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From that time on, Ping'er became taciturn and, although she ascended the throne, she did not attend the morning court sessions.
It seems that Ping'er still believed Ouyang Meiniang's words and was convinced that Chen Yu had poisoned Liu Deng and Liu Chong.
Helpless, Chen Yu had no choice but to temporarily rule from behind the curtain.
After the morning court session ended, she returned to Zhengyang Palace, sat down with her arms supporting her head, and rubbed her forehead.
Hongyu brought in tea, placed the teacup on the table, and reached out to massage Chenyu's shoulders.
[The Empress Dowager became Empress Dowager at such a young age, which is truly admirable. It's just a pity that the Emperor is too young to appreciate the Empress Dowager's good intentions.]
Shen Yu suddenly looked at Hong Yu, then quickly stood up and skillfully dodged Hong Yu's outstretched hand with a turn.
Ever since she learned that Hongyu was highly skilled in martial arts and also adept at poisoning, Chenyu had been on guard at all times.
Now, Cuiwei and Jiu'er are in charge of all her food and tea, and she will never touch the tea that Hongyu brings in.
Hongyu had clearly seen through Chenyu's thoughts. She took a thick book out of her bosom, placed it on the table, and said directly:
[Your Majesty, I am cunning and ruthless. As the saying goes, I will not offend others unless they offend me. The Gao family, the Bai family, Yan Wang, Mo Sheng, Mo Xiao... shouldn't they die? Mo Sheng and Mo Xiao were originally Yan Wang's spies. Keeping them alive is just planting seeds of trouble. Being soft-hearted is just asking for trouble.]
Today, I present you with the poison-making formula and antidote passed down from my master, as a sign of my sincerity, to serve the Empress Dowager like a slave.
Although Shen Yu was curious, she didn't glance at the poison-making manual. With Hong Yu around, she couldn't sleep at night, fearing that Hong Yu would harm her and the child, so she found a place for Hong Yu to go.
She turned her back and said coldly, "If Hongyu truly cares about me, then marry Young Master Qiu. Young Master Qiu is still thinking of you and remains unmarried. Now that you've found someone reliable, I can finally rest easy."
Thump! Hongyu knelt down. She knew that her concealment of her martial arts and poison skills made Shenyu uneasy, and even if she tried to make amends, it would be to no avail.
In order for An'er to grow up in the royal family and have a good place to go in the future, she had no choice but to go along with Chen Yu's wishes.
Hongyu expresses her gratitude to the Empress Dowager for her kindness.
At this moment, King Jing arrived with Yanran to pay his respects.
Shen Yu, holding a handkerchief and with a faint smile, entered the hall. Prince Jing and Yan Ran stood at the door and bowed in greeting.
May the Empress Dowager be well.
[Yanran pays her respects to the Empress Dowager.]
We're all family here; there are no outsiders. No need for formalities.
As she spoke, Chen Yu led the two of them to sit down.
Yanran was too embarrassed to sit down. Standing in front of Chenyu, she choked up, saying, "Sister-in-law, I misunderstood you the other day. I was rash and impulsive. I hope you won't hold it against me."
Shen Yu still smiled faintly, her eyes already moist. She wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and choked out, "Yanran and I have known each other since childhood. I naturally understand your personality, so how could I blame you? If I really have to blame someone, it's only because you are too infatuated with Prince Jing."
【Hehe…】Yanran burst into laughter through her tears, took Chenyu's hand, and sat down beside him.
Suddenly, she stopped laughing, her expression turning serious. Not only did Ping'er suspect that Chen Yu had intentionally killed Liu Deng and Chong'er, but she herself also suspected it.
So, she looked directly at Chen Yu and asked, feigning confusion, "Since you knew Ouyang Meiniang was skilled at copying, why didn't you expose her for ruining your reputation back then? Why wait until the very end?"
Shen Yu couldn't help but roll her eyes at Yan Ran, knowing full well what Yan Ran was thinking.
If she had exposed Ouyang Meiniang earlier, how could she have continued to use Meiniang to kill Liu Deng?
Sigh! Sometimes telling the truth offends people, so she had to make up a suitable reason, and while tightly holding Yanran's hand, she sighed:
Alas! As you know, the King only has eyes for Ouyang Meiniang and Chong'er. Even if I expose Ouyang Meiniang, the King will not believe me and I will be punished.
Therefore, I sent people to the capital to investigate Ouyang Meiniang's past, hoping to prove her crimes so that the King could punish her.
Unexpectedly, she was in such a hurry to poison An'er and Ping'er that she ended up killing the King and Chong'er.
After saying this, Chen Yu's eyes were already brimming with tears. She let go of Yan Ran's hand and wiped away her tears.
Prince Jing, standing to the side, naturally did not doubt Shen Yu's words. He pretended to break with Shen Yu in order to get rid of Ouyang Meiniang's surveillance and to secretly cooperate with Shen Yu.
He sat down beside Yanran, handed her a handkerchief, and comforted her, saying, "Life is unpredictable. It's just that Ouyang Meiniang was wicked. Fortunately, everything is over. However, the Emperor is still young and can't distinguish right from wrong, so he's been arguing with the Empress Dowager."
"I am, after all, the Emperor's aunt; I'll go and try to persuade him."
As Yanran spoke, she stood up. Shen Lan and Chi Yan hurriedly walked in, followed by Xiang Mian.
The three of them bowed to Chen Yu together.
[Greetings to the Empress Dowager.]
Shen Yu suddenly stood up. She sent Shen Lan and Chi Yan to create evidence of Ouyang Meiniang's collusion with the Zhao family in order to mend the rift between her and Ping'er.
Bringing in an acquaintance would only make Ping'er more suspicious.
Her face darkened, and she looked at Shen Lan, asking, "Any clues?"
[Your Majesty, Xiang Mian came here with Lord Xiang. Although Lord Xiang has retired, he knows about Ouyang Meiniang's past.]
Xiang Mian hurriedly replied, "My uncle was once the Minister of Works and was acquainted with the Ouyang family. Master Ouyang was a high-profile and flamboyant official. He was robbed and killed by the female bandit Zhao Ming'er, but that's nothing compared to the fact that his bribery ledger was sent to the palace. Therefore, Ouyang Meiniang ended up in a brothel..."
Shen Yu, unable to contain her impatience, interrupted Xiang Mian and asked, "Does she have any dealings with the Zhao family?"
Xiang Mian nodded hurriedly. "It wasn't just casual contact; she also had affairs with both the Prince of Li and the Prince of Heng. I don't know why. She suddenly disappeared half a year ago."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yu was overjoyed, trembling with excitement, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears.
"Heaven truly has eyes!" she murmured to herself, a surge of indescribable joy welling up within her. She had fabricated the lie that Ouyang Meiniang was colluding with the Zhao family, but unexpectedly, it had become a fact by sheer luck, which made her feel incredibly fortunate.
If Ping'er knew, she would surely forgive her for what she had done.
She couldn't wait to tell Ping'er the good news. Ignoring everyone else, she rushed out the door in a hurry. Inadvertently, she bumped into Emerald and both of them fell to the ground.
"Ah!" Shen Yu cried out in surprise.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I didn't mean it..." Emerald was terrified and immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness.
"Get up, it's alright, it's alright." Shen Yu waved her hand, stood up with Yan Ran's help, completely ignoring the waves of pain coming from her buttocks, and staggered towards the door.
Jade followed and reported, "[Empress Dowager, a carrier pigeon flew to Meiyang Palace and landed on the flower stand in front of the window, refusing to leave. Since you have guests visiting, I informed the Emperor, and he ran to Meiyang Palace with a slingshot...]"
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