The weather was a bit cool, and it started to rain outside. A guard rushed into the Prince of Zhongzhou's Mansion in a hurry.
"Your Highness, Shen Honghe's body has been discovered!"
Fanning himself with a folding fan, Ming Ruyi fell into deep thought. "The rumor has only been around for a few days, and the young master of the Grand Tutor's Mansion has been killed."
"Interesting, truly interesting."
Although he said it was interesting, his eyes were filled with a chilling killing intent. He took a sip of tea. "Does the Emperor know about this?"
"Send the news to the palace so that everyone in the palace knows about it." It would be best if the news spread among all the court officials. Then let's see what the Crown Prince will do!
He was happy to watch the Emperor make a fool of himself. Regardless of whether Shen Honghe was the Emperor's son or not, his death would directly implicate the Grand Tutor Shen and confirm the rumor.
Brilliant, truly brilliant. The mastermind behind this is extremely strategic! Could it be Zhongli Mingye?
If it was really him, was it for Song Jinyu? Ming Ruyi shook his head, finding it hard to believe. Was it really worth it?
In the Grand Tutor's Mansion, Lady Shen was wailing and crying while holding Shen Honghe's body in the heavy rain. She had indeed spent a night with the Emperor when she was young, and there was a possibility that Shen Honghe was the Emperor's child. This was a secret she had kept for over a decade.
Now it didn't matter anymore. Her beloved son was dead. Did the Grand Tutor do it, or was it the Emperor?
The Grand Tutor was in a complete mess. Although Honghe wasn't his son, he had raised him for fifteen years after all. He still had feelings for the boy. If he was truly the son of the current Emperor, then he couldn't die. Now that Shen Honghe was dead, the one in the palace would surely suspect him. And the Crown Prince would also be implicated because of this.
"All is lost, all is lost, all is lost..."
He looked up at the sky sorrowfully. The Shen family had enjoyed three generations of glory, and it was supposed to reach its peak in this generation. But unexpectedly, a single miscalculation had sent them straight into the abyss.
"Um..."
This was the third time Song Jinyu had been stopped by the guards of the Prince of Yu's Mansion today.
"The Prince said that the young lady's injury isn't healed yet, so she can't leave the mansion!"
Didn't she know whether her injury was healed or not? What was she doing staying in his mansion every day? If others saw her, they would think she was his concubine!
As a young lady from an official's family, her reputation was very important.
The guards firmly refused to move aside. Song Jinyu wanted to tell Cheng Song to kick them all away. But they were innocent. The real culprit who had locked her up was the one who should be punished.
Zhongli Mingye walked in from outside and happened to see Song Jinyu jumping in anger. "Where do you want to go?"
Looking down at the little girl from above, he saw her eyes darting around. What kind of trick was she up to?
"Humph..." She ignored him and was about to go back with Niaoniao. But he grabbed her. "I'm asking you. Where are you running off to?"
"Let go of me!" Despite her struggling, she said, "I'll tell Cheng Song to beat you to death!"
He glanced at her askance. "Do you have the heart?" He pulled her under his umbrella and dragged her to the pavilion in the garden. "It's raining outside. Where are you going?"
Rubbing her wrist that he had hurt, she said, "It's none of your business where I go?" She just didn't like being locked up by him.
Zhongli Mingye's face darkened instantly. He leaned closer to her. "You don't take my words to heart, do you?"
"If you don't care so much, I don't mind engraving them in your heart."
What? Before she could react, Song Jinyu was pulled into his arms again. The man lifted her chin with his hand and was about to kiss her.
"Slap..." A hand came between them. "Are you addicted to bullying this young lady?" The girl glared at him angrily. Suddenly, she took a breath and felt a twinge of pain in her wound.
Zhongli Mingye panicked immediately. "Let me take a look." With that, he reached out to pull at her clothes.
"Hey..." Song Jinyu was so angry that her wound hurt even more. Tears were about to well up in her eyes. He immediately stopped his hand. "Don't cry, don't cry. I was wrong..."
"What on earth are you in such a hurry for? Why are you so angry?" He had just come out of the palace. The Emperor's face was ashen, and he had confined the Crown Prince.
Song Jinyu calmed down and turned her head away, not looking at him. After a long time, she said, "It has been raining heavily for days. There might be trouble on Tianmen Mountain." As soon as she got the news from Cheng Song, she was extremely anxious.
So it was because of Tianmen Mountain. "It's okay. I'll make arrangements for you."
Huh? She didn't understand what he meant. "The news from Tianmen Mountain won't reach the Emperor's ears for a while."
The man stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the heavy rain outside. He said in a deep voice, "I don't care what you're burdened with. I'm willing to share it with you."
...
Was he worthy of her trust?
Their positions were completely different. Would the peace on Tianmen Mountain that she hoped for come true? Song Jinyu started to feel conflicted. With the help of the Prince of Yu's power, perhaps Tianmen Mountain would have a new lease on life. But at the same time, Tianmen Mountain would also become his power.
Power was a double - edged sword. Taking a step forward might solve the problem, but taking a step back might also lead straight to hell.
She analyzed the pros and cons clearly in her mind. Song Jinyu secretly made up her mind that no matter what, she would never allow Tianmen Mountain to get involved in the court's strife.
She said slowly, "It's an internal matter of Tianmen Mountain. I won't trouble Your Highness to worry about it."
The man turned around, his eyes showing no emotion. In the end, she still didn't trust him enough.
"You..." His mood got worse and worse, and the atmosphere in the pavilion became more and more tense. Song Jinyu didn't care about this. She admitted that she had a crush on Zhongli Mingye.
But... it wasn't enough for her to trust him unconditionally.
Suddenly, the man strode out of the pavilion without even taking his umbrella, letting the rain pour down on him.
"Hey..."
Song Jinyu was anxious. She picked up an umbrella and rushed into the rain to catch up with him.
"It's raining so heavily. What if you catch a cold?"
With that, she tried hard to hold the umbrella high. Unfortunately, she was at a natural disadvantage in height. She stood on tiptoe to hold the umbrella for him. For a moment, she didn't notice that her body was pressed against his. It felt a bit cold.
Zhongli Mingye stared at her. "If I catch a cold, what does it matter to you?"
She didn't trust him, so why did she still care about him? In her heart, was he in the same position as He Yi?
Lifting her arm had pulled at her wound, making her feel uncomfortable. She still said honestly, "If you get sick, won't it delay your return to Liuzhou?"
He closed his eyes tightly, trying hard to suppress the urge to strangle this little girl. Suddenly, he bent down, picked up Song Jinyu on his shoulder, and strode back to the bedroom.
"Put me down!!!"
She was extremely embarrassed. This was so humiliating. All the maids and servants they passed by couldn't help but stare.
Zhongli Mingye put Song Jinyu down gently with a cold face. Before she could catch her breath, he pushed her onto the couch and pressed himself on top of her.
Song Jinyu was on the verge of tears. She regretted giving him the umbrella! Let the rain soak him to death! Before she could resist, the man's aura rushed towards her, blocking the gate of her rationality.