After a long time with no sound coming from the study, Song Jinyu had no choice but to push the door open. Zhongli Mingye stared at her coldly, his eyes filled with an unfathomable look.
"Hey! Heyi will go with us today too..." Song Jinyu whispered in his ear furtively. "You know, it's Shuang'er. She's always been interested in Ming Ruyi. So... we're creating an opportunity for her."
"Does it have to be you who goes?"
"Shuang'er is too shy, and Heyi is still young... So we'll go together!"
So they were trying to play matchmaker for Ming Ruyi?
A smile played on his lips, and the frost in his eyes melted away. "Then wear more when you go out. It's getting cold!"
"Okay!"
Seeing that he didn't object anymore, Song Jinyu ran out happily.
Zhongli Mingye was left alone in the study, smiling enigmatically.
In the mansion, Ming Ruyi was entertaining the three women, his head full of black lines... "Uncle, we're here today to congratulate you on your safe return." Heyi got closer to him and whispered, "By the way, we've brought you a big surprise!"
"Oh?"
Song Jinyu smiled and gave Rong Shuang'er a gentle push. "Shuang'er said you suffered a lot in prison."
"So... she brought you a lot of tonics."
Looking at the delicate girl, with bright eyes, pushing another girl towards him, Ming Ruyi tightened his grip on the cup in his hand.
His expression gradually turned cold.
"Your Highness, this is a tonic soup I made myself. Please have a taste..." Rong Shuang'er placed it on the table coyly. She felt extremely uncomfortable because this was not her style at all.
Heyi always told her in private to act like an ordinary girl. "You should learn to cook. My uncle, that playboy, generally likes gentle and considerate girls."
Song Jinyu also highly approved of this, which was why they were here today.
Holding the spoon and stirring the steaming soup, Ming Ruyi remained silent. Heyi and Song Jinyu exchanged glances. Suddenly, they heard him look up and ask coldly, "Was this your idea?" Who was he asking?
Heyi thought he was asking her and timidly replied, "Uncle, it was my idea."
His phoenix eyes turned to Song Jinyu. "I... of course, I was also involved. The herbs in this soup were selected by me."
He didn't even look at Rong Shuang'er. "This soup is good, but I'm suffering from excessive internal heat. Such rich tonics might do more harm than good."
Rong Shuang'er got anxious. "Didn't you lose a lot of blood?"
"So what?" Ming Ruyi didn't joke around like he usually did. He just coldly threw down the soup spoon.
Heyi and Song Jinyu looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Rong Shuang'er's face gradually turned pale. He had rejected her feelings.
Not wanting Rong Shuang'er to be sad, Song Jinyu tried to smooth things over. "Your Highness doesn't like soup. Shuang'er won't bring it again tomorrow."
"I heard your family owns a pharmacy. Why don't you find some cordyceps and send them here yourself?"
Ming Ruyi couldn't bear it anymore. "I don't need them! Thank you, Jinyu."
He only called her by her given name. Although Song Jinyu didn't think much of it, Rong Shuang'er's heart shattered into a million pieces.
After they left the Zhongzhou Prince's Mansion, Rong Shuang'er remained silent. Seeing that she was in a bad mood, Heyi had to send her back first.
Heyi muttered to herself, "Uncle is really strange today. He's never been this serious before."
"Jinyu..."
"Hmm?"
"Uncle, why did he call you by your given name?" She called her Jinyu because they had known each other before, but Ming Ruyi shouldn't have done so.
Song Jinyu was puzzled. "I didn't even notice what he called me!"
"It's a pity for Shuang'er. She must be heartbroken."
Rong Shuang'er sat on the veranda, letting the cold wind blow on her. At first, she wasn't that sad. But when he called Song Jinyu by her given name, she finally realized that no matter what, she could never enter his heart.
Hate? Who should she hate? Song Jinyu... Such a wonderful person. Even she liked her, let alone others.
She returned to her room dejectedly and only then realized that the container for the soup hadn't been taken back.
Forget it. If he wanted to throw it away, so be it. He didn't care about her anyway.
Zhongli Mingye entered the palace early in the morning. Holding the embroidered robe, he sneered. This was truly ridiculous.
A pawn had its own destiny. When did it ever become a pawn's turn to control the game?
The Snow Concubine knelt on the ground. The emperor looked at the irrefutable evidence, his heart feeling as if it had been cut by a knife. The woman who had been so intimate with him every night had dared to fake a pregnancy, harm the queen, and frame other concubines.
She was young, but her mind was extraordinary.
"Do you have anything else to say?"
"I have nothing to say. Your Majesty can kill me if you want."
"That day, you bribed the eunuch beside the queen and staged a play that scared the queen into madness and made her hit her head."
"Then you lured the Zhongzhou Prince to the queen's palace." The emperor paused slightly. He felt more and more exhausted. He never thought that the woman beside him could be so ruthless.
Zhongli Mingye sat beside them. Out of consideration for his mother, the Noble Consort Shu, he sat there, watching the Snow Concubine with his own eyes. She no longer had her former charm. The woman let out a laugh, her beautiful eyes fluttering. Her gaze landed on Zhongli Mingye.
She shouted, "Your Majesty, you've been wise all your life, but you don't know that everyone in this palace wants to scheme against you! Ha..."
"He..."
Just as she was about to say something and drag Zhongli Mingye into it, she suddenly fell silent when she saw what the Prince Yu was holding.
Zhongli Mingye watched her leisurely, a hint of coldness flashing in his phoenix eyes. His long, well - defined fingers caressed the embroidered robe as if he were caressing his lover's face.
That was the robe the Snow Concubine had embroidered for her younger brother with her own hands!
The Snow Concubine slumped to the ground dejectedly. She finally realized that all her schemes had come to nothing. She hated so much. She hated that she was just a pawn and that all her long - planned schemes had ended up like this.
She vaguely regretted it. What if she had just been content with being the Snow Concubine?
Unfortunately, there was no turning back in life. The Snow Concubine would eventually be like a snowflake that fell to the ground, melting into the soil without a trace.
Zhongli Mingye supported the Noble Consort Shu as they admired the flowers in the imperial garden. "It's almost the New Year, but there have been so many incidents in the palace one after another. His Majesty is in a gloomy mood."
"Then I'll trouble Mother Concubine to comfort Father Emperor more."
"You and Jinyu have been married for more than half a year. Is there any good news yet?" The Noble Consort Shu was still looking forward to the addition of a new member to the Prince Yu's Mansion.
Hearing her mention Song Jinyu, Zhongli Mingye felt a surge of joy in his heart. "There's no hurry. She's still young. If she gives birth too early, it might not be good for her health."
The Noble Consort Shu looked at her son. "You really dote on her."
During this period, many low - ranking concubines had wanted to recommend their younger sisters to be a side concubine in the Prince Yu's Mansion. The Noble Consort Shu had refused them all. She had thought it through. Now that the couple was in perfect harmony, why add to the trouble? Looking back on her own life, wasn't it also a tragedy?
The snow was falling harder and harder. The Noble Consort Shu originally wanted to keep the Prince Yu in the palace for the night, but seeing that he was eager to return home, she could only smile and let Zhongli Mingye leave.
Song Jinyu watched Niaoniao and Micui bustling around, tidying up the pots. "It's snowing so heavily. He might just stay in the palace for the night."
"Why bother with the pots?"
Micui smiled. "Madam, how about making a bet with me?"
"I bet that the Prince will definitely come back. The snow is falling so beautifully. He might even want to enjoy the snow with you more."
Hearing this, Song Jinyu felt an inexplicable sense of anticipation in her heart. But there was still no sign of him.
She had no choice but to close the book and rest her chin on her hand as she looked at the snowflakes fluttering in the air. Would he come back? Suddenly, she realized that she seemed to be more and more dependent on Zhongli Mingye.