Chapter 41: Banquet (2)
"And after that, Miss Jiang disappeared, and all the charges were directed at her. I also heard that the person who pushed Miss off the cliff was the prince, and that Miss was blessed by God and survived the disaster—"
Lei'er's words almost made Yinyin numb. Was this what Zhou Cheng said he had done to her in the past? And now he happily said he loved her?
"besides--"
"Lei'er——"
Just as Lei'er was about to speak, Yinyin stopped her immediately, as if she didn't want to listen anymore.
"Miss?"
"Tell me, how did I become ill? It seems to have been a long time?"
"this--"
The reason Yinyin learned from Zhou Cheng was that she was frightened because of her weak body. Yinyin didn't want to believe such a flimsy reason anymore. Could it be that the reason why she fell ill was also related to Zhou Cheng? She just wanted to know this.
"tell me."
"this--"
Lei'er seemed a little embarrassed about Yinyin's request, which made Yinyin want to know more.
"In fact, I don't know much about it. I only know that the young lady was still recuperating at the time. After seeing Prince Jing, she suddenly became panicked and even stabbed Prince Jing with a dagger. After that, the young lady fell into a coma and didn't wake up for a long time—"
"Prince Jing?"
"Yes, he is the younger brother of the current emperor. He seems to have always liked you, but I don't know why you tried to assassinate him at that time. Although you fell asleep, you are guilty of assassinating the prince, which is a capital crime. Fortunately, Prince Jing did not pursue the matter and still cares about you very much—"
Lei'er's words once again made Yinyin deeply confused. What was this? Zhou Cheng's brother also loved her? But after she woke up, she didn't see the Prince Jing that Lei'er mentioned. If he really liked her, why didn't he go to see her? Or...
"I heard that Prince Jing went to Zhao State to borrow the national treasure 'Fire Soul Jade' to save the young lady. He even went to the ice and snow in the far north to find elixirs for the young lady. In the end, he was injured on the snowy mountain. I'm afraid Prince Jing is still recovering in the mansion now, because I heard that the injury seems to be serious and he almost died. Fortunately, there is the highly skilled Imperial Physician Xue."
Yinyin was stunned. She didn't expect that someone would do this for her. In contrast, what about Zhou Cheng? Why didn't he do anything? If Prince Jing didn't come to see her because he was injured, she could understand, but what if Zhou Cheng stopped him? Yinyin didn't think about it any further. Prince Jing was willing to risk his life for her. If he couldn't come to see her , shouldn't she take the initiative to visit him?
After breakfast, Yinyin, Lei'er and Baihu relaxed in the yard...
"Miss, are you still planning to return to the palace?"
"…This is not something I can decide, and there are some things I still want to figure out, so I still have to go."
"Is that so? Actually, you can ask me, Miss. Although Lei'er doesn't know much, at least she can tell you the whole truth—"
"Lei'er——"
Yinyin was very happy that Lei'er had this intention, but there were some things she wanted to hear from Zhou Cheng in person. Moreover, she felt that even if it was Lei'er, she might not believe everything she said, just as she believed in Zhou Cheng. However, she never expected that those things had happened in the past, which made Yinyin suspicious of everything now and did not want to trust anyone.
"There are some things I just want to discover on my own. I can't remember what you told me. If I don't recall it myself, no matter what you say, it's just your thoughts. This is not what I want—"
"Yes, Miss, Leier understands."
Lei'er felt that she could understand Yinyin's words. Although she was not the one who lost her memory and had never experienced that feeling, she could only listen to other people's narration of the past, which did not represent the whole story. Her own thoughts were not Yinyin's thoughts at the time, so no matter how much she said, it would be meaningless.
"Before the person who comes to pick me up arrives, let's make good use of the time we have together—"
"yes!"
At this time, a maid came to Yin Yin.
"Miss, the sedan is ready, and the lady is waiting at the door—"
"Well, let's go!"
Yinyin walked towards the gate first, followed by Lei'er and another maid, and Baihu also followed...
——Tai'an Temple——
The most popular temple in the royal city.
In order to thank the heaven for her favor to Yin Yin, the Prime Minister's wife asked Zhou Cheng to bring Yin Yin to worship. There was a great crowd in front of [Tai'an Temple]. Before Yin Yin and her friends' sedan chair arrived, the guards led by Shan Zhen cleared the way for them to avoid being blocked...
"The one who came to pay homage is the Prime Minister's wife, right? Why is General Shan leading the way?"
"That's right, this has never happened before—"
The people who were stopped on both sides by the guards began to talk about it. Yes, it was a custom for the Prime Minister's wife to come here to worship on the first and fifteenth of every month. Although her family members had led the way and given special treatment in the past, she had never mobilized so many troops, especially letting the famous general Shan Zhen in the court lead the way personally . Outsiders certainly didn't know the reason. Shan Zhen was the person appointed by Zhou Cheng himself to protect Yin Yin. In fact, Shan Zhen himself was also very happy to protect Yin Yin.
“Here it comes—”
"Huh? Is there another person?"
When the Prime Minister's wife and her entourage come to pay their respects, there is usually only one sedan chair. This time, with Yin Yin's sedan chair included, there are two now, which makes others curious. People can't help but wonder if the extra sedan chair is the reason for mobilizing so many troops?
Two sedan chairs stopped in front of the gate of Tai'an Temple. The curtains were opened, and the Prime Minister's wife got off first, followed by Yinyin...
"here it is?"
Looking up at the banner that said "Tai'an Temple", the surrounding area was bustling and more lively than she had imagined, making Yin Yin wonder if this was really a temple. Aren't temples generally very quiet places?
"Yin Yin, come here——"
"mother--"
Hearing her mother's call, Yin Yin immediately arrived at her side.
"Wow, who is that woman? She is so beautiful—"
"Yes, yes, when did such a beautiful woman appear in the royal city? How come I didn't know about it?"
"Could it be Princess Xin?"
"That must be it. That girl is so beautiful, she must be the first princess of our Great Zhou—"
People watching from afar began to speculate about Yin Yin's identity , but some of their assumptions were far-fetched.
"In the past, I only heard that the princess was extremely beautiful, but I didn't expect to see her in person today. It really was worth coming here—"
"Of course. The princess is the most beautiful woman in our Great Zhou. Look at her, she looks like a fairy descending from heaven. Ah, compared to the most beautiful woman in the Great Zhou, the daughter of Grand Tutor Jiang, the princess is much more beautiful—"
Some people feel elated just by looking at Yin Yin, so there is no doubt in their minds. Yin Yin is indeed as people say, time has not taken away her beauty, on the contrary, it gives people a feeling of mature beauty. If Xinxin has the temperament of a lily that is untainted by the mud, then Yin Yin has the temperament of a fairy that is not tainted by the mundane world. Xinxin is a princess and is high above everyone else. Of course, ordinary people cannot see her when they meet, so they mistake Yin Yin. Back then, there was Jiang Ruting, and now there is Zhou Xinxin, the beauty of the Great Zhou known to everyone. Who remembers Zhang Yin Yin?
