Yanran shook her head.

------

It was already past 7 PM when they returned to the Duke's mansion.

Liu Yu stood in the courtyard, leaning on his cane, his brows furrowed and his mind troubled.

Yanran had already told him about the events at Putuo Temple: Bai Yehua caught them in the act of adultery, Putuo Temple caught fire, and Yideng went missing.

How ridiculous! Their birth mother cheated on their husband, their birth father broke his vows, and it was Shen Yu who helped them cover up their affair!

Seeing Chen Yu approach, he felt so ashamed that he wanted to disappear. He lowered his eyes and led Chen Yu into the room of the Imperial Uncle.

"At the hour of You (5-7 PM), my father ate alone. When the maid found him, he had already fallen into a deep sleep and has not woken up since."

Shen Yu approached the bed and saw that the Imperial Uncle's face was rosy and he was fast asleep. It was not a case of poisoning, but rather that he had been given acupuncture.

She leaned closer to Liu Yu and asked in a low voice, "Who has the Imperial Brother-in-law been in contact with?"

Liu Yu suddenly remembered that at 5 PM, Eunuch Cai came to the Duke's mansion to convey the Empress's decree, and then went to the Duke's brother-in-law's room.

"Eunuch Cai sent my father two jars of fine wine from the Western Regions, saying it was a gift from the Empress, and also brought four dancers to entertain him..."

Where is the dancer?

"They've already returned to the palace."

Shen Yu was puzzled. What exactly was the Empress up to? The only way to find the answer was to first revive the Emperor's brother-in-law.

She used acupuncture to wake up the emperor's brother-in-law.

The emperor's brother-in-law seemed to wake from a dream. Seeing that Chen Yu was also there, he hurriedly propped himself up and sat up, but then froze and did not move for a long time.

"My legs... why can't I move them?"

Shen Yu was astonished and hurriedly went to check on him. The Emperor's brother-in-law's legs were paralyzed. Ha! That's a good thing, the Emperor's brother-in-law can no longer run out to meet his lovers in secret.

She suddenly realized...

It turns out that the Empress's promise to Yideng was... to rectify the atmosphere of the Duke's mansion.

How is my father's leg?

Shen Yu shook her head, then walked to the round table, touching the medicine box with both hands but not opening it.

Seeing Liu Yu follow her, she whispered, "The Emperor's brother-in-law's legs are paralyzed."

Liu Yu was shocked. How could the Empress be so heartless as to harm the Emperor's brother-in-law? Thinking of the fire at Putuo Temple and the corpse, he grabbed Chen Yu's arm, then hurriedly let go, and whispered, "Was that corpse his?"

Shen Yu knew that the "he" Liu Yu was referring to was Yideng. Without thinking, she shook her head repeatedly, then opened the medicine box, took out paper and pen, and leaned over the round table to write down the letter left by Yideng.

After reading it, Liu Yu burst into tears, clutching the paper to his heart and grieving alone.

------

As Chen Yu walked into the courtyard, Cui Wei came up to her and draped a light blue cloak over her shoulders.

"Miss, let's go back. I'm afraid the master and mistress are getting impatient."

Just as the two reached the gate, they heard the rapid beeping of a cane behind them.

Looking back, Liu Yu hurriedly caught up and stood beside her with his head down, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

"Miss Chenyu, I..."

She looked at Liu Yu in surprise. Liu Yu had always called her "Yu Yu," so why did he sound so distant now?

Perhaps it was because of Ichidō's passing that he was no longer in the mood for jokes and laughter.

Thinking of this, she leaned closer to Liu Yu and whispered comfortingly, "It's late and the dew is heavy. Brother Yu, you should go back and rest early. Don't overthink things, lest you upset your mind and get stressed."

In the dim light, Liu Yu's expression was indifferent, and his eyes flashed with sorrow.

The Empress's decree was to bestow a marriage upon him and Gu Lingrong. He originally wanted to refuse outright, but then he thought... he was the child of his mother and the steward. Although outsiders didn't know about this lowly status, Shen Yu already did. Originally, his reputation was so bad that it was difficult for him to win Shen Yu's heart; now that his true identity had been exposed, he was probably even less worthy of her.

Today, Mother and Yideng were caught in adultery. It must be that the Crown Prince is going to make a move against the Duke's Mansion. If Chenyu has frequent dealings with the Duke's Mansion, she will also be implicated.

He caught up with her, determined to break ties with Chen Yu.

Shen Yu leaned closer to his chest. The light blue cloak was a perfect match for Shen Yu, and even the somber color couldn't hide her clear and bright spirit.

The girl, a rare treasure, was so close he didn't know how to speak, so he could only lean on his cane and stand at the door to see her off.

Just then, a thin man staggered over, grabbed him, and burst into tears in his arms. "Yu Lang, I haven't seen you for so many days! They say a day apart feels like three autumns, but how many autumns have passed between us..."

King of Looks?

The strong smell of alcohol must mean he's drunk.

Why not use Yan Wang to force Chen Yu to break with him?

So, he steeled himself and pulled Yan Wang into his arms. The two slender men embraced, one tall and imposing, the other petite and intimate, sharing a deep mutual respect.

A gust of wind blew in from outside the door, and the two people, their clothes intertwined, danced gracefully, like a pair of celestial lovers, quite handsome.

Shen Yu knew exactly what was going on, but she still couldn't help feeling jealous and pouted.

Considering the reputation of the Duke's mansion, she waved to the guards to close the gate. Thinking that Yideng was out of the picture, she didn't want to make a big fuss, so she kindly advised Liu Yu, "Brother Yu, Prince Yan is drunk. Why don't you have the servants send him back to Prince Yan's mansion?"

"No need to make a fuss, Yan Wang will be sleeping in my room tonight."

As Liu Yu spoke, he embraced Yan Wang with one arm and leaned on his staff with the other, taking a few steps.

Shen Yu was furious. She stepped in front of Liu Yu and sternly reprimanded the guards, "Brother Yu has difficulty walking, don't you know to help Prince Yan?"

The two guards hurriedly helped Prince Yan to the side.

Liu Yu's already cold face grew even more solemn. He glared at Mu Chenyu and said angrily, "Mu Chenyu! This is a matter of our Duke's mansion. You must not interfere!"

Shen Yu was furious and slapped Liu Yu across the face. "Smack!"

She knew perfectly well why Liu Yu had once made promises to her but was now speaking ill of her.

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