Shen Yu took the letter, opened it, and read about her past with Prince Jing: the two had shared a bed in the Prince Jing's mausoleum, had committed shameful acts in a sedan chair, and had often secretly met behind Yanran's back...

Seeing this completely fabricated story, Shen Yu was furious. She suddenly looked at Yan Ran, wanting to argue, but Yan Ran grabbed a pile of clothes and threw them at her face.

The clothes fell to the ground, and upon closer inspection, she realized they were her undergarments: a tube top, silk trousers, and five or six other pieces. No wonder she had been feeling that some of her clothes were missing.

At this moment, Gu Dalang and Prince Jing followed. They were quite surprised to see Yanran glaring angrily at Chenyu and then looking at the clothes on the ground.

Shen Yu handed the letter to Gu Dalang and said, "My lord, someone has slandered my innocence. This letter and the clothes on the ground are evidence. I hope you will order them to be taken back to the yamen and the culprit found."

Upon hearing this, Yanran's face filled with rage, and she shouted at the top of her lungs: "Mu Chenyu! Don't play innocent! Cailian's letter clearly states that she knew about your ambiguous relationship with Prince Jing. She thought you would marry Prince Jing and then take her as a concubine. But Prince Jing married me, and knowing I forbade him to take a concubine, she jumped into the river and drowned."

"Foolish woman!" Chen Yu said, then stormed off.

Yanran was furious and reached out to grab Chenyu, but with a slap, Prince Jing struck her across the face and roared:

[Utterly foolish! The case hasn't even been investigated yet, and you're already shouting and spouting nonsense, acting all aggressive and petty. Aren't you afraid people will suspect that you drove Cailian to her death?]

------

Midnight (11 PM - 1 AM).

Chen Yu knelt in the Liu Clan Ancestral Hall. The reason she was forced to kneel there as punishment was Liu Deng's order.

Just now, as she and Gu Dalang walked out of the Jing Prince's mansion, they were surrounded by Eunuch Wei and his men.

Liu Deng said that her conduct was improper and damaged the reputation of the Liu family, so he locked her in the Liu family ancestral hall to await her fate.

Although it was springtime, the weather was still bitterly cold, the ground was icy, and...patter...it started raining outside.

Shen Yu felt a chill run down her spine and instinctively hugged her arms. However, her knees ached slightly, so she braced herself with her hands on the ground and lifted her knees off the ground.

squeak……

There was a noise at the window. She peeked out and saw Hongyu quietly approach, squatting down beside her and whispering, "Don't be afraid, Madam. The guards are all outside. I've locked the doors and windows; they can't get in..."

Now that you're here, who will look after An'er and Ping'er?

[Don't worry, Madam. The Mu family's guards have gone to the yamen and are watching over the two children with Master Gu.]

Shen Yu nodded and quickly said, "Someone has falsely accused me of having an affair with Prince Jing. According to the Liu family rules, I should be drowned in a pig cage. Even according to the law, I should be severely punished for seducing the princess's husband. This is clearly someone targeting me."

Hongyu naturally guessed as much. She gripped Chenyu's hand tightly and asked, "How can we prove Madam's innocence? Hongyu will do everything in her power."

Cailian couldn't swim, yet she was tied to the wooden boat. If she could get close to the boat, why didn't she climb on it? Instead, she drowned.

It is clear that the murderer watched Cailian drown on the boat before leaving.

Since Cailian tied herself to the boat with a ribbon, she must be trying to link her death to the wooden boat...

[Does the lady mean... there are clues on the wooden boat?]

Shen Yu nodded, raising her index finger to signal Hong Yu to speak softly. She whispered in Hong Yu's ear, "Go to the yamen quickly to look for clues, lest things get complicated."

Chen Yu feared that things might change if the night dragged on, and someone was trying to sabotage things, as was Liu Deng.

At this moment, Liu Deng, unable to sleep, sat up. Ouyang Meiniang pretended to be startled awake and threw herself into Liu Deng's arms, sobbing. "Your Majesty," she said, "just now, Meiniang dreamt that Chong'er was pushed off a cliff by a woman in white. Unfortunately, Meiniang's head was pinned down, so I couldn't see her face at all."

Liu Deng frowned deeply and sighed, "Alas! There will be no peace until this scourge is eliminated. I fear that An'er and Ping'er will find out about the execution of Chen Yu tomorrow, and the two children are still so young..."

[That's easy. The King executed Chen Yu under the cover of night, without anyone knowing. An'er and Ping'er won't hold a grudge against the King.]

Liu Deng suddenly looked at Ouyang Meiniang and felt that this was quite appropriate.

He brought Meiniang to the ancestral hall, only to find the door locked from the inside, so he kicked it open.

Seeing that Chen Yu was still kneeling, he felt relieved and angrily asked, "Why was the door locked?"

It's windy and rainy outside, and I'm afraid the strong wind will blow the door open and bring in rainwater.

Seeing that there was nothing unusual in the ancestral hall, Liu Deng looked at the servants outside the door and instructed them, "Bring in those three items so that Madam Yu can decide what to do with them."

Shen Yu turned her head and saw the first servant bring her a cup of wine and place it in front of her, the second servant place a roll of white silk in front of her, and the last servant bring in a pig cage.

"Ha!" Shen Yu sneered, propping herself up to stand. Due to the pain in her knees, her legs trembled uncontrollably. As soon as she straightened up, she fell back onto the pig cage.

【ah……】

She felt her knees crack and couldn't help but cry out. As Liu Deng's feet drew closer, she looked up angrily and demanded, "What crime have I committed? Why are you trying to kill me?"

Liu Deng hesitated. Although there was evidence proving that Shen Yu had an affair with Prince Jing, the case had not yet been tried, and it would be inappropriate to deal with Shen Yu prematurely.

However, for the sake of peace within the Liu family and for Chong'er's safety, he must eliminate Chen Yu as soon as possible.

As for An'er and Ping'er, they are Liu's flesh and blood, and as their grandfather, he will naturally protect them.

He thought he had everything under control, but he was unknowingly being led by the nose by Ouyang Meiniang.

Ouyang Meiniang tugged at Liu Deng's sleeve, signaling him to leave.

Liu Deng understood immediately; Ouyang Meiniang's actions clearly indicated that she wanted to take all the blame for the premature execution of Chen Yu.

He gazed at Ouyang Meiniang and clapped her small hand, unable to hide his gratitude.

After Liu Deng left.

Ouyang Meiniang raised her eyebrows, pointed at Chen Yu, and scolded, "Although we are about the same age, I am your mother-in-law, so naturally I can discipline you."

You seduced Yanran's husband. There is ample evidence and witness testimony. If you are not executed, the Liu family will find it difficult to gain the support of the people, and the King will certainly be unable to lead his ministers.

The King, mindful of the sons An'er and Ping'er you bore for Liu Yu, has allowed you to choose your method of marriage.

You are framing me! You have no right to execute me! I will not vote!

After saying that, Chen Yu stood up, leaning on the pig cage, but her knees were still in excruciating pain, so she collapsed onto the pig cage again.

[Hahaha... Put Lady Fish in a pig cage and throw her into the Tao River.]

Before Ouyang Meiniang could finish speaking, three servants approached Chenyu. One servant stuffed a handkerchief into Chenyu's mouth, and then, holding the pig cage, the other two servants pushed Chenyu into the pig cage.

Three servants, one in front and two behind, carried the pig cage out of the ancestral hall.

By this time, the heavy rain had stopped, but the wind was still howling.

The fish struggled desperately inside the pig cage, but the sounds it made were drowned out by the strong wind.

------

Before dawn, a constable rushed into Gu Dalang's courtyard, banging on the door. "My lord, wake up! Hongyu has found a clue—the murderer's name is carved on the wooden boat..."