After seeing off Zhongli Mingye, Ning Yue turned around and asked, "Why does he act like this towards me?" She didn't believe in love at first sight, nor would she believe that a dignified crown prince of a country could be so out of control!
It occurred to her that he might have mistaken her for someone else.
Suddenly, Ning Yue thought of Ji Yeliu. He seemed very familiar with her. Presumably, she resembled someone they both knew very well.
Xiao Xueyi knew he couldn't hide it from her, so he told Ning Yue about the crown prince's loss of his crown princess earlier. "Zhongli Mingye still refuses to believe that she's dead..."
"After ascending to the position of crown prince, he made Song Jinyu the crown princess." Xiao Xueyi had to admit defeat. He originally thought that after Song Jinyu's death, which would make Zhongli Mingye give up, he could have Ning Yue for the rest of his life.
But he underestimated the new crown prince's infatuation.
Ning Yue sighed, "That woman must be really great. Otherwise, why would the crown prince treat her like this?"
Looking at Ning Yue thoughtfully, Xiao Xueyi said, "I'm afraid he'll mistake you for Song Jinyu."
Ning Yue widened her eyes. "That won't do. How could I take her place?" Besides, what's the point of being someone else's substitute?
She shook her head to dispel the doubts in her mind and went upstairs on her own, leaving Xiao Xueyi alone in the main hall.
Ning Yue didn't fall asleep until dawn.
Her heart was pounding like a frightened deer. In her mind, there was only the figure of that man. Looking at her own hands, she didn't understand why her first reaction was not to let the crown prince get hurt.
It must be because of his noble status and imposing manner. That's why she reached out to support him...
The crown princess had been dead for more than half a year, but he still refused to admit it. Moreover, he had been reluctant to move into the Eastern Palace. With the dignity of a crown prince, he condescended to live in the Prince Yu's Mansion, just in case the crown princess couldn't find her way home when she came back.
Ning Yue sighed. What is love in the world? It makes people willing to live and die for it.
She tossed and turned in bed but still couldn't fall asleep. Oh... her heart was in such a mess today!
She simply got out of bed and walked to the desk. Picking up a pen, she started writing a prescription. Her eyes were bloodshot and red, presumably because she hadn't slept well at night.
Her face was as pale as paper, and her eye sockets were sunken. It was probably due to excessive grief and depression. Thinking of this, Ning Yue stopped writing. Was it because of his deceased wife?
Song Jinyu... this name also seemed very familiar...
Zhongli Mingye was desperately pouring wine into his mouth. He was already dead drunk but still wanted to drink more. When Song Chuyu heard the news and rushed to the Prince Yu's Mansion, Zhongli Mingye was already unconscious.
Only then did he learn that the crown prince had skipped court for a day because he had met a woman who looked extremely similar to Song Jinyu!
Similar? Song Chuyu was shocked. He thought it couldn't be such a coincidence. He also rushed to the Mingyue Tower, but the tower was closed to customers today.
"From today on, Ning Yue will be the new owner of the Mingyue Tower."
Xiao Xueyi introduced Ning Yue to the manager and all the stewards of the Mingyue Tower. Seeing that Ning Yue was just a young girl, they whispered to each other.
Everyone's eyes were filled with confusion. Xiao Xueyi said, "The Mingyue Tower is a gift from me to Ning Yue. What she says is what I say."
With these words, he established Ning Yue's status in the Mingyue Tower. There was a flash of gratitude in Ning Yue's beautiful eyes, but more of it was confusion. Since arriving in the capital, Xiao Xueyi had never mentioned their engagement again.
Now, he had given her the Mingyue Tower. What was he planning?
Thinking of Zhongli Mingye, Ning Yue's face turned cold. Was he going to give her to the crown prince as a substitute for the crown princess? She hoped not.
Otherwise, she would never be able to look at Xiao Xueyi in the same way again!
Although she had obtained the Mingyue Tower for free, Ning Yue wasn't happy. Instead, she felt more panicked. This feeling was even more difficult to grasp than losing her memory.
She specifically asked Xiao Xueyi if she could go out for a stroll alone. Taking Jingran with her, as soon as they stepped out of the Mingyue Tower, they were followed.
She walked aimlessly, her mind in a daze.
Jingran carefully protected her. Now, she could no longer treat Ning Yue as an ordinary maid. After all, in the Tingran Pavilion, apart from the pavilion master, it was Ning Yue. It was obvious to everyone in the Tingran Pavilion that the pavilion master not only valued Ning Yue but was also infatuated with her.
Just as she was strolling around boredly, she accidentally bumped into someone. Jingran quickly grabbed her.
"I'm sorry!" Ning Yue was extremely flustered and secretly annoyed at herself for not being careful while walking. Jingran didn't even dare to breathe. When Ning Yue looked up, she found that the person she had bumped into was Zhongli Mingye.
"Greetings... Your... Highness..." She was about to bow when his finger stopped her.
"Boom!"
A blush spread across her small face. What was he doing? That finger was actually touching her red lips. Moreover, this person reeked of alcohol...
Ning Yue stared blankly at Zhongli Mingye. The man withdrew his finger but looked at her ambiguously. Ning Yue lowered her head.
"Miss Ning Yue, why did you finally decide to go out?"
As soon as he spoke, Ning Yue knew he was drunk. "It's broad daylight. It's not safe for you to be out like this. Hurry... hurry back to the mansion!" After holding it in for a long time, the words that came out of Ning Yue's mouth made her want to bite off her own tongue.
However, before Zhongli Mingye could say anything, a shadow appeared in front of them. The man suddenly collapsed, and Ning Yue quickly caught him.
She was so thin, and Zhongli Mingye's body was very heavy. Jingran helped her. The two of them half - supported and half - dragged him. They looked at each other helplessly. "Do you know where the Prince Yu's Mansion is?"
"I only know where the Mingyue Tower is!"
Xing Jian grabbed Qing Feng who was about to step forward. "Don't go... Look who that is?" Qing Feng took a closer look, and his eyes almost popped out. "Is that the princess?"
"Is it the crown princess?" The two of them looked at each other in surprise...
Ning Yue wanted to cry. What a mess! She hadn't even finished her stroll when she ended up bringing back a man, and it was the current crown prince...
Xiao Xueyi didn't know where he had gone. In front of all the stewards of the Mingyue Tower, she and Jingran dragged Zhongli Mingye upstairs. "Hey, you guys... are you just going to stand there and watch?"
The steward, Chen Wushuang, was in disbelief but quickly stepped forward to take Zhongli Mingye. "You're..." He wanted to say that Miss Ning Yue was the pavilion master's someone, right?
But now she had brought a man back. Unfortunately, Ning Yue didn't understand the meaning behind his gaze. It wasn't until they had moved Zhongli Mingye into a guest room that Ning Yue heaved a sigh of relief.
Looking closely at the man who was sound asleep, he was really good - looking. Suddenly, her face changed drastically because she couldn't move her hand.
She didn't bother to figure out why the man could grab her hand even with his eyes closed.
She just sighed. The crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty was actually a lovestruck fool. "Tsk tsk... How beautiful must that crown princess be to make him so infatuated?"
Xiao Xueyi pushed the door open and came in. Hearing this, he burst out laughing. "Cough cough... Ning Yue, where did you find the crown prince?"
Ning Yue pouted, looking helpless. "While I was out for a stroll!"
"In such a big capital city, I had only been out for half an hour when this drunk man blocked my way. Before I could even say a word, he fainted!"
A glint flashed in Xiao Xueyi's eyes. He looked at the man on the bed. He was really drunk. But his subconscious had led him to the Mingyue Tower. Was it also because of Ning Yue...
"Jingran... Go and prepare some hot water first..." Ning Yue rolled up her sleeves and sat by the bed. She carefully wiped Zhongli Mingye's body.
He smelled of alcohol all over, and his face was pale. Although he was unconscious, his eyebrows were tightly furrowed, as if there was something weighing on his mind. Ning Yue didn't know why, but she felt very sad.
She inserted some fine needles and gently stroked them, afraid of hurting him... Before she knew it, two hours had passed. Xiao Xueyi had left, and Jingran had also gone out.
Seeing that the man still hadn't woken up, Ning Yue wanted to leave. But the man tightly held her hand. Just as her mind was wandering, unexpectedly, Zhongli Mingye suddenly woke up!