Chapter 169: 169. I want five
Translator: 549690339
Nian Jincheng nodded, “This move is like removing the firewood from under the pot, clearing the air. As long as you can dissociate yourself from Xiao Muyun, his death will have no counter-evidence, and the mastermind behind him will have no means to retaliate.”
Brilliant. Nian Jincheng admitted that if he were put in this situation, he wouldn’t have thought of this way of dealing with it.
“However, your relationship with Xiao Muyun…” Nian Jincheng frowned, “I don’t mean anything by it, I just feel that you couldn’t possibly be attracted to someone like him, right?”
Nian Jincheng didn’t know the original Su Liang, but he believed that even if someone lost their memory, their character wouldn’t change drastically.
“Very well.” Su Liang nodded, “If you think so, then when it’s time for me to clear my name, there will naturally be others who share your opinion.”
“Yes.” Nian Jincheng agreed.
The sky was getting darker.
Lu Yu secretly came to check on the situation. Wan Hui was very worried upon learning that Ning Jing had been taken away.
“Zhengzheng insisted on coming to see you both, but we barely managed to persuade him to not go. We told him to come another day.” Lu Yu furrowed his brow, “What do we do now?”
Su Liang smiled, “Don’t worry, Ning Jing and I will handle it. In fact, I was just about to go see Zhengzheng. I made him something delicious, so you can take it with you. There’s something I need your help with, as well as Wan Jiejie’s.” Lu Yu shook his head, “Don’t be so polite. Just tell us what we can do to help.”
Seeing that Su Liang still had the leisure to make food for Zhengzheng, Lu Yu believed she must have a plan, and his heart relaxed slightly.
“Help me spread some news.” Su Liang said.
Wan Family owned a restaurant and had a lot of people at their disposal in the capital city.
After listening to what Su Liang had said, Lu Yu’s expression was shocked, “So that’s what happened! Second Young Master Xiao is simply a madman, deserving of death!”
In fact, Su Liang’s story was mostly fabricated with few real details. However, it sounded so bizarre at first that the more one thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and it completely matched the current events.
Compared to the claim that Su Liang privately accepted Xiao Muyun’s affection when she was thirteen and then used her own weapon to kill people to cover it up, the possibility that Xiao Muyun, an unloved bastard widower, was insanely infatuated with the impressively talented Martial Arts Champion and wanted to destroy her because he couldn’t have her was much greater.
After all, not many people in the capital city knew what the original master was like, and almost everyone who knew Su Liang had met her since the Military Exam. Their impression of her had been positive until today.
Reversing public opinion in a timely manner wasn’t difficult.
At this point, Su Liang believed that even if the Su Family hadn’t experienced any trouble in the past, there couldn’t have been a good outcome between the original master and Xiao Muyun.
Xiao Muyun coveted the original master’s beauty, but Miss Su Liang would not have been eligible to enter the Prime Minister’s Mansion even if she were to become Xiao Muyun’s wife. It was highly likely that after being deceived and losing her innocence, she would have no choice but to become his concubine.
Because he was an immoral, irresponsible scum who only sought pleasure.
Lu Yu brought the food Su Liang made for Zhengzheng back home, and after discussing with Wan Hui, the two of them started taking action.
That night, new rumors began to spread rapidly throughout the capital city.
Compared to the earlier negative rumors about Su Liang, the later ones were even more shocking.
With the two opposing public opinions colliding, was it that Su Liang and Xiao Muyun had an affair, even giving herself to Xiao Muyun before her adulthood, or was it that Xiao Muyun had been obsessed with the Martial Arts Champion for years, and went mad with jealousy and eventually wanting to bring her down with him in death?
Which one to believe?
Although the latter seemed far-fetched, the more one thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
As for the former, there were already many flaws in the story. How could Su Liang, who was talented in both appearance and ability, fall for an unworthy bastard like Xiao Muyun from the Xiao Family? And how could Su Liang possibly use her own well-known weapon to kill Xiao Muyun? These were all very obvious doubts.
It’s just that because all the evidence pointed to Su Liang, and there seemed to be no other possibilities, it led to Su Liang being considered the only possible murderer. In the eyes of others, Ning Jing and her were inseparable.
Now, “other possibilities” had not only appeared, but the story was more complete, without obvious flaws.
In this case, for the capital city residents who had witnessed Su Liang win the Military Exam and defeat the enemy’s female general, they would rather believe that the Martial Arts Champion they once praised was a good person.
Qin Duke Mansion, Marquis Zhong Xin Mansion, and Lin Mansion, which had been closely following the progress of the case, soon received the news that public opinion had reversed and breathed a sigh of relief.
Duanmu Chen had just returned to Prince Four Mansion from the Imperial Palace when he received the report from Chang’an and learned the new rumor circulating outside. He slowly smiled, “Father Emperor knew it early.”
Chang’an was stunned for a moment, then Duanmu Chen said, “When Su Liang was talking with Ning Jing in the Ministry of Justice prison, someone close to Father Emperor was listening nearby.”
Chang’an was surprised, “Didn’t Master say that the Emperor would not protect
Miss Su?”
Duanmu Chen shook his head, “It’s a different matter. Father Emperor was far from happy that the civil and military champions he recently appointed both had murder suspicions within a day. Father Emperor knew it couldn’t be Su Liang, someone wanted to frame her, but whether she could clear her name and solve the problem with Ning Jing was what Father Emperor was concerned.”
Chang’an suddenly realized, “So that’s how it is.”
Duanmu Chen’s lips curled slightly, “Father Emperor values talent. But he couldn’t protect them publicly; it would be criticized. I also thought this trouble was very tricky, and no matter what Su Liang said, it would be hard to clear her name. The key was that besides her, there were no other suspects, and Xiao Muyun was really dead. Even if she was cleared, she would still be doubted.”
Chang’an nodded, “Indeed so. But I never expected that Miss Su could think of such a clever way. There were no other suspects, so she made it look like Xiao Muyun had gone mad and committed suicide to drag her down with him. All the evidence, when used to support Miss Su’s statement, was even more reasonable!”
“Isn’t it”‘ Duanmu Chen said, halt-laughing and halt-serious, “Those crazy words Xiao Muyun wrote before he died were nonsense. He didn’t know who he was conspiring with, but he harbored the intention to harm Su Liang and ended up getting himself killed in the process. Serves him right.” Chang’an frowned, “If Xiao Muyun hadn’t died, what was his purpose?”
“If he had been seriously injured and confessed in person, along with the ‘evidence’ prepared in advance, and framed Su Liang as the murderer, according to the law, Su Liang would have been at least exiled, or even sentenced to death. Even if she were pardoned due to her achievements, her reputation would be ruined and her future bleak,” Duanmu Chen said with a cold snort.
Chang’an was puzzled, “He, a bastard of the Xiao Family, was always well-behaved. Why would he take such a risk to harm Miss Su?”
Duanmu Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly, “Of course, it could not be Xiao Muyun’s idea alone. Someone instigated him in the background, promising him great benefits to conspire against Su Liang. He was a bastard, pretending to be gentle and non-contentious because he had no ability; he was not really content with his status quo.”
“Could it be… Prince Two?” Chang’an asked.
Duanmu Chen nodded, “Both Duanmu Sheng and Duanmu Ao are possible, even Duanmu Che. Su Liang is very smart, clearing herself first before investigating other matters, otherwise, she would be smeared. One misstep and it would be hard to save oneself.”
“Yes!” Chang’an sighed, “Such a sinister scheme is hard to guard against. If it were someone else, they would be ruined. Ning Jing’s self-surrender was also brilliant, making some people in the Ministry of Justice temporarily unable to act against Miss Su.”
Duanmu Chen chuckled, “Now I feel that Su Liang is sent by heaven to help me. As long as I don’t offend her, seize the opportunity to give her benefits, at critical moments, she’ll definitely stand by my side.”
Chang’an agreed wholeheartedly, ‘Master is wise.”
Late at night, Su Liang secretly sneaked into the Prime Minister Xiao Mansion and threw the prepared knife into the lake in the rear garden before quickly leaving.
Instead of going directly home afterward, she went to the Ministry of Justice.
There were guards guarding the Ministry, Su Liang did not go in, but found a high place nearby to hide and kept a close watch on the surroundings.
She felt that someone might try to kill Ning Jing tonight.
As for her home, just in case, she had already made changes to Nian Jincheng’s appearance before leaving and moved him to an empty and remote courtyard where no one had lived before.
During the day, Su Liang had warned Ning Jing not to eat the food in the prison, fearing someone might poison it. Maybe the person who wanted to kill him was already inside. She knew Ning Jing had great abilities, and even if there was trouble, he could cope with it. But she still decided to keep guard outside the prison during the night.
After staying up all night, Su Liang left when the sky began to lighten up, without noticing any abnormalities around the Ministry the previous night.
Su Liang washed, changed clothes, made breakfast, sent a portion to Nian Jincheng first, and then rode to the Ministry of Justice to see Ning Jing.
When people saw Su Liang again today, they still talked a lot, but the words were quite different from last night. Many believed that she was targeted by a madman for being too outstanding, suffering an unwarranted disaster.
Su Liang still managed to enter the prison of the Ministry of Justice smoothly. When she met Ning Jing, he looked exactly the same as yesterday, as if he hadn’t moved since Su Liang had left.
Su Liang set warm food out and naturally offered it to Ning Jing, “Did you sleep last night?”
Ning Jing shook his head, “There were fleas, I couldn’t sleep.”
Su Liang sensed Ning Jing’s hint that someone indeed tried to harm him last night, but they obviously didn’t succeed.
Su Liang didn’t inquire further, and left after Ning Jing finished eating.
When Ning Jing was interrogated, he mentioned Xiao Muyun’s harassment of Su Liang and his suspicion that Xiao Muyun committed suicide to frame Su Liang.
Minister Mei sneered, “If it was suicide, why was there no weapon found?”
Ning Jing thought for a moment, “Xiao Muyun’s attendant drowned, have you searched the lake for any weapons?
Minister Mei looked at Gou Yu, who frowned, “We only found one corpse in the lake yesterday. Nothing else.”
For unknown reasons, Minister Mei’s attitude was different than yesterday, not as tough. He ordered Gou Yu to go to Prime Minister Xiao’s mansion again to find the murder weapon, focusing on the lake in the back garden.
Thus, Gou Yu went to the Xiao Family again.
The Xiao Family also knew about last night’s reversal of public opinion. The story had changed, with Xiao Muyun going from a victim to a paranoid madman and his death being described as a suicide.
Of course, the Xiao Family knew that Su Liang was the one behind the rumors,and they were displeased as it had damaged their reputation.
However, they were not privy to the nature of the relationship between Xiao
Muyun and Su Liang. The only one who might have known was the now-dead attendant. Besides, yesterday, Duanmu Chen warned them not to avenge Xiao Muyun and to leave the investigation to the Ministry of Justice.
Gou Yu encountered no obstacles, and with a considerable amount of manpower, spent half a day fishing out a knife from the lake.
The knife was similar to the Twin Blades known to be used by Su Liang, but it was not the same. Moreover, yesterday Gou Yu had demanded Su Liang hand over her Twin Blades for investigation in front of the Xiao family members. As such, the knife was determined to be the murder weapon used to kill Xiao
Muyun.
This time, the suspicion on Su Liang was cleared.
It was unlikely she would use a knife similar to her own weapon to kill someone, then throw it into the lake without taking it away. It’s too far-fetched.
From Ning Jing’s testimony, evidence found at the Xiao Family, and the crime scene, Gou Yu deduced the facts:
As Su Liang said, Xiao Muyun’s infatuation with her had turned into obsession. When she rejected him and advanced in her career, he knew getting her was impossible, so he went mad and wanted to die with her. He first wrote some delusional ramblings, found a knife similar to Su Liang’s weapon, and, by some means, forced his attendant to kill him and take away the murder weapon, then commit suicide by jumping into the lake.
The attendant’s death went unnoticed, and once his corpse was discovered, no one thought of searching the lake for the weapon.
In this way, all suspicion would fall on Su Liang. If she could not prove her innocence, she could be convicted based on the weapon and the writings left by Xiao Muyun.
After Gou Yu brought the murder weapon back to the Ministry of Justice, the news spread quickly.
A new witness appeared soon after.
He was the old housekeeper of the Ministry of Industry’s residence, the neighbor of Duke Qin’s mansion.
He testified that, on two consecutive days last month, he saw a carriage bearing the emblem of Prime Minister Xiao’s mansion parked in the alley for a long time. On one occasion, he saw Su Liang riding a horse out of Duke Qin’s mansion and the Xiao’s carriage leaving the alley, with Xiao Muyun coming out to speak with Su Liang, who ignored him and walked away.
The testimony of this witness directly corroborated the fact that “Xiao Muyun secretly followed and harassed Su Liang,” which was extremely favorable to Su
Liang.
Before noon, the Ministry of Justice had swiftly closed this case, which had caused quite a stir throughout the capital city.
Su Liang and Ning Jing were found innocent. Xiao Muyun, unable to get Su Liang’s love, had gone mad and committed suicide to frame her.
When Ning Jing left the main hall of the Ministry of Justice, it was as if he had merely gone in for a visit—calm and composed, his clothes in order. Su Liang was waiting by the carriage, and upon seeing him approach, smiled and waved.
Ning Jing got into the carriage, and Su Liang personally drove him home.
Hence, after experiencing a bizarre murder case, the tale of the “intellectual and martial arts champions in love” gained another striking chapter. Half of the people in the capital city were cursing Xiao Muyun as a toad trying to eat swan meat; he was a madman.
The other half were sighing at how Ning Jing, though a scholar, stood up for Su Liang when she was in trouble, a true man! And Su Liang remained calm under pressure, rescuing Ning Jing and clearing her suspicion—both brave and intelligent! They were truly a perfect match made by heaven.
“Young Master Ning and Miss Su are a naturally talented and beautiful couple, and Xiao Muyun was just a clown! Good riddance to him!”
That was the lasting impression of this incident.
After Su Liang and Ning Jing returned home, Ning Jing took a bath while Su Liang cooked some of his favorite dishes.
As soon as the dishes were ready, their friends arrived, casting off the gloom from yesterday as they were overjoyed.
Su Liang had just set the table and Xing Yusheng was about to sit down when Ning Jing spoke up, “These dishes are all mine.”
Xing Yusheng: …Do you have to be so petty?
Su Liang chuckled, “He’s afraid of someone poisoning the food. Since he didn’t eat last night, he must be hungry. Let him eat by himself.”
Xing Yusheng held his forehead, “I just wanted to sit down, not fight over food with him.”
“Can I eat?” Zhengzheng raised his small hand and smiled adorably, hinting that he deserved some good food too, right?
Ning Jing nodded, “Zhengzheng, come and eat with me.”
There they were, a big and a small, enjoying the food while others watched.
Wan Hui laughed, “Let’s go to a restaurant later. This time’s narrow escape is worth celebrating.”
“I’m tired. I won’t go.” Ning Jing shook his head.
Zhengzheng giggled, “I’m tired too, not going, not going!”
Su Liang yawned, “We didn’t sleep last night, so I won’t go either. You can go and celebrate, and consider it my treat.”
Lin Xueqing asked with a mischievous smile, “Sister Su, why couldn’t you sleep last night? Were you worrying about Brother Ning and couldn’t sleep a wink?” Su Liang replied seriously, “Of course, it’s only natural that I worry about him.”
“Oh, Su, when can you learn to be shy for once? Really now.” Lin Xueqing got the answer she wanted, but it still felt off.
The friends headed to the restaurant for a party, while the two main characters stayed at home with their adorable little companion.
Nian Jincheng, who had been forgotten in a remote courtyard, could only silently wait for someone to remember him.
Su Liang wasn’t hungry and sat opposite Ning Jing, watching him and
Zhengzheng eat, lost in thought. “Someone must have conspired with Xiao Muyun. Who do you think it is?”
Ning Jing didn’t answer, but instead asked Zhengzheng, “One, two, or five, choose a number.”
Ning Jing nodded, looking at Su Liang, “Mmm, I think it’s Duanmu Che too..”
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢