The story about the map of Prince Qi's tomb came from a spy he had captured, but the man didn't say much before running away.
This spy didn't come to us on his own; he was captured by the Duke of Wan Guo after going through great lengths, so he felt he was highly credible.
The scouts also mentioned that this matter is related to Marquis Anle.
Later, when he took the initiative to learn about these things, he colluded with the people of Qikong Kingdom.
Back then, he believed that Qikong Kingdom was playing a trick on him because he had seen the map and knew more clues than they did.
Only after the death of Marquis Anle did he realize that he had been used by the Qikong Kingdom.
He was unwilling to tell Su Wenyuan the specifics of how he used it.
In any case, there is no evidence for what has been said so far, and since it concerns the map of Prince Qi's tomb, Duke Wan believes that Su Wenyuan will not tell the Emperor.
On the day Sheng Yuanhe was exiled, Su Wenyuan and Sheng Jingyu went to see him.
Sheng Yuanhe was pale and emaciated, his eyes filled with defeat. He had intended to delay a bit and teach Su Lin'er a lesson.
Little did anyone expect that Su Lin'er would suffer so much injustice by the Empress's side, to the point of near collapse.
In addition, Sheng Zixi no longer trusted her as much as before.
Sheng Yuanhe's delay rendered Su Lin'er worthless in front of Sheng Zixi.
After being driven out of the palace, he had no way to survive and could only drag them down with him.
Sheng Yuanhe is just the beginning; there's an empress coming up next. Let her rest for a couple of days before it's the empress's turn.
All of this is irrelevant to Sheng Yuanhe now; from the moment he was imprisoned, he had no chance of ever turning his life around.
He couldn't get out, and he couldn't contact anyone outside.
He has done so many things that have gone undetected, and there's no way to clear the evidence.
Sheng Jingyu, on the other hand, was free to investigate as he pleased. He had many subordinates, so investigating these matters was a piece of cake for him.
His current fate is not surprising; it's just that he was unwilling to accept it, which is why he didn't quietly wait for death.
This time, it seems there's no hope of returning to the capital.
They didn't say anything, but on the way back, Su Wenyuan asked Sheng Jingyu what his plans were.
“I have no plans, it’s not my turn yet.” Sheng Jingyu smiled. “There’s one more thing. The envoy who went to Qikong Kingdom to escort Princess Heyi has returned and will arrive in the capital tomorrow.”
Su Wenyuan had almost forgotten about them. Princess Heyi returned with great fanfare, but was sent away in a sorry state. She wondered what the Emperor of Qikong Kingdom would do to them after they returned.
Should we blame them, or treat them as loyal subjects and take good care of them?
The envoys who escorted them back were also completely bewildered. They had only gone out for a short while, but upon their return, the crown prince had been deposed and exiled to a poor and desolate place.
The Wan family has also lost power. The imperial concubine in the palace has not only been demoted, but she may not even survive.
With so many things piling up, where are they headed?
Sheng Jingyu, on the other hand, was living a very successful life. He had people all over the court, and his eyesight had improved.
The next day, the group entered the capital and immediately went to report to the Emperor.
Prince Jin and Princess Heyi returned home without any problems, but Prince Jin's parents, the old prince and princess, caused quite a scene.
The emperor could only appease them; after they had caused enough trouble with the emperor, they came to the envoys to cause trouble.
The envoys wanted to return to the capital as soon as possible, but the Emperor of Qikong insisted that they stay longer.
During this period, the envoys suffered greatly. Qikong Kingdom did not treat them well, but on the surface, it could not be said that they were being harsh.
But the old prince and princess were relentless and tried every means to torment them.
The inn was infested with snakes, insects, rats, and ants; the food contained pebbles and sand; and wild animals would knock on the door in the middle of the night.
When they were invited to a banquet, dogs would be set on them to bite them. When they tried to complain, everyone told them it was just a joke.
These people have all lost weight and are not eating or sleeping well.
The journey back was also fraught with difficulties. In Qikong, they encountered bandits, unreasonable soldiers, and even biased magistrates.
They suffered greatly, and they still didn't know whether it was the emperor or the old prince who arranged it.
It wasn't until they reached a small town bordering the two countries that a troop of soldiers escorted them back to Yasukawa.
The more they talked, the more aggrieved they became, and they cried so bitterly.
When Princess Heyi was sent back, she was escorted by generals from both Anchuan and Qikong.
When they returned, they only had soldiers from Anchuan; Qikong Kingdom didn't even send anyone to escort them for a part of the journey.
Their status as envoys was useless anywhere.
Later, they almost wanted to disguise themselves as citizens of Qikong Kingdom, just so they could return safely and smoothly.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor was furious. The fact that Qikong Kingdom had not punished Prince Jin had already made him dissatisfied and extremely angry.
What the envoy said next made him even angrier.
Qikong Kingdom is going too far. They are not just bullying the envoy, they are insulting the entire Anchuan Kingdom.
"Your Majesty, there is another letter here. It is from the King of Qikong, who asked us to bring it back." The envoy wiped away his tears as he handed over the letter.
Before the emperor had even read the contents of the letter, he ordered that Sheng Jingyu and some important officials be invited to discuss the matter.
The discussion wasn't about the contents of the letter, but rather about how to settle the matter of Qikong Kingdom humiliating its envoy.
When the messenger arrived at Prince Chen's residence, Sheng Jingyu and Su Wenyuan were talking about Princess Heyi.
Princess Heyi had already betrayed them. At the time, they guessed that Princess Heyi's purpose in returning was to investigate the military strength of Anchuan Kingdom.
Qikong Kingdom has always wanted to start another war, but it can't just start a war without knowing the full story.
Send someone back to investigate first, and only send troops after you have a clear understanding of the situation.
Su Wenyuan now has a slightly different opinion, suspecting that what Qi Kong Kingdom was trying to explore at the time was a map of the Qi King's tomb.
Unsure if anyone had already discovered the secret, they sent someone to inquire.
"That one sent by Qikong Kingdom, what's her name, Empress Yuan? She's such a clever and eloquent person. Could it be that she's already found out from the Emperor that the Emperor doesn't know about this?"
Sheng Jingyu said, "It's possible."
Even with his extraordinary abilities, Sheng Jingyu would find it difficult to uncover anything useful about the secrets within the Qikong Kingdom's royal family.
"Your Highness, the Emperor has sent someone to request that you enter the palace immediately."
Sheng Jingyu said, "Coming right away."
When he learned that the envoy had returned, he knew that the emperor would definitely look for him.
But he never expected that the envoys would cry so miserably, completely disregarding their image.
At first they were kneeling, but now they are sitting or lying on the ground.
They have suffered far too much unfair treatment.
“When has our Anchuan Kingdom ever mistreated its envoys? We almost always grant their requests and treat them like royalty. But when we went to Qikong Kingdom, we didn’t even get a full meal.”
"They certainly had plenty of pebbles and sand, but I happened to see them using our plates and bowls to feed the dogs at the post station, and I didn't dare say a word!"
These words were both heartbreaking and laughable, and the emperor even seemed to look down on their incompetence.
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