Forcing me to become a concubine? Remarrying the Ninth Prince, she'll be pregnant all over the

With Wei Wujiu mentioned, Hua Ersan's efforts were not in vain.

He hurriedly took the blame for his son and knelt down: "Your Majesty, this old servant has failed in raising my son. All the mistakes are my fault. I beg Your Majesty to forgive my unfilial son, considering that I have served Your Majesty for most of my life."

The Empress had also come for this matter. Seeing that the Emperor's smile had faded and his face had turned slightly cold and stern, she gestured to Hua Twenty-Three: "What is Eunuch Hua saying? You must be tired after serving for so long. Someone, help Eunuch Hua to rest."

Hua Niansan was stunned for a moment. Unable to disobey the Empress, she had no choice but to be helped down by the palace servants.

The Emperor lost his appetite and put down his soup bowl: "I don't blame Hua Ershisan. He is about the same age as me, but he only has one son, Wei Wujiu. It is only natural for him to dote on him."

Seeing this, the Empress smiled and continued, "Even so, why should Your Majesty still be angry and punish Lord Wei?"

"Your Majesty, I am not familiar with the affairs of the previous dynasty, but I have heard that something seems to have gone missing. Whatever it is, if it is lost, then we should look for it and investigate the case. Lord Wei is in charge of the Eastern Depot and commands the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Although he holds a high position and wields great power, investigations still take time. Your Majesty..."

The emperor sighed and interrupted, "It's not just that."

The Empress was taken aback and asked in surprise, "Isn't that so?"

"If it was only the tribute that was robbed and the luminous pearl that was stolen, then Wei Wujiu would be responsible for dereliction of duty. Even if he was temporarily at a loss and had no clue what to do, I would not punish him severely for that."

The emperor snorted softly, "In the end, it's because he's become estranged from me."

The Empress only half understood and didn't quite grasp it: "Your Majesty, I am foolish..."

"You wouldn't understand anyway. Fine, I know you're mostly here to plead for Wei Wujiu, but it's not that I'm disrespecting you. There's more to the story. You should go back to the palace as soon as possible."

The emperor, feeling somewhat weary, shifted back towards the dragon bed and said to the outside, "Someone, summon Consort Mei."

"Here you are."

The Empress stood to the side, feeling somewhat awkward. Logically, since Consort Mei was newly pregnant, the Emperor should have summoned her to comfort and praise her before bestowing rewards. However, the Empress wasn't concerned about that; the main issue was that she hadn't yet fulfilled her promise to Lin Wantang.

I thought it would be a simple matter to plead for Wei Wujiu, but I never expected... Could there be a hidden story behind this?

The Empress wanted to use this incident to do Lin Wantang a favor, so that she would be able to give up on Shen Huai'an and obediently marry Wei Wujiu, and not cause any more trouble for her son.

If this matter cannot be accomplished... then her status as Empress will not only be damaged, but she will be utterly disgraced!

The Empress, unwilling to give up, didn't rush to leave with a forced smile. Instead, she moved closer to the Emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, please don't be in such a hurry to send me away. I may not understand politics, but don't I understand Your Majesty's appreciation for talent?"

"Lord Wei is a rare military talent, and also a brilliant strategist. I only just learned that the luminous pearl was stolen. This matter is of great importance and cannot be treated lightly, but the most urgent task is to find it as soon as possible, which is the best course of action, isn't it?"

The Emperor nodded: "Yes, we must not only search, but also investigate thoroughly."

The key point is to investigate this thoroughly. They thought the emperor was an old man who had lived in the deep palace for a long time, completely ignorant and allowing others to fool and deceive him?

The emperor is the Son of Heaven, with many eyes and ears and confidants everywhere. When tribute was stolen, the most important luminous pearl also disappeared without a trace. The secret agents had already reported the matter and followed the clues to find Lin Rucong!

However, unless absolutely necessary, the emperor would not directly reveal the spy's report. Instead, he would use this opportunity to test Wei Wujiu. No matter how much he trusted and relied on him, he would always be suspicious and on guard. He adopted the principle of employing people while also distrusting them, waiting for Wei Wujiu to personally report and reveal Lin Rucong's despicable deeds.

But what about Wei Wujiu? He hadn't even married Lin Wantang yet, and Lin Rucong wasn't even his father-in-law, but he was already protecting him, refusing to say anything no matter what. The emperor made him kneel outside the palace for several hours, but he didn't even reflect on his actions!

This made the emperor more than just suspicious; how could he not be furious again and again!

The emperor waited and hoped, looking for a suitable opportunity and a reasonable charge to wipe out Lin Rucong and all the former officials he had protected over the years.

The emperor was given a golden opportunity, but Wei Wujiu refused to speak, giving the emperor no chance at all. If the emperor couldn't hold back and directly summoned the secret agents, he would inevitably be accused of being biased and framing a loyal official.

So the emperor made up his mind that even if Wei Wujiu had to kneel outside to his death, he would force him to reveal Lin Rucong's name. The emperor didn't want to hear what the empress had to say anymore and tried to stop him, but the empress said, "Your Majesty, I do have a way."

"Oh?" The emperor was losing patience and said dismissively, "Tell me about it."

The Empress smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I am quite familiar with the noble ladies of the capital. Lin Wantang, though humble and compliant, is also an extremely intelligent person. Not long ago, she came to my palace to pay her respects and mentioned that Lord Wei had offended the Emperor. She also mentioned that she had heard that something had been lost and promised to help Lord Wei investigate and find it."

The emperor questioned, "Lin Wan-tang?"

"She is the legitimate daughter of Grand Tutor Lin Rucong."

The emperor took a deep breath. He had no recollection of Lin Wantang and probably had never met her before. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "I have never heard of this woman. I only know that she was unhappy about marrying into Huai'an as a concubine, publicly broke off the engagement, and even boldly declared that she was unconventional and probably not a well-behaved person. That's why I don't want to wrong Huai'an any further."

Knowing the reasons behind the broken engagement, the Empress did not want to elaborate further, and said, "Yes, Your Majesty knows all this. Your Majesty not only has the love and care of a loving father for An'er, but also the discipline and guidance of a strict father."

The emperor ignored the empress's coaxing and thought that if he spared Wei Wujiu as the empress had just said, he could further solidify his reputation for leniency. Moreover, since Lin Wantang was assisting her husband in investigating the case, he could use the case information at any time. On the contrary, if Lin Wantang was protecting her father and harboring evil intentions, it would be more logical to destroy the Lin family once and for all.

That's a good method too.

"The Empress is absolutely right." The Emperor suddenly changed his tone, and after hearing a palace maid report that Consort Mei had arrived, he added, "Two concubines in the palace have become pregnant one after another, which is a joyous occasion. The theft of tribute might just be a blessing in disguise."

"Hua Ersan, convey my decree: Wei Wujiu has been disrespectful in front of the palace, stolen tribute, and neglected his duties. He is hereby punished with the temporary suspension of his official seal and three days of self-reflection at home. After three days, he and Lin Rucong's daughter, Lin Wantang, will devote themselves to investigating this case and recovering the Night-Shining Pearl."

After the Emperor's decree was delivered, the Empress was surprised that her few words had changed the Emperor's mind. She was overjoyed and hurriedly expressed her gratitude. Hua Ershisan also thanked her profusely, bowed, and went to read it aloud.

Wei Wujiu was stunned after hearing this.