In order to protect Liu Yu, Shen Yu instructed Liu Yu to feign illness and avoid both visiting Yan Wang and meeting with the Crown Prince.
She took a note, ran outside, and secretly slipped it into the sedan chair of the Prince Yan's residence. Just then, she heard the plump nanny shouting, "Miss, hurry inside and see! Cuiwei has been tied up..."
------
In the hall.
Madam Mu, restless and furious, pointed at Cuiwei and scolded, "How dare you lay a hand on Miss Yanran? Miss Yanran is the legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion and the Empress's own niece. Do you have a death wish..."
The Duchess was even more furious and said angrily, "Madam Mu, please calm down. This maid has committed insubordination and acted ruthlessly. In my opinion, she should be sold off as soon as possible."
After speaking, the Duchess took a handkerchief and wiped Yanran's lips.
"Ouch..."
Yanran stood up in pain, her hair swaying, and limped over to Cuiwei. She kicked Cuiwei in the waist, "You stinking Weiwei, you don't know what's good for you! Not only did you slap me, but you also tried to throw me over your shoulder. Madam Mu will sell you off in a minute..."
"Madam is wise. Miss Yanran was disrespectful to Cuiwei, and Cuiwei was only trying to protect herself."
After Cuiwei finished speaking, she turned to look at the door. It wasn't Chen Yu who rushed over, but Liu Yu.
Liu Yu, supported by two servants, entered the hall, sat on a side seat, and waved for the servants to leave.
He knew exactly what kind of person Yanran was. If he wanted Yanran to marry with a clean slate, he could only wrongly accuse Cuiwei.
So he glared at Cuiwei and scolded her sternly, "Cuiwei, don't talk nonsense. My sister is of marriageable age. What you're saying is ruining her reputation!"
“Young Master Liu, Cuiwei is not talking nonsense. Miss Yanran tore Cuiwei’s clothes to give her a bellyband. The bellyband is in her sleeve, and it is red.”
Upon hearing Cuiwei's words, Madam Mu was already astonished. What Cuiwei said made sense and was well-founded. It seemed that the Duke's mansion was a den of snakes and rats, all with unspeakable fetishes. She wondered what kind of fetishes the Duchess had!
The Duchess blushed with embarrassment and was anxiously thinking about how to clear Yanran's name.
The emperor's brother-in-law was of questionable character, and Yanran was just as bad, which was why Yanran was still unmarried at the age of seventeen.
Normally, Yanran would bully the maids, and the Duchess would turn a blind eye, thinking that the young ladies wouldn't cause any trouble. Who would have thought that Yanran would actually lay a hand on Chenyu's maid!
At this moment, Chen Yu rushed in and saw Cui Wei kneeling on the ground, bound and with her collar torn and several scratch marks on her neck.
Just now, Yanran took Cuiwei away. It must be that Yanran intended to do something improper to Cuiwei.
She helped Cuiwei up and untied her.
Fearing that she would be accused of insubordination, Cuiwei knelt on the ground and confessed everything to Chenyu in order to prove her innocence and avoid punishment.
"Miss Yanran tore Cuiwei's collar and tried to commit adultery with her. Please, Miss, do justice for Cuiwei..."
The Duchess jumped up, slammed her hand on the table, and pointed at Cuiwei, shouting, "Shut up! How can the legitimate daughter of my dignified Duke's mansion have her chastity ruined by a lowly servant? Guards! Lock Cuiwei up! This matter will be reported to the Empress for a final decision!"
The only solution the Duchess could think of was to lock up Cuiwei to prevent Yanran's peculiarities from being revealed. Little did she know, Chenyu already knew.
The door opened, and two guards entered. Chenyu shielded Cuiwei behind her.
Even if the Duchess wanted to protect Yanran's reputation, she couldn't punish her Cuiwei.
Actually, a simple search of Yanran's body would have proven Cuiwei's innocence by finding the red undergarment. However, that would also have confirmed Yanran's shameful affair.
She was caught in a dilemma. She looked at the Duchess, who naturally looked guilty and avoided eye contact. As for Liu Yu, his face was red and his eyes were uneasy.
"I will handle this case."
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw two old women helping the Empress in from either side.
Madam Mu, the Duchess, and Liu Yu hurriedly rose and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
The Empress sat in the center, with two matrons standing beside her.
Madam Mu, the Duchess, and Liu Yu sat on the side seats, while the guards withdrew.
Actually, the Empress came out to look for Prince Yan. When she saw the Mu family's carriage parked in front of the Duke's mansion, she thought she would come in and take a look. Little did she know that she would stumble upon Yanran's shameful affair.
Very good. Madam Mu and Chen Yu are also here, which confirms Yanran's peculiarities and will also make Madam Mu utterly disappointed with the Duke's Mansion.
"Since Cuiwei says that Yanran is hiding a red undergarment in her sleeve, let's look for it. If we can't find the red undergarment, then it's not too late to punish Cuiwei."
As soon as the Empress finished speaking, two maids grabbed Yanran from the left and right, and sure enough, they found a red undergarment in Yanran's sleeve.
Ignoring her injuries, Yanran knelt down with a thud, pleading in a trembling voice, "Aunt, spare my life! Yanran knows she was wrong..."
"Yanran!"
Just as Yanran was about to admit her mistake, Liu Yu stopped her.
Liu Yu, supporting himself on the armrests of the armchair, stood up, then slowly and stiffly knelt down to defend Yanran:
"Your Majesty, Yu'er has something to report. Yanran drank peach blossom wine just now, and must have lost her composure while intoxicated and argued with Cuiwei, which led to this trouble. Please, Your Majesty, wait until Yanran sobers up before interrogating her. Liu Yu firmly believes that his sister absolutely did not take liberties with Cuiwei; there must be some misunderstanding..."
"Oh? Yu'er said Yanran drank peach blossom wine, is there any witness?"
Liu Yu looked embarrassed, his eyes pleading as he looked at Chen Yu. Only Chen Yu's testimony could protect Yanran's innocence.
Since Shen Yu and Liu Yu are of the same mind, she will naturally help Yanran testify.
She walked up to the Empress, bowed her head, and replied, "Your Majesty, Chenyu personally witnessed Miss Yanran drinking peach blossom wine."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com