In the Golden Water Palace, Ouyang Jinse was hosting a banquet. Amid the lively music of silk and bamboo instruments, everyone was feasting and drinking. When Song Jinyu arrived, Ouyang Jinse was extremely delighted.
"Little Goldfish!"
This was the first time they had met since the rejection of the marriage proposal on Tianmen Mountain.
Yan Fei knew Jinyu's purpose and simply accompanied her. He thought about how close the three of them used to be, but now they had to keep their distance for the sake of their sects.
"Coincidentally, I've invited many martial - arts heroes and also sent an invitation to you all." Ouyang Jinse said self - deprecatingly, "I thought you wouldn't come."
"I've convinced my master." Song Jinyu motioned for Niaoniao to present the congratulatory gift.
"Congratulations on your ascension to a high position."
At this moment, Song Jinyu kept a distance from Ouyang Jinse. He saw that the beautiful young girl's eyes held not a shred of affection.
It seemed he had been over - imaginative. Well! It was reasonable that his mother's actions had made her keep her distance.
Now that there were no more obstacles between them, fortunately, she hadn't reached adulthood yet. He still had a chance to win Song Jinyu's heart.
Ouyang Jinse smiled, "It's good that you're here. You didn't need to bring a gift."
Song Jinyu scanned the hall. Many well - known and upright sects in the martial world were present.
She simply said, "I must follow my master's arrangement."
Ouyang Jinse arranged for them to be seated. He was determined to keep her for a while to talk.
After the banquet ended, many martial - arts heroes stayed overnight in the Golden Water Palace. Song Jinyu and Yan Fei also stayed.
"Your Highness, Miss Shen has been coughing non - stop," the female official Micui said worriedly.
"It doesn't matter. Let her stay if she wants," the man's hand stroked a light - colored fabric with bloodstains on it.
He wondered how she was doing on the mountain. It had been over a month since he last saw her. He thought she might have forgotten him.
"The New Year is approaching. She won't stay much longer," the man put away the item in his hand and carefully locked it in a box.
Micui retreated. Qingfeng came to report, "The palace is not peaceful."
Concubine He had regained favor and joined hands with the Crown Prince. They wanted to obtain the title of imperial merchant for the He family to restore its former glory.
Prince Yu thought for a moment. "Deliver this letter to Censor Cheng."
"Let the censor report the matter of the He family to the emperor. It's not in vain for Concubine He to scheme everywhere!" The man was expressionless. Although he was far from the capital now, he could still control the trend of the court.
Qingfeng took the order and left. Zhongli Mingye left the study and saw that it had started to snow heavily outside. Shen Yingyun was walking towards him in a cloak.
"Your Highness, this is a nourishing soup I cooked for you myself," the girl's voice was sweet and charming.
Zhongli Mingye gave a calm smile, which made Shen Yingyun even more infatuated.
"In that case, thank you, Miss," he picked up the bone soup. It was shiny, thick, and white, showing that much effort had been put into it.
But then he put it down. "You've been coughing for so long. You'd better drink this soup." Although it was a concerned remark, there was no affection in it.
After saying that, he walked away quickly.
Shen Yingyun was left alone in the corridor, feeling dejected. No wonder he was so heartless towards her. That girl must be very special to him.
These days, while wandering around the prince's mansion, she accidentally entered a remote courtyard. In that courtyard were the prince's two concubines. They were the illegitimate daughters of officials in the capital, and she recognized them.
She overheard their conversation.
"Don't think the prince is cold to us, but he's really nice to that girl," said Wancai. Her charming eyes flashed with disdain.
"Indeed. That day, he even invited her alone to have dinner in the mansion," Keran was painting her fair fingernails with flower - petal juice.
It was a waste that she had come all the way from the capital to Liuzhou. In the past few months, it was a luxury just to see the prince, let alone serve him in bed.
They thought the prince was cold - hearted, but unexpectedly, he had invited a girl to dinner.
Shen Yingyun hadn't taken it seriously at that time. But now, she had cooked the soup for him with her own hands, yet he had ignored it. Just now, she had seen him looking at the falling snow, smiling slightly with a tender look in his eyes. But as soon as she got closer, his distant tone made Shen Yingyun suddenly realize that the tenderness was not for her.
"Hey, Junior Brother!" Song Jinyu came out of the guest room at night and met Yan Fei in the garden.
Yan Fei was dressed in a black tight - fitting suit and landed gracefully from a cypress tree. He shook the snow off his body and slipped out with Jinyu.
During the day, they had found out that the place where Lady Jinhua was recuperating was in the Yuhua Cottage deep in the back garden. Song Jinyu felt the sleeping drug in her bosom and smashed it on the ground. A fog immediately rose, and the guards fell to the ground, weak all over.
Yan Fei used his light - body skill to take Jinyu into the cottage. The room was deathly silent, as if there was no sign of life.
"Creak"
The door was pushed open, and Lady Jinhua on the bed opened her eyes wide.
"Ah... Qiu... Choo"
Lady Jinhua seemed to see Qiushuixin in her youth. Her pupils dilated, and the fear in her heart was about to burst out.
Song Jinyu looked down at her. It was this woman who had sent people to assassinate her again and again.
She had always been curious. She was just a daughter of a provincial governor's mansion and a female disciple with little presence on Tianmen Mountain. How had she offended Lady Jinhua so much that the woman wanted to kill her?
It was not until a few days ago, when she learned about the past romances, that she finally realized that she was Lady Jinhua's knot.
"My mother said she misses you very much!" Song Jinyu's ethereal voice rang in Lady Jinhua's ear,
It was like a death - knell. She kept trembling, wanting to stay away from that face, but she couldn't move.
"She said she was in great pain."
"The blood was bright red. And the poisonous insects crawling out of her body were really uncomfortable," Song Jinyu said while drawing something on Lady Jinhua's face with her finger.
The cold touch was like a poisonous snake sliding on her body. Lady Jinhua was extremely terrified!
But she couldn't make a sound. Her expression fell into Jinyu's eyes. She finally confirmed that this woman was the murderer of her mother.
All for a man.
After verifying her conjecture, Song Jinyu and Yan Fei left the Yuhua Cottage. Her face was a bit pale, and there was cold sweat on her forehead.
Yan Fei wiped it off for her and asked softly, "Now, what are you going to do?"
Song Jinyu said coldly, "I can't kill her now, and if too much time passes, all the evidence will disappear."
"If I want to seek justice for my mother, I have to plan slowly."
"Now, in this state, she has also suffered retribution."
What she didn't say was that under the faint moonlight, she had fed Lady Jinhua a pill.
A pill that would make one wish they were dead. From then on, Lady Jinhua would never have a moment of peace.
Sometimes,
For punishing a person, death is the easiest way.
The two returned to the garden under the moonlight. Yan Fei was about to send her back to the guest room when they were stopped.
It was Ouyang Jinse.