Jiang Ling was taken aback by the Empress Dowager's words. Not daring to be negligent, she quickly stood up and followed closely behind as she left her room.
Throughout the journey, Jiang Ling's heart was in turmoil. She didn't understand what the maid and the Empress Dowager had said to each other, and she didn't understand why the Empress Dowager had asked her to come along after the maid finished speaking.
Jiang Ling arrived at Qirong Palace with her legs feeling weak. When she saw the scene before her, she was stunned.
The Empress Dowager seemed to have anticipated Jiang Ling's expression. She glanced at Jiang Ling indifferently and said, "Surprised? I underestimated you. You're quite good at hiding this little brat!"
Before them, Magistrate Duan, Zhao Liu, and Nianci were all kneeling on the ground, bound hand and foot. Nianci, in particular, was crying so hard that her face was red and her mouth was stuffed with rags, and she could only whimper incessantly.
Jiang Ling felt her legs go weak and she knelt down in front of the Empress Dowager. With a trembling voice, she said, "Empress Dowager, my child is innocent. I beg you to reconsider!"
"Heh!" The Empress Dowager sneered, the coldness in her eyes intensifying. She glared at Jiang Ling and rebuked her, "Jiang, are you saying I'm ruthless?"
Jiang Ling was so frightened that she broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly kowtowed, begging for mercy, "Your Majesty, you are so magnanimous, please don't hold it against me, that's not what I meant!"
"Oh? That's not what I meant? Then what did I mean?" The Empress Dowager's sharp eyes, like those of a hawk, were fixed on Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling gritted her teeth, her mind racing. After a few seconds, she added, "I... I just feel that the child is innocent; he has no right to choose his parents!"
"Hmm? This is the first time I've heard you say that. Tell me more, and maybe I'll change my mind if you're happy!" the Empress Dowager continued.
After taking a deep breath, Jiang Ling carefully considered the statements she had read on some public accounts and rearranged them into her own words.
"Your Majesty, a child is the crystallization of both parents' birth, but this crystallization has no right to choose its own destiny. Whether it is born or dies is entirely up to human intervention. What I mean is not that Your Majesty is heartless, but that the child is innocent, and I hope you will reconsider!"
Jiang Ling's words were somewhat difficult for the Empress Dowager to understand. She frowned slightly as she looked at Jiang Ling, and then at Nianci, who was still sobbing beside her.
Perhaps it was due to the unique bond of blood, but the Empress Dowager, who was originally furious, felt a strange pang of pain in her heart when she saw Nianci's face flushed from crying.
She waved her hand impatiently at the eunuch beside her and said, "Take those three away! They're an eyesore!"
Magistrate Duan looked at Jiang Ling in great fear, but Jiang Ling nodded gently to Magistrate Duan, indicating that she should not worry about her.
"Consort Jiang, do you know how serious a crime it is to disrupt the royal bloodline?" The Empress Dowager's expression turned serious again.
In fact, she knew that this child was related to her in some way, but she was not an ordinary matriarch of a family. She was the Empress Dowager of the Emperor, the person who held the power in the harem. She also had many hardships and helplessness of her own.
Jiang Ling's words had touched her somewhat, but blood ties were no small matter; they were something the royal family valued most.
She stared at Jiang Ling for a long time, and finally came up with a not-so-good idea.
"From what you're saying, you really want to save this child, right?"
The Empress Dowager exuded a powerful aura, causing Jiang Ling's breathing to become slightly rapid.
She bit her lip, struggled internally for a long time, and nodded to the Empress Dowager, saying, "Empress Dowager, if possible, I hope to save this child. I have raised this child by my side for quite some time. Putting aside everything else, I would have feelings for even a cat or dog!"
Jiang Ling felt a great weight lifted off her shoulders, and after saying those words, she felt incredibly relaxed.
"Haha, good! Madam Jiang, I knew I hadn't misjudged you! Since you want to save this child, I've come up with a compromise: you can marry the third son!"
"Although disrupting the royal bloodline is a capital offense, you are still a sixth-rank Anren. Although your status is far below that of the third prince, you are still much better than that kind of woman who is not presentable. This way, the child can rightfully call the third prince 'father,' and naturally I won't harm the child again. What do you think?!"
The Empress Dowager's words made Jiang Ling tremble. She quickly kowtowed, "Empress Dowager, is there no better way? I came to the capital to see His Majesty because of that imperial decree. I do not want to get married!"
The Empress Dowager glanced at Jiang Ling and said meaningfully, "Do you not want to get married, or do you want to marry someone you love?"
Jiang Ling was once again covered in cold sweat. She didn't know if it was because she was recovering from a serious illness or because she hadn't eaten breakfast, but she felt dizzy. She tried to close her eyes and shake her head to clear her head.
She kowtowed to the Empress Dowager again and said, "Your Majesty, I simply do not wish to marry someone I do not love! The Third Prince holds a high position and great power, yet he has schemed against me repeatedly. If I were to marry into his household, what chance would I have of surviving?"
"Let's put Nianci's matter aside for now. I have three children of my own. If I'm gone, who will protect them? My eldest son got married this year, and his wife is pregnant. In a few months, I might become a grandmother. I beg Your Majesty to rescind your order. I still want to enjoy the happiness of family life!"
"Ha ha ha ha……"
Jiang Ling's words caused the Empress Dowager to burst into laughter for no apparent reason. Although Jiang Ling felt strange, she dared not look up at that moment, lest she anger the Empress Dowager and all her plans be ruined.
"Get up!" After the Empress Dowager's laughter stopped, her tone became much gentler.
Jiang Ling thanked her repeatedly, stood up, and still stood to the side with her head drooping.
"Hmm, quick-witted and sharp-thinking, no wonder the emperor was able to promote you two ranks in such a short time, you really have something!"
This unexpected remark left Jiang Ling completely bewildered. She could only laugh awkwardly and whisper, "Your Majesty is too kind!"
But in her heart she was thinking, "Are all people in imperial families so capricious? One moment they're furious, the next they're laughing out loud. Aren't they afraid of harming their health?"
"Consort Jiang, do you really think you can hide your little secret from me?" Before Jiang Ling could finish thinking about the previous question, the Empress Dowager's words suddenly entered Jiang Ling's ears again.
Jiang Ling shuddered, no longer daring to have any more inappropriate thoughts.
The air seemed to freeze, thick with embarrassment. Jiang Ling clutched her clothes, her knuckles turning white from nervousness.
"Consort Jiang, what did you think of Kang An's performance just now?" The Empress Dowager's words broke the silence, but they were like a fatal blow to Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling suddenly looked up, staring wide-eyed at the Empress Dowager.
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