Since he had returned from the Prince Chen's residence, I could roughly guess that he had been tricked by Su Wenyuan.
"The Marquis of Anle has nothing to do with you. His whole family is dead, and only Su Wenyuan is left. He can't cause any trouble. The Emperor doesn't like people mentioning this matter, so you must not ask about it," the Empress earnestly advised.
Sheng Zixi comforted her, saying, "I know, Mother, don't worry. I won't be the one to stick my neck out. I'm just curious. If you know anything, please tell me."
The Empress did know a little, but not much.
"At that time, the two countries were at war and Anchuan suffered repeated defeats. Your father was worried all day long and rarely went to the harem. But one day, his worry turned into confusion, which was before Marquis Anle died."
"As soon as the news of the treason broke, the Emperor did not hesitate and took the opportunity to execute the entire Anle Marquis clan. Since the death of the Anle Marquis, your father has never worried about war between the two countries. He did not consult with the court officials when he sent the letter seeking peace. It was a decision he made on his own."
Sheng Zixi said, "I remember the letter of peace that my father sent out was very brief and did not elaborate on the main points."
They kept losing. Under normal circumstances, if they wanted to make peace, they would write a long and detailed treaty, stating how many cities and how much silver they were willing to give up.
However, the emperor did not do so at the time, nor did he even offer to send an envoy to Qikong Kingdom.
This is not a normal attitude toward seeking reconciliation.
The Queen nodded and said, "Yes, this peace treaty seems to have been pre-arranged by the two countries. The subsequent actions were just for show, and there was something strange before all of this happened."
"It seems that the Emperor has someone by his side who is advising him. You know, the Emperor is the kind of person who will consult someone no matter what happens, but he made the decision himself regarding the Marquis of Anle."
The subsequent peace talks were his own decision, and he didn't tell anyone.
The Empress reasonably suspected that there was someone by the Emperor's side who was helping him come up with ideas.
All the decisions the emperor made were made in consultation with him. It's also possible that he was misled by that person. In any case, this is the final result that everyone sees.
Sheng Zixi asked in surprise, "The key to ending the war between the two countries lies with Marquis Anle. Did Father Emperor use the lives of Marquis Anle's entire family to bring an end to this war? Why?"
The Empress frowned slightly and reminded her, "Don't say such things again."
Although that was her guess, and she was also hinting at this outcome to Sheng Zixi, she couldn't just say it out loud.
Sheng Zixi unconsciously looked around; there was no one else in the room.
“Anchuan Kingdom has been losing all the time, so I can understand why Father Emperor made this decision. But why would Qikong Kingdom make such a demand? What did Marquis Anle do to them?”
The Empress said helplessly, "Using the Marquis of Anle's family to exchange for an end to the war is just your speculation. Don't say anything more about things that haven't been confirmed."
Sheng Zixi suddenly realized, "No wonder Father Emperor was unwilling to investigate!"
If this is discovered, the emperor's dignity, reputation, and face will be completely ruined.
It would also be detrimental to stabilizing the court, causing unrest among the people and potentially leading to major problems.
The Empress said, "It's neither that we're unwilling nor that we can investigate. Su Wenyuan doesn't know the key to it, but we have to investigate."
“If she knew, she would investigate anyway. In her eyes, nothing is more important than the Marquis of Anle’s family; they’re just a bunch of dead people,” Sheng Zixi sneered.
Even Sheng Zixi had figured out Su Wenyuan's personality.
The Empress waved her hand and said, "Let's not talk about the past. Not many people know about it; it's all speculation. Only the Emperor knows the specifics. What did you find out when you went to the Duke of Wan's place?"
Sheng Zixi was furious when the topic came up.
Things were alright with the Duke of Wan Guo; although I didn't get any information out of him, at least his attitude was good.
Su Wenyuan and Sheng Jingyu's attitude wasn't exactly bad; they were all smiles and friendly, as if they were just playing with him.
Upon seeing Sheng Zixi's gloomy expression, the Empress knew that she had gained nothing.
In that instant, the Empress couldn't help but think of Sheng Jingyu.
Before the two fell out, any trouble could be properly resolved by Sheng Jingyu.
The Empress need not worry about this, nor should she ask any more questions; she should simply wait for the outcome.
But with Sheng Zixi, she has to keep a close eye on her, and even then, there's no guarantee of a good outcome.
It was impossible not to be disappointed, but the Empress couldn't show it in front of Sheng Zixi.
"The Duke of Wan is a man with some ambitions, otherwise he wouldn't have sent his daughter to the palace. Don't be fooled by his kind attitude and ignore his problems. Sheng Yuanhe is still alive, and Consort Wan is still alive. It's impossible for you two to become friends."
The Empress first shattered one of Sheng Zixi's fantasies.
Sheng Zixi frowned and said, "Prince Chen won't let me take the person away, and Duke Wanguo knows nothing about it. Where else can I investigate?"
The Empress reminded them, "Nearly a hundred assassins couldn't have just appeared out of thin air. It's better that you're not allowed to take them with you. If you did, and they died, those two would skin you alive."
The Empress was truly exhausted from having to teach even such trivial matters.
Sheng Zixi stayed with the Empress for a long time, and her thoughts gradually became clearer, unlike before when she was confused.
Whether it's the Duke of Wan or Sheng Jingyu, Sheng Zixi has no need to help or show favoritism.
He had originally intended to favor the Duke of Wan, but after being reminded by the Empress, he felt that doing so would be pointless.
Finally, the Empress added a reminder, "His Majesty has been in a bad mood these past two days. Since this task has been assigned to you, you must at least pretend to be busy, otherwise you will be affected."
The Empress's reminder was as direct as it could be, without any beating around the bush.
Sheng Zixi nodded heavily and left the palace.
That evening, Sheng Zixi returned to the Prince Chen's residence. She was much calmer than during the day and even mocked Su Wenyuan's ridicule without getting angry again.
He wanted to see the guard and the assassin he had rescued, so Sheng Jingyu asked Ye Shan to take him there.
After asking around for a while, the situation was the same as what Su Wenyuan had said. Moreover, judging from the guard's expression, he didn't seem to be lying. He had reached a dead end and had no reason to lie.
After asking her questions, Sheng Zixi tried to leave, but Ye Shan stepped forward and stopped her, saying, "Is this all the Eighth Prince wanted to ask?"
After asking for so long, he still hadn't gotten to the point. All he said was what Su Wenyuan had already reported. He judged whether this person was telling the truth or not based solely on the person's performance and attitude. Ye Shan wanted to add some information for him.
Sheng Zixi asked in confusion, "I only came here today to ask these questions. If there's anything else I want to ask, I'll come back again."
Ye Shan smiled and said, "Let me ask a few questions on behalf of Your Highness. Your Highness can just listen. Whether they are true or false, you can judge for yourself."
Since they were guards of the Duke of Wan's mansion and had always been by the Duke of Wan's side,
If the Duke of Wan dared to send him to investigate an assassination attempt, he must have been instructed on other matters as well.
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