Prince Yan stood anxiously outside the door, waiting for a full hour before the Emperor finally emerged from the guest room.
Prince Yan stared at the Emperor with wide, bright eyes. The fear and doubt in his eyes were enough to prove that he cared about Hongyu.
The emperor ignored him and left without saying a word.
------
Chen Shi (7-9 AM).
As the sun rose, Chen Yu, accompanied by Cui Wei and Cui Zhu, hurried along Songgui Street.
They were going to the Duke's mansion.
Yesterday, she suggested that Madam Mu find a husband for Yanran to avoid any scandals. Unexpectedly, Madam Mu thought of Gu Dalang.
A few days ago, the Gu family refused to arrange a marriage with the Mu family, saying that they wanted to find a girl from a prestigious family for Gu Dalang.
Yanran's identity does indeed meet Madam Gu's requirements, but her fetish is something that is difficult to talk about and must be kept secret from the Gu family.
Every year on the 24th, Madam Gu would take her children to Putuo Temple to offer incense.
Madam Mu then instructed Chen Yu to take Yanran to Putuo Temple to meet with the Gu family and to sound out Madam Gu's opinion.
She quickened her pace and soon reached the east end of Songgui Street.
"Why aren't you riding in a sedan chair, young lady? There's a sedan chair ahead; I wonder whose it is?"
"Can't you tell, Cuizhu? The young lady just wanted to walk around, that's why she didn't take the sedan chair. The family up ahead just moved in; the previous house had been uninhabited for a long time..."
Upon hearing Cuiwei's words, Chenyu turned her head and saw a sedan chair and eight sedan chair bearers parked in front of a villa on the north side of the road. The gate opened, and a man wrapped in a black cloak hurriedly stepped into the sedan chair. The sedan chair bearers lifted the sedan chair and hurriedly left. Instead, two delicate young men stood facing the gate.
Male concubine?
Who was that man just now?
Shen Yu followed the sedan chair all the way to the Duke's mansion. The sedan chair stopped first, facing the gate of the Duke's mansion.
She hurriedly followed and saw the man's profile. Judging from his long, gray beard, she could tell that the man was the emperor's brother-in-law.
Although Liu Yu dismissed the male concubines from the Duke's mansion, the Duke's brother-in-law was secretly keeping male concubines outside. If this were seen and spread by someone with ulterior motives, the reputation of the Duke's mansion would be completely ruined, and the Mu family would not allow her to marry Liu Yu.
Her anger burned fiercely, uncontrollable. She stared wide-eyed ahead. There she saw Liu Yu approaching, leaning on his cane, and respectfully bowing to the emperor's brother-in-law.
"Father has returned. Mother didn't sleep all night and collapsed on the floor before even leaving her room. The doctor said she's fallen ill from depression and hopes Father will go and visit her..."
Before Liu Yu could finish speaking, the emperor's brother-in-law had already brushed past him and entered the Duke's mansion.
With sedan bearers and guards present, Liu Yu looked embarrassed. He leaned on his cane, wanting to turn back, but then he saw Chen Yu. His already embarrassed expression became even more disheveled. He lowered his eyes and weakly greeted Chen Yu, "Yu Yu is here to see Brother Yu?"
Shen Yu nodded. Before coming to the Duke's mansion, Madam Mu had specifically instructed her not to get close to Liu Yu, but to take Yanran to Putuo Temple.
But... seeing Liu Yu's sadness, she forgot her mother's instructions and went into the courtyard with Liu Yu.
The two sat on a stone bench in the rockery, but their usual tenderness and affection were gone, replaced by silence.
Liu Yu frowned, gripping his staff tightly with both hands, his head drooping, revealing his helplessness.
The emperor's brother-in-law had a penchant for male concubines, and Yanran's abuse of a young maid was a shameful affair that haunted him like a nightmare.
Which good girl would be willing to marry him? There were others before, but they were all women who were climbing the social ladder and pursuing wealth, and Liu Yu didn't fancy them. It wasn't until he met Chen Yu that he started to think about getting married.
In order to win Chen Yu's hand in marriage, he did everything he could to get rid of his male favorites and break with Prince Yan, hoping to restore order to the Duke's family.
But... the emperor's brother-in-law secretly kept male lovers outside.
He was originally going to seal off the villa with his guards, but the Duchess stopped him and told him about his background. It turned out that he was not the son of the Emperor's brother-in-law.
Thinking of the many family scandals, he was overwhelmed with grief and tears streamed down his face, dripping onto the back of his hand.
The once dashing and dissolute young master Liu suddenly burst into tears without any restraint.
Cuiwei and Cuizhu looked at each other in bewilderment.
Shen Yu felt heartbroken and quite puzzled... As the head of the family and the father of two children, wasn't the Imperial Uncle worried about ruining Liu Yu and Yanran's life by keeping a lover outside?
If the Gu family knew that Yanran had a father who acted recklessly, they would never agree to the marriage.
She grew increasingly anxious, her beautiful eyes fixed on Liu Yu, filled with worry.
Finally, unable to contain her anxiety, she offered Liu Yu a suggestion: "Brother Yu, don't be sad. If all else fails, ask the Duchess to step in and seal off that villa."
Liu Yu shook his head and said, choking back tears, "It's no use. If Mother could manage, she wouldn't have fallen ill."
"Isn't the Emperor's brother-in-law afraid of delaying your marriage and having children, and ruining Yanran's marriage prospects?"
"hehe……"
Liu Yu grinned and let out a bitter laugh, tears streaming down his face onto the back of his hand. Neither he nor Yanran were the children of the Emperor's brother-in-law, so the Emperor's brother-in-law would never care about them.
He dared not confide this family secret to Shenyu, fearing that she would despise his background and break off relations with him. He could only hide his bitterness from Shenyu, saying, "From childhood to adulthood, the Imperial Uncle has never been close to me and Yanran. Perhaps he dislikes children. Even if you call him father, he will not respond."
Cuiwei and Cuizhu were dumbfounded and quietly retreated, no longer daring to listen to their masters' family affairs.
Shen Yu suddenly remembered that in her previous life, Bai Yehua went to Putuo Temple to catch the adulterers in the act and tied the Duchess of the State and Master Yideng together for public display.
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