Emperor Jingyuan's punishment came down quickly.
Song Lin and his son did indeed anger the emperor, but since the Song family successfully rescued the people trapped in the mountains, the punishment was not too severe.
Song Ziyu was punished for falsely claiming military merits for his son, and was fined half a year's salary. Song Lin was punished for using inferior goods to impersonate superior ones and for harming the people's livestock, and was sentenced to thirty strokes of the cane and a month of confinement for reflection.
Song Lin was carried back from the palace, his entire back covered in blood.
Gu Yurong's eyes were red and swollen with heartache, yet she dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction with the imperial edict, and she gritted her teeth in hatred.
"If it weren't for Song Yu's interference, my son would already be a meritorious official of the court. How could he have suffered such a setback!"
She tended to Song Lin's wounds while wiping away tears.
It's really strange. When natural disasters were raging, where did Song Yu get such a large amount of supplies? He didn't have that kind of ability!
It must have been Jiang Wan who did it.
But the snowstorm came suddenly, and she had been confined to the yard the whole time. How could she have known what was going on?
Gu Yurong racked her brains but couldn't come up with a solution.
I always felt that Jiang Wan had become much more mysterious since she returned home, and that she had some unseen secrets hidden behind her.
Her mind was in turmoil, and now things were even worse.
Emperor Jingyuan ordered an investigation into Song Yu's imprisonment, and the substandard supplies pointed to Mr. Ji Jiu. She needed to write to her mother as soon as possible.
The letter specifically stated that the failure of this plan was entirely due to Jiang Wan.
Mr. Ji Jiu has extensive connections in the martial arts world and hopes to investigate Jiang Wan's background, see who is behind her, and help her resolve crises time and time again.
He also comforted Ji Jiu, saying that once the Gu family returned to being imperial merchants, they would definitely repay his help, and so on.
Song Lin stayed in the main hospital to recuperate.
The pain in his heart was far more unbearable than the physical wounds on his body.
The technique he had practiced to the very last moment was ruined, and all his previous efforts were in vain.
Moreover, the New Year holidays are a crucial time for people from all walks of life to visit each other.
Now that he can't go out, isn't Song Yu taking all the limelight?
The thought of how Song Yu was fawned over made him tremble with anger.
Just as he had expected, Song Yu was indeed popular.
It is said that when he escaped from prison and rushed to the mountain, the people who were besieged on the mountain that day spontaneously made a plaque to express their gratitude for his life-saving act.
Many people in Beijing gave it a thumbs up when they heard about it.
If it were just an ordinary act of kindness, it wouldn't have caused such a sensation.
But he risked escaping from prison and risked execution to rescue the people. How could that not move people?
As for the previous case of the abuse of a respectable woman, His Majesty has ordered a reinvestigation, indicating that there was another injustice involved.
Song Yu's trip to the Ministry of Justice's prison actually earned him more praise.
On the contrary, Song Lin's reputation has been getting worse and worse. Compared with Song Yu, he is now like a mountain in the sky and a burrow in the ground.
The public opinion in the capital naturally reached the ears of the matriarch.
On this day, all the women came to Luhe Hall to pay their respects.
The elder's wife handed a letter to Jiang Wan.
The post with gold foil edging is very valuable.
"The invitation came from the Countess of Yong'an. They like to have a lively atmosphere and like to gather their young masters to play games like pitch-pot and ice skating before the New Year. I'm old and don't like to join in the fun, so let Yu'er go and have some fun for a couple of days."
Jiang Wan was initially surprised.
But remembering the recent public opinion in the capital, she knew what was going on and accepted the reply with a smile: "Grandmother is too kind. I thank you on behalf of Yu'er."
Gu Yurong stared at the invitation in her hand, her eyes filled with resentment.
In previous years, Zhou and the matriarch would have reserved such opportunities for Song Lin.
But now…
The matriarch is shrewd as a devil, that's one thing, but why doesn't Madam Zhou say a word for Lin'er? She used to dote on Lin'er the most.
Gu Yurong secretly glanced at Zhou Shi.
Seeing that the other party was only focused on talking to Song Tingyue and completely ignored this side.
A wave of doubt washed over her. She wondered when it had started, but Zhou seemed to have grown distant from her and Lin'er...
It's alright.
She sneered silently.
Once the Gu family regains its status as a royal merchant, everyone in the Song family will look up to her!
Meanwhile, Madam Yuan put down her teacup and said to Jiang Wan.
"Yu'er is a promising child. It's because he's hardworking and also thanks to your excellent guidance."
"On the other hand, although he is a collateral descendant, he has long been registered under the Song family and is Ziyu's rightful son. How could I, as his great-grandmother, not love him?"
Jiang Wan chuckled inwardly.
When Song Yu was unknown, no one cared whether he lived or died.
Now that he has gained fame and success, the Song family can't wait to benefit from it.
She smiled gently and said, "Grandmother is right. Yu'er is very filial. Just a few days ago, he said that His Majesty allowed him to attend the New Year's Eve banquet, and he wanted to accompany you to the palace to celebrate the New Year together."
The matriarch smiled kindly: "He is a good child, but I am frail and do not like to move around in the winter. On New Year's Eve, he should stay at home and recite scriptures."
Song Tingyue, who was standing next to her, twitched her ears and breathed a sigh of relief.
On New Year's Eve, she had her own plans, and it was inconvenient with the elder lady present.
Jiang Wan noticed her expression and asked with a smile, "Speaking of which, how is the white sparrow that the princess keeps? I haven't seen it these past two days."
Song Tingyue was startled.
Why did Jiang Wan suddenly bring up that bird? Did she sense something?
She squinted at Jiang Wan, and seeing that the other's eyes were clear, as if it were just a casual question, her heart slowly settled back into her stomach.
As the eagle grew up, its bloodthirsty instincts gradually emerged. Last time, it even bit and pecked a maid, so it was no longer suitable to keep it in the yard.
Granny Xia had no choice but to put it in the woodshed and feed it two live chickens every day.
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