"He's married!"
If it weren't for his marriage, Ling Yufei wouldn't have returned so soon. After all, the events of that year were simply too hard for her to swallow.
Zhongli Mingye's exact words were, "Third Miss Ling, since you're so talented and dedicated to promoting traditional Chinese painting in the Great Xia Dynasty, why not focus on further study? Perhaps one day you'll gain a good reputation."
He said this personally at a royal banquet. Because of these words, Ling Yufei had no choice but to pack up and leave the capital, going to study under a master.
The royal family members are all heartless. Lady Ling repeatedly advised her not to be too ambitious. If he was a good match, why did he keep pushing her away?
Now, she had followed his advice. She went deep into the mountains and studied painting under a reclusive master for three whole years. She had wasted the best years for a woman to discuss marriage on this. Moreover, she endured a simple diet and mosquito bites every day.
She had mastered the art, but he was already married! Ling Yufei simply couldn't swallow this humiliation. The woman he married didn't even have a family background as good as hers.
Zhongli Mingye also knew about Ling Yufei's return. But he didn't take it to heart. After all, he had never cared about this woman. In the past, he only thought Ling Yufei's pestering was extremely annoying. And out of respect for the prime minister, he couldn't treat her coldly.
So he had to come up with another excuse to get rid of her.
Unexpectedly, after that, there were a lot more rumors about him. One of them was that Zhongli Mingye had pursued the third miss of the prime minister's mansion but was rejected.
The third miss was so obsessed with painting that she cruelly rejected the prince's proposal.
By the time he heard this, Ling Yufei had already left for other places. He could only swallow his anger. Fortunately, as time passed, these rumors gradually faded away.
But... now, with Ling Yufei's return, there were signs of these rumors resurfacing.
Qingfeng was helpless. If it were any other matter, their shadow guards could handle it. But how could they handle the master's emotional affairs?
"Princess, have you been out recently?"
"The princess has mostly been in the mansion recently... Today, Princess Heyi came to chat with her."
Heyi is here? Zhongli Mingye panicked a bit and quickened his steps towards the Liuyun Pavilion.
Song Jinyu hardly had any friends in the capital. Apart from Princess Heyi, she didn't even have anyone to talk to.
At this moment, the two women were chatting while eating fruits. Cheng Song had always followed Zhongli Mingye. Now that everything was settled.
In a few months, he would enter the military camp. "After he makes contributions, he'll come to marry the princess..."
Heyi was embarrassed by her words. "You!" Soon, she seemed to remember something and was about to mention the matter of the third miss of the Ling family. However... Zhongli Mingye immediately interrupted her.
"Heyi, you're here. Why didn't you even say hello to this king?"
With this sudden question, Song Jinyu and Heyi glanced at each other and looked at him curiously.
He felt a bit uncomfortable. "It seems the sun is about to set. This king will send you back to the palace." Heyi looked reluctant.
Was he lying with his eyes open? The sun was still shining brightly outside.
Song Jinyu was just about to speak, but was swept by his glance. She could only watch helplessly as Heyi left.
She looked at him curiously. What on earth was going on?
The next day, when she wanted to go out of the mansion to choose medicinal herbs, things got even weirder.
"The prince said that for your safety, he specially asked the shopkeeper to bring the medicinal herbs so that you can choose them in the mansion."
Qingfeng's words seemed reasonable.
But... only a fool would believe it!
In the evening, Song Jinyu finally heard that he had returned. She rushed to the study impatiently. Her beautiful eyes stared fiercely at the man pretending to read a book.
She reached out and snatched the book away.
She met a pair of phoenix eyes that seemed to be smiling but not. "My lady, this is..."
Seeing him pretending to be stupid, she was too lazy to talk to him and just stared at him intently. The more she looked, the more handsome he seemed. This man really inherited the best features of the emperor and Concubine Shu. Staring, staring, she herself felt embarrassed first. She was really afraid that she wouldn't be able to control herself and wanted to... molest him?
"My lady, if you keep looking like this, this king..."
He suddenly stood up. While Song Jinyu was lost in her thoughts, he pulled her into his arms. He played with the silk ribbon on her clothes.
"What are you looking at so intently?"
Caught red - handed, Song Jinyu said awkwardly, "Stop talking nonsense. Why don't you let me go out?"
"Didn't Qingfeng explain clearly? This king is worried about your safety."
It seemed there was no problem, but Song Jinyu wasn't stupid. "Then why did you drive Heyi away yesterday?"
His hand stopped moving, and his eyebrows lifted slightly. "If she goes back late, Concubine Jia will scold her." This reason was really bad.
Seeing that she still stared at him, Zhongli Mingye smiled. "If one day others say something about me, will you believe it or not?" He was worried about those rumors. Although they weren't true, he had to be on guard.
She didn't quite understand, but Song Jinyu still answered honestly, "I definitely won't believe it unless you tell me yourself..." The implication was that rather than hearing from others, it would be better for him to tell her first.
Stared at by her big, wet, deer - like eyes, Zhongli Mingye told Song Jinyu what he wanted to say with his actions.
Kissed until she was dazed, Song Jinyu forgot what she had come for tonight.
When she returned, her body was weak, and her face was as red as a blooming flower. If no one had come to visit that night, Zhongli Mingye wouldn't have let her go so easily.
What on earth was he hiding from her? Song Jinyu was still thinking about this question before going to bed.
"Your Highness, if you agree to this matter," Yu Nianbai considered, "then the Ling Prime Minister's Mansion will also be your ally."
Zhongli Mingye looked up at Yu Nianbai. "This king knows that you hate the Grand Tutor's Mansion so much and naturally want to get rid of the Grand Tutor as soon as possible."
"But..."
"This king doesn't want to be controlled by the Ling Prime Minister's Mansion!" He stood up and turned his back.
Yu Nianbai couldn't see Zhongli Mingye's expression, but he heard him say calmly, "Does Prime Minister Ling want to be another Grand Tutor Shen?"
"I'm afraid the Ling Prime Minister's Mansion won't let it go so easily!"
Yu Nianbai was worried. His master was tired of such tricks. But sometimes, such tricks could really make it easier for one to succeed.
"Mr. Yu, it won't be long!"
"The little heir of the Prince Cheng's Mansion was born. This is the emperor's first legitimate grandson."
He sneered. "The Prince Cheng will never be content with just being a prince." Just wait and see the show then. After all, the crown prince's legitimate eldest son hadn't appeared yet. Moreover, he didn't even have an illegitimate son...
Now, the queen had been under house arrest for many days. Although the crown prince in the Eastern Palace had recovered, he wasn't in the emperor's favor.
Ling Yufei was painting when she heard her father's voice. She rushed out quickly and poured tea for him. "Father, please have a cup of tea."
"Fei'er, you..." Prime Minister Ling wanted to make her give up this idea because the Prince Yu had only been married for two months. In any case, if the matter of taking a side concubine was discussed at this time, it would surely invite criticism.
Moreover, he looked at his daughter heart - brokenly. It was really inappropriate for the daughter of the prime minister of the Great Xia Dynasty to be a side concubine of a prince! Unfortunately, Ling Yufei was determined to marry only the Prince Yu. Moreover, she vowed, "Daughter will first marry in as a side concubine, then win the favor of the Prince Yu. Maybe one day I'll be promoted to the main concubine. It won't disgrace you, Father."
"Father has gone through a lot of trouble to find connections and test the Prince Yu's attitude."
"How about it?" Ling Yufei was anxious.
She was eighteen years old this year. Ordinary girls would have already found a husband. But she had set her heart on Zhongli Mingye early on. Because of his words, she had gone to study painting.
Now that she had returned after mastering the art, he had already married a princess.
Prime Minister Ling felt heart - broken for his daughter's infatuation. Unfortunately, "He doesn't agree..."
Ling Yufei slumped onto the couch, her eyes empty. "What's wrong with me? Why can't I win his favor!"
"Or... or... is that woman not willing?"
A venomous glint flashed in her almond - shaped eyes.
The woman who had snatched the position of the Princess Yu from her was just the daughter of a small prefect!