She reached out and gently rubbed between his eyebrows. Then she gave him a soft kiss, which unexpectedly woke up Zhongli Mingye. "My princess consort... so enthusiastic?"
Caught in the act, Song Jinyu blushed and lowered her head in embarrassment. "Huh..." Her face felt slightly hot.
Zhongli Mingye didn't want to miss such a good opportunity.
"Kiss me again!"
"Come on!" He coaxed her. He had to get another kiss. Helplessly, Song Jinyu had to raise her head and kiss him a few more times before he was satisfied.
"Mm..." Once she took the initiative, the man beside her suddenly rolled over and pinned her down. "What should I do now?"
"What do you mean?" What did he mean by "what should I do"?
Zhongli Mingye's gaze grew deeper and deeper as it lingered on a certain part for a long time. Song Jinyu was so flustered that she tried to get away from him. "No way!" Are you kidding? This was the Tingran Pavilion!
Moreover... moreover... wasn't he injured?
Her beautiful eyes were misty and glistening, making her extremely attractive. Zhongli Mingye whispered hoarsely in her neck, nibbling gently.
If he couldn't have her completely, he'd at least get some benefits! When they finally got up, the sun was already high in the sky.
Today, Xiao Xueyi was hosting a banquet for the Prince Yu and the Prince of Zhongzhou.
Song Jinyu and Xiao Xueyi were old acquaintances. She was eager to go over and say hello, but the man beside her gave her a fierce glare.
She had no choice but to suppress her thoughts and stay close to him.
Xiao Xueyi saw this and laughed. "The Prince Yu and his princess consort are truly deeply in love." Zhongli Mingye was quite pleased. "This king also hopes to attend the wedding banquet of the Pavilion Master Xiao soon."
Then he changed the subject. "Uncle Huang's wedding with Miss Rong is approaching... Father has already bestowed the marriage... It's time to set the wedding date!"
Let you covet Song Jinyu! Ming Ruyi's face darkened. He glared at Zhongli Mingye fiercely but said nothing. Xiao Xueyi laughed. "We'll get together in the capital then."
Rong Shuang'er felt a bit uncomfortable. Although she no longer had any expectations, seeing Ming Ruyi's pained expression made her feel bad too.
Song Jinyu quickly tried to smooth things over. "The Pavilion Master Xiao's business is really big!"
"I didn't know that the Mingyue Tower in the capital also belongs to the Tingran Pavilion."
Hearing her mention it, Xiao Xueyi laughed. "It's nothing to mention. The Mingyue Tower has already closed..."
"I hope it will reopen soon. Otherwise, there will be less fun in the capital!" Song Jinyu talked enthusiastically about the interesting things she had with He Yi in the Mingyue Tower in the past.
Zhongli Mingye listened to her patiently while peeling the fish himself. His skill in removing fish bones was truly amazing. After peeling a fish, the fish remained intact, but the bones were gone.
The chefs in the Prince Yu's Mansion in the capital had long been carefully instructed that when cooking fish, they must clean the bones first.
But when they were outside, Zhongli Mingye always peeled the fish bones for her first.
At first, Song Jinyu was a bit embarrassed, but later she got used to it and took it for granted.
Xiao Xueyi saw Zhongli Mingye's skillful movements and naturally knew that this skill was probably only for the princess consort. Swallowing the juicy fish in her mouth, Song Jinyu whispered quietly, "This fish is really delicious..."
"Then eat more."
"Okay!"
Actually, she also wanted to say that the man peeling the fish for her was really good-looking!
The little interactions between the two fell into the eyes of the people sitting opposite. Some were envious, some were helpless, and some were bitter.
After the banquet, Ming Ruyi set off back to the capital. He no longer wanted to see the two of them being affectionate. Zhongli Mingye was naturally happy to see him off.
"Uncle Huang, thank you for your trouble!"
Their phoenix eyes met, with an ambiguous provoking look. Ming Ruyi said hatefully, "If she hadn't been so desperate, this king wouldn't have come to find you!"
"It's this king's honor!"
Song Jinyu pulled Rong Shuang'er aside. "You should go back to the capital quickly! Otherwise... the Duchess will be worried." Rong Shuang'er said, "I'll go with you!"
"You silly girl!"
"What do you want to do with me? You should take this opportunity to get closer to him. After all, he is your future husband."
Rong Shuang'er was hurt. Her gaze passed through the corridor distantly. "But his heart is only for you!"
Song Jinyu forced a smile. "He's still confused now. He only sees the beautiful things in the mirror and on the water. Maybe he's forgotten that the scenery around him is the most precious."
"You should make him understand this truth."
Rong Shuang'er was about to say something else. "Okay! This princess doesn't like you following! Go back to the capital first!" After saying that, she pretended to be disgusted and pushed her out the door.
Actually, Song Jinyu wanted to see Ming Ruyi off in person. After all... he had once saved her. Unfortunately, Zhongli Mingye didn't agree. "This king has said that the debt you owe him, this king will pay!"
His words left her speechless. Helplessly, she waited in the Tingran Pavilion.
When Ming Ruyi saw that Rong Shuang'er was also going back to the capital, he knew that this must be Song Jinyu's arrangement.
"Uncle Huang... I'll have to trouble you in the capital!" Zhongli Mingye reminded him. "If Father is confused, you can remind him appropriately."
"Okay."
What else could he say? This nephew was far more scheming than he was. He turned sideways and looked at the gate.
Unfortunately, she didn't come out to see him off.
Zhongli Mingye's face darkened. "Uncle Huang, she won't come."
Ming Ruyi had no choice but to take Rong Shuang'er back to the capital together. Xiao Xueyi sent people to escort them all the way.
"Are they gone?"
Song Jinyu was getting better and better. She wanted to go for a stroll in the city, but Zhongli Mingye always kept her in the mansion.
"Yes! Let's go for a stroll today!"
"Huh? But your wound isn't healed yet!"
"This king has ordered a carriage to be prepared. We have nothing to do anyway. Let's go out for a stroll..." Song Jinyu didn't quite understand why they couldn't go back to the capital with Ming Ruyi.
Zhongli Mingye helped her tie up her hair and made a commoner's hairstyle. Although it wasn't as elegant as a court concubine's makeup, it made her look extremely delicate and charming.
Her beautiful eyes were misty, her nose was elegant, and there was a flower decoration on her smooth forehead. Her small face made her look even more innocent. The man tying her hair stared quietly at the innocent beauty in the mirror. Suddenly, he leaned down.
He gently bit her pink earlobe. "Let's not go out today..."
Her delicate eyebrows frowned. "You promised!"
"I regret it now..."
"Doesn't the prince always keep his word? How can you go back on your word!" Song Jinyu wanted to get up. She was really bored.
After Rong Shuang'er left, she was even more bored.
Zhongli Mingye took her for a stroll in the Qingzhou area. This place was under the jurisdiction of the Tingran Pavilion and was also a city bordering the Yanqiu, Gu, and Li tribes.
Because of its complex geographical location, the court only sent troops to guard it. The Tingran Pavilion had been doing business here in recent years and had made a fortune.
Its influence was also growing.
"Mingye, why is Xiao Xueyi so obedient to you?"
"Sort of!"
Song Jinyu understood. Xiao Xueyi was just like Lu Buwei in ancient times. He was going for the "rare goods to be hoarded," and that "good" was probably the man beside her.
Zhongli Mingye tapped her nose. "You're always so perceptive."
"So this king is that 'good'!"
"Pfft!"
Although the words weren't nice, this was exactly Xiao Xueyi's plan. "Sir, the prince and the princess consort went shopping today."
"Good!"
Xiao Xueyi was sitting in his wheelchair. Now the Tingran Pavilion was getting closer and closer to the Prince Yu's Mansion. The current situation was indeed developing in the direction he had expected.
However, the Prince Yu was a very scheming person. He had to be on guard. Fortunately, the prince was also a man of loyalty, so Xiao Xueyi was very relieved to cooperate with him.
If one day the Prince Yu ascended the throne, his Tingran Pavilion could also take a step further. What was a big Qingzhou City? No matter how much money one could make in business,
it couldn't compare to being a king or a prime minister.