At this moment, Aunt Bai shouted at the top of her lungs, "This is Bai Yejing, the younger brother of General Bai. Master Bai entrusted him to my care. Now that General Bai has unfortunately passed away, his title, mansion, and family property will all be inherited by Yejing."
"Aunt, please don't speak recklessly. My sisters-in-law are all here. I will definitely take care of them and manage the Bai family on behalf of my brother. I have no other intentions," Bai Yejing said politely.
Could Bai Yejing be a refined scholar with such a gentle voice?
Shen Yu peeked through the crack in the door, and upon seeing it, she was speechless with astonishment.
Bai Yejing was tall and imposing, resembling Bai Yehua; his skin was like jade, like the handsome young master Xue Liulang; his face was delicate, like Liu Yu—truly a flawless beauty! Yet, his dragon-like eyebrows and phoenix-like eyes added a touch of coldness and domineering arrogance. Tch! Still not as handsome as Yu Lang.
Chen Yu scoffed and gestured for the maid to take his wife and two concubines to bathe and change. Just as he was about to return to his room, he suddenly heard a loud shout outside the door: "The Emperor has decreed that the General's wife should open the door immediately to receive the decree."
How did the Emperor know about this?
It turns out that after Bai Yehua arrived in the capital, he took the written agreement left by Master Bai to see the Emperor, just to acknowledge his ancestors and return to the Bai family.
Back then, Madam Bai forbade Master Bai from taking a concubine. Master Bai's mistress died in childbirth, and he had no choice but to entrust his newborn child to Aunt Bai to raise.
Now that Aunt Bai has returned to the capital, she wants to use Bai Yejing to enjoy her old age in peace. Upon hearing that Bai Yehua is dead, she is even more eager to instigate Bai Yejing to seize the Bai family, since Bai Yehua had no children.
Thump...
The gate opened, and Shen Yu, along with three female relatives, knelt to receive the imperial decree.
Eunuch Cai did not rush to proclaim the imperial edict. He waited until Bai Yejing and his aunt knelt down before reading it aloud:
His Majesty, mindful of Bai Yehua's distinguished military achievements on the northern frontier, hereby orders his wife, Mu Chenyu, to remain loyal for three years and not remarry. Furthermore, he appoints Bai Yehua's younger brother, Bai Yejing, as a county magistrate in the capital, temporarily residing in Yixiang Garden.
Shen Yu looked troubled. Bai Yehua had passed away, and only three women remained in the Bai family. The sudden arrival of an unmarried man would inevitably invite gossip.
What is Your Majesty's intention? Could it be that you wish for Bai Yejing to marry his brother and sister-in-law and inherit the title?
Although Shen Yu was extremely embarrassed, she could only obey the order. Before she could kowtow to express her gratitude, she saw out of the corner of her eye that someone beside her had already kowtowed to express their thanks.
"Bai Yejing thanks Your Majesty for your great grace."
Suddenly, a sour, foul odor assaulted her senses. Shen Yu quickly covered her mouth and nose, glancing sideways to see Bai Yejing lying prone on the ground, his neck dark and covered in a black bean-sized worm. Could it be a tick?
Shen Yu couldn't help but grimace and shifted her body to the side. Looking at Bai Yejing again, she saw him wearing tattered clothes, crawling on the ground, with a red jade pendant swaying at his waist, which looked like a valuable item. However, his toes were already showing through his shoes.
And so, Bai Yejing, who was not yet married, moved into Yixiangyuan.
Since Bai Yehua had passed away and only female members of the Bai family remained, Shen Yu invited Bai's aunt and Bai Yejing to stay in the eastern annex and sealed off the small gate leading to Yixiang Garden.
She arranged for Heyuan to stay in Jingyaxuan, Mochen to stay in Inuranxuan, and Suma to stay in Zisuyuan. Her Tingyuxuan had been burned to ashes and had not yet been rebuilt; Liu Yaoer's Peony Garden was unpleasant to live in, so she temporarily stayed in Chengyuan.
------
Three days later.
Shen Yu and Hong Yu went to Putuo Temple to offer incense. As soon as they got out of the sedan chair, they heard rumors and gossip.
"When General Bai passed away, I never saw Madam Bai shed a tear."
"Not only did she not cry, but she also did not appear at General Bai's funeral. She must have a real lover."
"Yes, neither the other wife nor the concubine shed a tear. It's disheartening..."
"..."
Chen Yu scoffed, head held high, striding confidently towards the temple. Her father had been murdered by Bai Yehua; even if the world condemned her for infidelity, she would not shed a single tear for her enemy.
At that moment, Hongyu stopped her and looked at the sedan chair behind her, with Su Ma and Jiu'er standing beside it.
Hongyu winked at Su Ma and whispered, "Sister Yu, are you still going to spare Su Ma's life? She's your father's killer."
“Hongyu, stop talking nonsense. Even if it wasn’t Su Ma, Bai Yehua would have found someone else to murder my father.”
"Being too soft-hearted! Keeping Su Ma alive is like raising a tiger to cause trouble, not to mention that her mother is from the Liao Kingdom."
"Sister, let Su Ma go in with you."
Seeing Su Ma approach, Hong Yu hurriedly pulled Chen Yu into Putuo Temple.
Su Ma followed behind Cuiwei nonchalantly, displaying the lowly status of a concubine, even lower than that of Chen Yu's personal maid.
Upon entering Putuo Temple, they found it teeming with people and filled with incense smoke. Hongyu pulled Chenyu toward the Guanyin Hall, but due to the large number of people offering incense, the two could only wait in line outside.
Suddenly, a group of people pushed their way in, and the line immediately fell into chaos, with the crowd shouting and arguing.
Seeing that things were not going well, Chen Yu pulled Hong Yu away and ran outside, fearing that someone might commit a crime in the chaos.
The two ran to the gate, looked back, but couldn't see Cuiwei and Suma. Looking ahead, a masked woman with a knife rushed towards Hongyu.
Shen Yu grabbed Hong Yu and tried to run away, but it was too late. Just as the sharp knife was coming, someone shouted, "Don't hurt my sister-in-law!" A man in black rushed over and fell in front of Hong Yu.
White Night View?
Bai Yejing grabbed the masked woman's legs and shouted to Chen Yu, "Sister-in-law, run away!"
Shen Yu was shocked to see the masked woman pull out the knife from Bai Yejing's chest and stab her again. She hurriedly retreated but tripped on the steps and fell to the ground. Just as the sharp knife was about to get closer, someone rushed over and blocked her way.
It was Su Ma who saved her again.
At that moment, the masked woman stepped on Su Ma's chest, intending to draw her knife. She swiftly grabbed the masked woman's wrist and her hair with her other hand, shouting, "Help! There's an assassin!"
Hongyu quickly stepped forward, pulled off the veil from the masked woman, and revealed that it was Zuo Meier.
Zuo Meier came to avenge Madam Zuo. She ordered her servants to impersonate Chenyu and Hongyu to lure Su Ma and Cuiwei away in order to assassinate them. However, unexpectedly, someone was willing to die for Mu Chenyu.
"Mu Chenyu! I will never let you go!" With that, she kicked Chenyu away and fled in panic.
"Quick! Catch the culprit!"
Liu Yu arrived and ordered his guards to pursue Zuo Meier. He helped Su Ma into a sedan chair and rushed back to Yixiang Garden.
The horses' hooves pounded, the sedan chair lurched, and Chen Yu wept uncontrollably as she tightly embraced Su Ma.
Knowing that Su Ma's internal organs had been injured and that he would not live much longer, she offered some words of comfort:
[Don't be afraid, Su Ma. Prince Yan has taken your younger brother under his wing, intending to train him to be a military general. I disagree. I believe it would be better to have my elder brother from the Mu family teach him, so he can run a shop and become a merchant in the future, without having to fight. Wouldn't that be better?]
Su Ma nodded, about to speak, when blood seeped from the corner of her mouth:
"I'll listen to you, young lady. With you taking care of my brother, I feel at ease. But there's something I've been keeping from you..."
I can read lips, and it was indeed my fault that I harmed General Mu. Among the frontier herdsmen, I'm probably the only one who understands the Liao script... I've wronged the girl...
“Su Ma, there’s no need to blame yourself. You had no choice. You’ve saved my life many times, so you owe me nothing.”
Su Ma shook her head, took out an object from her sleeve and held it in her hand, then groped for Chen Yu's hand and silently instructed her:
[What Consort Yu said is true. You are too soft-hearted, young lady. It's alright. Today, Su Ma will eliminate the Zuo family for you. After that, you will have no more enemies... Do you know... who assassinated Bai Yehua?]
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