Ning Yue still couldn't believe it even now. How dare Zhongli Mingye?
He clearly knew that she didn't want to be a substitute!
Yet he still sent her into the Song Prime Minister's Mansion in the identity of the second legitimate daughter of the Song family!
Pain suddenly flashed across her beautiful eyes, and she felt inexplicably sad. In front of these powerful and noble people, she seemed like an ant.
In the past, in the Tingran Pavilion, her fate was in the hands of Xiao Xueyi. Now in the capital city, she still couldn't gain her freedom.
Xiang Shi pushed the door open and suddenly felt as if Song Jinyu was at home. "Yue'er, why do you deceive yourself?"
She put down the ginseng soup and pulled Ning Yue over. "Silly girl... my silly younger sister..."
"If you weren't Song Jinyu, why would he spend so much effort on you?"
Ning Yue was stunned! Song Jinyu? Seeing that she didn't understand, Xiang Shi wiped the tears from her eyes. "That day, after Jinyu jumped into the river, she disappeared..."
"The prince was frantic with worry... He sent many people to look for her... but there was still no trace of you."
"Later, we found out that the boat of the Xiao Pavilion Master had passed by the Minjiang River." Xiang Shi told Ning Yue what had happened that day.
When Ning Yue heard that Zhongli Mingye had hurt himself with a knife, tears immediately streamed down her face.
She placed her hand on her chest. No wonder she felt so familiar. It turned out that that person was her husband!
Suddenly, a headache struck, and she staggered and almost fell. Xiang Shi quickly supported her and suddenly remembered Zhongli Mingye's instruction, "Never let her forcefully regain her memory."
But Xiang Shi really didn't want to see Zhongli Mingye suffer day after day. The current crown prince of the dynasty, who used to be so high-spirited, was now so decadent.
If it weren't for Dayuanbao, Zhongli Mingye might have followed Song Jinyu to the afterlife.
When Song Chuyu came back and told her about Song Jinyu jumping into the river, Zhongli Mingye had fainted at the same time. Ning Yue forced herself to calm down. "Is Dayuanbao my own child?"
How could she forget them? How could she not recognize them?
Xiang Shi supported Ning Yue and sat down together. "The prince always thought that you wouldn't leave, but he was also afraid that you wouldn't find them when you got home. So he never stepped into the East Palace... He has always been living in the Prince Yu Mansion."
Him. Ning Yue seemed to see Zhongli Mingye looking for her. At this moment, she really hoped that she could remember something.
Xiang Shi said that he would visit a different city every month in the hope of meeting her.
Now, by some strange twist of fate. No, Ning Yue smiled bitterly. It was Xiao Xueyi who had sent her back to the capital.
Zhong... Li... Ming... Ye. The four words rolled off her lips. It turned out that they were husband and wife. She remembered Zhongli Mingye saying, "You've never been a substitute."
Yes, why didn't she think of it?
That person had done so many things to protect her. With such deep affection, there must have been moving and beautiful experiences between them.
But... she had forgotten everything. She had forgotten Zhongli Mingye, Dayuanbao, the Song family, and everything about Tianmen Mountain.
Ning Yue silently left the prime minister's mansion. The street was bustling with carriages and horses. She didn't know where to go...
Xiang Shi understood how she felt and sent a sedan chair to take her directly to the Prince Yu Mansion.
She was very familiar with this place. She smiled faintly. On the day she entered the mansion, Dayuanbao had even peed on her.
The tearful eyes of Niaoniao and Micui. It seemed that they recognized her. After all, they were her personal maids...
Her heart ached continuously, and it felt as if thousands of ants were gnawing at her head. But she refused to give up. Zhongli Mingye had not entered the East Palace for her sake.
She also had to try hard to remember the past...
Everything started to spin, and Ning Yue couldn't stand steadily. She fell, but there was no pain as she had expected. Instead, a pleasant sandalwood scent wafted into her nose.
It was Zhongli Mingye who had reached out and caught Ning Yue.
Her eyes were filled with tears as she looked at him seriously. It turned out that those feelings of familiarity were not without reason.
It was because they had faced each other day and night and slept together every night.
"Shall we go?"
Seeing the sad look in her eyes, Zhongli Mingye naturally understood that Xiang Shi might have told her everything.
"I can't walk anymore!" Ning Yue didn't know why, but her legs felt weak.
Zhongli Mingye picked her up horizontally and whispered in her ear, "Once you come in, you won't be able to get out!"
"... " Ning Yue blushed and buried her face in his arms.
In the Mingyue Tower,
Xiao Xueyi had not eaten or drunk anything for a whole day. "My lord, this is not good for your health."
Jing Ran brought in some food and handed him the prescription that Ning Yue had left earlier. "Ning Yue said that this prescription will be of great benefit to your body."
"Just leave it there."
Jing Ran and Ling Feng exchanged a look. Clearly, the crown prince had issued an order yesterday to confer the title of Marquis Xueyi on Xiao Xueyi and make the Tingran Pavilion a royal merchant.
Given time, the Tingran Pavilion and the Xiao family would become the largest royal merchants in the Daxia Dynasty.
Why was the pavilion master so unhappy?
"Congratulations to the pavilion master on being conferred the title of marquis. Your wish has finally come true."
Ji Yeliu leaned against the door frame and looked at Xiao Xueyi meaningfully.
Xiao Xueyi turned around, his face cold. "I have to thank Young Master Ji..."
"You can't say that. It never belonged to the pavilion master in the first place. Why force it?" Ji Yeliu knew exactly what he was thinking.
There was a time when he had also fantasized about whether he could meet a woman like Song Jinyu in his life.
When Ming Ruyi heard the news that Xiao Xueyi had been conferred the title of marquis, she also rushed over. "Pavilion Master Xiao, won't you treat us to a drink on such a happy occasion?"
Xiao Xueyi asked Jing Ran to push his wheelchair. "Thank you both for coming."
Ji Yeliu toasted Xiao Xueyi. No matter what, he really felt guilty towards Xiao Xueyi. Although the Ji family relied on the Tingran Pavilion, they did want to break free from it.
Now that things had been arranged like this, Xiao Xueyi had also entered the court as an official. Naturally, he didn't dare to cause any trouble.
Xiao Xueyi had nothing to say. He wasn't without strategies. But when he arrived in the capital, he suddenly realized that he had been completely wrong.
In fact, just as Ji Yeliu had said, he should respect Ning Yue's wishes.
Ji Yeliu drained the wine in his cup. "The crown prince has ordered me to guard the southern border... I wonder when the pavilion master will set off to return to Gusu City?"
When Ming Ruyi heard this, she couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Now, I'm deeply in love with Shuang'er. The crown prince has also sent me to my fiefdom."
"I can only return to the capital once a year."
Xiao Xueyi suddenly felt much happier. His gaze fell on the crystal-clear wine in his cup. "A person like him really leaves no room for mistakes in his actions."
In order not to trouble that woman and to monopolize Song Jinyu's affection, he had sent away one by one those who posed a threat to their relationship.
The three of them raised their cups together, understanding each other without a word.
The only mistake might be losing Song Jinyu.
Holding Dayuanbao, Ning Yue stared blankly. This was her son. They had been separated when he was not even a hundred days old. Now, he had grown so big.
Ning Yue kissed him again and again.
She always felt it was not enough.
During the past month or so, Ning Yue had only regarded Dayuanbao as the crown prince's grandson. Now that she knew the truth, her heart ached terribly.
Dayuanbao was sleeping soundly in his mother's arms, but Ning Yue had no intention of sleeping at all. She just wanted to look at her son. His small body was so soft and cute.
It was really interesting. His eyebrows and eyes were very much like hers, but his outline was like Zhongli Mingye's.
Zhongli Mingye walked into the bedroom and looked at the mother and son tenderly. The dull look in his eyes became softer and softer.
When he went to court this morning, he announced that he would marry Song Ningyue, the second legitimate daughter of the Song Mansion, on the third day of the fourth lunar month, and would move into the East Palace on that day.
The person he had been waiting for had finally come.
This beautiful life would be filled with more colors.