After the Anle Marquis's mansion was raided, some people suspected that the Emperor had given the property to the Marquis because he coveted the Marquis's money.
He was convicted.
No one knows exactly how much gold and silver jewelry was taken from the mansion during the confiscation, and the emperor never mentioned it.
I was so excited today that I forgot for a moment and almost blurted it out.
Even if he didn't say it, everyone could imagine that it was definitely not a small amount.
Sheng Yuanhe understood the Emperor's meaning. Before seeing it with his own eyes, he had never imagined that the place could be so dilapidated that it was uninhabitable.
“Father, that house has been abandoned for more than ten years. Moreover, the confiscation of the property back then was extremely brutal and violent. The walls were smashed, the blue bricks on the ground were removed, and the doors and windows were also taken down. They were almost able to remove the roof tiles…”
Sheng Yuanhe tried his best to describe every detail, hoping that the emperor could imagine how dilapidated the place was, and that this was really not Su Yuan's fault.
But as Sheng Yuanhe continued talking, he realized something was wrong.
The emperor didn't seem surprised, and even seemed a little guilty.
"Father, do you... know?" Sheng Yuanhe asked tentatively.
The Emperor said awkwardly, "I know. Someone told me about these things back then. The roof tiles were actually removed, but you just didn't see it."
Everything used in the Marquis of Anle's residence is of the highest quality.
Especially in the eyes of ordinary soldiers, there are good things everywhere; they are not just confiscating homes, they are tearing them apart.
At that time, the emperor didn't care about these things. Since they were good things and he could use them, he just dismantled them.
The bricks and tiles that were dismantled were either in Buddhist temples or imperial tombs. Since they were frequently under construction, they could be sent there and put to use.
The emperor never considered those scattered pieces together. They were dismantled in pieces, and today they are walls, tomorrow they are tiles.
Only after hearing Sheng Yuanhe's account did the Emperor realize that the mansion had actually been demolished like this!
Upon learning that the Emperor was aware of these matters, Sheng Yuanhe no longer concealed anything.
"Lord Su said he didn't want to live there because he couldn't afford to repair it. Princess Consort Chen went to see it and left with a smile."
They wanted to annoy Su Wenyuan, but each of them ended up being more annoying than the last.
Although the Emperor knew it wasn't Su Yuan's fault, he still couldn't help but angrily say, "I gave him the gift, and he didn't accept it. Is he resenting me?"
Sheng Yuanhe replied helplessly, "Lord Su had no choice. He originally wanted to go to the palace to ask the Emperor what to do, but I was afraid that the Emperor would be angry, so I persuaded him not to. He then said that he would not stay there."
The emperor couldn't catch his breath, and his face turned red.
That was a brilliant move; they shot themselves in the foot.
The key point is that Su Yuan was being used by them. It wasn't Su Yuan who wanted it in the first place; they insisted on giving it to him.
So who's to blame for this?
After much thought, the Emperor suddenly remembered the Duke of Wan and angrily slammed his fist on the table, asking, "What did the Duke of Wan say to me back then? Bring him into the palace, and I'll ask him properly. Was this the idea he gave me?"
"If I had known it would be like this, I would have preferred to give the house to Su Wenyuan!"
If it had been given to Su Wenyuan, she would be the one in a difficult position now.
They treated this hot potato like a treasure, hoping it would disgust Su Wenyuan. How naive of them!
The news had already spread, and the Duke of Wan and his entourage slunk into the palace to be scolded.
Su Wenyuan also figured out the whole thing; the key was actually the Duke of Wan.
"It was Duke Wan who gave the Emperor this idea. I don't get along with the Crown Prince and Consort Wan, but I don't have much contact with Duke Wan. Is he doing this for Consort Wan and the Crown Prince?" Su Wenyuan asked, puzzled.
Sheng Jingyu replied, "No, Consort Wan and the Crown Prince did not know about this before. Duke Wan suddenly entered the palace to discuss this matter with my father."
If he wanted to avenge Su Wenyuan for Consort Wan, he would definitely have discussed it with Consort Wan beforehand.
Sheng Jingyu added, "Actually, in the end, this matter will only affect you. The house can remain empty, but you can't ask for it again. As soon as you ask for it, it means you care and you've lost the upper hand."
If Su Wenyuan doesn't ask for it back, the house will remain empty in Su Yuan's hands, and no one else can enter or do anything about it.
After a moment of contemplation, Su Wenyuan said, "The point is not that they want me to be angry, but that they don't want me to get the Marquis of Anle's mansion. It seems there's something wrong with this place."
“The Duke of Wanguo also has problems,” Sheng Jingyu said.
Su Wenyuan looked somewhat excited and said, "As long as I keep focusing on the matter of Marquis Anle's treason, those who have a guilty conscience will jump out on their own."
And here comes one that has already jumped out.
Sheng Jingyu said, "Then let's stir up the water first."
After the Emperor finished scolding the Duke of Wan, he felt that the matter could not be resolved perfectly, so he told Su Yuan to pretend that it never happened, and that he himself and no one else should mention it, so that it would gradually pass.
Anyway, the commotion wasn't too big, so it shouldn't be difficult to calm things down.
The Duke of Wanguo thought it was acceptable; yesterday, he kept mentioning the phrase "provoking imperial authority," forcing the emperor to make a statement.
Today, however, they remain silent, accepting whatever the Emperor says.
After the Emperor finished scolding, he finally said, "I really don't know what you're thinking. You insist that Su Wenyuan will want the Marquis of Anle's mansion, and that I can't give it to her because it would embolden her!"
“Why would Su Wenyuan want something that nobody else would? Even if she had money, she couldn’t spend it like that, could she? It seems better to give it to her.”
"If I were to bestow this upon her, wouldn't the problem become hers? Not repairing it would be disrespectful to me and to Marquis Anle, but repairing it would cost money, and who knows, I might even be able to take it back afterward..."
The emperor was making meaningless assumptions, but as he spoke, he suddenly realized that this method was feasible.
The Duke of Wan, who had been pretending to be dead, quickly stopped him upon hearing this, saying, "Your Majesty, the Princess Consort of Chen is already troubled by the matter of Marquis Anle's treason. What you need to do now is to keep her away from everything related to Marquis Anle as much as possible."
“A dilapidated house is a small matter, but if there are many such small matters, Princess Chen will find more reasons to reopen old cases.”
The Emperor was just saying it casually, but seeing how serious he was, he immediately lost the will to continue scolding him. He waved his hand and said, "Alright, let's leave it at that. Just pretend I never gave you a reward."
Sheng Yuanhe sensed a problem: the Duke of Wan was very concerned about the ownership of the Marquis of Anle's residence.
Could it be that there's something wrong with the Marquis of Anle's residence, or something the Emperor is unaware of?
When the Duke of Wanguo and his entourage left the palace, Sheng Yuanhe followed them, wanting to ask them more questions.
However, these people made excuses, saying they had other things to do and didn't intend to have a detailed discussion with Sheng Yuanhe.
Duke Wanguo told Sheng Yuanhe that if he was free these two days, he could visit Duke Wanguo's mansion, and they would talk about it then.
Sheng Yuanhe agreed.
He still has one more thing to do, which is to tell Su Yuan about the outcome of this matter.
Yesterday he visited with several people, but today he can only go by himself.
When Sheng Yuanhe saw Su Yuan again, he was too ashamed to speak. In just one day, Su Yuan's face showed signs of fatigue again, clearly indicating that they had worn him out.
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