Su Wenyuan answered for him, "That's right, Father, you didn't specifically invite this prime minister back at this time, did you? I don't actually need the reward!"
Su Wenyuan looked at the Emperor with distrust, as if the Emperor was using her and then discarding her, deliberately making trouble for her so that he could take away her reward.
The Emperor is indeed despicable, but today's events are not enough.
He was genuinely happy and wanted to thank Su Wenyuan, for it was Su Wenyuan who made him feel proud in front of the envoy.
These are just small rewards, why would I be reluctant to part with them?
"What nonsense are you spouting?" The Emperor's anger flared. "Su Yuan, are you bored? When I asked you about the Princess Consort of Chen, you were full of praise. Now you're saying she's unfilial? Are you trying to make me ruin this marriage?"
At that time, he was cooperating with the Crown Prince, and Su Wenyuan was just a pawn to be discarded.
Everyone is waiting for Sheng Jingyu to kill his wife on their wedding night. In order to make this incident seem more plausible, Su Yuan will definitely have to praise Su Wenyuan.
By the way, let me express the deep bond between father and daughter! His reaction after entering the palace that day after the fire speaks volumes.
Back then, Su Wenyuan was still his beloved daughter. How long has it been since then, and things have developed to this point?
"It's all a misunderstanding. What I said at the time was the truth..." Su Yuan wanted to gloss over the matter and avoid causing trouble by incurring the Emperor's wrath.
But Sheng Jingyu disagreed and asked, "What does Prime Minister Su take my marriage for? Is it all up to your whim? Are you toying with me, or with Father Emperor?"
Su Wenyuan sneered, "Let's play together. We're just killing time anyway. If he tells you to marry, you marry; if he tells you to divorce, you divorce. That's how you show the Prime Minister's authority."
The Empress gasped. Every word Su Wenyuan uttered was pushing Su Yuan toward his doom.
Su Yuan knelt down with a thud, and said in a panic, "Your Majesty, I absolutely did not mean that. But things have come to this point, and there are some things I have to say."
If he doesn't say something that benefits him, he'll die here.
"Su Wenyuan just slapped me twice in the palace! I am her father. How can someone of such character be a princess? She has committed such a rebellious act. Who can guarantee that she won't implicate my entire family in the future!"
"I have no choice but to reluctantly resort to this desperate measure, begging Your Highness to divorce her and send her back to the Prime Minister's residence. I guarantee that she will never appear before the Emperor and Your Highness again. My wife and I will certainly teach her a lesson."
Su Yuan spoke with great sorrow, choking up several times.
They're really ruthless. Not only did they divorce her, they had to send her back to the Prime Minister's residence. If she really goes back, Su Wenyuan will probably die there.
That sounds really nice, and they even say they'll teach you well.
The two children he and Wang raised are not shameful enough.
Fearing that Sheng Jingyu and the Emperor would be displeased, Su Yuan added, "If Your Highness is troubled by the marriage, I have another daughter named Su Lin'er..."
"Insolence!" Sheng Jingyu threw the teacup beside him at Su Yuan.
The teacup smashed right in Su Yuan's face, tea dripping down his face and tea leaves everywhere, making Su Yuan look like a beggar.
Su Wenyuan burst out laughing, thinking to herself that Sheng Jingyu's throw was really accurate; he could throw so accurately even when he couldn't see.
The emperor wanted to laugh, but felt it was inappropriate, so he held it in until his face turned red and he pursed his lips tightly, afraid of letting out even a sound of laughter.
The empress turned around abruptly, her body swaying, and she was laughing.
Su Yuan was furious but dared not speak out, thinking to himself that he wished Su Wenyuan had thrown the cup.
"Is it because I can't find a princess that I need your charity? If I remember correctly, Su Lin'er was born to a concubine, and you want her to be my princess?" Sheng Jingyu raised an eyebrow, poking at his sore spot.
Su Yuan pointed at Su Wenyuan and said, "Lin'er's mother is my principal wife, while Su Wenyuan's mother is a criminal who has been demoted to a concubine by me!"
In other words, Su Wenyuan wasn't much better than Su Lin'er.
Su Yuan dared not say it directly, but the meaning was conveyed.
When the Emperor heard the words "criminal woman," he could no longer laugh. He had been trying his best to prevent Su Wenyuan from mentioning the past, but wasn't Su Yuan just giving Su Wenyuan the opportunity to speak?
As expected, Su Wenyuan spoke up immediately after he finished speaking.
"Father, what crime did you accuse Mother of? And how did you order Su Yuan to demote his wife to a concubine?"
The Emperor began to have a headache. Before he could deny it, the Empress said, "The Emperor specifically pardoned Lady Yu at the time and did not order Prime Minister Su to divorce his wife."
"Yes! Lady Yu has long since stopped living in the Marquis of Anle's residence, and I know her character well, so I have not convicted her!" the Emperor explained.
Su Wenyuan was puzzled. Why did she feel that the Empress was being sarcastic?
This has nothing to do with the Empress; it must be her imagination.
"Even the Emperor hasn't convicted Madam Yu, yet the Prime Minister is so impatient. He even used an excuse to humiliate her. Madam Yu couldn't bear the humiliation and committed suicide. Immediately afterward, the Prime Minister welcomed his mistress into the palace? Shouldn't the Prime Minister give the Princess an explanation for this?" Sheng Jingyu pressed.
He hadn't discussed it with Su Wenyuan beforehand; Su Yuan's appearance and accusations were all an accident.
But he knew what Su Wenyuan wanted to do: to find out the truth and clear the name of the Marquis of Anle's family.
He wanted to avenge Su Yuan and the Wang family, and at the same time, he wanted to seek justice for Yu Qingzhu.
Now is an opportunity; Su Yuan can't leave even if he wants to.
“The Marquis of Anle betrayed the country, and Yu Qingzhu is his only daughter. Even if the Emperor doesn’t blame me, I still can’t accept the daughter of a traitor as my principal wife!” Su Yuan spoke with righteous indignation, as if he were a very upright person.
Su Wenyuan asked quietly, "But can you accept a mistress who bullies the weak and does evil as your legal wife? Why don't you rephrase your words and come up with a different excuse?"
One sentence punctured Su Yuan's uprightness. Wang Shi had a long history of misdeeds, yet she was still the Prime Minister's wife.
Su Yuan was speechless for a moment. After thinking it over, he felt that it was still Wang's fault. It was because she was unclean that Su Wenyuan was able to seize on her mistake.
Sheng Jingyu said coldly, "The Prime Minister demoted his wife to a concubine only for his own selfish reasons. Because of your selfishness, the Princess Consort of Chen has become an illegitimate daughter. I don't care about whether she is a legitimate or illegitimate child, but the Princess Consort and Madam Yu cannot be humiliated without cause."
That's all I have to say.
Su Wenyuan smiled faintly and said, "I am already a princess, so I shouldn't be concerned about whether I am a legitimate wife or a concubine. But my mother, Yu Qingzhu, cannot be a concubine. Even though she has passed away, she can only be the legal wife!"
She looked down on Su Yuan, but Yu Qingzhu couldn't be a concubine, which was a humiliation for her.
Su Yuan's face turned pale, a mixture of panic and anger in his eyes. Things were not going in the direction he had expected at all.
Su Wenyuan had made her point so clear that the Emperor had no choice but to ask, "Does the Prime Minister have anything else to explain?"
“She just hit me in the palace…” Su Yuan tried to steer the conversation back on track.
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