It was originally a banquet for the envoys of the Yan Kingdom to welcome the envoys, but in the end Su Liang became the center of attention.
And it was caused by the interference of Mu Ya, the envoy of Yan Kingdom.
Someone has already been ordered by the emperor to invite Ning Jing into the palace. Wine and food are served, music is played, and people drink and drink in a harmonious and warm atmosphere.
They are all representations.
Duanmu Sheng's proposal of marriage failed, and his expression returned to normal. The eyes that occasionally fell on Su Liang were a little gloomy.
Duanmu Chen tasted the food carefully, with a faint smile on his lips, and was not affected in any way by his failure to propose marriage.
Duanmu Che's face had turned cold since Su Liang said she was engaged to Ning Jing, and it never regained its warmth.
Lin Xie, who was sitting with him, drank in silence.
The two of them were very close to each other, but a gap suddenly opened between the two cousins who were once close.
Mu Ya had already gotten over the haze of her failure in today's competition, and her hearty laughter kept ringing out. She could still laugh with great sincerity when talking to Duan Mu Yi about the climate of Yan Country.
Many people had no intention of looking at the beautiful piano player, and their eyes fell on Su Liang from time to time.
But Su Liang was calm, and it wasn't just on the surface.
If she felt any uneasiness at the moment, it was because of Nian Jincheng, Nian Jincheng's friend, not herself.
Xing Yusheng asked Su Liang in a low voice, "When Ningjing comes, you may be asked to avoid it."
"I know." Su Liang nodded, "It's okay."
She and Ningjing have lived together for so long, and they still have a tacit understanding. She believes in Ningjing.
Even if her secret was exposed and she was found guilty of deceiving the emperor, she would never be able to marry any prince, because she originally came to Beijing not to seek a future, but to avenge the Su family.
Participating in martial arts is only a means, not an end.
Therefore, she could afford any consequences. At the worst, it might be better to give up this identity and the fame gained through hard work and hide in secret to investigate.
Xing Yusheng sighed. He knew the power of imperial power very well.
Among the princes who expressed their interest in Su Liang today, Duanmu Sheng was interested in Su Liang's status as the top martial artist, Duanmu Chen seemed to be joining in the fun, Duanmu Ao obviously had a grudge against Su Liang, and only Duanmu Che seemed to be sincerely moved.
It just so happens that Duanmu Che is Duanmu Yi's most beloved son...
Peace came faster than expected.
The old eunuch beside Duanmu Yi appeared behind Su Liang like a ghost and asked her to sit in the side hall.
"Okay, please lead the way, father-in-law." Su Liang stood up and followed.
Everyone's eyes turned to the entrance of the palace.
Then a young father-in-law led Ning Jing in and reported to Duan Mu Yi that Ning Jing was outside the palace, waiting to take Su Liang home.
Ning Jing is wearing a plain gown, with a face like a crown jade, clear eyes, and a tall and straight posture, like an immortal.
After the salute, Duanmu Yi asked, "I heard that you and Su Liang, the current number one scholar in martial arts, are sworn brothers and sisters?"
"Yes." Ning Jing nodded slightly.
Duanmu Yi smiled, "Are they just siblings?"
Ning Jing was stunned for a moment, and some people present became excited.
I heard him say, "Actually, we are an unmarried couple, but we are not married yet, so we call ourselves brother and sister."
Xing Yusheng breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Duanmu Che's eyes dimmed and he clenched the tea cup in his hand.
Lin Xian lowered his head and smiled to himself.
Muya's eyes flickered, and she seemed to be smiling. Her goal had been achieved.
"Is there any token to prove it?" Duanmu Yi asked.
Ning Jing nodded gently, "Yes."
After finishing speaking, he raised his left hand and pulled his sleeve down, revealing a string of fragrant wood beads on his wrist. It was not very delicate, and each bead had a different shape, including a small star, a small crescent, and a small circle.
Balls, small squares...
"This is a token given to me by Su Liang, made by her own hands. She is also wearing the bracelet I gave her, made by myself. The two bracelets are made from the same piece of fragrant wood." Ning Jing said respectfully.
Xing Yusheng:...That's it, you still don't mean they're not a couple?
The old eunuch stood at the door of the side hall and nodded to Duanmu Yi, indicating that he had confirmed that Su Liang had a fragrant wood bracelet made of the same material.
In fact, Ning Jing and Su Liang were paired with more than just this, there was also a wooden hairpin given by Nian Jincheng.
But neither of them wore them.
Fortunately, I didn't wear it. If I had worn it today, it would have been more troublesome.
Because Mu Ya had seen the wooden hairpin Nian Jincheng bought and could recognize it at a glance.
And Nian Jincheng cannot have unknown friends, otherwise, people will definitely suspect that the friend is Gu Ling.
"When do you plan to get married?" Duanmu Yi's smile faded.
Ning Jing said, "She didn't get hairpin until the end of last year. We all had to go to Beijing to take the exam, so we couldn't take care of it for the moment. We originally planned to wait for the imperial examination to end, then choose an auspicious day in the second half of the year to return to Xunyang City to get married."
Duanmu Yi laughed and said, "The man is talented and the woman is beautiful, one is civilized and the other military, they are a perfect match."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Ning Jing said respectfully.
Duanmu Che's heart sank, but Lin Qian raised his head, watched Su Liang come back from the side hall, and looked at Ning Jing.
Lin Wei breathed a long sigh of relief, and the unwillingness in his heart dissipated. But he was still deeply disappointed, not with Su Liang, but with Duanmu Che beside him.
Duanmu Yi gave Ning Jing a seat, and as a family member of Wu Zhuangyuan, he sat next to Su Liang.
Su Liang took out a orange orange from the medicine box, peeled it clean and handed it to Ning Jing.
Ningjing took it naturally and put it in his mouth.
Xing Yusheng felt that he was going blind. Do you want to show affection like this? Bully his wife for not coming?
From beginning to end, Ning Jing and Su Liang didn't say a word, but it seemed to everyone that Lang Youqing was interested in concubine. That kind of light emotion and tacit understanding made the two of them a world of their own.
This is how the marriage controversy ended.
Many people thought that Duanmu Yi would take advantage of the situation to grant marriage to Ning Jing and Su Liang, but that didn't happen.
Mu Ya didn't stir up trouble again after Ning Jing came.
When the palace banquet ended, it was already very late.
Xing Ji and Xing Yusheng, father and son, walked side by side in front. Xing Yusheng looked back at the two people behind him from time to time.
Su Liang held a tangerine in her hand and occasionally smelled it. She said she liked the smell.
Ning Jing carried the medicine box and walked beside Su Liang. The two were not close to each other, but the hems of their clothes occasionally bumped into each other.
"I thought you left." Su Liang said.
Ning Jing nodded, "I went to the restaurant to have dinner." Then he came back to wait for Su Liang.
Su Liang didn't think much about it, because Ning Jing had actually been protecting her, she knew it, and this matter had been discussed a long time ago.
Ning Jing said that as long as Su Liang is still with him, he will be responsible for Su Liang's safety.
Because the initial deal between the two of them was for Su Liang to work for Ningjing.
Lin Wei pushed Duanmu Che's wheelchair and walked behind. He could see the backs of Su Liang and Ning Jing from a distance.
"Cousin, I'm going home tonight." Lin Wei put away the enthusiastic tone before and became much colder.
Duanmu Che naturally knew the reason. He frowned and said, "I said I was just trying to save Su Liang from the siege and prevent her from marrying the prince as a concubine. Do you believe it?"
Lin Wei shook his head, "I don't believe it. Compared with you, Duanmu Chen seems to be trying to save Su Liang."
"Did you say that if you want to pursue her, I can't have any thoughts about her?" Duanmu Che asked coldly.
Lin Wei sighed softly, "Of course you can, very well. But I suddenly discovered that you are a person without any principles. Because you have a prejudice against her, everything she does is wrong. Because you are tempted, you feel that she has nothing to do with her.
Okay, there is no doubt anymore? Cousin, I originally thought you were overly cautious. There is nothing wrong with being born into a royal family. But now I realize that you are arrogant."
Duanmu Che's face darkened, "I didn't. Don't you want me to abandon my prejudice against her? Why are you not satisfied with it after I changed it?"
Lin Wei shook his head, "We are not talking about the same thing. Why did you change it? Is it because you believe that she cannot be Sesaku? Or is it because you were amazed by her charming appearance on the competition stage and fell in love with her?"
"The results are the same, why bother worrying about the reasons?" Duanmu Che asked.
"You are really lenient with self-discipline and strict with others." Lin Xian sneered, "Where is the energy to insist on your opinion without any evidence? Su Liang is really strong, shouldn't you be more suspicious of her?
Someone secretly trained Seozu? Now it’s not important whether she is Seozuo, it’s that you want her. Then, it’s not actually important whether she was Seozuo at the beginning. It’s more important that you hate her and don’t want to see her, right?”
"You!" Duanmu Che looked angry, "Are you going to turn against me because of a woman?"
As he spoke, he had already reached the entrance of the palace.
Uncle Huang and the carriage were waiting not far away. Lin Xian pushed Duanmu Che over with a confused expression, "When my grandfather passed away, he left his last words and asked me to take care of you. I will spend at least three months every year in the capital to accompany you.
, I will spend another three months to find a famous doctor for you. You were so angry with Su Liang that I invited her back again and begged her to heal you. I treat you as my own brother, what do you think of me? You are in the palace
When you said those words, did you ever think about my feelings?"
"Cousin, something happened suddenly today. I was impulsive at the time. I hope you can forgive me." Duanmu Che frowned.
Lin Wei didn't answer. He carried Duanmu Che from the wheelchair into the carriage, but he didn't get up. He said calmly, "Actually, I know that you have the ability to protect yourself. You are not as weak as you appear. It's just that I once thought wishfully.
You need a relative. I saw tonight that your father loves you very much. The Lin family is in decline, and I have no big ambitions. I can't help you much. It's time to go home and be with my parents. Take care."
Uncle Huang was stunned. By the time he reacted, Lin Wei had already walked away.
"Master, this..." Uncle Huang wanted to chase him, but he saw Duanmu Che's face was gloomy.
"Everyone has his own ambitions, so there's no need to force yourself." Duanmu Che said coldly, "Let's go."
Passing by a carriage, he saw Su Liang standing beside him. Uncle Huang took the initiative to greet her, "Miss Su!"
Su Liang heard the sound, but ignored it.
Uncle Huang was confused and asked Duanmu Che what happened.
"Nothing, I was deceived by that woman." Duanmu Che snorted coldly.
…
The carriage left near the palace and reached a secluded place. Su Liang sat down closest to the carriage door and spoke to Ning Jing in a low voice.
Naturally, he was talking about Nian Jincheng.
As for the engagement between the two of them tonight and the love tokens, no one mentioned it again.
Ning Jing's expression did not change, "Ask Yan Shiba to save him."
Su Liang was stunned for a moment, "Yes, why did I forget her? She came here a few days ago, but disappeared again. She should still be in the capital. I will go to Huguo Temple tomorrow to have a look. I suspect she is harassing Cheng
cloud."
After entering the house, Su Liang jumped out of the car and heard Ning Jing say, "If you really want to get married and I'm going to help you solve your trouble, you have to agree to one condition."
Su Liang sighed slightly, "Okay. If the master has any conditions, just mention them and I will think about it. If it doesn't work, I will run away."
Ning Jing tied up the horse and shook his head, "I haven't thought about it yet, just give me an IOU. When I think of it, I'll ask you to cash it in."