Lu Xingjian pulled Su Wanwan along to listen.

“Ma Ji refused to marry and insisted on meeting the Emperor.” Ma Yongcheng paused, then added, “She also said that the Empress was framing her behind her back.”

Lu Xingjian snorted coldly without expression, glanced at Su Wanwan indifferently, and sent an urgent letter to Steward Li, who was on his way back to the capital.

Su Wanwan chuckled silently, then turned and went to Jiangxue Pavilion.

Even with Ma Yongcheng's shrewdness, he couldn't figure out the key to it.

Shouldn't it be the Empress who was unhappy, crying and forcing the Emperor to directly bestow a marriage upon Ma Ji?

Why are these two people reversed?

...

He Ying hesitated for a moment, but after Su Wanwan sat down in Jiangxue Pavilion, he finally spoke haltingly.

"Your Majesty, Yanrong sent a message to me from prison, asking for Your Majesty's grace."

Su Wanwan paused, "What does she want?"

He Ying's eyes reddened. "She wants Your Majesty to give her a quick death."

Su Wanwan did not speak.

He Ying added, "She also said that she would take the Empress's secret to her grave, and she would keep it a secret even from Prince Rong."

Su Wanwan looked sharply at He Ying.

He Ying frowned, her expression grave: "Your Majesty, Yan Rong's words have a hidden meaning. If she really wanted to die, wouldn't she have done something like banging her head against a wall or going on a hunger strike?"

Su Wanwan closed her eyes and it took her a while to calm down.

She could certainly hear the hidden threat in He Ying's words.

Su Wanwan simply said, "Since she is willing to live, I will grant her wish and let her go to the Rong Prince's residence to serve him."

The crane was stunned.

Unable to resist advising, "Your Majesty, if you repay evil with kindness, how will you repay kindness? Aren't you just letting her off easy?!"

Su Wanwan took He Ying's hand and said earnestly:

“I regard you all as my younger sisters. It is heartbreaking that she did something wrong, but since she has already been punished, there is nothing more I can do for her. It would be better to fulfill her feelings for Prince Rong.”

He Ying stared blankly at Su Wanwan, tears streaming down her face involuntarily.

She wiped away her tears forcefully, straightened her back, and choked out, "Your Majesty is just too kind-hearted. I must go and give her a good scolding!"

Su Wanwan was also feeling a bit down, but she still cheered herself up.

"If you have any ideas, just tell me, and I'll do my best to help you. Let's not be distant, okay?"

As the Empress, she could have easily ignored Yan Rong and let her rot in the imperial prison.

They could even send someone to kill Yan Rong to eliminate any future trouble.

However, she was more concerned that her loyal servants, such as Heying, might feel a sense of shared sorrow over the death of their comrades.

Only by making them firmly believe that she, their master, is kind and righteous, and repays evil with good, can more people lower their guard and sincerely submit to her.

Loyalty is so rare and precious.

At least He Ying's loyalty to her was far from reaching the level of Xiao Bin's.

She wanted to see what Yan Rong's threat was.

After entering the Rong Prince's mansion, and living under the jealous Rong Princess, what kind of trouble will Yan Rong cause?

He Ying nodded vigorously, her eyes red-rimmed.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. My parents, before they died, instructed me never to betray Your Majesty's kindness in saving my life. I will follow Your Majesty through fire and water."

Su Wanwan laughed and said, "Why would you need to go through fire and water? In another year or two, it'll be time for you to get married. Find someone you like, and I'll make the decision for you."

As the master and servant were talking, the eunuchs and female officials who were relaying messages at the entrance of Jiangxue Pavilion were all silent and trembling, not daring to utter a sound.

The people at the back of the line were still whispering among themselves:

"Yesterday, the eunuch in charge of the Jia-class warehouse offended the Empress, and the Emperor caught them in the act. He was furious and ordered a thorough investigation of the Jia-class warehouse. We must be very careful."

"Now that both the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager are claiming illness and no longer involved in affairs, the only legitimate mistress of the harem is the Empress. Anyone who dares to offend the Empress must have a death wish!"

"Hey, I heard that the eunuch in charge of the treasury has been currying favor with Ma Ji, thinking that the Empress has fallen out of favor and can't compete with Ma Ji. Who knew that the Empress would regain her status by having a son?"

"Haven't you heard? They've started demolishing and rebuilding houses in Xiaoyuan. The house where Maggie lived was the first one to be demolished!"

"Has Maggie completely fallen out of favor?!"

"Tsk tsk, the Empress is truly remarkable. She has a gentle appearance and speaks softly, yet her methods are shrewd!"

Su Wanwan remained unchanged, and as usual, she instructed everyone to proceed according to the established procedures.

Because the wind direction had completely changed, things went much more smoothly.

...

Liu Jin, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, listened quietly to the report from the person in front of him with a somber expression.

"His Majesty ordered me to thoroughly investigate the Jia-character treasury, but the eunuch in charge of the treasury said that he had recognized you as his godfather. I dare not act on my own authority, so I have come to ask Your Majesty for instructions."

Liu Jin narrowed his eyes: "Are you trying to drag our family into this?"

The person who reported this was Zhang Huai, the Left Vice Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial, whose face was anxious:

"Grand Ancestor, you must be careful. The Empress is pregnant with the Emperor's child, and the Emperor is determined to make an example of her to protect her. We must avoid the limelight to prevent being implicated."

Liu Jin sized him up a few times and sneered, "You must have embezzled quite a bit from there, right?"

Zhang Huai immediately shrank back halfway, and smiled timidly, "Everyone is the same, we've all received plenty of tributes, even those bastards in the Ministry of Revenue got a share."

Liu Jin pondered for a long while, his expression shifting between light and shadow, before finally saying:

"Since the Emperor has asked Second Master Gu to take the lead, there's no way to avoid this matter."

Zhang Huai immediately kowtowed repeatedly: "As long as we escape this ordeal, everyone will follow your lead!"

Liu Jin's expression softened slightly, and he changed the subject:

"We can go to the Emperor to plead for mercy."

Zhang Huai was overjoyed and took out a large stack of silver notes from his pocket. "This is a donation from everyone, for Godfather to have some tea."

Liu Jin didn't even glance at the silver note, and said indifferently:

"Please submit a copy of the accurate accounts."

"The Emperor is not one to suffer losses. He has to pay back whatever he has embezzled. If you don't want to bleed yourself, you'll have to find another way to make up for it."

Zhang Huai nodded vigorously, how could he dare to refuse? He was just thinking about where else to scramble for more money to make up for the deficit in the Jiazi treasury.

Liu Jin watched Zhang Huai leave, his brows furrowed deeply.

Everyone assumed that the emperor had just happened to encounter the eunuch in charge of the Jiazi Treasury who had disobeyed the empress.

Having witnessed the rise and fall of the Liu Jin Imperial Palace over the past decades, how could it be so naive?

He knew that the palace was not like other places.

All the coincidences that happen are, in the end, the deliberate planning and schemes of someone with ulterior motives.

Empress Su is truly remarkable.

She didn't investigate earlier or later; as soon as the situation stabilized, she immediately urged the Emperor to take action against the Jia-character warehouse.

He didn't even pant.

Once the Jia-type library is completed, and all other libraries have a template, how can they escape?

If everyone in the palace turns pale at the mention of the Empress, wouldn't the power of the eunuchs be greatly diminished?

no.

We must ensure that the thorough investigation of the Jiazi database ends up being a case that is all bark and no bite.

After pondering for a long time, Liu Jin finally found a memorial that had been submitted before, revised it, and sent it to the emperor again.