Su Buchi scanned the court officials, and finally fixed his gaze on the face of Imperial Envoy Lin. Then he finally spoke in a cold and stern tone.
"Your Majesty, this dragon pearl was accidentally obtained by the Lu family in the capital. Somehow, the news leaked out. He was just an ordinary merchant, but was repeatedly attacked. Apparently, there was someone in high position and power who intended to get rid of him completely. He had no choice but to come to me for help."
He spoke casually, but his sharp eyes were fixed on Imperial Envoy Lin.
His implication was so obvious that the civil and military officials never expected that this new up-and-coming official in the court, Young Master Su, would be so bold as to openly provoke the emperor's favorite minister. Everyone was so scared that they hung their heads obediently and dared not say a word.
Imperial Envoy Lin naturally understood his intention and snorted coldly.
"Master Su, why be so insinuating? Clearly, you are pointing the finger at me!"
His weather - beaten old face was deeply wrinkled. At this moment, it was flushed red with extreme anger.
Without hesitation, he knelt on the ground, straightening his back.
"Your Majesty, please see clearly! I have served you for many years. What I hate most in my life is using power for personal gain and bullying others! You appointed me as an imperial envoy and bestowed a golden whip on me, ordering me to punish all the treacherous officials in the world. I have never slacked off for a single day! Your Majesty, today's matter is clearly a baseless accusation!"
The current emperor squinted slightly, looking back and forth between Su Buchi and Imperial Envoy Lin with a rather playful expression.
The emperor's favor was unpredictable. Just as the officials were feeling anxious, a frightened announcement came from outside the palace hall.
"Your Majesty, the Honglu Temple reports that the ship carrying pearls from the Nanyang mission... has sunk!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of all the officials changed.
What?
Not to mention the inestimable value of the thousands of hu of pearls sent by the Nanyang mission. The ship had already reached the territory of the Central Plains, but such a big incident had occurred. Just this alone was an act of contempt for Nanyang and an insult to the national prestige.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, the little princess of Nanyang also looked displeased. She calmly raised her eyes, bowed, and said softly,
"Your Majesty, we in Nanyang know that we are just a tiny and insignificant country. This time when we came to pay tribute, we made every effort to observe the proper etiquette and believe that we have never been negligent. But why do you keep treating us lightly and humiliating us?"
First, they were rewarded with a pair of fake, dyed "dragon pearls". Now, the whole ship of pearls had disappeared without a trace. Although the emperor remained silent, the officials all turned pale with fear and felt extremely nervous.
If the king of Nanyang really got angry because of this, lost the intention to submit, or even defected to another country and used all the national strength to demand an explanation, it would really be a costly disaster for their dynasty.
"Princess, please calm down. There must be some hidden reasons for this matter. Please be patient. The Dali Temple will spare no effort to retrieve all the pearls and will carefully investigate the matter of the sunken ship!"
The pearl - carrying fleet was well - equipped, and the waterway along the way was unobstructed. For days, the weather had been calm without the slightest sign of a storm. It was really hard to believe that the ship had sunk for no reason.
"Yes, Princess, don't be impatient. I will surely give you and Nanyang an explanation."
The emperor spoke calmly and then turned to look at Su Buchi.
"Lord Su, the matter of the sunken ship will be handed over to you and the officials of the Dali Temple for investigation. You must find out the whole story within ten days!"
Su Buchi looked respectful, knelt down to receive the imperial edict, and thanked the emperor.
He stepped back into the group of civil officials, leaving Imperial Envoy Lin still kneeling there nervously.
Escorting the pearl - carrying ship was his responsibility.
He had already planned everything carefully and prepared thoroughly. According to his calculation, the ship should indeed sink, but it should have been a few days later.
By that time, the little princess of Nanyang would have won the emperor's favor and entered the harem to be granted a title. The emperor, having won the beauty and being intoxicated in the gentle embrace, would probably not be too angry when informed that there was something wrong with the pearl - carrying ship.
Now that the incident had happened suddenly and unexpectedly, it must be Li Ying who had secretly planned it.
What kind of ability did she have that she could be so meticulous and break his fool - proof plan!
Imperial Envoy Lin clenched his fists tightly, feeling that the emperor's cold and measured gaze was falling on him.
He was shocked and knew that this was not the time to calculate Li Ying. He quickly straightened his back and kowtowed heavily.
"Your Majesty, I sent people to escort the pearl - carrying ship, but such an incident has occurred. I am really to blame. Please give me a chance to atone for my sins. I am willing to go with Lord Su to investigate this case and then come to plead guilty with a rod on my back!"
But Su Buchi also said, "Lord Lin, although you intend to atone for your sins, you are inevitably involved in this matter. To avoid suspicion, it is better for you to stay away."
Several civil officials who were usually on good terms with him nodded repeatedly. Imperial Envoy Lin felt even more aggrieved when he heard this.
On normal days, as the emperor's favorite minister, he would never be suspected.
But unfortunately, it happened today!
In front of all the civil and military officials and foreign envoys, the conch pearl he presented was openly identified by a princess from a small foreign country as a very shoddy imitation.
This incident was clearly an act of severely humiliating the emperor's authority. The fact that the emperor hadn't ordered him to be punished was already a great favor.
At this critical moment, the matter of the sunken pearl - carrying ship was exposed. With the emperor's suspicious nature, he must have already suspected him!
Imperial Envoy Lin carefully observed the emperor's expression but didn't dare to say another word. He could only kowtow obediently with a dejected look.
"I know my guilt and will strictly follow Your Majesty's imperial order."
Then he turned to Su Buchi with a forced smile.
"Please, Lord Su, enforce the law impartially and clear my name as soon as possible."
No one expected that such a grand court audience would end up in such a mess. The emperor had no more interest and waved his hand listlessly, only instructing the little princess of Nanyang to stay in the post - house outside the palace with the mission.
The little princess felt quite relieved. The emperor had lost face in front of her today. Presumably, as Li Ying had said, he would not have any ambiguous thoughts about her in the short term.
She bowed respectfully, led the group to leave, and saw Su Buchi just as she reached the outside of the palace gate.
This gentle and polite Lord Su was quite well - spoken, which won her favor.
Su Buchi also noticed her gaze. Remembering the instructions in Li Ying's secret letter, he stopped and greeted her modestly, "Is the princess going to the post - house?"