After asking around, the Emperor still had to ask Sheng Jingyu in the end.

Sheng Jingyu waved his hand, saying he didn't know...

It's amazing that none of these court officials suggested that Sheng Jingyu go, even though he was the most suitable candidate.

The emperor had concerns and did not trust Sheng Jingyu, fearing that if he were released, Sheng would collude with Qikong Kingdom.

What was the reason for these ministers' actions?

The Emperor deliberately tested the waters, clearing his throat and saying, "I think it would be quite appropriate for you to go."

"Your Majesty, this is not a good idea!"

Before Sheng Jingyu could react, the others began to object.

"What's wrong with it?"

"This..." The ministers stammered, looking at each other, but said nothing.

They were afraid that something might happen to Sheng Jingyu in Qikong Kingdom, and they were also afraid that the emperor might suddenly pass away.

But we can't say that right now.

"Last time, when Prince Jin attempted to assassinate the Princess Consort, Prince Chen nearly killed him in a fit of rage. They were in the wrong first. I originally intended to send an envoy to speak with the Emperor of Qikong Kingdom to seek justice for Princess Consort Chen."

“They’ve not gotten justice, and they’ve become even more brazen, openly and secretly humiliating the envoy. I’m not comfortable sending someone else. If Jingyu goes, the previous assassination attempt on the princess can be properly resolved.”

As the emperor spoke, he almost convinced himself, while also reminding some people.

Sheng Jingyu and Qi Kongguo have a conflict.

Grand Tutor Yan stepped forward and said, "It is precisely because Prince Chen and Prince Jin have a conflict that he should not be allowed to go. The old prince is arrogant and has never put the emperor in his eyes. If he wants to avenge Prince Jin, no one can stop him."

The Emperor scoffed, "Grand Tutor underestimates Prince Chen's abilities."

With the royal secret guards protecting them, as well as their own personal guards, the emperor couldn't even send someone in to gather information.

Is Qikong Kingdom really that capable of harming Sheng Jingyu despite being protected by multiple layers of security?

"This..." Grand Tutor Yan sensed the Emperor's displeasure and stood there with a troubled expression.

The Emperor has a problem with Sheng Jingyu, and it's a big one.

Seeing that the Grand Tutor was embarrassed, Sheng Jingyu smiled and said, "Since Father trusts me so much, then I will take care of this task. Father is right, the matter of Prince Jin's assassination of the Princess Consort has not yet been properly resolved."

“I wanted to kill him that day, but I didn’t because I was afraid of angering the Qikong Kingdom. Now that I’m on a mission to the Qikong Kingdom, I’m going to kill him in front of the emperor. If they want to blame someone, they can blame me alone.”

Grand Tutor Lu hurriedly advised, "Absolutely not! This trip is too dangerous. Your Highness must not go under any circumstances."

Even if the Emperor wanted to go, they wouldn't try to persuade him like this; they just wanted to keep Sheng Jingyu here.

Sheng Jingyu said in a pretentious manner, "I'm not going alone, so nothing will happen. My father also thinks I'm suitable, so please issue the decree quickly."

Su Wenyuan was worried that he would encounter danger after going, but Sheng Jingyu himself was quite eager to go.

Qi Kong Kingdom was always restless, and he wanted to understand its situation so that he could remain calm and composed.

There probably won't be another opportunity like this in the future.

Seeing that he was serious and not joking at all, the Emperor quickly changed his tune, saying, "I was just saying it casually; we still need to discuss the details further."

Seeing the emperor hesitate, the ministers pressed on, offering various reasons why Sheng Jingyu should not go.

This scene suited the Emperor's wishes perfectly; he didn't even need to come up with a reason, he could just go along with it.

But the emperor still felt a little sour inside. Compared to himself, these people cared more about Sheng Jingyu's life or death.

In the end, no one could come up with anything, so the emperor could only ask them to think about it some more and move on to the next matter.

The Emperor promised the Empress that Sheng Ziyan should return to the capital.

Even if he didn't agree to the Empress's request, he still had to come back.

The Emperor's reason was simple: Sheng Yuanhe had encountered an accident after leaving the capital, and he feared that Sheng Ziyan might also encounter danger.

The Emperor still looked grief-stricken when Sheng Yuanhe was mentioned; this was no acting.

I didn't like it this much when I was alive, but I like it more and more after I died.

Just like how the Emperor treated Yu Qingzhu, he wanted to marry her back then but failed. If Yu Qingzhu were alive today, the Emperor might not even give her a second glance.

Because of her early death, he began to miss her, his mind filled with her good qualities, forgetting that he had only been attracted to her at first sight.

His proposal was met with opposition from everyone, and on an unprecedented scale.

Sheng Ziyan has only been away from Beijing for a few months, yet he's back so quickly. The punishment he received back then was nothing more than a joke.

Furthermore, in everyone's eyes, the Emperor's health was already at its limit, and there was no telling when an accident might occur.

Calling Sheng Ziyan back makes one wonder about the Emperor's intentions.

If the Empress could plot against Sheng Jingyu behind his back, so could the Emperor.

Although no word has yet been spread, everyone can sense from the Emperor's attitude that he dislikes Sheng Jingyu and has no intention of passing the throne to him.

Thinking of this, everyone became even more excited; they absolutely could not let Sheng Ziyan come back.

Sheng Jingyu remained the same, his expression indifferent, as if everything was irrelevant to him.

"Say something!" The Emperor was frantic, constantly giving Sheng Jingyu meaningful glances.

Sheng Jingyu started to pretend to be blind, something he was very good at.

The Emperor could only take the initiative to ask him whether or not Sheng Ziyan should be allowed to return.

Sheng Jingyu spoke for a long time, but the last sentence didn't have a key point. The main point he wanted to make was that it depended on the Emperor's opinion.

The emperor was so anxious he almost jumped up. If he were in charge, would he have let everyone argue here?

"I am not feeling well, so we will discuss this again at the morning court tomorrow." The Emperor made an excuse and hurriedly left the court.

That's a good excuse. I already suspected he was dying, and he keeps proving with his actions that he really is dying...

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!