Chapter 403: 403. Nangong Lin’s Letter

Translator: 549690339

After Min Rou had left, Su Liang moved Lady Min to the Heavenly Prison, instructing not to torture her for interrogation, and to keep her alive, treating her as an ordinary prisoner. Su Liang had told Min Rou about this because nobody in the Su Mansion had the time to take care of Lady Min.

This was a secret; the people in the Heavenly Prison did not know Lady Min’s identity, and the Min family did not know she was in the Heavenly Prison either.

The tension of the past few days had temporarily eased. After Gu Ling confirmed once again that Min Rui and Duanmu Chen had no immediate blood disaster, he told Duanmu Chen that he could leave the Library Pavilion.

“Are you sure it’s safe now?” Duanmu Chen let out a sigh of relief, “Have all the assassins been dealt with?”

Gu Ling shook his head, “There’s still one leader who got away.”

Duanmu Chen frowned, “Safe for now then? Alright. I am mentally prepared for this.” As an emperor, being targeted for assassination by enemies during wartime was all too normal. Duanmu Chen had previously attempted to assassinate Situ Xie, but with no news of any success, he could only assume the plan had failed.

“Carry on as usual. You should step down from the position of Regent King,” Gu Ling said.

Duanmu Chen shook his head, “Why would I step down? This position suits you, and I need your assistance.”

Gu Ling turned and left, “Don’t look for me if it’s not necessary.”

Duanmu Chen’s voice came from behind him, “When can I have your handmade steamed buns again?”

“Next year.” Gu Ling replied casually.

Duanmu Chen: …

Empress Dowager Xiao was overjoyed to tears seeing Duanmu Chen safe and sound. Duanmu Yi’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot, questioning what Duanmu Chen and Gu Ling were up to.

Duanmu Chen knew very well that there was no longer any father-son bond between him and Duanmu Yi. The reason why Duanmu Yi was still alive was because he felt that their relationship hadn’t deteriorated to a point where he had to kill Duanmu Yi, and he couldn’t bear to do it.

Duanmu Chen calmly answered Duanmu Yi’s questions, “Father, don’t worry so much. It’s not good for your health.”

Duanmu Yi was furious and scolded Duanmu Chen, but Duanmu Chen didn’t care.

Empress Dowager Xiao told Duanmu Chen to go see the Empress and the other concubines, so he went to them.

Xing Yuyan burst into tears upon seeing Duanmu Chen, saying she had been plagued by nightmares, fearing something bad would happen to him.

Though Duanmu Chen didn’t really like the Empress, he understood her, knowing that she was being genuine. Coupled with the fact that Xing Yuyan was carrying his child, he set aside past unpleasant feelings and comforted her for a while.

After that, Duanmu Chen went to visit Situ Yao.

Though pregnant, Situ Yao had become alarmingly thin. Upon seeing her, Duanmu Chen frowned and scolded the servants for not taking proper care of her.

Situ Yao defended the servants, saying she had been too anxious lately and couldn’t eat.

“Are you worried about Liang Country, or me and Qian Country?” Duanmu Chen asked indifferently.

Situ Yao smiled bitterly, “I am concerned about my family, and Your Majesty is a part of my family as well.”

Duanmu Chen snorted, “But this time, the war was initiated by your grandfather, not me.”

“I don’t understand the affairs outside nor can I interfere. I only wish to safely give birth to the child in my womb.” Situ Yao looked out through the window as she spoke, her gaze reaching the towering palace walls in the distance.

Upon leaving Situ Yao’s place, Chang’an immediately followed him to the Imperial Garden.

They were at Duanmu Chen’s favorite pavilion since childhood. Sitting in his usual spot, he looked at the vibrant flowers and lush ancient trees, and sighed, “Since I could remember, I have struggled for the Dragon Throne, always on edge, never daring to take a wrong step. Now that I am truly in this position, I slowly begin to feel a bit…”

Duanmu Chen’s voice trailed off, pausing for a while before uttering two words, “Bored.”

Chang’an was stunned, he really dared not respond to these words. However, from his point of view, the ones who caused Duanmu Chen to have such thoughts must be the couple Gu Ling and Su Liang.

For such a long time, Chang’an was most aware of the subtle changes that took place in Duanmu Chen, even though they didn’t seem obvious.

Duanmu Chen quickly changed the topic, “Chang’an, is it too harsh for me to hope that Concubine Liang will no longer care for her family from now on?”

“This…” Chang’an wasn’t not daring to speak but genuinely did not know what to say.

“You don’t have to answer.” Duanmu Chen shook his head, “These days, I’ve been thinking in the Library Pavilion about what my goal should be in the future. Unifying the world? It seems that the time has come, although the result is still uncertain. But what to do after the world is truly unified?”

Chang’an indicated that he would just be a silent listener.

“My son will be Gu Ling’s disciple. After the child grows up a bit, I can hand over the throne to him. I trust whoever is taught by Gu Ling completely. By then, I want to go out and enjoy the beauty of the world.” Duanmu Chen said with a faint smile.

Chang’an was stunned again, surprised but thinking it was very feasible.

“It’s just a pity that I have many women, but none that makes me want to travel the world with.” Duanmu Chen sighed slightly. If Situ Yao was not the princess of Liang Country, maybe their relationship would have been different. But there are no ifs, and when the world is unified, either the Situ family will be destroyed or the Duanmu family… the life-and-death situation has doomed that his relationship with Situ Yao will not be better than it is now.

After a while of reflection, Duanmu Chen regained his rationality and left the pavilion, heading to the Imperial Study to deal with state affairs.

That evening, the second war report arrived in the capital city: Liang Country’s army fought fiercely, and without any provocation on the first day, they directly attacked Xuanbei City. Xing Ji sat in the city to command, and Qiao Jing led the elite troops out of the city to fight. After a fierce battle, Liang’s army temporarily retreated.

In addition to the news about the war situation, Xuanbei City also sent another piece of news. Before the war started, Xing Ji sent people to Ping’an Temple to invite Abbot Master to lead the monks to Xuanbei City in order to avoid harming the tranquil land of Buddhism, but they were refused by Ping’an Temple.

Just as the war report from the north arrived, another “war report” came from the south: The Yin Country’s army marched and attacked Jiaye City. On the first day, the general of the Yin Country’s army called for a battle, and Nian Jincheng went out of the city to fight, but there was no outcome. Yin Country’s army started the siege, but due to heavy rain, they withdrew soon after. There were no casualties on both sides.

Duanmu Chen only smiled faintly. The attack on Xuanbei City by Liang Country was serious, but the attack on Jiaye City by Yin Country was merely a show, otherwise there wouldn’t have been no casualties. This was a plot agreed upon by Gu Ling and Ji Yuebai to deceive Liang Country. As for the spies in the border army of Yin Country, they had already been found by Ji Yuebai’s people earlier, but they didn’t “unmask” them. The unimportant decision-making personnel were just right to pass messages to Situ Xie.

Su Mansion.

Before dinner, the latest war reports from the north and south were also delivered to Su Mansion.

For the time being, it seemed that Mo Yan had not yet appeared, and there were no explosives on the battlefield. There was nothing to worry about in the south, as Ji Yuebai would not let his own army fall out of control and be led by Situ Xie.

“My father ordered an attack on Qian Country?” Ji Xiaoshu was shocked, “Has he really given up on me? I’m still here! Will I be taken hostage by Emperor Uncle and hung up on the city wall? So scary!”

Zhengzheng furrowed his brows, feeling that this matter was a bit troublesome. He originally thought that Yin Country and Qian Country were allies, so why did they turn against each other so quickly?

“Master, I’m so scared!” said Ji Xiaoshu as he threw himself into Gu Ling’s arms.

Gu Ling was in the middle of ladling soup and almost spilled it out. He put down the bowl and pulled Ji Xiaoshu away, “Sit properly.”

“Master, what’s going on?” Zhengzheng asked earnestly with a serious look on his face.

“What do you guess?” Gu Ling’s expression was indifferent.

Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu exchanged glances.

Ji Xiaoshu sighed, “My father is a liar, right? He sent me here to deceive Master, Mistress, and Emperor Uncle, making you think that Yin Country would work with Qian Country. In reality, it’s not the case. Master and Mistress wouldn’t hurt me, a child.”

“Xiaoshu, you analyzed it very well.” Zhengzheng agreed, “If it’s like this, then it makes sense.”

“Master, is that true?” Ji Xiaoshu asked.

Gu Ling nodded, “Mm.”

Ji Xiaoshu was dumbfounded, “I… was just joking. My father is definitely not a liar! Master, don’t scare me!”

Zhengzheng: …Ji Xiaoshu is a liar, he was actually being sarcastic earlier, and Zhengzheng really believed him.

Su Liang smiled and hugged Gu Xiaonuan over, sitting between the two children. Originally, there was a fixed seat for Gu Ling beside her, but Gu Ling couldn’t always compete with the two little disciples.

“Apprentice-mother…” Ji Xiaoshu was really a little nervous this time, his little face nervously tightening.

“Your master didn’t say anything wrong, your daddy is indeed a liar.” Su Liang smiled lightly, “The war between Ying Country and Qian Country is a lie, just a show, your father purposely deceived Liang Country’s side.”

Ji Xiaoshu blinked, “Oh~ This liar, well then… the deception is good, the deception is brilliant! Apprentice-mother, did I say it right?”

“Very right.” Su Liang nodded.

Then, the two children began to discuss the situation of the war, looking very serious and cute. But after all, they were still young and did not understand many things, so their opinions were quite naïve. For example, Ji Xiaoshu said, if they let Gu Xiaonuan go to the front line and smile, the enemy would surrender, and Zhengzheng actually agreed…

The next day, Duanmu Chen resumed the morning court, and when the officials saw him looking quite well, they couldn’t find any trace of illness or injury. They thought that the previous situation was just a strategic move since the war had begun. Perhaps he was avoiding the numerous assassins temporarily in order to confuse the enemy.

As for Regent Gu Ling, he only appeared at the morning court once, and then he stopped coming once Duanmu Chen appeared.

Although the situation was tense, Gu Ling didn’t have anything that he must do at the moment. That day, he fulfilled his promise and planned to take the two little disciples out for a trip, to catch tadpoles.

“Apprentice-mother isn’t going with us? Let’s take Xiaonuan with us, and we’ll all go together!” Ji Xiaoshu pulled Su Liang’s hand non-stop.

“Alright.” Su Liang looked at the weather outside and decided to go for a walk.

Cen Man also wanted to go, so Su Liang decided that they would all go, including Nangong Qian and Qiuyue. Otherwise, if they only left her servants at home, it would not be completely safe, in case Nangong Lin came to take Nangong Qian away again, Su Liang would have no way to explain to Qiao Cong.

The whole family went on a trip, riding two carriages, and the destination was Wangxiang Mountain. There were clear streams and springs in the mountain, where they could find tadpoles, and it could also satisfy Su Liang and the children’s desire to climb the mountain.

After preparing, the group set off.

They got off the carriages at the foot of Wangxiang Mountain and walked up the mountain. Gu Xiaonuan was held by Gu Ling for the whole journey, while Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu ran forward energetically. Nangong Qian and Qiuyue, who had the worst stamina, were now much healthier than before, as they had been insisting on exercising under Su Liang’s guidance. Although they thought Wangxiang Mountain looked very tall and felt they might not be able to climb it, they still wanted to give it a try.

“Master, can we decide who will be the senior apprentice-brother by whoever reaches the mountain top first?” Ji Xiaoshu asked.

Gu Ling shook his head, “No.”

Ji Xiaoshu was so disappointed, he laughed and said to Zhengzheng while running forward, “I was actually planning to trick senior apprentice-brother into competing, but I don’t really want to be the senior apprentice-brother, haha!”

Zhengzheng: … Yes, Ji Xiaoshu is too good at acting spoiled and cunning as an apprentice-brother, what’s so good about being an apprentice-brother?

However, having said that, Zhengzheng was willing to be the senior apprentice-brother, because he felt that he was, in fact, Gu Ling’s first disciple and should take care of the younger apprentice-brothers and sisters.

After walking for a while, Nangong Qian felt tired and slowed down. Cen Man told Su Liang and the others to go ahead while she, Nangong Qian, and Qiuyue walked slowly behind.

“Then we’ll meet up at the waterfall halfway up the mountain.” Su Liang said.

In the middle of their journey, Ji Xiaoshu wanted Gu Ling to carry him, but Gu Ling said that if he did, he would have to expel Ji Xiaoshu from the apprenticeship because his stamina was too weak and he would embarrass Gu Ling.

Ji Xiaoshu instantly lost his temper and continued to charge forward.

When they reached the waterfall, there was a clear stream. Su Liang took her daughter and let Gu Ling take his two disciples to play in the water. It was rare for them to go out and they should temporarily forget their worries and relax for a while.

“Master, is this a tadpole?” Ji Xiaoshu called for Gu Ling to come and see.

Gu Ling went over and shook his head, “It’s a loach.”

“What is a loach?” The two children asked in unison. One was the crown prince of Yin Country, and the other was a young master from one of the four major business families in Qian Country. They had never seen such a creature before.

“It’s edible.” Gu Ling explained from a cook’s perspective.

“Can tadpoles be eaten?”

“No.”

“Can frogs be eaten?”

“I’ve never tried, but I’ve heard they can, but they’re not easy to handle.”

“Ah! This loach is so slippery, like a snake! It’s so scary, don’t get near me!”

Su Liang held Gu Xiaonuan in his arms as they watched the waterfall, listening to the sounds of Gu Ling and the children playing not far away. For a moment, he felt as if he had returned to Su Village, and thought of Bai Xiaohu and Zhuzi brothers. He hadn’t seen them for a long time, and they must have grown taller. If the war could subside and the troubles be resolved, Su Liang would definitely bring the children back to the village with Gu Ling for a while.

When Cen Man arrived with Nangong Qian and Qiuyue, Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu had already caught some tadpoles and placed them in a precious colored glazed vase they had brought, to show them.

Nangong Qian first saw them and found it very magical, “They look like ink droplets. What do they look like when they grow up?”

Then she followed the direction Zhengzheng was pointing to and saw a frog tied up with grass twine by Gu Ling. She was instantly scared and screamed, her face losing color. After that, she couldn’t even look at the tadpoles anymore.

The two children hadn’t had enough fun but wanted to climb to the top of the mountain, so they released the tadpoles and frogs they had caught and said they would come back to find them another day.

When Nangong Rou and Qiuyue finally reached the top of the mountain, they saw the children swinging from tree branches while Gu Ling and the Su family of three rested under the tree.

Nangong Rou wiped the sweat off her forehead, gazing at the distant north, and couldn’t help but sigh, “One can see far by climbing high. This is my first time being at such a high place. I wonder how my grandfather and big brother are faring.”

Cen Man smiled, “They are together, and nothing will happen to them.” She had never seen such a view before due to her previous blindness.

Gu Ling brought some fruits and desserts, and they all played on the mountain top for about an hour before descending. In the meantime, Gu Ling wrapped Gu Xiaonuan in his outer clothes and hung her on the tree to sway with the wind. Gu Xiaonuan loved it and kept laughing.

After returning home, Qi Yan brought food from Wan Family Restaurant. After everyone was full, the three children soon fell asleep.

Xuanbei City.

Another day of battle had ended. When Qiao Jing saw Qiao Cong, he was covered in blood.

Seeing Qiao Cong frown, Qiao Jing hurriedly explained that he wasn’t injured, and it was someone else’s blood. With his skills, it was difficult for him to get hurt on the battlefield.

“Did you have any gains today, Grandfather?” Qiao Jing asked.

Qiao Cong sighed, “No! Xiaoliang said Liang Country has food and fodder, but I’ve searched all the possible places and saw no traces of them. Liang Country doesn’t seem to lack food and fodder at all, it’s strange! And I haven’t seen the mysterious person. Should I go capture Liang Country’s main general tonight?”

Qiao Jing pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, “Since Su Liang said Situ Xie colluded with the mysterious forces, and there are many masters, Grandfather shouldn’t take risks to avoid unnecessary complications. Even if Liang Country’s main general is caught, Liang Country might not necessarily save him. Once he dies, unforeseen situations might arise.”

“Alright, you have the final say.” Qiao Cong shook his head and sighed again, “If it weren’t for the fear of Situ Xie sending someone to kill you, I would really like to go to Liang Country and slaughter Situ Xie.”

“Grandfather, don’t worry. He will definitely die a terrible death.” Qiao Jing’s gaze was firm.

At that moment, a soldier hurriedly delivered a letter, saying it was from the mysterious person and was for Qiao Jing.

Qiao Jing opened the letter, his face cold upon recognizing the writing, “It’s from Nangong Lin.”

Qiao Cong took the letter and read it with a deep frown. In the letter, Nangong Lin stated that he had taken Nangong Qian from Su Liang’s house and was leaving with his daughter to live in seclusion. He hoped that the past grievances would be wiped clean. If Qiao Cong and Qiao Jing didn’t meet him outside the city tonight, they would never see Nangong Qian again in this lifetime.