Hongyu was still unable to contain her excitement and replied with a smile: "The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Gao Long, has solved the case and will execute Zhang Changle tomorrow."
"What about Liu Yao'er?"
"It is said that in the case of the murder of Madam Bai and Granny Liu, Liu Yao'er was bedridden due to illness and was unaware of the crime, and also lacked the strength to murder others, so she was found not guilty..."
*Bang!* Shen Yu slammed her hand on the table in anger, saying indignantly, "Rumors in the capital say that Gao Long, the eldest son of the Gao family, is like Bao Zheng reincarnated, but I never imagined he would also be a corrupt official who bends the law for personal gain."
Hongyu nodded, then took out a letter and handed it to Chenyu. "When I entered, I met Brother Zhao from the Beggars' Sect. He asked me to give you this letter personally."
Shen Yu hurriedly opened the letter. It turned out that Prime Minister Gao's grandfather, Takahashi-kun, had migrated to the capital from the southeast coast, and Takahashi-kun's origins were actually Japanese pirates from across the strait. Originally, Brother Zhao had found an elderly man, nearly a hundred years old, willing to testify, but a sudden fire broke out in the old man's house, and the only witness was gone!
Shen Yu was horrified. It seemed that the Gao family had been prepared, and she had probably already been exposed.
Meanwhile, in the Gao family's main hall, countermeasures were also being secretly devised.
Prime Minister Gao sat upright in the hall, with his sister, Consort Gao, and Lady Zuo sitting on either side, both weeping.
"Brother, even though Yao'er has escaped from Dali Temple, she will still be bullied by Mu Chenyu when she returns to the Bai family."
"Yes, brother, Yao'er is my own daughter. If there's really no other way, brother, please find a way to kill Mu Chenyu..."
*Bang!* Prime Minister Gao slammed his hand on the table, stood up, pointed at Madam Zuo, and said sternly, “Mu Chenyu is on good terms with Princess Yan, and her brother made great contributions in the war against the Japanese pirates. You have been fighting with her for a long time, but have you gained any advantage? She is not someone to be trifled with. If I hadn’t sent someone to kill that old man, I’m afraid the Gao family’s secrets would have been exposed by her.”
Upon hearing this, Consort Gao and Lady Zuo both remained silent.
Prime Minister Gao continued, "Now that the Crown Prince has been deposed, the most urgent task is to assist my second sister's child, Prince Hong, to ascend to the position of Crown Prince, rather than continuing to make enemies. I believe that turning enemies into friends is the best policy."
Turn enemies into friends?
Lady Zuo and Consort Gao were naturally unhappy, but thinking of the deceased Consort Hui, they had no choice but to nod in agreement.
"When the Crown Prince forcibly took Zhang Changle, it damaged the reputation of my Zuo family. But if it could bring down the Crown Prince, I would have tolerated it. However, on the other hand, Mu Chenyu did us a great favor in the matter of deposing the Crown Prince."
"Yes, but Prince Hong is just the son of a favored concubine. Besides, my second sister has already passed away. I'm afraid the Emperor will make the Empress's son, Prince Yan, the Crown Prince."
As soon as Consort Gao finished speaking, all three of them frowned.
Prime Minister Gao slammed his hand on the table again and said in a deep voice, "It's alright. I will find a way to send Prince Hong to the southeast coast to provide support, and then send Prince Yan to the northern frontier. If Prince Yan wants to compete for the position of Crown Prince, he will not be able to return to the capital alive."
With a thud, Madam Zuo knelt down and wept bitterly, "Big brother, my Mei'er went to the Western Liang with the Crown Prince. Big brother, is there any way to bring her back to the capital?"
"Alright, alright, I will find a way. Remember, turn enemies into friends. Have Gao Feng take the lead in winning over the Bai and Mu families first, and then test Consort Yu of the Yan Prince's Mansion. Once Prince Hong ascends the throne, let alone bringing Mei'er back to the capital, even killing Mu Chenyu will be a piece of cake."
When Shen Yu returned to the Mu family, she saw Madam Mu standing in the courtyard in a daze. Madam Mu was completely unaware of her presence until Shen Yu approached her.
Needless to say, Madam Mu was either heartbroken over Princess Yanghua's abortion or worried about Master Mu's safety.
"Mother, Mother."
Madam Mu came to her senses, stood up and grabbed Mu Chenyu, then burst into tears, and said sadly, "Yu'er, the Emperor said that your father had colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country. With witnesses and evidence, he has been executed."
"What kind of physical evidence is it?"
"Bai Yehua's men found Liao Dynasty documents on your father, which suggests that someone may have framed him."
Mu Chenyu wept. The Emperor's words clearly showed his bias towards Bai Yehua. She decided to conceal Bai Yehua's murder of her father to prevent her brothers from offending the Emperor.
However, what Mrs. Mu said next sent chills down her spine.
"The Emperor originally intended to punish our Mu family, but fortunately the Gao family pleaded for mercy, saying that your elder brother had made great contributions to the southeast coast, which could be considered as making amends for the past. Therefore, the Emperor temporarily pardoned our Mu family. Heaven can see that your father would never collude with the enemy and betray the country."
The Gao family pleaded for the Mu family? Shen Yu felt increasingly uneasy. The Gao family were Japanese pirates. What were they up to by pleading for the Mu family?
Just then, guests arrived: Hongyu and Princess Consort Gao Feng.
Madam Mu suffered from a splitting headache due to excessive grief, and Princess Yanghua was bedridden due to a miscarriage. Chenyu had no choice but to take on household chores and go to entertain the guests.
As she entered the hall, Gao Feng greeted her with a smile, saying, "I have long admired Sister Chenyu's reputation, and seeing her today, I can confirm that it is indeed well-deserved."
Shen Yu nodded and looked up. Gao Feng was about the same height as her shoulder. He was quite handsome, with skin like jade, willow-leaf eyebrows, phoenix eyes, and cherry lips. He was close to middle age, but he was well-maintained like a young girl.
Could this be the Emperor's most beloved Princess Hong?
Rumor has it that Princess Consort Hong, spoiled by the Emperor's favor, is difficult to get along with, yet she treats the children of the deceased Consort Zhao Shuyuan as her own, and has never scolded them in the past five years. Perhaps this is why the Emperor favors Gao Feng.
Just as she was in a daze, Gao Feng grabbed her hand and showered her with compliments, "I've heard that Young Master Mu has made outstanding contributions on the southeast coast, which is truly an honor for your family. Therefore, I've come to pay you a visit because of my friendship with Consort Yu."
Chen Yu glanced sideways at Hong Yu, her eyes filled with barely concealed anger, as if blaming Hong Yu for bringing Gao Feng here.
Gao Feng pulled Chen Yu to sit down and continued, "My second brother, Gao Hu, followed General Yu in fighting against the Japanese pirates. A few days ago, he wrote to me saying that he and Young Master Mu are on good terms and have agreed to a marriage between the Gao and Mu families. He wants to marry Mu Chenxiang to my second brother, so I have come here specifically to visit."
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