In the backyard of the Taoist temple, Jin Yu intended to leave. She was still thinking about bringing those villains she had just encountered before her father. But Zhongli Mingye wouldn't let her go.
"I've made an appointment with your father today," he said.
What? She was a bit confused about what the Prince Yu was up to.
"In that case, this humble daughter should leave first," she replied.
"Your humble subject pays respects to Prince Yu!" Song Qinzhou arrived at the Taoist temple as promised and immediately spotted his own daughter.
At this moment, Song Jinyu was quite nervous. How could she explain to her father why she was in this Taoist temple, and with the current Prince Yu?
"Get up. I just happened to meet Miss Song, who came to the temple to pray," Zhongli Mingye said, looking at Jinyu's blushing face with a half - smiling look in his eyes. He gritted his teeth slightly, longing to kiss her.
"Greetings, Father."
While the three of them were exchanging pleasantries, He Shuda came out of the guest room.
He happened to meet Song Qinzhou and was really flustered. But as the number one young master in Liuzhou City, he quickly adjusted his mood, stepped forward to bow, and greeted his future father - in - law.
"Why is Young Master He here?" Prince Yu Zhongli Mingye asked.
Song Qinzhou introduced He Shuda, and He Shuda answered truthfully, "I'm here studying in seclusion to pursue the imperial examinations."
Suddenly, Song Jinyu beside them burst into laughter. This made He Shuda look at her, and he was immediately stunned by her beauty: a pair of bright eyes full of a faint smile; a pair of slender eyebrows gently arched. Even without makeup, her elegant beauty was still overwhelming.
He Shuda suddenly thought that the girl standing beside Lord Song might very well be the legitimate daughter of the Song family. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he just hoped that Song Wangqiu wouldn't show up at this moment.
But just as he feared, Song Wangqiu was now fully dressed. She thought He Shuda had left earlier, but unexpectedly, she ran into him in the backyard. Looking up, she saw her uncle and cousin Song Jinyu.
In an instant, her face turned pale. She had no choice but to muster up the courage to step forward and greet them.
Song Qinzhou watched as Song Wangqiu came out of the room where He Shuda had been. In an instant, he understood everything!
Prince Yu suddenly laughed, "So it turns out that when Young Master He studies, he actually has a beautiful lady accompanying him."
There was a coldness in his tone. Cold sweat dripped down He Shuda's face, but he didn't know how to respond.
Song Qinzhou looked at his useless niece and only hated himself for being so tolerant of the second branch's evil ambitions. He had almost harmed his own daughter.
"I've heard that the Song family and the He family intend to form an alliance through marriage. In that case, you two can be regarded as an engaged couple," the prince said, thus finalizing the marriage between the Song and He families.
He Shuda's mind raced, but he was helpless.
Song Qinzhou only knew that his own daughter must never marry this young master in front of him.
He immediately replied, "My younger brother will surely be overjoyed."
Just as He Shuda was about to say something in defense, he heard the prince continue, "Since that's the case, I'll prepare a generous gift to congratulate Young Master He and Miss Song Wangqiu on their great joy."
Song Wangqiu beside them was overjoyed and quickly knelt down to kowtow.
This left Song Jinyu and Niaoniao dumbfounded. The big matter weighing on her mind was actually settled like this.
She was secretly happy but didn't want her father to notice.
"Jinyu congratulates Sister Wangqiu on marrying into a noble family."
Song Wangqiu couldn't hide her joy, "Thank you, Sister, for your kind words." A hint of mockery showed on her lips. So what if you're the legitimate daughter of the Song family? I'm marrying the number one young master in Liuzhou City. In the future, I'll be a relative of Concubine He.
Thinking that the glory and wealth were within her reach, Song Wangqiu couldn't help but feel elated. This made Niaoniao furious.
He Shuda's face turned deathly pale. He knew that he had really offended Magistrate Song today and lost the potential support for his future official career.
His cold gaze shot at Song Wangqiu like an arrow, but unfortunately, Song Wangqiu was still immersed in her joy.
Back at the Song mansion, Jinyu was in a great mood, but Niaoniao was extremely angry, "It's so infuriating, Miss!"
"Look at you," Jinyu said as she flipped through the herbs that had been dried a few days ago.
"She's really getting away with it! There's not a single decent person in the second branch," Niaoniao said rather rudely.
"It doesn't matter. I never intended to marry Young Master He anyway," Jinyu said.
"Besides, how do you know she's getting away with it?" Song Jinyu saw things clearly. A subtle emotion welled up in her clear eyes.
"Let's wait and see," she said, stopping her actions. "Let's go and pick out a suitable dowry gift for her."
Zhongli Mingye had just returned to the prince's mansion when the steward greeted him. After a report, the prince, who remained calm even in the face of great danger, instantly darkened his face.
As soon as he walked into the front hall, he found that the hall was full of people. There were more than twenty young women waiting there.
"This humble concubine pays respects to the prince!" The sweet voices of the women echoed in his ears.
Zhongli Mingye didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
It turned out that the officials in Liuzhou City, knowing that the prince had come to Liuzhou alone, were afraid that no one would take care of his daily life. So they carefully selected young and beautiful women to serve the prince.
"Did the Song family send anyone?" The prince's face was getting worse and worse.
The steward replied carefully, "Naturally, they did. And they sent the most among all the officials, a total of five!"
He thought the prince would be happy and continued, "They are of different looks and styles. The Song family is really considerate!"