As soon as he saw the situation, he smiled and said, "Prince E, come to the inn and sit down. Let's talk slowly."

Prince E had snatched his grandson away, so naturally he didn't want to cause any more trouble. He even wanted to use this opportunity to drive Sheng Xiyan out of the palace. He snorted coldly, "No need. I'll take my grandson back home!"

Sheng Xiyan ran after him crying and knelt down in front of the horse, "Father-in-law, please, give Jiang Jiang back to me, and I will go back with you."

The mother and son cried so hard that the whole street was shrouded in sorrow.

In the large and luxurious carriage at the corner of the street not far away, Xuan Ling said majestically, "Go stop Prince E."

The eunuch Fu who was accompanying them jumped out of the carriage from the front and walked over, scaring everyone.

Prince E was surprised and asked, "Eunuch Fu? Why are you here?"

Everyone looked back and saw a tall and slender man walking down from the imperial carriage. He had a majestic figure and a jade-colored cloak embroidered with dragons on his shoulders. He had the majesty of a god and an innate nobility.

Plainclothes guards immediately surrounded the emperor and Emperor Xuanwu walked over majestically.

Prince E hurriedly jumped off his horse holding his general, and stood aside with a respectful bow.

Xuan Ling approached, crying "Wa wah wah..." and trying to grab him, as if he saw his father, with his two chubby little hands opened for a hug.

Xuan Ling was shocked. The child was crying with tears in his eyes, but he felt close to him. It was the first time they met, and the little guy was not afraid of him and wanted him to hold him?

Glancing down at the woman kneeling on the ground, her snow-white face was covered with tears, and her eyes were sad and moving, yet filled with the helplessness of pleading.

He said majestically, "Prince E, return the child to Madam Qi first."

Prince E said, "Your Majesty, this woman stole five thousand silver coins from my account office and abducted my grandson. For these two crimes, the child must not be returned to her."

The emperor lowered his eyes to examine the woman, his thin lips revealing a subtle hint of meaning.

She actually dared to steal the silver and run away with the child. It didn't seem like something a weak woman would do.

"King E, return her to her."

Under the brief and powerful deterrence of Emperor Xuanwu, King E reluctantly returned the general to Sheng Xiyan.

Sheng Xiyan hugged Jiang Jiang and said with tears in her eyes, "Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you."

Prince Teng respectfully invited, "Your Majesty, please come inside and have some hot tea."

Xuan Ling entered the Grand Hyatt Inn, followed by Prince E and Prince Teng, and Sheng Xiyan was the last to enter, holding the child and Hua Xia.

Prince Teng said earnestly, "Your Majesty, please go up to the elegant room on the second floor."

Xuan Ling entered the most luxurious private room in the Grand Hyatt Inn. Sheng Xiyan had just gone upstairs with the child in her arms when Eunuch Fu came out of the private room to greet them.

"Madam Qi, the emperor wants you to come in for questioning."

Seeing the Prince of E watching closely, Sheng Xiyan didn't dare to let go of the child. Eunuch Fu comforted her, "Don't worry, Madam. I'm watching over her. She'll be fine. You can go in without worry."

"Thank you, sir."

Sheng Xiyan handed the Jiang Jiang to Hua Xia, who nodded and took Eunuch Fu into the guest room next door.

Prince E could only stare blankly in anger outside. Wasn't it true that the Emperor didn't make decisions for his subjects? Why did he call this woman in for questioning first?

Sheng Xiyan stepped into the elegant room, trying hard to sort out the current predicament in her mind.

This is not a dilemma. The emperor's arrival is a good thing. She must turn the situation to her advantage.

Beauty trap? What kind of stunning beauties has the emperor not seen?

The tall man sitting on the armchair by the window was like a mountain pressing down on her head, making it difficult for her to breathe.

She bowed deeply, kneeling on the ground, "Your Majesty, long live the emperor."

Xuan Ling glanced at the woman at his feet for a long time before speaking in a magnetic voice, "I never thought Madam would be able to steal silver and abscond with it."

This was a big accusation, and Sheng Xiyan said timidly: "Your Majesty, I had no choice but to do this. Jiangjiang is the grandson of the prince's mansion, and it is reasonable for the prince's mansion to provide some money to raise him."

The emperor gently stroked the emerald green jade ring and said playfully, "That's quite reasonable. If I put you in the palace, could you empty the national treasury?"

"I dare not. I am not a greedy person. That day, there were tens of thousands of taels of silver in the palace's account office. I only took 5,000 taels, which is enough for me to raise my child for a few years."

Xuan Ling smiled coldly and said, "You really have good moral character."

The woman lay on the ground, looking obedient and gentle. Today she was not wearing the imperial robes like the other day. She was wearing an ordinary plain dress, which was thin and slim, showing off her exquisite and plump figure. A jade-colored silk ribbon was tied around her waist, outlining her slender waist that was less than the size of a hand.

She lowered her head to the ground, the skin on the back of her neck was as white as snow, and her slender neck made people feel pity.

After a long pause, Xuan Ling asked, "How many years will it take? What are your plans after a few years?"

Sheng Xiyan whispered softly, "Jiang Jiang is still young, and the palace is investigating closely, so it's not convenient for me to go out. In a few years, when Jiang Jiang is older, I can go out to treat patients and dig herbs in the mountains to earn money to support him."

Xuan Ling felt a little touched. When she was five years old, the Empress Dowager, who was the Queen at the time, chose Xuan Ling to be raised by her side because she had not given birth to a prince.

It was raining heavily that day, and the nanny who came wanted to take him away.

His mother hugged him and burst into tears, "Ling'er, it's mother's fault. I can't take you away..."

His biological mother was a concubine with no special skills who could not survive outside the palace, let alone take him out of the palace and raise him.

Xuan Ling was still young at the time and didn't understand his mother, Wu Zhaoyi. He blamed her for being too cowardly. During the days and nights when mother and son were separated, he secretly cried in the middle of the night, "Mother, why don't you take me away?"

At that time, he longed to see his biological mother, but the Empress Dowager deprived him of the opportunity to meet her during every festival. It was not until Wu Zhaoyi died that he secretly ran to see her for the last time.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!