"You are a princess, and she entered the palace as a concubine. Are you afraid you can't deal with her?" The emperor looked at her with disappointment.
Su Wenyuan shrugged and said, "She's nothing, isn't she? Doesn't she have someone backing her up?"
"Who is it?" The Emperor quickly absolved himself, saying, "I won't interfere."
He had no desire to get involved in such trivial matters.
Su Wenyuan smiled without saying a word; mentioning the Empress was as if she were complaining to the Emperor.
The emperor wanted to press further, but then Eunuch Hu whispered in his ear, "The Empress has arrived."
"Let her in." The Emperor's expression was somewhat strange.
It can't be such a coincidence, can it? We just started talking about this and the person in question showed up.
It would be best if the Empress only came to pay her respects or to chat casually.
Su Wenyuan stood up, smiled at the Empress, and slightly bent her knees in greeting.
"Your Majesty, I heard that Princess Consort Chen has arrived, so I came to see her. I hope I haven't disturbed Your Majesty and Princess Consort's conversation?" The Empress also had a smile on her face.
These three people all had smiles on their faces, and an uninformed person would think they got along very well.
Su Wenyuan replied, "My father is concerned about the Prince's health and also about Lord Su's health, so he wants me to help take care of him."
That's roughly the gist of it, and Su Wenyuan felt that what she said wasn't wrong.
How can that not be considered taking care of her? She even gave her a hand warmer and a cloak.
The Emperor remained silent, lowering his head to drink his tea, wondering if the Empress had come to help Su Lin'er.
Mentioning Su Yuan, the Empress immediately became worried and sighed, "I have consulted the imperial physician. This situation is truly unexpected. With proper care, it may improve."
Su Wenyuan sighed and said, "Yes, but even if it's not good, it doesn't matter. Who can explain the cycle of cause and effect in this world? We've had many good years, so it's not a loss."
The emperor choked on his tea and suddenly began to cough violently.
Su Wenyuan's words were truly astonishing. Wasn't she implying that Su Yuan's current predicament was all retribution?
The Empress understood and said with a smile, "Now that you've become a princess, you shouldn't dwell on the past. Be more magnanimous; it's better for everyone. He's already like this, what else can't you get over?"
Su Wenyuan was still smiling, and replied gently, "Since it didn't fall on Mother Empress, of course Mother Empress is fine."
The Empress put away her smile and said with a touch of majesty, "As the Empress, I am naturally tolerant of others."
"Ah!" Su Wenyuan feigned surprise, looked the Empress over again, and finally smiled disdainfully.
Her smile grew increasingly unrestrained; though she didn't make a sound, she couldn't suppress the corners of her mouth, and her shoulders twitched.
Without needing to say anything more, this blatant mockery was enough to express her meaning.
The Empress blushed instantly, feeling guilty and timid. She unconsciously distanced herself from Su Wenyuan, afraid that Su Wenyuan would scrutinize her again.
The difference in skill and outcome is immediately apparent.
The Emperor composed himself and asked, "Besides wanting to see Princess Consort Chen, does the Empress have anything else to discuss?"
"There is indeed something that is related to Princess Consort Chen." The Empress's tone changed as she spoke.
After being ridiculed by Su Wenyuan, she could no longer laugh, nor could she pretend to be gentle and proper anymore.
Su Wenyuan asked in surprise, "What does this have to do with me? Isn't Mother still thinking of finding concubines for the Prince?"
After saying that, he started laughing again. This laugh was so offensive that it made the Empress's throat tighten, and she didn't know how to say what she wanted to say.
The Emperor was equally unable to laugh. Hadn't the two of them already discussed the matter of Su Lin'er entering the Prince Chen's residence? Why was it happening again?
Although Su Wenyuan had already said what she wanted to say, the Empress still had to say it, even if it was awkward.
"I told you this before, but you refused. Today, Su Lin'er came to see me, and I thought that even for the sake of Lord Su and Jing Yu, I should try to persuade you again." The Empress said this with a righteous tone.
She seemed to think that what she was doing was a very righteous thing.
The emperor's vision went black for a moment, he picked up the teacup but put it down again, then picked it up again and placed it on the other side...
When people are embarrassed, they can feel a little helpless.
No wonder Su Wenyuan said that inviting Su Lin'er back was like inviting an ancestor.
No wonder Su Wenyuan didn't dare to touch her; wasn't it because someone was backing Su Lin'er up?
Su Wenyuan looked at the Empress with a half-smile, thinking to herself, "That's great. She'll expose herself; it's much more effective than me reporting her."
The Empress felt the atmosphere was strange; neither the Emperor nor she seemed to be reacting correctly.
But since those words have already been spoken, we have to continue.
The Empress coughed lightly, cleared her throat, and said, "Su Lin'er is your sister. I know you don't like her, but when I saw her today, I felt really sorry for her."
"The Emperor originally intended to bestow a marriage upon her and Jingyu, and you married into the Prince Chen's mansion on her behalf. He hasn't asked you to abdicate; it's just to fulfill one of her wishes. You don't need to rush to object."
Why didn't anyone say back then that she married into the Prince Chen's mansion in place of Su Lin'er?
Su Wenyuan asked with dissatisfaction, "Since she should have married the prince, why was it me instead? Could it be that she disliked him back then, but now she doesn't?"
Every time Su Wenyuan makes a joke that she pretends to be relaxed, she is actually revealing the truth.
Some things, just because they're in the past, don't just get forgotten.
The Empress frowned and said, "At that time, it was me and Lord Su who thought you were gentle and considerate and could take good care of Jingyu. It wasn't that Su Lin'er was being picky. You can ask Lord Su for the specific details. Don't slander your own sister."
When the topic of having Su Lin'er marry in place of him came up, everyone had their own guilty consciences.
The emperor didn't want to talk about this anymore; if he did, he'd get scolded again.
He quickly steered the conversation back on track, saying, "I also disagree with Su Lin'er's matter. Why would the Empress suddenly have such an idea?"
The Empress explained, "Your Majesty, I met Su Lin'er before, you should remember, right? I felt an affinity with her back then, and seeing her crying so sadly today, I really couldn't bear it."
After Su Wenyuan took over the Su family mansion, the Emperor asked the Empress to invite Su Lin'er to the palace to appease her. That was the day the Empress mentioned.
That reason is plausible.
The Empress continued, "If she were too young, I would certainly bring her to the palace to raise her. But now that she is of marriageable age, it would be inappropriate for me to keep her here any longer. It would be better to let her enter the Prince Chen's residence."
“In the future, she can come to the palace to keep me company and take care of Jingyu for me. She has been implicated by her mother and her reputation is damaged, making it difficult for her to marry. Staying in Prince Chen’s mansion will allow her to have a good reputation.”
The Queen gave many reasons, and added:
“She only wants to be a concubine. You can treat her like a cat or dog in the manor. Isn’t that fine? If Jingyu is unwilling, I will go and beg him to help her.”
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