Once Song Jinyu gave up the position of the sect leader of Tianmen Mountain, it meant she had chosen to become the Princess of Yu. Ouyang Jinsè hated her to the core. Zhongli Mingye thought it was just because of his meddling just now, but he knew well that even without Ouyang Jinsè's words, Song Jinyu would never have taken this position as the sect leader.
She must have had other plans.
Was it revenge? Du Zhouli was already dead. Who else did she want to kill?
Sure enough, in her eyes, Yan Fei was extremely important.
"Since Palace Master Ouyang has mentioned my identity, Tianmen Mountain has rarely had contact with the court since ancient times. To avoid suspicion..."
"From today on, I will abdicate and leave Tianmen Mountain."
"Not to be recorded in history or in the Tianmen Mountain roster." She slowly closed her beautiful eyes, then suddenly opened them. "From now on, there will be no place for me, Song Jinyu, in Tianmen Mountain." Her words were full of sorrow, which made people can't help but feel pity for her.
Her slender body swayed imperceptibly, which made Zhongli Mingye feel extremely heart - ache. The girl he had been whole - heartedly protecting must have summoned great courage today to give up the supreme power of the sect leader of the world's number one sect.
She looked up at the ceiling of the hall. After a brief commotion, everyone gradually quieted down. No one could guess what this newly appointed young sect leader was thinking.
Did she give up the position of the sect leader of Tianmen Mountain in order to curry favor with the royal family? Or was there another hidden reason? Wen Sirong and Lin Wan knew that although she seemed slender, she had great strength within. Her character was as noble as her name, just like a person with noble virtue. How could she be bowed down by power and status.
All these arrangements seemed abrupt, but in fact, they had been well - calculated by her. Whether it was climbing the mountain with blood on her feet, or executing Du Zhouli and others, and finally abdicating today.
Song Jinyu had planned every step carefully. She cleared the obstacles in Wen Sirong's way and took back the power of Tianmen Mountain into the hands of the sect leader. What she wanted to do was gradually becoming clear. First, she would guard the honor of Tianmen Mountain for her master, then stabilize the overall situation. And then, she would plan her revenge.
Although she was heart - broken because of Miao Yunshen and Yan Fei's deaths, Song Jinyu, who had been taught by Miao Yunshen for many years, knew better how to hide her grief.
From then on, there would be no more "Little Eleven" in Tianmen Mountain. She picked up Yan Fei's memorial tablet, looked back at the lofty sect leader's throne. Then, alone and without any hesitation, she left...
"Little junior sister!"
Wen Sirong called out to her sadly. He was afraid that once she left, it would be a farewell forever. The girl stopped, and looked at him tenderly. Wen Sirong remembered clearly that there was hope and expectation in her eyes. Many years later, every time he recalled this moment, he would be touched by this look.
Some inexplicable emotions welled up in Zhongli Mingye's heart. He followed her unhurriedly. He neither wanted to make Song Jinyu feel pressured, nor let her forget that he was always there.
In the early spring of this year, the late - spring cold was extremely severe. A spring snow began to fall from the sky. The snowflakes were small and melted as soon as they touched the ground. Song Jinyu walked down the nine - hundred - and ninety - nine jade steps. She stretched out her slender hand and caught a thin and transparent snowflake. She watched it melt quietly...
Her body under the loose robe trembled slightly. She counted the nine - hundred - and ninety - nine steps carefully. She knew clearly that she would never come back for the rest of her life.
One, two, three, four, five... ninety - nine...
"Puff..."
Song Jinyu couldn't hold it back any longer. She spat out a mouthful of blood and fell straight down. It seemed that she was about to roll down the steps. Zhongli Mingye flew over and caught her soft body.
The blood dripped on the jade steps and flowed down mixed with the snow - water... Zhongli Mingye's face was ashen. The girl in his arms closed her eyes tightly, as if she had lost her breath.
Qingfeng had brought the carriage. Cheng Song and Niaoniao caught up from behind.
Zhongli Mingye lowered his head and kissed her. "I'll take you home!" Even in a coma, Song Jinyu still held the memorial tablet tightly.
In the palace, when the emperor got the news of Miao Yunshen's death, he felt sad. He had known Miao Yunshen for more than twenty years, and the man had always been mysterious. Fortunately, he was cautious and honest, and never did anything out of line. So the emperor tolerated the dominance of Tianmen Mountain.
However... as the situation in the court became more and more turbulent, the forces from the Jianghu began to infiltrate. The emperor had to be on guard.
"Master Miao is dead. The new sect leader is his eldest disciple, Wen Sirong."
Eunuch Li guessed the emperor's thoughts and chose his words carefully. "This new sect leader is young, but he acts steadily. I heard that..."
"He has been the actual person in charge of Tianmen Mountain for a long time."
The emperor pondered for a while. "It would be good if he is an honest man."
"Your Majesty, I've got another piece of news." Eunuch Li leaned over to the emperor. "The future princess of the Prince of Yu once studied medicine and recuperated her health in Tianmen Mountain."
"Oh? Is that so..."
The emperor smiled. "She's just a little girl. How could such a big Tianmen Mountain value her?" But he still secretly had doubts. Did Zhongli Mingye ask for marriage several times because of Tianmen Mountain behind Song Jinyu?
Just as he was doubting, Concubine Shu suddenly came over. She brought some newly stewed tonics. "Your Majesty, this is the rare purple ginseng from Liuzhou that Ye'er sent someone to bring a few days ago. It's really precious."
"Please have a taste..." Concubine Shu interrupted the emperor's train of thought. The emperor ate a bowl of ginseng porridge from Concubine Shu's hand. Concubine Shu massaged the emperor's muscles and bones. "On the third day of next month, our Ye'er is going to get married..." She was full of joy, just like a girl twenty years ago. The emperor saw that her face was still beautiful and joked, "It hasn't been long, and you're going to be a mother - in - law!"
"I think no matter how long it is, I always hope that my husband in the family will be healthy and my children and grandchildren will be around me." Her gentle tone made the emperor feel comfortable. Concubine Shu regarded him as her husband. Although it was a bit presumptuous, she rarely said so.
The emperor held her hand and said tenderly, "After Ye'er gets married, he doesn't have to go back to Liuzhou City."
"He can stay in the capital so that we can see them at any time."
Seeing that the emperor was in a good mood, Concubine Shu said a few more words, and the emperor's doubts were dispelled. "Your Majesty, I think my life is very fulfilling because I married you. Marrying the person you love is the most beautiful thing in the world." Concubine Shu was a bit embarrassed, but in order to make Zhongli Mingye's wedding go smoothly, she had to coax the emperor.
Yes, after hearing these words, the emperor was very happy. He had also witnessed Zhongli Mingye's deep love for Song Jinyu. Now that the imperial marriage had been bestowed, it was truly a match made in heaven.
He became more and more complacent, and that night he summoned Concubine Shu.