Looking at him, Song Jinyu's eyes were full of him. She used to think that he loved her, but never knew that he would do such a thing for her. To protect her, Zhongli Mingye abandoned his usual forbearance and killed all the dancing girls right in front of the Crown Prince.
The Crown Princess, Chen Mingzhu, let out a startled cry and fainted to the ground. The Crown Prince stared at Zhongli Mingye malevolently. How dare he kill the East Palace dancing girls with his own hands right in front of him!
He was so audacious!
For a moment, the atmosphere froze. Zhongli Mingye looked at the Crown Prince with a half - smile.
Suddenly, a pair of small hands gently touched the hand that was holding the hilt of the sword. Song Jinyu said nothing, took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood off the soft sword for him. "My lord, you've always been fond of tidiness. Go and change your clothes first." She looked at him tenderly. They both understood his intention, but drawing the sword in front of the Crown Prince was bound to arouse suspicion about his motives.
The Crown Prince's face twitched a few times and he held back the impulse to arrest Zhongli Mingye. He said coldly, "Fourth brother, go and change your clothes first."
After Song Jinyu bowed to the Crown Prince and his wife, she pulled Zhongli Mingye away.
"You..."
"The Crown Prince won't let this go easily," she wasn't afraid for herself, but she was worried about Zhongli Mingye. "I'm sorry to have made you suffer!" Looking into those familiar phoenix - like eyes, Song Jinyu felt a bit sad. This man had always been steady and meticulous in his actions. Without any regard for the consequences of offending the Crown Prince, he was actually concerned that she might be wronged.
She hugged him tightly. "I've never... felt wronged." When did she start to get used to his protection and love, and gradually become dependent on him? "Mingye... I want to be with you!" If you want to be on that throne, I'll do my best to help you; if you just want to protect yourself, I'll live and die with you.
Zhongli Mingye let out a soft laugh and pulled her to sit down with him. "I'm not afraid of anything in this life, but there's one thing I'm really scared of."
"You can be scared of something?"
"Yes... It's when you say you don't love me." Song Jinyu remembered that she had once rejected him in Qingli Pavilion. She felt a bit embarrassed. "That was just when we first met..."
Sitting in his arms, she felt much more at ease. "The Crown Prince must have more tricks up his sleeve for us."
"Don't be afraid. He doesn't dare to make a big fuss." Zhongli Mingye was very certain. Judging from the Crown Prince's current standing in the Emperor's heart and his repeated acts of restlessness, he wouldn't dare to cause a huge commotion at this moment.
If the Crown Prince really did make a big deal out of it, Zhongli Mingye wouldn't mind exposing all the dirty secrets of the Crown Prince's mansion.
He had received information from his shadow guards that there had been some unusual noises in the Crown Princess's room last night, while the Crown Prince had slept elsewhere.
He had only killed a few dancing girls.
How dare the Crown Prince insult Song Jinyu right in front of him? Sure enough, for several consecutive days, the Crown Prince and his wife were very quiet.
They didn't cause any more trouble. Song Jinyu was a bit puzzled. Since Zhongli Mingye was pestering her every day, she didn't have the time to think about other things.
Until they left, the Crown Prince, Zhongli Chengze, remained as quiet as a mouse.
Before leaving, Song Jinyu still took the time to pay a visit to the Crown Princess, Chen Mingzhu. Zhongli Mingye didn't want her to go, but after all, the Crown Princess had been frightened that day. As a powerful prince, he could have a spat with his brother, but as the Princess of Yu, she couldn't be so willful and unreasonable.
Chen Mingzhu put on the airs of the Crown Princess and sneered a few times, but she didn't dare to go too far. After all, Zhongli Mingye doted on his wife like crazy. He had dared to kill the East Palace dancing girls right in front of everyone. Who knew how he would deal with her and the Duke of Fuguo's mansion?
"Sister - in - law, you're really blessed."
Chen Mingzhu looked at Song Jinyu disdainfully. She was just the daughter of a provincial governor. Relying on her beauty, she had won the favor of the Prince of Yu. "As the saying goes, those who rely on their looks to gain love will lose it when their looks fade."
"I hope sister - in - law will take good care of herself."
"Thank you, sister - in - law, the Crown Princess, for your teachings. Jinyu will surely keep them in mind."
Before leaving the door, she quietly crushed a pill. She gently fanned the air with her handkerchief. "Sister - in - law, the underground hot spring is very beneficial to the body. You might as well soak in it more often."
A sneer curled up on her lips. Let the couple enjoy themselves to their hearts' content.
When she returned to the room, she immediately changed her clothes. "Tear it up and then burn it." She was not used to not doing something to get even.
Zhongli Mingye was curious. "For no reason, what have you done?" Song Jinyu looked mysterious. "Just wait and see."
As Chinese New Year's Eve was approaching, news came from the East Palace. The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess were ill. Their faces were covered with herpes. At first, they could still show themselves in public, but in the past few days, their conditions had become even worse. Rumor had it that the Crown Prince had passed on a venereal disease to the Crown Princess.
"This is your doing, isn't it?"
"Yes. I wasted such precious medicine."
"Haha..." Zhongli Mingye was helpless. "Don't do such risky things in the future."
"Okay!"
If it hadn't been almost Chinese New Year, Song Jinyu might have been even more ruthless.
On the palace banquet on Chinese New Year's Eve, the red marks on Chen Mingzhu's face were still faintly visible. She had applied a lot of powder, and she looked listless.
The Crown Prince had been less exposed to it, but it was still noticeable.
The palace banquet was full of joy. The Emperor had long since given up on some of his plans. He just drank frequently with a few imperial concubines. None of the low - ranking concubines dared to show off.
Concubine Qin and Concubine Qing, who had given birth to little princes a few days ago, though they had gained some dignity, still sat obediently at their seats. Song Jinyu suddenly thought of Concubine Xue in the past and let out a soft sigh. There really needed to be such a person in the palace, or it would be quite boring.
It was just that the herpes marks on the Crown Prince and his wife's faces were really a bit of an eyesore.
The Crown Prince drank a few more cups and suddenly shed tears. The Emperor knew that he was sad about his mother's death, and a flood of emotions welled up in his heart.
After all, he and the Queen had been young lovers. At this moment, the Emperor had forgotten all the bad things she had done in the past. "What a touching scene of a kind father and a filial son!" Song Jinyu said sarcastically. The Emperor had been training the Crown Prince, always using his other sons as stepping - stones to help the Crown Prince; the Crown Prince had always lusted after the concubines in the harem. Such dirty things, the Emperor could still tolerate.
"Tsk tsk..."
"Your father really dotes on the Crown Prince..." This was just like in a big family. No matter how much the unworthy eldest son caused trouble, the patriarch would always look at him with special favor.
Zhongli Mingye smiled faintly. "Just watch the show!"
Zhongli Chengze felt as if there were tens of thousands of ants gnawing at his head. The wine today really didn't suit his taste. At the banquet, he looked at the Prince of Yu, the Prince of Cheng, and the Prince of Yong.
They were all in harmonious and loving marriages, while he himself was living a muddled life.
In just two years, the once high - spirited Crown Prince had become a bit dejected.
First, the Shen family had encountered trouble, then the former Crown Princess had died, and then the Queen had passed away. The Crown Prince suddenly felt that life was like a play!
Thinking of this, he happened to see Zhongli Mingye, the Prince of Yu. The other man raised his glass from afar, and a hint of sarcasm flashed in his phoenix - like eyes. The Crown Prince's heart turned cold. This younger brother had completely lost his respect and fear for him.
The incident at the Xishan Hot Spring Palace was just a test on his part. He never expected that Zhongli Mingye would refute his face so openly.
Very well!