The crowd gathered around and accused Hongyu, saying, "After drinking this tea, Madam Jia suffered unbearable abdominal pain."
"You deliberately tried to harm my sixth sister, I will definitely beat you to death..."
At this moment, Gu Lingrong rushed towards Hongyu and began to beat her like a madwoman.
The Gu sisters also rushed over and surrounded Hongyu, poking her back and cursing her.
"You ungrateful wretch! You used to live in my sixth sister's courtyard, but now you've caused her to miscarry."
"Not only will she miscarry, she will never be able to have children again in this lifetime."
Hongyu burst into tears. Although she knew that the herb Keding Dugucao could cause miscarriage, she did not know that the consequences would be so severe, ruining Gu Xiaoliu's life. She only wanted to strike at the Hongwang Mansion and help the Yanwang vie for the position of Crown Prince.
Seeing that Hongyu had lost her momentum, Gao Feng seized the opportunity to shout, "Guards! Quickly seize this wicked woman and hand her over to the Dali Temple for interrogation!"
Isn't the Dali Temple under Gao Long's control? Hongyu's trip there is probably a one-way trip.
Seeing the guards from the Prince Hong's residence approaching, Chen Yu immediately stepped forward to block Hong Yu, then glared at Gao Feng and scolded, "Don't cry wolf! I just told Hong Yu that this is Ke Ding Du Gu Cao, and only then did she realize she had been used by you. You, Gao Feng, as the daughter of the Prime Minister and the Princess Consort of the Prince Hong, actually gave Hong Yu such a harmful thing; you clearly intend to destroy the Prince Yan's residence..."
"What does Hongyu's causing miscarriage have to do with me? Mu Chenyu! Don't spout nonsense..."
"You have been married to Prince Hong for ten years and have not borne a single child. Why is that? None of the concubines in Prince Hong's household have given birth to any children. Why is that? This tea not only causes miscarriages but also infertility. Don't think that just because it's the Dugu grass from the Liao Kingdom, I don't know about it."
"Mu Chenyu! You're making false accusations..."
"shut up!"
Gao Feng was about to refute Shen Yu when she heard a roar. Looking in the direction of the sound, she saw it was the Empress.
------
The Empress sat upright in the hall. Chen Yu, Hong Yu, and Zhang Yue'er knelt side by side in the center of the hall, while Gao Feng knelt behind them, clearly the isolated party.
"Explain clearly, one by one, where did this harmful thing come from?"
"I heard that this herb was brought by Consort Yu, but I have already verified that it can cause infertility and will cause pregnant women to miscarry immediately if they drink it."
"Your Majesty, this red jade was a gift from the Princess Consort of Prince Hong."
"Yue'er can testify for Consort Yu that this was a gift from Princess Hong."
Gao Feng immediately retorted, "Don't talk nonsense! When did you see that?"
Zhang Yue'er was speechless and turned to look at Hongyu, who was also at a loss for words.
On that day, it was two maids from the Prince Hong's mansion who delivered the Dugu grass, so Gao Feng must have already hidden the two of them away.
Seeing that Hongyu and Zhang Yue'er were unable to refute her, the Empress waved her sleeve lightly, and the old nanny led four maids into the room. Instantly, the room was filled with a strong smell, the very scent of Keding Dugu grass. The four maids placed packets of tea leaves on the octagonal table beside the Empress, and then followed the old nanny out.
The Empress picked up a packet of tea leaves and threw it at Gao Feng, angrily shouting, "I found so many Dugu grass plants in your courtyard, and you still won't admit it?"
"Mother, these Dugu grasses were all used by Gao Feng alone and were not given to anyone else. Consort Yu is slandering me."
"Stop making excuses. You and Hongyu are both my daughters-in-law. How could you want to make her unable to have children? What are your intentions?"
"Gao Feng and Hong Yu are both daughters-in-law of the Empress. Is it not biased for the Empress to convict Gao Feng without being able to find any witnesses?"
"Yes, there are no witnesses or physical evidence, wouldn't that be wronging my sister?"
The group looked in the direction of the sound and saw Gao Long.
Gao Long knelt beside Gao Feng and kowtowed to the Empress. Then he loudly defended Gao Feng, "Your Majesty, just now in the garden, before Mu Chenyu could even utter the name of the herb, Consort Yu had already blurted it out. She also knew that the herb could cause miscarriage. This shows that Consort Yu knew that this herb was harmful and conspired with Princess Li to frame my sister Gao Feng."
"Yes, what you say is absolutely right, it must be a conspiracy between the Li Prince's Mansion and the Yan Prince's Mansion to frame me."
"Shut up! With your older brother here, you mustn't argue with others."
Seeing that Gao Long was intentionally reminding Gao Feng, Shen Yu became increasingly uneasy. Gao Feng was already difficult to deal with, and now with the arrival of Gao Long, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, this scheme was unlikely to succeed, and Hong Yu and Zhang Yue'er might even face imprisonment!
In fact, the Empress was also involved in this plan, hoping to use the evidence and Hongyu's identification to force Gao Feng to confess his crimes and make the Emperor disappointed in Prince Hong. Unexpectedly, Gao Long suddenly appeared.
Seeing Gao Long's domineering attitude, the Empress was not to be outdone. She slammed her hand on the table and said sternly, "I am disciplining my daughter-in-law. Please, Lord Gao, step down."
"Your Majesty, Dugu Cao caused Lady Jia's miscarriage. Jia Liangyu has already reported this to the authorities. I will definitely investigate this case carefully and will not show any favoritism to my own sister, nor will I let any culprit go unpunished. If there is anything offensive, please forgive me, Your Majesty."
After Gao Long finished speaking, he got up and walked to the door. With a wave of his hand, several guards entered the hall, grabbed Gao Feng, Hong Yu, Zhang Yue'er, and Chen Yu, and left.
Chen Yu struggled and shouted, "Why are you arresting me? I only proved that this tea is harmful, am I guilty of that? Gao Long, you're arresting me because you're afraid I'll find evidence..."
Gao Long remained silent, quickening his pace, fearing the Empress might obstruct him.
Based on his understanding of his younger sister, he suspected that Gao Feng intended to use the Dugu Grass to harm Princess Yan and Princess Li. Unexpectedly, these two women went so far as to harm innocent people and frame Gao Feng. As for Mu Chenyu, she might be unrelated to the case; taking her along was simply to prevent her from gathering evidence.
Upon reaching the main gate, they were surrounded by the Gu family and a group of guests, with Old Madam Gu leading the way.
Grandma Gu stepped forward, picked up her cane, pointed at Gao Long, and angrily rebuked him: "You corrupt official! You can't distinguish right from wrong! When Xiao Liu had the accident, Yu'er was in my courtyard having tea with me. Later, she treated Xiao Liu and then went to the garden to look for the murderer. How could you arrest her?"
"That's right, Chen Yu went to the garden later; she wasn't involved in the matter."
"Exactly, they're arresting people arbitrarily..."
Seeing that the crowd was indignant and blocked the doorway, refusing to let them pass, Gao Long felt guilty and had no choice but to release Chen Yu.
As soon as Shen Yu left the Gu family, she was picked up by the Empress's men.
Upon arriving at Prince Yan's residence, the Empress, her eyes already brimming with tears, rushed forward and grasped Chen Yu's sleeve, clearly having lost her composure.
At this time, the Emperor was still angry about the matter of Prince Heng. If he knew about the conflict between Prince Yan's Mansion and Prince Hong's Mansion, wouldn't he be even more furious? Therefore, the Empress had no choice but to discuss this matter with Chen Yu.
"Shenyu, do you have a good plan to prove Gao Feng's guilt and help Hongyu escape this predicament?"
Chen Yu remained silent. Gao Feng had merely given someone a herb called Dugu Cao; it hadn't directly caused the miscarriage. On the other hand, Hong Yu had not only let slip the secret but had also caused Gu Xiaoliu to miscarry, making her losses far outweigh her gains. It would be difficult for her to escape punishment. Moreover, as the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Gao Long would naturally have ways to help Gao Feng escape punishment and solidify Hong Yu's guilt.
At this moment, Cuiwei entered, breaking the dull atmosphere.
"Young lady, there is a letter for you."
The Empress took it, opened the seal, and saw only a few words: There are clues inside the Prince Hong's residence.
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