"Before he died, Wan Yanzhong... told me some things." The Emperor hesitated.
All that has been said so far is just a prelude; the main point is here.
Su Wenyuan saw the struggle in his eyes, but nothing else.
It seems the emperor didn't care much about that thing.
Su Wenyuan continued, "Yes, Father, is there anything you wish to ask? I only recently learned of this myself."
"Qikong Kingdom wants it?" That's what the Emperor cares about.
Su Wenyuan lowered her head to hide the mockery in her eyes and said calmly, "Shouldn't you be the one to ask, Father?"
Back then, besides Wan Yanzhong, only the Emperor and Qi Kongguo had contact, so he was the only one who knew the cause and effect best.
Why did Qikong Kingdom go to such great lengths? Could the Emperor not guess its purpose?
The Emperor ignored Su Wenyuan's sarcasm; he was already used to it.
It would be strange if she didn't speak in a sarcastic or ironic tone.
"The fact that they want it means that this thing... is real?" the Emperor guessed.
Instead of answering, Su Wenyuan asked, "If it's true, does Father Emperor intend to search for Prince Qi's tomb?"
The emperor hesitated, feeling that he couldn't find anything, and there were no clues.
But Qikong Kingdom really wants it. If they can't find it, why would they want it?
The emperor remained silent for a long time, lost in thought.
"Father, if I may be so bold as to ask, is there really nothing about the thing that the Yu family has been protecting for generations?" Su Wenyuan asked curiously.
The emperor blurted out, "If I had known, would I have made such an absurd... decision?"
He gradually came to his senses, his voice grew softer and softer, and by the end, his guilt was written all over his face.
He wouldn't say such things in front of the court officials, nor would he admit how absurd he had been.
There was nothing to hide from Su Wenyuan; Su Wenyuan knew more than he, the emperor, did.
The expected answer elicited a cold laugh from Su Wenyuan, who then asked, "When did Father Emperor find out? The late Emperor never mentioned it even once?"
The Emperor sighed and said, "He didn't say it, but he left a letter for... Sheng Jingyu. I didn't understand it when I read it. On the surface, it said that he should be diligent in his duties and love the people."
The throne was left to Sheng Jingyu by the late emperor, and this was never concealed or hidden from him from beginning to end.
Because Sheng Jingyu was still young, the late emperor allowed the current emperor to sit on the throne.
The late emperor had told the current emperor that he should abdicate at an appropriate time.
The emperor readily agreed and always appeared indifferent and uninterested in imperial power, thus deceiving the late emperor.
The late emperor never imagined that someone would be jealous of his son, and so jealous as to want to kill him.
The emperor withheld the letter and even read it privately. The more he read, the angrier he became. In the end, he put it away and never studied it carefully again.
The letter listed several books, all of which Sheng Jingyu had read, related to the life and experiences of Prince Qi.
These books were all forced upon Sheng Jingyu by the late emperor. At the time, he did not understand the purpose. If Sheng Jingyu had seen the letters earlier, he would have surely thought of the map of Prince Qi's tomb.
The late emperor wasn't intentionally keeping it a secret; perhaps the matter wasn't important, but he couldn't let the secret die in his hands.
Throughout history, emperors have passed this secret on to the new emperor.
The late emperor didn't want to break the rules, but he didn't know how to pass them on.
Let's pass it on to the Emperor, he's unreliable; let's pass it on to Sheng Jingyu, he's too young.
Helpless, he could only leave a letter, letting Sheng Jingyu guess for himself, and at the same time tell Marquis Anle that when Sheng Jingyu came to ask him, he could tell him the truth.
When Marquis Anle was imprisoned, he never expected to die, let alone die so quickly, so he never had the chance to reveal his secret.
The Emperor only understood the cause and effect after learning about this matter from the Wan Yan.
The late emperor had planned everything meticulously, but he overlooked the fact that he had misjudged his own son.
Su Wenyuan forced herself to remain calm and then asked, "How did the people sent by Qikong Kingdom persuade you?"
The Emperor's pupils contracted, thinking to himself that Su Wenyuan really knew everything.
How did she know that someone from the Qikong Kingdom had found her?
Su Wenyuan only knew that there were people, but she was not sure if they were from Qikong Kingdom. However, judging from the Emperor's reaction, it was basically certain that they were sent by Qikong Kingdom.
After thinking for a while, the Emperor finally picked out some things he could say and told them to Su Wenyuan.
The two countries are at war, and the battle at the front is at a stalemate. The emperor has received a series of battle reports, none of which are good news.
Just as he was feeling worried, a man claiming to be the Grand Preceptor of the Qikong Kingdom sneaked into the palace, saying he was there to negotiate peace on behalf of the Qikong Kingdom.
After introducing himself, the Imperial Advisor got straight to the point, saying that Qikong Kingdom and Marquis Anle had some personal grudges, and that he had come here to ask the Emperor to kill Marquis Anle's entire family.
On this condition, the two countries would cease hostilities.
Faced with such an absurd request, the emperor's first reaction was to seize him and execute him on the spot.
But the Grand Preceptor threatened that if he died, Qikong Kingdom's offensive would become even stronger, and in the end, Anchuan Kingdom would definitely be defeated.
At that point, the problem won't be solved simply by the death of Marquis Anle.
The emperor neither believed his words nor his status as the imperial advisor.
The Imperial Advisor presented royal tokens and a handwritten letter from the Emperor of Qikong Kingdom as evidence.
Su Wenyuan interrupted, saying, "If you really want to make peace, you can talk to the enemy commander and have him send troops back to deliver the message. Why would you do it secretly?"
The Emperor slammed his hand on the table in frustration and said, "Yes! I also think it's unreasonable. I asked him the same question, and he said that the most important condition they proposed for peace was to kill Marquis Anle, but this condition cannot be made public..."
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