The Ninth Lady is a rebellious person.

Chapter 239 Shen Qingtian, I've Got Your Cover

Once the matter of the imperial decree was settled, Lang Jiuchuan ran off. Compared to the joyful mood of everyone in the mansion, she appeared calm and out of place, as if it were none of her business.

Seeing this, Cui felt a dryness in her mouth.

When Lang Zhengping saw that his eldest niece had returned to the courtyard, he stamped his foot and was in a hurry to go to the palace to express his gratitude. So he first took the imperial edict to the ancestral hall and hurriedly went to the palace to express his gratitude.

Jiang Che muttered to Lang Jiuchuan, "He only didn't demote you because of you. He's giving the credit for exterminating evil to Cheng Jue. This emperor is too stingy!"

How is this any different from balancing merits and demerits?

Since it was Lang Jiuchuan's achievement, shouldn't the benefits be given to her instead of the title of Marquis?

"Everyone is prone to taking their anger out on others, and those in power don't care about right or wrong. In Consort Qi's heart, she probably still thinks I implicated Qi Si. After all, I was at odds with that girl from the Qi family first, then she died, and then she died after meeting Qi Si..."

"Yeah, I really think you're a jinx!" Jiang Che nodded seriously.

"With a few whispers in the emperor's ear, the emperor could demote a nearly fallen noble family. It was just a matter of the emperor saying something to please his concubine. However, the retainer of the Tantai family reported the matter to the emperor, and with the young master of the palace praising him, the emperor could not turn a deaf ear. Since the matter of inheriting the title could not be delayed any longer, he simply bestowed it upon the family. This would please the concubine and appease the ministers. Perfect."

Jiang Che retorted indignantly, "Perfect my ass, he's just disgusting."

"Let it be. To me, these are all unimportant external things. What is rightfully mine is already mine, so that's all." For her, merit is still the most important thing.

Jiang Che scoffed, "Of course I know you don't care. Let's just say, do you think the Lang family deserves this freebie?"

The child was sent to the estate to be raised for more than ten years. Although the old lady protected and accompanied her for ten years, and she had no worries about food and clothing, she was still away from the manor and her family. Not only did she not enjoy the treatment that a daughter of a marquis should have, but she also had to rely on her, a country girl, to inherit the title and benefit from her. If she were one of the masters of the marquis's mansion, she would be ashamed to death.

Okay, even though this light has nothing to do with the original body and was earned by Lang Jiuchuan through his own abilities, it's even less worthwhile.

Lang Jiuchuan was silent for a moment, then said, "It is to repay the old lady's kindness in raising me on behalf of the original owner."

Jiang Che fell silent. That old lady was genuinely kind to the original owner of this body. Even though she was now suffering from dementia, she still thought of the original owner. Unfortunately, the darling in her heart was gone.

Lang Zhengping returned from the palace quickly and went straight to Lang Jiuchuan's courtyard, accompanied by Gong Qi.

"Why are you here again?" Lang Jiuchuan looked at Gong Qi, who had lost a lot of weight and had a sallow complexion, and frowned.

Gong Qi smiled and said, "There's nothing much going on in the clan, and regarding the matter of the demons, we need to report the details and follow-up to the imperial family, so I'll come over."

"No wonder I was exposed to the Emperor. It turns out you guys were the ones who revealed it. No wonder the title wasn't lowered."

Lang Zhengping pricked up his ears.

"Since you have made great contributions, it is not appropriate to mention your achievements to others, but you cannot remain silent in front of the imperial family. After all, you now live in the Marquis's mansion. Being the daughter of a Marquis is more prestigious than being the daughter of an Earl. It will also let the imperial family know that there is such a person as you."

Lang Jiuchuan didn't care. What kind of rich girl she was didn't matter to her. Could she possibly be chasing butterflies and embroidering with this noble lady from Wujing?
Catching butterflies is out of the question; she'll catch ghosts to broaden their horizons.

Lang Zhengping was deeply moved and said, "Ninth Sister, I never imagined you would do such a great thing so quietly. The family is indebted to you..." "Lord Marquis, just do whatever you want. You don't need to say these things to me. I don't like hearing them, they're upsetting." Lang Jiuchuan frowned and interrupted him. She didn't want to play these cloying sentimental games; they were too tiring for her.

Lang Zhengping: "!"

His face flushed red, and he walked away, turning back every few steps.

As he stepped outside the courtyard, he sighed again. The title had been revoked, but why did he feel so guilty?

"I heard you were poisoned by a demon, are you cured now?" Lang Jiuchuan walked to the chair next to Gong Qi and sat down, saying, "Give me your hand."

Gong Qi was slightly taken aback. He reached out his hand and watched as her two slender, pale fingers touched his. The icy touch made him tremble slightly.

"Your heart meridian has been injured these past few days?" Lang Jiuchuan frowned, his pulse indicating that it was not much better than hers, especially since his heart meridian had been severely injured.

Gong Qi said, "I lost control a few days ago and almost succumbed to my inner demons."

He spoke of it casually, but Lang Jiuchuan, looking at his bloodless lips, knew the danger lurking within. If the demonic poison seeped into his bones and lungs and wasn't removed, it would erode his vital essence and damage his soul.

"What kind of demonic poison is it? When was it contracted?"

"When I was ten years old, I was ignorant and arrogant. Relying on my advanced magical powers, I secretly followed my senior brother in the clan to catch a demon. But that thing was cunning and it took advantage of my weakness, poisoning me to the bone. Oh, it was a centipede demon born in an ancient tomb. It sucked the heart and brain marrow of the tomb's owner, cultivated for a hundred years, and developed intelligence. It only eats children's brain marrow and hearts to nourish itself."

"Even with the Gong family's deep resources, they couldn't help you eradicate the demonic poison?"

"Both the young master and the fourth brother have given me acupuncture, but they cannot remove it. They can only suppress it with medicine when it flares up."

Lang Jiuchuan recalled the medication he always carried and said, "This incident didn't teach you any lessons, you're still as arrogant as ever."

Gong Qi chuckled, "Who knows when I might lose control of the demonic poison and go mad? I'd definitely die then. So what's the point of me living like this? I'll just live one day at a time."

Lang Jiuchuan scoffed lightly.

"Leaving that aside, regarding the Corpse Demon, the major clans have discussed it and will secretly investigate whether any demonic scriptures are circulating here. If you encounter them, keep that in mind." Gong Qi added, "In addition, Lord Shen has proposed the establishment of the Xuanmen Surveillance Bureau in court, which has aroused the dissatisfaction of some people. You have some connections with him, so advise him."

Lang Jiuchuan's face turned cold: "What, is the Xuan Clan going to make a move against him?"

Her fierce aura emanated from her body instantly, and the impact made Gong Qi's already pale face even paler.

“He made it clear that whatever happened was done by the Xuanmen. They certainly wouldn’t dare to do it openly, but as you know, the Daoist arts are ever-changing. It’s not impossible to secretly trip him up or make him suffer or get sick. Of course, we wouldn’t do that, but it’s hard to say about others. There are always some people in the Xuanmen who are even more unruly than me.”

Lang Jiuchuan's face grew even colder as he said, "Then I'll leave it to you. You can spread the word. Anyone who touches him will have to consider whether they can bear the consequences. Shen Qingtian is under my protection."

Gong Qi: "..."

Where did he learn that thuggish yet domineering tone from?