Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager’s lips twitched extremely quickly.

Old General Lin had indeed passed away, but he died approaching the age of sixty, and Old Madam’s granddaughter was already of marriageable age. Wasn’t the description of “orphans and widows” a bit exaggerated?

This thought flashed through the Empress Dowager’s mind, but her expression remained concerned. “Old Madam, what do you mean by this?”

Old Madam immediately stopped crying and, gripping her cane, began to speak. “Back then when Wanqing insisted on marrying Wen Rugui, I was unwilling, but who could blame Wanqing for being fond of him? As a mother, one always has a soft heart toward one’s children…”

The Empress Dowager couldn’t help but nod.

Wasn’t she the same? That year when her second son led troops into the capital and seized the throne from her eldest son, though she was angry at her second son’s audacity, when she saw him struggling at every step due to opposition from some officials, her heart still ached. So she displayed her support for her second son, helping him through those difficult early days of his reign.

She naturally felt for her eldest son too, but with her eldest son missing with uncertain fate and her second son right before her eyes, what else could she do but help her second son?

Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager dabbed at the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief.

“I originally thought that as a scholar from humble origins, he would inevitably need his wife’s family’s support in the future and would treat Wanqing well. But who would have thought that today, he actually wants to bring his concubine and a pair of illegitimate children into the household!”

“Such a thing happened?” The Empress Dowager’s face showed surprise, though in reality she was not at all shocked.

Having heard Old Madam say so much, if she still couldn’t guess that Wen Rugui had been keeping a mistress in a golden house, she would be too foolish.

As for Old Madam’s fury, the Empress Dowager didn’t quite share the same sentiment.

Having become Empress Dowager, she had witnessed countless beauties surrounding emperors. Was one concubine really worth Old Madam Lin coming to the palace in tears?

Lin Wanqing had truly been spoiled and coddled into foolishness by Old Madam.

The Empress Dowager was naturally familiar with Madam Lin.

When Old General Lin followed the late emperor in conquering the realm, Old Madam had also accompanied her husband to the battlefield, while Madam Lin was left behind and often summoned by the Empress Dowager for conversation.

Back then, Lin Wanqing was only about ten years old. Her temperament wasn’t to the Empress Dowager’s liking, and the reason for the Empress Dowager’s frequent attention was self-evident.

“Your Majesty nearly never saw this old woman again!”

The Empress Dowager coughed. “Old Madam, ease your mind. Men are—”

Old Madam interrupted the Empress Dowager’s consolation. “When this old woman saw that the illegitimate son was even older than Chan’er, I nearly couldn’t catch my breath!”

At this, the Empress Dowager was genuinely somewhat surprised.

“Older than Chan’er?”

Didn’t this mean that shortly after Lin Wanqing and Wen Rugui married, Wen Rugui had already taken a concubine?

No wonder Old Madam was so furious.

This wasn’t just a matter of the General’s Mansion losing face—it meant that all the affection Wen Rugui had displayed toward Lin Wanqing had become a joke.

Old Madam cherished Lin Wanqing like the apple of her eye. How could she not be angry?

“Even this would be tolerable—after all, it was Wanqing who took a liking to him first. A devoted lover isn’t so easily obtained.” Old Madam’s expression shifted from fury to icy coldness. “But he actually said in front of countless people that back then he was forced to agree by my old man…”

The Empress Dowager listened as Old Madam continued all the way to Steward Wen Ping.

“Fortunately, the people around him are all honest and didn’t assist a tyrant in his wickedness by helping him lie. Otherwise, even jumping into the Yellow River couldn’t wash the General’s Mansion clean.” At this point, Old Madam’s eyes had long since reddened. “That cruel and vicious beast pretended for twenty years, only showing his fangs now that my old man is gone and this old woman and Wanqing have lost our greatest support. Your Majesty, this old woman has no other recourse and can only ask you to dispense justice…”

Listening to Old Madam’s tearful complaint, the Empress Dowager thought of her own situation.

Unlike those women who climbed from ordinary concubines to the position of empress through currying favor and scheming, she had been the late emperor’s legitimate wife before he conquered the realm. Becoming empress afterward was natural and beyond question.

Even so, during the period after the late emperor’s death, she had experienced some of the difficulties of losing her husband’s support.

Those difficulties were not the same as what Old Madam encountered, yet they shared common ground.

Watching Old Madam’s reddened eyes, some of the affection that had been sealed away in the Empress Dowager’s heart for a long time was awakened.

To say “some” didn’t mean the bond between the two families’ women during the time when Old General Lin accompanied the late emperor in conquering the realm was too shallow. During that particularly difficult and anxious period, the Empress Dowager and Old Madam Lin had grown quite close.

Of course, the Empress Dowager had also grown close to the wives of several other of the late emperor’s right-hand men, which need not be elaborated.

It was just that over twenty-some years, time had gradually hardened the heart of this most noble woman in the Great Zhou and diluted what had once been sincere friendships.

But this moment of shared understanding finally softened the Empress Dowager’s heart.

“I truly never expected—” The Empress Dowager sighed and patted Old Madam’s hand. “What does Old Madam plan to do?”

Old Madam’s expression was extraordinarily resolute. “Wen Rugui slandered my old man, which is no different from forcing me to my death. Severing ties—we must sever ties. The Lin family refuses to have the slightest connection with someone of such corrupt character!”

Severing ties.

The Empress Dowager was not surprised by Old Madam’s decision. “With things having reached this point, it’s truly impossible to remain one family.”

“The two granddaughters must return to the Lin family. They cannot follow their wolf-hearted, dog-lunged father!” Old Madam added.

This was her primary purpose in entering the palace to file a complaint with the Empress Dowager.

She had no patience whatsoever to dispute with that beast over custody of her two granddaughters. Having the Empress Dowager make the decision was the quickest route.

As for having Wen Rugui stripped of his official position, that was something the censors and remonstrating officials would do.

With Wen Rugui having such a damaging scandal, regardless of their motives, remonstrating officials would surely step forward.

Only then did the Empress Dowager turn her attention to the young lady standing quietly behind Old Madam.

The young lady wore a half-worn white silk jacket and green gauze skirt, her hair arranged in simple twin buns. Her appearance was utterly ordinary, yet she radiated a striking delicate beauty.

“This is Ahao, isn’t it?” the Empress Dowager asked, relying on her memory.

Wen Hao curtsied in acknowledgment.

The Empress Dowager couldn’t help but look at Wen Hao several more times, smiling. “This Empress Dowager had previously heard that Ahao could speak now and was somewhat skeptical, but unexpectedly it’s actually true.”

She continued, patting Old Madam’s hand again. “Old Madam, this granddaughter of yours is excellent in every way. Her only regret was being unable to speak. Now that the regret is gone, good days surely lie ahead.”

“It’s all thanks to Your Majesty’s blessings.” Old Madam breathed a sigh of relief.

With the Empress Dowager saying this, she was clearly willing to intervene.

Not long after Old Madam left with Wen Hao, Emperor Tai’an came to Cining Palace.

Emperor Tai’an was extremely filial to the Empress Dowager. As long as he wasn’t overwhelmed with urgent matters, he would always come to Cining Palace at some point during the day to chat with the Empress Dowager.

“Why does Mother Empress seem unhappy?” After a few words, Emperor Tai’an noticed.

The Empress Dowager’s expression was indifferent. “Old Madam of the Lin family just came to the palace.”

Upon hearing the words “Lin family,” Emperor Tai’an immediately reacted to which family it was. After all, in all the realm, only Old General Lin was unique in not wanting even a duke’s title.

“Could it be that Old Madam Lin displeased Mother Empress?”

“Old Madam Lin didn’t displease this Empress Dowager. It’s just that after hearing what Old Madam said about her son-in-law’s affairs, this Empress Dowager’s heart feels heavy.”

The Empress Dowager recounted the information Old Madam had brought, sighing lightly. “Even at Old Madam Lin’s age, when a woman loses her husband, can she be bullied by anyone?”