“After Mei Qing took up residence in the mansion, our prince spent all his time doting on her, neglecting everything else. Naturally, the dowager duchess disapproved. Initially, the mansion’s staff looked down on Mei Qing, but it wasn’t long before they all grew fond of her.”
“To be honest, we all felt that, disregarding status and background, the prince and Mei Qing were quite the perfect match. The prince is quite handsome and possesses excellent bearing. As for Mei Qing, there’s no need to elaborate further. When they walked together, everyone thought they were a perfect pair. However, the prince is still a prince. Even though he loved Mei Qing deeply, he understood that it was nearly impossible to marry a girl of unknown origin as his duchess.”
Sixth Master spoke softly, and Mei Qing fell silent. As he said, the prince’s official wife had to be formally appointed; it wasn’t something an ordinary woman could attain.
“Then—” Mei Qing hesitated before asking, “Did no one ever inquire about Mei Qing’s background?”
“How could we not ask?” Uncle Zhong interjected. “But aside from growing up in Mei Valley from childhood and later encountering a villain, forcing her to protect herself with magical arts, Mei Qing knew nothing else. I also questioned her two maids, and their accounts were consistent with Mei Qing’s.”
“What about the magical arts?” Mei Qing pressed. “Where could someone raised in isolation possibly learn such skills?”
Sixth Master shook his head. “Among cultivators, such matters are not to be inquired about. If it could be spoken of, they would usually introduce their sect themselves. In fact, many sects strictly adhere to their rules and never mention their origins to outsiders.”
Uncle Zhong nodded. “Precisely. Mei Qing simply said her master forbade her from discussing it, so we refrained from asking further.”
“What happened next? How did things proceed?” Mei Qing asked after a pause.
“After that—” Sixth Master smiled bitterly. “The prince became increasingly inseparable from Mei Qing, but we had no idea whether Mei Qing truly reciprocated his feelings. After all, she was equally kind and gentle to everyone.”
“I believe the prince must have confessed his feelings many times, but Mei Qing either didn’t focus on matters of love or failed to understand the prince’s intentions. Thus, things dragged on like this until about mid-February, more than a month later—”
“Although Mei Qing was kind to everyone, she seemed somewhat gloomy herself. You see, she never concealed her feelings; they always showed on her face. Yet no one could understand why she was unhappy. At the mansion, everyone treated her well, and the prince indulged her every whim, sparing no effort to obtain anything she might desire. However, Mei Qing was naturally indifferent, not placing much value on material things. Even the things girls usually enjoy most, like fine clothes and delicacies, she never showed particular preferences for. When asked why she was unhappy, she merely smiled without offering further explanation.”
“Later, it was a maid named Wu’er who finally helped the prince understand. A plum tree in the mansion bloomed unexpectedly, and the prince thought Mei Qing would surely appreciate it, so he invited her to see it. To his surprise, after viewing the plum blossoms, Mei Qing’s melancholy became even more apparent, to the point that even the servants watching felt pained. Wu’er remarked, ‘These plum blossoms aren’t as beautiful as those back home…’
“The prince finally realized that Mei Qing’s sadness stemmed from homesickness. The ‘home’ she referred to was naturally the plum blossom-filled valley. The prince approached Mei Qing and proposed taking her back to the valley for a short stay.”
“When Mei Qing heard the prince’s words, she was overjoyed. I still remember how her eyes suddenly sparkled with unusual brightness and how brightly she smiled. In fact, her smile seemed to instantly bring joy to the entire mansion. The guards began preparing tents and carriages, and the maids packed their belongings. The next day, Lu Zhong and others set off toward Mei Valley—the name Mei Qing and her companions used, which indeed seemed very fitting.”
“As I had to remain at the mansion, I wasn’t clear on the details of what happened in the valley. However, three days later, they returned. Upon returning, Mei Qing hid inside the carriage and refused to see anyone. When she finally emerged, she appeared shy, while the prince looked delighted.”
“I congratulated the prince, who was very happy but also sighed, saying that Mei Qing still hadn’t agreed to marry him. In my opinion, however, this was no longer an issue—it was only a matter of time. The real concern was what status should be given to Mei Qing once she married into the royal family.”
“Just then, Master Maoyang suddenly arrived, saying an old friend had sent word and that he needed to visit them. Naturally, the prince tried hard to persuade him to stay, but he insisted on leaving. Eventually, he spent a long time alone with the prince before departing. However, I sensed that after he left, the prince seemed quite unhappy.”
Pausing for a moment, Sixth Master continued slowly, “In fact, I’ve always felt that since Mei Qing arrived at the mansion, Master Maoyang has acted somewhat strangely.”
“Strange?” Mei Qing asked. “What do you mean?”
Sixth Master thought for a while before replying, “It’s hard to explain clearly. In fact, when we entered Mei Valley, outside the cottage, Master Maoyang’s behavior was somewhat different from usual. Normally, he always carried himself as a transcendent cultivator, maintaining a calm demeanor, with flowing sleeves, and holding a wine cup even when idle, occasionally reciting a couplet or two. However, in Mei Valley, I noticed several times that he seemed restless, and once I even saw him standing alone at the valley entrance at night, gazing blankly at the moon.”
“More notably, there was his aura. As cultivators, we are particularly sensitive to such things. On several occasions when I saw the prince and Mei Qing together, I could sense his true essence becoming unstable. At first, I thought it might be a coincidence, but when it happened repeatedly, I began to recall his behavior during that time and felt a growing sense of caution.”
“After the prince and Mei Qing stayed together in Mei Valley and returned, anyone with discerning eyes could tell something had happened between them. However, Master Maoyang’s reaction was extremely unusual.”
“What do you mean? Did he act strangely?” Mei Qing asked, suspecting that Master Maoyang might have developed inappropriate feelings for Mei Qing.
“On the contrary, he was excessively calm,” Sixth Master shook his head. “Not only did his expressions and demeanor show no signs of disturbance, but his true essence was as still as stagnant water. That kind of calmness wasn’t like the usual peacefulness of cultivators; it carried a sense of deathly stillness that made me feel very uneasy.”
“When he said he needed to leave to visit a friend, I felt relieved but also suspected that his departure had nothing to do with visiting friends and everything to do with Mei Qing. In fact, any man who met a woman like Mei Qing would naturally be captivated and fond of her. It’s not shameful to admire her. However, Master Maoyang’s peculiar behavior always made me uneasy.”
“Therefore, I worried that he might have said something harmful about Mei Qing before leaving and specially asked the prince about it. The prince refused to speak, and later, when I pressed him repeatedly, he even flew into a rage.”
“I know that at that time, the prince trusted Master Maoyang more than me. After all, I couldn’t teach him the ways of cultivation, while Master Maoyang had imparted much knowledge to him. Although in hindsight—” Sixth Master shook his head as he spoke, “It was actually nothing more than techniques for refining external alchemical pills to enhance vitality.”
“Fortunately, in any case, Master Maoyang left. During that time, I also had some personal matters to attend to. My cultivation partner suddenly desired to have a child. For cultivators, bearing a child is quite difficult, not only depleting one’s true essence but also requiring extensive preparations. Since she wished for it, I could not refuse and thus asked the prince for leave, departing for about ten days or so.”
“When I returned, it was already the end of March. I went to see the prince and told him I was going to be a father. The prince’s expression suddenly turned very strange. I repeatedly asked what was wrong, and finally, he told me that Mei Qing was also pregnant.”
“In my opinion, given the circumstances, we should immediately prepare the wedding ceremony to avoid public shame if she were to show. However, the prince hesitated, always saying to wait a few more days. I could see that the prince was deeply troubled but couldn’t understand what he was worried about.”
“Finally, one day, the prince summoned me. He looked very haggard but declared that he had made up his mind. No matter what it took, he was determined to marry Mei Qing, even if it meant losing everything. I was very happy, thinking they would finally have a good outcome.”
“But unexpectedly, that very noon, a secret messenger from the capital arrived, covered in dust from the journey. The prince led the messenger into a private chamber, where they discussed matters for a long time. When he emerged, his face had changed dramatically; his eyes gleamed with an intense, almost fanatical light. At first, I didn’t know what had happened, but soon I found out: the late emperor had passed away without an heir, and Grand Secretary Yang, along with the empress dowager, had decided to invite Prince Xian to ascend the throne in the capital!”
“With the prince about to become emperor, everyone naturally felt very happy. Initially, the news was kept quiet, but we close confidants naturally knew. However, when I asked about Mei Qing’s situation, the emperor’s eyes dimmed.”
“Later, I learned that the dowager duchess had already made arrangements regarding this matter. If the prince became emperor, Mei Qing could certainly not become empress. Even if they hurried to marry her now, it would be inappropriate according to protocol. The dowager summoned the prince and spoke with him for the entire night. Finally, when the prince emerged, he looked helpless and told me, ‘A mother’s command is hard to defy.'”
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