Zhongli Mingye held her in his arms, his mind gradually drifting. "Your birthday will be in a few days. What do you wish for?"
"I don't need anything. You've already given me everything I want."
Her words pleased Zhongli Mingye. "I happen to have a day off that day. I'll take you to Xishan."
When they arrived at the Xishan Hot Spring Palace, the Crown Prince and his wife were also there. Zhongli Mingye's face darkened. Although his expression remained unchanged, it was obvious that he was in a bad mood.
He had already reported to the emperor, and the Inner Affairs Supervisor had made all the arrangements. The fact that the Crown Prince and his wife had come here too really spoiled his mood.
It would have been fine on an ordinary day, but today was Song Jinyu's birthday.
"Come on... Don't look so grim..." Song Jinyu naturally understood his feelings. At the moment, they definitely couldn't offend the Crown Prince.
What was most hateful was that when Song Jinyu bowed to Chen Mingzhu, the Crown Princess deliberately delayed the time, and her words were rather rude when she told Song Jinyu to rise.
If Song Jinyu hadn't secretly held Zhongli Mingye back, things might not have ended well today.
The Xishan Hot Spring Palace was a large palace complex built by the Zhongli royal family on Xishan, solely for the entertainment of the royal nobility. It was generally a place for the emperor to recuperate. If other princes or clan members wanted to come here, they needed to request permission in advance. For Song Jinyu's birthday, Zhongli Mingye had made arrangements a month in advance.
The Crown Prince and his wife's original schedule was after theirs, but now they had advanced it to this day.
It was obvious to everyone that the Crown Prince had other motives.
Although they couldn't enjoy the hot spring palace alone, Song Jinyu was still very excited. "Mingye... Look at the hot spring bubbling. It's so interesting!"
Who cares about others?
Sitting in the pool, the warm spring water soothed her body and mind. The curling mist slowly rose. She was in a very good mood. Seeing Zhongli Mingye still standing on the shore, sulking, she swam over secretly and popped her head out of the water with a splash.
Laughing, she splashed water on him. She successfully caught Zhongli Mingye's attention. He looked down at the beautiful sight in the pool, and his mind became more and more dazed.
Song Jinyu had changed into a snow - white brocade dress. After getting into the water, it clung wetly to her body.
Her beautiful curves were faintly visible. Her delicate face was dotted with crystal water droplets, looking like a precious jade. Her bright eyes sparkled with innocent and happy light, which greatly moved his heart.
He slowly got into the water, and the water ripples spread. Song Jinyu only realized it later and felt that the atmosphere was strange. She wanted to swim back, but it was too late.
He looked at her playfully, and the fire in his eyes seemed to burn her up as well. "So, my love likes this kind of thing."
Being imprisoned in his arms, she felt hot all over. Was it the stimulation of the hot spring water? Her mind became more and more muddled.
Zhongli Mingye kissed her, gradually savoring the beauty.
Wherever his big hand passed, it stirred up a splash of hot spring water. She felt an indescribable discomfort, as if a kitten's paw was scratching at her heart.
"Um..."
She closed her eyes tightly, and her eyebrows furrowed slightly.
While the two of them were deeply in love and entangled, the Crown Prince and his wife were still polite to each other.
Although the Crown Prince had treated Chen Mingzhu much better because of the Duke Protector's Mansion, their relationship remained the same as before. They respected each other from a distance.
The Crown Prince was in another hot spring pool, drinking and having fun with three young palace maids.
Chen Mingzhu was soaking in the pool alone, feeling more and more lonely. Having just tasted the taste of love, she was then neglected by the Crown Prince. Meeting her childhood sweetheart again,
Her lonely heart seemed to sprout.
Suddenly, there came a melodious sound of a flute from outside. It was a tune they had played together before. Through the gauze window, she saw a familiar back.
Song Jinyu thought she must be crazy. Otherwise, how could she have soaked in the pool with Zhongli Mingye for two hours?
And...
Zhongli Mingye hugged her and whispered with a smile, "Why are you so proactive today?"
Bang! Her face blushed again embarrassingly.
She didn't know what had come over her today. Fearing that Song Jinyu would be even more shy and he wouldn't be able to enjoy such treatment in the future, Zhongli Mingye didn't tease her anymore.
He gently dried her body, and they changed into nightclothes.
"Mingye, I've made that spiritual medicine..."
This spiritual medicine was not an ordinary one. It was a truly effective one.
After some thought, Zhongli Mingye said, "You should keep it well yourself."
Song Jinyu was very surprised. "Aren't you going to give it to the emperor father?" If he did, perhaps the emperor would value Zhongli Mingye more.
He pulled her into his arms. "No need. I don't want to get you involved." He was very clear - headed. In the current situation, the spiritual medicine couldn't change anything.
But he was very comforted because Song Jinyu was thinking about him. No matter how dangerous the situation was, he would continue to move forward.
The Crown Prince, Zhongli Chengze, looked at the couple walking hand in hand and suppressed the jealousy and hatred in his heart. "They all say that the Fourth Brother dotes on his wife. Seeing it with my own eyes today, I'm really envious."
"Your Highness the Crown Prince has always been in harmony with the Crown Princess. You are an example in the court."
These words hit the Crown Princess right in the heart. Chen Mingzhu's face darkened.
She turned to look at Song Jinyu. "Sister - in - law has been married for a long time and is deeply loved by the prince. Why haven't you been pregnant yet?" Her words were quite pointed, and her attitude remained unchanged.
Song Jinyu seemed a little shy. "The prince said that I'm still young. There's no need to rush." The implication was that Prince Yu pitied his young wife and didn't want her to suffer.
Chen Mingzhu felt even more unhappy. Seeing Song Jinyu's affectionate look, she felt the anger in her heart burning more and more vigorously.
"Alright, let's have dinner!"
The Crown Prince glanced at Song Jinyu, and a hint of surprise flashed in his sinister eyes. No wonder Zhongli Mingye doted on her exclusively. Such a beauty was truly unforgettable.
After everyone was seated, Zhongli Chengze said, "I just heard from the palace servants that it was Princess Yu's birthday yesterday."
"Today, I've found some entertainment to celebrate your birthday."
Zhongli Mingye's face darkened. When he saw the few dancing girls, whose costumes were about 80% similar to Song Jinyu's usual clothes,
The Crown Prince looked at the Prince and Princess Yu with a malicious interest.
Song Jinyu calmed down and looked at the scene in front of her thoughtfully. She understood that this was the Crown Prince's way of humiliating Zhongli Mingye and herself. It seemed that she had given too little of that medicine. Or perhaps it was because she had given too much that he was so unscrupulous!
The music was extremely amorous, and the dancing girls were extremely charming. Zhongli Mingye suddenly laughed. He was just about to stand up when Song Jinyu grabbed his hand. She shook her head.
Now that the Crown Prince had a high status, if they offended him, Zhongli Mingye was bound to be punished in front of the emperor.
Moreover, the emperor was already suspicious of him.
But Zhongli Mingye held that soft hand back, and a cold smile poured out from the corner of his lips.
He drew out the soft sword from his waist. After a few moves, the dancing girls fell to the ground, dead one by one. The palace servants on the scene were frightened, and the Crown Prince and his wife were stunned on the spot.
The sword was still stained with fresh blood. He looked at the Crown Prince coldly, as if looking at a dead man.
"This dance music is really wonderful, so I'll send them to the underworld to let King Yama appreciate it!"