After speaking, she scrutinized Zhang Xing'er for a moment, then fixed her gaze on the tall girl's face. Her narrow eyes, though showing signs of panic, could not conceal her sharp and cold aura; this person was undoubtedly the Crown Prince.

Ha! Today I'll set a trap and send Liu Yao'er and Zhang Chang Le to hell together!

Zhang Changle hurriedly stood up, blocking the Crown Prince, and pointed at Zhang Xing'er, saying, "This is the second daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion, Zhang Xing'er. The Empress has already agreed to let her marry into the Bai family. Alas! Madam Bai has passed away, so we will probably have to wait some time."

After Zhang Changle finished speaking, she took out a handkerchief and pretended to sob.

Shen Yu also sobbed and wiped away her tears. Seeing that Zhang Chang Le was unwilling to introduce the Crown Prince, she did not ask any questions so as not to alert him. She waved her hand and said with feigned dissatisfaction, "Alright, you are all family. I still have the funeral of Madam Bai to take care of. Today, I will trouble the eldest daughter of the Zuo family and the two young ladies to take good care of Liu Xiao Niang and not let her get out of bed."

As she spoke, she pointed at Liu Yao'er and sobbed again, "If you truly care about Madam Bai, then take good care of yourself and wait for General Bai to return before you can conceive again."

After saying this, she left the Peony Garden with Cuiwei.

-------

It was past 9 AM when Chen Yu stepped into the yamen again.

The man sitting upright in the hall is Master Gu.

Master Gu's expression was solemn, and his posture was upright, for behind the screen behind him, the Emperor and Empress sat solemnly. The Emperor and Empress had come here because Chen Yu had entered the palace to meet the Emperor and accuse the upright official He Shen of murdering Madam Bai.

Peeking through the gap in the screen, Shen Yu walked steadily to the front of the hall, knelt down with a thud, and cried out in a sorrowful voice, "Master, the Lord He dug the river channel without notifying Yixiang Garden, which led to the drowning of Madam Bai and Granny Liu. I beg you, Master, to thoroughly investigate this case and give my mother-in-law justice!"

"Nonsense! How dare you slander me!" Lord He was furious and rushed into the hall. A line of muddy footprints immediately caught his eye, clearly indicating that they had just come from the riverbank.

“Master Gu, yesterday, Shen and I visited Yixiang Garden and informed Madam Bai in person that the river passes through the back gate of Peony Garden. Madam Bai also said that she would personally inform everyone in Peony Garden in case anyone accidentally falls into the water.”

Shen Yu pressed further, "Are there any witnesses?"

Lord He was always aloof and unwilling to get involved in other people's disputes. He wanted to shake his head and deny it, but then he saw Chen Yu pointing at him and saying sharply, "Could it be that Lord He never went to Yixiang Garden at all, and only lied and said that he personally informed Madam Bai after seeing that someone had died?"

Shen Yu's words were sharp and his manner imposing, his intention being to provoke He Daren and push the case forward.

Lord He, his hair standing on end in fury, glared at Chen Yu and shouted, “Stop talking nonsense! The guards at Yixiang Garden have naturally seen me. If they did not hear my warning clearly, they can summon the second son of the Gu family for questioning. Yesterday, when I was discussing the dredging of the river with Madam Bai, the second son of the Gu family happened to pass by and came forward to greet Madam Bai and inquire about our conversation! Not only does Madam Bai know about the dredging of the river, but the second son of the Gu family also knows about it.”

Gu Erlang? Shen Yu was shocked. It seemed that Gu Erlang had also given false testimony.

Master Gu in the hall was restless.

In fact, the Crown Prince secretly sent people to bribe the government officials. Master Gu dared not offend the Crown Prince, so he hastily closed the case, concluding that Madam Bai had drowned. However, Shen Yu actually sought justice for Madam Bai, which puzzled Master Gu greatly. Bai Yehua had only married Shen Yu to use her, so why would she seek justice for Madam Bai?

*Crack!* The gavel struck, and Master Gu intentionally reminded Chen Yu, "Even if Madam Bai knew about the river dredging, it's highly likely she accidentally fell into the water. The coroner has already examined her body and confirmed that she drowned. From now on, the Bai family will be managed by Chen Yu alone. I hope you will accept my condolences..."

"That's not true!" Shen Yu stood up abruptly, pointing directly at Master Gu and questioning, "Was the coroner sent by Master Gu? Did Master Gu personally see my mother-in-law's body?"

Mr. Gu was dumbfounded and speechless.

Taking advantage of the situation, Chen Yu shouted, "The coroner cheated! Both Madam Bai and Granny Liu had their tongues sticking out, clearly indicating they were suffocated and dumped in the river. Moreover, both Madam Bai and Granny Liu were skilled swimmers; how could they have drowned? Furthermore, Madam Bai knew that a canal had been dug through the back gate of Peony Garden; why would she have deliberately used the back gate? It's obvious that someone from Peony Garden gave false testimony. Chen Yu implores Master Gu to thoroughly investigate this case again and apprehend the suspects."

Shen Yu's statement is full of doubts, yet it is also reasonable and well-founded.

Master Gu was already red-faced and in a dilemma. He thought that since the Emperor and Empress were here, it would be best to let the Emperor decide the matter, so as not to offend the Crown Prince.

So, Master Gu nervously ran behind the screen, then ran back to the hall, picked up the gavel and slammed it down hard—smack!

"Immediately arrest everyone in the Peony Garden! Go now!"

After everyone in the hall left, the Emperor and Empress appeared, and Master Gu, Lord He, and Chen Yu kowtowed together.

The emperor said, "Rise. General Bai is fighting for the country. We must not let Madam Bai die in vain."

The Empress nodded repeatedly and agreed, "Yes, since General Bai got married, there has never been peace in Yixiang Garden. It's time to clean house. Your Majesty, don't let Consort Gao's actions chill the Bai family's heart."

The Emperor nodded. Liu Yao'er, as a concubine, was indeed restless. If it weren't for Consort Gao's protection, she would probably have died long ago. If Liu Yao'er really killed Bai Yehua's mother, she must be dealt with according to the law.

At this moment, Chen Yu exclaimed, "Something terrible has happened! I sent people to moor two boats at the back gate of the Peony Garden, intending to use them to search for clues. But I'm afraid that when the authorities come to arrest the criminals, they will escape by boat. I hope Master Gu will send some more people to ambush at the back gate of the Peony Garden."

"Very well! The Queen and I will go and see who dares to kill Lady Bai."

The Emperor and Empress hid behind a large tree, while Chen Yu secretly rejoiced, her eyes fixed on the back gate of the Peony Garden.

Suddenly, the back gate of the Peony Garden opened, and a tall young woman pulled Zhang Changle onto a small boat. Zuo Meier and Madam Zuo followed and boarded another small boat. When the two boats reached the middle of the river, they suddenly capsized.

"Oh no! Quick, save them!" the Empress exclaimed as she ran to the riverbank, urging Master Gu to rescue the drowning person, for she had already realized that the tall girl was the Crown Prince in disguise.

Sure enough, the tall girl's clothes were wet and her makeup was ruined; it was none other than the Crown Prince.

The crown prince was dragged ashore, and before he could even wipe the river water from his face, he was slapped. Looking up, he saw it was the empress. In the distance, the emperor's figure receded into the distance.

Ultimately, the Emperor entrusted the case of Madam Bai to Gao Long, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, for a thorough investigation.

This Gao Long was the eldest son of Prime Minister Gao. He was not tall, but he was broad and stout. He had a dignified appearance, dark skin, and a crescent-shaped scar on his forehead, making him look like Bao Zheng reincarnated.

Upon taking over the case, Gao Long immediately ordered the imprisonment of everyone in the Peony Garden, including Liu Yao'er and Zhang Changle.

------

Three days later, Hongyu rushed to Chengyuan and was overjoyed to see Chenyu: "Sister Yu, good news, great news!"

"Could it be that the Crown Prince has been deposed?"

"Indeed, the Crown Prince has been demoted to guard Xiliang. The Empress, concerned for the Crown Prince, sent the Imperial Uncle, who had just recovered from a serious illness, to accompany him. However, although the Imperial Uncle has reformed and is no longer obsessed with male concubines, he brought along two newly acquired concubines. How can such a lustful man help the Crown Prince make a comeback?"

After Hongyu finished speaking, she couldn't help but clap her hands in delight, overjoyed.

Shen Yu's expression was grave, as if a thousand-pound boulder weighed on her heart. Master Mu had been murdered by Liu Yao'er and Bai Yehua; to not avenge this was to be unworthy of being a daughter. She hurriedly asked, "What became of Liu Yao'er?"