Mo Yunzhao raised his hand slightly.
"There are no outsiders here, Minister Qin, please rise and reply."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Qin Minglang stood up and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Mo Yunhan.
"This humble official greets Your Highness the Ninth Prince."
Having said that, he straightened up, his gaze burning as he looked at Jiang Qingwan's small face, his voice filled with tenderness, calling out her name softly and lingeringly.
"Qingwan..."
"Smack!"
Mo Yunhan slammed his chopsticks on the table, shattering the fine jade into pieces.
The surrounding air pressure dropped sharply.
Qin Minglang simply bent down slightly, his brows furrowed, revealing a sense of grievance and the fear of being unable to speak out against the power he wielded.
Amidst the tense standoff, Jiang Qingwan took out a handkerchief and gently wiped Mo Yunhan's large hand.
"The slap should be directed at the person who deserves it. Why get angry over chopsticks? I'd be heartbroken if you hurt yourself."
As she spoke, she leaned over and gently blew on it.
The warm breath brushed against his palm, and Mo Yunhan's murderous aura instantly vanished. He pulled Jiang Qingwan's small hand into his palm.
"It's my fault for making Madam worry."
The word "Madam" made Qin Minglang's face turn green.
Mo Yunzhao coughed softly again.
"Now the Ninth Prince and Ninth Princess are a perfect match, and there's no need to bring up the past."
"Minister Qin risked his life to save the Empress Dowager at Huguo Temple, but some people in the court doubted his purpose in appearing there. Therefore, you will assist the Ninth Prince in this bandit suppression campaign, which will dispel the doubts of the court officials. If it is successfully completed, I will remove the title of 'acting' from your head."
Qin Minglang was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately knelt down to express his gratitude.
Mo Yunzhao smiled and looked at Mo Yunhan.
"Little Nine, are you satisfied with my arrangements?"
Jiang Qingwan couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
That emperor was truly a cunning old fox.
Yesterday, Mo Yunhan argued for her, mentioning that both Qin Minglang and Zheng Chengye were present at Huguo Temple and there were suspicions about them. Today, he used this to shut Mo Yunzhao up.
In this way, Mo Yunhan couldn't even refuse.
Qin Minglang, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly said again, "Your Majesty, I am willing to serve the Great Zhou with all my heart, but I am still injured. If we encounter a strong enemy, I am afraid I will not be able to protect His Highness the Ninth Prince. Therefore, I would like to recommend someone to go with me. This person is Wang Hao, the deputy general of the patrol battalion. I have heard that General Wang was once His Highness the Ninth Prince's subordinate. He will surely be loyal to his master. Then I will have no more worries."
The phrase "unwaveringly loyal to his master" sent a chill through Mo Yunzhao's eyes, but the smile on his lips remained gentle.
"That's good, otherwise the Emperor Emeritus would surely blame me if he knew that I had sent Xiao Jiu to suppress the bandits despite his injuries."
"Guards, draft the decree."
Mo Yunhan stood up and looked down at Qin Minglang, who was still kneeling on the ground.
His cold, dark eyes revealed an undisguised murderous intent.
"General Qin has always been considerate of me, which has truly moved me. There are no eyes in the swords outside, so I hope General Qin will take care."
After saying that, he took Jiang Qingwan's small hand and left without looking back, not even accepting the imperial decree.
Qin Minglang turned his head and watched the two figures disappear outside the palace gate, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.
When the bright yellow imperial edict landed in his hands, he knelt down once again.
"Your Majesty, the rebels hiding in Qingfeng Village have mastered the incredible mechanical art of the Golden Hook Scimitar. We do not yet know if they have any other traps or mechanisms. I implore you to mobilize all available new mechanical vehicles, armored vehicles, and crossbows from the patrol battalion to ensure absolute safety."
Mo Yunzhao tapped his fingers lightly on the table, paused for a few moments, and then said, "Granted."
...
Mo Yunhan and Jiang Qingwan had just arrived at the gate of the Prince's Mansion when they ran into Mo Qingrui's carriage. She was on her way to the palace to pay her respects and inquire about some news.
Upon seeing the two, he immediately stopped the carriage, jumped down hastily, rushed to Jiang Qingwan's side, and took her hand.
"Jiang Meizi, are you alright?"
Jiang Qingwan was startled by her enthusiasm, but seeing her eyes slightly red and full of anxiety, she couldn't help but feel a warmth in her heart.
"Princess, don't worry, your Ninth Uncle and I are both fine."
Mo Qingrui then realized that Mo Yunhan was still there, and quickly let go of his hand and bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Uncle Jiu."
Mo Yunhan hummed in agreement. "Go ahead and do your thing."
Mo Qingrui hated going to the palace and joking around with the nobles there. Her face was stiff from laughing, and she didn't say a single sincere word.
Seeing that Jiang Qingwan had returned unharmed, he naturally refused to go back to the palace and immediately waved his hand.
"I was planning to go to the palace to inquire about Jiang Meizi, but it seems I don't need to worry about it now. Uncle Jiu, go ahead and do what you need to do. My good sisters are all thinking about Jiang Meizi, and we'll definitely get together later to calm her down. Oh, by the way, I'll take her to see Sister Song first."
Without waiting for Mo Yunhan's reply, she pulled Jiang Qingwan into the mansion first.
Mo Yunhan had expected Jiang Qingwan to give him some advice, but she didn't even turn her head. She smiled and talked to Mo Qingrui as she headed towards Shuya Courtyard.
His face was tense, and he was so angry that his chest ached.
Isn't this woman worried about his injury? Isn't she worried that something might happen to him when he's fighting bandits with Qin Minglang?
What a heartless person!
News of the two returning home spread quickly.
Before the imperial edict to suppress the bandits even left the palace, all the prefectures in Chang'an already knew about it.
All the restless thoughts were suppressed once again.
Lian'er and Li Dou ran to Shuya Courtyard and saw Jiang Qingwan unharmed. Lian'er couldn't help but cry and laugh at the same time.
Jiang Qingwan comforted her for a long time before coaxing Li Dou to take her back to rest.
Inside the elegant building, the hall was now in complete disarray.
Yun Xiaoran's face turned ashen with anger.
"Back so soon? I don't believe the truth can be uncovered overnight. Such a serious crime, how can the Emperor just release someone like that! And what is the Empress Dowager doing? Such a good opportunity just slipped away like that?"
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