After the initial shock, the Empress immediately seized the opportunity to shift the blame onto Su Wenyuan.
"I heard that Princess Consort Chen went to the Su residence yesterday and took a lot of things back with her. Shortly after, Lord Su went to Prince Chen's residence and was carried back in a carriage."
The news had already spread, but because the Su family had a bad reputation, no one criticized Su Wenyuan because of it.
The Emperor heard about it yesterday, and he also knows about the recent news that Su Lin'er is going to marry Sheng Jingyu.
However, the Emperor didn't want to get involved in these matters; he just wanted to know what Sheng Jingyu's next move was and what he was planning to do.
At the same time, he supported Sheng Zixi. He hadn't paid much attention to this son before, but recently he had given Sheng Zixi several tasks, and Sheng Zixi had done them very well.
It seems there are still people he should cultivate, and he doesn't necessarily have to focus his efforts on Sheng Yuanhe.
Anyway, his health is still good, and raising another crown prince is not difficult, as long as he doesn't hand over the country to Sheng Jingyu. He doesn't want the late emperor to have his way.
The Emperor's thoughts drifted away, and he did not respond to the Empress's words.
The Empress casually remarked, "Lord Su has suffered a stroke; his family will be in for a tough time from now on. If only Princess Consort Chen could offer some assistance."
If this happened to someone else, there would be nothing to worry about. With a princess in the family, even if Su Yuan is useless, there's still the prince as a backer.
However, this situation does not exist in the Su family mansion.
The Emperor chuckled and said, "If Princess Consort Chen really goes to take care of the Su family, Su Yuan will die even faster."
Su Wenyuan's hatred for the Su family is no secret; everyone in the capital knows it.
In the past, when people were unaware of the truth, Su Yuan could use filial piety to coerce Su Wenyuan into doing things, although he never succeeded.
But now, the scandalous things the Su family did have spread like wildfire throughout the city, and no one is criticizing Su Wenyuan for being unfilial; in fact, quite a few people are supporting her.
After all, it was Su Yuan who was ungrateful first, and such a heartless person should be condemned by everyone.
Now that Su Yuan is in trouble, no matter what she tries, Su Wenyuan will not help the Su family.
How could the Empress not know? She just wanted to take the opportunity to bring up the matter of letting Su Lin'er enter the Prince Chen's residence.
“Su Lin’er has feelings for Jing Yu, and she and Princess Chen are sisters. Now that her father is in trouble, isn’t it a way to put Prince Chen’s mind at ease by having Princess Chen follow Su Lin’er’s wishes? Maybe he will get better.”
The Empress had promised Su Lin'er that she would help her, so she couldn't just stand by and do nothing. Doing what she could would be a way to annoy Su Wenyuan and also give herself a good venting.
Seeing that the Emperor remained silent, the Empress continued, "Lord Su's son and daughter are both quite a worry. Right now, they are what he is most concerned about! His son is not good enough, but he is still young and will be easy to discipline in the future."
“This daughter is already of marriageable age. Because of her mother, people in the capital are prejudiced against her and no one comes to propose marriage. If she doesn’t get married soon, she will have to stay in the Su family for the rest of her life.”
Every word the Empress spoke was for the sake of Su Yuan and Su Lin'er. Those unaware of her true feelings would surely find her gentle and dignified.
But the Emperor didn't think so, thanks to Su Wenyuan, who showed him the Empress's true colors.
The empress was adept at doing evil in secret; she appeared to be well-intentioned on the surface, but her true intentions were sinister.
Like now, isn't she just trying to get back at Su Wenyuan? And she's making it sound so high-sounding.
The Empress awaited the Emperor's reply expectantly, but the Emperor mocked, "Didn't Princess Consort Chen already refuse that day? And she even gave a plausible explanation."
After he finished speaking, he smiled faintly, his gaze towards the Empress carrying a hint of mockery.
The Emperor had known about their conversation for a long time, but he had never said anything.
The Empress looked embarrassed and said with a forced smile, "Princess Consort Chen did refuse me. I just couldn't bear to see Miss Su sad."
They had clearly refused, yet they still insisted on sending people to the manor; this was simply unacceptable.
The Empress has always been like this, and she remains so now.
The two never mentioned the matter again until the Emperor left, at which point the Empress revealed her displeasure.
Recently, because Sheng Zixi has gained the Emperor's favor and Sheng Yuanhe has become a rival, the Empress has become a bit arrogant and her temper has gradually grown.
Granny Cheng coughed lightly and carefully stepped forward, saying, "Su Lin'er wishes to enter the palace to pay her respects to Her Majesty."
The Empress said angrily, "There's no need for an audience. I've already spoken to the Emperor, but he didn't respond. He told her to figure it out herself. We can't rely on me entirely."
If it weren't for her, the Emperor wouldn't have seen through my intentions.
She had made her point very clear when they met last time, and Su Lin'er had agreed, but neither she nor her father took any action.
Just as things were starting to look up, Su Yuan collapsed back onto the bed, and could no longer be counted on.
Getting them to do anything for me is as difficult as climbing to the sky.
I don't know how Sheng Yuanhe has tolerated Su Yuan all these years.
Granny Cheng sent someone to report back, and then brought up another matter.
"Consort Wan said she knows she was wrong and wants to pay her respects to the Emperor. She hopes Your Highness will grant her permission."
The Empress scoffed, "She's incapable of admitting her mistakes. Since His Majesty has entrusted her to me, I can't easily release her. I'll send her a scripture to copy as atonement."
It's practically impossible for Consort Wan to get the Empress to release her; she'll have to rely on the Emperor. But she can't get in touch with the Emperor right now, and she doesn't know how to lure him over.
People in the palace felt that she had lost power, and they were unwilling to even give her some good food, let alone help her with anything.
Not long after, the palace maid who delivered the message returned and told the Empress that Su Lin'er insisted on entering the palace to pay her respects, saying that she had her own way and did not need the Empress's help.
Her solution was to bring Su Yuan into the palace and request the emperor to grant them a marriage.
Su Yuan was paralyzed and dragged his sick body to see the Emperor, just wanting to entrust his daughter to his eldest daughter who had become a princess. What reason did the Emperor have to refuse?
It's not like she's trying to steal the position of princess; she's just asking for an extra set of chopsticks and a bowl in the Prince Chen's residence. This request is almost the most humble of all.
Even the Empress was somewhat taken aback when she heard about this astonishing method.
What terrible things has Su Yuan done? His two daughters hate him so much, and his son has no intention of letting him off easy.
Su Lin'er came to the Empress because she wanted the Empress to spare her life.
Su Wenyuan had previously threatened her that if the Emperor issued an edict, she wouldn't live much longer.
Even if she entered the Prince Chen's residence, she might still be harmed by someone. She wanted to get a life-saving charm from the Empress.
A reason that would make Sheng Jingyu and Su Wenyuan wary and dare not make a move against her.
The Empress's eyes lit up, and she immediately agreed to arrange an experienced nanny and a clever palace maid to help her.
After all, this was an opportunity to send people into the mansion, and she would also issue an imperial edict along with the imperial decree.
Of course, all of this is predicated on obtaining the emperor's decree first.
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