The Doctor’s Three-Time Marriage - Chapter 181
Chapter 181: 181. Give him a hand
Translator: 549690339
The palace only let them go in the afternoon.
Su Liang and Ning Jing didn’t return to Duke Qin’s Mansion. They picked up Yang Yu at the Embroidery Workshop and went straight home.
Once they were home, Yang Yu asked what had happened.
Upon learning that Su Liang had been harassed by the Empress Dowager, Yang
Yu became worried again, “You’ve been targeted, and they won’t let this go.” Su Liang snorted, “Coincidentally, I don’t plan on letting it go either.”
Her primary goal in coming to the capital city was to investigate the truth and avenge the Su Family.
Now she knew that the main culprits were the brothers Duanmu Cheng and Duanmu Ao. The Su Family was entirely innocent.
At the moment, Duanmu Ao was in the Su Family cemetery on Wangxiang Mountain, more dead than alive.
However, Duanmu Cheng was only stripped of his title of crown prince, and he was still alive. Moreover, he would surely continue to wreak havoc.
That wasn’t enough.
Su Liang wanted these evil and despicable brothers to pay with their lives for the Su Family’s suffering.
Yang Yu sighed, “I’m always worried about you, afraid something will happen.”
Su Liang embraced Yang Yu’s slender shoulders, smiling as they entered the courtyard, “I’m just fine, don’t think too much about it. Have you thought of a way to help Nian Jincheng leave his post?”
Yang Yu furrowed her brow, “Not yet, I don’t understand what’s going on now. You guys should have a plan for him, right?”
Su Liang looked at Yang Yu and smiled, “There is indeed a plan, and you’ll know about it later.”
“What about now? He’s in danger.” Yang Yu’s expression was full of concern.
Ning Jing, who was just about to enter the room, suddenly called Su Liang,
“You come here.”
Su Liang, not knowing what was going on, released Yang Yu and went to Ning Jing’s room.
Yang Yu stood under the eaves, sighing. Thinking that Su Liang and Ning Jing hadn’t eaten lunch yet, she went to the kitchen.
‘What’s the matter?” Su Liang asked.
Ning Jing put down Su Liang’s medicine box, “Close the door.”
Su Liang turned around and closed the door, walked over, and sat down across from Ning Jing, “What’s wrong?”
“I saw someone with a dark forehead. “] Ning Jing said.
Su Liang pondered, “There are more than one person in the palace who wants to kill me. If you needed to interfere, you should have seen my forehead turn black first. Since it hasn’t, doesn’t it mean it has nothing to do with me? Could it be Duanmu Chen? Although a new crown prince hasn’t been appointed yet, he is the only candidate, and the empress’s faction certainly can’t tolerate him.”
However, Ning Jing shook his head slightly and said three words, “Nian
Jincheng.”
Su Liang’s face turned serious, “Is someone trying to kill him?!”
There was no other possibility.
Nian Jincheng was impersonating Duanmu Ao according to Su Liang and Ning Jing’s arrangement. He wouldn’t act recklessly, and recently, there hadn’t been any “opportunities” for him to kill anyone.
“You should go and watch him to make sure nothing happens,” Su Liang said.
Although Su Liang often mentioned Nian Jincheng to Yang Yu in jest, neither she nor Ning Jing truly disregarded his well-being.
However, at the moment, there really wasn’t a good opportunity for Nian Jincheng to return.
If “Duanmu Ao” suddenly disappeared, Duanmu Yi would be the first to suspect Su Liang.
This wasn’t the kind of thing that Su Liang could brush off by saying, “I knew I would be suspected, so why would I do such a stupid thing.”
Because it could be seen from the opposite angle: precisely because Su Liang was the most suspicious, she could make that argument, thereby taking a contrary approach.
“It’s daytime, there’s no problem,” Ning Jing shook his head.
Su Liang frowned, “Who would want to kill ‘Duanmu Ao’ at this point? Could it be that he is about to be exposed soon? No, if he were exposed, he would be actually safer, because the empress’s faction would seize the opportunity to discredit us by claiming that we are in cahoots with Nian Jincheng and Gu Ling. Although you genuinely are Gu Ling. Furthermore, the emperor would definitely use Nian Jincheng to get rid of you. So, for the time being, he is not in mortal danger.”
With that, the situation became even stranger.
If he hadn’t been exposed, there were people wanting to kill Duanmu Ao.
Yet, clearly, Su Liang was the one who most wished for Duanmu Ao to suffer a terrible fate.
Who else could it be?
Ning Jing spoke again, “I’m hungry.”
Su Liang held her forehead, “I’ll go make something to eat. After eating, you should go protect your brother.”
Su Liang entered the kitchen and saw Yang Yu, lost in her thoughts while holding a kitchen knife. The water in the pot hadn’t boiled, and the vegetables were only half-chopped.
“What are you thinking about?” Su Liang walked over.
Yang Yu turned around blankly, the knife facing Su Liang, “I’ve thought of something! ”
Su Liang washed her hands, took the knife, pushed Yang Yu away, and continued cutting the vegetables, “What did you think of?”
“How to bring little Nian back!” Yang Yu had a serious expression, “That real one, he’s still alive, right? Just change him back and have him hang himself!” Su Liang nodded, “‘Hanging himself’ is indeed the most suitable way for him to die.”
That was how the Su Family had been harmed in the first place.
“Do you think it’s feasible?” Yang Yu’s eyes lit up.
However, Su Liang shook her head, “Not very likely. If that happened, the emperor would definitely think I was behind it.”
Yang Yu rested her head on Su Liang’s back and sighed, “Then what should we do? I always feel like something will happen to him.”
Su Liang blurted out, ‘Your feeling is right.’
Yang Yu stood up abruptly, her eyes wide, “What did you say?”
Su Liang looked down and continued cutting the vegetables, “Don’t get excited. I mean, I have the same feeling. We’re all trying to find a way. Let Ning Jing check on him tonight. He should have some gains to tell us these two days.” “Or let Ning Jing take his place!” Yang Yu’s eyes shone brightly.
Su Liang stopped momentarily and looked at Yang Yu, “Yang Xiaoyu, are you serious?”
Yang Yu quickly explained, “I just think that Ning Jing is more capable than little Nian, so it’s safer for him to go.”
Su Liang nodded, “Indeed. But he can’t go either.”
“Why? Because he has tea at the Ministry of Revenue tomorrow?” Yang Yu was confused.
Su Liang shook her head, “No, it’s because he’s too thin, and his face is too small. He’s not suitable to impersonate Duanmu Ao.”
To disguise oneself as another person and achieve a level of indistinguishability, it is not as simple as just changing one’s facial features.
Height, weight, shoulder width, and arm length must be similar; otherwise, it’s easy for people to see through the disguise.
If someone is too short, height-increasing shoes won’t solve the problem. Being too thin is also hard to compensate for with clothing, as it won’t significantly change body shape.
The reason Su Liang had asked Nian Jincheng to impersonate Duanmu Ao in the first place was that their body shapes were very similar.
Compared to them, Ning Jing had a similar height but was skinnier, with a smaller head circumference.
Yang Yu sighed deeply, “That’s true. So what now?”
“Don’t worry. He will be fine.” Su Liang believed that Ning Jing wouldn’t let anything happen to Nian Jincheng.
Seeing Yang Yu still pondering, Su Liang left her to her thoughts.
When Su Liang mentioned having plans for Nian Jincheng earlier, she was thinking about his lifelong affairs.
Having separated so soon after they met, even if Yang Yu’s concern and care for Nian Jincheng were only due to friendship, when he returned, their relationship would surely progress further.
After their late lunch, Su Liang planned to head to Wangxiang Mountain outside the city to pay respects to the Su Family and check on Duanmu Ao’s life or death.
Before they even left the house, Chang’an arrived.
“Miss Su, the master asked you to go to him tonight for a chat. Be cautious,” Chang’an said.
Su Liang nodded, “Alright, I will be careful not to be noticed.”
Ning Jing secretly left and was not at the mansion.
Yang Yu suggested that she accompany Su Liang, and considering that leaving her alone at home was not safe, Su Liang agreed.
The two rode together to buy some incense and paper money, then headed to Wangxiang Mountain.
The cemetery was at the mid-hill. After a short while of walking, Yang Yu couldn’t keep up due to exhaustion.
Seeing Su Liang return, Yang Yu gasped and wiped the sweat from her forehead, “My body is too weak.”
Su Liang passed the basket to Yang Yu, ‘You hold it.”
Yang Yu subconsciously took it and saw Su Liang turn around, “Get on.”
Yang Yu froze.
“I’ll carry you. Get on,” Su Liang said again.
Yang Yu quickly refused, “The path is already difficult; if I had known, I wouldn’t have come. I’m just adding trouble for you.”
“Don’t waste time, hurry up!” Su Liang pulled Yang Yu.
Only then did Yang Yu climb onto Su Liang’s back, wrapping her arms around her neck, weakly saying, “If you can’t carry me, don’t force yourself. I can walk, just slowly.”
Su Liang strode forward steadily, “Do you think my title of Martial Arts
Champion was bought?”
After walking a distance, Yang Yu touched Su Liang’s forehead in surprise, finding her completely without sweat, and exclaimed, “You’re so amazing!”
“In terms of strength, I’m definitely not as good as Xiao Nian,” Su Liang said.
Yang Yu laughed, “Why compare yourself with him? What about Ning Jing?”
“I’ll just compare with him,” Su Liang said, lifting Yang Yu up a bit and quickening her pace.
Upon arriving at the cemetery, they burned paper money in front of Su Yuanzhou’s grave.
Yang Yu bowed three times, “Grandfather Su, rest assured, Su Liang is very capable and living well. We will soon avenge your grievances.”
After speaking, Yang Yu realized that Su Liang, who was standing beside her, had disappeared. After looking around, she walked to a corner.
“What are you doing here?” Yang Yu asked as she reached Su Liang, then remembered Duanmu Ao, and looked down following Su Liang’s line of sight.
Through the gap between the two clumps of grass, she saw a pair of eyes filled with resentment.
Su Liang didn’t say anything and pulled Yang Yu away. After paying respects at each of the Su family graves, they left the mountain.
When the two returned home, they found a carriage from Marquis Zhong Xin’s Mansion stopped at their gate.
Qi Yan called out to Xing Yusheng, ‘Master, Miss Su is back.”
Xing Yusheng lifted the curtain, saw Su Liang unscathed, and let out a sigh of relief. He followed them inside.
“Did the Empress Dowager make things difficult for you?” Xing Yusheng asked. Su Liang nodded, ‘Yes, but it’s nothing serious.”
Xing Yusheng sighed, “My grandfather is very worried about you. My dad said if there’s really trouble, he will come forward to protect you.”
Su Liang smiled, “Thank you, Old Master Qin, and your father. By the way, I wanted to ask if they have mentioned anything about the new crown prince?”
Xing Yusheng hesitated for a moment, ‘My dad said it should be the Fourth Prince, but the Empress Dowager and the Empress’s side will not accept it easily.”
Empress Dowager Wan and Empress Xiao Wan were aunt and niece.
Uncle Wan Shan was the first-rank general of Qian Country, now stationed at the northern border.
Because of this, even though Duanmu Cheng had mediocre qualifications, until today, everyone in the court believed that his position as crown prince could not be shaken.
Even as excellent as Duanmu Chen was, in terms of having someone to rely on, he was far inferior to Duanmu Cheng.
Although Duanmu Chen’s mother had been favored in the past two years, Prime Minister Xiao was not well received by Duanmu Yi, even though Xiao had once been Duanmu Yi’s teacher.
It could be said that the sudden removal of the crown prince today was both shocking and puzzling.
The fact that a new crown prince was not immediately appointed made it even more difficult to discern Duanmu Yi’s intentions.
After Xing Yusheng finished speaking, Su Liang thought for a moment, “I see. You go back.”
Xing Yusheng hesitated for a moment, “I’ve waited for you half a day, and you won’t even offer me some tea?”
“I’m busy. Goodbye.” Su Liang waved his hand.
Xing Yusheng: ..
Yang Yu asked as Xing Yusheng left, “Will he mind?”
Su Liang shook his head, “He likes it this way.”
Not long after, Xing Yusheng went out, got on the carriage, ordered Qi Yan to set off, and went to the Lin Family first.
“Su Liang really doesn’t treat me like an outsider. That’s good. If we can get married tomorrow, the day after tomorrow Qingqing and I can move in next door and be neighbors with Su Liang.” Xing Yusheng sighed in the carriage.
Qi Yan laughed and said, “Soon!”
Ning Jing was not at home.
Seeing that Su Liang was deep in thought, Yang Yu went back to her room. As the sun set, Yang Yu was preparing dinner, and Ning Jing returned.
“Come in.” Su Liang opened the door and called Ning Jing.
Wearing an apron and hastily leaving the kitchen, Yang Yu, who wanted to ask
Ning Jing if he had seen Nian Jincheng, heard Su Liang’s voice and saw Ning Jing going straight into Su Liang’s room. She couldn’t help but complain, “You two might as well live in the same room. You go in, he goes in…”
As Ning Jing closed the door, he heard Su Liang say, “I was thinking, the
Emperor’s removal of the crown prince might not just be because Duanmu
Cheng was a useless person who committed an act against moral norms. Is the Emperor wary of the Wan family’s growing power and has been wanting to make a move against them, but only now found the opportunity?”
Ning Jing nodded, “Wan Shan is a great general, but he is too far from the capital city to receive the news in time.”
“But what if he receives the news and returns to the capital with his troops?” Su Liang asked.
“No.” Ning Jing shook his head, “The new crown prince is Duanmu Ao.” Su Liang looked at Ning Jing in disbelief, “When did this happen?”
“The Imperial Decree was issued half an hour ago.” Ning Jing said.
Su Liang was very surprised, “The Emperor had sufficient reason to remove Duanmu Cheng, as giving one’s own brother a green hat is indeed unacceptable. I did not expect the Emperor would actually let Duanmu Ao become the crown prince. Is it just for temporary stability during the transition? But in this case, wouldn’t Duanmu Cheng and Duanmu Ao fight each other? Perhaps this is the Emperor’s intention.”
The real Duanmu Ao was at the Su Family cemetery.
Nian Jincheng, disguised as Duanmu Ao, would certainly not be content even if he did nothing while his position as the crown prince was snatched away by Duanmu Cheng.
Su Liang had a thought, “Could it be that the danger you foresaw for Nian Jincheng is that Duanmu Cheng wants to kill Duanmu Ao?”
“It should be.” Ning Jing said.
If the new crown prince were Duanmu Chen, Duanmu Cheng could rely on his uncle Wan Shan to support him in regaining the position of crown prince, or even seizing the throne.
But with Duanmu Ao as the crown prince, the Wan family would naturally give up on Duanmu Cheng and switch their support to Duanmu Ao. Duanmu Cheng would only have the full support of the Wan family if he eliminated Duanmu Ao.
“It’s a good time for him to kill Duanmu Ao and blame me for it, killing two birds with one stone.” Su Liang snorted, “What kind of brothers are they? Back then, he dared to steal his sister-in -law, so when it comes to killing Duanmu Ao, he probably won’t even blink.”
Duanmu Cheng had little ability, but his identity gave him absolute confidence and he could never tolerate anyone challenging his authority as the crown prince. Back then, because of Nian Ruxue’s affair, he couldn’t hide his dissatisfaction with Duanmu Ao even in front of outsiders.
In Duanmu Cheng’s eyes, Duanmu Ao was just his shadow, his stepping stone, existing only to highlight him, so how could he tolerate Duanmu Ao taking everything from him?
“The Emperor is ruthless enough to pit his own two sons against each other.”
Su Liang’s eyes narrowed slightly, “But it was bound to happen sooner or later. With their personalities, they either fight or die. Since Duanmu Cheng wants to kill Duanmu Ao, let’s help him. Tonight, let Xiao Nian withdraw and send the real Duanmu Ao home, hanged..”