eliminate Su Liang”.

Xing Yusheng sighed repeatedly, “I always feel that the emperor is ill-intentioned.”

Lin Shuzhi knew that Xing Yusheng always disliked the royal family and never had good words for them, but he was decent and never talked nonsense outside. He didn’t care, but just asked him to be calm for the time being.

“No matter what, it’s much better for your sister to marry the crown prince than to be married to Liang Country as a state-crossing marriage.” Lin Shuzhi said, “The crown prince and Su Liang have always had a good relationship, and the imperial marriage must be the emperor’s intention.”

As they spoke, Lin Boyan returned from the palace.

Entering the study room and seeing Xing Yusheng, he closed the door and said, “The emperor wants to pass the throne to the crown prince and retire as the Grand Emperor.”

Upon hearing this, both Lin Shuzhi and Xing Yusheng had stunned faces. In comparison, the imperial marriage grant seemed like a small matter.

“Why? Is the emperor seriously ill?” Xing Yusheng was puzzled.

Lin Boyan shook his head, “I haven’t seen the emperor for several days. They say he’s ill, but I don’t know his condition.”

“I met Gao Jiabao this morning. He said his grandfather had not returned home for several days.” Xing Yusheng said with furrowed brows, “So, the crown prince will soon become the emperor, and my sister will become the empress?”

Lin Boyan nodded, “Yes.”

Xing Yusheng thought of Xing Yuyan’s temperament of crying and making a fuss at any disagreement and shook his head repeatedly, “She is not suitable to be an empress.”

However, upon further thought, last year Duanmu Chen wanted to marry Lin Xueqing. If it were not for Su Liang stopping Duanmu Chen, Xing Yusheng would not have a chance to be Lin Family’s son-in-law.

“From the standpoint of social status, it’s very suitable,” Lin Boyan sighed slightly, “Now it’s a time of multiple troubles, and both the south and north are restless. First, the Wu family father and son betrayed the country, then the Wan Family was restless. This year, the veteran General Yuan was killed too. Only Lian Shun from Lian Family is still too young and injured. The promoted Che Yun is the prince of Liang Country. Su Liang and Gu Ling have become a thorn in the emperor’s eye… In these two years, more than half of our country’s important military commanders have been lost. Your father’s position is extremely critical. If anything happens to him, no one can replace him.”

Xing Yusheng frowned, “Based on what you’ve analyzed, big brother, I understand. The emperor must use my father but fears that he has a rebellious heart, so he marries my sister to the crown prince. This is both a grace and a constraint.”

Previously he didn’t think much about it. Now looking back, as Lin Boyan said, there were only a few young and strong military commanders left in Qian Country who could take on great responsibilities. In February, when the south had a crisis, if not for Su Liang and Gu Ling’s efforts to turn the tide, the consequences would have been severe.

“It turns out that most of the military commanders lost were brought down by Su Liang.” Xing Yusheng said, “But those people were either traitors, spies, or had rebellious intentions. If Su Liang didn’t expose them, given time, Qian Country would have faced real danger.”

Lin Shuzhi nodded, “Both Yin Country and Liang Country have been infiltrating Qian country’s military ranks and have achieved quite some success. It was Su Liang’s appearance that disrupted their plans. The emperor should see this point clearly. The military commanders of Qian Country cannot be lost any more, especially Su Liang and Gu Ling.”

“Does father think the emperor won’t touch Su Liang?” Xing Yusheng asked.

Lin Shuzhi nodded and shook his head, “At least not now. The emperor suddenly handing the throne to the crown prince is likely meant as a temporary reconciliation with Su Liang.”

“I think the same as father,” Lin Boyan said.

Xing Yusheng narrowed his eyes, “Are you suggesting that the emperor intends to use Su Liang and Gu Ling to protect Qian Country first, or even to unify the world, and then settle accounts with them later?”

Neither Lin Shuzhi nor Lin Boyan answered, but their silence itself was an answer.

“Damn it!” Xing Yusheng snorted, “Su Liang was seeking revenge for her family, which was justified. The emperor can’t tolerate her but doesn’t want to give up using her. He’s so cunning!”

Lin Shuzhi frowned, “Yusheng, watch your words.”

Lin Boyan sighed softly, “Don’t think too much. Su Liang doesn’t know her whereabouts at the moment. When she receives the news, she will make her own choice. The emperor’s current arrangement is not a bad thing for us.”

If Duanmu Yi suddenly went mad, not only would he want to get rid of Su Liang, but also he might target their friends who had a good relationship with Su Liang. That would be terrible.

Moreover, Lin Boyan believed that Su Liang should support Duanmu Chen’s ascension. After all, she and Gu Ling have no interest in the throne, and it seems that Duanmu Chen is indeed very suitable for that position now.

It all depends on the extent to which Duanmu Yi, after retreating to the Grand Emperor’s position, can control Duanmu Chen and the government. If he could really let go of power, there would be no need to worry too much.

As for whether Duanmu Chen would go back on his word in the future, no one knows now, and no conclusion can be drawn prematurely. Some things could only be taken one step at a time, focusing on what should be done now while remaining cautious.

“Anyway, I think the Crown Prince is also untrustworthy,” Xing Yusheng said before leaving, revealing his true thoughts.

…

When the news that the original marriage alliance Princess Xing Yuyan was granted to Crown Prince Duanmu Chen was spread, everyone who heard it thought she was lucky.

When the news came that Duanmu Yi was going to abdicate and Duanmu Chen was about to become the new emperor, people began to suspect that Duanmu Yi had a serious illness and would not live long.

As a result, many people recalled Su Liang and felt that she would definitely be able to cure Duanmu Chen.

In short, this was regarded as the smoothest transfer of imperial power in the history of Qian Country and even in the history of all countries in the world.

The wedding was scheduled for the second day of May, and the coronation ceremony was set for three days later.

Duanmu Yi did not show up again and directly handed the government to Duanmu Chen.

Therefore, when Xing Ji’s letter was sent from Xuanbei City to the capital city, it first reached Duanmu Chen’s hands.

Xing Ji reported that Situ Xie had sent people to poison him in an attempt to rescue Situ Jing. Two men and one woman who came suddenly fought internally at a critical moment, and in the end, Xing Ji got the antidote with some close calls.

Duanmu Chen did not believe Xing Ji’s words, but the result was good. He also knew very clearly that Xing Ji couldn’t have any mishap, which was one of the purposes for him to marry Xing Yuyan.

As for the woman who suddenly turned against her own people, Duanmu Chen suspected there was an inside story. But it wasn’t important at the moment.

After reading the letter, Duanmu Chen destroyed it and didn’t mention it at all when he saw Duanmu Yi again.

As for the news of Lian Shun’s disappearance in the south, Nian Jincheng blocked the news, telling outsiders only that he was still recuperating at home and did not send a letter to the capital city. Because it was not clear what was going on, it would arouse suspicion.

“Father, what should we do with Situ Jing?” Duanmu Chen was still very respectful in front of Duanmu Yi. “Situ Xie’s people cannot find the hiding place of Situ Jing. They will either capture our people for exchange or come to negotiate terms openly.”

“What do you think?” Duanmu Yi asked back.

After pondering for a moment, Duanmu Chen said, “I am worried that Situ Xie will send people to create trouble secretly. Instead, let’s propose conditions to Situ Xie first.”

Duanmu Yi nodded, “What conditions?”

Duanmu Chen solemnly said, “Marriage alliance. Let Situ Xie send his granddaughter here, and then his grandson can return.”

Duanmu Yi snorted softly, “You are interested in Situ Xie’s granddaughter, aren’t you?”

Duanmu Chen shook his head, “I’ve just ascended the throne and need to fill the imperial harem, but that’s only one aspect. The original two-way marriage alliance has turned into Liang Country sending a princess unilaterally. On one hand, it serves as a deterrent to Liang Country for the previous incident, and on the other hand, it can shake Yin Country’s determination to ally with Liang Country.”

Duanmu Yi looked at Duanmu Chen with profound eyes, “Very well. Since you have thought it through, go ahead and do it.”

So, Duanmu Chen soon sent an envoy to Liang Country to negotiate the continuation of the marriage alliance. On the surface, of course, it was said that Situ Jing was a guest in Qian Country for medical treatment.

When Xing Yusheng learned of this, he couldn’t help but complain, “If he manages to have both marriage alliance princesses, it really gives him a lot of face.”

Nanshan City.

Su Liang’s treatment of Situ Jing went relatively smoothly. At the same time, she was also treating Cen Man’s eyes. Because of the long duration of the illness, her situation was more complicated than Situ Jing’s, but Su Liang had some confidence in her ability.

Nangong Qian’s body recovered well, and Qiao Cong’s injuries were also healing.

Every day, besides treating the four patients, Su Liang had nothing else to do. Gu Ling didn’t let her cook, and she couldn’t read books day and night without regard for time like before.

The food for Su Liang was cooked by Gu Ling, while Qiuyue took care of the others.

Every night before going to bed, Gu Ling would tell a story to the baby in Su Liang’s belly. Although Su Liang knew the child was too young to sense it, she and Gu Ling both enjoyed the process. Every day’s changes were fresh, interesting, and full of anticipation.

In the meantime, Nian Jincheng received a letter from Yang Yu’s messenger, informing Gu Ling that Duanmu Yi had received an anonymous letter of accusation. This was within Su Liang’s and Gu Ling’s expectations.

Seven days after Lian Shun left, Su Liang calculated the time and felt he should have almost arrived at the capital city.

On this day, Gu Ling went out to buy groceries and brought back the latest news from the capital city.

Su Liang was surprised, “Duanmu Yi voluntarily gave up the throne to Duanmu Chen? And asked Duanmu Chen to marry his adoptive father’s daughter?”

Gu Ling nodded; the news had spread.

Su Liang’s expression was indescribable, “Duanmu Yi is really smart! This move can be called a masterstroke.” She knew very well what Duanmu Yi was doing and what his intentions were.

“Great God, when Lian Ershan arrives at the capital city and finds Duanmu Chen, will he still use that medicine?” Su Liang pondered. She intended to take preemptive action, but Duanmu Yi had predicted her actions and chose to retreat for the sake of progress.

Under the current situation, maintaining the status quo was temporarily safe for Su Liang and Gu Ling.

However, precisely because Duanmu Yi had retreated, Su Liang needed to see Duanmu Chen’s attitude to determine whether they could continue to cooperate…

At this time, Lian Shun had already arrived in the capital city, and on the way, he had learned the news of Duanmu Yi’s abdication and Duanmu Chen’s ascension to the throne. Nevertheless, he decided to continue the task that Su Liang had given him.

As Duanmu Chen moved into the Imperial Palace, it became difficult for Lian Shun to see him. After waiting for more than half a day, he finally met Chang’an who was leaving the palace. Chang’an was going back to the Crown Prince’s Mansion to fetch something for Duanmu Chen.

Lian Shun followed Chang’an to the Crown Prince’s Mansion. When he suddenly appeared, Chang’an was initially on guard but then became a bit puzzled.

“I have important matters to discuss with His Majesty.” Lian Shun got straight to the point.

Knowing that Lian Shun had a close relationship with Su Liang and had previously been in the south, Chang’an couldn’t afford to neglect him. He asked Lian Shun to wait at the Crown Prince’s Mansion and would first report to Duanmu Chen before making arrangements.

Inside the palace, when Duanmu Chen learned that Lian Shun had secretly arrived in the capital city, his first thought was that Su Liang had sent him.

To be cautious, Duanmu Chen didn’t leave the palace but instead asked Chang’an to bring Lian Shun into the palace to see him.

Lian Shun agreed readily, put on guard’s clothes, and followed Chang’an into the palace.

Under the cover of night, Duanmu Chen sat in his sleeping palace, watching the “guard” who entered behind Chang’an. He gestured for the others to leave.

After paying his respects, Lian Shun was granted a seat.

“Do you have any news about her?” Duanmu Chen asked about Su Liang right away.

Lian Shun nodded, didn’t beat around the bush, took the letter from Gu Ling out of his pocket, and handed it to Duanmu Chen.

After reading the letter, Duanmu Chen looked up to see an extra bottle of medicine in Lian Shun’s hand being offered to him.

Lian Shun smiled, “Your Majesty, I’m just here to run errands and deliver the letter. Please don’t make things difficult for me. However, someone wanted me to bring your reply back. Is there a reply?”

“So, they’re all fine?” Duanmu Chen asked calmly as he put away the letter, not taking the medicine bottle.

Lian Shun nodded, “As for the current situation, I don’t understand it anyway. Your Majesty must be very clear about it. The medicine, do you want it?”

Duanmu Chen’s gaze fell on the medicine bottle, his eyes slightly constricted, “Did she say anything?”

“It’s all in the letter. Nothing else.” said Lian Shun.

After a moment of silence, Duanmu Chen spoke again, “Leave the medicine. Stay in the capital city for three days and bring the letter back.”