Since King Jing had already decided to go to the northern frontier to find Liu Yu for Chen Yu, he had naturally prepared his explanation. He kept his head down and said in a low voice:
[I have secretly inquired with the imperial physicians, and they have learned that my illness requires a long period of recuperation. Therefore, I would rather have a doctor from another region treat me at home than have a local physician examine me, lest word get out and I become a laughingstock.]
Chen Yu had no intention of persuading King Jing. Instead, she walked to her horse and said, "In that case, let's travel together. That way, we can look out for each other on the road."
Bang!
Yanran slapped Shenyu on the back of the head.
King Jing was shocked to see Chen Yu faint. He rushed forward to help her up, glaring at Yanran in astonishment, and asked, "Why did you knock Chen Yu unconscious?"
I know my sister-in-law's personality; once she's made up her mind, no one can stop her unless you knock her out.
------
The next day.
When Chen Yu woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. Jing Wang, Yan Ran, Su Shi, Shen Lan, and Chi Yan had already set off last night.
She hurriedly got out of bed, but was stopped by Cuiwei and Jiu'er.
"Young lady, you can't manage alone."
“Yes, young lady, if you absolutely must go, Cuiwei and I will accompany you.”
"Jiu'er, don't talk nonsense! Is the young lady's body alright?"
At this moment, Rong Momo hurried over to report, "Miss, Manager Wan inspected the cotton early this morning, and Consort Na requests your presence in the palace."
"Okay, get the car ready."
When Shen Yu arrived at Guiyang Palace, Gulinafei greeted him with a radiant smile, and shyly took his arm as they entered the room.
Shen Yu teased, "Consort Na is as happy as a child, and as shy as a young girl. Is there some great joy in the world?"
Gulinafei smiled and pulled Chenyu to sit down. She then handed Chenyu a hand warmer and said with a smile, "For me, this is indeed a great joy. The Emperor came to my palace last night and said that I don't need to pay my respects to the Empress for the time being."
"Why? Is the Empress ill?"
Gulinafei shook her head in confusion, "I don't know. The Emperor said that the Empress needs to rest and that the concubines are not allowed to pay their respects for some time."
Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.
The roadside outside the west gate was crowded with people, all craning their necks to look into the city gate and shouting, "They're here! They're here!"
"Wow! So many quilts! I'll have to count them carefully later, are there a thousand quilts?"
"Look at this long convoy, how could it be fake? Besides, everyone saw that Miss Chenyu asked a hundred people to make quilts."
"Yes, Miss Chenyu not only donated quilts, but also helped impoverished people earn money by doing needlework. She did two great things."
At that moment, Chen Yu was not far away, craning her neck and looking into the distance.
Truckloads of cotton quilts passed by her, but she paid them no heed.
Judging by the days, King Jing should be returning soon.
Whoosh... A cold northwest wind blew by, and Cuiwei took the cloak and put it on Chenyu, along with a hat.
If you insist on waiting, young lady, please wait in the sedan chair. It's getting windy; don't catch a cold.
Shen Yu shook her head, still gazing westward, and murmured, "They will definitely return today. An'er can call me 'Daddy' now. If he hears it, perhaps he will remember the past."
As Chen Yu spoke, her eyes were filled with tears, but her face beamed with joy.
Dede dede...
The sound of horses galloping must mean they're returning.
As Chen Yu spoke, she ran westward, passing carriages one after another, and gradually saw five horsemen approaching her.
Prince Jing, Yanran, Su Shi, Shen Lan, and Chi Yan have all returned, but Liu Yu is nowhere to be seen.
Extremely disappointed, she rushed forward and, without waiting for King Jing to dismount, asked, "Where is Yu Langren?"
King Jing lowered his head and remained silent. In fact, when they arrived at the northern border, King Yan had already been assassinated, and his head was already hanging on the city gate.
The body of King Yan and the corpses of his subordinates were piled up under the city gate and cremated.
He asked Young Master Qiu, "Who killed King Yan?"
Young Master Qiu said: [At night, someone drugged the city gate guards. When they woke up, they found a pile of corpses burning at the city gate, and the head of Prince Yan hanging on the gate, with the words "traitor" written in blood on his face.]
Prince Jing and his entourage had no choice but to search for Liu Yu and Mo Xiao. The Third Young Master Qiu ordered his men to count the number of corpses; Prince Yan and his entire entourage were dead.
King Jing didn't know how to explain this to Chen Yu, so Chen Yu could only look at Yan Ran.
Yanran dismounted, tears streaming down her face. She hugged Chenyu tightly and cried out, "Sister-in-law... one of the tents was attacked, and everyone inside was killed. Perhaps, that cripple wasn't my older brother at all."
Upon hearing this devastating news, Shen Yu felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Her legs went numb, and she collapsed, clutching Yanran. Her eyes stared blankly at Prince Jing, demanding, "Who did this…?"
King Jing watched as Chen Yu opened and closed her mouth, but he couldn't hear a sound.
He quickly looked at Cuiwei and instructed, "Take your daughter back and we'll talk about it later."
Cuiwei and Yanran helped Chenyu sit on the recliner. Rong Mama hurriedly brought a quilt to cover Chenyu's legs, choking back tears as she said:
When the girl was still young and couldn't remember anything, she was injured in the leg by the Second Young Master Gu. At that time, the girl's legs were afflicted with a chronic condition, and the doctor said that she should not be exposed to cold.
Last year on the night of the Autumn Equinox, the girl suddenly couldn't stand up. It's likely she caught a cold today and is unable to stand.
[Granny, don't be sad. Chenyu will be fine after a day or two of rest. Please invite Prince Jing in first; I have something to ask him.]
Upon hearing this, Yanran led Rong Mama and Cuiwei away.
King Jing walked in, smiling faintly, but his eyes were red.
Shen Yu tilted her head to look at Prince Jing, pointed to the armchair opposite her, and before Prince Jing could sit down, she hurriedly asked, "Who killed them? Young Master Qiu must have investigated this matter, right?"
King Jing turned around and stood beside the recliner, taking out a handkerchief and handing it to Chen Yu.
Upon closer inspection, Shen Yu discovered it was just a small piece of cloth and some herbs.
This piece of cloth is quite special; it's a silk brocade embroidered with peonies, a material reserved for the wealthy and noble.
Looking at the herbs, they are some precious herbs that repel mosquitoes and insects.
Therefore, it can be inferred that the perpetrator's sachet must have been broken, which is why this piece of cloth and herbs were left behind.
Shen Yu was immediately shocked. She thought that Hong Yu had never left Jiaofang Palace in the past half month and had not allowed anyone to pay their respects. Could it be that Hong Yu was behind this?
No, Hongyu doesn't know martial arts, so how could she travel thousands of miles to the frontier to kill people?
She gripped the piece of cloth tightly in her hand and asked in a low voice, "How many murderers are there?"
There was only one woman.
Chen Yu was taken aback and asked again, "Are you sure?"
[It's confirmed. Only one suspicious woman entered and exited the city gate that night. Later, Young Master Qiu sent men to chase after her, and they caught up with that woman. Although she looked petite and frail, she was highly skilled in martial arts and could fight against a hundred men single-handedly, which allowed her to escape.]
Upon hearing this, Shen Yu's face was filled with uncontrollable rage. She tried to get up and leave, but before she could stand up, she fell back onto the recliner.
Seeing this, Prince Jing panicked and reached out his arms to catch Shen Yu. Seeing her collapse onto the recliner, he quickly withdrew his arms, straightened up, and looked at Shen Yu, asking: "Do you know who the murderer is? Is he in the capital?"
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