After the banquet, the queen dismissed everyone to enjoy the flowers at will. Song Jinyu and Lin Ziyu followed the crowd into the imperial garden. It was afternoon, and the sun was shining brightly. The magnolias in the garden were in full bloom. Lin Ziyu picked up a great many magnolia petals, and Song Jinyu put some of them into her sachet.
"Miss Song," Shen Yingyun came over.
"Who are you?" This was the woman who had called out her name in front of the palace.
"My lady is the daughter of the current Grand Tutor Shen and the younger sister of the crown princess," the haughty maid beside her replied.
Lin Ziyu was a bit indignant. They were all young ladies from official families. Why should the maid speak on her behalf as if she were superior?
"Hello, Miss Shen."
Song Jinyu didn't like to haggle over such trivial matters, but it didn't mean she was easy to bully.
Shen Yingyun forced a smile and said, "Miss Song's calligraphy is truly excellent."
"Miss Shen's dance is the most beautiful in the world," Jinyu retorted. Everyone knew how to flatter. For some reason, Jinyu didn't like this younger sister of the crown princess. She wanted to find an excuse to bid farewell, but unexpectedly, Shen Yingyun blocked her way.
"I like Miss Song. Although the royal family has intended to arrange a marriage for the Prince Yu's Mansion..."
Shen Yingyun pretended to be shy and continued, "Since I don't have many close friends in the boudoir, I hope we can be confidants."
Song Jinyu was a bit confused. Did this girl want to make friends with her? Those who offer kindness for no reason are either up to no good or thieves. And what was this marriage of the Prince Yu's Mansion? Was she that man's fiancée?
Thinking made her head ache. That man already had a fiancée.
Song Jinyu bowed slightly and then left with Lin Ziyu to another place.
Seeing her calm face, Shen Yingyun thought to herself, "She's really good at pretending."
As Song Jinyu and Lin Ziyu were walking, a palace maid rushed over and said that Lin Ziyu's mother had sent for her.
Lin Ziyu had no choice but to leave first. Song Jinyu and Niaoniao strolled towards other yards. Before long, a palace maid came running fast with a food box and bumped straight into them. Niaoniao blocked Song Jinyu, and all the soup and water spilled on her.
"Your servant deserves to die for bumping into the young lady," the strange little palace maid kowtowed like a pounding garlic.
Song Jinyu squinted her eyes. There was something fishy about this.
The palace maid quickly stepped forward and said, "Please follow your servant to change your clothes."
She was going to see who had the audacity. Niaoniao went to change clothes first, while Song Jinyu rested in a nearby palace.
However, as soon as she entered, she smelled a strange odor.
Well! It was still the familiar formula and the familiar taste. A smile played on her lips. Everyone said that the royal family was good, but it was full of traps everywhere.
This kind of medicine. Oh! They really underestimated her. After all, she was a disciple of Tianmen Mountain.
Couldn't they come up with something more powerful?
She took a leisurely stroll around and was about to go out when someone covered her mouth. She quickly moved her wrist, ready to shoot the hidden arrow from her sleeve. "Don't move!"
A deep voice sounded in her ear. It was him!
"Follow me!"
Zhongli Mingye quickly picked up Jinyu and jumped out of the window onto the century-old banyan tree.
The dense branches just blocked the two of them.
"Put me down!"
Jinyu was in his arms, and their bodies were very close.
"You returned to Liuzhou City without even telling this prince," Zhongli Mingye scolded her without moving.
"You didn't tell me when you came back either," Jinyu retorted without showing any weakness. She put her hands on her chest and tried to push Zhongli Mingye away.
"Don't move! Someone's coming..."
Zhongli Mingye put his finger on Jinyu's lips to stop her from speaking, with a smile in his eyes.
...
"Mother, the magnolias here are in full bloom," said the crown princess.
"Yun'er is right," the queen echoed.
However, since just now, that girl had disappeared. Had she gone to find Zhongli Mingye? The crown princess was a bit confused. Why hadn't she seen Shen Yingyun for so long?
"Ah, no!"
Shen Yingyun still retained a little bit of consciousness.
Facing the crown prince, she was on the verge of tears.
The crown prince's eyes were bloodshot. He seemed to have drunk a lot of wine, and there was aphrodisiac incense burning in the room.
He had long coveted his wife's younger sister. Today, he accidentally strayed into this courtyard and happened to see Shen Yingyun in the room.
However, the wine made him extremely dizzy, shattering his last bit of reason. He pounced on her like a hungry wolf.
The commotion in the room caught the attention of the queen and the crown princess. They pushed open the door. A woman's sobbing could be heard.
The crown princess was startled. The voice was very familiar.
"Yun'er!" Thinking of this, the crown princess ordered someone to open the curtain. The queen and the crown princess saw the crown prince and Shen Yingyun in disheveled clothes on the bed. They felt dizzy at once.
"Scoundrel!"
The queen was so angry that she slapped the crown prince, while the crown princess looked at Shen Yingyun with a murderous look. Unable to bear the blow, Shen Yingyun fainted.
"Mother..."
The crown prince was awakened by the slap. Ignoring the unconscious Shen Yingyun under him, he quickly got up and chased after the queen.
The remaining crown princess looked as pale as death. She ordered someone to clean up her sister and decided to pretend that she no longer had this sister.
The palace was in a mess, while outside the palace, spring was in full swing. The position where Zhongli Mingye and Song Jinyu were located allowed them to see the general situation inside the palace.
She looked at the man in front of her. Presumably, this was all his doing.
That Shen Yingyun should have wanted to slander her innocence, but somehow she had ended up in this palace. And the crown prince, who had drunk too much wine in the first place, did he arrange for someone to lead him here, or was this whole scheme originally set up for her?
Song Jinyu got lost in her own imagination and forgot that she was still in someone's arms.
Zhongli Mingye looked at the little woman in front of him. He really missed her.
After such a long separation, his yearning was like vines, twining around his heart. He smelled the fragrance of osmanthus in her hair, mixed with the faint scent of herbal medicine.
The little woman in his arms was unexpectedly quiet for a moment. Suddenly, he couldn't help but kiss her. Yes, he missed her so much.
Song Jinyu opened her eyes wide and was stunned for a moment.
"You..." Jinyu was both shy and angry. She wanted to reach out and hit him, but there was no room to do so.
"Put me down!"
Song Jinyu pushed him away forcefully and forgot that she was still on the tree. The man also let go instantly.
So, she had a tragic fall!
"Ah..."
She accidentally stepped on empty air on the branch and was about to fall.
Zhongli Mingye reached out and grabbed her. "It was you who asked me to let go!"
The innocent look on the man's face made Jinyu want to hit him. But this man had just saved her, so forget it!
"Thank you, my lord, for saving me," Jinyu changed her attitude and decided not to argue with him anymore.
"This prince has saved you more than once," Zhongli Mingye casually pointed out this fact.
He successfully made the little woman who was about to turn around and leave stop in her tracks.
"Well, what do you want?"
She spread out her hands, looking helpless.
"You, marry me..." Zhongli Mingye lowered his head and looked into Jinyu's eyes. In those pools of spring water, there was only his own burning eyes.
"My lord, you're imitating the storybooks again," Song Jinyu glared at him crossly.
He already had a fiancée and was also looking for a concubine. Did this man want to have his cake and eat it too? Dream on! He still wanted to marry her? No way!
Humph...