This investigation was even more thorough than Su Wenyuan had imagined. Wang Changji already knew that if he couldn't find anything, he would be demoted, so he was taking extra care.
How many people were in the manor at the beginning, what were their names, how many left, and how many came?
He asked about each and every one of them, and even those who had left, he sent people to check on them one by one, and they were all alive and well.
No one was injured, let alone tortured.
As the investigation dragged on for so long, Sheng Yuanhe grew increasingly uneasy.
The Empress and Consort Wan both knew about this. Consort Wan was worried about the Crown Prince and had arrived long ago, but the Emperor refused to let her in.
The Empress secretly cursed Su Wenyuan for being ruthless, thinking that she had compromised, but in the end she was just scaring people away.
The current situation is not suitable for her to step forward; she must wait for news from the Prince Chen's residence.
"Send someone to check on Yan Jiao and He Meiqiu. If the Crown Prince can't find out, I'll have to find a way to send them to Prince Chen's residence."
The Empress hasn't given up yet, and this matter has caused such a commotion, who would dare to become Sheng Jingyu's concubine or maid in the future? If she wants to find someone, she has to do it now.
Just as the Crown Prince and others were getting anxious, Wang Changji arrived, holding a stack of papers in his hands, and knelt down immediately.
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty!" Wang Changji's voice trembled as he confessed without the slightest hesitation.
The crown prince snatched the papers from his hand in disbelief and examined them one by one. They contained statements from the servants in the mansion, as well as details of the investigation.
The emperor's eyes revealed an unconcealable disappointment.
As the crown prince, he acted so impulsively, surrounding the palace without understanding anything!
Wang Changji stammered, "No one in the manor is missing or injured. They have praised the Princess highly. I have also found all the servants who left the manor. There was no... imprisonment or torture."
The Emperor threw the roster in his face and roared, "Absurd! You searched the Prince Chen's residence because of some fabricated charges? Do you have any respect for Prince Chen? Do you have any respect for me?"
"As the crown prince, you're acting recklessly, bypassing me to directly deploy troops. What are you trying to do? Are you in such a hurry to ascend the throne?"
This was a serious crime, and everyone knelt down, except for Su Wenyuan.
She was the aggrieved party; what did the emperor's anger have to do with her?
The Emperor's words attracted Consort Wan. She was outside Chengguang Hall and could not enter without being summoned, but the Emperor's words were so severe that she had no choice but to force her way in.
Consort Wan has appeared, and the Empress no longer hides, coming over under the guise of caring for Sheng Jingyu.
Upon entering, they discovered that Sheng Jingyu was not present.
The Empress knew he hadn't come at first, but even after all the soldiers in the manor had been withdrawn, he still hadn't come.
This is a great opportunity to suppress the Crown Prince, yet he only left Su Wenyuan here?
The Empress was somewhat dissatisfied with Sheng Jingyu. He could skip other things, but now that she had a reason to make things difficult for the Crown Prince, he still didn't come. Did he not want to fight for her son?
"Your Majesty, Yuanhe has absolutely no ill intentions. I sent someone to check on the two girls, and they were indeed terrified. The thought that someone in the capital was using such a cruel torture as skinning made Yuanhe very anxious!" Consort Wan quickly explained.
The Emperor retorted, "Does being anxious mean you can disregard rules and etiquette? Jingyu is in poor health, yet he has sent people to search his residence multiple times, and even surrounded it all night. Now he's searching it again. If anything happens to Jingyu, I will not forgive him!"
Su Wenyuan raised an eyebrow in surprise. It seemed that Sheng Jingyu's absence was a good thing.
If they come, they have to pretend to be magnanimous; if they don't come, they can show their attitude through actions, or they can pretend to be unwell.
Sheng Yuanhe felt wronged and argued, "Your subject did not find the maid who was tortured, but it is a fact that Yan Jiao and He Meiqiu were frightened!"
"Shut up!" Consort Wan slapped Sheng Yuanhe across the face.
He still couldn't understand that the Emperor wasn't angry about this matter. Even if Su Wenyuan killed the person, it wouldn't cover up his mistake.
He commanded the troop deployment of the capital's government offices, disregarded the emperor, and bullied Prince Chen. What a grave crime this is!
The slap calmed Sheng Yuanhe down considerably, and Consort Wan kept pleading for the Emperor to calm down.
The Emperor had finished his tirade. As agreed with Su Wenyuan, the Crown Prince was confined to his quarters, and Wang Changji was demoted one rank and sent away from the capital to serve as an official.
Sheng Yuanhe looked at Su Wenyuan, his eyes filled with anger.
Su Wenyuan smiled broadly, took a bill from Yuexiu, and handed it to Sheng Yuanhe, saying, "His Highness the Crown Prince searched the mansion, and all the damaged items are here. Please compensate for them at their original prices."
Consort Wan snatched it away, saying, "Don't worry, I'll compensate you."
Those who needed to be dealt with have been dealt with, and it's time for Su Wenyuan to be punished.
The matter of those two girls is still ongoing.
"It was wrong for the Crown Prince to surround and search the mansion, but does the Princess Consort of Chen have nothing to say to me?" The Emperor looked at her coldly, his voice filled with anger, making one tremble.
Su Wenyuan felt guilty about this matter, and faced with the Emperor's overwhelming pressure, she had no choice but to bow her head.
But it's impossible for her to admit it herself.
"Princess Consort Chen, are you dissatisfied with the two concubines I have chosen?" the Empress questioned. "The two were frightened at Prince Chen's residence, you must give an explanation."
Su Wenyuan calmly replied, "They were running around in the middle of the night. Who knows what scared them? Did I let them run around? Why should I explain? The Prince Chen's residence belongs to the Prince. Why don't you let the Prince come and explain?"
The Empress was speechless after being rebuked, but her anger kept rising.
"Two dignified and elegant young ladies were so frightened by a visit to Prince Chen's residence that they started talking nonsense. You can't just fool them with a single explanation."
The Empress didn't want to explain; she just wanted Su Wenyuan to welcome the two of them into the mansion in a grand and impressive manner.
Even if she's terrified, she'll still be sent to Prince Chen's residence to secure a position as a concubine.
Su Wenyuan suddenly laughed, a laugh laced with utter sarcasm.
"The Empress Dowager is choosing concubines for the Prince. She has carefully selected two, but before the Prince has even seen them, they have already started to act as if they are concubines, being arrogant and domineering! Is this what the Empress Dowager calls dignified?" Su Wenyuan retorted sharply.
“The prince hasn’t even said he wants to marry her yet, but the two of them have already made a scene that everyone knows about. They’ve disregarded their reputations. In order to avoid embarrassing them, I invited them to live in the mansion, thinking that the prince could take a look before making any decisions.”
“On the day they entered the manor, the two of them made things difficult for the servants and showed no manners. I really don’t see where the Empress Dowager’s talk of dignified manners is! Such girls are not fit to be concubines!” Su Wenyuan concluded.
Fearing the Empress might not admit it, Su Wenyuan added, "If Mother doesn't believe me, go to Prince Chen's residence and ask around on the streets. She hasn't even married into the Prince's residence yet, but she's already making a fuss everywhere and even hitting people in the street!"
It was Yuexiu who was attacked; does Su Wenyuan still remember that?
The Emperor was astonished to find that the girl chosen by the Empress was of such character. He looked at the Empress with a face full of doubt.
In fact, his ears had been filled with news about these two people these past few days, but he hadn't listened carefully or taken it seriously.
Now, looking at the details one by one, it's clear that these two are indeed unsuitable to be concubines.
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