The next morning, the Seventh Prince's matter sparked a debate among everyone. It started with his drunken slip of the tongue, but now a few more things have been added to the story.
His few female confidantes weren't kept for nothing; he would often leave the palace to visit them, and when he got drunk, he would pull them aside and say things he shouldn't have.
Even though the emperor was mentally prepared, he was still taken aback by the impeachment memorial that was handed to him.
The number of charges was large, and several specific crimes were listed.
The Emperor wanted to delay a little longer, so he kept pressuring those who pleaded for the Seventh Prince, hoping they would say something useful.
After all that bland talk, even if the Emperor wanted to release the Seventh Prince, he couldn't find a reason.
"Your Majesty, the Seventh Prince's birth mother is the Empress. He has been speaking ill of the Crown Prince outside. If he is not severely punished, His Highness the Crown Prince will cause even more controversy in the future."
"Others wouldn't think the Seventh Prince was talking nonsense while drunk; they would only think he was taking the opportunity to speak his mind. The Seventh Prince intends to inherit the throne and is eyeing it covetously."
If someone else had made this mistake, the Emperor wouldn't have waited until now to deal with it.
The crowd kept pressuring the emperor, and he had no choice but to comply.
At this moment, Su Wenyuan was in the Empress's palace, enjoying the Empress's anxious appearance.
Early in the morning, the Empress sent someone to invite her, but Su Wenyuan didn't want Sheng Jingyu to come, so she came herself.
The Empress never gave her a friendly look, and Granny Cheng still hadn't gotten up, yet the Empress couldn't punish her.
When asked why Sheng Jingyu wasn't coming, Su Wenyuan still made the excuse that she was sick and shouldn't go out.
Before the Empress could even get angry, a eunuch came to tell her that the ministers were relentless and had no intention of letting the Seventh Prince go.
"Surely someone will plead for Ziyan?" the Empress asked in a low voice.
The eunuch replied, "Her Majesty sent out the message long ago, of course there was one, but they... they all missed the point."
Su Wenyuan suppressed a laugh, thinking that the person who could get to the point was currently recuperating at home.
The Empress became even more agitated. She looked up and saw Su Wenyuan still laughing.
"I have raised Jingyu for many years. Is he now trying to sever ties with me?" the Empress asked directly.
Although Su Wenyuan obstructed this matter, first stopping Granny Cheng and then blocking the imperial physician.
But if Sheng Jingyu really intends to get involved, how can Su Wenyuan stop him?
They've already made things so obvious, what is there that the Queen can't ask directly?
Su Wenyuan laughed and said, "What are you saying, Mother? It's just that the Prince is unwell and can't come. If he were in good health, he would have come the night before last!"
“If you want to blame someone, you can only blame his health. As for why his health is so poor, it’s all because of that serious illness he had back then. Everything has a cause and effect. Even if Seventh Brother is punished today, you have to accept it.”
The first sentence was meant to provoke the Empress, while the second was something Su Wenyuan suddenly thought of.
If the Empress truly loves Sheng Jingyu, he will definitely help the Seventh Prince when he encounters trouble.
She and Sheng Jingyu hadn't known each other for long, but when she encountered trouble, Sheng Jingyu would never stand idly by, let alone help those who had been kind to him!
Sheng Jingyu is unwilling to get involved, isn't it because the Empress is being hypocritical?
The Empress understood the implied meaning in her words and was startled.
Why bring up the past out of nowhere?
According to Su Wenyuan, the reason why the Seventh Prince ended up in a situation where no one was there to help him was because she had poisoned him.
"Back when Jingyu was sick, I almost cried my eyes out for him," the Empress said, bringing up the past again.
Su Wenyuan asked in surprise, "Where did you get that idea? Did you think you were going blind back then? Is that why you thought that way?"
Why would someone who genuinely cares for him constantly use his past to morally blackmail him, especially someone who complains and seeks credit for themselves?
"How dare you!" the Empress shouted sternly. "Who gave you permission to be so disrespectful to me?"
Su Wenyuan calmly stood up and said, "Mother is in a bad mood because of Seventh Brother's matter, so I won't add fuel to the fire. However, I have a word of advice: accumulating virtue and doing good deeds will bring future blessings, while committing many evils will surely bring retribution."
The Empress felt a chill run down her spine, sensing that Su Wenyuan knew something.
Su Wenyuan went to see those old women before they died, and that's when she found out.
She told Sheng Jingyu after she found out, which is why Sheng Jingyu's attitude towards her changed.
The more the Empress thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. Then she became surprised and uneasy. Before she could recover from the shock, she learned that the Emperor had already dealt with the Seventh Prince.
The Emperor sent the Seventh Prince to guard the northern region, without specifying when he would be recalled.
The seventh prince discussed state affairs with courtesans, insulted the crown prince, and coveted the throne.
We're just sending him away from the capital now. Maybe after a while, everyone will forget about these things and he'll come back.
Su Wenyuan felt that the Emperor's punishment was too lenient, but the Empress felt that it was already as severe as it could be.
"Fortunately, you didn't have to show up this time, but you still offended quite a few people." Su Wenyuan sighed, not understanding whether this was a loss or a gain.
If Sheng Jingyu interferes, the Emperor will vent his anger on him, and he certainly won't be dealt with as lightly as the Seventh Prince.
He might not even be able to keep his position as prince!
However, his neglect of this matter resulted in angering the Emperor and Empress, which may lead to some difficulties in the future.
Sheng Jingyu replied nonchalantly, "I'll have to offend them sooner or later."
Su Wenyuan didn't say anything. Judging from his tone, it seemed that he had known for a long time that his father didn't love him and his mother didn't care about him.
She hadn't properly discussed this with Sheng Jingyu yet, and felt it would hurt him.
From her long-term observation, it was clear that Sheng Jingyu knew everything, but just didn't say it.
They thought this was over and they could have a couple of quiet days, but they forgot about the people from Qikong Kingdom.
Empress Yuan was truly persistent, coming to Prince Chen's residence time and time again. Su Wenyuan almost sent someone out to beat him up.
He ran straight to Prince Chen's residence. With the help of someone who was interested, everyone outside was saying that Sheng Jingyu had betrayed the country.
They also brought up Su Wenyuan and mentioned Marquis Anle.
Su Wenyuan had finally managed to convince the people that Marquis Anle had not committed treason, but now Empress Yuan had ruined it all.
"I see. Rumors won't solve the problem. To clarify things, we need a thorough investigation! Only an imperial decree will suffice," Su Wenyuan said through gritted teeth.
Without an imperial edict, Marquis Anle would die for treason.
No matter how much people speculate or trust him, they can't escape the words "treason" on the imperial edict.
Sheng Jingyu said, "Empress Yuan wanted to use this trick to sow discord. At first, Father Emperor would still pay attention, but after the Seventh Prince got into trouble, Father Emperor stopped caring. Empress Dowager added fuel to the fire, and your father also contributed a lot to this matter."
All the people they had offended reappeared at this time.
Everyone worked together to accuse Sheng Jingyu of treason, but they had no evidence!
"Right now, no matter what, it's just rumors. It hasn't reached the point where anyone would take it seriously and impeach someone," Su Wenyuan frowned. "We have to find a way to clarify things, don't we?"
"It's not the right time yet. This is another opportunity, let's give it a try." Sheng Jingyu's lips curled up, he already had a plan in mind.
If a prince like him could be wronged, how could the Marquis of Anle back then not have been wronged?
Is this reason enough to convince the ministers?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
