Chapter 461: 461. Good idea

Translator: 549690339

Su Liang followed Gu Ling’s gaze towards the crowded streets below, “Are there any suspicious people?”

Gu Ling nodded slightly, “Someone was watching me just now.”

Su Liang laughed when he heard this, “You are good-looking, of course, people will look at you.”

Gu Ling could no longer see Feng Ming and Zhu Zan in the crowd, there were too many people. Lin Bojun had arranged for soldiers to maintain order and keep the crowd moving to avoid accidents.

Ji Xiaoshu saw Ji Yuebai below and wanted to go find him, but Ji Yuebai was already carrying his youngest son and making his way towards the restaurant through the crowd.

“Brother! Brother!” Ji Yuebai’s youngest son excitedly waved to Ji Xiaoshu.

Ji Xiaoshu ran downstairs, “Little brother, you’re here! Dad, why are you only here now? Let’s go play!”

Ji Yuebai shook his head, “There are too many people now, don’t go out.”

Recalling that he had promised Gu Ling not to run out, Ji Xiaoshu looked outside and nodded helplessly, “Alright then.” Then he laughed again, “Master bought me a very beautiful lantern, little brother, come and play with it!”

Dressed in plain clothes, Duanmu Chen came to the Wan Family Restaurant to avoid causing a commotion. He originally wanted to bring his children out for some fun, but the Empress Dowager was afraid that it would be unsafe with so many people and kept the children in the palace.

“You two are really at leisure, not having to take care of the children yourselves. Where’s Nuannuan?” Duanmu Chen asked as soon as he entered, looking for Gu Xiaonuan.

Su Liang pointed to the next room, “She should be with Old Qin.”

Duanmu Chen poured himself a glass of alcohol, picked it up, and walked to the window. Looking at the bustling people below and the colorful lanterns, he sighed, “Finally, it feels like a time of peace.”

Su Liang reminded Duanmu Chen, “Your Majesty, if you stand there, you will be a live target for anyone who wants to assassinate you.”

Duanmu Chen laughed when he heard this, “What do I have to fear from assassination when I share a room with the two of you?” He sat down beside Gu Ling and drank half a glass of alcohol, “You two are the people who make me feel the most secure. If anyone wants to kill me, let them come. I want to see how Gu Ling kills them.”

“Your Majesty, you can go down and join in the fun with the common people,” Gu Ling suggested.

Duanmu Chen snorted, “I know what you’re thinking – that I’m intruding on your couple’s world. With so many people below, if something were to happen to me, wouldn’t I just cause trouble for you? I might as well stay here and chat with you.”

“Emperor Uncle!” Ji Xiaoshu suddenly burst through the door, grabbing Duanmu Chen and leading him out, “Come on, come on!”

Duanmu Chen was puzzled, “Where are you taking me, Xiaoshu? We can’t go downstairs to play.”

“We’re not going downstairs, I’ve already promised Master and Mistress! I’m very well-behaved! We’re playing a game, and we’re just one person short. Dad asked me to invite Emperor Uncle!” As Ji Xiaoshu spoke, he had already dragged Duanmu Chen to the door.

Duanmu Chen: …Well, it seems he is quite popular with the kids.

The next moment, Ji Xiaoshu turned around and laughed at Gu Ling, “I’ve taken Emperor Uncle away, Master! You owe me a favor! Don’t make me run as punishment next time!”

Gu Ling actually said a word of thanks, “Thank you.” Then he added, “No running is fine, I’ll punish you by making you practice writing instead.”

Duanmu Chen was speechless: Am I that annoying?

Ji Xiaoshu: … He knew!

In the next room, the game Ji Xiaoshu was talking about was actually a card game taught to them by Gu Ling. Gu Ling had made the game according to Su Liang’s description and specially brought it over for everyone to play together.

Zhengzheng was explaining the rules to everyone, and Duanmu Chen found them interesting. He gestured for everyone not to be overly formal, sat down next to Ji Yuebai, and picked up the beautifully made and unique wooden cards.

Zhengzheng quickly finished explaining, “Does anyone not understand?”

Ji Xiaoshu asked Ji Yuebai, “Dad, if you don’t understand, just ask now, so you won’t lose face later.”

Ji Yuebai snorted, “We’ll see after playing.”

Duanmu Chen saw that both children were definitely experts, so he didn’t dare to boldly declare anything. After all, he wasn’t familiar with the rules yet, so he quickly chose to be on Zhengzheng’s and Ji Xiaoshu’s team during grouping.

As expected, in the first round, the novice team led by Ji Yuebai lost quickly.

“Interesting, interesting! Let’s play again!” Duanmu Chen said cheerfully.

Only extraordinary people could enter the Wan Family Restaurant today, especially after Duanmu Chen’s arrival. The inside was heavily guarded, and all the guests were not ordinary nobles, but the highest power circles in the world today.

Qi Yan and Nangong Qian strolled around with a delicate Small Lantern in Nangong Qian’s hand. They also came to the restaurant.

Lin Bojun was standing at the entrance of the restaurant, listening to his subordinates report the situation in various places. There were no disturbances for the time being.

Seeing Qi Yan and Nangong Qian being stopped, Lin Bojun ordered them to be allowed in.

“Is there anything I can help with?” Qi Yan asked Lin Bojun.

Lin Bojun patted his shoulder, “You two go up and take a seat.”

At this moment, a commotion came from outside the restaurant, and Lin Bojun’s expression tightened. As he hurriedly looked over, he saw a figure in black clothes swiftly weaving through the crowd. The man quickly reached an unstable, high shelf and supported it before it could topple. There were many lit lanterns hanging on the wooden shelf, and people were all around. If it had fallen, it would have injured people, caused a panic and a stampede and even started a fire.

The potentially dangerous situation was resolved, and people applauded and praised “Gu Ling the beauty” for spotting and resolving the issue in time.

Lin Bojun immediately ordered more soldiers to be sent to help the vendors reinforce their booths, especially the shelves with hanging lanterns.

When Duanmu Chen, who was playing cards upstairs, heard the report, he paused for a moment and then laughed, “With Gu Ling around, I can rest easy.”

“My master is amazing!” Ji Xiaoshu especially liked to praise his master when he wasn’t around Gu Ling.

At this point, Gu Ling had already helped to secure the shelf and returned to the restaurant, sitting next to Su Liang.

“My great god is so handsome,” Su Liang gave a thumbs-up.

Gu Ling looked at Su Liang’s beautiful smile, reached out, closed the window to block the view from outside, and then embraced her for a deep kiss.

After a while, the window was opened again, and the two continued to talk and watch outside, ready to take action if anything seemed wrong.

Lin Bojun noticed two men walking back and forth suspiciously near the restaurant and was about to arrange for someone to monitor them closely when the two men approached Lin Bojun.

Feng Ming and Zhu Zan hadn’t gotten close to Lin Bojun when they were stopped.

Soon, a soldier reported to Lin Bojun, “The two of them claim to be from Xingluo Island and want to see His Highness the Regent King.”

Lin Bojun, of course, knew what kind of place Xingluo Island was. Upon hearing the report, he ordered the men to be closely guarded and went upstairs to find Gu Ling and Su Liang.

Su Liang was taken aback, “People from Starfall Island?”

“Do you want to meet them? Or catch them first?” Lin Bojun asked.

Gu Ling stood up and closed the window again. Su Liang said to Lin Bojun, “Second Brother, please bring them up.” If they came to assassinate them, they wouldn’t have greeted them. Moreover, it was almost impossible for the younger generation to kill Gu Ling and Su Liang. If Starfall Island really sent assassins, they must be the old-timers.

Soon, Lin Bojun brought Feng Ming and Zhu Zan into Gu Ling and Su Liang’s room.

“Second Brother, you can go busy.” Su Liang said.

“Be careful.” Lin Bojun gave Feng Ming and Zhu Zan a cold glance and left. He was in charge of the safety of the entire city tonight, not just protecting this restaurant. He was really busy and had no time to stare at this side.

Su Liang looked at Feng Ming and Zhu Zan, both in their early twenties, with average looks, possibly disguised.

Su Liang didn’t think they were sent by Sheng Yue, or else they would directly mention Sheng Yue’s name, instead of just saying Starfall Island. Besides, there wasn’t enough time for Sheng Yue to return to the island and send people over since he left.

“Who are you guys? Why are you looking for us?” Su Liang asked.

Zhu Zan looked at Feng Ming, and Feng Ming looked straight at Su Liang with a clear gaze, saying, “My name is Feng Ming, and his name is Zhu Zan. We were originally from Starfall Island.”

“What kind of people from Starfall Island?” Su Liang asked a seemingly strange question. On Starfall Island, several large families, led by the elders, had more people. The other scattered ones were either voluntarily or forcibly recruited to the island. The old ones had families, while the young ones were mostly alone.

Feng Ming considered for a moment, and understood what Su Liang was asking. He replied, “Both of us were recruited to Starfall Island three years ago, and we have no relatives on the island. After the Regent King led the troops to the island to save people, the Island Master ordered us to leave the island to search for Sheng Yue’s whereabouts because Sheng Yue had no news.”

Su Liang’s expression remained calm, “You came here to find Sheng Yue? To ask if we killed him or arrested him? But even if you took a detour, it wouldn’t take you this long to get here. Not reporting back for months, do you not plan to return?”

Feng Ming admired Su Liang’s ability to read minds, and nodded, “Yes. We followed Sheng Yue when we were on the island, so we were opposed and squeezed out by the family of the Great Elder He Wei. Since we don’t know Sheng Yue’s whereabouts, we dare not return rashly. Moreover, when we first came to the island, we weren’t entirely willing, and after three years on Starfall Island, we deeply felt that it was not a good place.”

“So, are you planning to turn from darkness to light?” Su Liang smiled. Feng Ming was a very eloquent person, obviously very intelligent, and he didn’t hide his intelligence at this moment, as if he wanted Su Liang to know that he was useful.

Feng Ming nodded, “Yes. If the two of you don’t mind, we are willing to be loyal to both of you.”

“What are your skills? Or what secrets of Starfall Island can you provide to us?” Su Liang asked directly.

Feng Ming replied, “Perhaps Su Divine Doctor already knows many things about Starfall Island. But we can tell you everything we know. We have no other skills, and our Martial Arts is just passable.”

Upon hearing this, Su Liang chuckled, “Okay. Since you want to walk on the bright side, I can give you the opportunity. We’ll talk about Starfall Island later. Tonight, there are celebrations in the city with many people and it’s easy for accidents to happen. Each of you finds a high place and helps watch over the common people to avoid chaos.”

Zhu Zan was startled, and Feng Ming had already agreed, “Yes, we will do our best!” As soon as he finished speaking, he took Zhu Zan and left.

On the way downstairs, Zhu Zan whispered, “Is this… going to use us?”

Feng Ming shook his head, “It’s a test. They’re all people with superior intelligence. If you hesitate any further, it’s better to leave early. In dealing with them, just like with Sheng Yue, you can’t play any tricks, or else it won’t be good.”

Zhu Zan sighed softly, “I didn’t want to play any tricks, I’m just a little nervous, unlike your calm and composed manner. Forget it, I’ll listen to you from now on, you’re the boss, and I trust you!”

Soon, Feng Ming chose a position and found another one for Zhu Zan. The two of them went up high and concentrated on watching the crowd below. They didn’t want any trouble but also hoped for a chance to prove themselves.

Thanks to the careful deployment of the Lin Family Brothers and the supervision of Gu Ling and Su Liang, there were no major disturbances at the grand Lantern Festival in the capital, and small disturbances were quickly settled without casualties.

As the night deepened, the common people returned home, and the streets gradually quieted down, and the people in the restaurant also left one after another.

Duanmu Chen, who had been playing cards all night, was not satisfied and invited Ji Yuebai and the children to come to the palace to play together another day.

In the end, Lin Bojun personally led soldiers to escort Duanmu Chen back to the palace.

Qi Yan carried Zhengzheng on his back, while Gu Ling held Ji Xiaoshu, who clung to him like a little monkey, as they all returned home together.

Only after Feng Ming and Zhu Zan believed that there would be no danger did they regroup and silently head towards Su Mansion.

When they arrived at Su Mansion, the main gate was tightly closed. The two of them looked at each other and stood outside the door. Before long, the door opened and Qi Yan called them in, leading them to Yuanming Pavilion.

All the children had gone to sleep, and Su Liang did not come down. He asked Gu Ling to “entertain” their guests.

As Feng Ming and Zhu Zan took their seats and met Gu Ling’s indifferent gaze, they felt even more nervous than when Su Liang had spoken to them earlier.

Gu Ling didn’t ask them about what they had done that night since he had seen everything. Feng Ming’s attention had mainly been on the children, helping several of them who had fallen down. Zhu Zan had extinguished a fire for someone.

“You guys used to follow Sheng Yue. What do you know about him?” Gu Ling got straight to the point. They had already learned most of the basic information about Xingluo Island from Min Rou and Sheng Yue. However, even after Sheng Yue had voluntarily come to Su Mansion and been detained for a while, confessing some things, Gu Ling and Su Liang still felt that he had more secrets. In fact, Sheng Yue seemed even more mysterious to them than Mo Yan.

Zhu Zan didn’t seem to have any ideas, and Feng Ming was still the one to speak first. After thinking for a while, he said, “Young Master Sheng is highly skilled in Martial Arts, intelligent and unflappable. He’s a very formidable man. We arrived at the island around the same time, but Young Master Sheng quickly won the favor of the Island Master and was entrusted with important duties. The island is controlled by the families of the elders, especially the He Family. For young people like us who came to the island alone, it’s difficult to have chances to make something of ourselves. Even if we manage to make some achievements, we’ll be suppressed. But even in such a situation, Young Master Sheng became someone who could contend with the Great Elder, despite having only a few followers. We, too, could only secretly follow him and didn’t dare to openly oppose the He Family.”

Gu Ling’s expression remained indifferent, “Tell me something I don’t know.”

Feng Ming started speaking again, “I don’t know if Your Highness is aware that Young Master Sheng has a younger brother?”

“Go on.” Gu Ling’s expression remained calm.

“It was last year when I accompanied Young Master Sheng on an errand. He asked me if I had any living relatives, and after I honestly told him my situation, he unexpectedly spoke up for once and said that he had a younger brother living in another place.” Feng Ming said, “He only said that one sentence, and I didn’t dare to ask any further because everyone on the island believed that Young Master Sheng had no family members.”

Zhu Zan’s expression indicated that he had not known about this before, and Feng Ming had not mentioned it to him.

Gu Ling already knew that Sheng Yue had a younger brother, Cheng Yun. If Feng Ming had told him this a few months earlier, it would have been useful, but it wasn’t much use now.

Feng Ming said he didn’t know anything else, and Zhu Zan knew even less.

The two of them were waiting for Gu Ling’s decision – to use them, or to doubt them, arrest them, or even possibly kill them…

Gu Ling ordered Qi Yan to make arrangements for Feng Ming and Zhu Zan’s accommodations.

“Thank you, Master!” Feng Ming quickly showed his gratitude, knowing that he had passed the first hurdle.

When Gu Ling returned to his room, Su Liang had already put their daughter to sleep and was waiting for him.

“How is it?” Su Liang asked.

“Let’s see how it goes.” Gu Ling wasn’t so quick to trust outsiders who suddenly appeared, “How is the truth-telling drug coming along?”

Su Liang shook his head, “During the second drug test, Nian Ruxue was killed as well. To test the drug again, we’ll have to find death-row prisoners from the Heavenly Prison. There’s no new progress for now. I think that Feng Ming seems like a smart man. What they said doesn’t have any flaws so far, but it’s hard to say if they’re spies sent by Sheng Yue.”

“That’s why I’m planning to send Feng Ming back to Sheng Yue’s side as an undercover agent.” Gu Ling lay down and pulled Su Liang’s hand onto his face. “What do you think?”

Su Liang raised his eyebrow, “That’s not a bad idea. In the end, it’s hard to say who poses the greater threat to us, Mo Yan or Sheng Yue. In that case, I’ll have a good chat with him tomorrow.”