Chapter 296: 296. Handsome men and talented women

Translator: 549690339

After seeing off Old Bai, Su Liang went to the Lin Mansion to visit Lin Minshi, who had just given birth, and the little Lin Jingyun. After sitting for a short while, she returned home.

When she saw Old Bai again, he was still sitting by the lakeside pavilion, staring intently at the calm lake, as if he were a sculpture.

Su Liang walked over, sat down across from him, and Old Bai came back to his senses. His gaze fell on her face, shimmered slightly, and he asked her a question, “Who did you learn your medical skills from?

Su Liang had intended to say, “My grandfather was a famous doctor,” but that would be a lie. The real source of her medical skills couldn’t be revealed, so she shook her head and said, “My master, he is a secret.”

Old Bai frowned slightly, and when Su Liang thought he was displeased, she heard him say, “Good, secrets that have been promised to others should be kept. ”

Su Liang couldn’t help but feel that Old Bai’s words were more like a reminder to himself, because she hadn’t said, “I promised my master to keep it a secret.”

Then, Old Bai orally listed the ingredients needed for the poison techniques he would teach Su Liang, and she recorded them diligently.

Just as she had filled a page, Ren Dong appeared nearby, “Master, Old Master

Qin from Duke Qin’s Mansion is here.”

“Let’s stop here for now.” As his words fell, Old Bai returned to his previous demeanor, gazing at the lake.

Su Liang used a paperweight to hold down the list of ingredients and leaped across the lake. Qi Jun had already brought Old Master Qin over.

“This place is not bad, very quiet.” Old Master Qin said cheerfully, looking in Old Bai’s direction, “That person is…”

“An old senior.” Su Liang smiled.

Old Master Qin did not inquire further, withdrew his gaze, and followed Su Liang into Yuanming Pavilion.

Ren Dong served tea, and Su Liang laughed, “I was planning to visit Grandfather Qin at Duke’s Mansion in a few days, but Grandfather Qin came to see me first.”

“You have many things to do, don’t worry about this old man, my body is in good shape.” Old Master Qin laughed, “In the blink of an eye, Bo Yan has become a father, time really flies. I still remember when you first came to the capital city, you were just a skinny little girl, and today, you’ve grown taller.”

Su Liang nodded, “Compared to last year, Grandfather Qin looks much younger.”

Old Master Qin laughed heartily, “It’s all thanks to you. Last time I was playing chess with Xueqing’s father, I said that with you, a divine doctor, around, we are at ease and enjoying our blessings.”

Just when Su Liang thought that Old Master Qin was simply visiting out of boredom, he took a sip of tea and asked with a smile, “How did you and Gu Family’s youngster get along when you went to Liang Country?”

Even at this point, Su Liang still hadn’t realized that it was Gu Ling who had asked Old Master Qin to come. She simply thought it was an elders’ concern and laughed, “I think we got along well. That time we got married in Liang Country was just a tactic to deal with Emperor Liang. We conspired and there was no deceit.”

Old Master Qin nodded knowingly, “Old man had already known about this.” Su Liang thought it was Xing Yusheng who had told him.

“Since you two get along well and have mutual intentions, it’s better to get married sooner!” Old Master Qin said with a smile.

Su Liang was stunned, and then heard Old Master Qin continued, “Is it because that boy hasn’t been enthusiastic about you? He’s pretending. He came to visit me and asked me to propose marriage on his behalf, insisting that it has to be done today, not even tomorrow would work! Haha! I told him long ago, how could he not like you?”

Su Liang: …Is this what the Great God meant when he said that she shouldn’t do anything, and he would arrange everything?

Instead of chasing her, Gu Ling went straight to the proposal, beginning the necessary procedures before getting married.

Simple, straightforward, and very good.

“Why aren’t you saying anything, Liang girl? Don’t tell me you don’t want to marry him again?” Old Master Qin frowned slightly.

It was as if Su Liang had just come back to her senses, and she showed a bright smile, “I’m so happy! Really? Really? Grandfather Qin, you must not deceive me!”

Old Master Qin glared at Su Liang, “Be reserved! Or Gu Ling might get too cocky. I’ve long seen that he liked you but pretended not to, and he’s been holding you back!”

“No, Gu Ling is a gentleman.” Su Liang said seriously.

Old Master Qin looked at Su Liang, who seemed to be completely smitten with Gu Ling, and advised her earnestly, ‘Even after you two are married, don’t let yourself be wronged for his sake. If there are any conflicts, work it out together. You can’t always give in to him just because you like him. If he dares to bully you, come to me for support!”

Su Liang’s heart warmed. These were words that Old Master Qin would say to his own daughter, even though he was here, in name, to propose marriage on Gu Ling’s behalf.

“Don’t worry, Grandpa Qin, I won’t let anyone bully me.” Su Liang said with a smile.

“Gu Ling doesn’t like to talk, and vou shouldn’t imitate him. No matter what the problem is, you have to be open and honest about it. It’s exhausting for a couple to live together if they keep guessing!” Old Master Qin had already begun to pass on the lessons of married life to Su Liang.

Su Liang nodded, “I understand.”

“You’re such a good-natured person, if there’s any problem, it must be because of Gu Ling. I need to have another good talk with him.” Old Master Qin said.

Upon hearing Su Liang asking if the wedding date had been set, Old Master Qin held his forehead, ‘You two are really… That boy invited me to propose the marriage and set the date for the fifteenth of next month. I said it was too hasty and you haven’t even agreed yet, but you seem impatient too.”

Today was the last day of the first month, and the fifteenth of the next month would be in half a month. It was rare even for commoners to get married only half a month after the engagement had been set, let alone among noble families.

“Then let it be on the fifteenth of the second month.” Su Liang said. Since the decision had been made, the sooner the better, so as to avoid any complications.

Old Master Qin looked helpless, “If you say so, then let’s settle it. Neither of you have elders to take charge, and since I am here to propose the marriage on his behalf, why not let Granny Xing Ji, who now is your godfather, handle the arrangements for you?”

Su Liang shook her head, “The Marquis Zhong Xin’s daughter is getting engaged, and the Old Dowager has to worry about her granddaughter so let’s not bother her.”

“Then I’ll talk to Qingqing’s father!” Old Master Qin thought Lin Shuzhi should represent Su Liang’s side of the family.

Su Liang didn’t really mind, but since Old Master Qin insisted, she let him do as he pleased.

“Oh dear! Time is too short, and there are so many things to do. I’ll go to Lin’s house and check on Bo Yan’s son while I’m at it.” Old Master Qin hurriedly left after drinking a cup of tea, heading to discuss Su Liang’s marriage with Lin Shuzhi on Gu Ling’s behalf. At this point, Lin Shuzhi wasn’t even aware of their impending nuptials.

Old Master Qin didn’t ask Su Liang what they would do if the emperor objected because he had already asked Gu Ling about it. If there were any obstacles, it would be up to Gu Ling to resolve them.

After bidding farewell to Old Master Qin, Su Liang turned around to see Ren Dong and Qi Jun both looking at her in astonishment.

“What’s wrong?” Su Liang asked.

“You’re getting married to Marquis Chang Xin?” Qi Jun asked, wide-eyed.

Su Liang smiled and nodded, “Yes.”

Ren Dong frowned, “Is it for real this time?”

“Of course it is. Grandpa Qin came at Gu Ling’s invitation to propose.” Su Liang smiled.

“But didn’t Marquis Gu not like you?” Qi Jun scratched his head. On the way back, he didn’t see any hints of a close relationship between Gu Ling and Su Liang.

With a faint voice, Ren Dong said, “Just because we didn’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.”

“That’s right.” Su Liang walked between Ren Dong and Qi Jun, patting their shoulders, “You have work to do. I’m getting married on the fifteenth of next month, so start preparing.”

Qi Jun looked confused, ‘What should we… prepare?”

Ren Dong, who also lacked experience in this area, asked, “Prepare dowry for our lady?”

Looking at Su Liang’s retreating figure, Qi Jun asked, “Will our lady marry into his family, or will Marquis Chang Xin join ours?” “Either way works for me.” Su Liang replied.

“Either way works for me.” Su Liang replied.

Ren Dong frowned, “But Marquis Chang Xin’s mansion only has one dilapidated courtyard.”

“Oh, I’ll ask him about it next time.” Su Liang said casually, already stepping away.

Then, Qi Jun and Ren Dong began to discuss how to prepare for Su Liang’s marriage.

When Su Liang met Old White again, she mentioned their wedding happening in half a month.

Old White snorted, “Did that boy get his eyes treated? Are you sure you want to be with him?”

Su Liang nodded, “Sure.”

“What if he changes his heart?” Old Bai asked.

Su Liang thought for a while and said, “Close the door, let the Master go?” Old Bai:…

The list of medicinal materials hadn’t been completed when Xing Yusheng and Lin Xueqing came over in response to the news.

“Sister Su, you’re getting married?!” Lin Xueqing held Su Liang’s arm and twirled her around excitedly, “I knew it! You’re definitely able to conquer Gu Ling!”

Xing Yusheng calmly summarized, “I’m not surprised at all that Gu Ling would fall in love with you.”

“Sister Su, when you and Sister-in-law Gu have children, let’s arrange a marriage between our families!” Lin Xueqing said earnestly.

Xing Yusheng immediately agreed, “That would be great.”

But Su Liang refused, “It’s better not to. It’s better to let things happen naturally.”

Lin Xueqing didn’t expect Su Liang to be unwilling, “Sister Su, are you afraid that our baby will not grow up beautiful?”

Su Liang hurriedly swore that it was absolutely not the case.

“Let’s wait until we all have children.” Xing Yusheng thought it was a bit premature. He and Lin Xueqing hadn’t had children yet, and Su Liang had just gotten engaged today.

By evening, news of Gu Ling asking Old Master Qin to propose for Su Liang at Su Mansion quickly spread throughout the capital city, and everyone was surprised.

They had just been married in Liang Country on the sixth day of the first month, but the marriage was annulled that day because Gu Ling deceived Su Liang.

Not even a month had passed, and now Gu Ling was willingly proposing to marry Su Liang again. It left people puzzled.

The most widely spread version of the story was: On their way back from Liang Country, Gu Ling had fallen in love with Su Liang after spending days and nights together. So, just a few days after returning to the country, he proposed marriage on his own initiative.

Some people thought that Gu Ling was too fickle and had a problem with his character.

But many more people felt that the match was perfect, with both the man and the woman being attractive and talented.

When the news reached the palace, Duanmu Yi was having dinner with Imperial Concubine Xiao, and Duanmu Chen was also present. They were getting along well and looked like a normal family of three.

Upon hearing the eunuch’s report that Gu Ling had proposed to Su Liang, and that they were engaged today with a wedding scheduled for the fifteenth of the second month, Duanmu Chen watched Duanmu Yi’s face instantly darken. He slammed down his chopsticks and got up to leave.

Imperial Concubine Xiao was somewhat baffled, and Duanmu Chen reassured her, “It’s fine. Father must be unhappy because Gu Ling said before that he didn’t like Su Liang, and now he’s proposing to her today.” He then followed

Duanmu Yi out.

In the Imperial Study, Duanmu Chen cautiously spoke, “Father, I’m not really surprised that Gu Ling has changed his attitude towards Su Liang and grown to like her. After all, they spent some time together in Liang Country. The fake marriage was for official business and shouldn’t count.”

When Su Liang and Gu Ling returned to the capital and had an audience with the Emperor, Su Liang had made it clear that she hadn’t given up on Gu Ling. Gu Ling hadn’t said anything because Duanmu Yi didn’t ask him about his relationship with Su Liang.

As for today’s events, Duanmu Chen could understand why Duanmu Yi was angry. It wasn’t for the reason that he had told Imperial Concubine Xiao, but because Duanmu Yi didn’t want Su Liang to marry Gu Ling at all.

Duanmu Chen himself was also surprised. But looking at the development of their relationship from the beginning to the present, including today’s sudden engagement, there was nothing wrong with it. Su Liang had never hidden her admiration for Gu Ling, and Gu Ling had said that he didn’t like Su Liang months ago when they “first met”. Naturally, this could change. So, there was no deception of the emperor.

Nor could it be said that they had acted arbitrarily. Marriage has always been arranged according to the will of parents and matchmakers. Su Liang and Gu Ling didn’t have any parents or elders, and they weren’t princes or princesses, so they didn’t need to ask for Duanmu Yi’s permission to get married.

“If We don’t want them to get married, do you have any good ideas?” Duanmu Yi asked coldly.

Duanmu Chen sighed, “I’m not speaking for Su Liang, but I’ve been thinking, what if that falling giant rock was meant to mislead us? Some people in Liang or Yin Country may have meticulously planned it to deceive us without error.” “Mislead what?” Duanmu Yi frowned.

This was something that Duanmu Chen had thought about long ago, and now he finally had the chance to say it, “People from both Liang and Yin countries know that Father appreciates Su Liang, who is an exceptional and rare talent. If someone thought that Father would forcibly marry Su Liang into the palace after seeing that rock, but Su Liang would never agree to it, thus causing irreconcilable conflicts, wouldn’t that be an excellent scheme to sow discord?”

“What if it was not man-made, but truly the will of heaven?” Duanmu Yi asked coldly, “If Su Liang is really the Phoenix Maiden reincarnated, and she marries

Gu Ling, does it signify that Gu Ling will overthrow Qian Country?”

Duanmu Chen thought it was normal for Duanmu Yi to have such thoughts. After all, Gu Ling ended up as a lone wolf because his father rebelled, a “dark history” for his family.

As for this, Duanmu Chen was well-prepared and chose his words carefully, “Father, Su Liang will marry someone sooner or later. With her character, she would never be willing to enter the Imperial Harem and become a mere concubine. Her skills lie on the battlefield, in her strategizing, and medical skills. If we clip her wings and trap her, are we gaining her or losing her? If she is truly the Heavenly Phoenix Maiden, the ‘gain’ in the Heavenly Edict might not necessarily mean possession between men and women. Now, Qian Country has already gained Su Liang, hasn’t it?”

This is Duanmu Chen’s true thought as the Crown Prince of Qian Country and not merely to protect Su Liang. If the stone was man-made and they had a conflict with Su Liang because of it, they’d be falling right into the trap. If the stone was truly the will of heaven, Duanmu Chen would never believe Qian Country’s fate depended on whoever could possess Su Liang. This would be too ridiculous, completely negating everything he had worked for since childhood.

His experience of becoming the Crown Prince made Duanmu Chen already believe that “whoever gains Su Liang gains the world,” but it had nothing to do with the stone. The “gain” he considered should not be the physical aspect between men and women; that would be too shallow.

Duanmu Yi fell silent, and after a long while, he finally asked, “If you were in my position, would you still think the same way?”

Duanmu Chen replied respectfully, “This humble son does not know whether I would change my mind in the future, but at present, I can’t find a reason to prevent Su Liang from marrying Gu Ling. Even without Gu Ling, Su Liang would eventually find another man. If Father wishes to have Su Liang enter the Imperial Harem, this humble son will definitely discourage it, as there are no benefits to it.”

Duanmu Yi rubbed his forehead, “My son, you have become more and more prudent. Comparatively, my thoughts on this matter are indeed narrow-minded.”

Duanmu Chen heaved a sigh of relief.

“In that case, let her go this time.” Duanmu Yi sighed, “I hope my leniency and generosity towards Su Liang will not be in vain.”

Duanmu Chen knew this was only temporary, and no one could predict what would happen in the future. Including himself, he and Su Liang weren’t true friends in the real sense, as their relationship was defined by their status. Both parties were well aware of this unspoken understanding. No matter how well they got along now, conflicts of interest might arise in the future. He was simply doing what he believed was right at this moment.

By the time Duanmu Chen left the palace, it was already late.

Chang’an was still driving, and halfway through, he couldn’t help but bring up the topic of Su Liang and Gu Ling’s marriage, “Does Master approve of their marriage?”

Duanmu Chen snorted lightly, “They are a match made in heaven, a perfect pair. It doesn’t matter whether I object or not.”

His master had started using odd sarcasm again… Chang’an weakly said, “They have already set the marriage today; there shouldn’t be any more changes, right?”

Only after a moment did Duanmu Chen reply, “Unless Gu Ling does something unforgivable to Su Liang, no one can stop her once she sets her mind to it.”

Su Mansion, Yuanming Pavilion.

When Gu Ling arrived, Su Liang was sorting out the list of medicinal materials dictated to her by Old Bai during the day. “The emperor didn’t summon me,” Su Liang said.

Gu Ling nodded, “Same here.”

“It’s a good opportunity to see if the emperor is rational enough. If he interferes, we’ll disappear and find a place to hide,” Su Liang said calmly.

This coincided with Gu Ling’s thoughts.

“However, I don’t want to hide for now. It’s not free, and people will try to kill us. It’s good as it is now,” Su Liang said, “Because of that broken stone, my marriage will sooner or later become a conflict between me and the emperor. It’s better to resolve it as soon as possible. After tomorrow, we’ll know the emperor’s attitude.”

Gu Ling saw that Su Liang was checking off names of medicinal materials not found at home. He took an unsorted list, found a pen, and started working with Su Liang.

With Gu Ling’s help, the list was quickly sorted, and she planned to arrange for someone to find the medicinal materials the next day.

“If the emperor doesn’t interfere, then there’s only one issue left,” Su Liang looked at Gu Ling seriously and asked.

“What?” As Gu Ling spoke, he arranged two randomly placed books neatly on the table. Seeing that one of them had a folded corner, he picked it up and pressed it flat with his thumb.

Su Liang chuckled, “You have no place to live. If you come to live with me after the marriage, people will say you’ve married into my family. I, of course, don’t mind. Having the beautiful Gu Ling marrying into my family would be such an honor!”

Gu Ling looked at the laughter in Su Liang’s eyes, and the waves in his heart surged again. He lowered his eyes, continuing to press the corner with his finger, and spoke calmly, “I will give you this honor..”