Su Yuan was shocked and his heart skipped a beat. He couldn't help but begin to suspect Wang Shi.
Did Wang not tell him the truth? What should he do then?
Su Yuan's mind raced, and he said, "Your Majesty! There are many suspicious points in this matter. I do not wish to be wronged, but if it is indeed the work of the Wang family, I will certainly not cover it up. I beg Your Majesty to give me some time to investigate."
He just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible and make amends.
I really shouldn't have come today; I've lost both my wife and my army.
Everyone present could see that he wanted to run away, and Su Wenyuan had no intention of letting him go.
Sheng Jingyu produced the statement and said, "I have investigated it. Why should the Prime Minister bother? Could it be that you don't want to divorce your wife? If Wang has really done something she shouldn't have done, divorce is inevitable."
If it doesn't reach the Emperor's ears, it might not be a divorce.
But now that the emperor knows about it, he has to intervene. If he doesn't do anything about it today, a bunch of people will follow suit tomorrow, and the consequences won't be serious anyway.
The emperor was not unaware of the abuse of power for personal gain, but it was repeatedly prohibited yet still persisted. Without evidence or protests, he could turn a blind eye.
When he is required to express his opinion, he will take only one stance: firmly oppose it and demand severe punishment.
Su Yuan wanted to explain a few more words, but the Emperor raised his hand to stop him and signaled the eunuch to bring over the confession.
Several sheets of offering paper were handed to the Emperor, who carefully opened them. The silence in Chengming Palace was eerily quiet; only the sound of the paper turning could be heard.
Su Yuan's entire back was soaked with cold sweat. Sheng Jingyu's actions were so fast that they startled him. Not long had passed since he and Su Wenyuan started arguing, yet Sheng Jingyu had already investigated everything.
No wonder they weren't in a hurry to argue, but were deliberately trying to provoke him and even made him change his clothes; it was all to buy time.
Su Yuan was completely enraged and never expected this.
Right now, he only hopes that the emperor will not rush to conclusions and will give him some time to investigate so that he can figure out his next move.
As the emperor read the confession, his face gradually darkened and became terrifying.
He simply couldn't laugh; the contents of his confession were far too cruel.
After having Su Lin'er, Wang began to amass wealth in Su Yuan's name. Fearing that she would not be able to enter the Prime Minister's mansion in the end, she wanted to leave some security for herself and her child.
Is there anything more reliable in this world than money? Wang Shi acquired a lot of ill-gotten wealth through swindling and deception. She carefully selected each household, knowing that they would not cause much trouble.
After marrying Su Yuan openly and legitimately, she became even more unrestrained. Anyone who was unwilling and wanted to appeal to the government was stopped by her.
These were all things from a long time ago, and Wang had almost forgotten them, but Sheng Jingyu dug them up one by one.
All the details are there, and so are the people involved in the matter.
Sheng Jingyu is always cautious and meticulous in his work. Anything he submits is guaranteed to be verified. Basically, any confession he submits will be fine.
Everything mentioned in it is supported by evidence and witness testimonies.
"Su Yuan! You are the Prime Minister of this country, yet you allow your wife to do such a thing? See for yourself!" The Emperor angrily threw down the confession.
Su Yuan scrambled to pick up one sheet after another, each one containing something terrifying.
Wang only told him a very small part, not even enough to fill a single sheet of paper, and they were all trivial matters. How did it come to be so much now?
"Guards! Go to the Prime Minister's residence and summon her for a face-to-face confrontation! Invite all those people outside the palace in as well." The Emperor slammed his fist on the table in anger, becoming serious.
The Empress sat upright in her chair, her gaze towards Su Wenyuan carrying a profound meaning. She had been listening all this time and realized that Su Wenyuan had planned this step by step long ago.
First, clear Yu Qingzhu's name, then have Su Yuan divorce Wang.
Before Su Yuan knew it, she had led him by the nose.
The people Sheng Jingyu brought in were all aggrieved individuals who had never given up on filing complaints for many years.
Upon seeing the Emperor, he was incredibly excited, knowing that this time he would finally get justice for himself.
Without the emperor even asking any questions, they just spilled everything out like beans.
Su Yuan asked about the details several times, and these people were able to answer them all.
Su Yuan asked fewer and fewer questions, and even his voice became softer. He knelt there, his face ashen.
He didn't know whether to curse Wang or Su Wenyuan.
Soon Wang arrived, and when those people saw her, they pounced on her like madmen, hitting and cursing her.
While dodging them, Wang cursed them as a bunch of lowly people.
The guards rushed in to break up the fight, but the men were still hurling insults at each other, using vulgar language commonly found on the street.
The emperor's face darkened, and he felt there was no need to ask anything further.
Wang knew the circumstances of these families, which clearly meant she knew them.
And they did not refute what they said about robbing silver and seizing land.
"Enough!" the emperor roared, his anger reaching its peak.
"How could you protect such a vicious woman? For her sake, you've wronged the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Anle?" the Emperor questioned Su Yuan. "You are utterly foolish!"
"Princess Consort Chen is asking you to divorce your wife for your own good. Keeping this woman around is shameful enough, let alone covering for her. You've gone too far with the beating! Two slaps wouldn't have been enough."
Before anyone could react, Su Wenyuan approached Su Yuan and slapped him twice more without saying a word.
That felt so good!
Even if not for myself, I have to fight for Yu Qingzhu.
“Father said the blow was too light, it’s alright, I can make up for it!” Su Wenyuan had a reasonable excuse for her actions; she was acting on the Emperor’s orders.
Su Yuan dared not utter a sound, his eyes filled with hatred.
Wang gradually came to her senses and first looked at Su Wenyuan in disbelief. Su Wenyuan was smug and even provoked her with her eyes.
Wang looked to Su Yuan for help again. She didn't know what was going on either. How could these people be in the palace?
She clearly said that they shouldn't be allowed to return to the capital. What went wrong?
At this moment, Su Yuan was only thinking about how to protect himself and ignored her completely.
Wang could only pin her hopes on the Emperor, crawling forward on her knees and crying out, "Your Majesty, I have been wronged! You cannot believe everything Su Wenyuan said. She resents me because of my mother's situation, and she hates me for taking Yu Qingzhu's position as his legal wife..."
The Emperor's gaze was cold and stern as he said in a deep voice, "You can't take her away. I have already issued an edict to make her the principal wife again. As for you, don't tarnish the reputation of all the officials' wives. You are nothing but an outer concubine. You entered the mansion as a lowly concubine, and you still are!"
First, denying her status as the legal wife is a way of telling everyone that a legitimate official's wife would not do such a thing.
Upon hearing this, Wang turned pale and collapsed to the ground. Su Yuan was the same. In the end, Su Wenyuan won.
Su Wenyuan asked him to divorce his wife, but he refused. Now that the Emperor has made the decision for him, he still has to divorce her and bear the infamy.
"Father, besides this, what else should be done? We need to give them an explanation, right?" Su Wenyuan pressed.
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