Chapter 306 Is the Crown Princess trying to harm the imperial heir?
Xie Shang went directly to the emperor's study, where the emperor was summoning ministers to discuss state affairs. Jiang Jinyan, the vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was also present.
Xie Shang strode forward, saying, "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."
The emperor addressed his ministers, "You may all leave!"
The ministers bowed respectfully to the Emperor and the Crown Prince, saying, "We take our leave."
Just as Jiang Jinyan was about to leave, Xie Shang said directly, "Marquis Wu'an, please stay."
Zhao Zhenyuan, the Minister of Revenue, knew that Jiang Jinyan had always been the Crown Prince's right-hand man. Although he held a position in the Ministry of Revenue, he was more popular than Zhao Zhenyuan, a second-rank minister, and had even surpassed him in popularity.
However, Jiang Jinyan also held the title of Marquis of Wu'an, so Minister Zhao had to bow to him when he met him.
Minister Zhao was certainly unhappy, but he dared not show it and respectfully left with the other officials.
Only three people remained in the imperial study. The emperor asked, "What happened? Why did you leave in such a hurry?"
Jiang Jinyan assumed it was some kind of secret and quickly said, "Your subject shall excuse himself."
"No need," Xie Shang said directly.
The emperor paused for a moment, then remained silent.
Xie Shang said, "Your subject just went to the Cold Palace and discovered that the Consort Su in the Cold Palace is actually an imposter; the real Consort Su is no longer in the palace."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor frowned, his expression turning grim. "If she's not in the palace, where could she be?"
"Your subject suspects that she has already left Shengjing City for the border. It must have been when the old lady of the Su family left that time that she took her with her. We were completely kept in the dark. It seems that the old lady of the Su family did not take our Xie family seriously."
"What are these guards good for? They didn't even realize the person had been switched," the Emperor said coldly.
"Father, it's pointless to hold the guards accountable now." Xie Shang had already made up his mind, which was why he kept Jiang Jinyan with him. There were some things he wanted Jiang Jinyan to hear.
He added, "As you know, the Su family holds military power. It used to be in the hands of General Su and Madam Su. After General Su passed away, it went to Su Dehai, and now it's in the hands of Su Xuan. In reality, Madam Su still holds the reins behind the Su family."
Consort Su was her most beloved daughter. Back then, her father summoned the Su family's daughter to the palace and bestowed upon her the title of Consort, giving them unparalleled honor. At the same time, he also wanted to keep the Su family's daughter in the palace. Indeed, her father had restrained the Su family for more than ten years. But now that Old Madam Su had rescued her daughter, this restraint had been broken.
It's almost impossible to restrain the Su family with Su Tingwan now. The Su family has already given up on Su Tingwan. Even if they treat Su Tingwan well, Su Xuan will definitely not care about Su Tingwan if he wants to rebel.
Fortunately, Su Dehai has been detained in Kyoto for a year. I believe that if we release Su Dehai after the year is up, the Su family will definitely take further action.
Jiang Jinyan never expected to hear the Crown Prince and the Emperor discussing such an important matter. He felt his tendons digging into the ground, extremely nervous.
These words were not something a mere Vice Minister of Revenue or Marquis of Wu'an should have heard.
Ruan Ruan's initial goal was to deal with the Su family. At that time, she didn't understand why she had to deal with them. The two families in Jiangsu had never crossed paths before. It wasn't until she married Xie Shang and Xie Shang took Su Tingwan as his concubine that she finally understood.
He thought Ruan Ruan was simply delusional. How could a little girl like her shake the foundation of the Su family? She said that she, a mere woman, certainly couldn't do it, but it would be different if she brought in the royal family.
Ruan Ruan really did team up with the Crown Prince to deal with the Su family.
However, the emperor did not express his opinion and had no intention of touching the Su family.
The Emperor's face was cold and stern as he suddenly stared at Jiang Jinyan. Jiang Jinyan immediately knelt down to express his loyalty, "What Your Highness the Crown Prince said today, I will keep to myself. I swear on my life, or on the Jiang family, that I will be loyal to Your Majesty and the Crown Prince to the death."
Xie Shang's gaze was deep. "I naturally know Jin Yan's loyalty, but the Su family's power was granted during the reign of the Emperor. General Su made great contributions to the Emperor by guarding the border. Now it has come to Su Xuan's generation. The Su family's contributions to the royal family cannot be erased. If the Su family wants to rebel, they will be supported not only by hundreds of thousands of troops on the border, but also by many more complicated relationships."
Much of the firsthand information was brought back by Jiang Jinyan from the border and given to Xie Shang. As for how the Crown Prince and the Emperor would deal with it, he didn't know. After all, the Emperor's considerations were more comprehensive, and they were just minor officials who could only follow orders.
Finally, the Emperor said, "It's still a one-year deadline. Crown Prince, hurry up and get it done!"
As for Consort Su in the Cold Palace, she is an imposter. Yesen is keeping her in the palace, and now that this has happened, Old Madam Su might want to ask the royal family for her.
After Xie Shang and Jiang Jinyan left, the Empress also went to the Emperor's palace to say that she wanted to bring Ye Susu out of the Cold Palace for the sake of the imperial heir.
It was also mentioned that the Crown Prince had clearly agreed, but in the end, he ordered the palace to be sealed off. It must have been something the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince discussed.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor felt that she didn't understand her son at all, and said indifferently, "The affairs of the Eastern Palace can be handled by the Crown Princess. The Empress should focus on cultivating herself in Kunning Palace and not interfere too much."
The Empress said, "I am only thinking of Shang'er and the imperial heir." The Emperor also loved Jiang Fenghua and truly doted on her as if she were his own daughter.
"Is the Crown Princess plotting to harm the imperial heir?" The emperor, true to his word, asked the direct question.
Empress Cheng was momentarily speechless. “There is no evidence that the Crown Princess wanted to harm Ye Susu’s unborn child. I really feel sorry for Ye Susu’s child. She was implicated by Su Tingwan and was banished to the Cold Palace. Didn’t the Emperor praise her for being a woman who was just as capable as any man? It is truly rare for a woman to treat refugees as a physician.”
The Emperor said calmly, "But she is no longer a physician. Since she has chosen to enter the harem, she should know the rules of the harem. Neither the Empress nor I can control the Crown Prince's harem." Moreover, she is involved with the Su family. The Empress never interferes in the affairs of the court, so talking to her about these things is useless.
"If Jiang Fenghua were imprisoned in the Cold Palace, would the Emperor care?" the Empress asked bluntly.
The emperor's face turned cold. "Wasn't she the daughter-in-law the empress had begged for? Why are you dissatisfied now?"
The Empress noticed the Emperor's displeasure. Indeed, the daughter-in-law she had chosen for her son was very opinionated and wouldn't listen to her at all.
"The Empress feels that the Crown Prince has escaped your control and has forgotten his mother after getting a wife!" The Emperor saw through her thoughts. "Back then, the Empress took the initiative to sever ties with the Cheng family, and I thought the Empress did the right thing. Now it seems that the Empress is still reluctant to let go. If the Empress is reluctant to let go, I should grant your wish to go with that person."
Empress Cheng was terrified. She thought to herself, "You still remember after all these years? Are you trying to force me to my death before you're satisfied? The Emperor has three palaces and six courtyards, and he's all lovey-dovey with Su Qingqing. Can't she have someone who truly loves her?"
Empress Cheng came out crying. He was the one who wanted to marry her and make her his empress. He thought she wanted to be his empress. In the end, the person who loved her the most was forced to her death.
Empress Cheng endured the emperor's scolding with almost gritted teeth. She was the empress, and she had to secure her position. She had endured so many years, and Shang'er had become the crown prince. If she could just persevere a little longer, she would finally succeed.
Empress Cheng had lived her whole life without understanding why she was able to hold onto her position as empress. Just now, she finally understood. It turned out that the reason she could continue to be empress was not because the emperor liked her so much, but because the Cheng family had voluntarily withdrawn from the court and she had severed ties with the Cheng family.
She always thought that back then she was also the beloved daughter of the Duke of Cheng, and that the Cheng family's contributions to the Xie family were no less than those of the Su family. The Cheng family's downfall was because she made a mistake. In fact, the emperor used this incident to force the Cheng family to withdraw from the court, leaving the Su family to serve him. The Su family alone would naturally be loyal to the emperor.
She thought that if the Cheng and Su families were kept, the emperor would be harder to control, and his empire would be threatened. So she accepted that he disliked the Cheng family. She could stay in the inner palace without ever stepping out, as long as Shang'er was not affected.
The Xie family's empire was as secure as a rock in the emperor's hands. He strategized from his throne, and even the Su family, which had long harbored ambitions, dared not cause trouble under the emperor's rule.
He doted on Su Qingqing, so she had no reason to be jealous or angry, since she was in the wrong first, but he was the one who forced her to do wrong.
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