Hongyu's right knee did indeed swell up.
Seeing this, Shenyu became suspicious. Even if Hongyu was injured, there was no need for her to be clinging to Songhua's neck. To prevent Hongyu from getting close to Songhua again, Shenyu made an excuse that she had urgent business and took Hongyu away from the Mu family.
Before he even stepped out the door, a hearty laugh rang out, "Hahaha... General Mu is now a father, and I wish to adopt the eldest son of the Mu family as my godson."
“Excellent! It is truly a blessing for our family that my son has gained the favor of Prince Lu. If Lingrong knew, she would be overjoyed…”
"Is Lingrong the eldest daughter of the Mu family? I saw Master Mu at the county government office yesterday."
Mu Nanfeng and Prince Lu entered the Mu residence side by side, chatting and laughing.
This Prince Lu truly lived up to his reputation as the Emperor's favored sixth prince. He wore a white jade crown, exuding elegance and competence; his purple robe was smooth and flowing; the emerald jade pendant at his waist swayed with his steps, and a small jade bead the size of a soybean dangled beneath it, adding a touch of playful charm.
Seeing Chen Yu approaching aggressively, with a maid supporting Hong Yu behind her, who appeared to be injured.
King Lu stopped in his tracks and looked at Mu Nanfeng.
Mu Nanfeng hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Is Yu'er leaving? Why not wait until lunchtime? What's wrong, Miss Hongyu?"
"Chen Yu has met with Prince Lu."
“Hongyu greets Prince Lu and General Mu. I accidentally injured my leg, and Sister Yu is in a hurry to go back and apply medicine for me, so we will not be able to dine here.”
"My palanquin is right outside the gate, please don't find it inconvenient, Miss Hongyu." After saying this, Prince Lu went outside and instructed the people of Prince Lu's residence to send Hongyu back.
Back at Chengyuan, Hongyu hurriedly went to her room, took off Chenyu's clothes, and changed into her own gorgeous attire, carefully dressing herself up.
She was waiting for Songhua. Just now, Songhua had carried her ashore, and she had taken the opportunity to hide the red jade earring inside Songhua's clothes when he wasn't looking. If Songhua was interested in her, he would definitely come looking for her; if Songhua didn't come, she could use the excuse of looking for the earring to go to Songhua.
It wasn't until dusk that someone visited Chengyuan, and Hongyu observed from the shadows.
Mu Nanfeng hurriedly approached Shen Yu with the invitation in hand. "Yu'er, Consort Kong is hosting a polo match at the Kong family tomorrow, inviting unmarried young men and women from the royal family and nobility to participate. Shen Jing is also among the invitees. You know that your mother is not in good health, and your sister-in-law has been suffering from severe morning sickness these past two days. I can only ask you to take Shen Jing to the Kong family."
Shen Yu looked troubled. This trip would inevitably lead to an encounter with Prince Jing. She wasn't avoiding him, but simply didn't want to provoke Shen Jing. Shen Jing was fiercely competitive and narrow-minded; just because Prince Jing had proposed to her, Shen Jing had been at odds with her. The storyteller on the street had been bribed by Shen Jing. If she took Shen Jing to the banquet at the Kong family's residence, she feared people would laugh at their sisterly discord.
Seeing her hesitation, Mu Nanfeng understood the reason and quickly said, "Yu'er, don't worry. Prince Jing has replied to our family and will marry Shen Jing on the 28th of next month."
Shen Yu nodded. Now that Shen Jing and Prince Jing's marriage was settled, Shen Jing would probably no longer be hostile towards her. So, she agreed to the matter.
------
Just then, the Grand Tutor's mansion sent someone to find Hongyu, saying, "Grand Tutor Zhang is seriously ill and urgently wants to see Miss Hongyu."
Hongyu rushed back to the Grand Tutor's mansion. As soon as she entered, she saw a figure holding a cane walking towards her. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the person had gray hair and, even when he smiled at her, he had a cunning and treacherous appearance with a pointed mouth and monkey cheeks.
She watched in astonishment as the man left.
"That man was looking for your father, saying he was from your clan, Zhang Manguan."
Hongyu turned her head and saw that Yan Wang had come to her side, grabbed her wrist, pulled her into the room, and held her tightly in his arms.
Hongyu struggled and resisted fiercely. Not to mention that Yan Wang divorced her to avoid being accused of matricide, the fact that Yan Wang was having fun in Qiu Shuang'er's room while she was bleeding heavily and on the verge of death had chilled her heart to the bone.
At this moment, being held by Yan Wang felt like falling into the hands of a despicable villain, making her feel nauseous. "Let me go! If you don't let go, I'll call for help!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard hot, labored breathing in her ear.
Prince Yan murmured, “Yu’er, I have already told the Grand Tutor that divorcing you is for the sake of the greater good. You can stay in the Grand Tutor’s mansion for now. When I ascend the throne, I will bring you into the palace to reunite with Kang’er.”
Mentioning Kang'er only fueled Hongyu's rage. Before divorcing her, the Prince of Yan had already registered Kang'er under Qiu Shuang'er's name, so how could he possibly return her?
Qiu Shuang'er is the only daughter of General Qiu, who is brave and fearless and has been guarding the western frontier for many years. He also has ten valiant sons under his command.
To forge a marriage alliance with the Qiu family and gain their support, Prince Yan divorced Hongyu, thus avoiding the stigma of being unfilial—a win-win situation indeed.
As for Prince Yan, Hongyu was no longer of any use. Firstly, the Grand Tutor's mansion was small, with only one male member, Zhang Xiansheng; secondly, Grand Tutor Zhang's health was deteriorating and he was finding it difficult to attend court.
Hongyu was fully aware of all this and could foresee that if the Qiu family assisted Prince Yan in ascending the throne, Qiu Shuang'er would inevitably become Empress. With the two vying for Prince Yan's eldest son, she feared only death awaited her. This was why she sought another path to survival; to stay alive, she had to reach the top.
As for why Prince Yan came to visit, he must be afraid that she would leak secrets, such as plotting against the Crown Prince and Prince Li, or secretly training troops in Dongsheng Village. If she reveals even one of these secrets, Prince Yan's mansion will be destroyed.
But for Hongyu, the time was not yet ripe. The Emperor had fourteen sons. The Second Prince and the Eighth Prince had already died on the battlefield, and the Fifth Prince, Prince Hong, had been assassinated. Now, there were only eleven princes still alive. Currently, only three could rival Prince Yan: the former Crown Prince, Prince Heng; the Third Prince, Prince Li, who guarded the northern border; and the Sixth Prince, Prince Lu.
Yan Wang must have come to her door because he was afraid she would associate with Lu Wang.
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