Hongyu was stunned. Yes, she had actively approached Songhua in order to become the mother of the nation. This was because Songhua was also of Zhao family blood and had the potential to inherit the throne.
Seeing her in a dilemma, Songhua knelt down with a thud and shouted, "I, Zhao Songhua, swear to heaven that I will marry no one but Zhang Hongyu in this life!"
*Slap!* King Xiang slapped Song Hua across the face, gritting his teeth as he said, “If you don’t sever all ties with Hong Yu, I will disown you as my son.”
Song Hua was beaten to the ground, and blood immediately flowed from the corner of his mouth.
Upon seeing this, Hongyu was moved to tears, knelt on the ground, and looked at Songhua with tearful eyes.
Song Hua staggered to his feet and was about to walk toward Hong Yu when Kong Xiang, who had rushed over, stopped him.
This Prime Minister Kong is the father of Consort Kong. His neatly styled black hair is adorned with a jade crown. He has a fair complexion, willow-leaf eyebrows, and phoenix eyes. His most striking feature is his serene expression; he appears relaxed and at ease. He leans close to Song Hua's ear and whispers words of comfort:
“Hua’er, listen to me. If you quarrel with your father for Hongyu’s sake, how will Hongyu enter the Prince Xiang’s mansion in the future? If you really care about Hongyu, you should strive for a high position so that you can protect her in the future.”
Kong Xiang was eloquent and persuasive; he convinced Song Hua with just a few words.
Song Hua then returned with King Xiang.
At this moment, Bao Qianshan and his men removed Hongyu's shackles.
“Miss Hongyu, Mu Chenyu just signed a contract with Zhang Manguan. Today, he will raise 50,000 guan to exchange for your indenture at Dali Temple. Please go to Dali Temple first and wait.”
Hongyu hurriedly wiped away her tears and looked around. She could no longer see Chenyu. Instead, she saw everyone pointing and looking in one direction.
She looked in the direction the crowd was pointing and saw Zhang Manguan with a smile on his face, clearly displaying the smugness of a petty person, leisurely walking into the Dali Temple with his cane.
Behind him came insults and curses: "Shameless old man!"
"Taking advantage of someone's misfortune!"
"Even if the Zhang family were to serve as officials for five generations, they still couldn't earn 50,000 strings of cash!"
Yes, 50,000 strings of cash was a huge sum for Chen Yu. She had to sell all her shops and houses to raise the money.
As the sun set, the entrance to the Dali Temple was still crowded with people, all eager to know the outcome.
The gates of the Dali Temple opened, and Zhang Manguan limped out, leaning on a cane. Behind him was a steward carrying a wooden box, and guards with swords were all around. Needless to say, the wooden box must contain 50,000 guan of silver notes.
People started talking, "He'll be the richest man in Beijing from now on."
"Perhaps. Of all the Mu family, Mu Chenyu owned the most shops, and now they've all fallen into Zhang Manguan's hands."
"Speaking of which, what is the relationship between Mu Chenyu and Zhang Hongyu? Are sworn sisters really worth going bankrupt for?"
"Who knows? Maybe Mu Chenyu is loyal and righteous..."
Shen Yu walked out of Dali Temple alone and looked at the crowd, saying, "Everyone, Zhang Hongyu has contracted a serious illness and there is a risk of infection. I hope you will leave as soon as possible."
Since no one saw Hongyu, they were naturally unwilling to leave. They simply stepped back and continued to observe.
Chen Yu shook her head helplessly and waved towards the entrance of Dali Temple, "Hongyu, come out with your face covered."
"cough……"
A woman with a face towel wrapped around her neck and coughing incessantly walked out of the Dali Temple. She was petite and staggered, clutching her chest with each cough, her whole body trembling. However, her hands were covered with sores.
"Ah! She has contracted a terrible disease."
"It's really contagious."
"Run!"
In an instant, only Hongyu and Chenyu remained at the entrance of Dali Temple.
Chen Yu couldn't help but step back, her voice trembling as she said, "Hongyu, I'll go back to the Mu family first to say goodbye to my mother. You can take another carriage to Qinghe County."
After saying this, Chen Yu hurriedly left.
------
Having sold Chengyuan, Chenyu had nowhere to live and could only move to the villa she had previously bought for the cripple.
She arrived at the gate of the Mu family, but before she could even step onto the steps, she was stopped by the guards. "Young lady, please don't go any further. Princess Yanghua said that you should come back in a few days, for fear that you may have contracted a serious illness."
Shen Yu thought about it and realized it made sense. In order to rescue Hongyu from Zhang Manguan, she had lied and said that the cripple's boils were contagious. Since things had come to this, she could only continue to lie.
She had no choice but to back down. "Alright! Remember to tell the old lady that I am fine and will come to see her again in a few days."
"Yes, I will certainly convey this to the old lady."
"Outrageous! How dare a mere servant make decisions on his own! Take him away and give him thirty strokes of the cane!"
Shen Yu knew without even looking that the sharp voice belonged to Chen Jing.
Since Shen Jing became engaged to Prince Jing, her status in the Mu family has risen rapidly. Originally, she was just a cautious and opportunistic concubine's daughter, but now she has a voice in the Mu family and is involved in everything.
Mu Nanfeng and Princess Yanghua dared not interfere too much, lest they cause a scene with her and offend Prince Jing. They only hoped that she would get married soon so that the Mu family could return to peace.
But she not only meddles in the Mu family's affairs, but also opposes Shen Yu, not only because Prince Jing has frequent dealings with Shen Yu, but also because Shen Yu has damaged her interests.
Seeing that Chen Jing stood quietly inside the gate and turned to leave without saying a word, Shen Yu's anger intensified from the harsh words she heard behind her.
"How could the Mu family have such a foolish woman as you, who has ruined their family fortune for an outsider?"
She turned around and snapped at Chen Jing, "That's my own business, what's it to you?"
"What about your dowry? When you married into the Bai family, the Mu family gave you shops, gold and silver jewelry as a dowry. Where are they now? Weren't they all used for Hongyu's sake?"
"That was my dowry from my parents. How I deal with it is none of your business!"
"How is it none of my business? If you hadn't gone bankrupt and your mother hadn't had to give you some financial assistance, why would the Mu family have reduced my dowry?"
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