Chapter 160 - 160: One move, two gains (One more)
Translator: 549690339
Daybreak arrived, and Yan Shiba did not come again.
People from the palace came and informed Ning Jing and Su Liang that the court would host the Enrong Banquet to entertain the new scholars the next day, and each of them received an invitation.
In the past, the banquets held after the civil and military exams were always separate, but according to the time and location on the invitation, this time they would be held together.
“Will they ask you civil scholars to recite poetry on the spot?” Su Liang asked.
Ning Jing nodded, “Yes. And you military scholars will have to demonstrate your martial skills for fun.”
Su Liang was very calm, “Let’s do it, I like it.”
After the finals of the military exam and the imperial civil examination, Ning Jing did not go to give Duanmu Che acupuncture again for two days, and Su Liang even less so.
At noon that day, Huang Bo, the housekeeper of the Fifth Prince’s Mansion, came to visit.
“My master would like to invite Miss Su to our mansion for a talk.” Seeing Su Liang, Huang Bo was very polite.
It was fine weather, and Su Liang was sitting in the courtyard playing with the medicinal materials, then she turned her head and asked Ning Jing’s room,
“Jing Gege, can I go?”
Upon hearing the words “Jing Gege”, Huang Bo’s mouth twitched.
The next moment, Ning Jing came out of his room, “If the Fifth Prince has anything to say, he can talk to me. Let’s go.”
Huang Bo looked a little embarrassed, “Miss Su, this…”
“No matter what it is, it’s the same whether he talks to me or her.” Su Liang lowered her head to pound the medicine.
Huang Bo nodded, “Alright, then please follow me, Young Master Ning.”
As Ning Jing walked to the entrance of the courtyard, Su Liang suddenly said, “Please help me buy a new mortar when you come back, this one is not good.” “Mm.” Ning Jing didn’t look back, and he stepped out of the door.
When they arrived at the Fifth Prince’s Mansion and saw Duanmu Che, they were by the Garden Lake in the backyard.
Willow trees had sprouted buds, and the lake was also covered with a light green hue. Duanmu Che sat in a wheelchair, facing the lake, with a falcon on his shoulder.
“Master, I brought …”
Huang Bols words were interrupted by Duanmu Che, “Su Liang, I thought you would never come again.”
Huang Bols face was verv awkward, “Master, Miss Su was busy and didn’t come, but Young Master Ning is here.”
Duanmu Che’s face suddenly turned cold, and he still didn’t look back; he waved away the person behind him.
Huang Bo then retreated.
Then, Duanmu Che turned his wheelchair around, his face had returned to calm, and his eyes fell on Ning Jing, snorting coldly, “What, don’t dare to let her come, afraid I’ll do something to her?”
Ning Jing’s gaze shifted down, landed on Duanmu Che’s legs, and asked indifferently, “What can you do?” Duanmu Che’s face stiffened, “Are you mocking me?”
“Yes.” Ning Jing nodded slightly.
Duanmu Che sneered, “How bold! Just because you got the title of Top Scholar, you think you’re so capable?”
“You try it if you’re so capable.” Ning Jing’s face was calm.
The relationship between the two of them had been bad from the beginning, and there was a time when Lian Shun was mediating in the middle, so they ignored each other and had no trouble.
Now, Duanmu Che’s proposal to marry Su Liang was rejected, while Ning Jing and Su Liang became engaged, so this meeting, Duanmu Che was not polite, and neither did Ning Jing give him any face; they directly tore each other’s faces.
“With just one word, I can make everything you’ve worked for vanish, do you believe it?” Duanmu Che said coldly.
Ning Jing shook his head slightly, “I don’t believe it. The emperor is wise, and no matter how much he favors you, he will not confuse right and wrong.”
Duanmu Che scoffed, “You’re too naive!”
“Do you really like Su Liang?” Ning Jing suddenly asked. Duanmu Che nodded, “So what if I do?”
“Tell her what she wants to know.” Ning Jing said.
Duanmu Che sneered, “Fine, as long as she marries me, we can discuss anything she wants.”
“Is this your love?” Ning Jing looked at Duanmu Che, his eyes devoid of any warmth, “You don’t care what she needs or consider her feelings at all, you just want to satisfy your own desires.”
“Don’t pretend to be so noble, is it wrong to want to get what you love?” Duanmu Che asked coldly.
“Yes. So she doesn’t like you, and if you harass her again, as her fiance, I think you’re shameless, is that okay?” Ning Jing retorted.
“Ning, Jing!” Duanmu Che gritted his teeth, “You’re courting death!”
“Fifth Prince, respect is mutual. In light of the fact that you saved her before, I could let go of the past, but please stay away from her in the future.” Ning Jing finished speaking and turned to leave.
Duanmu Che’s face darkened, “Huang Bo, stop him!”
Huang Bo appeared and blocked Ning Jing’s way, “Young Master Ning, my master still has something to say.”
“Fine.” Ning Jing turned around and walked towards Duanmu Che again.
The falcon flapped its wings and flew away; Ning Jing walked up to Duanmu Che, raised his foot, and kicked one of the wheelchair wheels…
The wheelchair slid backwards, Duanmu Che’s face changed, he tried to get up, but was pushed by Ning Jing.
Huang Bo rushed over in shock and panic!
By the time Huang Bo had rescued Duanmu Che from the water, there was no trace of Ning Jing to be found.
Duanmu Che coughed violently, his face pale, “I want to see Father in the palace!”
Not long after Ning Jing returned home, Duanmu Chen arrived, bringing an old eunuch and several guards from the palace, questioning him by imperial order.
“Fifth Prince said that you treated him with disrespect, deliberately pushing him into the water and almost causing him to drown. What do you have to say about this?” Duanmu Chen asked coldly.
Ning Jing frowned slightly, “The Fifth Prince fell into the water? I didn’t know about it. Today, the Fifth Prince sent his housekeeper to invite me to his mansion for a talk, but when I arrived, the Fifth Prince demanded that I break off my engagement with Su Liang, otherwise he would make all my efforts disappear. I did not agree and took my leave, not knowing what happened afterwards.”
A glint flashed in Duanmu Chen’s eyes, and he frowned, “Young Master Ning, as the Top Scholar of this year’s exam, you should be very clear about the consequences of hurting a prince and deceiving the emperor, right?”
Ning Jing nodded, “Yes, every word of mine is true, with no falsehood.”
Duanmu Chen looked at the old eunuch, “Eunuch Min, should we inform Father
Emperor first about this?”
The old eunuch nodded, “Fourth Prince can make the decision.”
Duanmu Chen left with his men.
Seeing Ning Jing heading back to his room, Su Liang stopped him, “Did you push Duanmu Che into the water?”
Ning Jing turned back, “Why couldn’t it be him deliberately falling into the water to frame me?”
Su Liang’s lips curled, “Because when you were explaining to Duanmu Chen just now, I saw your little finger move.”
Ning Jing was slightly taken aback and looked at his pinkies on both hands.
He then heard Su Liang continue, “After a long time of observation, I can confirm that when you lie, your right little finger will move.”
Ning Jing pinched his right pinky, “Thanks for the reminder, it won’t happen again.”
Su Liang: …Why did I reveal the secret I just discovered?
“It was me who pushed him.” Ning Jing admitted.
Su Liang gave a snicker, gave a thumbs up, and said, “Great God, you’re so brave to plot against a prince in broad daylight!”
Ning Jing’s expression was indifferent, “The Emperor knows he’s coveting you, and it was him who invited me over. Whatever happens to him could be an intentional trap for me.”
“Amazing, really amazing!” Su Liang expressed that he didn’t expect the Great God Ning to have this side of him. He didn’t like playing dirty, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t. To deal with someone shady like Duanmu Che, this was the way to go.
After the incident, Su Liang realized that Duanmu Che only helped Su Yuanzhou’s family and spared Su Liang’s life because he thought he was bestowing grace upon ants. He was a conceited person who couldn’t be judged simply by good or bad, but his mentality was somewhat flawed.
Su Liang was not worried that Duanmu Yi would do anything to Ning Jing because of Duanmu Che’s accusations.
Duanmu Yi loved Duanmu Che the most, but held Duanmu Chen in the highest esteem. This was inseparable from Duanmu Chen’s outstanding performance over the past year.
Last time when Duanmu Ao was beaten by Su Liang, Duanmu Chen was in charge of the investigation.
This time Duanmu Che fell into the water, Duanmu Yi asked Duanmu Chen to inquire about the matter, or perhaps, Duanmu Chen took the initiative to take on the task.
No matter the case, Duanmu Chen would not really side with Duanmu Che, and would only use this opportunity to smear Duanmu Che’s name in front of Duanmu Yi without leaving a trace.
The outcome of the matter was just as Su Liang had expected.
In the end, Duanmu Yi believed Ning Jing’s words, thinking that Duanmu Che
couldn’t let go of Su Liang and wanted to get rid of Ning Jing using this method.
No matter how Duanmu Che defended himself, the only witness was his closest confidant, Huang Bo, who held no credibility.
“Father Emperor, Fifth Brother took quite a liking to a girl and was momentarily unwilling to accept her marriage to someone else, it’s just human nature.” Duanmu Chen “kindly” helped Duanmu Che explain.
Although Duanmu Yi was somewhat dissatisfied with Duanmu Che, he didn’t blame him. He spoke to Duanmu Chen and Duanmu Che, “Chen’er, Che’er, both of you should get married. If you have any preferences among the young ladies, just tell me.”
Duanmu Chen was dumbfounded for a moment before respectfully replying,
“Your son obeys Father Emperor.”
Duanmu Yi was very satisfied, and turned towards Duanmu Che, “Forget about Su Liang. Nian Jincheng is not clean and cannot be used. There are not many useful young generals these days. I want to see Su Liang’s abilities and consider whether to use her heavily. If she really fights for Qian Country, how can she bear children for you? It’s inappropriate.”
Truthfully, Duanmu Chen was a little bitter inside. It was only in front of Duanmu Che that Duanmu Yi slightly resembled a father.
“I don’t care about all those things, I just want her!” Duanmu Che said with a gloomy face.
Duanmu Chen never dared to speak to Duanmu Yi like this.
Duanmu Yi frowned, “Don’t be stubborn! As a dignified prince, do you want to snatch someone else’s wife?”
“Their engagement is fake! They put on an act to deceive us!” Duanmu Che said.
Duanmu Chen’s eyes flickered. Although he had doubts about this too, it didn’t really matter. He believed that even if Su Liang and Ning Jing didn’t intend to get married now, when the time came for them to want to marry, they would be the first and best choice for each other.
Duanmu Chen had had feelings for Su Liang before, but he never considered matters of love, so he could always remain rational.
Comparatively, Duanmu Che seemed a bit spoiled.
Duanmu Yi’s face darkened, “Che’er, if you can’t provide evidence, don’t make baseless judgments. Since both of you have no preferences, I will arrange for you to select brides! Go back!”
“Choosing brides? What if the emperor’s choice turns out to be someone the master doesn’t like?” Chang’an worried.
Duanmu Chen’s expression was relaxed, “As long as she has a high enough background, her family can support me, she’s good-looking, and well-behaved, I won’t have any dislikes.”
Chang’an thought hard for a long time, “It doesn’t sound like much to ask for, but when I think about it, I can’t recall a young lady who fits the bill.”
“Actually, I quite like the young lady from Duke Qin’s mansion.” Duanmu Chen said.
Chang’an’s eyes lit up, “That’s right, Miss Qin is very suitable! She’s good friends with Miss Su, too! She must have a good personality!”
Duanmu Chen scoffed, “Go tell Su Liang that Father Emperor is arranging brides for me and Duanmu Che.”
Chang’an nodded, “Should I ask Miss Su to pass on the message to Miss Qin that the master fancies her?”
Duanmu Chen shook his head, “No, tell her to pass it on to the Lin Family. If they want to marry into the Qin Family, they should hurry. I don’t want another incident like Lin Xueqing and Xing Yusheng, it makes me lose face.” Chang’an was dumbfounded, “I don’t understand, Master means…?
“You tell Su Liang, she’ll understand.” Duanmu Chen said, “Father Emperor wants to use her heavily, so she should try harder. I sincerely want to befriend her, and she owes me a favor, which she must return!”
When Su Liang saw Chang’an and learned that Duanmu Chen and Duanmu Che were going to select brides, she specifically mentioned Qin Yujin, and she knew exactly what to do.
Ning Jing paid a visit to the Lin Family, and in the afternoon, Lin Shuzhi invited Xing’s old lady as a matchmaker to propose marriage to Qin Yujin on behalf of Lin Bojun. The Qin Family immediately agreed.
At night, someone came from the palace with Duanmu Yi’s verbal order for Su Liang, commanding her to take responsibility for treating Duanmu Che from tomorrow onwards and not to slack off.
Su Liang had no choice but to obey.
Seeing that she was unhappy, Ning Jing said, “I’ll go with you. If he speaks rudely once, I’ll hit him once, and tell the Emperor that he’s hurting himself to frame me.”
Su Liang coughed lightly, “If this kind of thing happens multiple times, no one will believe it. Are you sure you just want to hit him because your hands are itching?”
“Yes, is that not allowed?” Ning Jing countered.
Su Liang nodded, “It’s totally allowed. However, the problem with Duanmu Che isn’t that big. Your brother is still suffering, shouldn’t you think about how to save him first? You can’t completely rely on Yan Shiba, right? The procrastination might cost him a layer of skin.”
Ning Jing furrowed his brows, thought for a moment, and said, “Next time Yan
Shiba comes, you suggest her to capture Duanmu Che and exchange him for
Nian Jincheng. In this way, both goals can be achieved.”
Su Liang gave a thumbs up again, “Great God, you’re really clever..”
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