The Emperor couldn't possibly be unaware of this, and Su Wenyuan was also aware of it.

Then Su Wenyuan gave a miserable smile and said, "Now the people of the capital all know, and they're laughing at us outside the mansion."

"If His Highness has any dissatisfaction with me, I will apologize to him in front of my father. It's no big deal. But to make such a fuss like ransacking my house, is he bullying me, his princess, or the prince?"

Sheng Jingyu wasn't involved in the matter, but Su Wenyuan had to make good use of his name.

The Emperor could not bear to see Sheng Jingyu suffer any injustice.

Being blind is pitiful enough, but to be bullied on is heartbreaking.

"Where is the Crown Prince?" The Emperor was slightly displeased, and his gaze toward Su Wenyuan carried a hint of doubt.

Outside the palace, rumors circulated not only that the Crown Prince had besieged the mansion, but also that she had subjected him to cruel tortures inside, including skinning him alive and imprisoning him, all because of jealousy.

The eunuch reported, "His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived and is outside."

"Let him in!" the Emperor roared.

He was angry that the Crown Prince hadn't arrived sooner, and now Su Wenyuan had seized the opportunity.

Sheng Yuanhe wasn't unaware that whoever filed the complaint first was in the right. He arrived late because he wanted to speak with Sheng Jingyu and see if he could find the three maids first, but Sheng Jingyu wouldn't cooperate.

As soon as Sheng Yuanhe entered, he angrily said, "Father, don't believe what she says! It's all lies! This woman is just spouting nonsense!"

Su Wenyuan looked up in shock, her eyes filled with tears, and then glanced at the Emperor.

"Is the siege of the mansion a hoax?" the Emperor asked calmly.

Sheng Yuanhe nodded guiltily and said, "It's true, that's because..."

"The search of the mansion was also a hoax?" the Emperor pressed.

Su Wenyuan came over without defending herself or complaining. She just told him to discuss with the Crown Prince and have the man removed.

discuss?

The emperor suddenly thought of those two words again.

Sheng Yuanhe explained, "Your Majesty, I searched the mansion to seek justice for the two young ladies! The Princess Consort of Chen was using torture within the mansion, and the two young ladies witnessed it..."

"Did Your Highness find anything?" Su Wenyuan asked.

Sheng Yuanhe lowered his head, unconvinced, and said, "No."

Su Wenyuan said nothing more and looked at the Emperor once again.

"The investigation is handled by the capital's prefectural government! If the Grand Tutor and the Vice Minister of Rites feel wronged, they can also submit a memorial to impeach you. But there is no evidence, and no order from me! Who gave you permission to lead troops to surround the prefecture? Where is Wang Changji?" the Emperor roared.

The Crown Prince was already able to bypass him and issue orders to the capital's government offices, and the Prefect Wang Changji was still willing to listen to him.

Sheng Yuanhe knelt down with a thud and said, "Lord Wang... is still at the Prince Chen's residence."

The emperor, enraged, laughed and said, "Still surrounding him? Your orders? Does he listen to you like that?"

Su Wenyuan lowered her head and remained silent. The Crown Prince had truly lost his mind and committed the greatest taboo.

"No, Father Emperor, it was He Meiqiu, the daughter of Minister He, who described the Prince Chen's residence as a living hell. It was outrageous. I acted impulsively and took the matter to the capital's government office!"

"The Prefect was also furious upon hearing this. Such cruel torture was unheard of. Fearing that the Princess Consort of Chen would destroy the evidence, he ordered a search overnight!" Sheng Yuanhe finally had the chance to say the words he had prepared long ago.

The Emperor's expression softened considerably, and he asked Su Wenyuan, "Is what the Crown Prince said true?"

Su Wenyuan calmly said, "It's fake. It's just an excuse to make trouble for people and let the outside world laugh at the Prince Chen's mansion."

Sheng Yuanhe pointed at her and cursed, "You woman, you're spouting nonsense..."

"What are you doing?" the Emperor roared in fury, slamming his fist on the table.

The two were talking past each other, but the Crown Prince was far too easily angered.

For his lack of composure, he deserves a scolding.

Sheng Yuanhe suppressed his anger and finally said, "I beg Father to issue an order to search the mansion again and thoroughly investigate the maids to see if anyone is missing!"

Su Wenyuan objected, saying, "We searched it several times last night, and you want to search it again today? What does Your Highness take the Prince Chen's residence for? Your backyard?"

Seeing her obstruction, Sheng Yuanhe became even more insistent.

Su Wenyuan's refusal to allow a search means she has something to hide. This time, with the Emperor's decree, they're sure to find something.

The Emperor said in a deep voice, "If no one is missing, and you still haven't found anything?"

I searched last night but found nothing. I'm going to search again today, so I should at least give an answer.

"If no maids are missing and nothing has been found during the search, I will personally apologize to the Princess!" Sheng Yuanhe's attitude was resolute.

Su Wenyuan asked doubtfully, "Isn't it your duty to apologize? Or I can go and search the Crown Prince's residence from night to day, and say that I'm looking for evidence that His Highness is forming cliques. Even if I can't find it, I can still apologize."

"If others have nothing better to do in the future, they can search here and there, and in the end, all they'll get is an apology."

Sheng Yuanhe thought that as the crown prince, he was already being very generous by personally apologizing, but Su Wenyuan didn't buy it.

The Emperor said, "If nothing is found, the Crown Prince will be confined to his residence to reflect on his actions. Wang Changji will no longer serve as the Prefect of the Capital; he will be demoted one rank and sent to another post."

He was banished from the capital to other places, thus leaving the center of power all at once.

Sheng Yuanhe readily agreed, insisting that the Prince Chen's residence was short of maids.

Su Wenyuan added, "Yesterday's search of the mansion damaged quite a few things. If we can't find anything, Your Highness will have to compensate me with silver."

"Fine!" Sheng Yuanhe glared at her through gritted teeth.

The Emperor arranged for palace guards to accompany him to Prince Chen's residence, and also to question the maids in the residence to see if any of them had disappeared without a trace.

Sheng Yuanhe finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the investigation was carried out according to his plan, there would be no problem, and the truth would definitely be found.

Just then, Su Wenyuan handed over a roster.

"Father should be familiar with this roster. It was written down when the monthly allowance was distributed. Except for the names of the people in the kitchen who were crossed out, all the other names are still in it."

"The people whose names were crossed out were driven away on the same day that Granny Gao and the others were dealt with; all the servants in the mansion can testify to this. The new people were bought from the brokerage firm, and there are records of that."

"In other words, the names of all the servants in the mansion are here. You can ask the steward or take a headcount to see if any maids or servants are missing. But I have a request, and I hope Father will grant it."

After flipping through two pages, the Emperor said, "You go first."

"Have Meng Qi go back and inform the Prince that you are here to prevent anyone from coercing, bribing, or forcing confessions, and then fabricating statements. If such deception is used, there is no point in investigating." Su Wenyuan said with a smile.

It's not an unreasonable request, but it would make the Crown Prince lose face.

According to Su Wenyuan, he was a complete scoundrel.

“Okay!” Sheng Yuanhe agreed first.

The Emperor glared at him coldly, and Sheng Yuanhe panicked, realizing he had displeased the Emperor.

While waiting, the Emperor leisurely flipped through the register.

When he first saw this register, he thought it was very neat and tidy. Now, looking at it again, he noticed that there were more entries than before.

There were those who made mistakes, and those who did well; it all comes down to the same four words: clear rewards and punishments.

The key point is that Su Wenyuan came prepared, so the Crown Prince definitely won't be able to find out anything!