"Your Highness, why?" Song Qinzhou was puzzled. Zhongli Mingye had openly refused to move into the Eastern Palace during the court session.
Today, the emperor's decree was announced. Zhongli Mingye had become the crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty. According to the old calendar, he was supposed to move into the Eastern Palace immediately.
However... Zhongli Mingye had refused.
"I'm afraid she'll come back and won't be able to find her way home," he said. Moreover, every plant and tree there was their home.
Every time he got drunk on the Moonlit Terrace, he always felt as if Song Jinyu had come back. She would smile sweetly and scold him for reeking of alcohol.
But when he woke up, her charming figure was nowhere to be seen.
Hearing this, Song Qinzhou immediately gave up the idea of persuading him. It had been more than a month, and there was still no news of Song Jinyu. Although Zhongli Mingye had regained his sanity, he got drunk every day.
Although it didn't affect his attendance at the court, it was obvious that he was no longer the high - spirited man he used to be.
"Crown Prince, please take care of yourself!"
When he returned to the mansion, he had just taken the big treasure (the pet name) into his arms when Qingfeng came to report that someone from the Duke Protector's Mansion had come.
Chen Jiacai bowed and congratulated the crown prince on his great fortune. After half a day of socializing, he finally revealed his intention. "Now that the position of the crown prince has been stabilized, it's time to find a noble lady and establish her as the crown princess."
As soon as he said this, Chen Jiacai suddenly felt the atmosphere freeze. Song Chuyu, who had come with him, fell silent.
Zhongli Mingye said coldly, "I wonder which young lady it is?"
"If the crown prince gives his consent, I'm willing to do my best to..." Before he could finish his sentence, Zhongli Mingye threw a teacup at him.
"Duke Chen, you've overstepped your bounds!" Song Chuyu stepped forward. "My younger sister is the legitimate wife of the Prince Yu, and she hasn't been found yet. How can we talk about other things?"
Zhongli Mingye stood up. "The eldest young lady of the Duke Protector's Mansion is well - known for her virtue. I don't need your concern!" Chen Jiacai had thought that since the Princess Yu had disappeared, even if she was found, her reputation would be damaged, and she would be unfit to be the crown princess.
But now, he was kneeling on the ground, trembling.
He immediately realized that he had kicked a hard rock!
Originally, the Duke Rong's Mansion had declined, but with Rong Shuang'er marrying into the Prince Zhongzhou's Mansion, the Duke Rong had been reused; while the Duke Protector's Mansion had gradually declined because of Chen Mingzhu.
Fortunately, he had pulled back from the precipice, abandoned Chen Mingzhu, and quickly switched to Zhongli Mingye's camp. He had thought that the disappearance of the Princess Yu was an opportunity.
Just now, he had chosen Chen Caiqing, the legitimate daughter of the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, who had always had a close relationship with him. But before he could even mention the candidate, the crown prince had thrown a teacup at him.
If the teacup had been thrown by Song Chuyu, it would have been okay, but now it was the crown prince himself.
Zhongli Mingye looked at him coldly. "Duke Chen, I'm not patient enough to play court games."
"If you behave yourself, you can still keep your dukedom. But if you have other ideas... you'd better be careful!"
A hint of cruelty flashed across his phoenix eyes, leaving no room for doubt.
Chen Jiacai knelt on the ground, kowtowing like a pounding garlic. "I'm not the emperor. I won't always remember your merits of supporting the emperor to ascend the throne."
"My crown princess can only be Song Jinyu."
"Whether... she... is alive or dead..." This sentence was a bit heavy. But when it came from Zhongli Mingye's mouth, it carried a lot of weight.
Song Chuyu sighed. The crown prince's deep and unwavering love was really touching.
"Keep looking! Search every corner of the Minjiang River... and bring her back home."
Zhongli Mingye gave the order. Ming Ruyi searched while looking for her in the cities along the river.
However, there was still no news.
Rong Shuang'er rushed over. "Why are you here?"
"You haven't returned to the capital for a month. I'm worried about your health." He had lost a lot of weight. Ming Ruyi was not only following Zhongli Mingye's order,
more importantly, his heart was also here.
But facing Rong Shuang'er, he felt a bit uncomfortable. At first, they had agreed to let go. But as soon as Song Jinyu disappeared, Ming Ruyi seemed to have lost his soul.
"He Yi is also worried. She's pregnant, and Cheng Song has confined her at home to rest. So... she sent me to check the situation." Rong Shuang'er changed the topic, not wanting Ming Ruyi to be embarrassed.
Unexpectedly, Ming Ruyi hugged her tightly. "You've worked hard, my love!"
He just hugged her, not letting her see the emotions in his phoenix eyes. "Hey! Who hasn't had a white moonlight in their heart?"
Rong Shuang'er had already thought it through. No matter who was in Ming Ruyi's heart, he was hers now and in the future. Ming Ruyi lowered his voice and whispered in her ear, "It's my great fortune to have you. Now, I don't want to let you down anymore."
Hearing his promise, Rong Shuang'er was deeply touched. She immediately said, "No matter what, I'll help you find her!" That woman was also her friend.
When the whole capital was laughing at Rong Shuang'er, it was Song Jinyu who had sent invitations and constantly invited her to the mansion. This had saved the Rong family from losing face completely.
"Okay!"
The Prince and Princess of Zhongzhou sent more people to the cities along the river. "I always feel that Song Jinyu is not dead..."
"Because we haven't found her body for so many days."
"Maybe she's waiting for us somewhere!" Encouraged by Rong Shuang'er, Ming Ruyi cheered up.
After Zhongli Mingye finished the court session, he rode his horse all the way south. He stood by the Minjiang River, watching the surging water. Today, he had invited the abbot of the Xiangguo Temple to pray for Song Jinyu.
As the chanting of the scriptures echoed, his thoughts drifted back to that day.
For so many days, Zhongli Mingye didn't dare to recall, and he didn't want to face that painful scene: Her body was like a butterfly with broken wings,
falling directly into the water without a sound. The huge waves on the river rose up, and he shouted desperately, but there was no response.
That day, he couldn't hear any sound, and his eyes lost all color.
He stroked his chest, where the pain could never heal.
He murmured to himself, "I've finally managed to make sure you never have to kneel to anyone, but you're gone."
Even if he had the whole world in his hands, without her smiling face, what was the meaning? The monks chanted for a whole day. Occasionally, a fish would jump out of the river.
He quietly watched the sun sink below the horizon. There was no one waiting by the river anymore.
Day after day, he would always wake up suddenly in the middle of the night. Since she had entered his dreams that day, she had never come back. In order to meet her in his dreams,
Zhongli Mingye had moved to the Moonlit Terrace, but he still hadn't met her in his dreams.
"The big treasure is sick and has been taken to the general's mansion by your sister - in - law. Now, it seems that I'm the only one left in this huge mansion."
"You always like to worry about other people's affairs." The wine jars on the ground were lying in a mess. He lay on the couch in a wild and unrestrained way,
looking at the osmanthus tree and recalling that day when she had come in a bright red wedding dress, bringing with her the fragrance of osmanthus.
She had kissed him coquettishly and wanted to drink. The taste was so sweet... so sweet that it made him feel dizzy.
In the end, she didn't get to drink. On that beautiful night, her tenderness was only for him.
It was these beautiful memories that made Zhongli Mingye roar in pain, "If you don't come back, I'll follow you!"
One by one, he threw the wine jars down! In the dark night, they made a dull sound. Qingfeng and Xingjian looked at each other,
no one dared to come up and comfort him because they had seen the deep love between the Prince Yu and his wife.
That kind of unreserved love and infatuation was the most beautiful thing in the world.