Princess Yongjia's face changed drastically when she heard this, and she looked at Lin Wanyin in surprise. Was she coming prepared?
Emperor Xuande was also stunned when he heard this. "What did you say? You are praying for the country's fortune?"
Lin Wanyin nodded and said, "Your Majesty, just look at the base of the Guanyin statue and you will know."
Emperor Xuande picked up the Guanyin statue and looked at its base. It was indeed a prayer for the prosperity of the country and the eternal stability of the Great Zhou.
"Why do you ask for this Buddha statue?"
Emperor Xuande was somewhat surprised. Women who prayed to Buddha mostly prayed for offspring or for a peaceful family. This was the first time he had seen one pray for the prosperity of the country.
Lin Wanyin kowtowed solemnly to Emperor Xuande and said in a deep voice, "Because I hope that the Great Zhou Dynasty will be forever strong, and that future monarchs will be like you, the emperor, a wise ruler through the ages."
"I have been inspecting businesses in Northern Zhili for some time now, and I have been deeply touched by many things."
"Since the Emperor ascended the throne, he has not only been diligent in his work and cared for the people, but he has also reduced taxes by 30%. The people's lives have become much better."
"I am a businessman. When people live well, our business will also prosper. When the world is peaceful and prosperous, our lives will be meaningful."
Lin Wanyin's words were sincere, at least more heartfelt than those officials who sang praises.
"So I made this Buddha statue to pray for the prosperity of the nation. Early this morning, I also sent five thousand taels of silver to Anjifang, hoping to relieve the court of its worries."
"I say this not to show off myself, but to tell His Majesty that with the Holy Lord in power, even a woman is willing to contribute to the court."
The words "holy ruler is here" almost made Emperor Xuande's eyes wet.
Every day, court officials told him that the emperor was wise, but it was Lin Wanyin's words today that really moved him.
The Holy Lord is here, these four words are as heavy as a thousand pounds.
How could he...
"Madam Lin, please stand up. The Lin family has spared no effort in assisting the imperial court during every major disaster over the years. If all merchants in the world were like the Lin family, it would be a blessing for the people of our Great Zhou."
Thinking of this, Emperor Xuande suddenly felt that he should reward Lin Wanyin and let all merchants in the world learn from her character.
"Come here, give Madam Lin a plaque with the words 'Ren Shang' written on it. I will write the words on the plaque myself."
Lin Wanyin was overjoyed and knelt down to thank the emperor for his grace.
Su Chengye, standing among the ministers, looked at Lin Wanyin, who was thanking him, with mixed feelings. He had no idea that she could be so measured even in the Golden Palace. If they didn't divorce...
Unfortunately, there is no if.
Lin Wanyin thanked him, and Shen Zhixiu suddenly said, "Princess Yongjia said that she remembered the late queen's Buddha body very clearly."
"But I remember that the base of the late queen's Buddha statue had lotus patterns on it. The gold thread wrapped around the base was wrapped around it nine times."
"These two bases don't look alike at all. If you remembered them clearly, how could you have made a mistake?"
In reality, the Emperor wasn't entirely clear on these details. Shen Zhixiu knew because the Emperor had entrusted him with the task of finding the late Empress's statue. He happened to have the original blueprint for the statue.
Anyone could see that Elder Shen was speaking up for his mother-in-law. But no one dared to say anything. Even clay figures have tempers, let alone Elder Shen, who held a high position.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Xuande looked at Princess Yongjia coldly and said, "Yongjia, you are being too presumptuous today."
Princess Yongjia knelt on the ground in panic, "Brother, please calm down. I am also worried about you."
"I was thinking about the Emperor's sister-in-law, and I always felt that it was the Emperor's sister-in-law's Buddha body that had returned. That's why I was confused for a moment and saw it wrongly."
Emperor Xuande snorted, "A momentary trance? Yongjia will be confined to his room for a month, fasting and chanting Buddhist scriptures to atone for the late empress's sins."
Princess Yongjia did not dare to refuse and knelt on the ground to thank him.
Shen Zhixiu was now closer to Emperor Xuande, and suddenly muttered in a low voice, "Li Yunzhou's slap was in vain."
Emperor Xuande happened to hear these words. He knew Shen Zhixiu had said them on purpose. However, he also felt that Shen Zhixiu was right. "Yunzhou has been wronged today. I will reward you with the Chengying Sword."
Li Yunzhou knelt down to express his gratitude.
Princess Yongjia's face suddenly turned pale. She could accept her own punishment, but she could not accept Li Yunzhou's reward.
Is a bastard born of a lowly person worthy enough to hold the Chengying Sword?
Emperor Xuande looked at the Buddha statue again, "This Buddha statue..."
Lin Wanyin hurriedly said, "After I take him out of the palace, I will go to the Huguo Temple to perform a ritual. I will sincerely explain to the Buddha, and the Buddha will be merciful and will not blame me."
After saying this, Lin Wanyin watched the court meeting was about to end.
She knelt before Emperor Xuande again and said, "I have something else to say. After much deliberation, I cannot accept the plaque bestowed by the Emperor."
Lin Wanyin's words shocked all the court officials in the hall.
A plaque specially bestowed by the Emperor—what a great honor! Even among the three dukes and nine ministers, not everyone could receive such a reward. Some shook their heads slightly, thinking that women were indeed unfit for the Golden Palace and knew nothing.
Emperor Xuande was stunned. "Why?"
It was the first time that something he gave away as a reward was rejected.
Then Lin Wanyin said in a deep voice, "I went into the city yesterday, and Su Chengyan, the second master of the Su family, said that there were contraband in my car."
"I didn't mean to stop them from searching, but they thrust their swords and spears directly into the carriage. I was afraid of damaging the Buddha statues, so I suggested I open the carriage and let them look around."
"But Su Chengyan not only disagreed, he also wantonly insulted me in front of the people of the capital."
"He said that I stole the Su family's money, was disrespectful to my parents-in-law, and treated my concubines and illegitimate children poorly. Even more abominable, he also falsely accused me of having an affair with someone else, which was why I divorced the Marquis of Pingning."
"If it weren't for the fourth young master of the Li family, I would have to bang my head against the city gate to clear my name."
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