"Sister-in-law, please tell me your grievances slowly. Even if you want me, Yao'er, to make the decision, I must first understand the whole story," Empress Su said softly, her gaze towards Lu Qingyan filled with pity.
"Aunt, I want to break off my engagement with Lin Ke!" Lu Qingyan said in one breath. Although the six formalities of marriage were not completed by both families, the engagement tokens had already been exchanged.
As long as Empress Su intervenes, that engagement token will definitely be retrieved.
"What did Lin Ke do to upset your sister-in-law and Yao'er?" Empress Su asked, puzzled, since Lin Ke had previously had an excellent reputation.
Mother Su was unwilling to tell the truth and wanted to save face for her husband, so she could only vaguely say, "Lin Ke is an unreliable child. Yao'er hasn't even entered the family yet, and he's already involved with other women."
Empress Su was both amused and exasperated: "Sister-in-law, it's common for men to have multiple wives and concubines. Prince Lin is already a bit older than Yao'er, so it's not a big deal if he has one or two concubines in his household. Once Yao'er enters the household, whether she's made a concubine or kicked out, I doubt the Lin family will be able to find fault with her. She's a good child, so there's no need to break off the engagement over such a small matter."
Empress Su was relieved to hear that it was not a big deal.
Seeing that Su's mother was like this, Lu Qingyan also had to consider Su's father. Being young, she didn't care much about such things and went straight to Empress Su's side and whispered in her ear: "Aunt, the one who is involved with Brother Lin is Father's concubine Yang Xiuzhu. I and several maids saw them sleeping together naked."
Empress Su's face turned ashen, as if she had swallowed a fly: "Absurd!"
"Auntie, I don't like that person at all anymore." Lu Qingyan pouted and leaned against Empress Su, her brows still showing a childlike innocence.
In this situation, Empress Su was unable to vent her anger.
She took a deep breath and said, "This matter must be dropped. I will send someone to tell the old lady of the Marquis of Anyuan's mansion to come over."
“Aunt, please call the imperial physician over as well,” Lu Qingyan said. “Although I don’t like Lin Ke anymore, I still like Grandma Lin very much. She’s old, and I’m afraid that something might happen to her if she gets agitated.”
Empress Su nodded approvingly: "Yao'er's consideration is indeed thorough."
Madam Lin is now in her fifties, and has some gray hair. Although she has lost some weight, she looks very energetic.
The Lin family and the Su family were on good terms, and the Su family produced an empress, so Old Madam Lin often had the opportunity to meet Empress Su.
This was the first time Empress Su had ever invited her to the palace, and for some reason, Old Madam Lin had a bad feeling.
This premonition did not disappear even after they met Empress Su. Because it was a family matter, a private matter, Empress Su did not meet them in the main hall, but sat with them in a side hall and talked with them.
The old lady sat opposite Empress Su, her heart pounding with anxiety: "I wonder why Her Majesty summoned me here..." Old Madam Lin asked tentatively.
The Empress was playing chess with Lu Qingyan, and Lu Qingyan's naive playing style amused the Empress quite a bit.
She slowly placed a piece on the board, saying, "Back when Uncle Lin was still alive, he was on good terms with my father, and my aunt often visited the Su family. The two families even talked about becoming in-laws in the future. I remember that the former Marquis of Anyuan's heir had just gotten married not long ago, and his wife was already pregnant."
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