Changan answered truthfully.
After hearing this, the queen's face fell.
Without waiting for Chang'an to say anything, she quickly stepped into the palace.
Song Zhiqing heard the noise, looked up and saw Empress Xu. He frowned, crumpled up the paper on the desk and threw it into the trash can.
"Are you still thinking about Ling Qingwan?" Empress Xu asked sternly.
Song Zhiqing didn't say anything.
"Tell me about you. You have been depressed ever since you broke off your engagement with Ling Chuchu. You are the crown prince. I have kept this a secret from you and have not yet informed your father. If he finds out one day that you are so sad because of a woman, how will he think of you? And how will all the civil and military officials in the court think of you?"
Empress Xu could no longer hold back and started to criticize Song Zhiqing.
Because the noise was so loud, the palace guards outside the palace could also hear it. Chang'an was careful and understood Song Zhiqing, so he ordered the other palace servants to retreat to the bottom of the stairs to prevent the quarrel between the two from being heard by the palace servants and hurting Song Zhiqing's self-esteem.
"In your eyes, I'm just a useless guy who relies on women to consolidate his position as the crown prince." Song Zhiqing felt as if something was stuck in his throat, and he felt suffocated when he spoke.
"What do you mean?" Empress Xu's face changed drastically.
She never expected that Song Zhiqing would say this to her.
"Mother, I have listened to you and distanced myself from Wanwan. You forced me to agree to the engagement with the eldest daughter of the Ling family. Now, the people of Da Yue all know that Miss Ling broke off the engagement with me and that she would rather be a concubine than my crown princess. Are you happy?"
Song Zhiqing was filled with resentment. He didn't want to lose his temper, but Empress Xu blamed him again and again, forcing him to speak out his true feelings.
"It's just right that you retired. The Ling Mansion has fallen into decline and is no longer the marquisate it once was. Ling Chuchu is not worthy of you at all." Queen Xu sneered when she mentioned Ling Chuchu.
"You looked down on Wanwan for her country background, and now you look down on Miss Ling for her declining family. Mother, if I am not a useless prince who relied on women to ascend to the throne, what am I?"
Empress Xu looked at Song Zhiqing with a dejected expression and opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.
Song Zhiqing stood up, staggered around the desk, and prepared to leave.
"Do you still remember how your uncle died?" Empress Xu asked suddenly.
Song Zhiqing was stunned and stopped.
"Ling Qingwan is Wei Xun's person. When your uncle was killed by Wei Xun, she and General Shen helped to reduce Wei Xun's crime! If it weren't for her, Wei Xun would have been executed long ago." Queen Xu was very emotional.
"You're telling me now that you're thinking about Ling Qingwan. Are you being worthy of your uncle?"
"Uncle Xu has done so many evil things that even if the Seventh Prince does not take action, God will punish him." Song Zhiqing spoke every word with exceptional clarity.
Empress Xu was stunned.
She never expected that Song Zhiqing would say this.
With a "pop", the hall was filled with crisp sounds.
Song Zhiqing's cheek was burning hot and a red mark appeared instantly.
"How dare you say such things for a woman?" Empress Xu gasped in anger.
Song Zhiqing pursed his lips tightly and said nothing in the face of Empress Xu's accusations.
"You should reflect on this carefully."
After saying this, Empress Xu flicked her sleeves and left.
"Stay here. During this period, the prince cannot go anywhere else and can only stay in the East Palace. I have the final say on when you can leave."
When they reached the door, Empress Xu ordered the guards at the gate.
She deliberately raised her voice to make sure Song Zhiqing could hear her.
Chang'an was terrified, but he didn't dare to ask Empress Xu. After Empress Xu left, he hurried into the hall.
"Empress, please calm down. His Highness is ignorant and that's why he offended you." Linglong comforted Queen Xu.
"Ignorant? He's so old and still so ignorant." Empress Xu snorted. "In my opinion, he has been bewitched by Ling Qingwan and has forgotten who he is."
Empress Xu had only this one biological son, and she was counting on Song Zhiqing to become the crown prince so that she could gain status as a mother through her son in the future.
If Song Zhiqing continues like this, the emperor will depose him sooner or later.
"Your Majesty, I know you are doing this for His Highness's own good, but you have to solve the problem and cannot just wait for His Highness to get better on his own. If he could get better, would he still be in this state?" Linglong was attentive and offered advice to Empress Xu.
Empress Xu stopped and looked at Linglong.
"When did I ever need a servant like you to interfere in my affairs?"
When Linglong saw that Empress Xu was angry, she was so frightened that she trembled and quickly knelt on the ground.
"I know I was wrong! Please forgive me, Queen!"
"Go and get twenty strokes of the cane yourself." Empress Xu was too lazy to even look at Linglong, so she walked around her and left.
After walking a few steps forward, Empress Xu suddenly began to chew over Linglong's words carefully.
What she said does make some sense.
The person who tied the bell must be the one to untie it. If you want Song Zhiqing to come to his senses and cheer up again, you have to rely on Ling Qingwan's help.
Thinking that she and Ling Qingwan had already fallen out, Empress Xu's face suddenly fell again.
Ling Qingwan was quite relaxed in the Ling Mansion. It seemed that Madam Ling and Ling Chuchu were thinking about how to get the seal back and had no intention of going against her. Ling Qingwan was happy and at peace.
As a result, something went wrong after a few days.
That day, Ling Qingwan was swinging on the swing in the yard when Qiao'er came in in a panic, muttering that something big had happened.
"What's going on?" Ling Qingwan wondered.
"The old lady invited several elders from the Ling Mansion to come to the capital, saying that she wanted them to seek justice." Qiao'er was extremely anxious.
The elders of the Ling Mansion were extremely dignified, and their say in the mansion was greater than that of Old Lady Ling. Old Lady Ling felt that she could not deal with Ling Qingwan, so she called for help.
"You'd better think of a way quickly and think of how to deal with it later. If the elders ask Madam to hand over the seal, there will be no way for you to refuse." Qiao'er reminded Ling Qingwan.
"Let's see what Madam Ling has to say, otherwise I won't be able to deal with it."
After saying that, Ling Qingwan slowly stood up and rushed to the ancestral hall.
There were three or four old men sitting in the room, and Madam Ling was sitting next to them. The old man sitting in the main seat looked the oldest and the thinnest. But he seemed to be shrouded in majesty, which made people stand in awe at the first sight.
Ling Qingwan recognized him; he was her second uncle, the one with the highest status among the elders.
In her previous life, Ling Shen begged the old lady to include Ling Qingwan in the family tree but to no avail. After that, Ling Qingwan married into the Eastern Palace, but was driven out by Song Zhiqing and Ling Chuchu. Ling Qingwan had no choice but to return to the Ling Mansion, but the old lady Ling and Ling Feng refused to recognize her and left her out.
By then, Ling Shen had passed away. Shen Chengzhou was away on a military expedition, leaving Ling Qingwan alone and helpless.
Until now, Ling Qingwan still feels sad when she thinks of the past.
Later, it was the second uncle who heard about this and brought her back to the Ling Mansion. In the entire Ling Mansion, only the second uncle spoke for her and treated her as a family member.