Chapter 53: The maidservant took the dishes on the tray and...
The maid placed the dishes on the table one by one. Between placing the dishes, she would occasionally glance at Liu Yiyi who was sitting by the window.
He looked so distraught again. The maid sighed inwardly.
After arranging the plates and chopsticks neatly, she walked over to Liu Yiyi, leaned down slightly, and gently reminded her, "Madam, it's time to eat."
Liu Yiyi was still looking out the window with empty eyes, her gaze unfocused, and no one knew what she was thinking.
"Let's put it there for now." His tone sounded very depressed.
Seeing her increasingly thin and tapering jawline, the maidservant was filled with worry and couldn't help but persuade her, "Madam, Chunlan told me you barely touched your chopsticks yesterday. If you continue like this, your body won't be able to handle it. You should eat a little more."
After spending so much time with her, the maid had pretty much figured out Liu Yiyi's personality. Although Liu Yiyi had a cold and aloof personality, she was quite kind to the servants.
Liu Yiyi seemed to have listened carefully, and finally withdrew her gaze from the window. She slowly stood up and walked towards the dining table, asking casually, "Why are you delivering the food today? Where's Chunlan?"
The maid helped her along and replied, "Master Sun just came over with a guest, and Steward Fu asked her to help make tea."
"Lord Sun"
Seeing Liu Yiyi suddenly stop, the maid was a little confused and hurriedly explained, "Yes, it's Master Sun Zhiming, who is by the Master's side. He brought a stranger here today, and it seems he wants to discuss something important with the Master."
Discuss something? Liu Yiyi frowned slightly, and the worry in her heart began to surge again. She asked,
"Where is the master now?"
The maid was made nervous by her sudden serious expression. "In... in the meeting hall of Zhongxuan Building."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Liu Yiyi walking out in a hurry.
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Inside the meeting hall, a shrill voice asked, "Have you found the courtesan at Ningxiangju?" The voice seemed to be squeezed out from between the narrow upper palate and nasal cavity, with an indescribable weirdness.
"Replying to the father-in-law, I'm still looking."
The voice suddenly rose in pitch and became even sharper. "What's going on? How could such a good person just disappear for no apparent reason? Could it be that the people from Sky Eagle Pavilion have hidden her?"
"It shouldn't be. My subordinates and others saw Guo Yan from the Sky Eagle Pavilion, and they are also looking for him everywhere."
Tuoba Xuan, who had been silent the entire time, also spoke slowly at this time, "Eunuch Huang, Fang Buyu is still imprisoned. After the death of his father, Chen Weiyu will definitely change his confession again, which will be beneficial to rescuing Fang Buyu. There is no reason for Tianying Pavilion to hide him."
In fact, Tuoba Xuan had been incredibly troubled for the past two days. He couldn't figure out what was going on. Who was behind this? What was their motive? He ran through the suspicious individuals in his mind, pondering any possible oversights, but he couldn't figure it out. Who could have taken Chen Weiyu away so stealthily at such a crucial moment?
Eunuch Huang cleared his throat and spoke again, "Prime Minister Tuoba, I'm sure you're aware that the Emperor officially handed Fang Buyu's case over to the Imperial Guards yesterday. Jiang Han will arrive in Jiusu County today. At this critical juncture, the key witness in the Ningxiang case has disappeared. I'm afraid the situation is not good!"
This statement seemed like a calm analysis, but in reality, it concealed a strong sense of pressure. Sun Zhiming quickly stated, "Don't worry, Eunuch Huang. I've already sent more people to search. I believe they will find the missing person soon..."
Tuoba Xuan waved his hand to stop Sun Zhiming's words. His face remained calm as he asked, "Eunuch Huang must have some instructions for you to come this time, right?"
Eunuch Huang laughed heartily, his facial fat bulging into a ball as he laughed, his features becoming slightly distorted. "It's not really an instruction, at most it's..." He pondered the right words, "just a friendly suggestion. Although Fang Buyu is now imprisoned, he's just a witness who counter-accused. The damage he can do is really too trivial."
Having said this, Eunuch Huang paused and deliberately kept the audience in suspense, as if waiting for Tuoba Xuan to ask questions so that he could then reveal his true intentions.
But Tuoba Xuan remained silent. Seeing Eunuch Huang's expression gradually becoming grim amid Tuoba Xuan's silence, Sun Zhiming, who was standing beside him, quickly took over and asked, "Then what should we do?"
Eunuch Huang's tense face finally relaxed a little, and he picked up the cup of tea beside him.
The tea lid rubbed against the cup rim a few times, making a slight "click" sound. He blew a breath into the teacup, and his voice was heard in the rising tea vapor.
"Master means that you should cut off the roots and eliminate the trouble forever."
Tuoba Xuan froze, "How do you eradicate the root of the problem?"
Eunuch Huang took a few sips of tea slowly, his originally shrill voice seeming to become a bit more mellow due to the tea. "A small witness's counter-accusation won't be able to stop Fang Buyu for long. Moreover, this witness has become an uncertain factor now. Since Fang Buyu is so ungrateful, let's make the fire he has provoked burn even more fiercely, for example..."
"Like what?"
"For example, make a fuss about the relationship between Fang Buyu and Liu Mingzhong. Your Majesty tacitly allowed Liu Mingzhong to marry and recognize his son, based on the absolute loyalty of Liu Mingzhong and his son. What if the foundation of this trust is shaken?"
Eunuch Huang put on an unfathomable expression, a meaningful smile appeared on his face, and he looked at Tuoba Xuan and said,
"Prime Minister Tuoba, loyalty or not is determined by people. Don't you agree?"
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Chen Weiyu opened his eyes, and what caught his eye was a half-raised white bed curtain, followed by a wall made of logs, and above that, a low wooden beam roof, the rough texture of which exuded an ancient atmosphere.
Where is this?
She lifted the floral quilt covering her body and slowly sat up.
Her head was still a little dizzy, so she raised her hand to rub her temples, then shook her head vigorously, trying to wake herself up as quickly as possible.
Just then, a female voice came from the door, "Miss Chen, are you awake?!"
The voice seemed familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere. Chen Weiyu looked up and saw who it was.
Isn't this Zhao Hui, the owner of the silk shop? How did she appear here?
Zhao Hui walked into the room and placed the dishes she was carrying on a small wooden table. She then walked over to the bed and sat down, asking with concern, "Miss Chen, are you feeling better?"
Chen Weiyu was still a little dazed, with confusion in her eyes, "Mrs. Zhao, why am I here?"
Zhao Hui gave a comforting smile in return. "Miss Chen, I will explain all your questions to you later. Now, let's eat something."
As she spoke, she stood up, walked to the clothes rack beside the bed, took down a coat, gently draped it over Chen Weiyu, and helped her walk to the table.
After helping Chen Weiyu sit down, Zhao Hui turned and took a bowl of vegetable and minced meat porridge from a tray. The aroma of the porridge filled her nostrils. She gently stirred it with a spoon a few times, letting it cool slightly. Then, she sat across from Chen Weiyu and pretended to feed her.
Chen Weiyu kept a puzzled expression and looked at her straight in the eyes.
Zhao Hui sighed, put the bowl and spoon back on the table, and looked back at Chen Weiyu gently, "Well, it seems that you won't be able to eat until the doubts in your heart are resolved."
Chen Weiyu said nothing, but the expression on her face clearly showed that what Zhao Hui said was true.
Zhao Hui also became serious, "Miss Chen, are you planning to go to the government to report the case again and overturn your previous accusation against Bu Yu?"
Chen Weiyu then remembered the relationship between Zhao Hui and Fang Buyu. She lowered her head with some guilt, "I'm sorry, Madam Zhao."
Zhao Hui held her curled up hand and said, "Child, it's okay. I know you were forced into this situation. I believe anyone else would have made the same choice as you."
Chen Weiyu continued to apologize, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry to you, and even more so to Pavilion Master Fang." She raised her head and said anxiously, as if to express her determination, "Don't worry, what you just said is correct. I plan to go to the authorities and explain everything. I won't let Pavilion Master Fang continue to suffer injustice."
Zhao Hui looked at her eager eyes, as if she wanted to atone for her sins immediately. She couldn't help but shook her head and said earnestly: "Child, if you go to the government to overturn what you said before, then do you know what crime you will be guilty of when you accuse Bu Yu?"
Seeing Chen Weiyu's obviously clueless expression, Zhao Hui continued, "Falsely accusing a second-rank official of the imperial court is punishable by exile at the very least, and possibly even the death penalty."
Hearing this, Chen Weiyu's eyes trembled with shock.
But soon, the fear that flashed in her eyes slowly turned into a kind of determination and fearlessness that disregarded life and death. She looked directly into Zhao Hui's eyes and said, "I'm not afraid. My father is gone, and the only thing I care about in this world is gone..." When she mentioned her father, a deep pain flashed across her face. "So I'm not afraid of death. Maybe if I die, I can be reunited with my parents..."
Zhao Hui squeezed her hand, feeling distressed. "Child, please don't think like that. Living well is the greatest comfort to your parents in heaven. And Bu Yu certainly wouldn't want to see others sacrifice for him." She paused, her expression heavy as she continued, "Besides, such a sacrifice might not even save Bu Yu."
"Why? As long as I explain everything clearly and the truth comes out, what reason do they have to imprison Pavilion Master Fang?"
"Wei Yu, it's not that simple." Zhao Hui finally revealed the reason why she was here. "The fact that you are here is actually arranged by my husband, Bu Yu's adoptive father."
Facing Chen Weiyu's bewildered gaze, Zhao Hui continued, "He's well-versed in Dafeng law. According to his analysis, you've counter-sued Bu Yu, overturning your previous accusations and testimony. If you overturn your accusations against Bu Yu again this time, and if your testimony keeps changing, you'll become a tainted witness. The credibility of all your testimony will be greatly diminished, and may even be inadmissible."
Chen Weiyu's eyes widened in disbelief. "How could this happen..." She grabbed Zhao Hui's hand, almost crying in anxiety. "I'm sorry, Madam Zhao! I... I didn't expect it to turn out like this..."
Zhao Hui quickly raised her hand and patted her shoulder to calm her down. "Wei Yu, don't worry. We have come up with a plan, but we need your cooperation."
"Madam Zhao, please tell me! I will do it no matter if it means going through fire and water!"
"Child, there's no need to be like that, it's just..." Zhao Hui hesitated about what to say next and seemed to have difficulty speaking.
Chen Weiyu pressed on, "Just what?"
Zhao Hui bit her lip, but still finished her sentence.
"But after this incident, I'm afraid you won't be able to continue living as Chen Weiyu."
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