eurekapd Chapter 378 Let's send them back to Lingnan
Chapter 378 Let's send them back to Lingnan
"Si Mutong!" Prince Ning strode forward, grabbed his second sister's wrist, and stared at her with a cold gaze.
Aside from the time he rescued her, when they had contact, they maintained proper decorum and didn't get too close. Moreover, he never called her by her name directly.
The second sister frowned as she looked at him.
Because Prince Ning was coming, the guards of the Marquis's residence hesitated and failed to keep a close watch on him for a moment. Madam Jiang broke free and rushed to Prince Ning's side, hugging his arm and crying.
"Jianqiu, you must kill this woman right now! It's all her fault. She just threatened us, just now..."
Prince Ning ignored him, his gaze fixed on his second sister: "Why...why didn't you tell me?"
The second sister's heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to remain calm and not show any loss of composure: "I don't understand what Your Highness is talking about."
"you……"
Just as Prince Ning was about to speak, Jiang's mother burst into tears again.
"Jianqiu, are you just going to watch your parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law be bullied by this vile woman?"
Prince Ning took a deep breath, pushed Jiang's mother away, and said with a cold gaze: "I heard everything you just said."
Jiang's mother was startled: "Ah? You...I...No, it's not Jianqiu, it's all her fault. She even threatened us, saying she would arrest us and take us to the authorities!"
"Then, may I ask why you, Jiang family, came to the Marquis's residence to commit violence?"
After Prince Ning finished speaking, he raised his hand and ordered, "Guards, these four men attempted to kidnap the Marquis's daughter. Take them back to the Dali Temple for a thorough investigation."
Even Jiang's father became anxious and hurriedly shouted, "Jianqiu, what are you doing? We are yours..."
When Prince Ning's gaze swept over him, he dared not utter a sound.
"Furthermore, this case is complicated, and I am involved and cannot appear in person. Ah Song, go to the Duke's mansion and ask the heir to return to the Dali Temple to hear the case."
Is this for real?
The Jiang family members stared wide-eyed, wanting to beg for mercy, but their mouths were all gagged.
Prince Ning ignored them, blocking his second sister's way and asking, "Si Mutong, why won't you tell me about the past? And Xiaoxia'er, she's my daughter, isn't she?"
The second sister stared at him in shock, and after a long while asked, "You... you remember?"
Prince Ning closed his eyes and took a deep breath: "I ordered someone to... investigate in Fenghuang County."
Hearing this, the second sister's eyes darkened slightly. She pushed away his arm that was blocking her view and said, "Then go and ask your good adoptive parents. Don't bother me anymore."
Prince Ning was stunned for a long time. In the news that Arun brought back, Si Mutong was a gentle, kind, and very patient woman. And the Si Mutong he had met, although somewhat stubborn, was not much different.
This was the first time she had ever been so cold to him.
The commotion outside was quite loud. When Si Muyan rushed out, she saw Prince Ning still standing there in a daze, and her second sister looking disheveled, carrying a kite and preparing to go home.
She rushed over and asked in a low voice, "Second Sister, are you alright?"
The second sister shook her head: "Eldest sister, let's go back."
It meant she didn't want Si Muyan to say more.
Si Muyan glanced at Prince Ning, then told the guards to go back, while she supported her second sister.
Once back in the courtyard, the second sister revealed that Prince Ning already knew about the past.
Si Muyan pondered for a moment: "I heard that Prince Ning has already dissolved his engagement with Zhao Ning. What... do you think?"
"Whether he's engaged or not makes no difference. He has amnesia, he's forgotten me, and he never knew Xiaoxia existed before. Eldest sister, Xiaoxia is a member of the Si family, I will not hand her over to anyone."
Si Muyan patted her hand: "Don't worry, even if you don't want to reconcile with Prince Ning, Xiaoxia will never leave us."
The second sister lowered her eyes for a long time before saying, "Everything from the past is in the past. We should both look forward. I don't want him to marry me out of a sense of responsibility. I also don't want to be with him anymore because... he is not my Sanlang."
Si Muyan pulled her into his arms and said, "Time changes everything, and no one will wait for someone else in the same place. Sometimes in life, it's just a series of missed opportunities, but missing out is never a mistake."
Prince Ning sat in the carriage. He originally did not want to return to the Dali Temple and planned to go straight back to his residence, but he was indeed in a bad mood.
Upon learning that Si Mutong was actually his wife, everything seemed to make sense.
No wonder he always felt a sense of familiarity with Si Mutong. On that day at the hunting grounds, when he went down to save Si Mutong and hit his head, that sudden feeling of déjà vu wasn't from Jiang's mother, but from Si Mutong.
Therefore, he did not have a good life in the Chiang family before.
The person who truly warmed his heart and brought him joy was Si Mutong.
No wonder he felt an instant connection with Xia'er the moment he saw her. Having worked on so many cases and met so many children, perhaps he had a certain unapproachability about him; all the children seemed afraid of him.
Only Xiaoxia was as close to him.
It turned out that she was his daughter.
Prince Ning was both excited and frustrated.
He had completely forgotten about his wife.
"Stop the car, let's go back to Dali Temple."
Back at the Dali Temple, the Jiang family had already been imprisoned. Feng Ziheng leaned back in his chair, while a minor official beside him was writing the case file for this case.
Upon seeing Prince Ning arrive, Feng Ziheng wearily rubbed his temples.
"Your Highness, sometimes for such minor cases, is it really necessary to make me come in person?"
Prince Ning said, "This concerns me, so I have no choice but to trouble the Crown Prince."
Feng Ziheng was somewhat speechless. He waved his hand and said, "Your adoptive parents are full of lies. Your sister-in-law did tell a few truths, but they weren't of much use. They failed to abduct a woman. The main culprit, your adoptive father, will receive thirty strokes of the cane, and the others will receive ten strokes."
Prince Ning frowned, feeling that the sentence was too lenient. However, he was familiar with the law and knew that under the current laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the punishment for any attempted assault was not severe.
He waved his hand, dismissing the person, and said to Feng Ziheng, "The second young lady of the Si family is my former wife."
Feng Ziheng was drinking water from his teacup when he almost choked, coughing several times: "You... what did you say?"
Prince Ning recounted his investigation into the past in Lingnan, then shrugged: "I don't remember. I was deceived by the Jiang family again, so... But the most important thing now is to convict the Jiang family."
Feng Ziheng thought for a moment and said, "Aside from their attempt to kidnap Miss Si, which is a crime, they cannot be convicted of anything else."
“Abandoning his daughter-in-law and granddaughter…”
Feng Ziheng shook his head: "There are no laws on this. Such things are common in remote mountain villages."
Prince Ning pursed his lips for a long time without speaking. But he suddenly understood why Si Mutong had been so dedicated to advocating for women and revising laws concerning women.
"Although we cannot convict the Jiang family, let's send them back to Lingnan."
Feng Ziheng frowned: "They are, after all, your adopted parents. If you send them away and ignore them, it may damage your reputation."
"When have I ever cared about my reputation?"