Heading North

Fourth Prince's Mansion.

Chang'an saw Duanmu Chen sitting in deep thought for a long time, and broke the silence, "Is the master okay?"

Duanmu Chen shook his head, "Nothing." He looked out the window at the sky outside. It had been gloomy since morning, as if it was going to rain, but it didn't.

The air was a bit stuffy, Duanmu Chen stood up, took a long breath, walked to the window, and turned his back to Chang'an, "Is there any movement in the palace?"

Chang'an shook his head, "The Imperial Concubine didn't send any news. There was no news after the eldest prince entered the palace, and the second prince's mansion was preparing for the funeral."

"At this moment, Su Liang and Xing Ji should have set off. I knew she wouldn't come to say goodbye to me." Duanmu Chen snorted.

Changan was stunned for a moment, "Time is urgent, and it is not convenient for Miss Su to come during the day."

"I know." Duanmu Chen nodded, "Even if she can come, she won't come, it doesn't matter. When I made friends with her in Bei'an County, I didn't expect that things would turn out like this."

Changan was a little confused about what Duanmu Chen was thinking, and saw the corners of his lips curled up and he laughed, "Everything went incredibly smoothly!"

Changan also laughed, "Yes! Maybe in the next two days, the emperor will issue an order to enthrone the master as the prince."

Duanmu Chen smiled but said nothing, obviously he was confident about this.

After abolishing two legitimate princes at once, it was his turn.

"It will not be smooth for Marquis Zhongxin and General Lin and Miss Su to go north. At this point, even if they act secretly, they can't escape the sight of the Wan family." Changan sighed slightly.

Duanmu Chen shook his head, "I believe in Su Liang. Xing Ji is not an easy target. It's not just me who's betting, but my father is also betting. It's only a matter of time before Wan is deposed. The later it is, the harder it will be. We can't delay it any longer."

"I also think that if Miss Su goes, it will be done." Chang'an said, "But will the eldest prince really be executed by the emperor?"

Duanmu Chen snorted, "How is that possible? After all, he is my father's biological son. He won't kill him on his own initiative. He also has to consider the Empress Dowager and the Empress. At this juncture, if Duanmu Sheng really dies, Wan might be desperate. As long as my father takes back the military power in the hands of the Wan family, Duanmu Sheng will be completely deposed, and he won't be able to stir up any trouble even if he's alive."

"By the way, the fifth prince left the palace and returned to his mansion today." Chang'an suddenly mentioned.

After a brief surprise, Duanmu Chen sneered three times, "Speaking of the relationship with Su Liang, Duanmu Che should have been closer to him than me. At first, I was worried that Su Liang would be won over by him. As long as he is willing to get along well with Su Liang, Su Liang will definitely be on his side because of his life-saving grace. I didn't expect that Duanmu Che was so stupid that he turned Su Liang into an enemy."

"I don't understand what the fifth prince is thinking." Chang'an said.

Duanmu Chen snorted coldly, "He? He is just spoiled. From childhood to adulthood, his father will satisfy everything he wants. I didn't see it before because he was sick and had no energy to make a fuss. Su Liang cured him, and he began to be restless."

Chang'an clasped his hands together and prayed devoutly, "I hope everything will go well in the future, so that the master can sit on the throne of the prince as soon as possible."

...

Su Liang and his party had just set off.

Qi Jiang went to arrange the next board and lodging first, and had not yet met Qi Jun, who was pretending to be Ning Jing. Xing Ji only took a glance and didn't pay much attention.

"Did Second Brother Lin go to say goodbye to Yu Jin?" Su Liang asked.

Lin Bojun nodded, "Yes." He sighed deeply after he finished speaking.

The Lin family and the Qin family were very worried about Lin Bojun's trip, but he had to go because of the emperor's will.

Qin Yu Jin gave Lin Bojun the jade pendant she wore close to her body and asked him to swear that he would come back safely.

When he thought of it, Lin Bojun felt warm on his chest where the jade pendant was pressed against him, but his heart was sour.

Looking back at the dark clouds in the capital, Lin Bojun retracted his gaze and looked to the north, "I will definitely come back to marry her as soon as possible!"

Su Liang rode his horse to catch up with Xing Ji, "Uncle Xing, I have an idea."

Xing Ji nodded, "You say!"

"The Wan family will definitely send someone to inform General Wanshan in the northern border as soon as possible about our trip to the north. We will travel together, and we will inevitably encounter obstacles next. Don't expect that something unexpected will happen when we arrive at the place." Su Liang said seriously.

"What do you think?" Xing Ji asked.

Su Liang said bluntly, "Why don't we split up into two groups. One group will act in secret and rush to the north to stabilize the situation."

"I'll go!" Lin Bojun said immediately.

Xing Ji frowned, pulled the reins, slowed down, looked at Su Liang and asked, "Are you going to go first?"

Su Liang nodded, "Yes. Since I have accepted such an important task, I have to find a way to complete it. If I fail, it will not only be a matter of merit or sin, but I am afraid that the situation will change."

She was very straightforward, but it was all true.

Xing Ji pondered for a moment, "I have thought about it, but there is no suitable person to do this. In this case, I will go first, and you and Bojun will rush over later, how about it?"

"I know that Uncle Xing will definitely have no problem going, but let me do it." Su Liang insisted.

Lin Bojun sighed, "I also promised my father and little sister to take good care of Xiaoliang. Why do I have to let you rush to the front again?"

Su Liang snorted, "If you don't agree, I have to suspect that you discriminate against me because I am a woman."

Xing Ji and Lin Bojun were both amused and helpless. Of course, they believed in Su Liang's strength and intelligence, but they really didn't think of letting her take the lead.

"You yourself..." Xing Ji's attitude softened, but he was still hesitant.

"Qi Jun"'s voice came from behind Su Liang, "I am also a human being."

"Xiao Qi will come with me." Su Liang said with a smile, "We have known each other for a long time, so I have someone to look after us on the way. When I come back, I will invite Prince Xing to drink, to thank him for being so thoughtful and sending me a helper."

Since Su Liang said so, Xing Ji nodded, "In that case, let's do as you say. You take the imperial edict and the Shangfang sword with you, and take them out when you need them."

Su Liang refused, "They are too heavy, and will slow down my journey."

Xing Ji: ... Is such a strange reason okay?

"I will go alone. If nothing goes wrong, I will not show up. Even if something goes wrong, I can't do anything openly and leave a handle. So it's really useless. You guys pay attention to safety and catch up as soon as possible. When the time comes, you can put pressure openly, and I will assist secretly." Su Liang said.

Xing Ji didn't insist any more.

Since it has been decided, they will separate at the intersection ahead.

"Ajun, you must take good care of Su Liang!" Xing Ji looked serious.

Ning Jing nodded, "Don't worry, Lord, I will protect Miss Su with my life!"

This is what the real Qi Jun would say, and Su Liang felt strange listening to it. It's not that he thinks Ning Jing won't do his best to protect her, it's just that he thinks that as powerful as Ning Jing is, there is no need to fight desperately.

"Don't be rash, nothing can happen." Xing Ji reminded "Qi Jun".

Lin Bojun repeatedly told Su Liang not to fight too hard, and if he really got into trouble, take care of himself first.

"In fact, you are the ones in danger." Su Liang was very calm, "I hid, they can't find me, what are you afraid of? Goodbye, see you in Xuanbei City!"

After saying that, Su Liang took "Qi Jun" and turned into a remote fork in the road, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Xing Ji and Lin Bojun and his party quickly continued on their way.

When he saw Qi Jiang again, he didn't see his son coming over, which was a bit strange. After listening to Xing Ji's story, he sighed and said, "Okay." There was inevitably some worry about his son in his words, but he didn't say anything else.

…

Su Liang proposed to act alone, which was an agreement she and Ning Jing reached soon after leaving home.

This is the safest way for both public and private reasons.

If they really went with Xing Ji and Qi Jiang, it would be hard to guarantee that Qi Jiang would not find Ning Jing's flaws. After all, he is Qi Jun's biological father, and Ning Jing has limited knowledge of Qi Jun. Perhaps some habits or actions of Qi Jun that they have never seen will expose him.

It's no big deal to just expose the disguise and change his identity.

But if Ning Jing gets into trouble, if he shows his extremely strong martial arts, people will inevitably suspect his identity and the purpose of hiding his strength.

Lin Bojun knew it. But the extremely shrewd Xing Ji found that Ning Jing was hiding his true strength. If he guessed that he was a fake Ning Jing, he might not necessarily connect him with Gu Ling.

It's not good, and it's unnecessary.

Ning Jing doesn't want to pretend to be another person all the time and can't talk to Su Liang normally.

Su Liang rode his horse at a fast speed, the breeze blowing on his face, and said with a smile, "I've been in the capital for a few months. I came out today and suddenly felt like I was free again."

"Then I won't go back." Ning Jing said.

"No. I have a few glasses of wedding wine to drink. Duanmu Sheng is not dead yet, so it's not over yet." Su Liang said.

Destroying the Wan family is also necessary to completely destroy Duanmu Sheng.

The weather has warmed up. Ning Jing, who has been to Xuanbei City, said that they changed horses halfway and traveled day and night, and it would take at least eight days to arrive.

"You lead the way and go at the fastest speed. Find time to rest during the day and replenish dry food." Su Liang said.

It's not so convenient to find a place to shelter from the wind and keep warm at night.

Ning Jing has no objection.

Their personalities are either not to do it, or to do it as well as possible.

It's harder at first. The sooner you get to Xuanbei City, the easier it will be to control the situation later.

Therefore, there is no time to read books or learn anything next.

...

Su Mansion in the capital.

Qi Jun pretended to be Ning Jing, and Nian Jincheng did not intend to show up, fearing that he would be discovered.

Qi Jun was also a little embarrassed. He thought that besides him, there was only Yan Yu in the mansion, and he had to let Yan Yu cook for him next, which always felt awkward.

Yan Yu also saw it, and at dinner, she told Qi Jun that she was leaving tomorrow.

Qi Jun breathed a sigh of relief, "Miss Yan is going home?"

Yan Yu nodded, "It's time to go back. This was originally planned, but I didn't expect Su Liang to leave Beijing first."

"Do you need to arrange someone to escort you?" Qi Jun asked seriously.

Yan Yu smiled and shook her head, "No, someone will protect me."

"That's good." Qi Jun nodded.

"I went to say goodbye to Sister Wan today and told her that when you are alone at home, three meals will be delivered on time by the restaurant. You put the dishes away after eating, and the next meal will be taken away by someone." Yan Yu said.

Qi Jun hurriedly said no, he would find a way to solve it himself.

Yan Yu said that this was the way Ning Jing would choose when she was alone at home.

Qi Jun was stunned for a moment, then accepted it and thanked Yan Yu.

"No need. Don't be polite when it comes to spending money. The last thing we lack is money." Yan Yu looked serious.

Qi Jun held his forehead, that's true. The head of the Ning family, the head of the Yan family, the eldest lady of the Wan family...

Yan Yu taught Qi Jun the art of disguise. Qi Jun was smart and learned it in a short time. He removed the disguise on his face and did it again for Yan Yu to see.

"No problem." Yan Yu said, "Anyway, Brother Ning doesn't like to go out and doesn't like to talk. You can stay at home when you have nothing to do and do whatever you want."

Qi Jun thought about it, it was true. Although Su Liang didn't have many social events, she often interacted with friends, and Ning Jing was like her shadow. If Su Liang was not at home, Ning Jing would not go out if she could.

If you have less contact with people, you don't have to worry too much about revealing flaws.

After Yan Yu explained everything she could think of, she went back to her room to rest.

The next morning, Zhou Yuan drove a carriage to pick up Yan Yu, and she left the Su Mansion. Nian Jincheng secretly followed her.

Qi Jun pretended to be Ning Jing to attend the court in the Ministry of Revenue. Ning Jing's position didn't have many things to do, and his colleagues were very polite. Qi Jun was really nervous at first, but then he relaxed.

The day was about to end, and Qi Jun felt that this feeling was not bad, and it was also a very magical experience. When he told his master and his brother about it later, they would definitely envy him.

Qi Jun even imagined how he would behave when he met Xing Yusheng and Qi Yan next.

Thinking of how Ning Jing was never polite when talking to Xing Yusheng, Qi Jun rehearsed in Ning Jing's room how to be arrogant and talk back to his master...

...

Something big happened in the capital, but there was no chaos.

Duanmu Sheng was under house arrest in the palace. It was known that he hired a killer to kill Duanmu Ao.

Duanmu Yi threatened to execute Duanmu Sheng in the court, but was persuaded by a group of court officials.

For a time, the court was undercurrent.

As for Duanmu Yi's arrangement of Xing Ji and Lin Bojun to go north to Suliang, many people actually knew about it, but Duanmu Yi did not mention it on the surface, and naturally did not say what to do to Wan Shi.

Many people thought that now that Duanmu Sheng had abolished Duanmu Ao and was dead, Duanmu Chen would soon be able to sit on the throne of the prince.

But five days after Duanmu Ao's death, Duanmu Yi still did not mention the canonization of a new prince.

Duanmu Chen was not in a hurry, knowing that Duanmu Yi was maintaining stability and making some people in the Wan family think that Duanmu Sheng still had a chance to prevent them from taking risks and doing something.

Duanmu Chen did not want to be a target at this time, but he also knew that even if he did not get the position of the crown prince, the Wan family would spare no effort to get rid of him, so he was always careful and cautious to the extreme.

…

Su Liang and Ning Jing traveled day and night for five days, and did not stop when they passed by Pingbei City where they had lived for a while.

The two rarely spoke, and even if they spoke, outsiders standing beside them could not understand, because Ning Jing was practicing the English that Su Liang had taught before.

Su Liang actually thought that it was useless for Ning Jing to learn this thing, but Ning Jing was very interested in a new language and said that if there was an occasion where it was inconvenient to speak, it could be used as a code between the two of them.

Su Liang certainly didn't care. If he was willing to work hard to learn, she would teach.

That evening, the two returned to their "hometown" Bei'an County.

Looking at the familiar buildings and the pedestrians hurrying by in the twilight, Su Liang was quite emotional for a moment, "I really want to go home and see if Xiaohu and Zhuzi have forgotten me."

"No." Ning Jing said.

"Forget it, finish the business quickly, and then pass by here when you return to the capital, and go home to stay for a few days." Su Liang said.

When he arrived at Feiyan Town, Su Liang saw his old friend Hu Er from a distance. He looked very good. Now that he is doing serious business, his whole temperament is different.

Su Liang wore men's clothes and had disguised himself with Ning Jing. His appearance looked very ordinary and did not attract attention.

The two rode past at a fast speed. Hu Er looked up when he heard the sound and saw the familiar back. His expression was happy. Before he spoke, he saw them far away.

Xiaoliu saw Hu Er stretching his neck to look into the distance, so he asked him, "What are you looking at, Master Er?"

Hu Er said happily, "A pair of lovebirds just flew over."

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