"What nonsense are you all talking about? How could I possibly harm Jingyu?"
When the emperor returned from the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven, he hadn't even had time to change his clothes before he started to fly into a rage.
The Empress smiled and reassured him, "Jingyu was famous when he was young, which aroused jealousy. Now that he has recovered and the Emperor has his help, there will definitely be some scheming people who deliberately say such things to sow discord."
The Empress's attempts to appease him were ineffective; the Emperor remained displeased.
What angered him was why someone had suspected him so quickly.
Only a few hours have passed.
"Empress, should I go and see Jingyu?" the Emperor hesitated.
The Empress did not answer directly, but said tactfully, "If Your Majesty wishes to go, could I accompany you? I am also very worried about Jingyu's health."
"Then let's go and see," the Emperor decided, in order to dispel the rumors.
If the Prince Chen's residence only had Sheng Jingyu, the Emperor wouldn't need to hesitate or agonize over it.
But there's still Su Wenyuan around, and the Emperor doesn't really want to face her.
But in order to show how good he was to Sheng Jingyu, he had to go.
When Su Wenyuan learned of this, she immediately ordered the bodies of the assassins she had picked up the previous night to be placed in the courtyard, and thoughtfully left a path for the Emperor.
The Emperor and Empress had just entered when they witnessed this truly shocking scene.
Fortunately, the two were experienced and did not flee in panic. Apart from an initial exclamation, they did not do anything else out of line.
Su Wenyuan bowed at the end of the corpse, but before she could speak, she heard Granny Cheng shout angrily, "The Emperor and Empress have come here, how can the Princess Consort of Chen be so negligent?"
The sight of the corpses on the ground nearly scared the Empress to death, prompting Granny Cheng to question her.
"Huh?" Su Wenyuan looked up blankly, then stepped forward and asked, puzzled, "Where did I neglect you?"
Granny Cheng pointed at the corpse on the ground, about to lash out, when Su Wenyuan suddenly realized, "Yes, yes, it was indeed my carelessness. Quickly, bring out the prince who is seriously injured and unable to get out of bed, to welcome Father and Mother."
The shout was so loud it could be heard outside the palace. The emperor hurriedly turned around, afraid that others would hear it.
He came to visit and show concern for the patient; if Sheng Jingyu were to come out to greet him, even more people would criticize him.
The guards in the mansion moved extremely quickly, disappearing from the courtyard in the blink of an eye and heading straight for the backyard.
Fearing that he might be too slow to stop them and they might actually bring Sheng Jingyu out, the Emperor quickly intervened, saying, "No, no! No one is allowed to disturb Jingyu's rest. If anyone delays Jingyu's recovery, I will punish them!"
Su Wenyuan said excitedly, "Thank you for your understanding, Father. It is Father who cares about the Prince. Unlike some unruly servants who are used to causing trouble at the Prince Chen's residence without considering the place or the time!"
While saying the last part, Su Wenyuan's gaze never left Granny Cheng, clearly indicating that she wanted to interrogate her.
Granny Cheng knelt down with a thud and explained incoherently, "This servant was not blaming the prince, but the corpses scattered all over the ground disturbed His Majesty's presence, and Your Highness was also frightened, so this servant misspoke."
Su Wenyuan asked softly, "Is it scary? They're just some corpses. You didn't see how these people, when they were alive, were holding sharp blades and relentlessly chasing after me and the prince."
The Emperor examined the corpses again. Were these the assassins from the Duke of Wan's mansion?
His men were also killed by this group of assassins.
With so many people involved, they still couldn't kill Sheng Jingyu and Su Wenyuan. How lucky were their lives?
Su Wenyuan continued, "The body is left here because the investigation is still ongoing. I thought that Father Emperor, while concerned about the Prince, would also be thinking about finding the murderer, which is why I didn't put it away. I didn't expect that I was overthinking it."
Without giving the emperor a chance to explain, he immediately ordered the body to be collected.
The Emperor witnessed once again the speed of the guards of Prince Chen's residence; in just a few breaths, they were all gone.
These were only Sheng Jingyu's own men; he hadn't yet seen the group of secret guards left to him by the late emperor, who belonged to the emperor of Anchuan.
Su Wenyuan removed the body, claiming that the emperor had no intention of investigating the murderer, leaving the emperor speechless.
The Emperor could only vent his anger on Granny Cheng, because it was all her fault for being so talkative!
"Prince Chen is seriously injured, and instead of caring about his health, you're scolding the Princess Consort. Such arrogance! Guards..."
The Empress pleaded, "Your Majesty, we have just returned from ancestral worship and are observing a fast today. We cannot shed blood. Granny Cheng's mistake was unintentional."
The Emperor looked at Su Wenyuan and asked for her opinion, but Su Wenyuan remained silent, showing no intention of letting Granny Cheng go.
This old woman had wanted to do it for a long time, but never had the chance.
Su Wenyuan refused to give the Emperor a way out, and the Empress kept pleading. The Emperor chose a compromise: he spared her life, gave her another beating, and punished her with hard labor.
The Empress felt the punishment was too harsh. After all, she was her personal maid who had served her for many years. To be punished with hard labor like this would surely kill her.
Su Wenyuan spoke first, thanking the Emperor for making a decision for Sheng Jingyu.
This result is already quite good.
Granny Cheng only said one sentence, but if it weren't for this special period, those words wouldn't have had such a great effect.
Su Wenyuan invited the two into the front hall. As soon as they were seated, before tea was even served, Su Wenyuan asked expectantly, "Has Father Emperor investigated the matter thoroughly? Has the Duke of Wanguo admitted it?"
The Emperor looked at her awkwardly and said, "Not yet. This matter will take some time. Don't be impatient."
Su Wenyuan lowered her head in disappointment and said indifferently, "No rush. As long as there is a result and we don't let them get away, that's fine. To assassinate the prince on New Year's Eve and send nearly a hundred assassins, that's quite a feat."
The Duke of Wan really went to great lengths to kill those two.
The Empress, still displeased with Cheng Mama's matter, insisted on interjecting, asking, "Did Jingyu offend someone? Otherwise, how could he have been assassinated? And why were so many people involved?"
Before the matter was fully investigated, the Empress could not directly accuse the Duke of Wan of being the murderer. She could only gloss over the matter. Her main point was to shift the blame for the assassination onto Sheng Jingyu, blaming him for offending someone.
Su Wenyuan stared straight at the Empress and said sarcastically, "Why are you blaming the Prince?"
According to the Empress, Sheng Jingyu should reflect on his actions before finding the murderer.
"Your Highness has misunderstood," the Empress explained. "The Duke of Wan and Jingyu have no conflict. It doesn't make sense for him to suddenly send nearly a hundred assassins to kill him. If he is not the murderer, to find the real culprit, we must ask who has such a great grudge against Jingyu."
The Empress, who had always acted as if she were doing everything for Sheng Jingyu's good, became somewhat flustered after being questioned by Su Wenyuan, giving the impression that Su Wenyuan was ungrateful.
The Emperor did not think deeply about it. Seeing the Empress's unease, he tried to mediate, saying, "What the Empress said is not entirely unreasonable."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com