Chapter 162: 162. Here (Part 1)
Translator: 549690339
On this day of the Enrong Banquet, the Lin family, which had three top scholars, was also in the guest list.
But they arrived very late.
As soon as Qin Yujin learned that the fifth prince was kidnapped, she saw Lin Shuzhi bring Lin Boyan and Lin Xueqing. Lin Bojun was nowhere to be seen.
A sinking feeling crawled over Qin Yujin’s heart and her elder brother beside her commented, “Bo Jun must have been sent by His Majesty to rescue the fifth prince.”
With a calm expression on his face, Lin Shuzhi greeted Su Liang and Ning Jing with a nod, as well as his students from Qianshan Academy, before taking his seat.
However, Lin Xueqing’s expression was noticeably uneasy, and she almost spilled her tea cup when she sat down.
Su Liang speculated Lin Bojun’s whereabouts and she felt somewhat worried. Yan Shiba was a head assassin and his attacks were severe. She hoped he had not injured anyone.
Nian Jincheng had claimed he was wronged. Indeed, he was not being entirely wronged as he was still in contact with Gu Ling privately and knew clearly where Gu Ling was.
Though Gu Ling had not rebelled, the idea of rebellion had formed amongst his family, which was a fact undeniable.
According to the laws of Qian Country, treason could lead to the execution of nine generations of a person’s family.
Seeing Nian Jincheng’s predicament from the viewpoint of the royal family also seemed reasonable.
Everyone has their own standpoints.
Su Liang wanted to save people without harming the innocents, but she warned Yan Shiba only about not making things difficult for Nian Jincheng last night.
This thought made Su Liang feel uneasy.
Because of the kidnapping of Duanmu Che, the atmosphere of the today’s Enrong Banquet was far from cheerful and harmonious. No one dared to smile, especially the princes. Whether pretentious or genuine, they all looked worried.
The eunuch on Duanmu Yi’s side appeared and delivered the Emperor’s verbal message, “The Crown Prince will preside over the Enrong Banquet as usual.” This command was immediately accepted by Duanmu Cheng.
The next second, the eunuch continued, “The Emperor has summoned the
Fourth Prince and the Martial Arts Champion Su Liang.”
The expressions on everyone’s faces varied at these words.
They could all guess why Duanmu Yi summoned Su Liang at this time: he needed a master’s help to rescue the fifth prince.
But Duanmu Yi’s request for Duanmu Chen to come had clearly indicated his favour and desire to discuss the rescue mission of Duanmu Che with him.
Compared with leading the Enrong Banquet, rescuing the fifth prince was obviously more concerning to Duanmu Yi.
Hearing this made Duanmu Cheng’s face fall.
Su Liang and Duanmu Chen both stood up and followed the eunuch out of the room.
Lin Xueqing breathed a sigh of relief and said softly, “Now that Sister Su has gone, I feel better.” She frowned immediately, “No, I am more worried now.”
“Little sister, do not worry excessively. They want to exchange hostages. If our side remains cautious, there should be no issues,” Lin Boyan sighed softly.
This was bound to be a gloomy feast.
Without saying a word, Su Liang and Duanmu Chen exchanged a glance as the eunuch lead them.
The pair was in a partnership, and they had considerable tacit understanding. No matter what happened next, they needed to “take care” of each other.
The eunuch stopped outside the Imperial Study, reported, and a voice emerged from inside with Duanmu Yi’s command to let Duanmu Chen and Su Liang in.
Upon entering Su Liang spotted Lin Bojun, which was expected.
After paying respects, Su Liang was arranged to sit next to Lin Bojun.
“Father Emperor, what happened to the fifth royal brother?” Duanmu Chen asked with a grave expression.
Duanmu Yi, with a gloomy face, glanced at Lin Bojun.
Lin Bojun took the hint and explained, “The Fifth Prince was kidnapped while preparing to go to the palace.”
“Who dares to be so bold in daylight? Did the guards in the fifth prince’s mansion not notice anything?” Duanmu Chen frowned.
Lin Bojun sighed, “At the time, Huang, who served the fifth prince, was nearby but didn’t notice anyone moving about. He failed to see the fifth prince for roughly fifteen minutes and then he was gone. It must have been the work of an extraordinary master!”
“Did the people who kidnapped the fifth prince leave a letter?” Duanmu Chen asked. How else would they know the kidnapper wanted to exchange Nian Jincheng?
Lin Bojun nodded, “Blood-stained characters were left on the wall; we are not sure if the blood belongs to the fifth prince. The ransom note states that the fifth prince should be exchanged for Nian Jincheng on the top of Wangxiang Mountain at midnight.”
Duanmu Chen’s face hardened, “Could it be, Gu Ling?”
Lin Bojun did not respond to this remark.
Duanmu Yi said coldly, “I knew it: by not eradicating the sources of trouble thoroughly, it will cause disaster sooner or later!”
With this statement, it was clear that Duanmu Yi believed that Gu Ling was the one who seized Duanmu Che.
“Gu Ling was indeed living alone beforehand, which was quite mysterious. But what’s an odder fact is he did nothing when the Gu family was in trouble, he just disappeared.” Duanmu Chen said, his brows furrowed.
Before Gu family’s mishap, Gu Ling lived in Huguo Temple, estranging himself from the world, claiming that he had deep faith in Buddha and longed to be ordained as a monk.
However, since Gu family’s plot to rebel was confirmed, Gu Ling’s actions were given a different interpretation – he was conspiring in the dark.
Some even suspected that Gu Ling was the mastermind of the Gu family’s rebellion
This suspicion was something that could not be proven innocent.
And for this reason, the court would definitely not let him off.
Until midnight, there was still plenty of time. If they sent men to Wangxiang Mountain in advance, it would be hard to escape the kidnapper’s eyes. After all, the location of the exchange was chosen by the kidnapper, so he would surely have sent someone to monitor it.
The individuals in the Imperial Study, apart from Su Liang, all held this thought.
Though Su Liang, who knew all the information, didn’t believe Yan Shiba would be in Wangxiang Mountain at the moment, it was still easy for her to send assassins from Yanyun Building to trap the kidnapper.
“Share your thoughts.” Duanmu Yi demanded with a stern face.
Previously, during the civil examinations, Duanmu Chen’s paper was excellent among the grown-up princes, and coupled with his breaking of the Iron Mine smuggling case, he recently won the heart of the emperor. Duanmu Yi now greatly trusts his abilities.
Duanmu Chen sighed first and then spoke, “Father, it might be Gu Ling, but we have no clear knowledge of his current strength and how many allies he has. For the safety of the fifth prince, I think we should focus on rescuing him instead of creating any unnecessary troubles.”
Duanmu Yi’s expression eased slightly, “Hmm. Su Liang, what do you think?”
Su Liang solemnly replied, “From your humble servant’s point of view, I agree with the fourth prince. We should be prepared for the worst-case scenario. I offer to escort Nian Jincheng tonight. If anything happens to the fifth prince, I can provide immediate medical treatment.”
Duanmu Chen immediately nodded, “That’s even more secure.”
It seemed that Su Liang, a newcomer without any official position, was eager to make a show.
When it came to martial arts, Su Liang was not irreplaceable.
However, among the available martial artists, she had the best medical skills, and among the available doctors, she had the strongest martial arts.
The opponent didn’t say only one person was allowed to escort Nian Jincheng up the mountain, so masters could be arranged to hide in the dark.
The reason why Duanmu Yi called Su Liang was indeed because she knew medical skills. Duanmu Che’s health was already poor, and if the opponent inflicted further harm, the delay in treatment could lead to adverse consequences.
“Alright, I agree,” Duanmu Yi nodded, “If you can safely bring Che’er back this time, I will grant you a reward!”
“I will do my best,” Su Liang responded respectfully.
She wasn’t trying to win merit or save Duanmu Che, she was just worried that something might happen if Lin Bojun goes. Yan Shiba didn’t know about Su Liang’s relationship with the Lin family, and Su Liang didn’t have a chance to communicate with her today either.
In a strict sense, Duanmu Che’s predicament was indeed caused by Su Liang herself.
She personally wanted to negotiate the hostage exchange, hoping that there would be no surprises or unexpected troubles.
In the end, it was decided that Lin Bojun and Su Liang would be responsible for escorting Nian Jincheng.
In other words, they were in charge of the mission. If they rescued Duanmu Che, it would be a great feat, but if they failed, they would be in serious trouble.
As for how many masters Duanmu Yi would arrange in secret to keep an eye on them, it was not revealed.
And naturally, people from the royal family wouldn’t risk their lives blatantly. Duanmu Chen was just there to give some advice.
The voice of the eunuch, Min, came again from outside the Imperial Study, “Your Majesty, Nian Jincheng has been brought in.”
“Come in,” said Duanmu Yi with a cold face.
Su Liang thought to herself, it seems that Nian Jincheng has indeed been confined somewhere in the palace in recent days, but even Yan Shiba couldn’t find him, it must be a very secretive place.
The door opened, and two old men dragged in a person covered in blood.
As the wind blew in, a strong smell of blood hit them.
Duanmu Yi waved, and the two old men put Nian Jincheng on the ground, arranged him in a kneeling position, and then left.
Nian Jincheng was awake and kneeling there. From head to toe, there was no trace of the once privileged son of the Nian family.
Lin Bojun couldn’t bear to look at him, so he shifted his gaze after a slight glance.
Su Liang kept a calm face as she listened to Duanmu Yi say coldly, “Gu Ling is coming to save you.”
Nian Jincheng was hanging his head, his messy hair obscuring half of his face, and he muttered, “Really…”
“If you tell me where he is, I can give you another chance!” Duanmu Yi said coldly.
Nian Jincheng’s hand was on his chest as he said softly, “In here.”
Duanmu Chen shook his head and sighed deeply.
He had once sincerely tried to recruit Nian Jincheng but he didn’t expect Nian Jincheng would end up in this state because of Gu Ling.
Seeing him now, Duanmu Chen felt even more that Nian Jincheng might indeed know where Gu Ling was hiding. He wouldn’t confess, but that doesn’t mean he’s betraying them; it’s just his personality.
When Nian Jincheng once thought of Nian Ruxue, that b*tch, as a treasure, let alone his true brother Gu Ling? If he betrayed a friend for his benefit, it wouldn’t be him.
Seeing that Nian Jincheng was unmoved, Duanmu Yi said sharply, “Even if he escapes to the ends of the earth, I will not let him go! The same goes for you!
Guards, take him and clean him up! Return him to where he originally was! ” Nian Jincheng was dragged away again. He had already noticed Su Liang when he came in, and as he left the room, he suddenly chuckled softly.
Su Liang sighed slightly in her heart, hoping that Nian Jincheng would live a peaceful life after this calamity.
After the matter was settled, Su Liang and Lin Bojun returned to the Enrong Banquet.
Duanmu Chen stayed behind as he still had matters to discuss with Duanmu Yi.
“Xiaoliang, you shouldn’t have volunteered. It’s going to be dangerous,” Lin Bojun frowned and spoke softly.
Su Liang chuckled lightly, “During our last combat, I didn’t lose to Second Brother Lin. If it’s dangerous, why should it be you who goes?”
“Because you called me Second Brother!” Lin Bojun sighed.
Su Liang smiled, “Yu Jin said that the day Second Brother Lin saved her, she fell for you.”
Lin Bojun was taken aback for a moment and then smiled, “Really?” “Of course, it’s true.” Su Liang nodded.
Meanwhile, the two of them returned to the Enrong Banquet.
Seeing that Duanmu Chen hadn’t come back with them, Duanmu Cheng’s eyes darkened.
Though everything seemed normal, some impromptu programs were cancelled due to the atmosphere.
After the hasty conclusion of the Enrong Banquet, Su Liang saw Qin Yujin walking towards Lin Bojun. She withdrew her gaze and left with Ning Jing, giving him a simple rundown of what happened.
“Your brother was badly beaten,” whispered Su Liang, “Ultimately, it’s your fault.”
Ning Jing’s expression remained indifferent, “Once he’s rescued, you can persuade him to stop being my brother”
Su Liang had an inexplicable expression, “I suddenly feel that I’m also in danger. What if you’re discovered…”
Ning Jing gave Su Liang a cool look, “You were the one who insisted on being engaged to me, now it’s too late to distance yourself..”
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