The Doctor's Three-Time Marriage

Chapter 221: 221. Return

Translator: 549690339

“Someone from the palace has arrived, and Duanmu Yi orders Duanmu Chen to go to the palace.

It was still raining heavily outside, and Chang’an asked when he was helping

Duanmu Chen change his clothes, “Miss Su should be coming back soon, right?”

Duanmu Chen smiled, “Father Emperor mentioned the other day that if she doesn’t return by the end of this month, he will send someone to hurry her.”

“His Majesty really appreciates Miss Su,” Chang’an sighed, “It was so right for Master to befriend Su Liang back in Bei’an County!”

Hearing this, Duanmu Chen’s face showed a pleased expression, “This is indeed true. Although Duanmu Cheng still refuses to give up, he is no longer a threat. Although Su Liang did not act for my sake, everything she did was beneficial to me.”

After getting ready, Duanmu Chen set out from the mansion to the palace.

There were very few pedestrians on the road, and as Duanmu Chen’s carriage passed by the Eldest Prince’s mansion, he lifted the curtain and glanced at the tightly closed red-lacquered doors.

Lowering the curtain, a cold smile appeared on Duanmu Chen’s lips. He thought that Su Liang would not be satisfied with Duanmu Cheng’s current situation, after all, her entire family had been killed, and she was a person who believed in retaliation, “a life for a life.”

Duanmu Chen was looking forward to how Duanmu Cheng would die. As for the position of crown prince, it was now just within his reach.

“Something happened to Sheng last night!” Duanmu Yi said as soon as he saw Duanmu Chen, getting straight to the point.

Duanmu Chen’s heart jumped and his expression darkened slightly, “Eldest Imperial Brother…”

“He’s missing!” Duanmu Yi said coldly.

Duanmu Chen frowned. He had thought Duanmu Cheng was dead last night.

“Last night, two of the people who were discussing matters with Shengsheng had their necks twisted and were killed. Shengsheng must have been kidnapped and no trace was left behind.” Duanmu Yi’s face was icy, “Who do you think is responsible?”

“Without evidence, this son does not dare to make any wild guesses.” Duanmu Chen carefully chose his words.

“You know that what happened to Ning Jing is related to Shengsheng,” Duanmu Yi said.

Duanmu Chen hesitated for a moment, “Is Father Emperor referring to Su…Su Liang?”

Duanmu Yi continued, “You should also be aware that the mastermind behind the extermination of the Su Family was Shengsheng.”

Duanmu Chen nodded, “Yes, this son is indeed aware of this. If we look at these two incidents, it is true that Su Liang has a motive to take revenge on Eldest Imperial Brother. However, precisely because the motive is too obvious, and based on what this son knows about Su Liang, she is a clever person and would not do such a thing.”

“You and her already knew each other in Bei’an County, right?” Duanmu Yi looked at Duanmu Chen, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Duanmu Chen’s heart skipped a beat, and he lowered his gaze, “Yes. At first, this son noticed Ning Jing, and then got to know her.”

Duanmu Chen knew that Duanmu Yi had already confirmed the existence of a secret collaboration between himself and Su Liang. This was not good news for him, but at this point, he was not too worried. After all, Su Liang had her own motives for everything she did, and it just so happened that she and Duanmu Chen had common enemies, rather than obeying Duanmu Chen.

This should be clear to Duanmu Yi.

“If it isn’t her, then who else could it be?” Duanmu Yi asked coldly.

Duanmu Chen pondered, “This son was just thinking, could it be an unknown master by Ning Jing’s side before her death?”

Duanmu Yi snorted coldly, “If such a person truly exists, how do you know that he is not colluding with Su Liang?”

Instead of defending Su Liang again, Duanmu Chen shook his head and said,

“This son does not know.”

“I had a nightmare last night.” Duanmu Yi looked out at the rain, “When I woke up early in the morning, I found out that Shengsheng had an accident. When I look back, I have lost two sons since Su Liang returned to the capital city. When the second one had an accident, it was the first one’s doing, and now the first one had an accident. In fact, I know that these two good-for-nothing things have done many outrageous things, and I have long decided not to give Qian Country to them. But they are my sons. If Su Liang really came for revenge, it shows that she has no respect for the Royal Family. Can such a person still be used?”

After a moment of contemplation, Duanmu Chen replied respectfully, “Your

Majesty, not to mention that we still don’t know who captured the Eldest Prince, this matter may not be related to Su Liang. Even if it is related to her, judging from her actions, it is obvious that she is righteous and always stands for justice, not for people. What I can be sure of is that if our country is invaded, Su Liang will definitely defend Qian Country with all her strength. If she needs to treat someone who has not harmed her, she will also do her best. Human hearts are unpredictable; some people’s loyalty lies on the surface, and it may be fake and changeable no matter how good it looks. While others’ ‘loyalty’ is based on their trustworthiness. Su Liang is the latter.”

Duanmu Yi gazed at Duanmu Chen, and the atmosphere became silent.

In fact, what Duanmu Chen said was very bold. Duanmu Yi was talking about the authority of the Royal Family and thought that Su Liang was unreliable. Duanmu Chen’s words were tantamount to saying that even if Su Liang really killed Duanmu Sheng and Duanmu Ao, they deserved it; as long as Duanmu Yi did not embarrass Su Liang, she would be loyal in her actions.

After a long time, Duanmu Yi snorted coldly, “Do you think that she, a yellow-haired girl who is still wet behind the ears, is irreplaceable?”

Duanmu Chen sighed softly, “To be honest, I didn’t think so before, but after she went to Xuanbei City, I came to believe that she is indeed irreplaceable. Perhaps there are people with higher martial arts skills and better medical skills than her, but her best quality is her temperament.”

But Duanmu Yi suddenly frowned, “You do know her very well. If Shengsheng’s matter can be cleared by her, I will continue to use her. If it is found to be related to her, she cannot be kept! So one day, will the right and wrong between you and me be judged and ruled by her? Will you be restrained by her? If you were to take my place, if you did something wrong that made her unhappy, would she push you down or even kill you?”

Duanmu Chen’s face stiffened, “Your Majesty, I was foolish.”

“Remember, imperial authority is the sky and does not allow anyone to challenge it! Otherwise, if she dares to kill Shengsheng today, she would dare to assassinate me tomorrow!” Duanmu Yi said coldly, “I have already sent someone to Xunyang City to summon her back to the capital! It was originally planned to confer you as the crown prince in three days, but let’s wait until Shengsheng’s matter has a result! You may leave now!”

As Duanmu Chen left, he happened to meet Empress Dowager Wan and Empress Xiao Wan, who came to see Duanmu Yi crying.

After Duanmu Chen paid his respects, he left the palace. It was not difficult to guess that both women must believed that Shengsheng’s accident was caused by Su Liang.

With an umbrella in hand, Duanmu Chen walked out of the Imperial Palace alone. Chang’an was waiting outside and quickly came forward to serve him to get on the carriage.

The carriage moved slowly, and after a while, Duanmu Chen asked Chang’an,

“Do you think Su Liang and I will become enemies?”

Chang’an was startled and shook his head, “Master has not done anything harmful to Miss Su, so how could it become a conflict? Miss Su is the most reasonable person.”

“What if I do something harmful to her in the future?” Duanmu Chen asked.

Chang’an couldn’t understand, “As long as you don’t want to have a conflict, why don’t you just avoid doing certain things? My subordinate thinks that the master can completely treat Miss Su as a friend, a true friend. As long as you treat her well, she will definitely repay you doubly! Miss Su doesn’t have such a great ambition, she won’t fight with the master over anything, and since you don’t want to marry her, there is no conflict of interest!”

Duanmu Chen rubbed his forehead, “What you said does make sense, but I am afraid Father will not let her go easily this time.”

Upon learning about Duanmu Sheng’s situation, Chang’an’s expression became serious, and he lowered his voice, “Should we send a message to Miss su? In case she doesn’t know anything, someone might be trying to harm her.”

Duanmu Chen pondered for a moment and said, “Father is keeping an eye on me, so forget it. If Su Liang really isn’t involved in this matter, you don’t need to worry too much. With her abilities, she has a way to clear her name.” Chang’an asked subconsciously, “What if Miss Su is related to this matter?”

Duanmu Chen snorted lightly, “If she dares to do it, I think she should know better how to clear herself. She has never discussed it with me, so she obviously doesn’t want me to get involved. Let her handle it.”

Duanmu Sheng’s disappearance did not leak out. Duanmu Yi sent two teams of people to Xunyang City, one with a clear mission to summon Su Liang back to the capital city, and the other to secretly investigate her every move after arrivinz in Xunvanz Citv.

Since there has been frequent rainfall in the middle part of Qian Country recently, the river has risen and few boats and fishermen have been out. Duanmu Yi and Duanmu Chen both thought that there was a high possibility that Duanmu Sheng was still alive, so naturally no one thought to search for the body along the river.

It was the third day after Asi’s accident.

He woke up yesterday, only crying out in pain in front of his parents. When Su Liang came to see him, he even smiled at her.

When Su Liang asked Asi if his wound hurt, his face turned pale, but he insisted that it didn’t hurt.

Su Liang just took it as the young man having a strong sense of pride and did not expose him.

That day, Su Liang came to change Asi’s medicine. As he approached the door, he heard the old housekeeper’s voice from inside.

“No way! You’re injured like this, where do you want to go?”

“Grandpa clearly told me to perform well and follow Miss! I want to go to the capital city with Miss!”

“Don’t be absurd! You can’t do anything, Miss doesn’t need you!”

“I can learn! Miss is the most amazing person I’ve ever met. I want to be her disciple. I’m a man, I want to learn martial arts and go to the battlefield!”

“Asi, you’re still a child who has never left Xunyang City. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Don’t make a fuss, or Miss will laugh at you when she hears.”

“Grandpa, I want to go outside Xunyang City to see! I don’t want to stay here forever!”

The old housekeeper opened the door, saw Su Liang standing outside, hesitated for a moment, and quickly explained, “The stinky kid is just messing around, Miss, don’t bother about him.”

Su Liang nodded, “Well, I’m here to change Asi’s medicine.”

She entered the door, and the old housekeeper followed her in.

Asi knew that Su Liang had heard his argument with his grandfather earlier, and his face was a little embarrassed, but because of his dark complexion, it was not obvious.

“Is Miss leaving soon?” Asi asked Su Liang.

Su Liang nodded, “According to the plan, I should leave in two or three days.”

“Can Miss use Asi?” Asi looked at Su Liang with eager eyes. “I can drive, chop wood, catch fish, make fire, brew tea, and I’ve read books, I can calculate, and

I’m fierce when fighting with others!”

The old housekeeper held his forehead but didn’t interrupt Asi.

“Do you just want to see the scenery outside Xunyang City, or do you really want to learn martial arts and join the army?” Su Liang asked.

“I want to learn martial arts and become a powerful person!” Asi’s eyes were determined.

“But your family will be worried. Are you willing to leave them?” Su Liang asked again.

Asi frowned, “I’ll come back.”

Su Liang smiled, “You can learn martial arts here too. Should I find a master for you?”

The old housekeeper breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, “That would be best! Asi, you can’t help Miss much right now, and you’ll only cause her trouble! Wait until you’ve learned martial arts and made some progress before you talk about it!”

Asi was stunned for a moment, “That’s right!”

Su Liang thought that the boy was quite cute, with a pure personality and naive ideals. In fact, Su Liang could take Asi to the capital city and arrange for him to enter the City Guard Army camp, where he could learn martial arts but not

have to go to the battlefield.

However, firstly, Su Liang knew that Asi’s family would definitely not want him to go out and take risks. Secondly, she also knew that although she seemed to have a bit of power, she had a lot of trouble. She couldn’t guarantee Asi’s safety unless she watched him all the time, otherwise, she couldn’t guarantee that there wouldn’t be any accidents. She couldn’t take on such a big responsibility, and she didn’t want to involve Asi in any trouble.

Asi wanted to learn martial arts, which wasn’t difficult. Su Liang could spend a lot of money to hire a master to teach him. If anything, money was the least of Su Liang’s concerns.

The old housekeeper sent Su Liang out, thanked her first, and then mentioned that Su Liang could hire a master as a bodyguard with money.

“The capital city is deep, and Miss and Young Master were able to keep each other company before. Now that Young Master is gone, I really can’t feel at ease with Miss alone. If Asi is a master, I won’t stop him from following Miss.” The old housekeeper spoke with great concern.

Su Liang nodded, “Alright, I’ll arrange it.”

Seeing that Su Liang had taken in his words, the old housekeeper breathed a sigh of relief, “That’s good, that’s good!”

In fact, Su Liang was thinking that she already had a powerful bodyguard, who could even help wash dishes without spending any money, and who was only absent for a few days. So, she didn’t count it as deceiving the old housekeeper.

As for finding a master for Asi, Su Liang let the old housekeeper handle it, as she was willing to pay no matter how much it cost since she had no connections.

In the evening, after Su Liang had applied another acupuncture session to Peng Qian, the servants brought dinner, and she served the food for Peng Qian and his son.

Peng Qian and Peng Fan had been in Xunyang City for half a month. Peng Qian’s health had improved significantly, and although still weak, as long as he was careful and took the medicine according to Su Liang’s prescription, recovery was only a matter of time. Therefore, they planned to set off early the next morning.

Peng Qian was gentle, sensible, and rational, which Su Liang admired. In comparison, Peng Wei had a hot temper, while Peng Fan still retained some innocence unmarred by the harshness of life.

Using tea instead of alcohol, Su Liang wished Peng Qian a speedy recovery and hope for their family’s safety.

Peng Qian’s eyes were warm. For their family, “safety” was precious. “I’ll never forget General Su’s kindness. I also hope that everything goes smoothly for General Su.”

Before leaving, Su Liang checked the prepared medicinal materials for Peng Qian and made sure there were no problems.

Peng Fan escorted her out, and at the courtyard gate, Su Liang asked him to stay.

About to part, Peng Fan couldn’t help but ask his burning question, “Was General Su’s purse embroidered by yourself?”

Su Liang didn’t think the question was offensive. She just hesitated for a moment, looked down, and the bright moonlight illuminated the little rabbit on the purse. She smiled, “No, it was given to me by a friend.”

For the first time, Peng Fan saw Su Liang smile. He was in a daze, and when Su Liang looked at him, he blurted out to cover his embarrassment, “Miss Sul s friend must be a gentle and kind-hearted lady.”

Su Liang blinked and nodded, “That’s right. And he’s as beautiful as a celestial being. ”

As soon as she finished speaking, Su Liang turned and walked away, waving at

Peng Fan behind her, “I won’t see you off tomorrow, take care!”

Peng Fan watched Su Liang’s figure disappear into the moonlight before turning back.

Su Liang walked alone under the moon, returning to her courtyard. The lights in her room were on, but the study room was dark.

As soon as Su Liang entered the door, she began to undress because she suddenly felt like practicing swordplay. She planned to change into lighter clothing and go to the garden.

Just as she took off her outer clothes, she heard a familiar voice, “What are you doing?”

Su Liang’s hand, which was untying her belt, paused, and she saw a figure appear by the screen and then disappear behind it.

‘Great God, you’re back? So soon?” Su Liang quickly put her clothes back on and hurried into the inner room, where she saw Gu Ling standing there.

According to her estimate, Gu Ling would return to Xunyang City at the earliest in two days.

“How is it? Did everything go smoothly?” Su Liang asked. Gu Ling wasn’t wearing a mask, but still had his disguise on, and there was an unmistakable fatigue between his eyebrows.

Ignoring Su Liang’s question, Gu Ling counter-questioned, “You weren’t hurt, were you?”

Su Liang shook her head and sighed, “No, but it was so close that day. Asi took a knife for me and almost died.”

Gu Ling’s eyes turned cold, “I shouldn’t have left..”