Marquis Wen Ning's heart skipped a beat. He said he didn't want to kneel to Jiang Xiancao at all, but when he saw the yellow imperial edict in her hand, he knew that if he didn't kneel, he would be disobeying the order.
He had no choice but to kneel in front of Jiang Xiancao, lowering his head in frustration, listening to her read the decree.
Originally he was able to keep his composure, but when he heard that the emperor was going to send his youngest son to Lingyin Temple to become a monk, and imprison him with Huiming, to pray and chant sutras for the empress dowager for the rest of his life, his face suddenly changed.
Jiang Xiancao read the imperial edict slowly and said to the stunned Marquis Wen Ning with a smile:
"Marquis Wenning, obey your order."
Marquis Wen Ning opened his mouth but could not utter a word for a long time.
When Jiang Xiancao was about to bring people into the mansion to take Jiang Jinzhen away, Wen Ning Hou came to his senses and hurriedly caught up and said:
"Jin Zhen is young and ignorant, and I'm afraid he can't bear the responsibility of chanting scriptures and praying for the Queen Mother—"
Jiang Xiancao laughed when she heard this. She paused, looking at Marquis Wenning with sarcasm, "Why can't Fifth Young Master Jiang shoulder this responsibility? For so many years, hasn't your Wenning Marquisate been promoting the fact that he was born with Buddha bones and was born with wisdom? Just ask the entire capital, who doesn't know that your Jiang family has such a Buddhist disciple?"
Marquis Wen Ning was speechless after hearing what she said, and couldn't find the words to explain.
Jiang Xiancao didn't let him go and continued to mock him:
"Just by virtue of the title of Buddha's son, Jiang Jinzhen has been in the spotlight since he was a child. Many people also say that the birth of this Buddha's son is an auspicious sign that the great prosperity of the country will be blessed. Haven't you, the Jiang family, never denied it?
Now that it's his turn to contribute, the Marquis has changed his tune and said he's young and ignorant. Don't you feel shameless? Or is the saying that your Jiang family previously promoted as a disciple of Buddha just a lie to gain fame and benefits?
Even Marquis Wen Ning couldn't hold back when she called him shameless in person.
Jiang Xiancao didn't care about his expression at all. She turned around and gave orders to the imperial guards she brought in:
"Please bring out Mr. Jiang Wu!"
With the arrival of the imperial guards, the entire mansion was turned upside down in an instant.
And it was said that Jiang Jinzhen should be invited out, but the imperial guards would not be polite to this "son of Buddha" after receiving the emperor's order.
In their eyes, Jiang Jinzhen was just a prisoner they were going to escort.
So when Jiang Jinzhen was brought to Jiang Xiancao, he didn't even have time to wash or change his clothes. His hair was disheveled, his clothes were messy, and he looked terrified:
"What is this for? What crime have I committed that the prince is treating me like this?!"
Jiang Xiancao curled her lips at him and said, "Don't be afraid, Buddhist son. It's the Emperor who has issued an imperial decree, inviting you to Lingyin Temple to practice with your good master."
Jiang Jinzhen was stunned after hearing this, and then he looked at Wen Ning Hou, who was standing behind Jiang Xiancao with a sullen face, in disbelief:
"Father, is this true?"
He always thought that as long as his father returned to Beijing, everything would return to normal.
But now Jiang Xiancao came with the imperial guards in the middle of the night and took him away like a prisoner, completely waking him up from his carefree dream.
Marquis Wenning lowered his head and avoided his son's gaze.
With the emperor's power above him, he could use some means in private, but he would never dare to directly disobey the order in front of the imperial guards.
He also didn't know what had happened in the palace, why the Tianming Pavilion's plan, which was supposed to be foolproof, had failed, and whether his deliberate letting of people from the Tianming Pavilion into the mansion so that they could kidnap "Jiang Xiancao" had been discovered.
At this time, he could only leave his own son alone.
Anyway, he can have another son after losing one. If he accidentally gives the royal family a handle and arrests him as well, that would be the end of him.
At this time, the startled Mrs. Qin, Mrs. Lu and other female relatives hurried out from the inner house.
Seeing her precious grandson about to be taken away by the imperial guards, Old Lady Qin relied on her age to stand in front of Jiang Jinzhen and asked, "What did Jinzhen do wrong? What are you going to do?"
Jiang Xiancao didn't waste any time talking to her. He simply showed the imperial edict and said in a deep voice, "Are you going to disobey the order, Madam Qin?"
When Old Lady Qin saw the imperial edict, her whole body trembled violently and she stared at Jiang Xiancao with hatred.
Marquis Wen Ning had already told her the whole story, and she now knew that the Ninth Prince's identity was different.
The man who had been interacting with them using the identity of the Ninth Prince was actually Jiang Xiancao in a different body, her own granddaughter whom she had never taken seriously and even regarded as a jinx!
"What did you say to the Emperor? You are so unscrupulous and cruel to an honest person. You..."
Before she could finish her words, Marquis Wen Ning rushed over and grabbed her sleeve, "Mother!"
At her son's glance, Old Lady Qin reluctantly shut up.
Jiang Xiancao had also guessed that Madam Qin dared to speak to her in this manner because she knew her identity.
She thought this was more interesting, and she smiled at Old Madam Qin with the corners of her lips raised. "Old Madam, you insulted and disrespected the imperial envoy, and even spread rumors and caused trouble. Do you know your crime?"
Old Madam Qin really wanted to spit in her face.
But this damn girl was still facing the Ninth Prince, so she could only suppress her anger and say, "Your Highness, there's no need to threaten me. The things you did in private..."
Marquis Wen Ning stopped her from speaking again.
He whispered in Madam Qin's ear that he would find a way to get Jiang Jinzhen back, and then said to Mrs. Lu:
"Why are you, a woman, joining in the fun? Hurry up and help your mother back home to rest."
Lu's eyes turned red, and she looked at Jiang Jinzhen reluctantly, but at the urging of Marquis Wen Ning, she supported Madam Qin and walked back.
Jiang Xiancao curled his lips.
What a pity! If Old Madam Qin had started a fuss, she would have been able to punish the whole family for disobeying her orders tonight.
When Jiang Xiancao escorted Jiang Jinzhen out of the Marquis's residence, Marquis Wenning said quietly:
"Your Highness, don't be complacent. If you don't let our Jiang family go, the Jiang family won't let you go either. Others may not know your details, but I know them all clearly."
Jiang Xiancao looked back at him with a smile on her lips:
"Really? Then I'll wait for the Marquis to come and trouble me."
Her nonchalant attitude surprised Marquis Wen Ning.
How could she not care?
Is she really sure that the fact that she and Shen Tingsi swapped bodies will never be exposed to others?
He couldn't understand where her confidence came from.
Marquis Wenning couldn't help but test the waters, "But I still want to thank you, Your Highness, for sending my daughter back to the Marquis' Mansion."
What he meant was that the real Shen Tingsi was still in his hands. Aren't you afraid of being exposed?
Jiang Xiancao smiled and said meaningfully:
"The Marquis must treat the Second Miss well. He is no longer the same person he was before."
This sentence stunned Marquis Wen Ning.
After Jiang Xiancao's convoy had gone far away, he was still pondering what this sentence meant.
In fact, Jiang Xiancao didn't mean anything. She just knew that Marquis Wen Ning was suspicious by nature, and she said this just to torture him.
After returning to the palace, as soon as Jiang Xiancao got off the carriage, a guard came to report:
"Your Highness, news has come back from Qingcheng that the matter you asked Guard Captain Tinglan to investigate has yielded results."
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