Upon hearing that Mu Nanfeng had led his troops in, Bai Yehua was shocked and hurriedly pushed Gao Ji aside, grabbing his long sword and rushing out.
This was a guilty conscience; he assumed that Mu Nanfeng already knew about his murder of Master Mu, and that he had come here to seek revenge.
Upon reaching the courtyard, they saw flames soaring into the sky, and Gao Feng and Liu Yao'er, their hands bound, kneeling in the courtyard.
Just as he was wondering, Liu Yao'er and Gao Ji shouted, "General, save me..." "General Bai, someone has framed me and Yao'er. Go find my father and elder brother immediately."
Upon hearing this, Bai Yehua drew his sword and was about to go out, but was stopped by the soldiers.
He was furious and kicked the soldier to the ground, shouting, "How dare you! I am the Grand General Protector of the Nation, while Mu Nanfeng is merely a Second-Rank Assistant General. How dare you obey his orders?"
"The Emperor has ordered that the Gao family and Liu Yao'er are suspected of having ties with the Japanese pirates. He has specifically ordered me to search Yixiang Garden. I hope General Bai will cooperate."
Bai Yehua was shocked and puzzled. He wanted to ask questions, but fearing that he would be implicated, he had no choice but to sheathe his sword and step aside.
Little did Su Ma know that under the pretense of delivering dried meat to the Mu family, he was actually delivering the dried meat to the Gao family and hiding three letters in Prime Minister Gao's study.
The following day, the Emperor personally presided over the trial. Because the amount of silver Liu Yao'er gave to Gao Feng matched the amount in the letter, and because three letters exchanged with Japanese pirates were found in Prime Minister Gao's study, all of which implicated acts of treason, the Emperor determined that the Gao family were accomplices of the Japanese pirates. Men, women, children, masters, and servants were all imprisoned.
Only Consort Gao escaped unscathed and remained safe and sound in the harem.
------
"I'm so angry! The Emperor dotes on Consort Gao and can't bear to punish her, which has sown the seeds of disaster!"
"Yes, Sister Fish thinks the same thing as me, cough..."
Shen Yu quickly helped Hong Yu lie down and sighed, "Alas, you have suffered a lot of hardship in prison, and your body has become much weaker. You need to take good care of yourself before the Prince of Yan returns, so that you can have children and raise them in the future, and not have lived in vain."
"Has Sister Fish ever considered marrying someone less desirable, so she could stay with Brother Yu?"
Shen Yu shook her head silently, not uttering a word. At this moment, she had not yet avenged her father's death, and besides, she was no longer a virgin. Wouldn't Liu Yu mind? Wouldn't the Duchess mind?
At this moment, Emerald reported from outside the door: "Consort Yu, the Duchess has come to visit you."
“I have divorced the Emperor’s brother-in-law. From now on, you may simply call me Madam Jia.”
Upon hearing Madam Jia's voice, Chen Yu blushed instantly and hurriedly bid farewell to Hong Yu: "Yu Fei, I... have urgent business at the shop, so I must take my leave."
She hurried toward the door, her eyes lowered, deliberately avoiding Madam Jia.
Madam Jia blocked the doorway, saying directly, "Madam Bai, I have something to tell you."
She kept her eyes downcast, nodded, and then heard Madam Jia's subtle hints:
"My son Liu Yu is now a commoner, hoping only to marry, have children, and live a peaceful life. Today, I sent someone to propose marriage to the Gu family, wishing to marry their fourth daughter, and the Gu family has agreed. I heard that the eldest daughter grew up in the Gu family, so from now on, Yu'er will be the eldest daughter's fourth brother-in-law..."
Before Madam Jia could finish speaking, Chen Yu's eyes were already brimming with tears. She was naturally happy that Liu Yu could marry and have children, but tears still flowed uncontrollably.
Listening to Madam Jia's incessant chatter, she nodded vigorously and said happily, "Congratulations, Madam Jia! On the day of Young Master Liu's wedding, I, Chen Yu, will certainly pay a visit to offer my congratulations."
After saying that, she turned and left.
Madam Jia's face darkened, and she sighed softly, "Alas! I am old and frail and cannot withstand such torment. I only hope that Yu'er can get married and have children."
Hongyu lay on her side on the bed, gently patted the edge of the bed, gesturing for Madam Jia to sit down, and asked softly, "Mother, do you really agree to Brother Yu marrying Gu Xiaosi? She's just an illegitimate daughter, and Sister Yu hasn't changed her mind."
“In the past, I intended for Yu’er to serve as an official in the court and assist the emperor. Since the three of us left the Duke’s mansion, we have been ordinary people, eating three meals a day and mending clothes. Although it is simple, it is very fulfilling. From then on, the power struggles of the royal family and the infighting among officials have nothing to do with us, and I will never allow Yu’er to get involved in them. Mu Chenyu is indeed a good woman, but she… and you, have also become involved with the Gao family. How could Consort Gao let this go?”
It turns out that Lady Jia was worried that Consort Gao would retaliate against Chen Yu, which would implicate Liu Yu.
However, Lady Jia was unaware that Liu Yu had already devised a plan to eliminate Consort Gao, all to rid Shen Yu of her enemy.
Shen Yu lowered her head and hurried out of the Yu Run Xuan gate. A person walked towards her, and before Cui Wei could remind her, she bumped into him. Looking up, she saw that the person was Liu Yu.
Though it was still that handsome face, his once captivating eyes were now bloodshot and glistening with tears. How could the once charming and carefree young man, with his smiling eyes, now appear so melancholy and listless?
Indeed, Liu Yu has changed. To protect Shen Yu, he transformed from a pampered and idle young master into the brave and skilled General Yu; to refuse the imperial marriage, he went from a high-ranking general to a commoner.
He accepted this readily, abandoning his usual luxurious attire and donning a coarse blue robe. His hair was no longer adorned with a precious jade crown, but instead tied with a blue ribbon.
Seeing the tears in Shen Yu's eyes, he smiled instead, but when he tried to speak, he choked up and could hardly utter a sound, "Madam... could it be that you are afraid of implicating me, and that's why you are unwilling to divorce General Bai..."
Shen Yu shook her head without saying a word, brushed past Liu Yu's sleeve, and hurriedly left. She hadn't gone far when Liu Yu called her back: "Madam, Liu Yu has a matter he wishes to ask Consort Yu for help with. I just heard from Emerald that Consort Yu has fallen ill, so I would like to ask Madam for your help. I hope Madam will come and talk to me."
The two walked to the corner of the corridor, their eyes met, and then they quickly looked away, their slightly flushed cheeks revealing their feelings for each other.
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