"Don't be so hasty. In terms of status, I should call you Imperial Sister-in-law. Little Thirteen is my nephew and will be my apprentice in the future. We are family. It is only right for family members to help each other." Ji Fengyao quickly helped her up.
"My rank is too low to deserve the title of 'sister-in-law' from the princess," Nie Meier said, flattered but also quick-witted. "Is the second thing the princess wants to ask about the third prince?"
Ji Fengyao helped her up and nodded again: "Yes, have you discovered something amiss with the Third Prince?"
“The Third Prince is no longer the Third Prince he used to be,” Nie Meier’s voice and emotions suddenly became extremely low.
Even after enduring countless schemes and torments from Consort Yin, she had never been this heartbroken.
But she only mentioned the Third Prince once, and her mood became so low.
Ji Fengyao's eyes widened slightly: Could it be that she...?
“Your Highness is wise, you must have guessed it,” Nie Meier said with a wry smile when she saw Ji Fengyao’s slightly surprised expression. “That’s right. When I was just a maidservant by Consort Yin’s side, I fell in love with the Third Prince at first sight and we made a pact with each other. Everyone said that the Third Prince was gay, but only I knew that he was the most masculine, upright, and talented of all the princes. At that time, the late Emperor also placed high hopes on him.”
Therefore, neither the Empress nor the Crown Prince could tolerate him, nor could the other princes in the palace. As a result, he was secretly murdered by the Chen family, and his reputation was ruined.
But from that moment on, he was no longer himself.
At first, I thought he was unable to keep his promise to me because his reputation was ruined, and he didn't want to drag me down with him.
But later I realized that he was clearly a different person.
The way he looked at me was so unfamiliar, as if we had never met, never shared feelings for each other, and never had any connection whatsoever.
Ji Fengyao found this very strange:
She was almost certain that Shang Beiyu had a problem.
But if Shang Beiyu was truly possessed by the Demon Lord Jiu Yue at this time, given the Demon Lord Jiu Yue's abilities, preserving and reading the Third Prince's memories wouldn't be difficult. To ensure his identity wasn't exposed, he could have easily killed the lowly Nie Meier.
Even though Consort Yin was in favor at the time, the death of one or two palace maids was not a big deal.
But why didn't he kill Nie Meier?
The thought had barely formed.
Nie Meier choked back a sob and said with great heartache, "Originally, Consort Yin asked me to serve the late Emperor, but I was unwilling;
That night, after everyone had left, I poured a lot of wine for the late emperor, hoping that this would preserve my innocence.
But no one knew that the Third Prince had been there that night.
It was him, he personally poured the spiked wine into my mouth and the late emperor's mouth.
He said that once I became the late emperor's woman, I would give up my feelings for him and have a better future...
That night, I don't know how to describe the Third Prince. Sometimes I felt he was him, but most of the time I felt he wasn't.
After that night, I never felt that way again.
He had become a complete stranger, so strange that it frightened me, making me afraid to take another step near him.
"So that's why you hinted to Bai Lu to be careful of him," Ji Fengyao continued.
“Yes,” Nie Meier said, her voice still tinged with bitterness. “Later I heard that you took good care of him, Princess. That time in the Imperial Garden, when Qin Weiyang plotted to harm you, I was actually nearby and saw him take you away with my own eyes. The reason I didn’t make a fuss about it that day was partly out of fear of him.”
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