Prince Jing was astonished. He had indeed sent someone to propose marriage to the Mu family, but he had never objected to Shen Yu bringing a child. Little did he know, this was a fabrication by Yanran to persuade Shen Yu to return the child. Shen Yu, however, believed it and blamed Prince Jing for it.
Upon hearing that the child was missing, Prince Jing immediately ordered his guards, "Pass on my order to have Master Gu send more men to search the entire city for the child."
------
The hour of Xu (7-9 PM).
Chen Yu, without a drop of water, sat upright on the stone steps by the door, waiting for Old Madam Mu and Yang Hua. A spring breeze blew gently, and she sat facing the wind, tears streaming down her face, her gaze constantly sweeping across both sides of the road.
Passersby came and went in an endless stream, mostly heading east. Peeking out, they saw red light soaring into the sky at the entrance of the Yanwang Mansion, where crowds surged.
Cuiwei walked over and whispered beside her, "Miss, today Prince Yan is marrying his second wife, Qiu Shuang'er."
Qiu Shuang'er was accompanied by a maid named Xue'er. It was said that Xue'er and Qiu Shuang'er were actually sisters, and they looked exactly alike.
But Qiu Shuang'er couldn't tolerate her and insisted on keeping her by her side as a maid. Every year, the Qiu family would make new clothes for their servants, but they wouldn't make any for Xue'er. Therefore, Xue'er could only wear Qiu Shuang'er's old clothes—it was simply outrageous!
Shen Yu remained silent, her face filled with anxiety. Since the child's birth, she had intended to leave the baby with the Mu family while she peacefully recuperated at the mausoleum. Unexpectedly, the Mu family reneged on their promise and abandoned the child, but fortunately, she found her child. Later, the Empress and the Imperial Uncle were executed, and the child's true parentage was revealed. She thought she and her child could finally live peacefully, but the Mu family, seeking to curry favor with the powerful, set their sights on her, even secretly sending the child away behind her back.
Recalling this humiliating experience, tears welled up in her eyes. She covered her mouth and continued to look out at the street, hoping for her child's return.
"drive!"
"drive……"
Hearing the sound, she looked over and saw two people on horseback slowly approaching from the east. She hurriedly got up and went to greet them. Upon closer inspection, she realized that it was Prince Jing and Mu Li, and the two seemed to be carrying something in their arms.
Instead of leaping off their horses as usual, the two carefully dismounted, lifted their cloaks, and revealed their two children.
Overjoyed, Shen Yu burst into tears again. She quickly took the child from Mu Li's arms and handed it to Cui Wei, then took another child from Prince Jing's arms.
At this moment, she felt no gratitude towards Prince Jing. If Prince Jing hadn't said he "didn't want to marry a widow with a child," Lady Mu wouldn't have given the child to Lady Jia.
She lowered her eyes, her face dark, unable to hide her resentment towards Prince Jing, and said coldly, "Return to Cheng Garden. From now on, no one is allowed to set foot in Cheng Garden, not even members of the royal family."
After saying that, she turned and left, holding the child.
Why is Shen Yu so angry with Prince Jing? Mu Li was surprised. If Prince Jing hadn't led his men to search so diligently, it would have been difficult to find the child.
Mu Li couldn't bear to watch any longer and chased after Chen Yu, saying, "Yu'er, your mother has settled the child and Madam Jia in the Mu family's old house. It was Prince Jing who found them. Your mother refused to hand over the child, so Prince Jing brought your mother and Madam Jia back with him. He was afraid you would be anxious, so he came back with me first."
Shen Yu sneered, "Ha! Hypocritical compassion. If you hadn't mocked me for being a widow with a child, why would my mother have been in such a hurry to send the child away?"
“I never said such a thing. Someone must be deliberately trying to frame me.” As he spoke, King Jing walked up to Chen Yu, stopped her, and continued, “Lady Mu and Lady Jia will be back soon. I can confront everyone and see who is framing me.”
“Okay!” Shen Yu agreed, thinking that it would be a good opportunity to settle things in front of everyone, so as to avoid implicating the child in the future.
Half an hour later, King Jing sat upright in the hall, his eyes sharp as he looked at the two people standing in the center of the hall.
Both Madam Mu and Madam Jia looked embarrassed. Driven by their own motives, they had hidden Shen Yu's son in the Mu family's old residence, only to be caught red-handed by Prince Jing. But they were also thinking of Shen Yu's best interests; she was still young, and couldn't possibly raise a child alone. If she could marry Prince Jing, wouldn't she turn a bad hand into a winning one, making her the envy of the world?
Bang! Prince Jing slammed his fist on the table and demanded angrily, "Speak! Who said that I despise Shen Yu for being a widow with a child?"
These words were spoken by Yanran. At this moment, Yanran was waiting in the courtyard, fearing that she would be punished by Prince Jing. She had already told Chenyu the truth.
Shen Yu felt guilty for misunderstanding Prince Jing. She slowly walked into the hall, bowed to Prince Jing, and said, "Prince Jing, please don't pursue this matter. It's just rumors. I have misunderstood you, and I hope you will forgive me."
Prince Jing stood up, his face slightly flushed, and said, "It's alright. I came here to tell Madam Mu that I will not look down on Shen Yu for having a child. I will definitely treat them well in the future and raise An'er and Ping'er to adulthood."
With a thud, Madam Jia knelt down and said sadly, "Prince Jing, An'er and Ping'er are my Liu family bloodlines. I hope that Prince Jing can return the children to me."
Prince Jing was in a dilemma. Shen Yu regarded the child as her own life and would never be separated from the child. However, Lady Jia was also the child's grandmother. What should he do?
A voice cried out, "Mother!" King Jing looked in the direction of the voice and saw Chen Yu helping Lady Jia to her feet, weeping as she said:
“Mother, I once made a vow at Putuo Temple that I would marry no one but Liu Yu in this life. But fate played a trick on me, and I married Bai Yehua. Fortunately, heaven has eyes, the Bai family suffered retribution, and I regained my freedom and had Yu Lang’s child. Now that Yu Lang is gone, I am willing to enter the Liu family to serve you and raise the child, which is my way of repaying Yu Lang’s kindness.”
Hearing these words, Old Madam Mu felt a pang of sorrow, and tears welled up in her eyes. She had disregarded Chen Yu's health and gone through all this trouble, all so that Chen Yu would have someone to rely on. A widow raising a child alone would inevitably suffer gossip and even humiliation from outsiders.
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