Jiang Ling didn't show the slightest panic when she saw Su Shunhe's sharp eyes. Instead, she smiled and teased him, "Hmm, should I call you Boss Su or Third Prince?"
They were locked in a fierce battle, seemingly about to erupt into a major conflict, and even the air itself seemed to carry the scent of gunpowder.
"Mother... how could you..." Jiang Yaojie was stunned and stood there in shock when he pushed open the door and saw the scene in front of him.
Jiang Ling glanced at Jiang Yaojie out of the corner of her eye, looking at his pale face, and sighed inwardly, this child still needs more experience.
She turned and smiled, then walked to Jiang Yaojie's side and said, "Yaojie, go back inside first!"
"Protect your wife and Nianci. No matter what happens outside, don't come out, understand?" Jiang Ling whispered these words in Jiang Yaojie's ear at lightning speed.
Jiang Yaojie looked terrified, but he always obeyed Jiang Ling's every word. He glanced timidly at Su Shunhe, clenched his fists, and forced himself to remain calm as he returned to the house.
"How about we go outside and talk?" Jiang Ling didn't want the child to know too much, so she simply conceded.
"Good!" Su Shunhe clapped his hands and shouted.
He then turned to look behind him, pointed to a spot with his fan, and said in a cold tone, "We're leaving, but these four eyesores can't come with us, or don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Looking into Su Shunhe's cold eyes, Jiang Ling's heart skipped a beat, and she nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Jiang Ling walked to the door of the room of the four people from Shanhehuhai, which was the spot Su Shunhe had pointed to with his fan, and said to the four worried people, "You four don't need to come along. I will handle this matter!"
“But…” Jiang Shan was always quick to speak, and before Jiang Ling could finish her sentence, he interrupted her.
Jiang Ling recalled that Su Shunhe's cold gaze just now only lasted for a moment. She seemed to see a hint of murderous intent and ruthlessness in his bottomless black eyes, but it was fleeting. Jiang Ling even wondered if she had seen it at all.
But Jiang Ling knew that in such matters, it was better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free, and she didn't want these four innocent people to suffer an undeserved disaster.
"No buts. I am the master. Do you think you can disobey me just because Eunuch Yin left?" The situation was urgent, and Jiang Ling had to use her status to suppress them.
The four of them could only nod and say to Jiang Ling in unison, "Princess, please be careful!"
After giving her instructions, Jiang Ling followed behind Su Shunhe with trembling legs.
Although she didn't know Su Shunhe, her woman's intuition told her that Su Shunhe was radiating danger at this moment, and that she would be crushed to pieces if she was not careful.
The two of them arrived at the wasteland behind, one after the other, and there was no one else around.
Su Shunhe looked at Jiang Ling with great interest. After a long while, he said, "So what if I'm Boss Su? So what if I'm the Third Prince? I am Nianci's biological father. I must take him away!"
After what happened with Luo Cheng, Jiang Ling was prepared to lose Nianci at any time. But after hearing Su Shunhe's words, Jiang Ling felt her heart pounding violently in her chest and her mind reeling. Su Shunhe may have said something else after that, but Jiang Ling didn't hear a single word.
It would be a lie to say there were no feelings involved. Although Jiang Ling and Nian Ci had only known each other for less than a year, Jiang Ling was very fond of Nian Ci's cute appearance and clever personality.
"Boss Jiang? No, An'an, what do you think?" Su Shunhe frowned slightly and reminded Jiang Ling when he saw that she hadn't spoken for a while.
"What if I say no?" As soon as the words left her mouth, Jiang Ling was startled. The lines she had prepared so well were not like this at all.
Su Shunhe was taken aback. As the Third Prince, he was a man of his word, and no one had ever dared to refuse him. He suppressed his anger and stroked his chin meaningfully, saying, "I heard that you have a younger brother named Jiang Zhishan, who seems to be on his way to Qingzhou to prepare for the imperial examination, is that right?"
These words made Jiang Ling panic. She forced herself to remain calm and looked up at Su Shunhe. "The Third Prince's power is naturally unmatched. We are like ants in front of you. Even if you wanted to kill us, it would be easy, wouldn't it?"
Su Shunhe was really angry; no one had ever dared to talk to him like that before.
A ruthless glint flashed in his dark eyes as he muttered, "You're really asking for it!"
As Jiang Ling was secretly surprised, she was about to back away when a strong hand suddenly gripped her neck. A feeling of suffocation rushed over her, and at the same time, Jiang Ling felt as if her heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and other internal organs were being burned by fire. Even her eyeballs gradually became bloodshot.
"Third Prince! You...you stop!" Just when Jiang Ling felt that her life was about to end, a voice broke the terrifying atmosphere.
The portly magistrate appeared before Jiang Ling. He was seen carrying his robes and scrambling towards her on all fours.
Without any hesitation, he knelt straight down in front of Su Shunhe, kowtowing repeatedly, hoping that Su Shunhe would spare Jiang Ling's life.
Su Shunhe looked at Magistrate Duan in front of him. He recalled seeing Magistrate Duan sitting upright and serious before. Such a strong contrast made Su Shunhe look at Magistrate Duan with great interest.
Magistrate Duan came today mainly to congratulate Jiang Ling on her conferment of a title and reward. He was supposed to come with Eunuch Yin a few days ago, but he happened to be taking Zhao Liu to his subordinate townships to popularize fertilizer knowledge. When he returned, he heard that Jiang Ling had been conferred the title of Sixth-Rank Lady by the Emperor.
Early this morning, Magistrate Duan finished dealing with his business at the yamen and hurriedly arrived at Lujia Village with gifts. However, he had only walked less than a hundred steps when he saw this scene before him. When he saw that the Third Prince was choking Jiang Ling, he panicked completely.
Although he didn't know how Jiang Ling had offended the Third Prince, he only hoped that the Third Prince would be lenient and release Jiang Ling.
"Huh? Duan Kang'an? The magistrate of Pingxi County? Why aren't you handling official business at the yamen? What are you doing in Lujia Village? Could it be that this woman is your lover?"
These words were both harsh and unpleasant, but Magistrate Duan didn't care at the moment. In his eyes, Jiang Ling's life was more important than anything else, even surpassing his own official position and life: "Third Prince, perhaps you are unaware of this, but Jiang Ling has solved our drought and locust plague, resettled refugees, and even invented fertilizer. This stuff can increase production and generate income. Her actions are known to almost everyone in Pingxi County!"
"It is precisely because of Jiang's actions that my subordinate villages and towns have been able to remain peaceful and quiet, without any incidents!"
"Third Prince, as a prince, killing her would be an easy task for you, but aren't you afraid of being condemned and scorned by others?"
Su Shunhe was always clever; how could he not know the meaning behind Magistrate Duan's words?
A cold smile crept across his lips as he glanced at Magistrate Duan and said sarcastically, "Oh? Since you speak of Jiang as so formidable, why don't you let her take the magistrate's position?"
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