“I, Zhang Hongyu, would rather betray the world than betray you, my sister. Sister, I want you to swear that you will never abandon Kang’er, and you will never reveal his true identity. If you can do that, then swear to the heavens.”

Holding Kang'er in one arm and raising the other, Chen Yu said, "I, Mu Chen Yu, swear to heaven that I will treat Kang'er as my own flesh and blood, take good care of him, raise him to adulthood, and never tell anyone his true identity."

As soon as Chen Yu finished speaking, Hong Yu retorted, "What if you can't do it? Then An'er will be lonely for the rest of her life and will never find a good husband."

Although Chen Yu was furious, she still agreed, "Fine! I, Mu Chen Yu, will keep my word and never go back on my word."

After speaking, Chen Yu turned to leave, but then stopped and asked, "Kang'er is gone. How will you explain it to others? Will Prince Yan let this go?"

At this moment, a burly man came out of the dilapidated house, carrying a child in his arms.

Shen Yu immediately understood that this child was Kang'er's substitute. Hong Yu had too many enemies, and this child's life would likely be full of hardships, and he might even lose his life.

With a loud bang, two people kicked open the door and rushed in. A woman shouted at Hongyu, "Quick, let's go! The yamen officials are coming this way!"

Hongyu got up and fled.

Looking at the backs of the four people, Shen Yu wondered, were those three the villains that Gu Erlang had mentioned?

Two burly men and a tall, slender woman? The woman's figure is very similar to Qiu Shuang'er, could she be Qiu Xue'er?

Shen Yu gasped. Could it be that Hong Yu, together with Qiu Xue'er, killed Zhang Manguan's entire family? If so, Hong Yu would be responsible for dozens of deaths!

"Girl, let's go back quickly, lest someone see us."

Still shaken, Chen Yu stood frozen in place, only to be helped away by Cui Wei.

Plop! The sound of a heavy object falling into the river.

Chen Yu was terrified and froze again. Her first thought was: Hong Yu threw the child into the river to create the illusion that Kang'er had drowned.

If that's the case, she must give Kang'er a new identity.

She handed Kang'er to Cuiwei, whispered some instructions, and then Cuiwei hurriedly left with Kang'er in her arms.

She then led Shen Lan and Chi Yan out of the mansion, hoping to see if they could save the child.

Before the three of them even reached the riverbank, they heard a wailing cry, "Kang'er, help! My son has been thrown into the river..."

Under the moonlight, Hongyu knelt by the river and wailed; the three villains had vanished without a trace.

Although Chen Yu was puzzled, she didn't bother to ask and led Shen Lan and Chi Yan closer to the river.

Just then, a fire appeared behind them. Turning around, they saw Gu Erlang arriving with his constables, each carrying a torch, instantly illuminating the riverbank.

Hongyu staggered to her feet and rushed towards Gu Erlang, continuing to wail, "Sir, villains have kidnapped my son and thrown him into the river! Please, sir, save my son..."

Where is the bad guy?

Hongyu looked behind her and saw Chenyu, Shenlan, and Chiyan standing by the river. She pointed at the three of them and said, "That's Mu Chenyu and her servant."

What? Shen Yu stared in astonishment, dumbfounded. Had Hong Yu gone mad? She had just begged her to adopt Kang'er, and now she was accusing her of murdering an infant.

She rushed towards Hongyu and slapped her hard across the face. Then she looked at Gu Erlang and said, "Second brother, quickly send someone down to retrieve the child! Hurry!"

Gu Erlang immediately led the constables into the water. Some constables held torches, while others went into the water to retrieve the child.

Shen Lan and Chi Yan stood behind Chen Yu, glaring angrily at Hong Yu.

Where is Hongyu? She slumped to the ground, sobbing softly.

"Hoo..."

"Hoo..."

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a burst of fire rushing towards them. Princes Li and Yan rode up on horseback with thousands of soldiers, and the already blazing riverbank was instantly illuminated as if it were daytime.

Yan Wang was the first to dismount and rush to Hongyu, asking, "I heard that you and Kang'er were kidnapped by villains. Where is Kang'er?"

"Kang'er fell into the river, and the officials are trying to retrieve him."

King Yan was terrified and pointed at the soldiers, ordering, "All of you, get into the water! Rescue Young Master Kang'er by going downstream. Whoever can save Young Master Kang'er will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold."

After giving his orders, Yan Wang grabbed Hongyu by the collar, lifted her up, and growled in a low voice, "Speak! Did you try to curry favor with Prime Minister Kong or Song Hua and deliberately throw Kang'er into the river to drown him?"

Hongyu wasn't alarmed, after all, Kang'er had already escaped safely, and what had been thrown into the river was just a dead infant. Although Yan Wang's guess was pretty accurate, she couldn't reveal any flaws.

So she broke free from Yan Wang, slapped him hard across the face, and roared, "Kang'er is my own flesh and blood, how could I possibly harm him!"

Yan Wang roared, "Who is that!"

Hongyu pointed to the abandoned house and said, "A woman and two men kidnapped me and Kang'er and locked us in this dilapidated house. Just now, the two strong men carried Kang'er away, and I chased after them and saw them throw Kang'er into the river with my own eyes."

As Hongyu spoke, she rushed towards Chenyu, punching and cursing her, "Mu Chenyu, how cruel you are! Why did you kill my son? Tell me, what did I do to offend you?"

Shen Lan and Chi Yan immediately pulled Hong Yu aside.

Shen Lan retorted, "It was clearly you who was holding Young Master Kang'er and begging my young lady..."

Shen Yu immediately rebuked Shen Lan, "Shut up! With me here, when has it ever been the turn of a servant to speak?"

She had sworn to God that she would not reveal Kang'er's true identity; how could she go back on her word?

She walked to Hongyu's side and whispered a warning, "You said you would never betray me. I ask nothing of you except that you stop bothering my life."

After saying this, she turned to leave, but unexpectedly, King Yan and King Li stopped her.

Why would the King of Yan come here?

Originally, Prince Yan was on his way to the western frontier on the orders of the late emperor, but halfway there, a scout reported that the sixth prince had died of poisoning and the emperor was seriously ill.

So he secretly returned to the capital, where he encountered King Li, who was stationed on the northern frontier. Both men learned of Song Hua's ascension to the throne and suspected him of usurping it. Therefore, they went to the capital together to see the late emperor's edict.

Upon arriving at the West Gate, the guards told them that Hongyu and Kang'er had been kidnapped by villains and were heading towards Qinghe County. So, the two of them followed the road and found Qinghe Village.

But then, Kang'er fell into the water.

Yan Wang deeply suspects that it was Hong Yu who did it, just to curry favor with Song Hua, just as Hong Yu had done to him before, using every trick in the book and any means necessary.

To verify this, he has ordered someone to go to Chengyuan to arrest Feicui. Feicui is Hongyu's confidante and will surely know who plotted to harm Kang'er.

At this point, Kang'er has still not been found, and the chances of him surviving are slim.

It's alright.

If Kang'er dies, will the blame be placed on Hongyu? And will they seize the opportunity to eliminate Hongyu?

Since Hongyu said that the culprit was Shenyu, he should join forces with Shenyu to turn the tables on Hongyu.

He looked at Chen Yu and asked, "Mu Chen Yu, I ask you, did Hong Yu throw Kang'er into the river?"

Chen Yu shook her head.

Li Wang stepped forward, intentionally reminding Chen Yu, "Mu Chen Yu, either you or Zhang Hongyu must have killed Kang'er. It's either her or you. Think it through before you speak. Did Zhang Hongyu throw Kang'er into the river and then frame you?"