Lin Jiuqing looked up at the Queen Mother sitting above, his eyes sincere, and said slowly: "In my heart, I have long regarded the Queen Mother as a family member. It is my fault for making you sad. So, even though I know that the Queen Mother does not want to see me, I still want to come today."

She lowered her head again and said softly, "Mother, this is all my fault. If you are angry, feel free to punish me. I have no complaints. I only ask that you take care of yourself and not hurt yourself because of my mistakes."

Her words were so sincere that no one could find fault with them. As the empress dowager listened, her originally depressed mood actually eased a little.

However, the practice of disbanding the harem had never existed since ancient times, and Mo Xiao had set a precedent. This incident had a significant impact not only on the harem but also on the previous dynasty, so much so that Mo Xiao had recently been living in Yinghua Palace, being annoyed by the ministers.

No matter what the situation was, the Queen Mother didn't want to give Lin Jiuqing a good face.

After a long pause, the Queen Mother finally managed to utter, "I dare not punish you. If the Emperor knew, wouldn't he be alienated from me?"

Lin Jiuqing quickly said, "I will never let Your Majesty know about this, don't worry, Mother."

After a pause, he continued, "Besides, His Majesty respects you, and everyone knows it. How could he become estranged from you over such a small matter? You are the closest people in this world, and the bond of blood cannot be severed."

These words touched the heart of the empress dowager.

She and Mo Xiao were blood relatives, how could anyone compare to them? The reason she turned a blind eye to the affairs of the harem was simply because she wanted her son to be happy and successful.

The Queen Mother's complexion looked much better than before, and her body had relaxed a little, half leaning back in her chair.

He stared at Lin Jiuqing for a moment, then said to Qiuyue, "Go and get the Lotus Sutra from my desk."

Qiuyue responded and quickly took the Lotus Sutra.

The Queen Mother pointed at Lin Jiuqing, who was kneeling on the ground: "Give it to her."

Qiuyue was stunned for a moment, then came to Lin Jiuqing holding the Lotus Sutra.

Lin Jiuqing took it with both hands and held it respectfully.

The Queen Mother said calmly, "In a few days, I will go to Huguo Temple to pray for blessings. You can hand-copy the Lotus Sutra a hundred times and I will take it to the Buddha. If the Buddha forgives your fault, I will naturally not pursue it any further."

One hundred times.

The expressions of the people in the room changed.

Everyone knew that the Empress was frail, and His Majesty felt distressed when she took even a few extra steps. Therefore, he had specially granted her a ceremonial guard so that she wouldn't have to walk in the palace. Now, forcing her to copy the scriptures a hundred times by hand was a severe punishment for her.

Lin Jiuqing didn't hesitate at all: "Yes, I will copy it sincerely and let the Buddha feel my sincerity."

The Queen Mother waved her hand and said, "Go back."

Lin Jiuqing then bowed respectfully and walked out with Yingyue's support.

As soon as she left, the old maid beside the Queen Mother said, "Your Majesty, if His Majesty knew..."

"So what if he knows? Could it be that he wants to punish his mother?"

"That's not what I meant. I just felt..."

"You just think this punishment is too harsh for her. Given how much the Emperor loves her, he'll definitely have objections, and then he'll turn against me?"

The old lady pursed her lips and said nothing.

The Queen Mother took a sip of tea and said calmly, "If she really had the Emperor in her heart, she would not have let the Emperor know about this."