Liu Yu's shouts faded into the distance.
Lord He sat silently, having already read Bai Yehua's letter, which read:
Ye Hua already knows about Shen Yu's loss of virginity and hopes that Aunt Bai can catch Shen Yu in bed with another man and drown her in a pig cage to prevent future trouble. If it is not possible to kill Shen Yu, then find the withered yellow poisonous plant in the peony pot in the front hall of Cheng Garden and hand it over to the authorities.
This letter can indeed prove Shen Yu's innocence, so Lord He sent someone to the palace to consult the Emperor.
Half an hour later, the guard returned and presented an imperial edict.
After reading it, Lord He gently tapped the gavel, unable to bear announcing the Emperor's execution order for Shen Yu. Instead, he picked up Bai Yehua's letter and read it aloud to prove Shen Yu's innocence: "Aunt, Cousin, if you cannot execute Shen Yu, you can find the withered yellow poisonous weed in the peony pots in the front hall of Cheng Garden..."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yu collapsed to the ground. It turned out that Bai Yehua had always wanted to kill her, just as she wanted to avenge her father.
After a long while, she finally asked, "My lord, where did this letter come from? Did Liu Yu find it?"
He shook his head and looked at Bai Yejing.
In fact, Aunt Bai was illiterate, and Bai Yejing read every letter, so he naturally knew about the poisonous herbs. Seeing that Aunt Bai was about to burn the letters, he secretly hid the letter proving Shen Yu's innocence. Upon hearing that Shen Yu was to be burned, he gave the letter to Liu Yu, solely to save Shen Yu.
Shen Yu looked at Bai Yejing beside her and saw that he was frowning and biting his lip. Only then did she remember that six days ago, the Fourth Prince had injured Bai Yejing's right shoulder.
Her nose suddenly stung with tears, and she whispered her thanks, "Thank you, Young Master Bai, for saving my life. I will never forget it."
“Miss Chenyu, you are too kind. In fact, it is my Bai family that has wronged you. Now, my elder brother is dead and my aunt is in prison. They deserve what they got. I hope Miss Chenyu will not hold a grudge against my Bai family.”
Chen Yu nodded repeatedly.
Bang! The gavel struck with a loud thud. Lord He slowly rose and solemnly read out the imperial decree: "Although this letter proves Mu Chenyu's innocence, she also bears responsibility for her husband's crime. The Emperor hereby orders her to guard the Prince of Jing's mausoleum until her death!"
The verdict was met with uproar. "Mu Chenyu is innocent? How could she be sentenced like this?"
"Ghosts and demons often appear in the Jingwang Mausoleum. Sending a woman like Chen Yu there alone is practically sending her to her death."
"She must have offended the royal family..."
"Or perhaps she has smallpox..."
“My lord! Bai Yejing has been in close contact with Miss Chenyu and it is highly likely that he has contracted smallpox. In order to ensure the safety of the people of the capital, Bai Yejing is willing to guard the Jingwang Mausoleum with Miss Chenyu. I hope my lord will grant my request.” After saying this, Bai Yejing knelt down beside Chenyu.
At that moment, a group of people galloped in, clearing a path through the crowd.
Who is making such a grand entrance?
Everyone looked over and knelt down, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress..."
Lord He rose to offer her a seat, while the Empress sat upright before the table, gazing at Chen Yu and Bai Yejing kneeling on the ground from afar, and said loudly, "Rise, both of you. I have come here to bid farewell to Chen Yu."
After the Empress finished speaking, a guard led a carriage slowly towards them. The carriage was loaded with items, including bedding, clothes, pots and pans...
Another commotion arose in the crowd. "The Empress is kind-hearted."
"The Jingwang Mausoleum has nothing, but with these things, Miss Chenyu might be able to live a few more days."
"That's not necessarily true..."
"That's not necessarily true," the Empress said, rising to her feet and pointing to the carriage. "I heard that Chen Yu suffered a miscarriage in prison last night, so I specially prepared medicine and tonics..."
Before the Empress could finish speaking, a clamor of dissent arose from the surroundings: "Did Chen Yu miscarry?"
"Isn't she a virgin?"
"The Empress would not make up such a story; it must be Chen Yu who has deceived everyone."
"Yes, she is skilled in medicine, so she naturally has ways to cover her tracks."
"fraud……"
Hearing the accusations from the crowd, Shen Yu lowered her head and smiled bitterly. Her resentment towards the Empress intensified. The Empress was not sending her off; she was clearly trying to ruin her reputation!
Now that her shameful affair has been exposed, why should she care about saving face? In any case, she can't escape punishment anyway, so she might as well vent her anger and drag the Empress down with her.
She suddenly stood up, about to refute the Empress, but the Empress pointed at her and admonished, "Mu Chenyu, considering that you were once a female imperial physician, and that your elder brother has made military achievements, I will treat your Mu family well and find a good marriage for your sister Chenjing. You can go to the Jingwang Mausoleum with peace of mind."
The Empress is using the Mu family to blackmail Shen Yu.
Shen Yu pursed her lips, suppressing her anger.
Witnessing this scene, Bai Yejing was filled with rage. Five years ago, he had fallen in love with Chen Yu, and today he was fortunate enough to fight alongside her. Besides, he was infected with smallpox and feared he wouldn't live much longer; why should he fear the Empress?
Thinking of this, he suddenly stood up, indignant on behalf of Shen Yu, and shouted, "As the mother of the nation, the Empress should treat the people kindly. However, last night the Empress broke into the Dali Temple and harmed the child in Shen Yu's womb."
"That's the son of a villain..."
“Even if he is the son of an evil person, as long as he is raised by a kind-hearted person like Shen Yu, he will surely grow up to be a good person. How can the Empress dispose of him on her own?”
Upon hearing Bai Yejing's words, the people nodded in agreement, saying, "What you say is absolutely right."
"Bai Yehua came from a scholarly family and was taught by Master Bai and Master Mu, yet he still committed evil deeds?"
"Alas, the Empress is truly unworthy of her title as the mother of the nation..."
The Empress was panicked. Because she resented Shen Yu for refusing to accompany the Crown Prince to Xiliang, she feigned a farewell to humiliate Shen Yu and vent her anger. Unexpectedly, Bai Yejing, for Shen Yu's sake, went even further, defying his superior.
That wasn't all. Bai Yejing continued angrily, "I've already reviewed the case files at the yamen. The reason Shen Yu was defiled was because Prince Hong drugged her. Is the Empress deliberately delaying in handing over that wicked person to cover up for Prince Hong's mansion?"
The Empress was speechless, only hearing the growing indignation of the people, all of whom harbored resentment towards the royal family.
The Empress was furious and shouted, "Guards, take Mu Chenyu and Bai Yejing to the Jingwang Mausoleum immediately! No one is allowed to bring them food without my permission!"
"The Emperor has decreed..."
With a loud shout, everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Prince Yan riding in. The people immediately parted to make way for him.
Prince Yan dismounted and stood before the table, loudly proclaiming the imperial decree: "By order of the Emperor, Bai Yejing is being sent to the Jingwang Mausoleum because of his close relationship with Mu Chenyu."
After reading the Emperor's decree, Prince Yan turned to the Empress and said in a deep voice, "The Empress Mother left the palace without permission and arbitrarily executed the child in Chen Yu's womb. The Emperor's decree is: the Empress shall be banished to the Cold Palace!"
"Yan'er, I am your mother, Yan'er, you must plead for your mother..."
Ignoring the Empress, Prince Yan leaped onto his horse and galloped towards the west gate. He had just learned from his spies that the Empress had secretly sent her guards to assassinate Liu Yu.
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