"Greetings, Lord Xiao. May Lord Xiao enjoy good health and fortune," two soldiers said in unison.
This showed that Lord Xiao was no ordinary figure.
Liu Yushu stood rooted to the spot. Xiao He cast her an annoyed glance and raised his voice, "The imperial edict from His Majesty is here. How dare you be so bold? Kneel down to receive the edict at once!"
Startled, Liu Yushu quickly knelt down.
Xiao He unfurled the imperial edict in his hand and read aloud, "By the order of His Majesty, the guilty Liu family and their relatives have committed heinous crimes and should have been exiled to the border never to return. However, considering the plea from Prince Yu, His Majesty pardons them of many of their offenses and remits the punishment of imprisonment."
Liu Yushu said, "Thank Your Majesty for his great kindness." She respectfully stretched out her hand to receive the edict. Her hands were trembling, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
Her family was finally released.
"Miss, don't just cry. You should thank Prince Yu for this. If it weren't for Prince Yu pleading with His Majesty, you and your family would probably be in hell by now," Xiao He said smugly.
"Your Excellency is right," Liu Yushu said, looking embarrassed. "Now that our family is in ruins, there's nothing valuable left to offer as a token of gratitude. Please don't mind if I give you this as a little token of my appreciation." As she spoke, she took off the jade earrings from her ears and offered them to Xiao He.
Xiao He raised an eyebrow and snorted, "Even the maids in the palace wouldn't look twice at jade of this quality. How could you bring yourself to offer it?"
Liu Yushu felt embarrassed and annoyed. She thought the eunuch didn't need to be so sarcastic if he didn't want to accept the gift.
Just as she was about to withdraw her hand, Xiao He snatched the earrings from her. The earhook scratched her palm, leaving a red mark.
Xiao He said sarcastically, "I'll take this back to amuse the dogs. Since you've been acquitted, you should behave yourself from now on and don't do anything beyond your means."
"Yes," Liu Yushu said meekly. She had no power or influence now and had to humble herself.
After Xiao He left, Liu Yushu began to make arrangements for the old lady's funeral. She watched tearfully as the old lady's coffin was sealed. She walked in front, her tears never stopping. After the old lady's coffin was buried, she kowtowed in front of the tombstone and said, "Grandmother, you died unjustly. I will never let your death be in vain. I will never forgive those who have bullied us."
"Miss, please keep your voice down. If someone hears you and reports you to the yamen, we won't be able to bear the consequences," Nanny Xie pleaded, her eyes red and swollen from crying.
Liu Yushu nodded. She was out of favor now and had to plan everything carefully.
However, from now on, she would take every step steadily. She would rise to power and make the emperor pay the price!
Supported by Nanny Xie, she returned to the mansion. She had no appetite and went to the kitchen to get some simple food and secretly took it to the woodstore.
Wu Qing had already renovated the woodstore according to her instructions.
When Wu Qing saw Liu Yushu looking extremely haggard, he quickly got up to greet her. "Come with me. I'll protect you from now on. I won't let anyone bully you."
Liu Yushu looked up with red eyes, glaring at Wu Qing with disappointment and anger. She growled, "My grandmother was bullied to death, and you want me to leave? What good will it do if I go with you? Can it ease my hatred? Can it restore the glory of the Liu family? Wu Qing, you're so selfish. You only think about yourself and never consider my feelings. I'd rather take risks to avenge my family than stay safe!"
After saying that, she turned around and left. No matter how much Wu Qing tried to stop her, she didn't look back.
Back in her room, Liu Yushu lay on the table and sobbed silently.
Mu Chan came in and whispered, "Miss, Young Master Yi is awake and wants to see you."
Liu Yushu wiped away her tears and quickly went to her younger brother's room.
When she reached her brother's bedside, Liu Yanyi saw the fresh bloodstains on the back of her hand and asked anxiously, "Elder sister, are you hurt?"
Only then did Liu Yushu notice the large cut on her palm, which was caused by Xiao He just now. She smiled indifferently. "It's okay. It's just a minor injury."
Zui Tao brought some medicine to bandage her wound.
Her younger brother's complexion had improved a bit. "Elder sister, do you know who is responsible for our family's downfall?"
Liu Yushu looked confused. "Isn't it... His Majesty?"
Liu Yanyi shook his head. "Elder sister, you only know part of the story."
Liu Yanyi told her the whole story.
The downfall of the Liu family was definitely related to the Zhao family's accusation in front of His Majesty. However, the one who truly undermined the Liu family was not the Minister of War but the Third Prince, Dugu Mingyang. He saw that Liu Daqiang was a supporter of the Crown Prince and couldn't wait to cut off the Crown Prince's wings. So he framed Liu Daqiang with many false charges. The person who advised the Third Prince behind the scenes was Feng Ziyang, the hostage from Nanling.
The Third Prince and Feng Ziyang had long colluded secretly. Feng Ziyang bowed down to the Third Prince and repeatedly incited him, promising that if the Third Prince ascended the throne in the future, Nanling would surely submit to Dayong. This made the Third Prince very happy.
However, he didn't know that Feng Ziyang was a man with wild ambitions. He dreamed of annexing Dayong one day.
Liu Yushu was deceived by Feng Ziyang in her previous life. She knew very well that Feng Ziyang was extremely sinister. And the Third Prince was not a suitable candidate to be a wise emperor. If the Third Prince ascended the throne in the future, the consequences would be unimaginable!
If possible, she must stop all this!
She had to find a way to kill Feng Ziyang and then prevent the Third Prince from becoming the future emperor.
Liu Yushu sighed softly and told her younger brother, "You should rest well." Then she left.
She asked Zui Tao to stay and take care of her younger brother and asked Mu Chan to serve her.
In the evening, after having dinner, she whispered a few words to Mu Chan. Soon, Mu Chan brought her what she wanted in a bundle.
Under the vast night sky, Liu Yushu rushed to the woodstore. When she entered, Wu Qing looked a little surprised.
Mu Chan closed the door from the outside and locked it with three locks. She then threw the keys into the well.
Liu Yushu had previously instructed Mu Chan that if anyone asked about her, she should say that she had gone out to buy medicine for her younger brother and would not return for a few days.