Before coming to the Song family, the mother and daughter had already discussed what to say.
So when Mrs. Song asked, Lin Wanyin explained, "I was checking the business in Beizhili a few days ago and saw it in a small temple."
"That small temple is a bit run-down, and I can't tell if it's worshipped or not. I figured since it's a statue made in the image of the late queen, it'd be best to bring it back to the capital. Besides, our own offerings will surely be more elaborate."
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Song took out a cotton handkerchief and wiped the corners of her eyes twice. "Madam Lin is truly a benefactor to our Song family. I have thought about her day and night these past few years, hoping that I could welcome my daughter back home."
"When she first passed away, I mentioned it to the Emperor. I wanted to go to Luoyang to bring her Buddha body back to the palace. But the Emperor said that doing so would chill the hearts of the people of Luoyang, so I gave up."
"I've deeply regretted these past few years. If I had known I would lose it, I shouldn't have listened to the Emperor."
As a mother herself, Lin Wanyin understood how much Mrs. Song missed her daughter. Seeing the old lady sad, Lin Wanyin couldn't help but cry too.
Then he softly comforted her, "Don't worry too much. The late queen is still alive and would feel bad seeing you like this."
Mrs. Song was grateful to Lin Wanyin and her daughter from the bottom of her heart, so she told her daughter-in-law beside her, "Tell the kitchen to prepare a table of delicious food. I want to invite Madam Lin and my niece-in-law to have dinner today."
Wang Shi quickly agreed, and then said to Su Qingyu with a smile: "Sister-in-law, please don't refuse. It's rare for mother to be so happy."
Although I cried sadly just now, I was really happy to have found the Buddha body of the late queen.
Su Qingyu was about to decline, saying she had something else to do at home, but before she could open her mouth, a maid came in hurriedly to report.
"Madam, a team of Dragon Guards arrived outside. They said they wanted to take Madam Lin to the palace. They said they had just searched Madam Lin's house in Elm Alley."
Lin Wanyin stood up after hearing this and asked, "Do you know why?"
The little maid shook her head, "I don't know, I only know that the person outside is the Dragon Guard leader, Puyi."
Su Qingyu thought for a moment and said, "Don't worry, mother. I will accompany you to the palace."
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard Old Madam Song say in a deep voice: "Don't be afraid, I will go out with you to take a look first."
A quarter of an hour passed by the time the old lady changed her clothes and brought Lin Wanyin and Su Qingyu to the gate.
When the Dragon Guards Commander Puyi saw Old Madam Song coming out, he was stunned at first, and then bowed deeply.
After the ceremony, Puyi looked at Lin Wanyin again, "Madam Lin, the emperor ordered me to bring you into the palace. Come with me."
Although Puyi's tone was a bit cold and harsh, it was also a normal tone of routine.
But before Lin Wanyin and Su Qingyu could react, Madam Song hit Puyi directly with the cane in her hand.
"Commander Fu has great authority."
Puyi didn't expect the old man to speak, so he smiled and said, "I dare not."
As the commander of the emperor's personal guards, he could offend high-ranking officials in the court, even members of the royal family. But he would never dare to offend the old lady of the Song family.
The old lady hummed and asked, "Why did the emperor ask you to bring Madam Lin into the palace?"
Pu Yi naturally didn't dare to hide it and explained, "In response to what the old lady said, the second master of the Su family beat the drum to report it. He said that there was something extremely disrespectful among the things that Madam Lin brought back to the capital."
"The Emperor then sent this official here to bring Madam Lin into the palace for questioning."
Su Qingyu understood that the disrespectful object should be the stained body of the late queen.
She already had a guess as to who was behind the scenes, but she still had to go to the palace to confirm it.
Madam Song hummed, then continued, "Bring her into the palace properly. The Emperor asked you to summon her into the palace, not as if she were a prisoner."
Puyi hurriedly said he didn't dare, not to mention that Madam Song had spoken, this person was after all the mother-in-law of Lord Shen, so he didn't dare to go too far.
In this way, Puyi bid farewell to Old Lady Song and brought Lin Wanyin and Su Qingyu into the palace.
At the Ganyang Palace, Prince Shan Li Jingchuan and Princess Yongjia had already arrived with Li Yunzhou.
After hearing the whole story, Li Jingchuan raised his hand and slapped Li Yunzhou in the hall.
The crisp sound of applause resounded throughout the Ganyang Palace.
"You evil creature, what's going on? Why don't you tell the truth?"
Li Jingchuan looked at Li Yunzhou as if he were his enemy.
After beating Li Yunzhou, he turned around and bowed to apologize, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I couldn't help myself and acted recklessly in the Ganyang Palace."
Li Yunzhou staggered after being hit, raised his sleeve to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, and knelt on the ground.
"Father, calm down. I was just doing that lady a favor. I don't know anything else."
Li Jingchuan's public lecture on his son was not surprising to the civil and military officials in the capital, not even the emperor.
Everyone was puzzled. They had never seen Prince Shan in such a bad temper. But when facing this illegitimate son, he immediately turned into a harsh and strict father. Fortunately, this child was lucky and had a kind mother.
Seeing this, Princess Yongjia stepped forward and grabbed Li Jingchuan as usual.
"Your Highness, please calm down. Yunzhou is still a child. Even if he is wrong, you can't be so harsh."
As he spoke, he wiped the corners of his eyes again and said, "Although this child is not my biological child, I love him as if he were my own. Your Highness, please don't be like this."
There was a hint of triumphant smile in his eyes.
When Li Jingchuan heard this, he didn't react at all. His face became even more angry and he raised his foot to kick Li Yunzhou.
It was Shen Zhixiu who spoke up and said in a cold voice, "Prince Shan, this is Ganyang Palace, not your backyard."
"We don't care if Prince Shan wants to kill his son, but we can't disgrace the place where emperors of all generations have conducted state affairs."
Shen Zhixiu didn't even glance at the Li family father and son, his face drooping and cold. They say that if there's a stepmother, there's a stepfather. Li Jingchuan wasn't just a stepfather; he was an enemy.
After hearing what Shen Zhixiu said, Li Jingchuan withdrew his kick. Although Princess Yongjia was a little disappointed, she pretended to be relieved and helped Li Yunzhou up with her own hands.
Li Yunzhou had long been accustomed to such scenes. Sometimes he even had the illusion that his family was no different from the actors on the stage.
When Lin Wanyin and Su Qingyu were brought into the main hall, Li Yunzhou had already stood up and stepped aside.
Also brought to the palace along with the mother and daughter were the suspicious items that Puyi had found in Yulin Hutong.
Seeing that the real master had arrived, the entire Ganyang Palace returned to silence again.
Lin Wanyin and Su Qingyu walked to the center of the hall and saluted Emperor Xuande.
Emperor Xuande did not make things difficult for them and asked the two men to stand up and answer.
"Lin Wanyin, someone has accused you of hiding something disrespectful. Is that true?"
Before Lin Wanyin could say anything, she saw Princess Yongjia pointing at a statue of Guanyin covered with a clean cloth and exclaiming loudly.
"Isn't this the Buddha statue of the late queen?"
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