178. Let's call for reinforcements.

The little dumpling grew angrier as she listened, her little fists clenched tightly: "Big sister's father is too much! How could he treat big sister and big sister's mother like that! This is what bad people do!"

Lin Lingrong lowered her head, her shoulders trembling: "I don't know what to do, Princess, I'm so scared... I don't want to go to the Prime Minister's residence, my mother and I both want to live well..."

The little dumpling was actually quite panicked and didn't know what to do.

But seeing how scared her older sister was, she felt she had to act like a reliable adult and help her.

So, the little dumpling tried her best to appear calm and patted Lin Lingrong with her trembling little hand: "Big, big sister, don't be afraid, Yue'er will help you!"

But how can we help?

The little dumpling thought for a moment and decided to call for help.

Adult matters should be handled by adults.

So, her first thought was of Brother Xie: "Brother Xie is amazing! Let's go ask Brother Xie for help, he'll definitely have a solution!"

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

The carriage suddenly stopped, and the driver's voice came: "Miss, it seems there's someone blocking the way ahead."

Lin Lingrong and Xiao Tuanzi exchanged a glance, then lifted the carriage curtain to look outside. They saw a man in a red shirt standing outside the carriage; it was Xie Wenling.

The little girl saw him as if she had seen a great hero descend from the sky. She immediately lifted the curtain, jumped out of the carriage, ran to Xie Wenling, grabbed his sleeve, and said urgently, "Brother Xie, please save my eldest sister! My eldest sister's father is going to send her and her mother to the Prime Minister's mansion and make her marry the old Prime Minister's grandson. This is too much!"

Lin Lingrong quickly got out of the carriage, walked to Xie Wenling, knelt down and bowed, tears streaming down her face: "Lord Xie, please save me and my mother... I... I really don't know what to do..."

Xie Wenling was not surprised at all.

He first patted the little girl's head to comfort her, then said to Lin Lingrong, "I can help you, but you need to cooperate with me on one thing."

Lin Lingrong nodded quickly: "As long as it can save me and my mother, I'm willing to do anything!"

“There should be letters between your father and the old prime minister in your father’s study, or evidence of his forming cliques for personal gain. Find a way to sneak into the study and find these things for me. With this evidence, I can expose their conspiracy before His Majesty and persuade him to stop this absurd marriage and protect you and your mother.”

Lin Lingrong was stunned. She knew that her father's study was heavily guarded, and that he was extremely protective of the things in his study, usually not even allowing her to get close.

But thinking of her and her mother's situation, she gritted her teeth and said firmly, "Okay, I will definitely find it! Lord Xie, don't worry, I won't let you down!"

Xie Wenling nodded: "Then, you should go back first. Remember, don't give yourself away."

Lin Lingrong looked at Xie Wenling, nodded vigorously, turned around and boarded the carriage, waving to the little dumpling: "Princess, wait for my good news!"

The coachman cracked his whip, and the carriage disappeared from sight.

The little girl watched the carriage drive away, then tugged at Xie Wenling's sleeve, tilting her head up with worried eyes: "Brother Xie, you'll help big sister, right?"

Xie Wenling patted her head, but instead of answering, he led her to his carriage and said, "Prepare the carriage, let's go to the restaurant first."

Then, the carriage started moving, and he spoke: "As long as Lin Lingrong can find the things, I will definitely be able to save her. If she fails to obtain the evidence, for now we can only let her stay at the Prime Minister's residence for a while, and then I will find another way to bring her out."

The little dumpling became even more anxious upon hearing this.

However, she didn't rush for long, because the carriage soon stopped in front of the restaurant.

Xie Wenling carried her and hurried upstairs: "Go back and check on Madam Hou and your second brother first, don't let them worry. Remember, don't mention what happened today."

The little girl didn't know why, but Xie Wenling's actions were all very swift, leaving her little time to think.

So she could only nod blankly, follow Xie Wenling's instructions, and try her best to remember what he said.

-

At this moment, on the top floor of the restaurant.

The old prime minister and the Duke of Anguo had finished their discussion and were preparing to go downstairs.

The old prime minister walked in front.

However, when he looked up, he saw Jiang Xiyue and his second brother standing at the door of another room at the end of the corridor.

His expression changed instantly, and he quickly backed away, lowering his voice to say to the Duke of Anguo, "It's the Lady of Beiding Marquis! What's she doing here? We mustn't let her see us together, or it'll cause trouble!"

Duke Anguo also frowned. Although he and Jiang Xiyue had met a few times, they were not very familiar with each other, and he did not want her to know that he and the old prime minister were discussing matters in private.

However, staying indoors is clearly not an option either.

After all, who knows how long Jiang Xiyue will stay here?

Moreover, they had already disappeared from the servants' sight for some time; if they were dragged out any longer, their secret meeting would be exposed.

"I'll go and send them away." Marquis Beiding composed himself, straightened his robes, and walked out of the room.

He pretended to have just seen Jiang Xiyue, forced a smile, and cupped his hands in greeting: "Madam Hou, what a coincidence, you're also dining at the restaurant?"

Jiang Xiyue was a little worried about Xiao Tuanzi and Lin Lingrong when she saw Duke Anguo and was taken aback: "Duke Anguo? Yes, it's a day off today, so I brought the children out for a stroll. Duke Anguo, are you here for dinner too?"

She disliked Duke Anguo, but she still maintained basic social etiquette... although she thought their conversation was utter nonsense.

After all, what else could she come to a restaurant for if not to eat? She couldn't think of anything.

The second brother stood beside his mother, sizing up the Duke of Anguo. He sensed that the Duke's expression was somewhat unnatural, and he became secretly wary.

Could it be related to Sister Lin running away crying just now?

Duke Anguo smiled and nodded, but his eyes inadvertently swept over their private room, though he didn't notice anything unusual.

While chatting with Jiang Xiyue, he subtly inquired, "When did Madam Hou arrive? These private rooms on the top floor aren't available often; it seems Madam Hou made a reservation in advance?"

"Yes, I had it booked in advance. I was thinking of taking the kids out to play, and then coming here for a meal afterwards."

Jiang Xiyue answered truthfully, but she was a little puzzled—why did the Duke of Anguo suddenly ask this?

Duke Anguo then asked, "Did the Marquis's wife only bring the Second Young Master Jin? Don't she have any other children?"

As he asked the question, he kept an eye on Jiang Xiyue's expression.

Jiang Xiyue frowned, somewhat reluctant to answer his almost interrogative question: "Why is the Duke asking these questions?"

Duke Anguo chuckled and pointed out the flaw in her words: "Isn't that strange? The Lady of the Marquis was talking about the children, but I only saw the Second Young Master Jin. That's why I'm puzzled. Didn't the Lady of the Marquis take Princess Fukang with her this time?"

“Of course I brought her, the child just ran out. Speaking of which, does the Duke not know your…” Before Jiang Xiyue could mention Lin Lingrong, she heard hurried footsteps coming from the stairs.

Xie Wenling carried the little dumpling and walked over quickly. Sure enough, he saw Jiang Xiyue and Duke Anguo standing together.

Duke Anguo was taken aback when he saw him.

But Xie Wenling acted as if he had expected it. He calmly put down the little dumpling, nodded to Jiang Xiyue, and then looked at Duke Anguo, cupping his hands and saying, "Duke Anguo."

Upon seeing her mother, the little boy immediately jumped down from Xie Wenling's arms, ran to Jiang Xiyue's side, and took her hand.

Xie Wenling then continued to say to the Duke of Anguo, "It's quite a coincidence that the Duke of Anguo is here as well. I was just downstairs playing with the county princess."

The little dumpling secretly made a "shh" gesture to her mother, and Xie Wenling also gave Jiang Xiyue a look.

Jiang Xiyue also realized what was happening.

The fact that Duke Anguo appeared here at this moment and questioned them about their affairs was clearly suspicious; they couldn't let him know too much.

Duke Anguo's expression was not good, especially when he saw Xie Wenling staring at him intently. He felt immense pressure, as if Xie Wenling had discovered what he and the old prime minister were discussing.

He feigned composure, but inwardly he wanted to run away: "Lord Xie is here too? What a coincidence. I was just about to go downstairs. Since Lady Hou and Lord Xie have other matters to attend to, I'll take my leave now."

After saying that, he turned around and wanted to leave, afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would expose his weakness.

Xie Wenling stepped forward, blocking his way, and said with a smile, "Why is Your Excellency in such a hurry to leave? It's rare to meet you here. Why don't you sit down, have a cup of tea, and chat? I happen to have something I'd like to ask Your Excellency."

Duke Anguo's heart tightened, and his eyes darted away: "No, no, I have important matters to attend to. Let's talk another day!"

After saying that, he bypassed Xie Wenling and quickly walked towards the stairwell, almost fleeing in panic.