"Madam, you are mistaken. I, Mu Chenyu, have never been engaged to Young Master Liu, so how could I have gone back on my word? I have come here today only to return something."

After speaking, Chen Yu waved to Cui Wei at the door.

Cuiwei hurried over and handed the Shangfang sword to Liu Yu with both hands.

Liu Yu accepted the sword, remaining silent with his head bowed, only tears, like broken pearls, continuously dripping onto the blade. In the past, Chen Yu had said that whether he was a country bumpkin or a beggar on the street, she would never abandon him. Yet now, Chen Yu actually despised him for being just a commoner?

He was incredulous and wanted to go forward to ask, but when he looked up, he saw that Chen Yu had already turned and left.

------

At this moment, the Peony Garden was filled with singing, dancing, laughter, and joy.

Bai Yehua had Liu Yao'er on his left and Gao Ji on his right, with the two women feeding him wine and beef.

"General, when will you marry Sister Ji'er?"

Bai Yehua stopped chewing, stunned. He knew that Prime Minister Gao wanted to use the marriage alliance to win him over to assist Prince Hong. But he had a grudge against Prince Hong:

Years ago, he attended a banquet at the Duke's mansion and saw a maid who was plump and beautiful, somewhat resembling Shen Yu. Her round, large eyes were clear and bright, and her round face was much fuller than Shen Yu's oval face, making her even more endearing. He couldn't resist and, emboldened by alcohol, forcibly took the maid.

Only later did he learn that the maid's name was Zhao Shuyuan, and that Prince Hong had already taken a liking to her, waiting only to bring her into his residence. Prince Hong fought with him over this, and the matter was only dropped after the Crown Prince intervened.

Surprisingly, Prince Hong did not mind that Zhao Shuyuan had been defiled, and married her as a concubine. Later, Zhao Shuyuan died in a fire, presumably a consequence of the power struggles within the inner court.

Thinking of this, Bai Yehua wanted to divorce Chen Yu to avoid the infighting in the inner quarters from affecting the Bai family's offspring. However, he also feared that the Gao family would lose power because of Gao Feng's affair, leaving both the Gao and Mu families without support.

At this moment, Gao Ji wrapped her arms around Bai Yehua and whispered in his ear, "General, there is no need to worry. My brother, as the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, will surely be able to help my sister get out of prison."

Just as Gao Ji said.

Shortly after, Chen Yu hurriedly entered the peony garden. Cui Wei quickly caught up and whispered, "Miss, those two maids died of poisoning in prison. There may be no witnesses tomorrow, and Princess Hong will be released without charge. Consort Yu will have a hard time getting away with it."

Shen Yu smiled disdainfully and continued walking into the room. So what if the witness was dead? She had already devised a plan with Prince Hong to destroy the Gao family and Liu Yao'er. Gao Feng was doomed, and then all the blame would be placed on Gao Feng, making Hong Yu innocent.

Just now, she had already granted Liu Yao'er and Gao Ji the right to be her wives and recorded their names in the family genealogy. She was just waiting to divorce Bai Yehua so that she could one day massacre the General's Mansion and avenge her father.

She entered the room, went straight to Bai Yehua, took out the contract and threw it at him, saying coldly, "General, Liu Xiaoniang is already a secondary wife, let's get a divorce."

Bai Yehua looked up, but Shen Yu looked away, refusing to even glance at him. Her contemptuous and indifferent attitude must have made her suspicious of him.

After all, he was the one who killed Master Mu. Keeping Shen Yu in the Bai family was tantamount to keeping an enemy by his side. Rather than living in constant fear, it was better to let Shen Yu go. As for Su Ma, with Su Shi as a hostage, she would never dare to betray him.

He nodded, pushed Liu Yao'er and Gao Ji aside, and stood up. "Alright, I'll go to the study to write the divorce papers now."

The two arrived in the courtyard, where they saw Eunuch Cai leading a group of guards to deliver an imperial decree: "By imperial decree, General Bai, as the Protector of the Nation, cares deeply for the people and fights for the country. His household is managed entirely by Mu Chenyu, which is very arduous. Therefore, Mu Chenyu is hereby granted the title of Lady of the Imperial Decree, of the first rank."

Shen Yu was astonished; how could the Emperor bestow favors without reason? However, this investiture would likely lead to separation.

She could only bow and accept the decree, saying solemnly, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

Eunuch Cai stepped closer to her and whispered, "Madam, His Majesty has said that General Mu sacrificed his life for the country and suffered injustice. The court will not mistreat the Mu family. Not only will you be granted the title of Lady of the Imperial Decree, but Mu Nanfeng will also be granted the title of Second-Rank Assistant General of the State."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yu's eyes instantly welled up with tears, and she quickly lowered her head to hide them. It seemed that the honors she and Mu Nanfeng had received were all bought with their father's death.

At this moment, Eunuch Cai approached Bai Yehua again and reminded him, "General, His Majesty has specifically instructed this old servant to tell you that you should treat Madam well, and that you and your wife should live in harmony and be a loving couple, so as to set an example for the people of the capital."

These words were undoubtedly the Emperor's reminder to Bai Yehua and Shen Yu that they should not divorce. After all, rumors were circulating in the capital that Bai Yehua had murdered his master. If Bai Yehua and Shen Yu were to divorce now, wouldn't that confirm Bai Yehua's plot to murder his master, leading to instability within the army?

Shen Yu was heartbroken; she had no desire to be a general's wife.

She turned to look at Bai Yehua and found him glancing at her sideways.

Bai Yehua immediately shifted his gaze and replied to Eunuch Cai, "Please convey to His Majesty that Yehua will certainly treat Madam well and live up to His Majesty's expectations."

"Hmph!" Shen Yu sneered inwardly and said loudly, "Shen Yu will do her best to manage the General's Mansion so that the General can devote himself to the battlefield."

Eunuch Cai nodded repeatedly, then looked at Bai Yehua and said, "His Majesty, considering that the General has no children, has specially bestowed the third daughter of the Mu family, Mu Chenmo, upon the General as a concubine. The General may bring her into the mansion tomorrow."

Ye Hua thanks His Majesty for his great kindness.

Shen Yu was so shocked that even after Bai Yehua had seen Eunuch Cai off, she remained standing there, stunned.

Although Mo Chen was born out of wedlock, she was well-educated and knowledgeable. As the eldest sister, she originally wanted to find a scholarly family for Mo Chen to marry, but the Emperor wanted Mo Chen to become Bai Yehua's concubine. It seems that the Emperor still favored the Bai family and only wanted to keep the Mu family under the control of the Bai family.

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