Hongyu was astonished.
Yesterday, she and Chenxiang devised a plan to eliminate the Fourth Prince:
She first led Chenxiang to meet the Fourth Prince in the prison, and then, using the Fourth Prince's humiliation of Chenxiang as an excuse, she made Chenxiang take a fake death potion to "commit suicide," thus allowing Chenxiang to escape and avoid marrying the Fourth Prince...
However... why did Chenxiang commit suicide by drowning? His escape plan turned into a funeral!
Hongyu, filled with doubt, followed Yan Wang to the Mu family.
Inside the hall, Madam Mu, dressed in plain clothes, leaned against a chair and wept bitterly. Upon hearing "Prince Yan and Princess Yan have arrived," Madam Mu suddenly stood up and waited at the door.
Hongyu, dressed in a white robe and wearing a white flower in her hair, was holding Yan Wang's arm and sobbing uncontrollably.
Mu Nanfeng came out to greet him and personally led Yan Wang to the courtyard where male guests were received.
Hongyu followed her maid to the courtyard where female guests were received. As soon as she entered, she saw ladies and young women from the capital nodding and greeting her.
Only one person came forward, took her hand, and asked, "Princess Yan, I heard that you offended the Empress Dowager yesterday and were imprisoned in the Imperial City Guard. How come you were released so quickly?"
Hongyu wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, glanced at Zhang Yue'er, and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Princess Li. Prince Yan was worried that I would catch a cold in prison, so he brought me back to Prince Yan's residence last night."
After saying that, she walked towards the hall.
"stop!"
Hearing a shout, Hongyu looked up and saw Madam Mu rushing towards her. Her cold face, angry eyes, and trembling hands sent chills down Hongyu's spine. Madam Mu must have come with ill intentions.
Hongyu braced herself and went to meet him, and sure enough, she got slapped.
Snap!
A crisp sound echoed throughout the courtyard, but Madam Mu's anger did not diminish at all. Instead, she pointed at Hongyu with furious eyes and cursed, "Murderer! Yesterday, you said you would take Chenxiang to the manor to play, but instead you took her to the prison and even let her be molested by the Fourth Prince. As soon as she returned, she threw herself into the river and committed suicide. It was you, it was you who killed my Xiang'er..."
"It's true. I heard at the night market yesterday that the Fourth Prince raped Chenxiang."
"It came from inside the government office."
"Alas, Miss Chenxiang's death has at least preserved the reputation of the Mu family's daughters; otherwise, Chenjing would never have been able to marry..."
"The eldest daughter of the Mu family has arrived."
The courtyard fell silent instantly as everyone craned their necks to look at the entrance. Cuiwei and Jiu'er stood there, when suddenly a light, nimble figure ran in. Laughter filled the courtyard, "Haha...so many people! It's so lively! Where are you, Sister Chenxiang...?"
Everyone was shocked and remained stunned for a while before whispering among themselves, asking, "Has the eldest daughter of the Mu family gone mad?"
"well……"
"It must be because Miss Chenxiang passed away that she couldn't bear it and that's why she's like this..."
"..."
Hearing the crowd's discussions, Madam Mu's sobs deepened, while Chen Yu tilted her head and blinked as she looked at Hong Yu.
Hongyu burst into tears instantly, choking back sobs, "Sister Yu, what's wrong?"
"I recognize you. You were Ye Hua's maidservant. Ye Hua wanted me to take you as a concubine, but he said your origins were unknown and you smelled like rotten fish..."
As everyone listened to Chen Yu recount Hong Yu's past, they exchanged bewildered glances. After all, Hong Yu was the Princess Consort of Yan and the Empress's daughter-in-law, and Chen Yu's remarks were a grave disrespect to the royal family.
Madam Mu, of course, knew this, and said in a sorrowful voice, "Ah... take the eldest young lady away..."
"Yes, Madam."
Before Cuiwei and Jiu'er could make a move, Chenyu called out "Sister Chenxiang" and ran out.
Seeing this, Hongyu was quite puzzled and uneasy. She originally wanted to help Chenxiang take revenge, but Chenxiang was really dead. If this matter really drove Chenyu crazy, she would be the culprit.
Overwhelmed with shame, she fled quickly amidst the pointing fingers and whispers of the crowd.
As soon as she stepped out of the courtyard, she saw Cuiwei's figure and chased after her with Emerald.
Upon arriving at Yile Garden, one could hear Chen Yu's laughter coming from inside the room.
She rushed into the room and saw Chen Yu standing at the door waiting, while Jiu'er stood by the window smiling.
"Sister Fish didn't go crazy?"
Shen Yu suddenly knelt on the ground, choking out, "It's all my fault for acting impulsively and slapping Consort Yu twice in prison. I apologize to Consort Yu and thank her for helping my sister Shen Xiang avenge herself."
It turns out that Chenyu knew about Chenxiang and Hongyu's plan:
Last night, Chenxiang returned to the Mu family home. As he walked across the small bridge, he was pushed into the water. It was late at night and no servants were with him, so Chenxiang drowned.
Seeing that Chenxiang's body was not yet stiff and that he had not been drowning for long, Chenyu realized that he was likely to be saved. So, under the pretext of finding a divine doctor, she took Chenxiang and left the Mu family.
She revived Chenxiang in the sedan chair and learned of Chenxiang and Hongyu's plan.
Upon hearing that the Fourth Prince was to be eliminated, Shen Yu did not stop him.
Although the Fourth Prince was mentally challenged, he was by no means a kind person. The maids in his household came and went, all of them tortured to death by him. Conversely, anyone who offended the Fourth Prince was executed. Wasn't this a case of imperial power oppressing the people?
Therefore, Chen Yu made Chen Xiang take a fake death medicine so that she could continue her plan to eliminate the fourth prince.
As for why Chen Yu pretended to be crazy because of "Chen Xiang's death", it was to confuse the enemy and make it easier for her to find the person who pushed Chen Xiang into the water.
Upon learning the truth, Hongyu was overjoyed. She helped Chenyu up, hugged her tightly, and cried out in fear, "Sister Yu, you scared me to death."
Then, she asked in a panic, "Could it be that the Empress wants to get rid of Chenxiang?"
Shen Yu immediately shook her head in denial, pulled Hong Yu to sit down, and analyzed carefully, "This matter has spread throughout the capital, and everyone is cursing the Fourth Prince for being lewd and forcibly taking a woman from the common people. The Empress is eager to welcome Shen Xiang into the family to appease public anger, so how could she dare to kill someone to silence her? I'm afraid someone is deliberately trying to trip up the Empress."
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