Several people noticed that the emperor's expression was not right, so they quickly stopped crying, wiped away their tears, lowered their heads, and remained silent.
They were quite perceptive; although it was a bit late, they still noticed it.
There's also a group that either didn't notice or pretended not to see it.
The Emperor wanted to wait until they were completely quiet, but it seemed unlikely that he would be able to wait any longer. Intermittent crying could be heard from every corner of the Golden Palace, which was really irritating to him.
"I am deeply moved that my subjects are so loyal and devoted..." the Emperor said.
"Is Father Emperor merely moved?" Sheng Jingyu pressed.
Facing the Emperor's furious eyes, Sheng Jingyu did not flinch at all, and even showed a hint of disdain.
The courtiers, who were still weeping, suddenly felt the intense killing intent emanating from the emperor.
Are they no longer hiding it?
Sheng Jingyu asked again, "Because of Father's misjudgment, hundreds of Yu family members died tragically. How come Father... doesn't feel any remorse?"
Everyone could see it, but only Sheng Jingyu could say it out loud.
"Insolence!" the Emperor roared. "How dare you interrogate me? Who gave you the audacity?"
The Grand Tutor, who was standing to the side, straightened up, stepped forward, and said, "Prince Chen was overwhelmed with grief and spoke inappropriately. Please forgive him, Your Majesty."
"Don't blame me?" The Emperor suddenly stood up, intending to punish Grand Tutor Yan as well, and asked, "Does being sad give you the right to talk nonsense?"
These words also seem to be a warning to others, who, when they were weeping and wailing, had often blamed themselves.
At this moment, Grand Tutor Lu stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Chen merely used inappropriate wording."
Then another person stood up and said, "Prince Chen is also thinking of the Emperor."
The emperor was so angry he laughed, not understanding why everyone was so determined to oppose him.
"Thinking of me? Tell me, if you can't say anything, I'll sentence you to death!"
Grand Tutor Yan said, "The Marquis of Anle served the Anchuan Kingdom loyally for decades, and finally died because of the Emperor's misjudgment. If the Emperor does not show some sadness, how will the history books record this in the future?"
Being an emperor isn't easy; it's not like he can just stop pretending whenever he wants.
These ministers always have something to say, and the emperor is already in the wrong, so how can he argue with them?
I can't win an argument, but I don't intend to compromise. If I really listened to them and faked tears, I would lose face.
Finally, the emperor stormed off in a huff, leaving without a care in the world.
Before everyone could return home, news arrived that the Emperor was so grief-stricken that he nearly fainted. The imperial physician examined him and said that he needed to rest for a few days, and that the morning court sessions for the next few days would be cancelled.
The Prince Chen's residence received two imperial decrees: one explaining why Marquis Anle was wronged, and the other providing compensation to Su Wenyuan.
In addition to the promised posthumous conferment, all the gold and silver seized from the national treasury during the confiscation of property were returned.
Su Wenyuan glanced at the list. The Emperor had embezzled a considerable amount, and what he returned to her was only a small portion of it.
Another imperial edict ordered Sheng Jingyu to stay at home and reflect on his actions, without specifying the reason.
However, Su Wenyuan could roughly guess that it must have been Sheng Jingyu who contradicted the emperor in the Golden Hall.
As soon as Sheng Jingyu returned to the mansion, the gates were closed from the outside.
Immediately afterwards, the guards surrounded the Prince Chen's residence.
This scene is very similar to what happened to the Wan family mansion back then. After being surrounded twice, the Wan family mansion was raided.
This is the first time the Prince Chen's residence has done this, and the common people can't help but start making wild guesses.
A simple house arrest wouldn't warrant such a grand mobilization. Only when someone commits a serious offense like the Wan family and needs a thorough investigation would palace guards be deployed to surround the residence.
Could it be that the Prince Chen's mansion is also going to be raided?
Su Wenyuan didn't want to inquire about the gossip outside; at this moment, she looked at Sheng Jingyu with a complicated expression.
What did you do?
Sheng Jingyu grinned and said, "Ask him why he's not crying."
"You really didn't cry?" Su Wenyuan asked in surprise.
The emperor only needs to shed a couple of tears to avoid much speculation. If he were to appear even more heartbroken, it would further prove that he had simply misjudged the situation.
If you don't cry or feel sad, aren't you afraid that others will guess that you are afraid of Marquis Anle and have long harbored murderous intentions?
Sheng Jingyu shrugged and said, "Not only did I not cry, but I also didn't want anyone else to cry."
Su Wenyuan said resentfully, "He's really annoying. And what's wrong with you? You don't care about a few of his tears, why do you have to question him about this? You're grounded now!"
"I can't stand it," Sheng Jingyu replied casually, then took Su Wenyuan's hand and led her back to the backyard.
He didn't tell Su Wenyuan many details, for fear of making her angry.
In that situation, Sheng Jingyu simply couldn't control his temper.
"Although I'm under house arrest, you aren't, nor is anyone else in the manor. We can still come and go as we please. How about we hold a banquet at the Marquis of Anle's manor for a few days to let everyone know the news?"
Sheng Jingyu seemed even more excited than Su Wenyuan.
This was the most important thing in Su Wenyuan's heart, and he had accomplished it, so of course he was happy.
Su Wenyuan shook her head and said, "No."
The current situation has already displeased the Emperor. If he continues to cause trouble through Sheng Jingyu, Su Wenyuan fears that the Emperor will take his anger out on Sheng Jingyu.
It's already quite an achievement that things have come to this point.
Sheng Jingyu had many thoughts, but before he could say them, he heard firecrackers going off outside the Prince Chen's residence.
Then the sound rang out from all directions, some near and some far.
This was an even bigger spectacle than when multiple shops opened simultaneously on the same day.
"Judging from the source of the sound, it's still those same shops. Aren't they afraid of getting into trouble by doing this?" Su Wenyuan worried for them.
Su Wenyuan did not know the exact identities of these people, but based on some clues, she guessed that they had once been people from the Marquis of Anle's mansion.
Almost all the people who were associated with Marquis Anle back then are dead.
How could they dare to make such a big fuss about entering Beijing before the matter was fully investigated, and then create such a commotion after the investigation was completed?
Sheng Jingyu sent several people out to investigate the situation. When they returned, they reported that several shops were setting off firecrackers, and it looked like they would continue for a while.
Furthermore, several shops offered discounts of varying degrees over these three days.
If you can answer their questions, you can take the items for free.
Su Wenyuan was greatly shocked by this way of opening a store for charity.
“It seems they’re happy too.” Su Wenyuan took a deep breath. “The continuous banquet you just mentioned suddenly seems like a good idea.”
Sheng Jingyu narrowed his eyes and pondered for a long time before hesitatingly asking, "Why did you suddenly agree? Aren't you afraid that Father will be angry with me?"
Su Wenyuan smiled guiltily, deliberately adopting a flattering posture, and said while holding Sheng Jingyu's hand, "It's better to take it out on you than on them."
These people were implicated by the Yu family and spent thirteen years living in hiding.
We've finally made it through this difficult time, so we can't let our success go to our heads and bring disaster upon ourselves.
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