"Hahaha, Consort An, you've got some nerve!" The Emperor's hearty laughter echoed in her study.

Jiang Ling breathed a sigh of relief again. Since the Emperor could laugh, it proved that she had not angered him.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ling's courage grew, and she continued, "Your Majesty, I am merely stating the truth!"

"Get up. In recent years, fewer and fewer people have been able to tell the truth to me. You have indeed done a good job in this matter. I heard from Zhao Liuqing that the Persian king wants to build a temple for you so that you can receive their incense offerings every day?" When the emperor said this, Jiang Ling could not sense the emperor's emotions at all.

But she thought that since the emperor wasn't angry just now, he probably wouldn't be angry now either, since the emperor couldn't be such a capricious person.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ling explained, "Your Majesty, it is indeed true, but I feel it is inappropriate. I am just a citizen of the Great Hua Dynasty, very ordinary and have no right to be worshipped. On the contrary, Your Majesty, if it were not for your wise leadership, how could we live in peace and prosperity!"

"Hehe, Consort An, your words are quite tactful. Alright, alright, get up. This trip to Persia was indeed very fruitful, and it is all thanks to you. Tell me, what do you want? As long as I can do it, I will reward you with everything!" the Emperor said.

Jiang Ling smiled faintly and spoke her mind.

"It is already extremely difficult for me to catch His Majesty's eye, so how could I possibly ask for anything in return? However, I dare to ask His Majesty to bestow upon me a precious sword!" Jiang Ling said.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor was somewhat bewildered. Before saying this, he had considered countless times what Jiang Ling wanted, but he never expected that she would only want an imperial sword. The Emperor asked, puzzled, "Just this? Nothing else?"

Jiang Ling nodded, kowtowed, and said, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Alright, then I'll bestow upon you an Imperial Sword! Lady An, you must use this Imperial Sword with care!" The Emperor said, giving Jiang Ling a meaningful look.

Jiang Ling nodded and kowtowed again to express her gratitude.

When Jiang Ling emerged from the imperial city, her clothes were already soaked through. Looking at the imperial sword in her hand, she murmured, "I hope my thoughts this time were unnecessary!"

Jiang Ling, carrying a sword, rode on her horse toward Jiang Zhishan's house.

As soon as she got home, Jiang Wenxi rushed into Jiang Ling's arms like a cannonball.

"Mom, you're finally back! Master bought me lots of food. Come inside, I'll give you some!" Jiang Wenxi said innocently, hugging Jiang Ling and acting coquettishly.

As soon as the two entered, Jiang Wenxi's face immediately turned serious. She looked at Jiang Ling and whispered, "Mother, my little brother's matter is still not resolved!"

As she spoke, Jiang Wenxi took out several hidden weapons from her bosom that Jiang Ling had never seen before.

Jiang Ling looked at Jiang Wenxi in surprise. Jiang Wenxi carefully put away the hidden weapons and said, "Mother, someone is planning to kill my little brother. I found these things a few nights ago!"

Jiang Ling frowned as she looked at Jiang Wenxi and asked, "What exactly happened?"

Jiang Wenxi moved closer to Jiang Ling and said, as if they were neighbors, "Mom, the pastry chef said this tastes especially good, you should try it!"

"Okay, Mom will try it, you little glutton!" Jiang Ling chimed in deliberately, making it seem to the outsiders that nothing was amiss inside.

"About a week ago, the Third Prince's men suddenly came to the Six Doors, specifically asking for me! I followed them to the Third Prince's residence, where the Third Prince happened to be. The Third Prince took out these hidden weapons and asked me if there were any unfamiliar faces in Shengjing recently."

"Looking at these uniquely shaped hidden weapons, I remembered my master telling me that they were unique to the Western Regions. I secretly observed that a group of people from the Western Regions were indeed frequently seen near the Third Prince's residence, but since we lacked substantial evidence, we didn't alert them."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ling, who in Shengjing had the biggest grievance against Nianci, was none other than the woman in the imperial palace who controlled the harem. With a taut face and suppressing her anger, Jiang Ling asked Jiang Wenxi, "Has there been no movement from the Third Prince's side?"

"Yes, there are, but those Western Region people are very cunning. Even if you get caught, they'll immediately stuff something into your mouth, and you'll die instantly, bleeding from all seven orifices, within five seconds! So, the Third Prince can't do anything about these people right now!"

“Let’s go to the Third Prince’s residence!” Jiang Ling whispered.

The mother and daughter pretended to be nonchalant as they pushed open the door. Jiang Wenxi asked in a coquettish tone, "Mom! Is this pastry delicious?"

Jiang Ling nodded and playfully pinched Jiang Wenxi's nose. "You little glutton, all you ever think about is food! Let's go deliver a gift to your master!"

As she spoke, Jiang Ling deliberately waved the carpet she had brought from Persia in her hand.

Throughout the journey, Jiang Wenxi remained exceptionally vigilant, frequently peeking out from the carriage curtain. Sure enough, an inconspicuous carriage was always following behind hers. If her carriage moved faster, the inconspicuous carriage would move faster, and if her carriage moved slower, the inconspicuous carriage would move slower.

With a tense expression, Jiang Wenxi pointed behind her to Jiang Ling and said in a low voice, "Mother, someone is following us. Don't be too nervous later. Don't worry, your daughter will definitely protect you!"

Jiang Ling almost laughed when she saw Jiang Wenxi's confident expression. Looking at Jiang Wenxi now and recalling the first time they met, Jiang Ling felt a strange sense of accomplishment.

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