Shen Yu made this guess simply because Prince Hong was Gao Feng's husband.
What she didn't know was that Prince Hong and Gao Feng had always been at odds. If it weren't for the fact that the Emperor and the Gao family favored Gao Feng, Prince Hong would have divorced her long ago.
Seeing her doubts, Prince Hong hurriedly explained, "I did not reach the southeast coast. I received news of the great victory on the way, so I returned to the capital last night before Yu Lang. I discussed the war on the northern border with His Majesty all night. Just as I was about to leave Ziji Palace, the Empress accused Gao Feng and the maids in the mansion of framing Hong Yu and plotting to harm Gu Xiaoliu. Therefore, I am willing to make amends by personally arresting those two maids."
"Isn't Prince Hong afraid that Princess Hong will be convicted?"
"Hmph! A prince is subject to the same laws as a commoner, let alone a mere concubine. The day after tomorrow, I will personally witness the trial of her sister by Gao Long, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review."
Prince Hong's voice was cold and filled with hatred, which startled Shen Yu. What Prince Hong said next dispelled her doubts about him.
"Madam Bai, would you be willing to cooperate with me to eliminate the Gao family? Now that the Crown Prince has been deposed, if the Gao family falls, the Zuo family will lose its backing, and Gu Xiaoliu will no longer dare to fight against you, Madam Bai."
"Ha!" Shen Yu sneered inwardly. It seemed that Prince Hong had come prepared. Turning her head, she saw Prince Hong dismiss everyone, personally close the door, and tearfully recount the events of five years ago:
"Consort Zhao Shuyuan of Prince Hong's mansion committed suicide by setting fire to her home after her family was massacred. Fortunately, Consort Gao Feng rushed into the fire and rescued her two children. The Emperor then made Gao Feng his principal consort and personally raised the two sons. Little did he know that the fire was actually a conspiracy by which Gao Feng ascended to the position of principal consort."
Shen Yu was shocked and urgently asked, "Is Prince Hong sure?"
"It is confirmed that Zhao Shuyuan did not die. She and two servants witnessed the Gao family setting fire."
Shen Yu nodded slightly. So Prince Hong was so infatuated, seeking revenge on the Gao family for Zhao Shuyuan. She then revealed her pre-planned scheme to Prince Hong.
Prince Hong nodded vigorously after hearing this, "Good, tomorrow is the day of death for the Gao family and Liu Yao'er. By the way, does Madam not know that General Bai has returned?"
Shen Yu looked surprised. "The war in the north is over?"
"The war in the north cannot be ended for the time being, so the Emperor specially summoned him back to discuss important matters. Liu Yu and Mu Nanfeng were also summoned to the palace, which must be to resolve the misunderstanding between the Bai and Mu families."
Shen Yu was furious. This was no misunderstanding! It was clearly Bai Yehua who had blurred the lines between public and private matters and had plotted to murder her father for the sake of his concubine's unborn child.
Oh no! If the Emperor allows the Bai and Mu families to reconcile, Bai Yehua will definitely cover up the truth, and Su Ma will probably not survive.
She didn't have time to say goodbye to Prince Hong. She pushed open the door and rushed out, shouting, "Quick! Back to Cheng Garden!"
------
It was already past 1 PM when Chen Yu and her six servants returned to Cheng Garden.
Jiu'er rushed over to report, "Miss, General Bai has arrived..."
"Are you with Suma? How long have you been here?"
"Yes, we just entered the hall."
Shen Yu nodded, her anxious steps never faltering, and continued to ask, "Did you say anything when you came in?"
"They said they wanted to send Su Ma back to Yixiang Garden to serve him."
Shen Yu rushed into the hall and saw Bai Yehua pulling Su Ma to leave, but Su Ma insisted on not going out.
Previously, Su Ma exposed Bai Yehua's conspiracy and sought refuge with her, who promised to protect Su Ma and her siblings. If Su Ma were taken away by Bai Yehua, she would inevitably be silenced.
She shouted, "Suma, Suma, come out here!"
Bai Yehua released Su Ma and hurriedly came out to greet her, saying happily, "Little Fish is back."
Shen Yu stared at that familiar face, that grinning, snarling smile, like a hideous demon. She wished she could pull out her hairpin and stab him.
However... now only Bai Yehua, Su Ma, and she know that Master Mu was framed by Bai Yehua.
At this time, the Emperor demanded that the Bai and Mu families live in harmony. If she were to reveal her true intentions, wouldn't she be betraying Su Ma? The many young masters of the Mu family would surely seek revenge on Bai Yehua, thus defying the Emperor's decree.
For the sake of her family's safety and to rescue Su Ma, she suppressed her anger, leaned on Bai Yehua's arm, and cried out, "General, I heard that my father colluded with the enemy and was executed according to military regulations. General, my father must have been framed."
After saying that, she grabbed Bai Yehua's arm and continued to wail, wanting to show that she did not know that Bai Yehua had assassinated Master Mu.
Bai Yehua secretly breathed a sigh of relief; his arm was no longer stiff, so it seemed that Su Ma really hadn't betrayed him.
He helped Chenyu into the hall. Seeing that Chenyu's face was covered in tears and her body was swaying, he quickly helped her sit in a round-backed chair and comforted her, "Little Yu, don't cry anymore. The Emperor said that Master's death was due to a scheme by the enemy country to sow discord. The Emperor hopes that the Bai and Mu families will continue to live in harmony and not let the enemy country's conspiracy damage their own harmony."
Despite her extreme anger, Shen Yu remained calm. The Emperor's words were merely for the sake of the bigger picture, to cover up the crimes of the deposed Crown Prince. How could he possibly care about the true cause of Master Mu's death?
She nodded slightly in agreement, and then she had to prove that she hated Su Ma to the core, in order to prevent Bai Yehua from suspecting that Su Ma had sided with her.
She took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, threw it aside, and pointed at Su Ma angrily, saying, "You lowly servant! Yesterday in the Peony Garden, Liu Xiaoniang gave me some Dugu grass to drink, which makes people infertile. That's a product of the Liao Kingdom. You must have brought it from the border to try to harm me. Tell me, who ordered you to do this?"
Su Ma hurriedly knelt down to plead, "Miss, Su Ma wouldn't dare..."
*Slap!* Shen Yu raised her hand and slapped Su Ma across the face, her voice filled with anger, "If it wasn't you, then it was Liu Xiaoniang? No, it must be you and Liu Xiaoniang who conspired to harm me."
After saying that, she turned to Bai Yehua and began to cry, "General, Liu Yao'er allowed Crown Prince and Zhang Changle to meet in secret and killed Madam Bai. She not only framed me for murdering the Bai family's offspring, but also conspired with Su Ma to harm me. General, please have them both beaten to death."
Bai Yehua's face darkened. As soon as he entered the capital, he was summoned to the palace by the Emperor. The Emperor told him two major events: Bai's mother had been murdered by Zhang Changle, and the influx of refugees into Yixiang Garden had caused Liu Yao'er to miscarry.
Although he dared not question it, he knew perfectly well in his heart: how could Zhang Changle, a weak woman, kill her mother and Granny Liu? The Crown Prince must have been involved. Furthermore, Liu Yao'er wrote a letter falsely claiming that Chen Yu had murdered the Bai family's offspring, which led him to kill Master Mu.
Right now, he doesn't want to pursue the matter, nor can he kill the crown prince to avenge his mother's death.
With the Crown Prince deposed and various factions secretly vying for power, he has yet to find a new patron. Although Mu Nanfeng has rendered great service at this time, he is still no match for the Gao family. As long as Prime Minister Gao is still alive, he must rely on Liu Yao'er. As for the Mu family, he cannot afford to offend them either. To ensure that news of his assassination attempt on Master Mu is not leaked, Su Ma must be eliminated.
Seeing that Shen Yu's face was flushed with anger, he took her hand and pulled her into his arms, gently comforting her: "Little Yu, don't be angry. I have already questioned her. Su Ma is just a refugee from the border region. She only came to Yixiang Garden to follow you. Since you don't like her, send her to Mudan Garden to serve you. As for Dugu Cao, allow me to go back and question Liu Xiaoniang properly. I will definitely give you an explanation tomorrow."
After saying that, he gestured for Su Ma to get up and leave with him.
"General, do you perhaps intend for Su Ma and Liu Xiaoniang to plot against me?"
Shen Yu suddenly broke free from Bai Yehua's hand, thinking to herself that, given Bai Yehua's personality, he must want to take Su Ma away to silence her and eliminate any future troubles.
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