The emperor's reaction was so intense, it seemed as if he had been hit where it hurt, and he became furious and embarrassed.

Su Wenyuan didn't say anything. This person's heart was biased, so what was the use of her explaining?

Rumors involving Sheng Jingyu were just criticisms, but they became facts when she spoke of them.

The emperor looked at her, recalling what he had just said, and was speechless for a long time.

The silence inside Chengming Palace was eerily profound, almost so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"What a fine Princess Consort of Chen!" The Emperor suddenly laughed, making a teasing remark.

The tense atmosphere dissipated instantly when he smiled.

Su Wenyuan breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed she wouldn't have to kneel all night.

The Empress chided, "Your Majesty, why is the Princess still kneeling?"

She's always good at being a nice person.

The Emperor bestowed a seat upon Su Wenyuan.

Before Su Wenyuan could even settle in, the Empress asked with concern, "Last night, Prime Minister Su went to Prince Chen's residence and fell ill as soon as he got home. Was he frightened by the fire in the residence?"

"Hmm?" The Emperor's smile faded as he remembered the matter.

"The Crown Prince visited the Prime Minister's residence and came back to tell me that the Prime Minister fell ill because of you? He said that you've become arrogant since becoming a princess?"

Su Wenyuan smiled outwardly, but inwardly she was cursing.

The Empress is utterly lacking in virtue; she clearly brought this up on purpose.

Su Yuan, too, couldn't stand it for even a moment longer and started complaining so quickly?

“Last night, the Prince’s residence was in chaos due to the fire. Perhaps we neglected Father in some way, causing him to misunderstand.” Su Wenyuan said with a gentle smile and kind tone.

This explanation is reasonable. Logically speaking, with everyone in the household so busy, who would have the time to upset him?

But in fact, it's possible that he was angered by her, or that he was distressed about the dowry. No matter how you look at it, it's related to her.

The Empress seemed to be thinking of Su Wenyuan's best interests, and said softly, "Prime Minister Su has been an official for many years, how could he be angry because of your negligence? You should think carefully about whether you have done something wrong."

"Now that you are the Princess Consort of Prince Chen, it wouldn't sound good for you to be known as an unfilial son. Why don't you just go and admit your mistake? It won't hurt."

The Empress relentlessly pressed her to admit her mistake, intending to punish her under false pretenses and then spread the word, turning a small matter into a big one.

This soft knife is the most painful.

Hidden needles within cotton, each one aimed at a fatal weakness.

Su Wenyuan pondered for a moment, then stood up and said, "Your Majesty the Empress is right. I cannot bear such a bad reputation. How about this, Your Majesty, please send someone to the Prime Minister's residence to invite my father here so we can ask him in person."

Su Wenyuan spoke with utmost seriousness, guessing that Su Yuan wouldn't dare to come.

The Empress smiled, wanting to say something conciliatory to continue pressuring her, but Su Wenyuan didn't give her a chance to speak.

"Please invite the Crown Prince over as well, lest he misrepresent the message and cause misunderstandings. Yesterday the fire was so fierce, Your Highness was in a terrible state, and I have large burns on my legs. I also want to know, under these circumstances, what could I possibly have done wrong?"

In other words, what is Su Yuan being so pretentious about?

The entire courtyard of the mansion was burned down, and people almost burned to death. Who has time to care about him? They even angered him. Are they that free?

The emperor understood her unspoken meaning and, upon reflection, realized it made sense.

The household is so busy, how can he still have time to get angry?

Whether he really got sick from anger or not, even if he did, it's just that he's petty.

Thinking of this, the Emperor felt displeased with Su Yuan and waved his hand, saying, "Perhaps there is some misunderstanding. Don't take it too seriously."

If we really bring Su Yuan to confront him, wouldn't that be even more embarrassing?

Su Wenyuan's tears came easily, feeling extremely wronged. She choked up and said, "I have been in the manor for many years. Father is always busy and rarely cares about me. Yesterday, Father came to the manor in the middle of the night. I thought Father was concerned about me."

“I never thought I did something wrong and made him angry. Since that’s the case, how can I not ask him more clearly, so that others won’t say I’m unfilial?”

After she finished speaking, she glanced at the Empress, her gaze carrying a hidden meaning.

The scene suddenly became somewhat awkward, and the Empress looked at the Emperor with embarrassment.

Seeing that Su Wenyuan had a good temper, she kept pressing her, but she didn't expect that Su Wenyuan was not someone to be trifled with.

"The Empress has lived in the inner palace for a long time and knows very little about what is happening outside. In that case, she should refrain from making hasty conclusions so as not to wrong the Princess Consort." The Emperor looked at her with a hint of disdain.

It's unreasonable to force someone to apologize before even clarifying the situation.

The Empress's expression stiffened, and she forced a smile as she replied, "Yes, it was because I didn't ask clearly that I almost wronged Princess Consort Chen."

Su Wenyuan didn't reply, she continued to cry, her face streaked with tears, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

The Emperor remained silent, drinking his tea and waiting for the Empress to clean up the mess herself.

"Oh dear, look at my mouth." The Empress hurriedly got up, came to Su Wenyuan, and took her hand.

"My child, I'm not blaming you, I'm just worried about you. In my haste, I gave you some rash advice, which caused you to suffer." The Empress said with loving eyes, wiping away her tears.

"I treat Jingyu like my own son, and I also favor his princess. The Emperor wanted Jingyu to marry your sister, but then he heard that you are gentle and considerate, much more so than her. Now it seems that this is indeed true." The Empress praised him insincerely.

Upon hearing this, Su Wenyuan raised her eyebrows slightly, somewhat surprised.

So it turns out that the person who was originally going to marry Sheng Jingyu was Su Lin'er!

Who persuaded the Emperor and Empress to change the bride's name to hers?

She found it strange from the beginning. The emperor favored Sheng Jingyu, and the empress treated him well, so why would she choose a useless princess for him?

If there's any misunderstanding in this, it sounds much more reasonable.

The Empress got her wish and saw the shocked expression on her face. Then the Emperor said a few more innocuous words and let her leave.

As soon as they stepped out of the palace, Su Wenyuan said to Meng Qi, "Your prince has quite a good appetite."

"?" Meng Qi replied blankly, "It's not that good."

“I think it’s great. After suffering such a huge loss, they didn’t utter a single word.” Su Wenyuan turned around and smiled. “We haven’t eaten yet. Let’s find a place to eat. I’m afraid there won’t be any food for us in the manor.”

Su Wenyuan was right. Not only was no food prepared in the mansion, but the old women also went to Sheng Jingyu to complain.

The one leading them was that skinny old woman, surnamed Gao.

Sheng Jingyu never expected things to escalate so much, with the people in the manor completely unable to tolerate the new princess.

But have they forgotten who they are?

As soon as Su Wenyuan returned to Zhuyue Pavilion, she saw the courtyard full of servants.

"How lively! What, is it time to pay out monthly allowances?" Su Wenyuan asked coldly as she sat down next to Sheng Jingyu.

Sheng Jingyu replied calmly, "They came to complain that you don't like them."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Granny Gao stepped forward arrogantly and said, "The princess went to the kitchen early this morning, complaining that we weren't taking good care of her and that she shouldn't be supporting us. Haven't we done any work?"

Another old woman chimed in, "That's right! Over the years, we've meticulously arranged everything from what the Prince likes to eat and drink, to the dietary restrictions when he takes his medicine, and even his usual health supplements. The Princess Consort has only been here for one day, and she's already negating all our efforts?"

This man, surnamed Dong, was one of the ones laughing the most in the kitchen.