The national mourning had covered up many right and wrongs. The evidence that Ming Ruyi had harmed the queen was not conclusive. The emperor couldn't withstand the empress dowager's daily chanting in the ancestral temple either.
Although Ming Ruyi was released from the dungeon, he was still confined in the Zhongzhou Prince's Mansion.
Rong Shuang'er wanted to go to the Zhongzhou Prince's Mansion, but was stopped by her father.
"The Duke Rong's Mansion can no longer bear any more blows. If you go to see him again, don't even think about going out!"
Song Jinyu carefully recalled the assassination of Zhongli Mingye, the pursuit and killing of Yu Duanya and her son, Ming Ruyi's being framed and imprisoned, and the queen's death from illness. It seemed as if there was a hand manipulating everything.
Now, she gradually understood what kind of environment Zhongli Mingye had grown up in.
Who was behind those things? Was it Zhongli Mingye?
Would he... really do whatever it takes to get that position? She couldn't quite believe it, but... the atmosphere recently had been really too depressing.
Concubine Xue was his person, and the assassination on the way back to the capital was arranged by him. But what about the assassination of Yu Duanya and her son? It couldn't be! She shook her head. Zhongli Mingye had no reason to harm that mother - and - son pair.
However, she also clearly understood that perhaps only she was still deceiving herself.
Ten days after the queen's burial, the royal relatives gradually returned to calm. These days of keeping vigil and eating vegetarian food had made them lose several pounds.
Song Jinyu, who was not fat in the first place, had a visibly smaller and more delicate face. Zhongli Mingye measured it with his hand and said painfully, "Why have you lost so much weight?" It was the first time his woman had been so thin since she entered the mansion.
"It's good to be thinner. Being fat takes up space!" Why did he always want her to gain weight?
"You..."
He glanced sideways and noticed that not only was her face smaller, but a certain part had also shrunk.
Being stared at by his strange look, she felt flustered. "Don't look... anymore!"
In the dead of night, the two were sitting on the bed.
Zhongli Mingye smiled and said, "I've said before that you don't need to go and keep vigil. I'll take care of everything."
Song Jinyu said angrily, "It's not a big deal." She would never admit that she did it for Zhongli Mingye.
Unfortunately, that man was not so easy to deceive. "You... are starting to think about me now." His phoenix eyes were moist, and she could see a lot of affection in his eyes.
There were some things she really wanted to ask him, but she was afraid of hurting Zhongli Mingye's feelings. But... if she didn't ask, it would always be a thorn in her heart.
However, she didn't have the chance to ask. Zhongli Mingye went out again late at night.
Watching that handsome figure leave, she was extremely distressed.
"What do you want to see me for?"
"I'm here to answer your questions, Your Highness." Xiao Xueyi replied calmly.
"Hehe..."
"The people you sent into the palace are really good at their tricks!" Even Zhongli Mingye had to admit that some people were born schemers.
Xiao Xueyi let out a soft laugh. Under the moonlight, he looked elegant. "If they didn't have some skills, how could they help Your Highness?"
"I don't need such help. She did it for personal revenge." He was gradually uncovering the sordid past. It wasn't difficult to find out the truth, but the difficult part was that Concubine Xue was from the Tingran Pavilion.
If he wasn't careful, he would be implicated.
"Uncle Huang has been implicated. In this situation, I won't interfere anymore." He turned around and looked at Xiao Xueyi. "Whether or not you instigated this, Concubine Xue must die."
"Many royal children, including myself, have become your pawns to play with the world, haven't we, Master Xiao?"
The veiled sarcasm in his words made Xiao Xueyi understand how angry Prince Yu really was.
He took out something from his sleeve. "If that day really comes, this can help you."
Zhongli Mingye looked at Xiao Xueyi coldly. "I don't like you making decisions on your own. The development of the situation has its own destiny."
"If you dare to stir up trouble, I won't spare you!"
With these words, he turned around and left.
The next day, in the court.
The Magistrate of the Capital presented all the evidence he had investigated over the past few days to the emperor. He explained everything, including all the maids and eunuchs in the queen's palace that day, and the timing of Ming Ruyi's entry into the palace. He proved that the real culprit that day was someone else, and Ming Ruyi had been framed.
The emperor took advantage of the situation and cleared Ming Ruyi's name.
However, he still confined Ming Ruyi to the prince's mansion to reflect on his mistakes.
After hearing the imperial edict, Ming Ruyi sneered. "The emperor, as expected..." He had long known that he was wronged. He had no reason to kill the queen, yet he was still thrown into the dungeon.
The emperor had wanted to kill him! But under the pressure of the empress dowager's daily actions and the relationship with the royal clan, he had no choice but to release him.
"Cough... cough..."
A look of cruelty flashed across Ming Ruyi's phoenix eyes. The dungeon was damp, and after being tortured, his body had been severely damaged.
At night!
Suddenly, there was a commotion in the Zhongzhou Prince's Mansion. It turned out that someone had broken into the mansion at night.
Ming Ruyi looked at Rong Shuang'er in a black tight - fitting suit with a dark face. He didn't know what to say. The guards outside were still searching for the "assassin", but the assassin was standing beside him at this moment.
"I was worried about Your Highness's health, so... so..." Rong Shuang'er lowered her head guiltily. She also knew that what she had done today was extremely risky. Zhongli Hong might not appreciate her kindness, but she had been so worried since she hadn't seen him for so long.
"So, you broke into the Zhongzhou Prince's Mansion at night, right?"
"So, you weren't afraid of being killed by the guards in the mansion, right?" There was no emotion in his words. Since Ming Ruyi learned of Rong Shuang'er's affection, he hadn't taken it to heart.
Now, seeing her act so recklessly, he was even more annoyed. He was in danger at every step, but Rong Shuang'er didn't understand.
Did she want to win his heart? Ming Ruyi thought sarcastically. She was definitely not Song Jinyu.
If it were Song Jinyu, she would be calm and try every means to clear his name at this moment. Instead of doing something that only touched herself but actually harmed others.
Seeing that he was unhappy, Rong Shuang'er immediately lost a lot of her enthusiasm.
She just said, "This is the golden sore medicine... It was given to me by Princess Yu..."
"I originally wanted to give it to you during the day, but the guards in the mansion refused to pass on my message..." Her voice got lower and lower, and finally she had to lower her head. In fact, she wanted to say that it was because she missed him.
Ming Ruyi had no mood to savor the meaning behind her words. He just looked coldly at the bottle of golden sore medicine on the table. The delicate glass bottle contained the golden sore medicine made by Song Jinyu herself.
Holding it in his hand, it was as if he was grasping something.
Ming Ruyi asked his close attendant to send Rong Shuang'er back. Unfortunately, this scene fell into the eyes of someone with ulterior motives.
The next day, rumors about the affair between Prince Zhongzhou and Rong Shuang'er spread all over the capital. Since the queen had just passed away, and Rong Shuang'er had done such a scandalous thing.
The Duke Rong was extremely angry and punished Rong Shuang'er to kneel in the ancestral hall.
The Zhongzhou Prince's Mansion didn't make any statement. Now that Rong Shuang'er's reputation was ruined, many noble ladies no longer associated with her. After Song Jinyu heard about this, she sent a gilded invitation card to invite Rong Shuang'er to the Prince Yu's Mansion to enjoy the snow.