Chapter 67 Children

"Aunt, didn't you bring me here and then go look for the child? Why are you in the temple?"

Lady Dingxiang's face was filled with panic. She grabbed her hand anxiously and said in a hoarse voice, "Dengdeng, go and chase the child! Jiazhi's child has been snatched away..."

"What? Auntie saw Sister Jiazhi's child?" Qian Deng quickly asked, "Was it that man who took it away? The one who left the bloody handprint on the wall?"

Madam Dingxiang was breathing rapidly and clutched her hand anxiously. "Hurry, hurry and get her back! She's sunk in the water! She's...she's freezing to death!"

When she talked about "freezing to death", she finally lost her composure and burst into tears: "She is so small, just born, she hasn't even seen her mother clearly. Please, take her back, save her... let her live..."

Cui Fufeng couldn't help but step forward to comfort her, saying, "Don't worry, aunt. We will send someone to find the child as soon as possible."

Qian Deng asked anxiously, "But Chang'an is so big, with 108 wards and a population of one million. Who stole the child? How do we even begin to find him?"

Madam Dingxiang suddenly raised her hand to stop him, saying in a trembling voice, "The Shi family! Go to the Shi family! He...he stole Jiazhi's daughter!"

"Him?" Qian Deng stared at her red eyes and dark blue lips and asked, "Who is he?"

Lady Dingxiang's throat made a hoarse sound. She knew that she couldn't say anything or tell anyone about it. She couldn't let her twenty years of painstaking efforts in hiding go to waste overnight.

But, that child, the baby girl thrown into the icy river, her little white face covered in ice up to her mouth and nose...

She stared with unfocused eyes, her chest heaving violently, and she gasped frantically, finally squeezing out three words with great difficulty: "Shi Jingning..."

As soon as these three words were spoken, everything was settled.

Qian Deng stared at her intently, his gaze like the sharp wind at that moment, seemingly able to pierce through Madam Dingxiang's chest: "Aunt, are you talking about Shi Jingning?"

"Yes, it's him, Shi Jingning!" As soon as the words came out, Madam Dingxiang seemed to have put aside all her worries and roared like crazy, "Go to Shi's house, go and take the child back, go..."

"Mrs. Yang, so you are here!"

Suddenly, a greeting came from the other end of the winding path, interrupting Lady Dingxiang's words.

The eldest princess of Gao State was coming around from the front yard, and she walked towards them with a smile on her face: "Come, I heard you came to look for the child, so you can take him back."

Behind her, besides Xiao Fuyu, there was also a female official holding a child.

The child was wrapped in a bright red swaddling cloth with a pattern of grapes and berries, sleeping peacefully in the arms of the female official.

Lady Dingxiang was stunned, then staggered towards the child in panic, snatched the swaddling clothes and took a look. The baby had sparse hair on its cheeks, a small nose and a small mouth because it was born prematurely. It was Yang Jiazhi's newly born daughter.

She hugged the child tightly, trembling, and turned to look at Qian Deng. She instantly understood that the so-called kidnapping of the child and the incident at Shi Jingning's home were all deliberate traps to trick her into losing her composure and telling the truth.

Seeing her panting and staring at him fiercely, Qian Deng smiled slightly and said, "Aunt, you and the princess can use the child to lure me into a trap, so of course I can also use the same method to treat them and continue with your play, right?"

Princess Gao hadn't replied yet when the front hall was already occupied, filled with the sounds of chanting and incantations. The Empress and the Empress Dowager had devoutly offered incense and, surrounded by the palace maids and ladies, moved from the front courtyard, just as they heard Qiandeng's words.

Everyone's eyes immediately fell on the child in Lady Dingxiang's arms.

The palace maids arranged the chairs and cushions. After the queen sat down, she asked coldly, "Didn't you just hand this child over to the palace maids?"

Princess Gao smiled apologetically and said, "Alas, I saw that Grandmother was looking for her child and she was in such a state. I couldn't bear it, so I quickly took the child out!"

The Queen had a sullen face and did not answer. Lady Dingxiang felt a chill in her heart and tremblingly picked up the child to meet Her Majesty the Queen.

The Queen examined her and asked, "Is this child your daughter—the Lingling County Lady's cousin, the baby girl who was born today?"

Lady Dingxiang trembled and fell to the ground before answering, "Yes, this is my granddaughter."

"It seems that what Lingling County Lady said was true. She really came here to chase this child, but ended up in danger?"

"Yes... I chased here with my niece, sprained my ankle, and was waiting outside. Then the maid came to tell me I'd misunderstood. The monks in the temple took pity on the child's background and learned she'd been condemned to an unfortunate fate in the womb, hence her disfavor by her in-laws. So they had her brought here to receive the Buddha's grace and the Emperor's blessing. They believed if she could earn the approval of the Empress Dowager, the Consort Dowager, or Her Majesty the Empress, the Huang family elders would no longer despise her." Lady Dingxiang's words were flawless, brimming with sincerity and earnestness. "So, I felt relieved and waited outside the temple, awaiting good news. But my niece played a trick on me, claiming the child had been kidnapped. I panicked and lost my mind. Fortunately, the Grand Princess brought the child to me in time, otherwise I'd probably have died..."

The Queen sipped the hot tea served by the palace maid and shifted her gaze from her to Qiandeng. "Princess Lingling, you said before that you wanted to apprehend the murderers of the two tragedies in the palace. I wonder if they have been caught yet?"

Qian Deng lowered his eyes and replied, "Yes, the suspect is here."

Lady Dingxiang's expression changed slightly, but she tried to remain calm and pretended not to know.

Empress Dowager Yang was concerned and asked, "You said there were two tragic incidents in your mansion. Two young men were murdered, but one of them escaped. I wonder which one it was?"

"It was Shi Jingning, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, whom my aunt had just ordered me to pursue." Qian Deng looked at Madam Dingxiang and spoke with each word clearly. "Only by working together could they have secretly manipulated the situation in my Changhua Palace and ultimately created a way for Shi Jingning to escape, setting fire to it."

"Niece, you...what nonsense are you talking about?" Madam Dingxiang interrupted her in disbelief, saying anxiously, "Shi Jingning is dead! Everyone knows he died in a kitchen fire!"

Qiandeng's gaze was fixed on Madam Dingxiang's face, trying to find the look of her collapse and madness just now, but there was none.

There were still traces of tears on her face, but her eyes were already rolling around, and she was obviously ready to fight back and deny it quickly.

"But my aunt just took me to the Shi family to investigate. She told me clearly that it was Shi Jingning who took the child away."

Madam Dingxiang angrily said, "It was you and Cui Shaoqing who set up this scheme to mislead me. The bloody handprints and the burnt face made me think that his ghost was still lingering, that he had killed Huaijiang and was planning to kill Jiazhi's child..."

"Isn't it my cousin Yang Huaijiang who has burns on his face and bleeding hands?" Qian Deng couldn't let go of the omission in her words at this point. She immediately asked, "Why did my aunt think that was Shi Jingning?"

A flash of panic crossed Lady Dingxiang's face as she defended herself, "I didn't see clearly... I was just thinking, since Shi Jingning's ghost is still around and killed Huaijiang, could it be that he wants to harm Jiazhi's child again, turning into a ghost and stealing the child?"

"This matter is quite strange. If it is said that a ghost was haunting Yang Huaijiang and made him go crazy and burn himself, then it is possible, but how is it possible that a ghost broke into the temple in broad daylight to snatch the child?" Qian Deng said bluntly, "No matter who it is, when they are nervous and at a loss, their subconscious reaction will be the most real one. Aunt, you know clearly that the person who escaped from the sea of ​​fire in the kitchen, with burns on his face and a damaged throat, and his hands festering and bleeding, was not your son Yang Huaijiang, but Shi Jingning! In fact, only with your help could he successfully impersonate Yang Huaijiang and deceive the world, making us all believe that the person with a festering face who was being cared for by you was your son!"