In the early morning, before Su Liang woke up, the stunningly beautiful face she saw last night appeared in her mind.
"To look like that and have special abilities, could it be that some god descended to earth and experienced calamity?"
This idea came to Su Liang's mind, and she sat up. Thinking of the pumpkin and eggplant that came with Gu to "chase her", she chuckled and looked forward to tonight's dumplings.
Setting off again, the difficulty for Su Liang was not riding on horseback, but having to pretend to be sad all the time.
In order to save trouble, she simply tired a little and kept running at the front so that no one could see her expression clearly.
It was another whole day without a break, and we checked into the inn at nightfall.
The waiter brought hot water, Su Liang took a bath, changed her clothes, and had some dinner, hoping to save some room for dumplings.
When her hair was dry, Su Liang braided two braids and hung them behind her shoulders.
When Gu Ling appeared, she read two pages of the medical book.
The sound of stones hitting the back window sounded, and Su Liang blew out the lights in the room.
Su Liang stood at the wall next door and stared at the people here before going back to report to Commander Fan. Su Liang fell asleep.
…
After running, taking off, and crossing the courtyard wall, Su Liang landed steadily, and saw a tall figure under the tree not far away. He looked very familiar.
Su Liang walked over briskly and approached, seeing that Gu Ling was still wearing the exquisite wooden carving mask.
"Where are the dumplings?" Su Liang asked. His hands were empty.
Without hearing Gu Ling's reaction, Su Liang saw him looking behind her, thinking someone was there, and immediately turned back to check.
When she turned her head, a braid fell into Gu Ling's hand.
The alley was silent, there was no third person.
Su Liang withdrew her gaze and watched speechlessly as Gu Ling grabbed one of her braids and looked down, as if he was studying some mysterious mechanism...
"Is it four shares divided equally?" Gu Ling asked.
Su Liang: ...When she was a child, her grandmother braided her hair into four strands. She braided it by herself tonight. There are so many hairs, how can she divide them evenly? Can she count them one by one?
Su Liang, unable to complain, hummed, "I divided the points evenly. If you don't believe me, count them."
After saying this, Su Liang instantly regretted it and felt a little embarrassed. He coughed lightly and said, "I'm just kidding, I didn't ask you to really count. Let go."
Gu Ling let go and his braid fell back to Su Liang's chest. He seemed to have done nothing and naturally answered Su Liang's previous question, "The dumplings are somewhere else." After saying that, he walked in one direction.
Su Liang quickly followed.
Soon they arrived at another inn. The two of them entered through the back door and arrived at a small courtyard.
This was bought by Gu Ling and came with a small kitchen.
When she reached the door, Su Liang heard the sound of water boiling.
Gu Ling walked in and leaned over to add firewood.
Su Liang saw that there was clear water in the wooden basin, so she went to wash her hands. The water was warm to her hands, which was the most comfortable temperature.
After washing her hands, Su Liang wiped them with a handkerchief. When she walked over, she saw that the chopping board was covered with wrapped dumplings. At first glance, they were made by Gu Ling himself. The two shapes and sizes were almost exactly the same, and they were very delicate.
.
"I'll cook it." Su Liang thought she should do something.
When the dumplings were put into the pot, Su Liang gently pushed them open with a spoon, and the hot steam hit his face.
Gu Ling stood not far behind Su Liang and stared at her braids for a while. Before Su Liang turned around, she washed her hands.
Soon, the dumplings came out of the pan.
Su Liang also took advantage of the time of cooking the dumplings to make two bowls of dipping sauce. The reason why she made two bowls was because there was nothing else. Gu Ling liked to be more jealous.
The two of them sat opposite each other in the room and ate supper. Su Liang picked one up, tasted it, and gave a thumbs up, "Master, you have the talent to become a god of cooking. The dumplings tonight are delicious. You can try to make more special ones in the future."
of."
It's really delicious, and it's made exactly according to Su Liang's recipe. The pumpkin I grew myself is most suitable for making dumpling fillings, and the saltiness is also right.
Different from dumplings filled with meat, pumpkin and egg fillings are fresh and delicious, which is Su Liang's favorite.
The only pity is that Gu Ling changed her face again tonight after showing Su Liang her true face last night. Otherwise, Su Liang felt that it would be even more perfect if she could taste delicious food and look at beautiful men.
But for Su Liang's sincere praise, Gu Ling's reaction was, "It's not as good as what you did."
Su Liang chuckled, "Let's discuss who will cook and who will light the fire in the future."
There were an odd number of dumplings, so Gu Ling took out two equal portions and placed the last one alone in a small bowl.
"Mine?" Su Liang stretched out his chopsticks.
Gu Ling shook his head, "Half for each person."
Su Liang: ...The great god is a fair person and very reasonable.
So, each of them ate half of the last dumpling.
Su Liang put down his chopsticks and sighed comfortably, "Thank you so much for the hospitality."
Gu Ling put away the dishes and took them to the kitchen. When he came out, he saw Su Liang standing under the eaves and looking at the moon.
"When are you leaving?" Su Liang asked.
Gu Ling shook his head slightly, "I'm not leaving."
Su Liang frowned, "Have you changed your mind? Are you not looking for your grandpa anymore?" He is not a hotheaded person.
"Uncle Liang will definitely come to you when he gets the news of Ning Jing's death." Gu Ling said.
Su Liang was stunned for a moment, "That's right. It's better this way. If your grandpa can't be trusted, he might take advantage of you if you take the initiative to come to the door. Uncle Liang will help spread the word and ask your grandpa to clear your identity as a rebel first, and then you can
Just show up."
"Yeah." Gu Ling nodded.
"Then what are your plans next?" Su Liang asked.
"No plan." Gu Ling looked calm.
The corner of Su Liang's lips curled up slightly, "If you have nothing to do, just be a secret guard for me. The emperor must think that Ningjing arranges the masters around him to protect me, so that something will happen to him. So you can't show your face, but you can exist.
"
"Okay." Gu Ling responded.
"Wen Gu's identity can't be used. Second Brother Lin knows it's you. If you want Ning Jing's identity to disappear completely, you have to cut it off." Su Liang said.
The Lin family has a deep relationship with the real Ningjing. In the past six months, Gu Ling pretended to be Ningjing and worked with Su Liang to help the Lin family get through several difficulties, but at the same time he also deceived them.
Now, they must not be allowed to think that Ning Jing is alive anymore, because Gu Ling will never use that identity again.
"How about you disguise yourself as an old man?" Su Liang suggested, "This way your martial arts will be very reasonable and people will not doubt your identity." Su Liang's eyes lit up as he said this, "I thought of you.
You can pretend to be my master! Anyway, everyone thinks that I am like this because I have an expert master."
Gu Ling's tone was faint, "But you tell people that your master is an eminent monk."
Su Liang subconsciously looked at Gu Ling's hair and blinked, "Actually, I think you will be the most beautiful monk in the world even if you shave your hair."
"Stop your random thoughts." Gu Ling's eyes were cold.
Su Liang coughed lightly, "Seriously, if you want to show up in public, you have to disguise yourself in a way that has nothing to do with your current appearance."
Disguise is not that magical. If Ning Jing dies and a man of the same age and build appears next to Su Liang, some people will definitely doubt that Ning Jing is alive. There are too many smart people in the capital, and those who are staring at Su Liang
There are also many.
"Secret guard." Gu Ling made his choice. Until he resumes using his true identity, he will no longer appear openly pretending to be someone else.
"That's fine." Su Liang nodded, "Thank you for taking care of me. I want to have chicken noodle soup for midnight tomorrow. Thank you. See you tomorrow at midnight."
After saying this, Su Liang ran away without giving Gu Ling a chance to refuse.
As a result, the next moment, her flying braid was caught by Gu Ling again.
Su Liang stopped with a look of helplessness, "I should shave my hair. Master, tell me what you have to say and don't do anything."
"You can't order food." Gu Ling said.
Su Liang raised his eyebrows, "There are late night snacks, but you can't order them? I agree. Master, you can do whatever you want."
After sending Su Liang back, Gu Ling returned to the inn where he was staying.
Sitting down by the bed, he pulled out the hairpin, and his black hair fell like a waterfall.
He grabbed a handful of hair and separated some more. The last bunch of hair in his hand was about the same thickness as one of Su Liang's braids. He started to count how many there were...
Su Liang fell asleep quickly after returning. She didn't know what someone was doing. If she knew, she would definitely complain, "I'm sick..."
…
Next, Su Liang was traveling during the day, and at night, he carried Commander Fan on his back and led them to Gu Ling for a late-night snack.
In order to avoid being caught by Gu Ling in her braids again, Su Liang never combed her braids again.
The night before arriving in the capital, Su Liang ate the chicken noodle soup she said she wanted to eat one day before.
"It's easy to deceive outsiders, but it's a bit difficult to pretend to be sad in front of friends." Su Liang sighed.
"Don't stay too long after arriving in the capital. Send the coffin back to Xunyang City." Gu Ling said.
It is summer now, but when Gu Ling left Beijing, "Ning Jing's" body had been placed in an ice cellar and had to be disposed of after Su Liang returned.
"That's fine. Their sadness is real and mine is fake. It feels very bad. It's better to separate and take it easy. It will be better if we meet again after a while." Su Liang said, "As for Duanmu Sheng, now
As long as he dies, I will be the biggest suspect. Let him live first and lose everything. Life is worse than death. Then wait until the right time and then take his life."
…
Before noon the next day, Su Liang rode into the capital.
"Miss Su!"
Hearing Qi Jun's voice, Su Liang tried his best to keep his face expressionless, but saw him running over from not far away.
"Master asked me to wait here for Miss Su!" Qi Jun said, sighing deeply and looking sad, "Master Ning has gone, Miss Su, please express your condolences!"
"Where is he?" Su Liang asked coldly.
Qi Jun was stunned for a moment, then realized that Su Liang was asking about "Ningjing's" body, so he quickly said, "In the Su Mansion, His Royal Highness the Fourth Prince arranged to build an ice cellar for storage."
"Where's Wan Cong?" Su Liang asked.
"In the Tianlao, waiting for questioning and execution." Qi Jun replied.
"I understand." Su Liang finished speaking, whipped up his horse, and headed in the direction of Su Mansion.
Soon, the news of Su Liang's return to Beijing spread, and everyone who saw her said that her face was as frosty as ice.
Qi Jun returned to Zhongxinhou Mansion to report to Xing Yusheng, and Commander Fan went to the palace to resume his duties.
Su Liang rode back to her home in the capital alone. Officers and soldiers were guarding the door of her home. When they saw she was coming back, they saluted solemnly.
Su Liang dismounted and walked in. It was late spring when she left, and many flowers in the house had not yet bloomed. Now when she comes back, fallen flowers are everywhere and the trees are green.
Su Liang was led to the ice cellar and shivered as soon as she entered.
"You all go out." Su Liang finished her words and walked towards the coffin alone.
Pushing open the cold coffin board, Su Liang saw the body of "Ning Jing".
Although she knew it was fake, seeing that extremely familiar face without any vitality still made her heart sink, and she suddenly felt a little sad.
The shroud was neatly worn and no wounds could be seen. The sleeves were very long. Su Liang suddenly thought of something and reached out to pull the left sleeve of the corpse.
She was slightly stunned when she found that there was no hand. Gu Ling never mentioned to her that this person's hand had also been chopped off, nor did she ask in detail how this person died.
Su Liang then thought that perhaps Gu Ling had cut off this person's hands on purpose, in order to avoid being discovered. Because the hands often bear the characteristics of a person, such as the hands of literati and martial arts practitioners.
Significantly different.
Su Liang didn't stay in the ice cellar for long before she came out and returned to the yard where she originally lived.
Pushing past Gu Ling's original room, it had been cleaned up completely, and there was no trace of any murder.
She returned to her room, everything was as before, she closed the doors and windows, sat down at the table, and breathed a sigh of relief.
When I left last time, I never thought about coming back. Many things have changed significantly, and now I can only take one step at a time.
Su Liang rested for a while, unpacked his baggage, and put away his things. Then he heard footsteps, and then Xing Yusheng's voice sounded, "Su Liang!"
Su Liang opened the door and saw Xing Yusheng walking over with Qi Jun.
"Ajun, go and watch the door." Xing Yusheng ordered.
"Yes." Qi Jun sat in the yard.
Xing Yusheng walked in and looked at Su Liang with concern, "Are you okay?"
Su Liang narrowed her eyes and said, "I'm fine."
"How could you be fine? Although I don't know if you and Ning Jing are really going to get married, anyone who is not blind can see that you two have a good relationship!" Xing Yusheng smashed the table with his fist, "You can cry if you want to, don't hold it back
Stay! No one will laugh at you!"
Su Liang shook his head, sat down, and said in a calm voice, "I don't want to cry."
Seeing her like this, Xing Yusheng felt that she was suppressing herself, "Su Liang, there is something I must tell you. The mastermind behind Ningjing's death was not Wan Cong, but Duanmu Sheng! Both Ajun and I saw with our own eyes that there was someone on the bed.
The word "blood" means the word "Sheng"! He must have found out who was going to harm him before he died!"
Su Liang frowned and said nothing.
"The emperor knew it, but he wanted to protect Duanmu Sheng!" Xing Yusheng still couldn't hide his anger, "No matter what you want to do, I will support you!"
Su Liang sighed slightly, "I know. But he is gone, and I don't want to do anything now."
Xing Yusheng frowned, "Su Liang, don't you want to avenge Ning Jing? This is not like you."
"Xing Yusheng, thank you. I know you are sad for Ning Jing and you care about me very much, but please don't mention that matter again." Su Liang lowered his head and said, "It is hard-won that your family can live in peace now.
, cherish it. You are not alone, you will get married soon, and you don’t have to do anything for me and Ningjing."
Xing Yusheng frowned, "I...I originally thought about letting my father rebel and seize the throne, so that you can take revenge and never suffer any grievance again."
Su Liang shook his head, "I understand what you mean, but don't think about this kind of thing anymore. I don't need it, and your father will never agree to it."
"Actually, I know that this idea is stupid, but I just want to do something for you..."
Tell the truth!"
"He has a soul in heaven, and he only hopes that the people he cares about live well." Su Liang whispered, "You should go back first, remember my words, and live your life well. I know what to do."
Su Liang shook his head, "Don't let her come, I don't want to see anyone now."
Xing Yusheng hesitated to speak, but finally took Qi Jun away.
When he was leaving, Qi Jun lowered his voice and asked, "Master, did you mention that to Miss Su?"
Xing Yusheng shook his head, "Don't mention it again."
…
Someone came from the palace, Su Liang changed clothes and went into the palace to meet the saint.
Duanmu Yi heard that Su Liang said that she wanted to send "Ningjing" back to Xunyang City for burial tomorrow. He only told her to grieve and return to Beijing as soon as possible after the funeral, so he let her leave the palace.
When Su Liang returned home and entered the room, she heard someone knocking on the wall next door.
Su Liang didn't go over either. He leaned against the wall and talked to Gu Ling, "Xue Qing might come over and cry to me later. What should I do?"
"I don't know." Gu Ling said.
"Master, if you want to accompany me back to Xunyang City, what should you do?" Su Liang frowned.
"I don't know." Gu Ling said.
Su Liang held her forehead and said, "It's so difficult for me now that you have nothing to do."
"I believe you will do well." Gu Ling said.
Su Liang said in a faint tone, "Thank you!"
"Make you a midnight snack?" Gu Ling asked.
Su Liang hummed, "Man and Han are all here, nothing else is needed."
Gu Ling said, "The little squirrels in the lake should have grown up and will eat squirrel fish tonight."