Everyone knows that Mu Nanfeng and the Sixth Prince are very close and often visit each other. Princess Yanghua and the Sixth Princess also address each other as sisters.
The Emperor abhorred the formation of cliques and the infighting among the princes. He preferred to believe that the princes were vying for power rather than that the Emperor's brother-in-law was plotting against Liu Yu, since the Emperor was completely unaware of the internal strife within the Liu family.
The Emperor slammed his hand on the table and angrily rebuked Chen Yu, "Mu Chen Yu! You abandoned the infant and tried to frame Prince Yan for deceiving the Emperor, and you also falsely accused the Imperial Uncle of assassinating Liu Yu. Who exactly instructed you to do this?"
This is troublesome. The Emperor is naturally suspicious, and now, influenced by the Emperor's brother-in-law, he has begun to suspect the Mu family and the Sixth Prince.
Shen Yu was frantic, unsure how to explain. Suddenly, she heard a "whoosh" behind her. Having witnessed Prince Hong's assassination attempt, she was exceptionally sensitive to such arrow sounds. She whirled around and saw an arrow already approaching Prince Yan. The situation was critical. Without hesitation, she rushed towards Prince Yan, thinking... as long as Prince Yan was safe, her two children would have someone to rely on.
"Get out of the way!" She tackled Yan Wang to the ground. Strange, why didn't she feel any pain? Where was the arrow?
Looking around, Hongyu collapsed outside the door, and four maids climbed over the wall to chase after the man in black.
This scene shocked everyone. Only after Prince Yan picked up Hongyu and left did the Emperor come to his senses and order, "Quickly, go after that assassin!"
------
Inside the bedroom, Chen Yu was bandaging Hong Yu's wound. She discovered that the poison on the arrowhead was nothing more than ordinary poison, not enough to kill. From this, it was clear the assassin had no intention of taking Yan Wang's life.
Prince Yan, still shaken, gripped Hongyu's hand tightly, tears welling in his eyes. "Yu'er, why did you shield me from the arrow?"
Hongyu gently shook her head and smiled. In fact, she had known for several days that Yan Wang would be in danger, so she instructed Fei Cui to lead female guards to attend to him.
Just now, as she was about to report the emperor's brother-in-law to the emperor, she happened to catch a glimpse of the assassin in black, so she rushed to the door and blocked the poisoned arrow.
Seeing that Yan Wang's eyes were wet, she wiped them away for him. "Yan Wang, there is no need to worry. Hong Yu is fine. I am going to see my father and seek justice for Sister Yu."
Yan Wang shook his head and smiled bitterly, "How can I get justice? I've already burned all the letters from my mother and uncle."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yu staggered back and leaned against the round table. Unable to prove that the Emperor's brother-in-law and the Empress had plotted to murder Liu Yu, she knew she had no choice but to die.
"Mu Chenyu, how dare you abandon an infant and falsely accuse Prince Yan and the Imperial Uncle! The Emperor has decreed that you go to the Dali Temple immediately for trial without delay!"
Upon hearing Eunuch Cai's voice, Chen Yu was struck dumb. She knelt down with a thud and kowtowed to Prince Yan and Consort Hongyu, weeping, "Prince Yan, Consort Yu, if I do not return alive, I beg you to raise An'er and Ping'er to adulthood, and tell them that their father was a kind and gentle man, and their mother... was also a kind and upright person..."
Before she could finish speaking, two maids rushed in and dragged her out.
The group hurried back to the capital, arriving at the hour of Xu (7-9 PM).
The Dali Temple was brightly lit, and the Emperor issued an edict that the Lord should immediately convene the court to hear the case.
Lord He looked troubled. He was originally the Minister of Works, but he had to temporarily assume the position of Prime Minister and concurrently serve as the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review. It had been more than nine months since then.
The Emperor has not yet chosen a candidate for the position of Prime Minister. However, he has already selected Bao Qianshan for the position of Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
Tonight is the last time I'll be hearing a case with you, sir, but I never imagined the culprit would be Shen Yu!
He sat upright in the hall, his hand gripping the gavel but he didn't strike it for a long time. Bai Yejing had already told him that the reason Shen Yu had deceived the emperor was because the Liu family was hunting down Liu Yu's son, and as for abandoning the child, that was the work of the Mu family.
To help Shen Yu escape punishment, it must be proven that the Emperor's brother-in-law did indeed assassinate Liu Yu.
But... Liu Yu is dead, and there are no witnesses. Where can we find evidence?
"The trial will begin."
The officials beside him began to urge him on, and Lord He slammed his gavel. Shen Yu was escorted in by two guards and made to kneel in the center of the hall.
The emperor's brother-in-law swaggered in, sat down in the armchair that had been prepared beforehand, and pointed at Chen Yu, saying:
"Lord He, Mu Chenyu falsely accused the Empress of harming her unborn child, causing the Empress to be banished to the Cold Palace. But now she has given birth to Liu Yu's son. It is obvious that she has committed the crime of deceiving the Emperor. I hope that Lord He will handle this matter impartially and without bias."
Without responding, Lord He continued to gaze at Chen Yu kneeling on the ground, and asked gently, "Mu Chen Yu, do you have anything else to say?"
Shen Yu nodded, her voice choked with emotion as she spoke, "Shen Yu only asks that Lord He... raise all my children in the Yan Prince's mansion, even if they are illegitimate children. Shen Yu does not ask for their bright future, she only asks that they... grow up safely and live a peaceful life."
"No! How dare my Liu family bloodline be relegated to the Yan Prince's mansion? Tomorrow, I will take the two children to the Duke's mansion to raise them."
Upon hearing the words of the Imperial Uncle, Chen Yu's expression changed drastically. She abruptly stood up, pointed at the Imperial Uncle, and shouted angrily, "No! You are a murderous villain, a beast in human form! Yu Lang's child must not fall into the Liu family's hands..."
Bang! The emperor's brother-in-law rushed into the hall, slammed the gavel in anger, and shouted, "Guards, throw Mu Chenyu into prison!"
"Wait!"
It was a woman's voice?
Shen Yu turned her head and saw Hong Yu walking over with the letter in her hand, shouting, "Father, Hong Yu wants to expose the conspiracy of the Imperial Uncle. The Imperial Uncle is abusing his power to eliminate the direct descendants of the Liu family. He not only assassinated Liu Yu, but also plotted to harm Liu Yu's orphan. Hong Yu has evidence, please take a look, Father."
The emperor's brother-in-law was terrified. Disregarding the presence of the emperor, he rushed towards Hongyu, grabbed her wrist, and tried to snatch the letter.
"How dare you be so insolent with the Emperor here! Stop!"
At this moment, the emperor's brother-in-law's eyes turned red, and he was only interested in seizing the letter.
Seeing this, Hongyu protected the letter to her chest. This was the last letter the Empress wrote to the Emperor's brother-in-law. She ordered someone to make a copy and sent out the fake letter, keeping the real one hidden. She did not give it to Prince Yan because she was afraid that one day Prince Yan would not be able to bear to expose the Empress.
Today, Chen Yu cannot escape the crime of deceiving the emperor, so Hong Yu has no choice but to come here behind the back of the King of Yan to expose the Empress and the Emperor's brother-in-law in order to exonerate Chen Yu.
Shen Yu hurriedly took out a fire needle, intending to stab the Imperial Uncle in the back, but was punched by the Imperial Uncle and fell to the ground unconscious.
Seeing the Imperial Uncle reach for Hongyu's chest, Prince Yan rushed forward and kicked the Imperial Uncle to the ground. He approached Hongyu, intending to pull her into his arms, but Hongyu ran to the main hall and handed the letter to the Emperor.
"Father, look! Mother instructed the Imperial Uncle to assassinate Prince Yan and frame the Sixth Prince. The letter even stated that in order to purge the Liu family's direct descendants, it's better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free, and that Mu Chenyu's two children must be eliminated..."
Bang! The Emperor was furious. He stood up abruptly and said in a deep voice, "Arrest the Imperial Brother-in-law and the Empress immediately, and have Lord He interrogate them tonight."
------
The case will be closed in seven days.
Imperial decree: Execute the Empress and the Emperor's brother-in-law; drowning the fish is an innocence.
As Shen Yu walked out of the Dali Temple, a crowd gathered around, whispering among themselves, "So, she gave birth to Liu Yu's child."
"Why is it said to be Bai Yejing? Did the two of them develop feelings for each other while spending time at the cemetery?"
"She must want to marry Bai Yejing, that's why she's acting like this."
"..."
Shen Yu scoffed, glancing up as the crowd dispersed and the Mu family's carriage approached. Before the Mu family members could disembark, a tall, slender figure passed by. "Liu Yu?" she exclaimed, rushing down the steps. After taking only two steps, she suddenly froze in astonishment.
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