At this moment, Gao Feng personally poured tea, picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp. He then turned to Chen Yu and smiled, "Sister Chen Yu, are you worried that the tea is poisoned? Yao'er, don't make things difficult for your mistress. To show our sincerity, we'll just pour her some fresh tea."

Liu Yao'er did as instructed.

Looking at the tea in front of her again, Chen Yu still didn't take it.

Gao Feng urged, "Sister Chenyu, drink it while it's hot. This is a good tea that I brought. It has beauty and skin-nourishing effects."

Just then, a quarrel broke out in the courtyard: "Thief, how dare you steal my young lady's hairpin?"

"Don't wrong an innocent person. This hairpin was already on the ground, and it's broken..."

Shen Yu hurriedly got up, squeezed past Liu Yao'er, and came into the courtyard. She saw Cuiwei holding Su Ma's hand tightly, and Su Ma was holding two pieces of white jade hairpins.

“Miss, Su Ma stole your white jade hairpin, and after I discovered it, she deliberately broke it…”

"Cuiwei, shut up!"

Cuiwei was astonished and was about to retort when Chenyu scolded her, "I accidentally broke this hairpin. You've wronged Su Ma. Let go of it now!"

Although Cuiwei was puzzled, she saw Gao Feng come out, so she let go of Su Ma and obediently stood back next to Chen Yu.

Chen Yu sighed, holding Cuiwei's arm, and leaned down to Gao Feng, saying softly, "Alas, these two maids have given me a splitting headache. I suppose it's because I've been overworked with so many affairs at both my husband's and my own family these past few days..."

"Very well, Shenyu, you may go back and rest. I will catch up with Yao'er."

------

The three returned to the room, and Chen Yu pulled Cui Wei and Su Ma to sit around the round table.

Still shaken, Shen Yu grasped Su Ma's hand gratefully and said, "Thank goodness Su Ma came to my rescue, otherwise I would have had to drink that tea of ​​unknown origin."

Terrified, Su Ma broke free from Chen Yu's hand and knelt down, kowtowing: "Miss, Su Ma is guilty!"

Guilty? Could it be that Su Ma is still feeling guilty about the assassination? Shen Yu shook her head and comforted her in a low voice: "Don't worry about it. You were bribed by Zhang Chang Le and Liu Yao Er before, just to help the refugees have enough to eat. It's over now, there's no need to mention it again."

Su Ma shook her head repeatedly, tears streaming down her face, and recounted the hidden story: It turned out that Su Ma's mother was from the Liao Kingdom and died during the war. Bai Yehua rescued Su Ma and her brother, who had a special background. To repay Bai Yehua's kindness, Su Ma wrote a secret letter in Liao script, falsely accusing General Mu of being a spy from the enemy country.

General Mu, pursued by soldiers, entrusted a letter to Su Ma, asking her to deliver it to the Mu family in the capital. Knowing she felt guilty towards General Mu, Su Ma did not deliver the letter to Bai Yehua…

Snap!

Shen Yu slapped Su Ma across the face in anger, tears streaming down her face. Pointing at Su Ma's nose, she questioned, "Bai Yehua ordered you to frame my father, and you did it? How could you lay a hand on such an innocent person?"

"Yes, General Mu is innocent. It's just that Su Ma trusted others too easily. General Bai received a letter from Liu Yao'er saying that Mu Chenyu harmed her unborn child, causing her to miscarry. General Bai then decided to kill her, and Su Ma was also provoked by him, so she obeyed his orders."

"Did you see Liu Yao'er's letter with your own eyes?"

Su Ma nodded vigorously: "Yes! General Bai showed Su Ma Liu Yao'er's letter, which is why Su Ma agreed to frame General Mu."

"Ah..." Shen Yu cried out in grief and indignation, and buried her face in her hands and wept bitterly. It turned out that it was a letter from Liu Yao'er that had harmed her father.

It seems Bai Yehua was bewitched by Liu Yao'er, which led him to kill General Mu. But then, Su Ma's words revealed a hidden conspiracy:

Su Ma continued, "When Su Ma arrived at Yixiang Garden, she saw that Liu Xiaoniang was still pregnant, and knew that she had been deceived. Therefore, at the entrance of Yixiang Garden, Su Ma hesitated to kill the girl, and later in the courtyard, she did not really intend to assassinate the girl... Today, Su Ma deliberately broke the hairpin because there was something wrong with the tea."

"What's the problem?"

Su Ma shook her head, frowned, and murmured, "It seems familiar..."

Su Ma couldn't recall anything, so he banged his forehead on the ground to show his sincerity. "Please believe me, Miss. Although I am under orders from General Bai to secretly protect Liu Xiaoniang, I also know right from wrong. Liu Xiaoniang is treacherous and cunning, and treats human life as worthless. In order to frame you, she did not hesitate to kill twenty-six refugees. I will not obey General Bai's orders to protect her and harm you."

Cuiwei, standing to the side, exclaimed in disbelief, "Bai Yehua has already harmed my master, and now he wants to harm my young lady?"

Su Ma straightened up and nodded vigorously again: "General Bai said that as long as Madam behaves herself, she can be kept for now, and he will deal with her personally when he returns. If she has any intention to harm Liu Xiaoniang, she will be eliminated."

After speaking, Su Ma kowtowed repeatedly and pleaded, "Miss, Su Ma is guilty and willing to accept your punishment. Even if it means my death, I beg you to send someone to rescue my brother. I have heard that King Yan has gone to the northern frontier. Could you please ask King Yan to save my brother?"

"Outrageous! How dare you ask my young lady to save your brother? I will avenge my master right now!" Cuiwei said, drawing a dagger and holding it to Su Ma's neck.

"Wait!" Chen Yu shouted, trying to stop him. Bai Yehua was determined to murder her father, and even if Su Ma disobeyed, Bai Yehua would find someone else to help him. Besides, Su Ma was fluent in the Liao language, which she could use to frame Bai Yehua in the future.

Shen Yu brought Su Ma to the Yan Prince's mansion. Before even entering, she smelled a familiar scent.

She saw Hongyu drinking tea and hurried over. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was the same tea she had seen in Liu Yao'er's room.

She snatched the teacup from Hongyu's hand and scolded, "Where did this tea come from? Do you know what it's for? How dare you drink it?"

Hongyu covered her face with a handkerchief, finding it quite amusing. "Sister Yu underestimates Hongyu. Even if Prince Hong and Prince Yan are on good terms, Hongyu will not easily trust Princess Hong. Jade has already examined it and found that this tea is non-toxic. This is a beauty and health tea bestowed by Princess Hong. Princess Hong is more than ten years older than us, yet her skin is still as white as snow, like that of a young girl. It must be the effect of this tea."

Did Gao Feng give it to you?

Shen Yu was even more puzzled and murmured, "Gao Fengnian is only twenty-eight years old, yet she has no children. She is not a kind and benevolent person, yet she is willing to raise the son of her concubine..."

"Could it be that she is infertile?"

Upon hearing Hongyu's words, Chenyu suddenly realized what was happening and exclaimed in alarm, "Hongyu, you've been tricked by Gao Feng!"

To verify Chen Yu's guess, the two took Hong Yu's tea to the pharmacy to consult the head manager.

Although the head manager's medical skills were not as good as Chen Yu's, he was knowledgeable and familiar with more than 5,000 kinds of herbs.

The head steward took Hongyu's handkerchief, opened it, and was instantly horrified. He stammered, "This... Consort Yu must not drink this!"

Hongyu was shocked and stood up abruptly, asking, "What harm could it cause?"

"This is Keding Dugu grass, which grows in the cold northern regions. Drinking this herb regularly can beautify the skin and make the body firm, like a young girl. The only drawback is that it can cause infertility. If a pregnant woman drinks it, she will immediately miscarry."

Upon hearing this, Hongyu and Chenyu exchanged a silent glance, both showing signs of fear.

Unexpectedly, Gao Feng's act of turning enemies into friends concealed a conspiracy, intending to prevent them from having children and making it difficult for them to settle down in their husband's family.

------

Just as the two were in shock, Cuiwei entered and reported, "Miss, someone has broken in..."

A moment later, a group of guards burst into the pharmacy, binding the manager and all the shop assistants. A tall woman stood at the door and shouted, "Mu Chenyu, you first plotted to murder my father, and then conspired with villains to kill my sister Xing'er. I want you to pay with your life!"