Bai Yejing was about to shake his head, but then stopped and only nodded slightly to appease his aunt.
Having endured many hardships, Aunt Bai naturally craved wealth. Upon hearing that the Mu family was incredibly rich, her attitude towards Chen Yu changed drastically. She tightly grasped Chen Yu's arm and said as they walked, "Chen Yu, let's move back to Yixiang Garden. You can live with me in Jingya Pavilion, so we can look after each other."
Shen Yu sneered inwardly. She only wanted to leave the Bai family as soon as possible, but the officials wouldn't allow her to. She only hoped that one day, He Yuan or Chen Mo could conceive a child, so that she could take the opportunity to relinquish the title of General's Wife.
She slowly raised her blood-stained sleeve, revealing it to Aunt Bai.
Aunt Bai was so frightened that she let go of her and backed away repeatedly: "I... I'd better go with the steward to get the silver, otherwise I won't have any clothes to change into."
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When Chenyu returned to her room, ignoring the bloodstains on her sleeves, she took out the pendant. Upon seeing this, Cuiwei was surprised and quickly took the pendant out of her sleeve and handed it to Chenyu.
Shen Yu carefully compared the two pendants; when put together, they formed a perfect circle. She pondered to herself that both pendants must belong to the villain, but… how did they end up in Su Ma's hands? Could the person who defiled her be connected to Bai Yehua? Filled with anger and resentment, she handed the pendants to Cuiwei, choking back tears as she asked, "Any clues?"
"None of the jade craftsmen in the capital have ever seen this pendant. One jade craftsman said that the carving is not from the north. His master has gone to another place. When his master returns, he can ask his master to take a look."
"What is it? Let me help Sister Fish identify it."
Turning my head, I saw that Hongyu had arrived at the door at some point.
Chen Yu hurriedly signaled Cui Wei to put away the pendant, but Hong Yu still managed to snatch one away from her as she rushed in.
Hongyu held the jade pendant, examining it closely, her mind filled with countless thoughts. Just now, she had seen Aunt Bai chatting and laughing with people on the street, looking quite pleased with herself. She had mentioned that Bai Yejing would be taking care of his sister-in-law in place of his brother, and that Chenyu also cared deeply for Bai Yejing, even taking out a thousand strings of cash to buy him new clothes.
Upon hearing these rumors, Hongyu was furious.
She was able to enter the Yan Prince's residence and become the Yan Prince's consort thanks to Liu Yu's help. She knew of Liu Yu's feelings for Shen Yu and was just waiting for the Yan Prince to ascend the throne so that he could bestow a marriage upon the two of them.
But she was unaware that... Shen Yu had been defiled by a villain.
Prince Hong has passed away, and Princess Hong is not one to cause trouble. Furthermore, Shen Yu has proven herself to be a virgin. Therefore, the rumor that Shen Yu was defiled by a villain has become self-defeating.
However, these days... Shen Yu has been deliberately distancing herself from Liu Yu, which aroused Hong Yu's suspicion. She thought that Shen Yu had changed her mind, so she forbade the servants to report and quietly came to Shen Yu's room to find out the truth.
Seeing Shen Yu's flustered expression, she deliberately teased, "Is it a token of love that your lover gave to Sister Yu?"
Chen Yu remained silent, reaching out to snatch the pendant back.
Hongyu hurriedly put her hands behind her back and angrily questioned, "Sister Yu, are you interested in Bai Yejing? Is it just because Brother Yu is penniless? It doesn't matter. After the King of Yan ascends the throne, he will definitely promote Brother Yu and give him a title. At that time, you will be a general's wife admired by thousands."
Shen Yu quickly grabbed Hong Yu's sleeve and whispered a warning: "Consort Yu, you must not make a sound. I heard that since Prince Yan returned to the capital, the Emperor has been cold to him. First, Prince Hong was assassinated, then Bai Yehua was assassinated, and the Zuo family was also beheaded. The Emperor must suspect that Prince Yan is the mastermind behind it all. At this critical moment, Consort Yu must be careful with her words and actions to avoid arousing the Emperor's suspicion."
Hongyu disagreed. With Prince Hong dead, Prince Yan was the most powerful prince, and with the Empress's help, it was only a matter of time before he inherited the throne.
She nodded slightly and said with a smile, "Hongyu will definitely remember Sister Yu's teachings. I came here today only to remind Sister Yu not to betray Brother Yu's kindness. If Aunt Bai spreads rumors again, I will certainly not let her off easily."
"Something terrible has happened! Madam, go to Yixiang Garden immediately! Something has happened to Aunt Bai."
Hearing Xia He's call, Chen Yu hurriedly rushed to Jingya Pavilion.
Aunt Bai sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, pointing at the table full of food, but she could not speak. It was clear that Aunt Bai had been poisoned and rendered mute.
She hurriedly instructed Cuiwei to report the case to the yamen, and then questioned Aunt Bai's maid.
It turned out that Aunt Bai was telling everyone she met on the street that Bai Yejing and Mu Chenyu's wedding was coming soon, and people congratulated her. Some even gave her food, taking the opportunity to curry favor with the county magistrate's aunt.
Aunt Bai had suffered greatly at the border, so she couldn't resist the temptation of delicious food. After returning, she ate to her heart's content, and as a result, she was unable to speak after eating her fill.
Aunt Bai, who was already impatient, wanted to complain to Chen Yu, but couldn't bring herself to say it, and fainted in a fit of anger.
Shen Yu examined the food on the table one by one, but found no mute medicine.
At this moment, Xia He stepped forward and reported: "Madam, Madam Bai ate the whole roast goose. Perhaps the problem lies with that goose."
"Who gave it to you?"
Xia He shook her head: "There were too many people at the time, blocking the road. It was only when Princess Yan's carriage passed by that the crowd dispersed."
Shen Yu instantly understood that Hong Yu must have poisoned Aunt Bai to the point of muteness.
She arrived at the Prince Yan's residence with a gloomy expression, only to find Hongyu drinking tea in the hall.
Hongyu lowered her eyes, savoring the aroma of the tea, and said softly, "Sister Yu is ultimately too kind-hearted..."
"It's not that I'm soft-hearted, it's just that I don't want to fight with anyone anymore. Liu Yao'er, the Gao family, and the Zuo family have all been wiped out, why make more enemies? Do I have to live in constant fear and on guard against others?"
As she spoke, Chen Yu walked to Hong Yu's side, her eyes filled with anger.
However, Hongyu didn't look at her. She slowly put down her teacup, gave a cold laugh, and then looked up at Chenyu, touching her chest and asking herself, "Sister Yu, the reason I got involved in this matter was entirely for your sake. Aunt Bai ruined your marriage with Brother Yu, and I did this to warn her not to talk nonsense! You're so protective of Aunt Bai, if it's not because you're soft-hearted, could it be that you've really fallen for Bai Yejing?"
At this moment, Bai Yejing arrived to investigate the case and waited outside the door.
Upon learning this, Hongyu invited Bai Yejing inside, as she also wanted to see this handsome man who had captivated the hearts of women in the capital.
Bai Yejing was tall and had a cold face. Although he was a cold-faced demon, his charming eyes were full of allure and made people's hearts flutter. No wonder Shen Yu changed her mind.
Hongyu was displeased, so she refused to offer Bai Yejing a seat and said coldly, "What brings County Magistrate Bai here?"
Bai Yejing, with a cold face, first bowed and then stood up to explain his purpose, "I have come to invite my sister-in-law back to the mansion to discuss family matters."
"What is it?"
"My aunt's case cannot be filed due to insufficient evidence. Therefore, I would like to ask my sister-in-law to return home to discuss business matters and purchase two clever maids for my aunt."
Hongyu frowned slightly, glanced at Bai Yejing, and coldly warned, "As the county magistrate of the capital, you only need to do your job. The affairs of Yixiang Garden will be managed by the eldest daughter-in-law. Sister Yu is shrewd, capable, and good at managing the household. Why do you need to help her?"
Bai Yejing lowered his head, his face full of anger. In fact, he already knew who had poisoned his aunt and made her mute.
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