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Simarui stood there for half a day without saying a word, feeling extremely sad in his heart.
This woman had also accompanied him through many things, and although the two people did not have a close relationship, they slowly became like siblings. Yu Jiao always hoped to be with Sima Zhe again, even if it was just as a concubine, but Sima Zhe never showed up again after marrying Murong Xuan, and had not come to Yu Jiao's pavilion since then, instead being taken care of by Sima Rui.
Simarui was most aware of her loneliness and helplessness. She once said that Sima Zhe liked to watch her dance, so she had to dance the best for Sima Zhe to see.
"Yue Jiao was actually a rather pitiful woman. She was originally just an inconspicuous servant at the Drunken Flower Pavilion, but because Sima Zhe was in a bad mood at the time and came here to get drunk, he coincidentally met her. Seeing that she looked similar to Hong Yu, he bought her out, built the Yue Jiao Pavilion for her, and hid her away. At that time, it was probably the happiest period of Yue Jiao's life, as Sima Zhe treated her as a substitute for Hong Yu and stayed with her every day. Until his grandmother found out that he was often not in the palace, she discovered that he was frequently leaving the palace to seek pleasure. As the crown prince and future emperor of the Great Xing dynasty, how could his grandmother allow him to be so indulgent? So she arranged for him to marry Murong Qian, using the imperial throne as a threat, saying that if he did not reform, she would pass on the right to inherit the throne to Sima Qiang, the second prince. Weighing his options carefully, he gave up Yue Jiao and chose the throne! Sima Rui said tiredly, gazing out at the autumn night outside the Yue Jiao Pavilion, and sighed, "At that time, Grandmother suspected, and Liu Fei even used this as an excuse to cause trouble. To protect his position as crown prince, he actually denied knowing Yue Jiao, and to shut Liu Fei's mouth and also to protect Yue Jiao's life, I took on all the responsibility for Sima Zhe. Actually, since marrying your sister Murong Qian, Sima Zhe has become diligent, attending early court sessions with his father every day and learning about state affairs, and he no longer leaves the palace to seek pleasure. From then on, Yue Jiao never saw Sima Zhe again. I really don't know how Hong Yu knew that Yue Jiao was Sima Zhe's woman, or why she wanted to harm Yue Jiao, and her methods were extremely cruel."
"Perhaps Yu Jiao and her resemblance in appearance is the starting point of Hong Yu's suspicion." Murong Feng stood quietly beside Sima Rui.
"But I still can't figure out how she knew about Yu Jiao's existence, unless someone told her. However, very few people know about Yu Jiao and Sima Zhe's affair, except for the Emperor, no one else in the palace knows." Sima Rui said with a furrowed brow.
Murong Feng was also somewhat puzzled, who exactly knew about this matter?
On the side, Wang Bao was already dealing with Yu Jiao's aftermath. He was a cautious and intelligent person who knew how to handle everything without causing any trouble.
Simarui slightly furrowed his brow and looked at Murong Feng.
Murong Feng quietly looked at Sima Rui, speaking slowly and deliberately: "You mentioned earlier that Liu Fei had always suspected that Yue Jiao was Sima Zhe's woman, but because you acknowledged that you and Yue Jiao were in contact, and the Yue Jiao Pavilion was built by you, with your reputation, everyone naturally believed it. Who would have doubted a crown prince, especially one with a good reputation who is expected to become the emperor of the Great Xing Dynasty? No one would believe that a future emperor would fall for a courtesan. But Liu Fei suspected and believed it. So she will let Hong Yu, who just returned, investigate, just as you imagined. Perhaps after seeing Yue Jiao, Hong Yu immediately understood that the one supporting her was Sima Zhe, not you, Sima Rui. What connection do you have with her? Why must you be infatuated with a woman who looks somewhat like her?"
Simarui nodded, "I've always thought that Hongyu was a woman who was meticulous and careful in her plans. Even Lord Wei himself said that among his several children, Hongyu was the most intelligent and cautious, handling matters with tact and diplomacy, and could be considered an all-around capable person."
"So if you go to find her, the result can only be dragging out the old affairs of Sima Zhe and Yu Jiao, letting Liu Fei take advantage of it. If the Emperor knows that Sima Zhe has been in contact with a courtesan, he will definitely be furious, and it's hard to say whether he will strip Sima Zhe of his crown prince status." Murong Feng said calmly.
"Are you going to let her off scot-free?" Sima Rui said with a scowl.
"It won't be like that, I just can't put it into words, but I feel that Hongyu's approach is too clever. As the ancients said, being too clever can lead to mistakes, and sometimes being too clever is actually foolishness. She must have some psychological issue that makes her not dare to face Sima Qiang with a clear conscience, otherwise she wouldn't try every means to curry favor with Sima Qiang and follow Liu Fei's advice." Murong Feng thought for a moment before saying.
Simarui did not speak.
"But we can only speculate, and there may be other possibilities. If Liu Fei really intervened, she could have made a bigger deal out of it without putting Yu Jiao to death. She could have let the Emperor know about this and benefited from it." Murong Feng said hesitantly, "For now, we can only wait and see how things develop."
Xiao Wu, who was standing beside them, hung her head in tears, her voice muffled as she cried quietly, with tears falling one by one, but her ears were still listening to the conversation between Sima Rui and Murong Feng.
She was Moon Jiao's personal maid, but when Sima Rui came, she rarely appeared. Because Moon Jiao said that the Fourth Prince was a good person and her own affairs had nothing to do with him. When he came, absolutely don't disturb. But Xiao Wu knew that the one Moon Jiao really missed was Sima Zhe, who was Sima Rui's older brother and the future Emperor of the Great Xing Dynasty.
But who is Hongyu? Why did she want to harm Miss Yu Jiao? It seems that the matter is related to Sima Zhe, how can we find Sima Zhe and Hongyu?
Murong Feng inadvertently turned her head and saw Xiaowu's appearance. Xiaowu's eyes made her heart skip a beat, unable to express what kind of feeling it was, only that this little girl seemed to be hiding something under her ordinary appearance.
Maybe I'm just too sensitive.
Murong Feng shook his head slightly. The women of this era were not as independent-minded as those of Bai Min's time. Even if they had their own thoughts, how could they avenge their masters in the current situation? Her master, Yu Jiao, was just a courtesan, a plaything for men. Although she was being kept by Sima Zhe, she was still a woman who couldn't be seen in public. And her opponent was the second princess consort of the Great Xing dynasty, and no one would believe her.
Maybe it's just giving up on this path.
Looking at Yuejiao lying on the bed, I thought of the last time I saw her three faces. At that time, she was charming and captivating, dancing lightly with the music, full of joy on her face. Now, there is no breath, no worries, and no attachment in her heart.
"How do you plan to settle this little matter?" Murong Feng asked, having come to this dynasty and already experienced the deaths of two people, first Lady Murong, then Yu Jiao, both of whom she knew, had spoken with, and had some connection to. Their sudden passing left her sighing at the impermanence of worldly affairs.
Simarui looked at the crying Xiao Wu, thought for a moment, "It's too late tonight, let's take her back to the mansion first, and talk about it tomorrow. Let's see if there's a suitable family, either engage her or make her someone's daughter-in-law, it's better than staying in this kind of place."
Murong Feng nodded slightly.