The atmosphere in the Golden Hall grew increasingly tense and oppressive, and some of the more timid ones were already secretly wiping the thin layer of sweat that had seeped from their foreheads.
The emperor's expression was cold and stern, his eyes darkening. He even considered whether he could drag Sheng Jingyu away at this very moment without any reason and strip him of his princely status.
In just a moment, he calmed down. This Prince Chen was personally appointed by the late emperor.
When he was blind, he still had a chance of winning; when he was healthy, there would definitely be people who would support his rebellion.
Such a silent golden palace is truly rare.
It is truly astonishing that a prince would dare to pressure the emperor.
Sheng Zixi didn't dare to breathe loudly, always feeling that the emperor was expecting him to do something, but he dared not do anything or speak recklessly.
No one in the Golden Hall came to the rescue, and in the end, the Emperor himself had to step in and snatch the letter away.
He glanced at it briefly and remained silent.
It's impossible to convict someone based on this fabricated letter. The Emperor has a problem with the Duke of Wan, but if he were to so casually sentence him to death, his reign as Emperor would be over.
Killing someone to cover up a crime without verifying the truth is one thing, but killing someone who was originally a first-class duke will definitely draw criticism! People will call him a tyrant.
But if we continue investigating, this matter will take too long. Sheng Jingyu has already said that this is unfair to Marquis Anle.
The emperor was caught in a dilemma, realizing that he only had one path to take.
The other ministers also understood, and one of them stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, since there are other hidden reasons for Marquis Anle's treason, why not investigate and find out if it is indeed a miscarriage of justice, exonerate the Yu family, and silence the public."
"There has been much discussion among the people about this matter, so it would be better to investigate it again."
"I also wish to seek justice for Marquis Anle."
...
This time, those kneeling on the ground are not only the guilty ones, but also several more who are speaking up for Sheng Jingyu.
"Very well! It seems you had this in mind all along!" The Emperor was so angry he was almost insane, his face full of mocking smiles.
He has sat in this position for many years, yet he still hasn't been able to convince them.
They all appear loyal on the surface, but in reality, they trust the late emperor more and approve of the late emperor's choice of Sheng Jingyu.
"Investigate," the Emperor waved his hand casually, "This matter will be handled by the Eighth Prince."
Sheng Zixi, who was watching the show, was completely taken aback.
It wasn't until everyone's eyes were on him that he realized he hadn't misheard; the Emperor had indeed said that he was to investigate.
Isn't this ridiculous? What can he possibly find out?
He was just investigating an assassination attempt, and he was completely outmaneuvered by Sheng Jingyu.
This matter concerns the innocence of Marquis Anle, so Sheng Jingyu is bound to care even more. But the Emperor doesn't want to investigate, which puts him in a very difficult position.
Before he could think of a reason to refuse, Sheng Jingyu had already agreed.
His agreement made Sheng Zixi even more aware that this was not a good job.
It was clear that Sheng Jingyu had already dug a pit, just waiting for him to jump in. He didn't want to jump, so the Emperor gave him a hard push.
After this incident, the emperor lost his will to continue attending court and directly ordered that everyone impeached by Sheng Jingyu be imprisoned, their homes searched, and thoroughly investigated to see if they had concealed anything else.
Those who were not in the capital were also ordered by the Emperor to be arrested and sent back to the capital, and those who resisted would be killed without exception.
After the court session ended, a group of people surrounded Sheng Jingyu, staring intently into his eyes.
Sheng Zixi wanted to chat with Sheng Jingyu for a bit, but since she couldn't get in, she had to give up.
He went to the inner palace to ask the Empress for help, and the Empress was waiting for him anxiously.
Sheng Jingyu has quietly orchestrated such a major event, which has far-reaching implications. Yesterday, he also dealt with the Ministry of Personnel. By putting these two events together, it is clear that Sheng Jingyu intends to replace his own people with the new ones.
When mother and son reunite, they are worried about different things.
The Empress asked angrily, "When exactly did he start investigating?"
Sheng Zixi sighed and said, "It might have been brought up when they investigated Marquis Anle's treason."
"It's Marquis Anle again!" The Empress trembled, unable to tell whether it was fear or anger.
Everyone thought Su Wenyuan had given up on the matter, but it turned out they were overthinking it.
If I had known it would be like this, I would have agreed to let her do a second check sooner.
Who knew that her investigation would cause so much trouble?
The key result remains the same: we still need to investigate.
It's too late to say anything now. The only thing the Empress can do is try to promote her own people.
Sheng Zixi interrupted her thoughts, saying, "Mother, Father Emperor has ordered me to investigate Marquis Anle. How am I supposed to investigate?"
If he were to actually uncover the so-called truth, he would be close to death.
The Empress looked at him with admiration and said, "Just do whatever your father tells you to do. You shouldn't be asking me about this. I told you before, just forget about it."
In the Queen's view, this was a good thing.
The Emperor entrusted Sheng Zixi with the investigation because he trusted him and believed that Sheng would not uncover anything detrimental to the Emperor.
With the Emperor's trust, what is there to panic about?
Sheng Zixi frowned and said, "What about Prince Chen? If I don't investigate thoroughly, he won't let me off the hook."
"With the Emperor and I here, he can't touch you! Investigate with confidence, what kind of behavior is this, timid and hesitant?" The Empress shouted angrily, her brows furrowed.
He was more cautious than Sheng Ziyan, but sometimes hesitant and indecisive.
Sheng Zixi remained tense and was not reassured by the Empress's words.
His ideas and the Empress's ideas had long been at odds.
On the same matter, opinions differed. The Empress instructed Sheng Zixi to listen to her, but the results were always unsatisfactory.
Sheng Zixi made the decision herself, and even if it was a mistake, she dared not tell the Empress.
"Mother, let Su Lin'er come back later. I want to eat the snacks she makes," Sheng Zixi said.
The Empress nodded slightly, but said nothing more.
Sheng Zixi wanted to use Su Lin'er again, to have her go to Sheng Yuanhe and come up with a solution for herself.
Sheng Yuanhe learned last night that something had happened to the Wan family and wanted Su Lin'er to do something for him, but Su Lin'er refused.
Then Su Lin'er came to find him again, which he was definitely unwilling to do, making Su Lin'er very anxious.
Meanwhile, Sheng Jingyu hurriedly ran back to the Prince Chen's residence, wanting to tell Su Wenyuan the good news.
He didn't tell her about this beforehand, afraid of disappointing Su Wenyuan. Now that there was a good result, he naturally wanted to inform her first.
However, Sheng Jingyu did not see Su Wenyuan. He asked around and learned that Su Wenyuan had gone out to watch the excitement.
The restaurant, situated in the best location in the capital, was packed with people, all there to witness the satisfying spectacle of several businesses being raided and imprisoned simultaneously.
Upstairs in a private room, Su Wenyuan leaned almost her entire body out.
Yuexiu tugged at her sleeve tightly from behind, looking distressed, and said, "Your Highness, we can just watch from here."
Su Wenyuan clung to the windowsill, straining to see clearly, panting heavily as she said, "No, I can't see clearly, there are too many people. Is it really that beautiful?"
If she hadn't suddenly remembered this morning and rushed over to reserve a private room, we wouldn't be able to squeeze in now.
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