Mingyi's eyes flickered slightly, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Princess, you are overthinking it. You have not offended me, and I have not deliberately distanced myself from you. It's just that I've been busy with my studies lately and am not as leisurely as before."
This was clearly a perfunctory remark, and Rong Yu snorted in dissatisfaction, "You speak such official jargon so fluently, did you learn it from your father?"
“…” Mingyi was speechless, and another silence ensued.
He wouldn't say much, but Rong Yu always felt that something was wrong with him. In the past, Mingyi would always have a warm smile when he saw her and would have a lot to say to her. But ever since that time when they danced together at the Mulan Hunting Ground and were discovered and stopped by the Emperor, he seemed to have become a different person.
If the two of them met, he would deliberately take a detour. If he couldn't avoid her, he would only greet her and say nothing else. He would no longer send her gifts or joke with her as before, and they would become like strangers.
This situation troubled her greatly, so she decided to ask for clarification: "Did Father Emperor say something to you that caused you to suddenly change your attitude towards me?"
The Emperor did indeed speak to him. The Emperor was his uncle and had always been kind and benevolent to him. However, on that day, the Emperor gave him a very stern warning, saying that Rong Yu was about to get engaged to the Mongolian prince and that he should keep his distance from Rong Yu and not get too close, lest outsiders gossip and damage Rong Yu's reputation.
Not only did the Emperor warn him, but even his father, Fuqing, came to admonish him, saying that the princess's marriage to the Mongol was inevitable. The Emperor's bringing Lejur back to the capital clearly meant that he regarded Lejur as his future son-in-law, and there was no possibility between him and the princess. He should avoid suspicion to prevent bringing trouble to his family.
When Amana brought up the family matter, Mingyi became hesitant and finally dared not deliberately distance himself from Rongyu as he had done before.
Now that Rong Yu is questioning him about the reason, what should he say? If he says it's the Emperor's will, Rong Yu will definitely resent the Emperor, which will increase the conflict between father and daughter, and may even implicate the Fucha family.
Considering the consequences, Mingyi ultimately did not tell the truth. "The Emperor did not say anything, but I feel that we are getting older and are no longer children. We should pay attention to the separation of men and women."
"What's this talk of separation between men and women? We're cousins! Our relationship is closer than others, so what's wrong with saying a few words? Who would dare gossip?" Rong Yu was fearless, but Mingyi couldn't help but remind her:
“Princess, you are about to get engaged. You cannot get too close to other men. You must consider the Mongolian prince.”
"Who wants to be engaged to him? I don't want to! I wouldn't consider him at all!" Hearing his tone, Rong Yu had already guessed a certain possibility.
"You think I'm ignoring you because I'm getting engaged to him, right? That's Father Emperor's decision, not mine. I won't agree to it."
Rong Yu's attitude was obvious, and Mingyi could see it, but she overlooked one point: "This is the established rule, and you have no choice."
Rong Yu didn't take it seriously. "My mother is the Emperor's favorite concubine. The Emperor doesn't listen to others, but he listens to my mother. As long as I don't want to get engaged, my mother will definitely plead with the Emperor on my behalf."
The Imperial Noble Consort certainly didn't want her daughter to marry far away, but being in the royal family still meant too many constraints. "However, there are some things that the Imperial Noble Consort can't decide. In our royal family, you are the only princess, and the Emperor has no choice."
Rong Yu was most annoyed by those grand principles. "Don't make up those excuses. I'm just asking you, is it because of Lejur that you don't want to talk to me?"
Mingyi was extremely conflicted. He wanted to nod and admit it, but the words stuck in his throat. "It's not because of him."
He had spent several years with Rong Yu and had become increasingly familiar with her. Such a bright and enthusiastic young girl always put him in a great mood whenever he saw her, so how could he possibly dislike her?
But if he denies it, given Rong Yu's personality, she will definitely continue to press him. How should he answer? It seems that no matter how he answers, it will be inappropriate.
Seeing his hesitation, Rong Yu already guessed the answer, "Okay, I understand! I will never bother you again!"
Rong Yu turned away angrily, but deep down she still had a hope that he would call her back and tell her that the truth was not what she thought.
However, after she had taken five or six steps, she did not hear the voice she hoped for behind her; the only response she received was the whistling autumn wind in her ears.
It seems he really doesn't care about her. If he did care, he should at least offer an explanation.
At that moment, Rong Yu felt a lump in her throat. She wanted to cry, but she also felt ridiculous.
She was still racking her brains trying to figure out the reason for Mingyi's sudden change. She thought he had some kind of hardship, but sadly, the real reason was very simple: he just disliked her and that's why he didn't want to talk to her. That was all.
She had been so presumptuous as to think that she and Mingyi had a very good relationship, but it turned out that it was nothing more than that.
Rong Yu felt a sharp pain in her heart and walked back in a daze.
Zheng Yanzhi, who was forced to practice archery, saw her figure and sensed that she looked very lonely. She quickly handed the bow and arrows to Yongzhang and ran over to support her.
"Princess, what's wrong with you?"
Knowing that Yan Zhi was concerned about her, Rong Yu was feeling down and didn't want to say anything, so she forced a smile and said:
"I'm fine, but I suddenly feel a bit tired. I want to go back to the palace."
As a fellow woman, Zheng Yanzhi understood her feelings. Since she didn't want to talk about it, Zheng Yanzhi didn't press her further and accompanied her back to Jingren Palace.
Seeing this, Yongzhang couldn't help but become suspicious. His sister was so disappointed after seeing Mingyi, so it must be related to Mingyi.
So Yongzhang went to ask Mingyi, but Mingyi refused to say anything.
Yonghuang was the one most familiar with Mingyi, so Yongzhang had no choice but to ask his elder brother to mediate.
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