Chapter 356 - Chapter 356: What to do if the little god is mischievous?

Chapter 356: What to do if the little god is mischievous?

Translator: 549690339

Su Liang was surprised, “Lin Shun and Sister Ying? This…” Thinking about it, Ying Ying was indeed the type Lin Shun would like. Moreover, after Lin Shun appeared today, he was unusually quiet, which must have had a reason. If it was because he didn’t want to appear too childish in front of Ying Ying, it all made sense.

However, Su Liang didn’t plan to ask Ying Ying about this, nor did she plan to help Lin Shun. At the moment, all Ying Ying wanted to do was hurry and rescue her brother. As for matters of love, she must not be considering them. Lin Shun should also know this, otherwise, with his original character, he would definitely run to Su Liang and ask her to be his matchmaker.

Su Liang went to find Old Bai and told him about Ying Ying and her brother’s situation.

Old Bai’s face changed as he listened to Su Liang’s guess that there were people from that mysterious power beside Yue Mei now, “It’s not impossible. But I know nothing about that power.”

“We are in the light, and they are in the dark. We need to investigate as soon as possible in order to deal with them.” Su Liang sighed slightly.

Old Bai frowned, “I’ll go to Yin Country! See if I can save Ying Ye, and capture Yue Mei to find out the truth!”

Su Liang nodded, “This is what I wanted to discuss with grand master. Although I don’t want grand master to leave, things have changed, and no one else has the strength to deal with Yue Mei and her group.” Poison techniques are very important.

“I’ll go!” Old Bai initially wanted to pursue and kill Yue Mei, but was stopped and pulled back by Old Mu, “You have a great talent in poison techniques, and you learn fast. You have already achieved five or six percent of my success. I will teach you more when I come back. You rest well during this period of time!”

“Okay.” Su Liang nodded slightly, “Sister Ying is familiar with Yue Mei’s lair, and since she is worried about her brother, let her go with grand master so they can watch each other’s backs. However, she is still injured, and I want her to rest at home for two days before setting off.”

Old Bai frowned, “We should go as soon as possible!”

Su Liang thought about it, and it made sense. In case Yue Mei and her group abandoned the place and disappeared with Ying Ye, it would be hard to find them.

“Grand master, please pack up first. I’ll go and talk to Sister Ying, tell someone to prepare dried food, and you can set off as soon as possible.” Su Liang said.

When Su Liang saw Ying Ying, she was not asleep, but had just taken a bath, changed her clothes, and was sitting by the window holding a cup of tea and staring blankly.

“Xiaoliang, you’re here. How did your discussion go?” Ying Ying asked as soon as she saw Su Liang.

Su Liang looked at Ying Ying’s pale face and handed her a small bottle, “This is for replenishing Qi and blood. Eat one a day.”

The tonic was not taught by Old Bai, but was made by Su Liang herself based on her past life experience. It was originally used for situations where a person had lost too much blood due to injury and needed to recover quickly. She had just found it.

Ying Ying took it, opened the stopper, poured one out, and swallowed it, “It’s delicious and sweet.”

Su Liang chuckled, sat down beside her, “I’ve talked to Gu Ling, and decided that grand master, who is Yue Mei’s senior, will go.”

Ying Ying’s expression changed, “That’s great! I’ll go with him!”

“Although I think Sister Ying should rest, time is pressing and I’m afraid of any complications if we wait too long. You should set off as soon as possible.” Su Liang said, “Sister Ying, just call him master like I do, and don’t talk about it from Yue Mei’s side.”

Ying Ying nodded again and again, “I’ll listen to you.” After speaking, she clenched Su Liang’s hand, “Xiaoliang, thank you so much this time. Otherwise, I would have no strength to confront Yue Mei alone, let alone save Xiaoye.”

Su Liang shook her head, “Sister Ying, please don’t say that. Even if it wasn’t for you and Ying Ye’s situation, I and Yue Mei were already on bad terms. We are cooperating to deal with a common enemy.”

Ying Ying breathed a sigh of relief, “Seeing you, I feel like I’m back home, and my heart is a little quieter. If I were a man, I would definitely compete with Gu Ling for you.”

Su Liang laughed, “I’ll have to tell Gu Ling about this.”

When Ying Ying went to Jiaye City, she had no belongings and had only brought a few clothes with her from Su Liang’s home.

Su Liang asked Qi Jun to buy a few sets of clothes and shoes for Ying Ying, prepared some dried food, and gave Old Bai and Ying Ying one of the recent hidden weapons made by Gu Ling.

Old Bai had previously made a lot of poison while Su Liang was not at home and stored it. He picked some for the two of them to take. In addition, Su Liang gave them all kinds of possible wound medicines and the special hemostatic gauze she had commissioned.

Last month, during her free time, Su Liang described the style and functions of outdoor backpacks to Gu Ling based on her memories from her past life, Gu Ling drew detailed design plans, Yang Yu provided the best and strongest fabric, and the Yang Family’s embroidery ladies made two sample packs.

Although they couldn’t make zippers and had to use laces instead, which was somewhat inferior to her previous industrialized backpacks, it was much more convenient and practical than a cloth wrap used here for luggage.

Su Liang gave two backpacks to Old Bai and Ying Ying for their luggage. The capacity was large, and different items were placed in different positions; straps around both shoulders and waist relieved the burden on both hands. It was much more convenient than the bamboo or wooden bookcase-type backpacks.

The water bottle was placed in a side pocket with an opening, so it was easy to grab and didn’t need to be hung around the waist and swayed around. Except for being a bit peculiar, there was no problem at all.

Qi Jun saw that Ying Ying had packed a lot of things into it, he tried it for himself and found it much more comfortable than carrying a baggage, “This is really useful!”

“Make more later, so that everyone has one.” Su Liang said.

Old Bai appeared at the door with his backpack, “Let’s go.”

Qi Jun hurriedly put down Ying Ying’s backpack and handed it to her, but Ying Ying turned around and hugged Su Liang, “Xiaoliang, you be well at home, don’t worry about me. We will come back as soon as we are done.” She seemed to have already regarded this place as home.

“Alright, Sister Ying, take good care of yourself.” Su Liang smiled.

Old Bai and Ying Ying set off in secret.

When Lian Shun returned to Su Mansion after having dinner with his family, he was informed that Ying Ying had already left.

Lian Shun immediately frowned, “Her health is not very good.”

“I am a doctor. But saving people is more important.” Su Liang said with a slight sigh.

Lian Shun understood, but suddenly felt empty in his heart, “Should I catch up with them and go together?”

Su Liang shook his head, “They are traveling fast, you won’t be able to catch up now, and you might miss them.”

Lian Shun sighed deeply, “Su Xiaoliang, do you think I would just make things worse even if I went?”

“Of course not.” Su Liang said, “Although your martial arts are not very high, and you don’t know poison techniques, you are very smart and can definitely help. But what they need to do is not something that will be easier with more people.”

Lian Shun understood, he just felt that Ying Ying was working hard and wanted to help her.

“Did you see it? I like your sister Ying.” Lian Shun confessed.

Su Liang nodded slightly, “It was Gu Ling who noticed it first.”

Lian Shun laughed, “No wonder Gu Xiaoling is my best friend.”

He didn’t ask Su Liang to help set them up, as now was not the right time. They would talk about it after the trouble was resolved.

“Moving to a new environment is good for my parents. My father and Uncle Lin get along very well, and my mother received an invitation from Duke Mansion today. Lady Qin invites her and my sister to attend a flower-appreciating banquet tomorrow.” Lian Shun said, “Actually, it’s all because of your connections. I should thank you.”

Although the Lin Family used to have a great reputation in Qian Country, after the death of Old General Lin and the loss of Concubine Lin, and with Duanmu Che’s consecutive failures and still under house arrest, it was not easy for Lian Shun, who was a military commander but had no real achievements, to integrate into the circle of nobles in the capital city.

Yuan Pei was recommended by Su Liang to Lin Shuzhi, and Lian’s father also had contacts with the Lin Family. As for the flower-appreciating banquet held by Duke Mansion specially inviting Lian Shun’s mother and sister, indeed, it was because of Su Liang’s face. Lian Shun didn’t have any significant intersection with the Qin Family before.

“No need to thank me. Your wounds are healed, your family settled. When are you going to do some real work?” Su Liang asked.

Lian Shun coughed lightly, “I’ll meet the emperor in the palace tomorrow, and then escort Xiao Nian’s family back to Jiaye City, and guard the border together with Xiao Nian. If you trust me, I can go back to the southern border to defend the city myself, and let Xiao Nian return to the capital.”

“Better do it together, you can discuss and support each other in case of problems.” Su Liang said, “You don’t have to worry about things in the capital, I’ll help out if your family needs anything.”

“That’s something I’m not worried about.” Lian Shun chuckled, “Then it’s settled.”

In the past, Lian Shun had spent several years neglecting his duties to find a cure for Duanmu Che. After being disappointed with Duanmu Che, he decided to join the army to inherit his grandfather’s will, but he had a streak of bad luck and had encountered several accidents.

Now that Qian Country had a new emperor and the Lin Family had moved to the capital, Lian Shun wanted to support this home more, make great achievements, and restore the family’s glory. Only then would his family members not be looked down upon by others.

It was not that Su Liang asked him to do some real work, and he decided to return to Jiaye City on a whim. He had planned it before. He had come to see Ying Ying off and had already done so. Another task was to escort Nian Jincheng’s wife back to Jiaye City.

Yang Yu said that leaving tomorrow was no problem, and she had been prepared to go and reunite with Nian Jincheng.

Early the next morning, Lian Shun entered the palace to see Duanmu Chen.

Duanmu Chen was very pleased that Lian Shun would soon return to Jiaye City to take up his post. Qian Country was short of officers, and if Lian Shun intended to live a comfortable life in the capital, Duanmu Chen would have to have a serious talk with him.

“I heard that the marriage engagement between your sister and the grandson of Old General Yuan has been canceled?” Duanmu Chen suddenly asked about Lian Shan’s marriage.

Instantly, Lian Shun’s heart was on guard. He knew that now was the time for choosing beautiful women for the emperor, and it was not possible that his sister Lian Shan had been chosen, right?

However, Lian Shun also understood that since Duanmu Chen asked, he probably already knew the truth and wanted to see Lian Shun’s attitude…

Lian Shun could only say that the marriage engagement had been canceled but not yet restored. He did not give a definite answer because there was indeed room for negotiation in this matter.

“So that’s how it is.” Duanmu Chen nodded, “Your sister’s name was on the list of beautiful women submitted by the Ministry of Rites, and I wanted to ask you about it.”

Previously, Lian Shun had served as a military commander in Xuanbei City, on the same level as “Che Yun,” and since he had not been removed from his post, it was normal for his unmarried and eligible sister to be on the list of beautiful women. Because beautiful women were not only selected from the capital but also from the daughters of official families all over the country.

“Do you have anything you want to say?” Duanmu Chen’s eyes were deep.

Lian Shun braced himself and said, “My sister’s marriage to Yuan Pei was agreed upon by our grandfather and Yuan’s grandfather when they were alive. My parents and I still hope they could be together. It’s just that my sister was injured earlier, and her mind was not clear, and Yuan Pei was mourning his grandfather at the time, so the engagement was temporarily not settled.”

“Hehe,” Duanmu Chen said with a gentle smile, “In that case, I’ll ask the Ministry of Rites to remove your sister’s name from the list of beautiful women.”

Lian Shun heaved a huge sigh of relief in his heart, “Thank you, Your Majesty!”

“Now is the time to make use of talents. You have the heart to serve the country, and I am very pleased, I hold high expectations for you. I hope you can live up to your grandfather’s wishes and restore the glory of Lin Family.” Duanmu Chen said with a solemn expression.

Lian Shun expressed his loyalty.

After leaving the palace, Lian Shun realized that it was probably true that Lian Shan had made the list of imperial beauties, but Duanmu Chen had mentioned it to him and then easily chose to give up. It was just an opportunity to show favor.

Lian Shun would not be resentful of any possible calculations made by Duanmu Chen. They were originally a monarch and his officials, and Duanmu Chen’s intention to show favor was also a way of showing goodwill, hoping that he could be loyal and devoted.

Lian Shun was grateful, and this did not conflict with what he originally wanted to do.

Ying Ying went to the capital city the same day and followed Old Bai. The next day, Lian Shun escorted Yang Yu out of the capital and headed for Jiaye City.

That day, Su Liang and Gu Ling were invited as guests to the Marquis Zhong Xin’s mansion, along with Zheng’Er. The invitation was for them to pick grapes by Old Lady Xing.

Upon entering the Marquis Zhong Xin’s mansion, Su Liang noticed that the servants walked more lightly and had better manners.

When meeting Old Lady Xing, she was talking to an elderly nanny dressed in plain clothes.

Seeing Su Liang, Old Lady Xing smiled and said, “You’ve arrived.” She waved her hand to let the others leave and pulled Su Liang to sit beside her.

Gu Ling took Zheng’er and the basket they brought along straight to the grapevineyard. This place used to be the Gu Family’s mansion, so he was very familiar with it.

“You have a good complexion.” Old Lady Xing gently touched Su Liang’s belly and smiled broadly, “When this little one is born, I wonder how good-looking they will be!”

Su Liang smiled softly, “I hope they look like their father.”

They chatted about Xing Yuyan, who had become the empress, and Old Lady Xing said that she had just visited her with the Miao Family yesterday. “The emperor treats Yuyan extremely well. Even if new people enter the palace in the future, they won’t surpass her. I just want her to stop having wild thoughts and focus on taking care of the emperor.”

Old Lady Xing had always kept a close eye on the Miao Family and her grandchildren, fearing that they would cause trouble. Now that her granddaughter had become the empress, Old Lady Xing worked on purifying the mansion again. She hired two retired nannies from the palace to teach manners, which even the Miao Family had to learn.

Whenever Xing Yuyan wanted to invite the Miao Family to visit the palace, Old Lady Xing would accompany her, fearing that the Miao Family would say something wrong and prevent them from teaching Xing Yuyan bad things.

Although the Miao Family had always wanted their relatives to live in the capital city, Old Lady Xing never let her guard down. Recently, when the Miao Family brought up the matter again, claiming guilt about not being able to look after their family while enjoying a luxurious life in the capital, Old Lady Xing sent many valuable gifts to the Miao Family’s relatives, hinting that they should behave and not cause trouble.

“Now I have no other thoughts, just hoping that the world will be peaceful and my son can return safely.” Old Lady Xing sighed.

“He will.” Su Liang nodded.

“It’s up to you.” Old Lady Xing said, holding Su Liang’s hand.

Two baskets of grapes came back from the Marquis Zhong Xin’s mansion. One basket was washed with well water and shared with everyone. The other basket, Gu Ling wanted to make desserts, and Zheng’er was now a little expert in cooking.

While Gu Ling and Zheng’er were busy in the kitchen, and Su Liang was sorting out the notes she had taken when learning about poisons, Qi Jun came in, “Master, just now when I went out to buy vegetables, I accidentally saw the second son of Marquis Zhong Xin.”

Su Liang put down what she was holding and looked up, “Xing Yuyang? What happened to him?”

“I saw him alone without any guards, so I felt something was wrong and followed him secretly for a while. I saw him enter a mansion,” Qi Jun said, “I didn’t dare to enter rashly, so I waited outside for a while, but didn’t see him come out, so I returned first.”

Su Liang frowned. She had just seen Old Lady Xing today, who was very cautious but couldn’t prevent her grandchildren from going out. That Xing Yuyang was unaccompanied meant there was an issue.

Su Liang didn’t ask Qi Jun to inform Old Lady Xing yet, deciding to first confirm the situation with the mansion Xing Yuyang had visited.

Su Liang asked Old Mu to go over without alarming the people inside.

An hour later, Old Mu returned and told Su Liang that there was a young pregnant woman in the mansion, with an old nanny attending to her. When he arrived there, Xing Yuyang had already left.

Xing Yuyang’s marriage had been arranged, and he was engaged to the legitimate second daughter of the Ministry of Rites’ family. They were to be married in the autumn.

If the woman in that mansion was indeed someone Xing Yuyang was keeping and the child in her belly was his, it would greatly damage the reputation of the Marquis Zhong Xin’s mansion. While many young masters of noble families had fun with women outside, it was another matter entirely to bring a woman of unknown origin back home. Moving her elsewhere was a way to keep her hidden.

Su Liang even suspected that the woman might be a spy, deliberately approaching Xing Ji’s son with some sort of plot.

But after a secret investigation by Qi Jun, it turned out that the woman was the niece of the Miao Family!

Su Liang was speechless. The Miao Family brought their nieces to the capital city behind Old Lady Xing’s back and paired them with her son. They hid the fact that they were pregnant until Xing Yuyang was to marry a noble daughter. At that time, they would let the niece enter the house with the child, forcing Old Lady Xing to accept the Miao’s daughter as a daughter-in-law. They planned to use the niece to control the daughter-in-law, both inside and out. They had calculated everything well, but only for their own interests and their family’s future, without considering how the news would affect the reputation of the Xing Family.

Su Liang asked Qi Jun to send a box of homemade grape pastries to Old Lady Xing, while inviting her to visit the next day.

The next day, Old Lady Xing happily visited. However, when Su Liang told her about the actions of the Miao Family and Xing Yuyang, Old Lady Xing was so angered that she nearly fainted.

Su Liang had been worried about this, which is why she didn’t let Qi Jun mention it directly yesterday. In this way, she could ensure that Old Lady Xing’s health wouldn’t be affected by her anger…

“At this point, getting angry at ourselves isn’t worth it. We should focus on how to solve the problem.” Su Liang gently patted the back of Old Lady Xing.

Old Lady Xing’s face turned ugly, “After so many years, she always said that our Xing Family did not take good care of her natal family. But before returning to the capital city, the Xing Family was also walking on thin ice, just having an empty reputation! After returning to the capital city, if it wasn’t for your support, where would we have peaceful days? The emperor’s promotion of Yanyan as the empress is not only because of my son, but also related to you. Now is the time of trouble, the more prominent one is, the more cautious one should be. Her natal family has no talented people, even my eldest grandson doesn’t have an official position today, just an idler. What else does she want? I’ve talked to Miao’s family about this, but she’s only focused on seeking benefits for herself and her natal family, without considering the consequences it would bring to the Xing Family!”

That matter could be considered significant or trivial. But Old Lady Xing cared the most about her reputation, and Xing Yuyang’s marriage was also her decision. Wasn’t this a slap in her face? Forcing her future family to suffer in silence!

However, it wasn’t easy to deal with the situation. After all, that was Xing Ji’s wife and son. If it escalated, it would be difficult to end.

Seeing Old Lady Xing remaining silent with a sullen face, Su Liang expressed her thoughts. Miao’s family always mentioned Xing Ji and cared about him a lot. Since there was no war at the moment, why not send her to Xuanbei City to cook for Xing Ji and take care of him? Without her children around, she would have nothing to plan.

Upon hearing this, Old Lady Xing’s eyebrows relaxed, “You’re right! That’s the best solution! The only thing I admire about her is the attentiveness with which she takes care of Ji’er. As for Yuyang’s situation, I’ll ask him when I go back. If he really likes his cousin, since things have come to this, she can enter the mansion. If the Ministry of Rites wants to break off the engagement because of this, I’ll make the decision to let Miao’s lady marry Yuyang, and then they can leave our family. This is the choice he made for himself!”

Su Liang felt this was a pretty good solution. Everyone has to pay the price for their choices. Old Lady Xing is benevolent and plans on letting Xing Yuyang be responsible to Miao’s lady, leaving the final decision to the future family. If the Ministry of Rites breaks off the engagement, Xing Yuyang will marry his beloved cousin, and if the Ministry of Rites still wishes to go through the marriage, the Xing Family hasn’t concealed anything, and Miao’s lady will become a concubine.

Su Liang thought this matter would end there. The possibility of the Ministry of Rites breaking off the engagement was not too high, after all, Xing Yuyang was the empress’s own brother.

However, unexpectedly, that night, Chang’an arrived suddenly and said that Duanmu Chen was ill, asking Su Liang to enter the palace immediately.

When Gu Ling took Su Liang into the palace, they saw Duanmu Chen still conscious, his face covered with many small red spots, and his hands as well. It seemed like an allergic reaction. Severe allergies could be life-threatening.

Su Liang asked Duanmu Chen what he had eaten that day. Duanmu Chen said he had eaten dinner at Empress Dowager Xiao’s place and drank a bowl of nourishing soup stewed by Xing Yuyan before going to bed.

Su Liang turned her head and saw Xing Yuyan evading her gaze in panic.

“What did you add to the soup?” Su Liang frowned. She knew Xing Yuyan would not and dared not plot against Duanmu Chen. However, the problem was that this person was not very smart, and it would be troublesome if she was used as a pawn by someone.

Duanmu Chen’s cold eyes shot at Xing Yuyan, who knelt down with her knees bent and tears streaming down her face, “Your Majesty, I swear I didn’t poison it!”

“What kind of medicine did you add? Tell me quickly, otherwise, I won’t know how to treat His Majesty. If we delay time…” Su Liang tried to make her voice sound as gentle as possible.

Upon hearing this, Xing Yuyan got up quickly, and soon brought a medicine bag to Su Liang, “This one, my mother said it was a secret recipe for having a child, my cousin used it and got pregnant very soon!”

Su Liang:

Duanmu Chen was already furious. He began to rethink why he initially believed Xing Yuyan could be Empress without any problems…

Su Liang suspected that the cousin Xing Yuyan mentioned was the one hidden by Xing Yuyang, “Why did you give the secret recipe for having a child to His Majesty?” She opened the medicine bag and carefully checked what was inside.

With red eyes, Xing Yuyan said, “My mother said it would be best if both people consumed it. I took it first, and I’m fine.”Su Liang really wanted to roll her eyes. Could medicine be taken so carelessly? The same medicine might be fine for one person but not for another. Obviously, Duanmu Chen was allergic to this secret medicine, and Xing Yuyan, as the Empress, was in a hurry to get pregnant for fear that Duanmu Chen’s other women would give birth to sons before her.

However, Su Liang confirmed there was no toxicity. Seeing that Duanmu Chen’s symptoms were not worsening, she told Gu Ling how to apply the needles and asked him to treat Duanmu Chen.

After the acupuncture treatment, the red spots on Duanmu Chen’s face gradually faded, leaving only a faint trace.

“It will take some time to fully recover,” Su Liang said, “Does Your Majesty have any other discomforts?”

Duanmu Chen coldly glanced at Xing Yuyan, “No more.”

“Your Majesty…” Xing Yuyan cried like a pear blossom in the rain.

However, Duanmu Chen had already withdrawn his gaze and stood up, “I’m going to the Imperial Study, let’s go together.”

On the way, Duanmu Chen said to Su Liang, “For this matter, I will handle it myself, and you should not interfere.”

Su Liang knew that the situation, whether it was intentional or unintentional, could be viewed as an attempt on the emperor’s life. No matter how he dealt with it, it would be considered normal from the standpoint of an emperor.

Su Liang indeed didn’t want to plead for Xing Yuyan. After all, with Duanmu Chen’s temperament, he wouldn’t vent his anger on unrelated people. As for those who were involved, it would be best to deal with them impartially and according to the law.

Upon leaving the palace, Su Liang thought about what had happened during the day and sighed softly, “It seems Old Lady Xing’s plan won’t work out. Actually, from another perspective, it’s not a bad thing either. The emperor takes action, and those who make mistakes pay the price, there’s not much to say. Both Old Lady Xing and my righteous father are kind-hearted and always find it hard to be tough. However, some people’s foolishness may lead to bad results; fortunately, nothing serious happened this time. If it happens again, it might cause a major disaster.”

Some people could lead thousands of troops, but they might not be able to manage a family. This referred exactly to Xing Ji. No one is perfect, especially in household affairs, where feelings and blood ties were hard to disentangle.

“Great God, what would you do if Xiaoshen becomes wilful in the future?” Su Liang asked Gu Ling.

Gu Ling thought for a moment and said, “Throw him on a deserted island for three months, and he’ll surely behave.”

Su Liang looked speechless, “I take back my words about you being an unparalleled great father.”

Gu Ling shook his head, “I was joking. In our family, you have the highest authority. Xiaoshen and I will listen to whoever has the higher martial arts skills. If he wants to be wilful, let him try to defeat me first.”