After reading the letter written by the Emperor's brother-in-law to the Empress, Shen Yu finally understood why the Empress had been targeting Liu Yu:
It turns out that Liu Yu's biological father, Liu Deng, was the only direct descendant of the Liu family. After Liu Deng's entire family was brutally murdered, he became a steward in the mansion of the emperor's brother-in-law, which led to the ill-fated relationship between Liu Deng and Madam Jia. The two had Liu Yu and Yanran.
Although Liu Yu was dead, he had been intimate with a woman. Therefore, the Empress's brother-in-law repeatedly instructed her to find the woman who had slept with Liu Yu, and if she was pregnant, she must be eliminated.
"Despicable! If I hadn't intercepted the Empress's letter, I really wouldn't have believed that it was the Empress and the Imperial Uncle who killed Brother Yu."
Hongyu sat angrily on the edge of the bed, took the letter from Chenyu's hand, carefully folded it, tucked it into her sleeve, and muttered to herself:
"Did Brother Yu really defile a woman? I figured the case at the Hong Prince's residence was handled by Lord He, so I went to ask him. He said Brother Yu had only had intimate relations with a maid, and that the maid had already been sold off by the Hong Princess. I don't believe it. I thought the Empress and the Hong Princess knew about it, but who knew the Hong Princess was under house arrest, and the Empress couldn't even visit her in the Cold Palace. Alas..."
Hearing Hongyu's whispers, Shenyu felt uneasy. If her feigned miscarriage were to be exposed, she would surely be hunted down by the Liu family. She absolutely could not reveal that she was carrying Liu Yu's child; she must never reveal this in this lifetime. However, as her belly grew larger, how could she conceal it then? Well, she could only take it one step at a time. For now, the Empress and the Princess Consort of Hong were both under house arrest, and the child was relatively safe.
In an instant, Hongyu burst into tears, clutching her hands tightly, sobbing uncontrollably, "Sister Yu, nowadays the Emperor is suspicious and deliberately suppresses Prince Yan while trying to win over the Sixth Prince. I want to take advantage of Prince Yan's serious illness and take him far away from the capital to avoid the Emperor and the Sixth Prince's sharp edge."
"That's good. I heard that the Emperor has exiled the King of Li, who was pretending to be insane, to the northern frontier. It seems that the situation has changed. Preserving one's life is the best long-term solution right now."
The door creaked open.
Shen Yu turned her gaze and saw a veiled woman slowly approaching. The woman was slightly plump and short, with almond-shaped eyes brimming with tears. Needless to say, this veiled woman was Shen Xiang.
Chenxiang pulled off her face towel, rushed to the bed, hugged Chenyu, and burst into tears: "Big sister, Xiang'er missed you."
“From today onwards, you two sisters will no longer need to be separated.” Hongyu said in a deep voice, pulling Chenxiang up, wiping away her tears, and explaining to Chenyu, “Shuxiang, the daughter of Yanwang’s wet nurse, was paralyzed in bed since childhood and unfortunately passed away a few days ago. Yanwang wishes to bestow the identity of Shuxiang upon Chenxiang, so that Chenxiang can appear in front of people with dignity in the future.”
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Six months later, it was the season when the fruit trees were in bloom. The Jingwang Mausoleum has always been a place of fear, and no one has paid their respects there for fifty years. However, this year, people have been lingering outside the mausoleum, and some have even climbed over the walls to look out.
It turns out that the cemetery has now been meticulously maintained by Baiyejing. Peach, pear, and apricot trees are all in bloom, creating a breathtaking sea of pink and white flowers. On the southeast side of the cemetery, there are two small courtyards with neat and beautiful houses, vegetable gardens, and flower gardens.
Two figures walked out of the courtyard, one after the other, to a pavilion, where they sat facing each other.
"Sinking Fish, what are your plans?"
"What is it that you are referring to, Young Master Bai?"
"The child in your womb."
Shen Yu pursed her lips, lowered her head and gently stroked her belly, and said with a bitter smile, "Give birth to him and raise him to adulthood."
"Am I qualified to be the father of this child?"
"No."
"Back then, the Empress disposed of your unborn child without permission and was banished to the Cold Palace by the Emperor. If your pregnancy were to be exposed, wouldn't that be a crime of deceiving the Emperor? How could the Empress let it go so easily?"
"I was trapped in the cemetery, how could I have leaked this information?"
"Do you know..." Bai Yejing hesitated, having already received news from his colleagues that the Emperor had decided to lift the seal on the Jingwang Mausoleum. He feared that once the common people entered the mausoleum, the fact that Shenyu was pregnant would be revealed.
He originally wanted to marry Shen Yu and raise the son of a villain as his own flesh and blood, but... Shen Yu did not agree.
He was naturally displeased. His fair and cold face was like a stagnant pool, lifeless. Seeing that Cailian had not followed, he whispered, "If I can leave this place, I will definitely continue to help you find that villain and let the child be recognized by his ancestors, so as to avoid being criticized by others."
Suddenly, a voice announced, "By imperial decree, Mu Chenyu and Bai Yejing, come to receive the decree."
Shen Yu hurriedly got up and walked out of the pavilion, but Bai Yejing grabbed her sleeve and whispered, "Don't rush. Since you've decided to keep this child, you have to be careful and not make any mistakes."
The two women approached Eunuch Cai side by side. Shuxiang and Cuiwei were already kneeling. Chenyu wanted to kneel, but her body was no longer as flexible as before. She knelt down on one leg and used both hands to support herself on the ground before slowly kneeling down to receive the imperial decree.
"By imperial decree, the Jingwang Mausoleum will be open to the public starting tomorrow. Mu Chenyu is ordered to continue guarding the mausoleum, and Bai Yejing is to go to the Dongguan County Government Office tomorrow to report for duty."
Shen Yu stood there in astonishment until Eunuch Cai left, at which point Cui Wei stepped forward to help her up.
She stood up straight, one hand on her hip and the other gently stroking her abdomen, and walked steadily into the house.
This unusual move aroused Shuxiang's suspicion.
That night, Shuxiang quietly left the Jingwang Mausoleum and returned to the Mu Mansion.
Since Chenxiang's passing, Chenyu has been imprisoned in the Jingwang Mausoleum. Madam Mu has fallen ill and is bedridden. Chenxiang has no choice but to tell Mu Nanfeng about Chenyu's pregnancy, since Mu Nanfeng is now the head of the Mu family.
Upon hearing this, Mu Nanfeng was struck dumb, and slumped into his armchair.
Shen Yu is pregnant? There's only Bai Yejing in the Jingwang Mausoleum. Shen Yu is so confused. How could she be pregnant with the child of her enemy?
The next morning, Bai Yejing waited at the gate early. Once the palace guards came to open the gate to the mausoleum, he left in a hurry.
An hour later, Mu Nanfeng, accompanied by a group of maids and servants, barged into Chen Yu's courtyard.
Shen Yu was already standing in front of the hall waiting. In fact, the moment the emperor issued the decree, she knew that this matter could no longer be hidden, so she deliberately revealed her body, hoping that Shuxiang could bring Mu Nanfeng here.
Mu Nanfeng walked into the hall with a gloomy expression, abruptly throwing down his long robe and sitting down. Chen Yu, with her back to the door, knelt before Mu Nanfeng, supporting her pregnant belly. Before she could even speak, tears streamed down her face as she sobbed uncontrollably, "Big brother... Yu'er has decided to give birth to this child... and raise it. Please, big brother, take in the child in my womb."
Bang! Mu Nanfeng slammed his fist on the table and roared, "The bloodline of our enemy must never be spared! How dare you ask my Mu family to take in the son of our father's killer?"
After saying this, he stormed out of the door. Immediately afterwards, the plump old woman led two servants into the hall, picked up Chen Yu, and headed straight for the bedroom.
Chen Yu was terrified. She realized that her older brother had misunderstood her as being pregnant with the Bai family's child and wanted to get rid of the child in her womb. Seeing the nanny pressing her down on the bed, she screamed, "Big brother, you've misunderstood! Yu'er has something important to tell you! Help! Young Master Bai..."
At this moment, all she could think of was Bai Yejing, but Bai Yejing had already left.
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