With the Emperor's help, the Empress felt more confident and said with a gentle smile, "Jingyu has a fiery temper and is bound to offend some people. Tell me in detail so that the Emperor can determine who might target Jingyu."
Contrary to her usual behavior, Su Wenyuan began to recall seriously, and even explained very obediently: "I was just being paranoid and misunderstood Mother's good intentions. If we're talking about offending people, I can actually recall a few."
Her unusual attitude surprised the Empress, who felt that she had fallen for the trap so quickly, which was unlike her usual self.
Then, Su Wenyuan calmly brought up old grievances.
"Back then, the prince was impulsive and killed many people, which must have offended them. For example, the nephew of the current Grand Tutor, the former Minister of Rites and the head of the Textile Bureau, He Lanli, Jiang Qi of the Ministry of Personnel, the censor Yang Chen, and three governors..."
Su Wenyuan recited a long list of names without pausing, and even wanted to continue reciting them. These people were all killed on behalf of the Emperor, and Sheng Jingyu was the scapegoat.
Upon realizing something was amiss, the Emperor quickly interrupted, saying, "Alright."
He didn't want to listen anymore. Outsiders might not know what was going on, but how could he not? He had personally instructed Sheng Jingyu to find a way to deal with these people.
Was Su Wenyuan deliberately bringing up these people at this moment because she genuinely didn't know them, or was she pretending not to know?
Su Wenyuan smiled coldly, then turned to the Empress and said, "The Prince has offended quite a few people in the harem. There was a Consort, I think her surname was He? Consort He? Could it be that her family resented the Prince?"
Sheng Jingyu originally intended to deal with Consort He, but the Empress complained, so Sheng Jingyu took the opportunity to do her a favor, making the Empress mistakenly believe that he had killed her on her behalf.
The Empress had always thought so, and when she suddenly heard Su Wenyuan mention this matter, she felt somewhat uneasy and even guilty.
Seeing that the two of them hadn't completely forgotten about these things, Su Wenyuan gave a soft snort and stopped talking.
How could the Empress possibly ask Sheng Jingyu if he had offended anyone? The Emperor even chimed in, saying it made sense!
Sheng Jingyu did so many things for them, and also killed a lot of people.
Doesn't he know how many people he offended, and why he offended them?
Realizing that Su Wenyuan was deliberately trying to embarrass them, the Emperor glared at the Empress, thinking to himself, "Is she here to cause trouble? Why bring up something she shouldn't be talking about?"
The Empress fell silent completely and stopped talking.
The Emperor solemnly assured him, "Rest assured, I have already arranged for people to investigate this matter. We have also arranged for people to guard the Duke of Wan's residence. If it was indeed the Duke of Wan who did it, I will not tolerate it."
Su Wenyuan nodded indifferently, her attitude perfunctory.
She clearly did not believe what the emperor said and made no attempt to hide her distrust.
This greatly frustrated the Emperor, who then explained in a more serious tone: "Assassinating a prince is a capital offense, and it concerns the lives of the entire Duke of Wan's family. We cannot rush to a conclusion; we must investigate thoroughly."
It's not that he lacks ability, it's just that this matter really takes time. How can it be found out in less than half a day?
“Mmm…” Su Wenyuan didn’t even look at him, just nodded and continued to give him a perfunctory answer.
She didn't say she didn't believe it, but the more she did, the more anxious the Emperor became. This time, the Emperor didn't intend to cover it up; he just wanted to find out the truth.
But Su Wenyuan's attitude made it seem as if he was deliberately not investigating and intentionally delaying the investigation.
In all honesty, he really didn't do it this time.
No matter what he said, Su Wenyuan maintained a lukewarm attitude.
Even the Empress couldn't stand it anymore and, suppressing her anger, said, "Princess Consort Chen, do you not believe me?"
Su Wenyuan feigned surprise and asked, "Did I say anything?"
They said nothing, yet it seemed as if they had said everything.
The emperor was furious and unable to refute, he just wanted to leave as soon as possible.
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the word "escape" in each other's eyes. In perfect unison, they got up to leave.
"There are still many important matters in the palace, so the Empress and I will not stay any longer. If you need anything in your residence, just tell me." The Emperor gave a seemingly generous but empty promise.
This kind of care, which comes without cost, is plentiful.
Anyway, no one will take his words seriously. If he really wanted to give it, he would have done so long ago. Why wait for the other party to ask for it?
Furthermore, who would be so insensible as to ask the Emperor for something?
Su Wenyuan can...
Under the Emperor's astonished gaze, Su Wenyuan produced two long lists.
"Since Father has said so, I will not stand on ceremony. I was worried about how to quickly gather these things, but fortunately Father is understanding. I am overjoyed."
The Empress was dumbfounded by this scene; she really dared to ask for it?
You're being polite, understand?
Do you even know what politeness means?
The emperor's outstretched hand trembled slightly; he dared not imagine what precious things were written on these two flimsy pieces of paper.
The Empress was relieved that she hadn't said such comforting words, otherwise she would have been the one who felt the pinch.
The thought had barely crossed her mind, and before she could even feel happy for a moment, the Emperor shoved the list he had just taken into her arms.
"I am too busy with other matters to attend to them. I must trouble the Empress with this matter."
"Thank you, Mother." Su Wenyuan said with tears in her eyes, expressing her gratitude.
The Empress was equally agitated, inwardly cursing the Emperor for being inhuman.
The Emperor didn't even glance at it. Once she finished preparing and delivered the gifts to Prince Chen's residence, the Emperor would definitely blame her for giving too much and for not being flexible.
After so many years of marriage, doesn't she understand the Emperor?
The two left the Prince Chen's residence in a grand procession. Su Wenyuan watched them leave with a smile on her face, thinking to herself that she had to leave with less stuff.
The Emperor suddenly remembered that Su Wenyuan hadn't even served him a cup of tea.
There was no tea, no snacks, and they even swindled a lot of things from him.
I'm never coming back to this awful place again.
The Empress wasn't thinking about the cup of tea; she was thinking about Granny Cheng, who had almost lost her life because of a single sentence.
This deal was such a bad one. How can we get Granny Cheng back?
She was in charge of the harem, but she couldn't ignore the emperor's orders.
Back in the palace, the Empress had not yet come up with a solution when a eunuch came to deliver a message that Consort Wan wanted to express her gratitude.
The Empress then remembered that there was a Consort Wan in the palace who had just been released...
The Emperor said that Consort Wan did not need to come to express her gratitude, as she had nearly lost her life and needed to rest.
Immediately afterwards, the Emperor went to see her!
The Empress was furious, but she had to pretend to be magnanimous. Consort Wan had made a mistake, and she had only been imprisoned for a short time. Not only was she released, but the Emperor was also letting bygones be bygones?
The Empress returned to Chengming Palace in a rage, only to see Su Lin'er again, who made her dizzy with fear.
Yes, there's also Su Lin'er.
After the New Year, Sheng Zixi left the palace to establish his own residence, and Su Lin'er had to follow him. Just thinking about having someone like that by Sheng Zixi's side made the Empress feel a tightness in her chest.
Su Lin'er could tell from the Empress's expression that she hadn't gotten the better of Su Wenyuan.
These successive shocks must have been quite unpleasant.
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