Under Emperor Jingyuan's fury, Song Ziyu was drenched in sweat.
"Your Majesty, there must be some misunderstanding! The General's Mansion would never dare to neglect the Empress's reward!"
He glared at Gu Yurong, hoping she could provide a reasonable explanation.
But Gu Yurong's mind went blank at this moment, and she couldn't even utter a word.
Jiang Wan stepped forward and bowed her head.
“Your Majesty, I have heard that recently, my grandmother has entrusted the household affairs to my sister Gu. I believe that my grandmother would not allow my sister Gu to sell the imperial gifts. There must be a misunderstanding. Please calm down.”
The matriarch suddenly looked up and nearly coughed up blood.
Jiang Wan's casual remark dragged her into the mess.
This implies that Gu Yurong made a mistake that was inseparable from her instigation!
The matriarch was so angry that her face turned red, but she couldn't explain herself. After all, everyone knew that she had promoted Gu Yurong and saved face for her.
Now that Gu Yurong, that fool, has caused trouble, I will surely suffer greatly as a result.
…No matter the reason, we must protect Gu Yurong for the time being.
She took a deep breath.
“A-Wan, you’ve misunderstood. This matter has nothing to do with Yu Rong. How could anyone else dare to touch the palace’s rewards? These rewards were sent back to your courtyard a long time ago. It must be that one of your servants is dishonest and stole things to exchange for money, which is why this happened.”
Jiang Wan said, "How dare a servant handle a gift bestowed by the Emperor?"
That's why it's described as incredibly audacious.
The matriarch looked at her with displeasure and asked in return.
“A-Wan, this was a gift from the Empress. Now that it’s lost, you also bear some responsibility. Why are you only questioning your elders?”
"Do you expect me, this old man, to apologize to you?"
Gu Yurong immediately said, "That's right! It must have been done by the servants in your courtyard. Those servants are always arrogant and only listen to your orders. They never take the others in the General's Mansion seriously."
“Your Majesty, the servants of Xingzhi Courtyard are indeed arrogant. I heard that when my second sister went to see Awan before, they chased her out of the house. These past few days, since Awan has not been home, they have become even more insane, and they even dare to touch the things bestowed by the Emperor.”
Song Tingyue also said.
“A-Wan, you really should discipline your servants properly. Why not just deal with them today? It would be a good way to give His Majesty and the Empress an explanation.”
Jiang Wan turned her head, a faint smile playing on her lips, but her eyes were icy cold.
The matriarch, relying on her age and seniority, tried to shift the blame onto the Song family with just a few words.
That's a really clever plan.
Jiang Wan knelt before the Empress, her back straight.
“My grandmother and the princess favor my younger sister, and I have nothing to say about it. Those servants are of lowly status, but they cannot be allowed to be slandered.”
She glanced at the trembling dancer and said.
"Where did the dancer buy this item, and who handled it? If we investigate, we will find a trace. Please, Your Majesty, make the decision!"
The Empress helped Jiang Wan up: "Good child, I saw this, it has nothing to do with you."
She felt a pang of pity.
Normally, nothing seemed amiss, but when trouble struck, not a single member of the Song family spoke up for Jiang Wan.
Jiang Wan has suffered countless grievances over the years.
But she remained silent and never complained or asked for help from anyone.
The Empress grew to like her more and more as she looked at her kind nature.
"Your Majesty, you might as well do as she says and have the Prefect of the Capital investigate this matter thoroughly."
Emperor Jingyuan nodded in agreement and instructed He Xingyun to carry it out.
Song Ziyu felt a little flustered and wanted to say something, but the old lady held her hand down.
The fact that Emperor Jingyuan did not punish them on the spot was already a good outcome.
Moreover, this matter is not so easy to investigate.
It was not difficult for the General's Mansion to secretly silence the merchants involved and then send out a servant to take the blame.
At that point, Jiang Wan will be unable to explain herself and will have no choice but to swallow this bitter pill.
General Shaoguang also stepped forward and said.
"Please calm your anger, Your Majesty. I believe that Madam Gu is innocent. She is a man of integrity who can raise such a talented young man as Song Lin."
Martial artists cherish each other.
Because Song Lin was able to perform the sword dance that General Song had performed years ago, General Shaoguang valued him and was willing to speak up for the Gu family.
Gu Yurong was overjoyed and bowed gracefully to him, saying, "Thank you, General."
Recalling Song Lin's sword dance, Emperor Jingyuan's gloomy expression eased somewhat, and he casually asked a question.
"Where's Song Lin? We haven't seen him in so long."
As soon as he spoke, everyone suddenly realized that Song Lin seemed to have been gone for a long time.
However, this was a minor matter. Emperor Jingyuan ordered a eunuch to search for him: "Go and look for him, just in case he got lost in the palace."
The eunuch responded and left.
Gu Yurong sat to the side, slowly calming herself down.
After calming down, she was no longer afraid. Although selling the rewards was a serious matter, she believed that the matriarch would help her cover it up.
After all, the crime of insulting the Empress Dowager was one that the entire General's Mansion could not afford to commit.
She's not in a hurry.
Today, Song Lin has received His Majesty's praise and is enjoying great prestige. He will surely be highly regarded when he returns home.
She just needs to wait and enjoy Song Lin's blessings.
Jiang Wan actually dared to argue with the old lady in public; she'll be in for a rough time when she returns home.
After clarifying her thoughts, Gu Yurong felt a sense of pride.
She poured herself a glass of wine and slowly drank it.
After a while, the eunuch sent by Emperor Jingyuan returned.
He searched the side hall where he changed clothes, but couldn't find Song Lin. He asked other people, but they all said they hadn't seen him either.
"how so?"
The matriarch, fiddling with her prayer beads, seemed somewhat troubled.
Having just experienced a major upheaval, she was filled with paranoia and feared that something else might happen.
Seeing that Gu Yurong was still drinking, she scolded, "Lin'er has not returned for a long time, and you, as his mother, are completely unaware?"
Gu Yurong said with some grievance, "My granddaughter-in-law just found out and even sent her maid Zique to look for him."
Upon hearing this, Song Tingyue's eyelids twitched.
Others were unaware of Song Lin's bad habits, but she had noticed some clues.
Zi Que is quite pretty; there's no guarantee he won't make a fool of himself.
Song Tingyue leaned close to Madam Yuan and whispered a few words, at which point the latter's expression suddenly turned ugly.
Why didn't you say this sooner!
If Song Lin really does act recklessly in the palace, wouldn't all of today's efforts be in vain?
On the high platform, Emperor Jingyuan, seeing that the eunuchs could not find Song Lin, had already sent a team of guards to search for him.
The matriarch lowered her voice and said urgently, "Quickly! Send your servants to search. You must find Lin'er first!"
“Our people aren’t familiar with the palace; how can they compare to the imperial guards?” Song Tingyue frowned. “If Lin’er had truly acted recklessly, finding him now would be too late…”
The elder lady's mind raced.
Seeing Song Yu sitting alone in the back, a thought suddenly struck him.
"Yu'er," she instructed, "when I went to change my clothes just now, I think I left my jade pendant in the back garden. Go and look for it for me."
Song Yu agreed and turned to leave.
The old lady stared at his back, a fierce glint in her eyes. She beckoned to Zhang Mama beside her and whispered some instructions.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com