When We Haven't Been Here

It had just rained, and the air was fresh and cool.

Qi Jun moved a large table to the lakeside, put a pot of warm water, a pot of hot tea, a pot of good wine, and fresh fruits and snacks on it, and all the young and old in the mansion sat together to watch Gu Ling and Situ Jing fight.

Zheng'er sat next to Su Liang, and asked with sparkling eyes, "Aunt, who will win?"

"Guess." Su Liang smiled.

Zheng'er smiled, "Then I guess Uncle Beauty will win!" He had called Ning Uncle and Uncle-in-law before, and now Zheng'er called Gu Ling Uncle Beauty. He said that this would reflect the most obvious characteristics of his favorite uncle.

Qiu Cong refused to sit down, and was busy greeting everyone, as if he was organizing a martial arts competition. He was not worried that Situ Jing would be beaten at all, and hoped that the fight would be as intense as possible.

In fact, Situ Jing and Gu Ling were both Qiu Cong's disciples. Once.

Putting aside Nangong Lin, Situ Jing and Gu Ling's swordsmanship comes from the same source. Qiu Cong has taught Gu Ling his most powerful tricks, but has not taught Situ Jing yet.

This is a duel whose outcome is known before it even starts.

Situ Jing, the person involved, also knows it. But he also wants to fight this battle, to see how big the gap between him and Gu Ling is.

Although Qiu Cong is the successor of Luoying swordsmanship, he does not have Luoying sword.

The Luoying sword was originally lost to the Peng family of Liang State, and later General Peng gave it to the Beijing Palace of the then Gan State. Now it has been given to Su Liang by Xing Ji.

But Gu Ling did not use the Luoying sword, but took out a wooden sword. That was one of the wooden weapons he made when he taught Su Liang swordsmanship in Sujia Village.

Seeing this, Qiu Cong took Situ Jing's sword and went to borrow his sword from Zheng'er.

When Zheng'er was in the capital, he was in the Su Mansion almost every day. Sometimes he lived here. His toys were all here, including a wooden sword, which was also given by Gu Ling.

Zheng'er readily agreed and did not say that it was forbidden to break. If it was broken, he would ask Uncle Meiren for a new one.

"Okay, let's start." Qiu Cong cleared his throat and said to Gu Ling and Situ Jing. His eyes fell on the lake not far away, and he added, "Whoever loses, jump into the lake!"

Situ Jing, who had just raised the wooden sword: ...

Zheng'er cheered, "Okay, okay! Let's start!"

Old Mu shouted, "Whoever loses will be hung on a tree and beaten!"

Qiu Cong snorted, "Get out!" He can educate his grandson, and Old Mu will stand aside.

...

The competition was very exciting. Both of them used the Luoying sword technique. Gu Ling did not use any tricks, but still suppressed Situ Jing.

"Did my apprentice really learn swordsmanship from you? It looks the same as your grandson's, but it's not quite the same." Old Mu came to Qiu Cong to analyze.

Qiu Cong squinted his eyes. When he taught Gu Ling his special moves, he discovered that Gu Ling was a martial arts genius with excellent comprehension and would not stick to the rules no matter what he learned.

Situ Jing used the most authentic Luoying swordsmanship, every move was very standard, and the speed and strength were not bad at all.

But Gu Ling made some seemingly subtle changes to make it faster and more powerful.

And when it comes to adaptability, Situ Jing and Gu Ling are really a step behind.

Qiu Cong felt that the significance of this competition had been achieved. Winning or losing is not important. The important thing is to let Situ Jing see the gap with Gu Ling and learn from Gu Ling. Jealousy is the most useless emotion, and the emotional problems that bother Situ Jing should be completely eliminated from today.

Gu Ling's ability to have such an understanding is inseparable from his life mentality that is far beyond ordinary people, which is also Su Liang's strength. Living with them, Qiu Cong saw that they took everything seriously and did their best.

At the moment, it was just a duel, and the only thing Situ Jing, who was bound to lose, could show off was martial arts, but Gu Ling was a versatile person, and he was even less likely than other Situ Jings.

The rhythm was all controlled by Gu Ling, from the beginning to the end.

When Situ Jing's wooden sword broke into two pieces, the two retreated at the same time.

Zheng'er exclaimed, "My sword! That was given by Uncle Meiren!"

Gu Ling's expression was indifferent, "Let him compensate you."

Zheng'er blinked his big black eyes, nodded and said, "Then let Uncle Beibei compensate me!" In this way, when he asks Uncle Meiren for another sword, he will have two new ones!

Situ Jing was a little frustrated, although he knew he would lose before the fight. But at that time he thought Gu Ling would use a special move to make him lose badly.

As a result, Gu Ling did not use a special move, and Situ Jing lost without suspense.

And Situ Jing knew best that Gu Ling's swordsmanship was also taught by Nangong Lin, and it was the same as his. The difference now is that it is all Gu Ling's own things.

Situ Jing leaned over to pick up the half of the wooden sword on the ground, and then he saw the exquisite patterns engraved on it. Looking closely, the patterns formed many "Zheng" characters. This was carved by Gu Ling himself and given to Zheng'er.

"I lost." Situ Jing looked at Gu Ling and said these three words, convinced.

In fact, he has always known that there is a gap between him and Gu Ling. Today, he just realized more clearly how ridiculous his jealousy was.

It has something to do with their mothers being sisters, with the blood of the Situ family flowing in their bodies, with their masters being Nangong Lin, and with his love for Su Liang... but it is not that important.

Situ Jing now feels that the biggest reason for his jealousy of Gu Ling is that he regards Gu Ling as an imaginary enemy, because he needs such a person to exist, needs a goal, otherwise he doesn't know how to face the reality of life...

All along, everyone thinks that Situ Jing likes Su Liang and he wants to get Su Liang. The former is true, the latter is not.

In fact, in Situ Jing's heart, Su Liang and Lin Qi have similar status. They are both the warmth and light that appeared in his dark life, and they are the people he longs for.

Rather than saying that Situ Jing wants to get Su Liang, it is better to say that he wants to be like Su Liang, free and easy, and have a strong heart.

In other words, Situ Jing has been trapped by love for the first 20 years of his life. After knowing Su Liang, the feelings that troubled him included the feelings with Su Liang, but it was only a small part of them.

After letting go of his "jealousy" for Gu Ling, Situ Jing also admitted that Gu Ling and Su Liang were a perfect match made in heaven.

"Jing'er, accept the loss and jump down!" Qiu Cong pointed to the lake and said to Situ Jing. His purpose was not to embarrass Situ Jing, but just to make him integrate into this family and relax a little.

Zheng'er ran over and took Situ Jing to the lake, "I'll jump with Uncle Beibei. I want to go swimming! Let's catch fish together!"

Situ Jing felt that Zheng'er wanted to comfort him and was afraid that he would lose face, so he was very moved.

Situ Jing carried Zheng'er into the water. Nangong Qian stood on the shore and asked, "Is the water cold?"

"Not cold!" Zheng'er answered happily.

Qiu Cong found the handheld fishing net made by Gu Ling and threw it to Situ Jing.

In the end, they really caught a fat fish. Zheng'er said to Situ Jing, "Uncle Meiren's fried fish is the best in the world!"

Situ Jing shook his head, "I can't eat it."

Zheng'er whispered, "Then when it's done, I'll hide a piece for Uncle Beibei to eat."

Situ Jing smiled, "Okay."

...

Su Liang can't eat fish recently, Zheng'er begged Gu Ling to make fried fish nuggets, and Gu Ling made a large plate.

"Can I take it to eat with Grandpa Qiu and Grandpa Mu?" Zheng'er asked.

Gu Ling nodded, and Zheng'er ran away with the plate.

Someone from Liangguo Inn came again to ask when Situ Jing would go back, and he asked Qi Jun to tell the person that he would go back.

And Situ Jing didn't leave, just waiting to eat the fried fish that Zheng'er said he would secretly share with him.

Zheng'er came, followed by Qiu Cong and Lao Mu.

The two old men, one big and one small, the four of them quickly ate up the fried fish made by Gu Ling.

Lao Mu felt that it was not enough, "My apprentice's cooking skills are getting better and better, but there are too few."

Qiu Cong said to Situ Jing, "You should learn to cook when you have time, otherwise you won't be able to marry a wife. Don't think about the boy from the Lin family, he likes a girl named Yuan."

Situ Jing: ... Since when does marrying a wife have to do with whether you can cook? But Gu Ling's cooking skills are really impeccable.

As for the matter between Lin Qi and Yuan Ying, Situ Jing only found out today. And he also knew that Yuan Ying's grandmother, Madam Yue, originally wanted to marry her granddaughter to the Prince of Yue's mansion. But Yuan Ying betrayed Madam Yue and Situ Xie, otherwise Xing Ji would have died.

…

It was not until the evening that Situ Jing finally returned to the Liangguo Inn. The clothes he wore were borrowed from Qi Jun. Because his clothes were wet.

After entering the hall of the Inn and seeing the two coffins placed, Situ Jing called someone to set up a mourning hall here.

Situ Jing rushed over after hearing the news, "Second Prince, Yao'er will soon get married from the Inn. If a mourning hall is set up here, I'm afraid the Emperor will find it unlucky." He suppressed his anger and used Duanmu Chen to stop Situ Jing.

Situ Jing didn't get angry like he did in the morning. He was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's right. Then I'll find another place to bury the remains of my adoptive parents."

Situ Jing was surprised. He didn't expect Situ Jing to be so easy to talk to suddenly, but it would be great if he could get the coffins of Chen's father and mother away.

Situ Jing asked if Situ Jing had anything to do with being called to the Su Mansion today.

Situ Jing just said that his grandfather asked him to go there for dinner.

As for the matter of returning to Gan Country, Situ Jing agreed with Gu Ling not to make it public for the time being, because he wanted to send the coffins of Chen's father and mother back to Xuanbei City for burial. After arriving in Xuanbei City, he would give Situ Jing and Liang Country a "surprise".

After all, it would soon be the day for Situ Yao to enter the palace. If Situ Jing suddenly turned hostile at this time, some things would be difficult to continue without face.

This was also what Duanmu Chen meant.

Situ Jing said he would find another place, but he just moved his adoptive parents' coffin out of the hall of the post house and put it in an empty yard, still in the post house.

Situ Jing asked Situ Jing if he had any hope of winning over his grandfather Qiu Cong to return to Liang together.

Situ Jing said yes, he would have more contact with Qiu Cong and Nangong Qian next, and try to persuade them before leaving.

Situ Jing was slightly relieved, thinking that he and Situ Yao had been over-worried before. It seems that after Situ Jing contacted the Su Mansion, his relationship with Su Liang and Gu Ling became worse.

…

Situ Jing would go to the Su Mansion every day, and usually leave after having lunch at the Su Mansion.

And Duanmu Chen sent people to the post house to send gifts to Situ Yao several times. There was no fanfare, but the gifts were very thoughtful and more sincere.

When Su Liang met Old Lady Xing again, she thought she would ask about Situ Yao's upcoming entry into the palace as a concubine, but Old Lady Xing did not mention Situ Yao at all. She only talked about Xing Ji, fearing that he was sad because of Miao's death and didn't know when he would be able to come back.

Su Liang said that the emperor would soon arrange a general to go to the north, and if the situation was stable, she would ask the emperor to give Xing Ji a leave to visit his family.

Old Lady Xing was looking forward to it. She knew that what Su Liang said would never be false.

As for how many women there are in the harem and who Duanmu Chen prefers, Old Lady Xing knows very well that this is not her business, nor is it something Su Liang can interfere with. Moreover, after the previous incident, Old Lady Xing was very disappointed with Xing Yuyan. Now she has nothing to ask for, but only hopes that she will be more obedient and take good care of the baby.

...

Soon, it was the day for Situ Yao to get married.

Situ Jing knew very well that Duanmu Chen's enthusiasm for Situ Yao was not real, but he did not remind Situ Yao. Because, it had nothing to do with him. He hated Situ Xie, and did not vent his anger on Situ Jing and Situ Yao. No matter how he treated them, he could not help them at all.

Situ Jing did what he should do, and watched Situ Yao get married and enter the palace of Qianguo.

Situ Jing acted guilty and reluctant, and even a little sad, saying, "My younger sister is marrying far away, it's all my fault."

Situ Jing knew in his heart that Situ Jing actually blamed him.

But Situ Jing didn't think it was his responsibility at all, because the culprit was Situ Xie.

And seeing Situ Jing's depressed mood, Situ Jing wanted to say, "I really don't want your sister to marry here. When you learned that Gan Guo asked her to marry in exchange for you, why didn't you commit suicide?"

Of course, Situ Jing didn't say it, because there was no need.

In four days, they will leave the capital of Gan Guo and return to Liang Guo.

But this is what Situ Jing thought. Situ Jing will go with him, but will not return to Liang Guo.

...

After Situ Yao entered the palace, she became the only imperial concubine under the queen, and was named Liang.

After Su Liang learned about it, although he felt that this title was in line with Situ Yao's identity from the Liang Guo royal family, he still felt that it was not auspicious. Generally speaking, when a person is cold, he is gone.

But a title doesn't mean anything. When the princess of Yan Guo marries here, there will be another imperial concubine Yan.

And how Situ Yao spends her days in the harem of Gan Guo depends on herself. Unlike Situ Jing, she would not be threatened by her grandfather Situ Xie, who had watched her grow up. If she really wanted to do something for Liangguo and wanted to persuade Duanmu Chen, she would do it completely on her own initiative.

On the second day after Situ Yao entered the palace, Su Liang received news that Duanmu Chen did not attend the morning court. This was the first time since he ascended the throne.

Therefore, there were indeed many officials in the court who were worried that the beauty from Liangguo would fascinate Duanmu Chen.

Su Liang just found it funny. Duanmu Chen might really be very happy to be a bridegroom and want to relax. This is nothing. He is the emperor, but he is also a normal man, and Situ Yao is indeed an outstanding beauty. However, to say that Duanmu Chen was fascinated? It's still too much.

Qiu Cong has decided to go to Xuanbei City with Situ Jing to keep an eye on him and protect him.

This day, Situ Jing came to Su Mansion again and met Qiu Cong first, and then they came together to find Gu Ling and Su Liang.

As soon as he entered the door, Qiu Cong said, "There is something serious. Jing'er has an idea. He can tell Liangguo that he pretended to betray you and deceived you, so that he can stay in Ganguo as a spy! How about it? Is it better?"

Su Liang blinked and smiled without saying anything.

Gu Ling placed a newly assembled mechanical tree, sat back next to Su Liang, looked at Situ Jing, and asked back indifferently, "You deceived us?"

Situ Jing's face froze, and he turned around and left.

Qiu Cong didn't react, "What do you mean? Jing'er, why did you leave? I haven't finished talking!"

Situ Jing's voice came from outside the door, "Situ Xie will not believe that I have the ability to deceive Gu Ling and Su Liang."

Qiu Cong coughed a few times, "That's true." After speaking, he waved to Su Liang and Gu Ling, "Pretend we have never been here!" After speaking, he disappeared.

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