Magistrate Duan frowned as she looked at the girl, who was more than twelve years younger than her, and said with some displeasure, "You're from the capital? What proof do you have?"
The girl calmly took out a Phoenix Token. Upon seeing it, Magistrate Duan immediately knelt down and kowtowed respectfully, saying, "Long live the Empress Dowager!"
She glared disdainfully at Magistrate Duan and sneered, "Hmph, you really won't shed a tear until you see the coffin! If you know what's good for you, hand the person over to me right now, or I'll kill you without mercy!"
When the last four words were spoken, Magistrate Duan felt as if a cold gaze was about to freeze her completely.
He instinctively shuddered, sweat slowly trickling down his temples and forehead. Trying to compose himself, he feigned confusion and asked, "I don't know what you're talking about? Could you please clarify?"
The girl's slightly shrill laughter filled the room, making everyone frown. Her sharp gaze fell directly on Magistrate Duan, who felt as if a thousand pounds were pressing down on his back, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
"Duan Kang'an, you've hit a brick wall and you don't even feel the pain? Are you playing dumb with me?" The girl's angry voice reached Magistrate Duan's ears. She then glanced at the surrounding guards and ordered, "Search!"
Magistrate Duan was startled again. At this moment, he only hoped that these guards were not too clever and that they would overlook the prison in the corner.
But Magistrate Duan was far too naive. These guards were all handpicked by the Empress, each one meticulous and discerning. How could they possibly let such a place slip by?
Sure enough, before the time it takes to drink a cup of tea was up, Zhao Liu, covered in wounds, and Nianci, who was crying incessantly, were brought before the girl and Magistrate Duan by several guards.
Seeing Zhao Liu's bruised and swollen face, Magistrate Duan's anger immediately exploded. He abruptly raised his head, stood up, and glared at the girl in front of him, shouting, "That's enough! Don't push your luck! What right do you have to fight him?"
The girl raised an eyebrow, stared intently at Magistrate Duan for a few seconds, then scoffed lightly, "Make a move? Which eye of yours saw me make a move? I've been sitting here for so long, do you think I can be in two places at once?"
"You!" Magistrate Duan was furious with the sharp-tongued girl in front of him, his face turning ashen as he clenched his fists.
The girl, however, didn't seem to care. She lightly twirled her hair with her slender fingers. "What? I already told you that if you just handed the person over, everything would be fine. Now someone else has to suffer for you. Who can you blame?"
Magistrate Duan looked at Zhao Liu with heartache, but Zhao Liu looked at Magistrate Duan apologetically and whispered, "Kang An, I'm sorry, I failed to protect him!"
"Hmm! Not bad, not bad. Brothers are as good as heaven and earth! But to me, you are nothing!" The girl glanced at Magistrate Duan indifferently.
The girl flashed by and appeared in front of Magistrate Duan in less than a second. With a half-smile, she whispered in his ear, "Here's what I'll give you: one, I'll take the child with me and won't bother you anymore; two, come with me to the capital to see the Empress Dowager!"
"The second one!" Magistrate Duan blurted out without thinking.
"Fine! You've got guts! Take him away!" The girl's smiling face immediately darkened, and she turned her head and waved.
And so, Zhao Liu, looking completely bewildered, and Magistrate Duan, who was determined to die, were bound hand and foot and pushed onto the last carriage by several people. As for Nianci, her mouth was stuffed with a handkerchief by the girl and she was thrown into another carriage.
Jiang Ling listened with lingering fear, and sighed helplessly, "The capital is truly complicated; they don't even care about blood ties! It's terrifying!"
Magistrate Duan comforted him, saying, "It's alright, it's alright. We're back now, and the matter has been resolved satisfactorily, hasn't it?"
Hearing Magistrate Duan's comforting words, Jiang Ling gradually felt relieved.
Along the way, their relationship seemed to have inexplicably warmed up a bit more.
When they arrived at Lujia Village, Jiang Ling was about to get off the carriage when she suddenly remembered something. She took out a sachet from her bosom, which she had bought from the mall on her way back.
Blushing, she placed the sachet in front of Magistrate Duan and said, "This...this is for you! I got it from Ping'an Temple in Shengjing!"
After saying that, whether out of guilt or embarrassment, he immediately lowered his head and jumped off the carriage with Nianci.
Just as Magistrate Duan was about to chase after them, he found Jiang Ling being tightly hugged by Jiang Yaojie and Jiang Suihe, with Shen Congxin, her father, and Zhao Qianyu standing nearby.
Not wanting to disrupt this rare reunion, he quickly instructed Zhao Liu to drive towards the village entrance.
"Mom! We miss you so much!" The usually composed Jiang Yaojie hugged Jiang Ling like a child and almost burst into tears.
Looking at Jiang Yaojie in front of her, Jiang Ling sighed inwardly. This child was only seventeen, which would be a high school student nowadays. Thinking of this, Jiang Ling gently patted Jiang Yaojie's shoulder and softly comforted him, "Look, Mom is back!"
Jiang Yaojie seemed to realize he had lost his composure and immediately wiped his eyes, saying to Jiang Ling, "Mom, I've been taking good care of things at home lately, so don't worry!"
Seeing Jiang Yaojie's appearance, Jiang Ling felt very sorry for him. She glanced at everyone, then looked at Shen Congxin and Shen Qianhe, and said to Shen Qianhe, "My dear in-law, you've gone to so much trouble these past few days! I also had my own reasons for not being able to help!"
Shen Qianhe waved his hand and replied readily, "Oh, what are you saying! We're family now, so let's not be formal! But, Congxin hasn't been eating much lately and keeps gagging. I was thinking of calling a doctor to take a look at her, but she's so stubborn and won't let me. What if she gets sick from gagging?"
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