After Song Jinyu came out, she walked aimlessly along the river. She had no idea where Niaoniao had run off to, and her mind was in a complete mess.
"Little Goldfish," a teasing voice suddenly rang out, disturbing her train of thought.
"It's you?"
Since their last argument, Song Jinyu had ignored Ouyang Jinse.
Now he suddenly appeared in front of her. What did he want?
Ouyang Jinse stared at her malevolently. "Who are you so sad for?"
"What does it matter to you?" She didn't want to talk to him and turned to leave.
"What about this? It should matter to you, right?" Ouyang Jinse took out a handkerchief and waved it in front of Jinyu's eyes.
"Where did you get it?" Jinyu recognized it as Niaoniao's handkerchief and asked nervously.
"Come with me, and I'll tell you!" Ouyang Jinse smiled and tapped Jinyu on the tip of her nose, but she dodged to the side.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed Ouyang Jinse by the collar. "What on earth do you want?"
With the other hand, she activated her ring and pressed it against Ouyang Jinse's neck.
...
Jinse was shocked to see her so angry for the first time. "If anything happens to Niaoniao, I'll make your Golden Water Palace pay for it!!!"
Sadness welled up in her eyes. "You care more about a maid than you do about me!"
"Tell me, where is she?" Jinyu didn't want to waste any more time arguing with him.
"Even if you kill me, I won't tell you." Ouyang Jinse looked infuriatingly smug. He was certain that Jinyu wouldn't harm him before she found out Niaoniao's whereabouts.
"Come with me, and I'll tell you." He tempted Jinyu. It was so much fun to watch her struggle.
Ouyang Jinse's mind was screaming wildly: Beg me! Hurry up and beg me!
"Let Niaoniao go, and I'll go with you." Jinyu put away her ring and let go of him.
"Well, you're quite obedient."
In the Green Glass Studio, Zhongli Mingye had drunk a lot of wine. His eyes were hazy. At this moment, he just wanted to get drunk.
The fragrance of a woman wafted around him. "Who's there?"
"I'm the niece of Concubine He's family," He Shuyi stepped forward and curtsied.
She had seen the carriage with the prince's insignia outside the Green Glass Studio and guessed that Prince Yu was inside.
When she went in, she found that it was indeed Zhongli Mingye. This was a great opportunity. If she could get close to Prince Yu and gain his favor, she would be the envy of all the young ladies in Liuzhou City.
Thinking of this, she became even more attentive in serving him. Although Zhongli Mingye was drunk, his mind was still clear.
Seeing the woman getting closer and closer to him, he couldn't help but roar, "Get out!" Then he stood up and overturned the table.
Hearing the commotion, Qingfeng rushed in. He felt that he had failed in his duty for allowing a woman to startle the prince. He Shuyi was so frightened that her face turned ashen. She knelt on the ground and kept apologizing.
Zhongli Mingye's eyes were cold, making the woman on the ground tremble all over. After a long while, he staggered away.
He Shuyi knelt on the ground, still unable to believe why Zhongli Mingye didn't even look at her.
In the Bamboo Lily Courtyard, Mrs. Xiang stroked her belly with a serene expression. She would give birth in a few months. Jinyu had looked through many books in the past few days but couldn't come up with a suitable name. In the end, she slapped the table and told Song Chuyu, the father-to-be, to come up with one.
Since she got pregnant, Song Chuyu had come home every few days to visit. Now Mrs. Xiang's days were becoming more and more comfortable. She was very grateful to her younger sister-in-law. If it weren't for her timely return, she wouldn't have such a peaceful life today.
However, for some reason, she felt a little flustered today. She thought she was just hungry, but then a maid from Jinyu's courtyard suddenly came.
"Madam, our young lady went out early this morning and hasn't returned yet."
What? Mrs. Xiang was also panicked. She supported the maid and was about to go out to look for her.
Just then, Song Chuyu came home. He learned that Jinyu had been out for several hours and hadn't returned.
The guard, Cheng Song, who had been left in the mansion, had already gone out to look for her. Song Chuyu questioned the maid carefully and decided to go to Prince Yu's Mansion first. Jinyu had been going to the mansion every day to check the princess's pulse.
Maybe she was still in the mansion.
When Zhongli Mingye returned to the mansion, he locked himself in his study and refused to see anyone. Song Chuyu didn't find his sister in the mansion, so he left immediately. Seeing that the prince was in a bad mood, Qingfeng held back the news that Song Jinyu was missing and planned to report it in the morning.
At night, Song Jinyu still hadn't returned. The masters of the Song Mansion were becoming more and more panicked. They were afraid that she had been kidnapped. It would be a small matter if her reputation was ruined, but they were afraid that she might have lost her life.
"Where is Niaoniao?"
In the carriage at night, Song Jinyu kept her eyes closed.
Ouyang Jinse looked at her with a smile. "Don't be in a hurry. We're not there yet."
After saying that, he leaned towards Song Jinyu and tried to kiss her. Jinyu opened her eyes, and her cold gaze made him not dare to get too close.
...
Jinyu closed her eyes again,
sensing the road conditions. She guessed that Ouyang Jinse probably wanted to take her back to the Golden Water Palace.
While Ouyang Jinse got out of the carriage to arrange something, she quietly dropped her hairpin on the ground.
They hardly stopped along the way. She only had a chance when they stopped for a meal.
"Where are you going?" Ouyang Jinse saw her walking away.
"I need to relieve myself. Do you want to follow me?" Song Jinyu glared at him angrily.
Ouyang Jinse scratched his nose and took a few steps back awkwardly. Seeing that he wasn't paying attention to her anymore, she left the words "Golden Water" on the back of a big rock.
After doing all this, Song Jinyu could only hope that her brother and the others would find out soon.
"What on earth do you want?" She didn't understand why Ouyang Jinse would suddenly kidnap her.
"I'm the master of the Golden Water Palace now," Ouyang Jinse put away his teasing expression and looked at her seriously.
"The Golden Water Palace doesn't have a mistress yet."
"You're the best choice for me!" Ouyang Jinse leaned in closer, and Song Jinyu quickly pushed him away with her hands.
Song Jinyu suddenly felt disheartened. Everyone seemed to want to marry her. She looked at herself carefully. What was so good about her? She thought to herself: Can't I change?
She closed her eyes and ignored him. The carriage was really uncomfortable. Now she should conserve her energy. When they arrived at the Golden Water Palace, she still had to think carefully about how to escape.
Early the next morning, Zhongli Mingye was about to go to the Tiger Guards Camp when Qingfeng came to report the matter of Song Chuyu looking for Song Jinyu's whereabouts yesterday.
Hearing this, he immediately became anxious.
"Why didn't you tell me yesterday?" Zhongli Mingye was extremely angry. He hated himself for not sending her home personally yesterday.
"My lord was drunk yesterday, and this subordinate..." Before Qingfeng could finish speaking, he was knocked to the ground by Zhongli Mingye with a palm!
"Nothing is more important than her!" Leaving these words behind, Zhongli Mingye strode away.
Qingfeng mobilized all the guards of Prince Yu's Mansion and quickly followed the prince.