The Empress Dowager said to Ling Shumo, "I didn't ask you to pardon He Fanghua. If you think house arrest is too light a punishment, then banish him to the cold palace. But no matter what, I hope you can spare his life."
The Empress Dowager said this not because she was so kind, but because she wanted to keep He Huaichen alive and use him as a hostage to threaten and intimidate He Huiyuan.
When He Huiyuan returned to the court, if she cared deeply about her brother's life, she could detain He Huaichen in the harem as a hostage, and then she wouldn't have to worry about He Huiyuan rebelling. And if He Huiyuan was willing to give up her brother, the Empress Dowager would no longer stop Ling Shumo from killing He Huaichen, and everyone would be happy.
In the final analysis, the Empress Dowager just wanted Ling Shumo to postpone dealing with He Huaichen.
The Empress Dowager's attitude gave He Huaichen hope. He kowtowed several times in the direction of Ling Shumo and said, "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I sincerely regret it. Please give me a chance to repent."
He Huaichen's words were all sincere. He was truly regretful. Originally, if he had just been content, he could have lived the rest of his life in luxury. But in a fit of rage, he had harmed Ling Xihe without regard for the consequences. Now, not only was he no longer rich and prosperous, he wasn't even sure if he could save his life.
The Empress Dowager's considerations were very comprehensive. Ling Shumo was a person who put the interests of the imperial power above all else, but she did not always consider only the interests. She also had feelings, and her love for Lu Jinshu and her eldest daughter was very deep.
After a while, Lu Jinshu didn't hear Ling Shumo's answer, so he looked up at her and saw that she was in deep thought. It was as if she was weighing the pros and cons, considering the feasibility of saving He Huaichen's life.
His heart tightened, and the next moment, he heard Ling Shumo say to He Huaichen, "Since the Queen Mother has pleaded for you, I will spare your life for now. Let you live to attend your sister's celebration banquet, and then consider other things."
He Huaichen was delighted and quickly thanked Ling Shumo for not killing him.
Fu Yijing sneered inwardly. He had originally thought that His Majesty loved Lu Jinshu immensely, but now it seemed that he was no more than that. However, thinking back to how depressed and unsightly Lu Jinshu had been recently, it was understandable that he had fallen out of favor.
Lu Jinshu's heart almost dropped to the freezing point. Then, he felt someone staring at him, and when he looked up, he saw Ling Shumo's pair of extremely deep eyes.
When Ling Shumo noticed that Lu Jinshu was noticing her, she silently looked away.
In the brief moment their eyes met, Lu Jinshu's frozen heart thawed. He shouldn't have doubted His Majesty's love for him. His Majesty's decision to temporarily spare He Huaichen's life must have had deeper implications. All he had to do was wait quietly, confident that His Majesty would avenge his daughter.
At this moment, a force called trust and dependence flowed through Lu Jinshu and Ling Shumo. An aura rose between them that could never be detected by outsiders.
The Empress Dowager originally thought that Lu Jinshu would make a big fuss about the outcome of the treatment of Ling Shumo.
However, Lu Jinshu only knelt slightly and saluted Ling Shumo, his expression extremely humble. "Just now, I attacked He Fanghua, which was too reckless. I have now listened to and understood the teachings of my father. Regarding Xihe's murder, everything is entirely up to Your Majesty and my father."
The Empress Dowager had been very dissatisfied with Lu Jinshu's recent self-abandonment. If Ling Shumo hadn't been constantly speaking well of Lu Jinshu in front of him, she would have summoned Lu Jinshu to the Cining Palace and scolded him several times.
Now that he saw how understanding Lu Jinshu was, his resentment towards him faded. Instead, he said gently, "Xihe and you have suffered a great injustice. I remember it clearly and will find an opportunity to make it up to you and your daughter in the future."
Should we compensate them both properly? Lu Jinshu really didn't comment on what the Empress Dowager said.
Ling Xihe almost died at the hands of He Huaichen twice, but the Empress Dowager protected the murderer He Huaichen everywhere for the sake of the overall situation.
If they can't get justice for him and his daughter this time, what hope can they have in the future?
Despite thinking this, Lu Jinshu remained silent. He bowed respectfully to the Empress Dowager and said, "I thank you, Father, for your compassion."
The matter was temporarily settled at this point. He Huaichen was taken back to his palace, and the Empress Dowager and Fu Yijing also left.
At this moment, Jiufu stumbled out. Lu Jinshu thought that there was something wrong with his daughter's condition again. Just as his heart was lifted up, he heard Jiufu laughing and saying, "It's okay, it's all right. Her Royal Highness's dementia is completely cured! She has regained consciousness and even called out my name clearly just now." Jiufu couldn't stop crying when she said this.
Lu Jinshu, however, had no time to pay attention to him as he ran towards the inner room in great excitement. Ling Shumo followed closely behind him, and the two of them crossed the threshold one after the other.
"Father, Queen Mother, I was just about to go out and look for you." Ling Xihe had just said this when Ling Shumo pulled her small body into a hug. Ling Xihe felt something hot and wet dripping onto the back of her neck. She looked up in confusion, and then her already large grape-shaped eyes widened even further, filled with disbelief. "Queen Mother, why are you crying?"
Lu Jinshu's attention had been on his daughter. After hearing Ling Xihe's words, he turned his head to look at Ling Shumo. Tears welled up in the eyes of this woman, who always stood tall and said what she meant. Lu Jinshu raised his hand and slapped himself, frightening not only Ling Xihe but also Ling Shumo, who was at a loss as to what to do.
"Why did you hit yourself?" Ling Shumo grabbed Lu Jinshu's hand, totally unable to understand what he was going through just now.
Lu Jinshu pulled his precious daughter out of Ling Shumo's arms, then he rested his chin on Ling Shumo's shoulder and said in a choked voice, "I was wrong. I was wrong so much. When I think about how I once accused Your Majesty of not caring enough about Xihe, I feel so ashamed of myself."
Lu Jinshu was heartbroken as he spoke, tears welling up in his eyes. "Your Majesty is in so much pain, how could I take my anger out on you? I am such a worthless person. I have said so many hurtful things to your Majesty, yet you have forgiven me and still love me like this. This is all my fault, all of this is my fault! I will never quarrel with you again."
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