At this point, regardless of whether the matter is true or false, we must first summon Su Wanyan into the palace.
Otherwise, waiting too long at the palace gates would only arouse endless suspicion among the people.
How could Emperor Yuanhe not know? But if he could, he really didn't want to face Su Wanyan. For some reason, Su Wanyan was not only clueless, but also had a silver tongue and would talk about other things, so she didn't understand his meaning at all.
Whether she was genuinely ignorant or pretending not to, Emperor Yuanhe felt irritated and restless the moment she opened her mouth.
He turned his gaze to Marquis Yuanning, thinking, "They are all his good daughters!"
Marquis Yuanning frowned at this moment. Why did his daughter always cause him trouble?
If you've already hidden until dawn, then just stay put and stop making a fool of yourself. Why are you causing trouble in the imperial palace now?
Despite his glare, Emperor Yuanhe immediately wanted to summon the person in. It took him a great deal of determination before he shouted angrily, "Summon her into the palace!"
He is the king of a country, and the person who came is just a woman. What is there to be afraid of?
He wanted to see what Su Wanyan was up to!
The palace gates were now crowded with people. Many had heard the commotion last night, but no one knew what had happened. Only after Su Wanyan brought it up did they belatedly realize that Prince Gong had been attacked by assassins.
Recalling that the Imperial Guards began searching house to house in the middle of the night, some people began to feel fear.
Despite the massive search, they didn't even catch a glimpse of the assassin.
With the capital city so heavily fortified, how could there still be assassins?
Have those assassins left?
If the assassination attempt fails this time, will they try again tomorrow?
Will this affect them?
Remembering that the explosion last night was very close to them, some people rushed home to pack their bags and prepare to move elsewhere.
It's unsafe to live on this route that high-ranking officials and dignitaries frequently travel; we need to move further away.
In the Golden Palace, Su Wanyan was still wearing the same palace dress as last night. Her messy hair had been combed and washed again. Although she hadn't slept all night, unlike Emperor Yuanhe's tired face, she looked refreshed.
She stood with her hands clasped in front of her, head held high and chest out, and walked into the hall to meet Emperor Yuanhe's obvious anger. She then performed a very proper kowtow to Emperor Yuanhe: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live the Emperor!"
This bowing ceremony made Su Wanyan secretly praise herself several times in her heart. She had never bowed so properly when she worshipped the God of Wealth.
Emperor Yuanhe was angry and glared at Su Wanyan, forgetting to even say "Rise".
Marquis Yuanning, however, was somewhat unsteady on his feet the moment he saw Su Wanyan. He frowned and questioned, "Su Wanyan, do you know what you're doing? This is the Golden Palace, not a place for you to throw a tantrum!"
Since Emperor Yuanhe did not grant her the courtesy, Su Wanyan had no choice but to remain kneeling. She raised her head, straightened her posture, and looked at Marquis Yuanning: "Your Excellency knows that this is the Golden Palace. I am now the Princess Consort of Prince Gong. Even Your Excellency must pay my respects to me. You openly rebuked me in front of the Emperor, which is an act of insubordination and a disruption of discipline. What is your punishment?"
She didn't study palace rules, etiquette, laws, and regulations for nothing these past few days.
Her current status is that of a princess consort. Even if the person in front of her is her father, he must address her as Princess Consort, and she must always follow proper etiquette in public and in private.
Although he was kneeling, his gaze fixed on Marquis Yuanning showed no fear, and his calm demeanor overwhelmed all the officials present.
Marquis Yuanning's brow twitched. How dare she put on airs in front of him?
Is this really his silent, illegitimate daughter from the same household?
"Alright!" Emperor Yuanhe knew that Su Wanyan's mouth was not so easy to shut up, so he spoke up at the right time: "Get up and speak."
Su Wanyan then slowly got up.
"Someone just reported that you beat the drum to appeal for justice regarding the assassination of Prince Gong. I only just learned of this myself. What exactly happened? Where is Prince Gong now? Is he injured?" Emperor Yuanhe frowned, his anger suppressed.
Listening to him, it was as if he had just found out.
"After treatment, the prince's injuries are not serious. However, with both new and old injuries combined, he will need two months of rest to fully recover."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Yuanhe's pupils contracted sharply, and the anger he had barely managed to suppress surged up again.
What did she say?
Did they call a doctor?
Why can't his people be found despite such a big commotion?
How could Yu Nanqing be completely unharmed?
Emperor Yuanhe's face turned red with frustration. It seemed like he couldn't get past this hurdle no matter what he tried. He was completely baffled and couldn't understand how a paralyzed person could escape from his shadow guards.
How was he able to emerge unscathed?
Why, why, why!
Emperor Yuanhe's face was grim, his mind seemingly short-circuited as he kept thinking about this problem. Even if Yu Nanqing still had his followers, he had sent out enough assassins; it was impossible that he couldn't even kill a useless person.
Su Wanyan gave him no chance to think and spoke firmly: "Your Majesty, I implore you to thoroughly investigate all departments in the capital, especially the city's defenses, the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, and the Court of Judicial Review. The section of road where the Prince was assassinated is very close to the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, yet the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs has been slow to come to the rescue. The city's patrols are practically non-existent. Last night's assassination attempt was so loud that the patrols did not react at all."
"Your Majesty, given all this, I cannot help but suspect that this assassination attempt was premeditated. Did the assassin bribe officials in various departments to act as accomplices? Otherwise, why would they remain inactive at such a critical moment?" Su Wanyan bowed, performing the proper court etiquette: "I beseech Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"
"Princess Consort Gong, don't make baseless accusations so easily." The first to retort was the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court: "If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext! Last night, I didn't hear any commotion in the capital. Who knows if the Princess Consort is exaggerating?"
The Court of Imperial Clan Affairs was a law enforcement agency specifically responsible for investigating members of the imperial family and nobility. From the emperor down to the civil and military officials, anyone related to the imperial family and whom others dared not investigate was subject to the impartial investigation of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs.
Yet this incredibly powerful department is now doing nothing because it knows that Emperor Yuanhe intends to eliminate Yu Nanqing.
Su Wanyan didn't even turn her head. She wasn't going to waste her breath on these people. Her only target was Emperor Yuanhe.
She said sternly, "Whether it is an exaggeration or the truth, Your Majesty will know as soon as you investigate."
The explosion last night was heard not only by people throughout Beijing, but also by residents in the surrounding area. Every investigation confirmed it; there was no way to escape.
The officials who are now jumping out to refute her are simply trying to understand Emperor Yuanhe's thoughts and downplay the main point of the topic.
If you ramble on and on, it can easily lead people astray over time, just like in modern debates.
Right now, it's the Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs who's speaking. If we wait for the censors to speak up, she really won't be able to win against their sharp tongues.
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