At this moment, Chen Yu was in excruciating pain and could no longer move.
Cuiwei moved to Kong Xiang's feet and kowtowed repeatedly: "My lord, yesterday my young lady accompanied the old lady to Putuo Temple to offer incense. She had no idea where the young master went. If she had known, we wouldn't have been arrested in the city..."
"Oh?" Kong Xiang looked at Cuiwei and said contemptuously, "What a loyal maid! Guards! Put her on the wooden donkey—no, bestow her upon the guards in the torture chamber."
Before Prime Minister Kong finished speaking, two guards lifted Cuiwei up and left.
Wait a minute.
Chen Yu finally spoke, but her voice was weak and feeble, like the buzzing of a fly. Kong Xiang was smirking at the guards for being too impatient and didn't hear her at all.
Shen Yu could hear everything around her clearly. In order to protect Cui Wei's innocence, she slid off the wooden donkey and fell to the ground.
Bang!
Jade was shocked. "Young lady, are you alright?"
Kong Xiang strode over to Shen Yu's side and looked her over. Shen Yu's long dress was covered in blood, and her face was deathly pale.
To save Chen Yu's life and lure Ping'er out, he quickly looked at the guard and ordered, "Go and fetch the doctor."
Chen Yu shook her head and said softly, "Put Cuiwei down. I have a way to find the child."
[Oh? How could you betray your own child? You wouldn't be trying to trick me into your trap, would you?]
Although Shen Yu shook her head, she was filled with fear. Kong Xiang was right; she wanted to lure Kong Xiang into the Mu family's powder keg and perish with him, rather than be humiliated.
Seeing that Chen Yu was speechless, Kong Xiang became angry and kicked Chen Yu in the stomach, slamming her against the wall.
Thump!
Shen Yu felt a sharp pain in her spine, as if it were breaking, and she gritted her teeth and groaned silently.
At this moment, a guard hurriedly ran to Kong Xiang's side to report. It was unclear what the guard said, but Kong Xiang's eyes darted around before he nodded.
A moment later, the guards led Mo Sheng in.
Mo Sheng stood before Prime Minister Kong, first bowing respectfully, and then spoke:
"Prime Minister, my young lady said that Mu Chenyu and the Liu family always use herbs as markers. Presumably, when the Liu family took Ping'er away, they also left a mark on Chenyu."
The young woman urged Kong Xiang to quickly take Chen Yu to find Ping'er, because if the clues were destroyed, they would truly be unable to find Ping'er.
Upon hearing this, Shenyu cursed Hongyu in her heart as a traitor who had betrayed her and her child.
Oh no, if Prime Minister Kong sends her to find Ping'er, how is she going to get away with it?
Fortunately, Prime Minister Kong said, "I'm afraid Mu Chenyu is just playing a trick on me."
"Prime Minister, there's no need to worry. I've been learning medicine from my father since I was little, and I know three thousand kinds of herbs. I can naturally keep an eye on Mu Chenyu. My lady also said that I should obey your orders, Prime Minister."
Alright, let's set off with Mu Chenyu.
Chen Yu was in excruciating abdominal pain and curled up, trembling. Two guards came over and suddenly pulled her up.
She was bent over, unable to straighten up, her stomach aching unbearably, and her legs were weak and powerless. As soon as the guard let go, she staggered and leaned against the cold wall.
Splash...
She fell to the ground, and several instruments of torture fell to the ground.
The guards carried in the shackles, but Prime Minister Kong raised his hand to stop them. "She can no longer walk; with the shackles on, she'll be completely immobile. We might search until nightfall and still not find Ping'er. Let Cuiwei and Feicui help Mu Chenyu set off."
With her hands covering her abdomen and her body hunched over, Chen Yu was helped out of the torture chamber by Cuiwei and Feicui.
The three women walked down Songgui Street, all disheveled and filthy, with iron chains on their feet. They left behind pairs of bloody footprints in the path they walked.
Passersby peeked and saw that Chen Yu's long dress was blood red, and the soles of her shoes were also soaked in blood.
Although the people felt sorry for her, they dared not linger or ask questions, because behind Chen Yu were Prime Minister Kong's carriage and hundreds of guards.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the Herb Garden, Mo Sheng stepped forward, bent down to search, picked up a lavender seed, and said, "Use lavender as a marker."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yu initially didn't want to search anymore, but considering it was winter and she was worried that her family would catch a cold, she made Qianghuo sachets for them as soon as winter arrived, and her family members all wore them in front of her.
How could it be lavender?
She looked at Mo Sheng.
Mo Sheng raised an eyebrow and looked over, saying sharply, "Stop dawdling and lead the way!"
As darkness fell, Chen Yu followed the lavender to the entrance of the West City Villa.
This was once the villa of Prince Hong. It was here that Chen Yu met Liu Yu. During their only time together, she became pregnant with An'er and Ping'er.
Later, Liu Yu and his family lived here.
It's perfectly normal for Yanran to have fled here with her child.
Kong Xiang led several guards into the courtyard and ordered them to inspect the entire courtyard before allowing Chen Yu to enter.
At this moment, Chen Yu realized that Hong Yu and Mo Sheng would not have led Kong Xiang here for no reason; they must have set up an ambush.
She scanned the courtyard, where countless sawdust shavings rolled in the wind. In the center of the courtyard was a coffin with its lid half open. Upon closer inspection, it was empty.
Suddenly, the lights came on inside the room. Chen Yu stumbled towards the house, shouting, "An'er, Ping'er, run away!"
Mo Sheng looked at Prime Minister Kong and asked, "Prime Minister, aren't you going in?"
Kong Xiang, fearing a trap, stood beside the coffin and scoffed, "Ha! The guards have surrounded the courtyard, and besides, the three of them, mistress and servants, are shackled. Do you think they can escape? Take men in and drag Chen Yu and Ping'er out."
Mo Sheng nodded and strode toward the house. She and Hong Yu had already discussed their plan: there were iron cannons hidden near the West City Villa. Wherever Kong Xiang was, there would be an explosion. Since Kong Xiang was in the villa, the explosion would happen in the villa.
Before Mo Sheng could even enter the house, gunpowder pellets were fired into the courtyard—BOOM! BOOM…
The explosion was like thunder, and in the already dim night, the earth collapsed and smoke billowed into a chaotic mess.
------
Midnight (11 PM - 1 AM).
Kong Xiang kicked open the door of the Jiaofang Palace.
Hongyu suddenly woke up and saw Kong Xiang standing by the bed with a disheveled face and messy hair. She immediately sensed something was wrong.
Oh no, Kong Xiang isn't dead. He's probably here to settle scores with her.
indeed.
Kong Xiang was always calm and cautious, and he was wary of Hongyu's sudden compliance. Although there was nothing unusual about the villa in the west of the city, he remembered that Madam Jia had said before her death that she wanted to die with him using gunpowder, so he stood guard by the coffin.
Sure enough, gunpowder exploded. He jumped into the coffin and fortunately survived. The first thing he did upon returning to the capital was to go straight to the Jiaofang Palace to punish Hongyu.
Hongyu, feeling guilty, asked in a trembling voice, "Prime Minister, what's wrong? I was helping you bathe and change."
After saying that, she carefully got out of bed, but Kong Xiang grabbed her arm and threw her onto the bed.
"Trying to fight me? Don't think I don't know what you've done. I treated you with all my heart, and you're thinking of killing me?"
I rescued you from the torture chamber, and I could have sent you there as well.
Guards! Take Zhang Hongyu to the torture chamber and subject her to severe torture unless she reveals Mu Chenyu's whereabouts.
Although Hongyu was terrified, she firmly believed in her heart that the person who could command the heroes would definitely rescue her.
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