"Your Majesty we are honored that you decided to grace our home with your presence." the Marquis said with his hand before him but the Emperor threw a scroll to the ground.
Crawling to pick it up, the Marquis read the scroll and noticed that it was Chen Jinyu's disaster relief plan.
Bowing again, the Marquis tried to say "This humble servant doesn't understand what his Majesty intends by this-" but the Emperor cut him off with a raise of his palm.
"Chen Jinyu, you were the one that came up with this disaster relief plan right?" The Emperor asked and Chen Jinyu nodded quickly.
"Chen Jinyu spent days and nights coming up with this disaster relief plan." Chen Jinyu said quickly.
"Days and nights" said the Emperor as he nodded.
"You spent days and nights thinking of how you could further ruin the Empire?!" the Emperor asked in rage and fear spread across the banquet hall.
"Your Majesty, please have mercy." the Marquis begged the emperor.
"Chen Jinyu wouldn't dare plan to ruin the empire." The Marquis said, trying to defend Chen Jinyu.
Following his lead, Chen Jinyu said "Your loyal subject, Chen Jinyu wouldn't dare to think of ruining the empire." Chen Jinyu said shakily.
"Then how do you explain the current state of the South?!" The Emperor said in anger.
"Your disaster relief plan only managed to help them for two weeks and now their situation is worse than before!" The Emperor said and the crowd gasped in shock.
"How do you plan to fix this?" The Emperor asked and Chen Jinyu's face paled.
"I-I" Chen Jinyu stuttered as she held the skirt of her hanfu.
"I-I" Chen Jinyu stuttered again and the Emperor grew impatient.
"Speak!" The Emperor yelled and Chen Jinyu began to tremble.
"You came up with a plan that has failed so it's your duty to fix it." said the Emperor.
"What plans do you have to save the people of the South?" The Emperor asked Chen Jinyu one more time.
Unable to take the pressure Chen Jinyu said "Chen Wenjin" as she pointed to Chen Wenjin who was at the right corner of the room.
"We are finally getting somewhere." Shen Xiatang said as she stretched.
"Chen Wenjin will fix it." Chen Jinyu said hurriedly.
"What?" the Emperor asked in confusion.
"Chen Jinyu has managed to confuse the Emperor." Shen Xiatang said and Chen Wenjin tried not to laugh within the tense atmosphere.
"She is the one that gave me the disaster relief plan." Chen Jinyu said as she tried to save herself.
"Chen Jinyu has nothing to do with the making of the disaster relief plan." Chen Jinyu said as she trembled.
"Don't let her off." said Shen Xiatang.
"Nothing to do with it?" Chen Wenjin asked in confusion.
"This whole banquet is to celebrate your title as Defender of the Lands, how could you suddenly have nothing to do with it?" Chen Wenjin asked in disbelief.
"Your Majesty," Chen Wenjin said as she addressed the Emperor.
"I have had no contact with my cousin ever since she married into the Liu family," Chen Wenjin said firmly.
"There is simply no way for Chen Wenjin to give a disaster relief plan to Chen Jinyu." Chen Wenjin said with her eyes to the floor.
"Sister!" Chen Jinyu yelled.
"She always remembers to call your sister anytime she wants to get you in trouble." Shen Xiatang said with a shake of her head.
"You were the one who gave me this disaster relief plan saying that it will help save I and the Liu family's reputation." Chen Jinyu said as she pointed an accusing finger at Chen Wenjin.
Lifting up her head in mock rage, Chen Wenjin asked "Chen Jinyu what nonsense are you spouting?"
"Everyone knows that we don't get along well after your marriage, how could I possibly supply you with a disaster relief plan?!" Chen Wenjin asked in anger.
"Enough!" The Emperor yelled at the two bickering girls.
"Does the Chen family think that the affairs of the Empire are a joke?!" the Emperor asked in rage and both girls turned silent immediately.
"Chen Jinyu, when I asked you if you were the one who made the disaster relief plan what did you tell me?" The Emperor asked and Chen Jinyu's face turned as pale as a ghost.
"Now that things are like this you are thinking of absolving blame from yourself?" the Emperor said, staring Chen Jinyu down.
"Chen Jinyu, when did you get so bold to spout lies before the Emperor?!" The Emperor asked in anger.
"Chen Jinyu wouldn't dare." Chen Jinyu said as she did a proper kowtow.
"If you don't believe me, you can send people to search her living quarters." Chen Jinyu said desperately.
"You will surely find an identical plan there." Chen Jinyu said in fear.
"Your Majesty," Liu Tiancheng said as he came to his wife's rescue.
"Chen Wenjin has hated Chen Jinyu ever since the marriage so I am sure she pulled a dirty trick like this to get her revenge." Liu Tiancheng said with a bow.
"She knows that Chen Jinyu is too trusting and willingly gave her a plan that will ruin your people." Liu Tiancheng said, as he spoke up for Chen Jinyu.
"The only thing Chen Jinyu is guilty of is that she is too trusting and can't discern good from bad intentions." Liu Tiancheng said, as he did a proper kowtow.
"She doesn't know good from bad?" Shen Xiatang asked with a scoff.
"I guess that's true since she is married to you after all." Shen Xiatang said dully and Chen Wenjin tried hard to hold her laughter for the second time in the Liu family banquet hall.
"Fine." The Emperor said with a nod of his head.
"Anyone there." The Emperor said and a male guard rushed forward.
"Send people over to search Chen Wenjin's living quarters in the Chen family residence." The Emperor said and the guard rushed out of the room.
"Chen Wenjin," the Emperor said, as he addressed Chen Wenjin.
"If I find out that you designed this plan and used my people as a means to have revenge on your sister, I won't let you off." the Emperor said and Chen Jinyu smiled discreetly.
After thirty minutes of waiting, the guards came in with a singular scroll.
"Where did you find this?" The Emperor asked the guard.
"I found it hidden inside a side drawer." the guard said with a bow and the Emperor nodded.
Unrolling the scroll, the Emperor read it's contents and froze and Chen Jinyu thinking that she had been vindicated smiled discreetly.
"Your Majesty as you can see from the scroll, Chen Wenjin handed this plan over to me in order to cause me ruin!" Chen Jinyu said pitifully.
"I know that I and sister have been at odds ever since the wedding but who would have thought that she will devise a plan to ruin me using the Emperor's own people." Chen Jinyu said as tears dripped from her eyes.
"Chen Wenjin is truly too vicious," Liu Tiancheng said to the Emperor.
"I hope that the Emperor will uphold justice for your people by punishing her severly." Liu Tiancheng said with a bow.
"Enough!" the Emperor snapped and everyone kept quiet immediately.
"Chen Wenjin." The Emperor called and Chen Wenjin moved to the front and bowed before the Emperor.
"Where did you get the knowledge to draft out a plan so well detailed and of such high quality?" asked the Emperor and Liu Tiancheng and Chen Jinyu looked at him in shock.