The Cost of Doing
Qi Jiang watched Situ Jing disappear at the gate of the courtyard and snorted, "Can't we treat him as a spy? I think Liang Kingdom doesn't need a prince."
Xing Ji shook his head, "This is not something we should consider. Since Xiao Liang and Xiao Gu didn't touch him, let him go." He somehow felt that what Situ Jing said, "Su Liang and Gu Ling forced him to return to Liang Kingdom to be a prince" was true.
Previously, Situ Jing was blind, and Su Liang treated him. If he really wanted to stop him from returning to Liang Kingdom, it was completely possible.
But Xing Ji was more inclined to think that Su Liang and Gu Ling let Situ Jing die, because they didn't want to associate with him anymore, and they didn't have a grudge to the point where they had to kill him. After all, Situ Jing's grandfather is now Su Liang's master.
Xing Ji sighed deeply, "I suddenly feel a little worried about my family. I wonder how Yan'er is doing in the palace."
Qi Jiang shook his head, "Don't be affected by Situ Jing's nonsense. The old lady wrote to me earlier, saying that the emperor treats the queen very well, which must be true."
Xing Ji nodded slightly, "I know, but..." He did not agree with Xing Yuyan being the queen at first, thinking that her character was not suitable for such a high position, even if she married a rich noble as the eldest daughter-in-law. But Duanmu Chen did not ask for his opinion at all, and the matter was settled. Xing Ji was really afraid that Xing Yuyan would do something she shouldn't do.
Qi Jiang comforted Xing Ji to relax and not think too much, and mentioned that Lin Xueqing was pregnant and he would be a grandfather this year.
Xing Ji was very relieved about Xing Yusheng and Lin Xueqing, especially Lin Xueqing. It was a blessing for the Xing family to marry this daughter-in-law. Now Lin Boyan has replaced Duanmu Chen's grandfather, Prime Minister Xiao, and has become the youngest prime minister in the history of the country. Lin Bojun is also the most trusted among the generals. He has been promoted one after another to take charge of the city defense army.
Xing Ji didn't care about the increasing prominence of the Lin family. Compared with that, he envied the simple harmony of the Lin family more. There is a reason for the saying that a harmonious family is the root of everything.
After so many years, Xing Ji no longer expected Xing Yusheng to be close to Miao and her children, and felt that keeping a distance was also good. But the one who really worried him was never Xing Yusheng, but Miao, who was always unwilling to give up...
The next day, Xing Ji sent a team of elite soldiers to "escort" the bride-sending team from Liangguo to the capital.
As a married princess, Situ Yao did not show up directly according to the rules, but only greeted Xing Ji in the carriage.
Situ Jing returned to his serious state, as if the incident of going to Xing Ji drunkenly last night had never happened.
...
Capital.
Su Liang calculated the time, and Ren Dong should have arrived in Xiangyue City, Yan State, but she was alone and didn't know what the situation was.
Su Liang told Ren Dong that if she needed help, she could ask the assassins of Yanyun Tower in Xiangyue City for help, and gave her a token. Although Yan Shiba had taken many assassins to Liang State before, as the capital of Yan State, Xiangyue City must still have Yan Shiba's people.
As for whether Yan Shiba himself was still in Liang State, Su Liang was not sure.
July came in a blink of an eye.
Gu Ling would measure Su Liang's belly with a homemade cloth ruler every night, not missing any subtle changes. Sometimes Su Liang even felt that there was no change, Gu Ling would take out his "Little God Growth Record" book and show Su Liang the data from the previous day, indicating that their little god had grown a little bit...
Su Liang felt very happy that Gu Ling treated her pregnancy with a scientific research attitude. When she gave birth to the baby, Gu Ling would definitely become a fertility expert, knowing everything except that she couldn't give birth herself.
Earlier, Su Liang received news that the second prince Situ Jing was sent by Liang State to escort the bride, and he shared it with Qiu Cong immediately.
Qiu Cong asked Su Liang at that time, "Do you want me to arrest him and lock him up?"
Su Liang knew that Qiu Cong really wanted to do this, but it would not solve the problem.
Xing Ji should have received the news of the Xing family's trouble at this time, but Duanmu Chen did not allow him to return to Beijing to see Miao for the last time. Su Liang believed that Xing Ji would definitely think it through, but he would also blame himself and feel guilty.
Chang'an came to Su Mansion again and invited Su Liang and Gu Ling to the palace.
"Is someone sick in the palace?" Su Liang asked. Gu Ling was packing the medicine box.
Chang'an nodded, "There is a guest who is sick."
Su Liang quickly thought that the royal guest should be Situ Jing. He knew that he was somewhere in the capital, but Su Liang and Gu Ling had never seen him, and they were not interested in meeting him specifically. He was just here as a hostage, and there was nothing worth commenting on himself.
But now the marriage is going on, as the eldest grandson of Situ Xie and the brother of Situ Yao, Situ Jing can't get into trouble.
After Su Liang and Gu Ling entered the palace, they met Situ Jing in a palace. He had lost a lot of weight, his eyes were dim, but he still maintained his usual decency and smoothness. When he saw Su Liang and Gu Ling, he stood up and smiled and bowed, "Cousin, cousin, we meet again."
"What's wrong with you?" Su Liang asked directly.
Situ Jing sighed deeply, "I can't sleep well every night these days, I always have nightmares, and my body suddenly tingles, like..."
Su Liang frowned, "Do you think someone is cursing you with witchcraft?"
Situ Jing nodded, "I do think so. If so, is there a way to crack it?"
Su Liang first took Situ Jing's pulse, and there was really nothing wrong with his body. He was a hostage for a long time, but he was not abused.
Su Liang didn't believe in any witchcraft. Mu Ya had used that method against her before, but it had no effect on her.
She tends to think that Situ Jing is psychologically affected. He was detained for several months without freedom. He could not help but have wild thoughts, worried that he would never be able to go back, and worried that someone in his family would not want him to go back.
"If it's as you expected, the person who cast the spell on you is located in Yaocheng, Liang Kingdom." Su Liang looked calm, "I can only give you some medicine to calm your nerves and help you sleep."
Situ Jing nodded, "Thank you cousins."
After leaving the soothing medicine, Su Liang and Gu Ling were about to leave. When they reached the door, she turned back and asked, "I guess you already know who sent your sister to get married. What do you think about Situ Jing returning to the Liang royal family and becoming a prince?" What do you think?"
Situ Jing smiled, "He has been living abroad for many years and he can finally come home. I am very happy for him and hope that I can go back and reunite with my family soon."
Su Liang nodded, turned around and went out, saying to Gu Ling, "Situ Xie is the only grandson with his style. Unfortunately, there is only one throne, and he has too many grandsons."
When he saw Duanmu Chen, Su Liang mentioned Situ Jing's situation, and Duanmu Chen smiled, "Probably one of his brothers."
The one who competes with Situ Jing can't be anyone else.
Su Liang also thought so, if someone was really cursing Situ Jing and didn't want him to come back alive.
However, there is another possibility. No one is cursing Situ Jing, and even if there is, it has not affected him. His insomnia, nightmares, and body tingling are all disguised. He has been cured by Su Liang. When he returns to Liang Kingdom, he can use this as an excuse to deal with it. One of his brothers framed him.
No matter what, Su Liang had no interest in exploring. Her only attitude toward Situ was to fight harder.
"I've been thinking about a problem recently, and you guys are here. I want to ask your opinion." Duanmu Chen smiled.
At this time, Empress Dowager Xiao sent a maid to bring a cup of soup, which Duanmu Chen often drank.
"I won't let you." Duanmu Chen said to Su Liang, "I have been drinking this soup since I was a child and think it is good. I will give you the recipe later. Gu Ling, go back and make it for Su Liang to try."
After the previous turmoil, Duanmu Chen became more cautious about what he put in his mouth, and he also knew that Su Liang and Gu Ling were equally cautious.
Duanmu Chen waited until he drank half a bowl of soup before continuing the topic, "You know best how I got to this position. It can be said that without your help intentionally or unintentionally, it would be difficult for me to get to where I am today. Looking back Looking at the current situation of my father and brothers, I feel a little sad. It’s not that I sympathize with some people, but I am just thinking, must the royal family be like this? If I have a son, will I have the same relationship as a family member in the future? A broken road?"
Su Liang raised his eyebrows. Duanmu Chen started to consider this matter not long after he became emperor, which surprised her.
However, she knew very well that Duanmu Chen definitely did not regret dealing with Duanmu Yi and the other princes. If he had a chance to do it again, he would only be more ruthless.
What Duanmu Chen is worried about now is that his future sons will follow his same path.
The saying "Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you" does not apply to the struggle for imperial power.
To put it bluntly, Duanmu Chen could get rid of his brothers and father in order to gain power, but he didn't want his son to do the same.
This is double standard behavior, but it is not incomprehensible.
"No one can predict what will happen in the future." Su Liang said.
Duanmu Chen hummed, "Nonsense."
Su Liang could only talk nonsense. Because there is nothing to say about this kind of thing, we can't suggest that Duanmu Chen only has one son.
This world advocates having more children and bringing happiness, especially to the royal family, so it is necessary to have more sons. In the case of low medical standards, if a son died of illness or was killed, if there were no other sons to inherit the throne, the imperial power would not be passed on to his descendants as desired.
Therefore, one or two princes are definitely not enough, and ten or eight princes are not too many.
Su Liang believed that Duanmu Chen would have many sons in the future. Those princes would be born and grow up in the vortex of power. Some battles are just cycles of history and cannot be avoided.
"I will teach my children well." Duanmu Chen sighed.
Su Liang believed it, but whether it was useful or not would only be known in the future. However, it would be a good thing if Duanmu Chen had such awareness from the beginning and could have better control over the royal family. It all depends on human effort.
"How many children do you plan to have?" Duanmu Chen changed the subject.
Su Liang smiled and said, "Let it go."
"You are all so good, you can have more children." Duanmu Chen said.
Su Liang smiled and said nothing. She didn't think there was anything wrong with this, but she didn't agree with it either. This is a matter between her and Gu Ling. They have nothing to do with anyone else, and they won't listen to other people's opinions.
…
The Xing family's ancestral tomb is not in the capital. Xing Yuyang wants to send the Miao family's coffin back to the former Beijing Palace for burial, and then stay there to observe mourning.
Old Mrs.
Originally Mrs. Xing wanted Xing Yuyang to observe filial piety in her hometown for three years, but she was afraid that she would be too far away to control him and cause trouble again, so she tentatively decided for one year.
On the day of departure, after Xing Yuyan begged hard, Duanmu Chen nodded and agreed that she would leave the palace to see Miao off, but she had to keep a low profile and not make a big fanfare.
Xing Yuyan returned to Zhongxinhou Mansion again, knelt beside Miao's coffin and cried until she almost fainted.
Finally, the serving nun pulled her up and told her that it was time to return to the palace, but Xing Yuyan fainted.
Mrs. Xing quickly called the doctor in the mansion, thinking that Xing Yuyan was too sad and did not send anyone to invite Su Liang.
The doctor looked at it and said it was suspected to be a happy pulse, but he was not sure. After all, dragon species are involved, and the stakes are high.
After hearing this, Old Lady Xing sent someone to invite Doctor Gao to come to her house.
After Doctor Gao checked, it was confirmed that it was a happy pulse, but the time was too short. Recently, Xing Yuyan was restless and her pulse was unstable, so she needed to stay in bed to rest.
Old Lady Xing asked Doctor Gao to come to the side and asked him alone to determine when she was pregnant.
Doctor Gao gave a rough time, before Old Lady Xing and Miao came to visit the palace. And the secret recipe for having a child that killed Miao was the one she secretly gave to Xing Yuyan that time.
In other words, when Xing Yuyan gave Duanmu Chen the medicine, she was actually pregnant.
After Old Lady Xing sent Doctor Gao away, she felt a severe headache and lay there dumbly without saying a word. Seeing this, Xing Yusheng asked Qi Yan to quickly invite Su Liang to come.
When Su Liang and Gu Ling arrived at the Xing family, Xing Yuyan had been taken back to the palace by Duanmu Chen who had received the news.
Su Liang sat beside Old Lady Xing's bed, felt her pulse, and sighed, "It's already come to this, don't think too much. My foster father is at the border, and the family still needs Old Lady Xing to support us."
Before entering the house, Xing Yusheng had already told Su Liang the reason.
Su Liang sighed in his heart. No wonder Old Lady Xing couldn't stand it. Who could easily get over such a bad thing that suddenly became twice as bad?
If the medicine had been in Miao's hands a few days later, nothing would have happened.
Su Liang gave Old Lady Xing a few injections, and she gradually regained consciousness. She looked at Su Liang and shed tears, "It's my fault that I didn't help Ji'er manage this family well..."
Su Liang comforted her a few more times, knowing that Old Lady Xing was upset at the moment and couldn't listen, so he made her a bowl of soothing soup and watched her fall asleep before leaving.
Xing Yusheng sent Su Liang to the gate. He looked haggard recently. He sighed and said, "I always trouble you with my family's affairs. After today, there should be nothing to worry about."
"Take good care of your grandmother and don't worry about anything else." Su Liang got in the car and left.
Before he got home, Chang'an caught up again and asked Su Liang to go to the palace.
This time it was for Xing Yuyan. Although Duanmu Chen didn't want to see her recently, she was pregnant with Duanmu Chen's child.
"Take a look at her again to see if the medicine she took before would be bad for the child." Duanmu Chen was worried that Xing Yuyan's private use of drugs of unknown origin would harm the child.
Su Liang couldn't see anything from her pulse. She had confirmed that the medicine was non-toxic before.
Duanmu Chen was happy to learn that Xing Yuyan was pregnant, but she was speechless to her. It was a good thing that turned out like this.
Su Liang looked at the prescription for pregnancy protection prescribed by the old doctor Gao and felt that there was no problem. As for Xing Yuyan's sadness after losing her mother, she couldn't do anything about it.
…
After leaving the palace, Su Liang thought of Xing Yuyan's matter and sighed again, "You must cherish your blessings and never do such things."
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