After exchanging only a few words, Su Wenyuan understood the situation at the time.
Yu Qingzhu may not have been unaware of his insincerity, but it was precisely because she knew that she felt at ease marrying him.
The only unexpected event was the sudden treason that led to the Yu family's sudden loss of power.
If it weren't for this unexpected event, even if Su Yuan were to become the prime minister now, he still wouldn't be able to welcome Lady Wang into his residence. Lady Wang might even have been secretly disposed of by the Marquis of Anle.
Su Yuan isn't very smart, nor is he that ambitious. If Marquis Anle wanted to control him, it wouldn't be difficult at all.
Moreover, the fact that Marquis Anle was involved in treason did not affect Su Yuan at all.
This shows what kind of image Su Yuan had in the Emperor's mind: he was someone who couldn't cause any trouble.
He had already married the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Anle, yet it was still not enough to make the Emperor wary. Wasn't this another way to put the Emperor at ease?
Marquis Anle must have known that he was powerful, that he hadn't even left behind a son, and that his only daughter had married a good-for-nothing. All these signs were signs that he was trying to show his loyalty to the emperor.
Seeing that Su Wenyuan remained silent and fell into deep thought, the Duchess explained, "At that time, many people wanted to marry your mother. The Emperor declared that as long as your mother was interested, he would issue an imperial decree to grant the marriage, regardless of who it was."
Those words were truly frightening at the time.
Yu Qingzhu must have been apprehensive, which is why she hastily chose Su Yuan, who had no connections.
Su Wenyuan suddenly said, "Why is the Duchess telling me all this?"
"Aren't you very interested in what happened back then?" the Duchess asked in return.
Su Wenyuan laughed and said, "I'm only interested in the truth. You all know what I'm looking for and what I'm investigating, right? Do you also think my maternal grandfather betrayed the country?"
If Marquis Anle had truly betrayed his country, Anchuan Kingdom would not be what it is today.
He was a very cautious man and never befriended the princes.
It is said that many ministers in the court have benefited from his favor, and he has many protégés, but he rarely contacts these people, and has never even used them.
To put it bluntly, it was forming cliques for personal gain; to put it nicely, Marquis Anle was a kind-hearted, honest, and upright person.
When he helps people, he never expects anything in return or makes any demands; he just feels that he should help when he feels he should.
Moreover, the help he provided was always positive: seeking justice for people, supporting impoverished scholars to study, and helping ministers who had been wronged or framed. He would always help if he sensed something was wrong.
In the court, the faction led by Marquis Anle was not prominent. Outsiders would only think that Marquis Anle was a righteous man who cared for the country and its people.
Perhaps, there was never any Anlehou faction at all!
He was simply doing what was right for the sake of Ankawa Kingdom, while being extremely cautious and careful, fearing that the emperor might misunderstand him.
Su Wenyuan had no idea how others viewed Marquis Anle.
That's all she knows for now.
It is true that they are powerful and beloved, so it is only natural that the emperor would be wary of them.
But Su Wenyuan always felt that this wasn't just the Emperor's problem.
If we're going to investigate, we should investigate thoroughly.
Seeing that Su Wenyuan was being frank and open, the Duchess also spoke her mind.
“Prince Chen likes you, so be a good Princess Chen. If you really want to erect a monument for the Marquis of Anle’s family, we will help you, and the Emperor may not object. But if you continue to investigate, it will disrupt the peace of the entire Anchuan Kingdom.”
Su Wenyuan understood; this was because they had failed to persuade Sheng Jingyu that day, so they were trying to persuade her to address the problem at its root.
The initial show of force upon entering was also intended to put her in a dominant position.
If she were suppressed, the Duchess would not speak in this manner, but would use an educational tone, employing both threats and inducements.
We dare not use coercion now; we can only negotiate and offer incentives.
Su Wenyuan became interested and asked suspiciously, "Are you also afraid I'll investigate? Then I don't understand, was it the Duke of Wan who planted the evidence of treason back then?"
"Don't talk nonsense!" The Duchess was furious, looking around warily.
Besides Yuexiu, there were no other servants in the house.
Looking at the two elderly ladies, Yin and Wu, they didn't seem so nervous, but it was clear they didn't want to say much more about the matter.
It seems they also know something that is unknown to others.
Madam Yin's son was a military officer who participated in the battle thirteen years ago.
Could it be that when Marquis Anle betrayed the country, those on the front lines knew more clues?
Madam Wu's husband was old and had retired from his official post. Her son was not in the capital but was serving as a prefect in another place.
That place... seems to be Jinshan, near Qikong Kingdom.
His son was also in Jinshan thirteen years ago, when the two countries were at war.
Su Wenyuan found this matter increasingly interesting and asked with a smile, "Are you all afraid I'll investigate? Did you do this together? Is it because my maternal grandfather is powerful?"
Their families were all connected to that battle thirteen years ago.
"We mean well, but you insist on investigating. What's your purpose? Do you think you can bring them back to life? No!" The Duchess was furious, looking as if she didn't know what was good for her.
Su Wenyuan said, "It seems that once this matter is investigated, it will have a significant impact on you. Even your daughter's position as a Noble Consort and the Sixth Prince's position as Crown Prince cannot compare to this."
The Duchess refused to say more; she only wanted to persuade Su Wenyuan to give up.
Just then, a servant rushed in from the front yard, saying that Sheng Jingyu was going to kill someone, and the Duke of Wanguo couldn't stop him, so he sent someone to invite Su Wenyuan.
"Huh?" Su Wenyuan was startled.
Sheng Jingyu kept reminding himself not to cause trouble, so why did he start killing people?
The Duchess suddenly stood up; her leg no longer hurt. She pressed, "Who is he going to kill? Why?"
"Qu Mingzhi, son of the Vice Minister of Revenue, was playing around with some others when he threw his wine pot, which hit Prince Chen." The servant answered tremblingly.
Su Wenyuan's face turned ashen, and she said coldly, "The prince is in poor health. If he is injured, it's not something that can be compensated for with just his life!"
After saying that, she walked out. The Duchess felt that Su Wenyuan's going over would only make things worse, but she couldn't stop her now, so she could only hurry after her.
Su Wenyuan first guessed in her mind that the wine pot was most likely a test for Sheng Jingyu, but why would Sheng Jingyu be so angry as to kill someone?
As soon as Su Wenyuan arrived at the front yard, she heard someone shout, "Princess Consort Chen has arrived!"
His tone was full of expectation, as if a savior had arrived.
It seems that Sheng Jingyu has caused quite a stir.
Several people were kneeling in the courtyard, and the one in the very middle was trembling uncontrollably and dared not raise his head.
Sheng Jingyu was sitting directly in front of him, with a very obvious water stain on his dark blue cloak.
Su Wenyuan walked over, placed her hand warmer in his palm, and asked reproachfully, "What's wrong? Can't we go inside and talk? Aren't you cold?"
It's so cold outside, interrogating people is really pointless.
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