Jia Liangyu wiped the water off her face, lowered her head, and remained silent.
The Empress saw through this obvious feint, and she wanted to see who dared to play tricks under her nose.
"Send guards to search again and bring the person into this courtyard."
At the Empress's command, the courtyard returned to peace.
After a while, the guards returned with six people: Hongyu, Gu Xiaoliu, and four men.
The four men were thin and dressed in tattered clothes, looking like beggars sleeping on the streets and starving.
The Zuo family members all shook their heads, indicating that they did not recognize him.
Although Liu Yao'er knew that the four beggars were male lovers, she dared not point them out. After all, Yan Wang was the Empress's own son. Exposing Yan Wang's shameful deeds in front of the Empress would only cause trouble for herself.
This kind of strenuous and thankless task... let Chen Yu steal the spotlight.
Shen Yu was puzzled and hurriedly stepped forward to examine the four men. Their originally handsome and fair faces were now covered in grime, and their once neat and tidy hair was now disheveled with withered grass hanging from it. It was clear that they had been carefully disguised.
Looking down, the shoes on the four men's feet were spotless.
She suddenly looked at Hongyu, about to ask a question, when the Empress walked over and pointed at Gu Xiaoliu, saying, "I know that this girl in yellow is the sixth daughter of the Gu family, but I don't know which family this girl in pink belongs to?"
When the Empress looked over, Hongyu panicked. She had already smashed the auspicious cloud jade pendant and denied that she was Grand Tutor Zhang's daughter. Now, how could she explain her background to the Empress?
Just as she hesitated, Prince Yan stepped forward, took the Empress's arm, and explained, "Mother, her name is Hongyu, and she is a maid I found."
Prince Yan, you really made a mistake in your haste. Little did you know that Hongyu's name had already reached the Empress's ears.
A few days ago, Liu Yu begged the Empress for her favor and got the Bai family to hand over Hongyu's indenture. How could the Empress not know the name Hongyu?
Thinking of all this, Shen Yu pursed her lips and couldn't help but laugh.
The Empress glared at Prince Yan with annoyance and said sternly, "Do you really think I'm a three-year-old child? Hongyu was a maid in the Bai family. It was Liu Yu who begged for my favor and gave Hongyu to Chenyu. Hongyu should rightfully be Chenyu's maid."
The reason the Empress asked about Hongyu was because... Yan Wang's gaze had been fixed on Hongyu. Yan Wang was only twenty-four years old and had not yet found a suitable princess. None of the maids in his household had lost their virginity. If Yan Wang took a fancy to Hongyu, he could simply take her into his household as a personal maid.
Just then, the steward came to report, "Your Majesty, the servants of the Zuo family have been verified. These four raggedly dressed men are not from the Zuo family."
The Empress was shocked, as if struck by lightning, her head spinning. Could it be that her favorite youngest son really had a penchant for male concubines?
Very likely!
All the maids in the Prince Yan's mansion were virgins.
Prince Yan frequently visits the Duke's mansion, which suggests he shares the same penchant as the Duke's brother-in-law... a fondness for male concubines.
Thinking of all this, the Empress became even more panicked and lost her footing.
Shen Yu hurriedly stepped forward to help him up and waved for the Zuo family members to disperse.
Guards stood watch in the courtyard.
The Empress sat with Yan Wang and Chen Yu standing on either side of her, and Hong Yu and Gu Xiaoliu standing side by side, with four men behind them.
"You two, tell me the truth. Where did these four men come from? If you can't explain it clearly, then come with me to the palace to see the Emperor."
Upon hearing that she would be meeting the Emperor, Gu Xiaoliu was terrified and her legs went weak. She was about to kneel down when Hongyu grabbed her.
Hongyu did not kneel. With her eyes lowered and lips pursed, she calmly walked up to the Empress. "Your Majesty, these four men are beggars that I brought back from the street. I was afraid that the Zuo family would find out, so I hid them in the kitchen to eat with them..."
beggar?
Shen Yu shook her head in disbelief. Although the four men were dressed in tattered clothes, their clothes were only smeared with oil and dirt, and they did not have the stench that beggars should have!
Just now, she also saw that Gu Xiaoliu wanted to admit her mistake, but was stopped by Hongyu instead.
Gu Xiaoliu's personality was clear to her, after all, the two had spent eight years together day and night. As for Hongyu, she understood her less and less.
It is likely that Hongyu is not harmless at all; on the contrary, she is a cunning and manipulative woman who pretends to be weak while actually being strong.
Yan Wang was astonished by Hongyu's words. He hadn't expected that Hongyu's abilities surpassed those of Gu Xiaoliu and Liu Yao'er. Once this matter was settled, he was determined to keep Hongyu by his side.
Hongyu is both brave and resourceful, and the Empress is not blind; she had just realized that the four men were not beggars, but she did not pursue the matter in front of the Zuo family. Now that the Zuo family has all left, the Empress no longer needs to give Prince Yan any face.
The Empress was furious. She stood up, pointed at Hongyu, and sternly reprimanded her, "Do you really think I'm above worldly concerns? What beggar wears clean shoes? What beggar smells of rouge and powder? Who are they anyway?"
Prince Yan was terrified and immediately knelt down, "Mother, please calm your anger, Yan'er..."
“Your Majesty, these four men are indeed beggars. If you don’t believe me, you can send someone with Hongyu to verify it.”
Upon hearing Hongyu's words, Chenyu panicked. Out of kindness and because of their past life's bond, she rushed to Hongyu and whispered a reminder, "Deceiving the Empress is punishable by beheading."
Hongyu wasn't afraid; the Empress hadn't exposed her earlier because she was giving Yan Wang face.
If there is a way to prove that Prince Yan is innocent, the Empress will not stop it. What mother wouldn't want to cover up her son's shame?
If anyone is to blame, it's Shen Yu, who was so upright and honest that she actually thought of going against the Empress's favorite son!
However... she had already stated that her four male lovers were beggars, and to verify this identity, she could only seek help from Shen Yu.
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