"Why did you enter the palace with the imperial uncle?" He Yi was extremely dissatisfied. In her eyes, Song Jinyu should be with her fourth elder brother.
Sitting down, Song Jinyu spread her hands helplessly. "Do you think I'd like to?" Then she told He Yi, the princess, the ins and outs of how she got to know Ming Ruyi.
The latter looked strange. "Jinyu, do you know that my imperial uncle is no ordinary person."
"He is the youngest son of the current empress dowager, a few years older than the crown prince. His name is Zhongli Hong. He was conferred the title of Prince of Zhongzhou at a young age and has been away from the imperial palace for several years, always enjoying himself in the world."
He Yi looked at Song Jinyu. "It's really fate that you met him!" Song Jinyu gave her a disdainful look. "You've read too many romance novels!"
"Didn't the novels say that when a handsome young man saves a beauty, the beauty should marry him in return?" Princess He Yi said with a naughty smile.
Song Jinyu tickled her. "I'll teach you to talk nonsense!" The two young girls laughed and rolled onto the bed. "Where's my gift?" Princess He Yi reached out her hand.
"You're a princess. What can't you have?" Song Jinyu was distressed. The gift she had prepared had been washed away in the mountain flood. However, she asked Ming Ruyi to buy a box of romance novels.
"Wow! Jinyu, you're so nice!" There were no such novels in the palace. The two of them happily flipped through the novels.
Before they knew it, a day had passed.
When Ming Ruyi came, Song Jinyu and the princess were sitting together feeding the fish. Ming Ruyi sent someone to give her some gifts and then sat down with them.
His phoenix eyes were filled with a smile. He gently opened his folding fan and only stared at Song Jinyu. The woman looked embarrassed. Princess He Yi broke the awkwardness and said, "Grand Empress Dowager mentioned you a few days ago. I didn't expect you to come so soon."
"I just went to see her. She's in good health!" Ming Ruyi didn't care. The family affection in the royal family was as thin as water. If he returned to the palace too often, the emperor would surely be suspicious. It was better to enjoy himself outside the palace. Therefore, he only returned twice a year.
"Song Jinyu, the romance novels you asked this prince to buy were for He Yi?" Song Jinyu didn't understand why he brought the topic to her.
She could only reply awkwardly, "My gift was washed away in the mountain flood. Thanks to the prince's help." She glared at Ming Ruyi fiercely.
He Yi didn't care at all. "I'm very happy that the fourth elder brother let you come!"
Hearing this, Ming Ruyi's folding fan slowed down, and the smile in his eyes gradually faded.
Speak of the devil.
"His Highness Prince Yu has arrived..."
Zhongli Mingye suddenly came to Frost Cloud Palace. "Fourth elder brother!" He Yi happily ran over. Song Jinyu was also very happy. Didn't he say he wouldn't come?
At a glance, he saw Ming Ruyi, the Prince of Zhongzhou. Zhongli Mingye bowed. "Greetings to the imperial uncle..." The latter nodded slightly.
"Fourth elder brother, why did you suddenly come?"
He replied with a smile, "This prince reported to the emperor and found a treasure to celebrate your birthday."
He Yi was of course extremely happy. However, Zhongli Mingye never said a word to Song Jinyu and even seemed not to want to see her.
He Yi intended to leave some space for them, so she said, "Imperial uncle, imperial uncle, come and see. The little white dog you sent me last time has grown a lot."
But Ming Ruyi saw through her intention. "Ask the maid to bring it over. Let's all take a look together."
Uh... Why is the imperial uncle so insensitive?
His eyes were fixed on Song Jinyu. He looked at her playfully and said, "Beauty, you want to see it too, right?"
The atmosphere in the air suddenly froze. Zhongli Mingye tightly clenched his hands in his sleeves. The young girl lowered her eyes and said uncomfortably, "Yes..."
After the four of them looked at the dog in a strange way, they had dinner together. Throughout the whole process, Zhongli Mingye refused to talk to her. Song Jinyu was very puzzled. In the past, Zhongli Mingye always pestered her, but now he suddenly ignored her. She was a little unaccustomed to it.
After the two princes left, Princess He Yi poked Song Jinyu's head. "You fool!"
Song Jinyu was distressed. "You've wasted reading so many romance novels."
"Can't you see that my fourth elder brother is angry?"
Nonsense! Of course she could see it. But why was he angry? She had survived a near - death experience. It was okay if he didn't know, but when he saw her, he didn't even say a word of comfort. Why was he angry? She was angry too!
"Hey, forget it, forget it. I'll go to sleep first!"
"Maybe it's because of the imperial uncle!" He Yi hated her for being so ignorant. Don't think she was young, but she knew a lot.
Song Jinyu turned over. "It's simply boring!"
But some emotions showed in her eyes. She pouted and couldn't figure out why he was angry.
Princess He Yi: "..."
Since he heard the news that she was safe and sound, Zhongli Mingye had put his mind at ease. Then he heard that there was a young gentleman beside her. He immediately decided to return to the palace.
That person turned out to be his imperial uncle, Zhongli Hong.
News came from the Song family that she had reported her safety to her family. But Prince Yu's mansion didn't receive any news from her. It seemed that Song Jinyu didn't take him to heart at all.
When he entered the palace today and saw her chatting and laughing happily with the imperial uncle, his heart was in turmoil.
Ming Ruyi was sitting alone in the main hall of the Prince of Zhongzhou's mansion.
After a long time, he said, "Send someone to Liuzhou to investigate the relationship between Song Jinyu and Prince Yu."
Since Prince Yu entered the hall, Song Jinyu's eyes had never fallen on him again. Although Zhongli Mingye never looked at Song Jinyu, based on a man's intuition, there must be some story between them.
In his eyes, Song Jinyu was an interesting prey. Like thousands of other women, Ming Ruyi really enjoyed this process of conquest.
In the empress dowager's palace, the palace servants were kneeling.
"Ruyi came back but didn't even stay in the palace..." The empress dowager had a gloomy face.
The eunuch in the inner room comforted her, "Your Highness the prince has always liked it outside the palace. Now he came back because he missed you, Your Highness."
She was a little tired and only said, "This humble one only has this one son, but he's not close to me."
Although she knew that the Prince of Zhongzhou was trying to avoid suspicion and to reassure the current emperor, there was still a regret in the empress dowager's heart. After all, Ming Ruyi was the legitimate son of the middle palace. Unfortunately, he was born at an inopportune time. She was the successor empress of the previous emperor. Not long after she gave birth to Ming Ruyi, the previous emperor passed away.
To reassure the current emperor, she had early on requested that Ming Ruyi be conferred the title of Prince of Zhongzhou. But the current emperor was still suspicious and repeatedly warned them mother and son.
Now, the empress dowager hated the current emperor to the core. She originally wanted Ruyi to ascend to the throne, but the crown prince and other princes of the current emperor had also grown up. So she gave up the idea and only hoped that Ming Ruyi would be safe.