But what was Xiao Xueyi's position in her heart?
Suddenly, she felt a bit panicked. After losing her memory, the first person she met was Xiao Xueyi. A glint of cruelty flashed across her phoenix eyes. If that was really the case,
Xiao Xueyi truly deserved to die!
He carried the girl to the couch and covered her with the quilt. He gazed intently at her familiar and radiant face. They had known each other for five years,
and had gone through many life - and - death situations together.
The moon was enchanting, shining gently on the earth. The moonlight fell on the budding Chinese flowering crabapple. The early - spring snow had melted away.
Spring had come. It seemed that his state of mind was gradually moving towards a calm kind of happiness.
Her red lips were slightly pursed. He couldn't help but give them a gentle peck.
On a whim, he hugged her in his arms. They fell asleep together, just like in the old days.
As if sensing something, Ning Yue nuzzled in his arms and found a comfortable position.
She slept more soundly.
However, as soon as dawn broke,
Zhongli Mingye left. He couldn't be too unrestrained. After all, Song Jinyu had forgotten about him.
The next day, Ning Yue woke up early. She was flustered. She had drunk a lot of wine the previous day. She felt a bit embarrassed. The last scene in her mind was that she had grabbed Zhongli Mingye's hand
and even touched the crown prince's face. She covered her face with both hands. Oh no, she was too ashamed to show her face!
Mi Cui said with a smile, "Miss, you just had a few more drinks. His Highness the Crown Prince left early this morning." Left early? What did that mean!
Ning Yue belatedly realized. Could it be that Zhongli Mingye had also stayed here for the whole night? Then... did something happen between them? She lifted the quilt. Fortunately, her clothes were neat.
She wasn't that embarrassing. She was really afraid that she had a bad behavior when drunk.
She felt a bit stuffy in her nose and weak all over. "Aunt Mi Cui, please get some medicine for me."
Right now, her head hurt badly, and she couldn't think about too many things.
Da Yuanbao's fever had subsided, but Ning Yue fell ill. She had drunk wine last night, so the cold came on more fiercely.
In the afternoon, Zhongli Mingye came back. As soon as he got the news, he immediately went to see her. "Your Highness, stay away from Ning Yue,"
Ning Yue's voice was hoarse, and she was still ashamed of getting drunk yesterday. But Zhongli Mingye didn't care at all. He just tucked the corner of her quilt tightly,
"What did the imperial physician say?"
"The imperial physician said that the miss caught a cold." Mi Cui replied, "The medicine has been prescribed. It will take at least three days for her to gradually recover."
Zhongli Mingye picked up the decocted medicinal soup, blew on it with a spoon, and then handed it to Ning Yue. The girl lowered her head and said nothing. She was shy again.
How could she drink it? This was too ambiguous. She was just a maid here. It was really inappropriate to be served like this by him.
Zhongli Mingye saw that she was acting like an ostrich.
He knew that she must be shy.
He handed the bowl to Mi Cui and left without saying a word.
Later in the day, when he came back again, he saw Ning Yue sleeping drowsily. Da Yuanbao was making a fuss to find her. But Ning Yue had told him not to get close.
Zhongli Mingye couldn't sleep at night. He kept bringing her water. The drowsy girl would never have thought that the noble Crown Prince would fetch water for her.
"The Lantern Festival is very lively in the capital. You've missed so many interesting things because of this illness." Zhongli Mingye looked at her playfully.
The girl was much more energetic. She felt a bit uncomfortable. "There will be next year's Lantern Festival!"
"However, I've sent someone to buy a lot of small gadgets. When you recover, go and play with Da Yuanbao."
This made it seem as if she were just a child like Da Yuanbao. Ning Yue thought that His Highness the Crown Prince had been very gentle recently.
This gentleness was probably just because of her face. Thinking of this, she felt inexplicably sad. She didn't understand why she was sad.
After all, she didn't have the right to feel that way.
Last night, in the dungeon,
Xiao Xueyi was visited by the extremely angry Crown Prince.
"Xiao Xueyi, neither I nor Jinyu have ever done anything wrong to you. Why?" Zhongli Mingye's phoenix eyes were cold, and his gaze was hard to fathom.
"She's too good, so..."
"So, you deceived her!" Zhongli Mingye was so angry that he slapped the man to the ground with one palm. The extraordinary young master gently wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Everyone has desires."
"I, Xiao, am no exception."
This was an admission that Ning Yue was Song Jinyu. Zhongli Mingye laughed out of anger, "She has never belonged to you. She is my Crown Princess, my only wife."
"But you didn't protect her well." Xiao Xueyi continued to provoke Zhongli Mingye. "No matter how much you love her, it can't compare to your imperial power and the world, right?
Zhongli Mingye grabbed Xiao Xueyi. "Why did I become the Crown Prince?"
He didn't explain anymore. He just helped Xiao Xueyi sit comfortably in the wheelchair. "From now on, you won't have the chance to see her again."
Ning Yue walked into the Liuyun Pavilion, where the Jiaowei Qin was placed. Vaguely, a scene of a man playing the qin while looking at the lake appeared in her mind. She turned around and looked outside. It seemed as if there were lotus flowers blooming wantonly in the pond.
Every time she remembered a little bit, her head would hurt terribly.
Was this a scene she had imagined? Ning Yue stood there in a daze. Or was it something that had really happened?
Zhongli Mingye saw her standing there and sat behind the qin. He stroked the strings, and the Jiaowei Qin let out a whimpering sound, pulling Ning Yue's thoughts back.
When the piece was over, she was completely entranced. "Can the Crown Prince also play the qin?"
"Why can't the Crown Prince play the qin?" He retorted, "The first time I saw you, you were playing the qin and having fun in the Mingyue Pavilion. But your qin skills were a bit rough. How about I teach you?"
Ning Yue shook her head. "I have a very poor sense of music. Even after learning for a few months, I've only just scratched the surface."
A few months? A smile curled up on Zhongli Mingye's lips. It was something she had newly learned in the few months she had been missing.
Why did Xiao Xueyi teach her to play the qin? Probably just to deceive him.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Xiao Xueyi deserved to stay in the dungeon for a few more months. "You seem to care quite a lot about the Lord of the Xiao Pavilion."
Ning Yue didn't understand what he meant, but she also knew that it was really inappropriate for Zhongli Mingye to ask her this question. So she immediately shut up.
In Zhongli Mingye's eyes, a hint of anger welled up.
After a long time, Ning Yue said, "Your Highness, why bother getting entangled in this matter. You only care about Ning Yue's appearance..." She had said from the very beginning that she would never be a substitute.
But in the past few days, Zhongli Mingye had clearly regarded her as Song Jinyu. Although she had lost her memory, she wasn't stupid. First, he coaxed her to stay in the prince's mansion.
Then he made her get close to Da Yuanbao.
Now they were living together in the mansion, playing the qin and drinking wine. These were things he had done with the former Crown Princess, right?
Zhongli Mingye couldn't play the qin anymore. Care about her appearance. This woman was really... He stood up and got closer to her.
"Have you fallen in love with Xiao Xueyi? So, you've wronged yourself to be a maid for his sake?" His eyes gradually turned cold.
Was that why she had come to the Prince Yu's Mansion and was willing to be a maid?
Ning Yue was helpless. This man always brought the conversation to this topic after just a few words. She didn't answer. She just thought in her heart. Didn't you force me to be a maid in the mansion?
Her red lips parted slightly, and she said in a low voice, "His Highness Yuanbao will wake up soon. Ning Yue will take her leave first." The man seemed a bit angry. Ning Yue didn't dare to stay any longer.
She fled in a hurry.
In the past few days, she had felt something strange. Every time she was alone with Zhongli Mingye, her heart would feel full, and she would even feel a bit happy.
This feeling was unprecedented.