Mei Qing, upon hearing this, finally understood why he had been told he couldn’t cultivate. Yet doubt lingered in his heart—he had been progressing quite smoothly in his cultivation, so why would his mother insist he couldn’t cultivate at all?
Lu Zhong recalled, “At the time, I didn’t understand what she meant, but I simply nodded. The Lady then said, ‘Furthermore, if the child is to be raised in the palace, register him under another concubine’s name, and never reveal his true origin. If it’s inconvenient to raise him in the palace, please, Brother Zhong, hide his identity and ensure nobody ever learns of his background.'”
“At that time, I was quite surprised. Since when have there ever been mothers willing to claim their child as someone else’s? Moreover, the Prince had already ascended the throne, making the young master a true son of royalty, the eldest son at that. Even if he couldn’t become the Crown Prince, his status as an imperial prince was irrefutable. Why then, must we go to such lengths to conceal his identity?”
“At the time, the Lady insisted repeatedly and urged me again and again, so I had no choice but to agree. She then kissed the young master’s cheek and gently laid him down, saying, ‘I must go now. I won’t come back, and don’t try to find me. I only wish my child a life of peace and safety. I entrust everything to you, Brother Zhong.'”
“I hurried to stop her, but as I reached out, her figure dissolved into a wisp of clear smoke and vanished.”
“I sat on the bed, utterly bewildered, wondering if it had all been a dream. Suddenly, I heard a sound beside me and turned around—it was the swaddling cloth that wrapped the young master. Somehow, he had woken up without me noticing and was staring at me with wide eyes.”
“Though the young master was barely a month old, his features unmistakably resembled the Lady’s. I realized then that it hadn’t been a dream. I immediately summoned a wet nurse and dispatched a trusted aide to carry the news to the capital, detailing everything that had happened that night in a secret letter.”
“Before long, Master Liu personally came and brought both the young master and me to the capital. Meeting Master Liu, I learned that, as the Lady had predicted, the Emperor indeed refused to acknowledge the young master, instead assigning him the identity of a descendant of the Mei family. Thus, the young master became Master Mei, and I became Zhong, the steward of the Mei household. As for what happened afterward, I’m sure the young master hardly needs me to explain further.”
Master Liu interjected, “Lu Zhong, you may harbor resentment toward the Emperor. But regarding Mei Qing’s matter, the Emperor had no choice…”
Mei Qing remained silent, fully aware that his ‘father’ had already become Emperor back then, though his throne was far from secure, and political struggles with court ministers never ceased. Moreover, Mei Qing himself never really cared much for the title of prince and simply dismissed it with a smile.
Zhong Shu, however, was visibly upset, “Spare me the ‘no choice’ nonsense! Isn’t the young master the Emperor’s own flesh and blood? He abandoned us here for twenty years—did he ever check on us? Did he even come to see the young master once?”
“Lu Zhong! You’ve gone too far!” Master Liu exploded in anger. Seeing Zhong Shu’s cold, unyielding expression, he softened his tone, “Back then, you didn’t know the Emperor’s situation. People assume that once someone becomes Emperor, he can do as he pleases. But who knows the precarious position he was in, walking on eggshells every day? If a prince of unknown origin suddenly appeared, where would that have left the Emperor? As for the Emperor never visiting Mei Qing all these years…”
“I know,” Mei Qing interrupted, “Is it because of that saying about ‘two dragons never meeting’?”
“How did you know that?” Master Liu was shocked, “Who told you?”
“No one told me,” Mei Qing replied coldly, “To be honest, I never really cared much about being a prince or not. Zhong Shu, you don’t need to be so worked up about this.”
Master Liu studied Mei Qing for a long moment before continuing, “Actually, even I only learned about that saying much later. The Emperor had great difficulty producing heirs. I repeatedly urged him to bring you back to the palace, but for some unknown reason, he always evaded the issue. Only in recent years did he have another son, who was later established as the Crown Prince, yet even then, the Emperor refused to meet him directly. That’s when I realized it wasn’t just you—he simply refuses to see any of his sons.”
Mei Qing snorted and asked, “Then what about my current so-called parents? This hereditary general title of mine—it’s not just made up out of thin air, is it?”
Master Liu shook his head, “No, it’s not. But this General Mei had long since lost both his wife and son, and without an heir, his title should have been revoked. Fortunately, the Emperor learned of this and designated you as his heir… Mei Qing, in truth, the Emperor has always cared for you, though he’s never openly shown it.”
Mei Qing asked in surprise, “But wouldn’t there be controversy over him forcing such a designation? What about the original family members and elders?”
Master Liu smiled, “With the Emperor’s personal decree and the support of the Embroidered Uniform Guard behind you, who dares to question it? There were some murmurs at first, but after a few lessons, everyone quickly fell into line.”
Zhong Shu added, “The original family members were all gradually dismissed under various pretexts. The current servants have all been replaced by me over time. Back then, when I first bought Duoyun to serve you, seeing her young age and slight resemblance to the Lady’s maid of the same name, I couldn’t help but name her Duoyun as well. Later, I did the same for Wu’er. Calling them Duoyun and Wu’er every day made it feel as if we were still back in the old house together.”
Both Master Liu and Mei Qing fell silent for a moment. Finally, Master Liu spoke, “Well then, now you know the truth of your origins. The reason I’ve come to tell you all this is because we feel that something is happening around you—something that may be slipping beyond our control. It might be related to your identity, or it might not. But now that your cultivation is strong enough to protect yourself, I thought it best to tell you everything, so you don’t misunderstand or make the wrong decisions out of confusion.”
Mei Qing nodded, “I’m very grateful for everything you’ve done for me all these years… However, as for Zhen’er, I’m afraid I can’t persuade her to acknowledge you…”
Master Liu’s eyes widened, “How did you know I wanted to talk to you about convincing Zhen’er to recognize me as her father? Could it be that you really have the ability to foresee the future?”
Mei Qing shrugged, “Do I even need to say it? Once you realize that Master Liu is actually Master Lu, it’s obvious that the reason you came all the way here today is to ask me to convince Zhen’er to accept you as her father. But Zhen’er has her own mind. I won’t force her to do anything she doesn’t want to do, even for the sake of marrying me.”
Zhong Shu interjected, “Young master, we don’t mean to force you or A’bi into anything. But there’s something you must understand—blood ties are something that can never be erased. Even A’bi may not truly wish to remain estranged from her father. It’s more likely that she’s still holding onto some unresolved grievance or that she’s too proud to admit she was wrong back then. If she continues like this, one day she may regret it—and you’ll regret not having convinced her today.”
Mei Qing looked slightly moved. Zhong Shu continued, “You should know by now what Master Lu has done for A’bi all these years. A father’s heart is the same anywhere—how could any parent not love their own child? A’bi is stubborn and refuses to turn back, but she listens only to you. If you don’t help her, won’t they remain estranged forever?”
Mei Qing hesitated, “But I heard from Zhen’er that when she entered the Dao, she vowed before the Three Pure Ones that she would never acknowledge Master Lu as her father.”
Zhong Shu nodded solemnly, “Indeed. Young master, A’bi is a good girl. Though I’m only an old servant in the household, all these years I’ve longed for the day when you would marry, have children, and build a family of your own…”
Mei Qing quickly replied, “Zhong Shu, don’t talk like that. In my heart, I’ve never seen you as a servant. In truth, in this world, you and Duoyun are the closest family I have.”
Zhong Shu’s voice grew hoarse, “I know what you mean, young master. And that’s exactly why you resemble the Lady so much—never looking down on anyone, treating everyone with respect…”
“Please,” Master Liu cut in, “Where in the world does he get that from his mother? In looks, maybe seven or eight out of ten. But in temperament? He’s exactly like his father—always the one pulling the wool over others’ eyes, never letting himself get taken advantage of.”
Zhong Shu couldn’t help but laugh at Master Liu’s words, shaking his head, “Of course the young master would inherit only the best traits from both the Emperor and the Lady.”
Changing the subject, he continued, “But all of us servants, we’ve always hoped for the young master to marry and settle down. After all, it was the Lady’s deepest wish for you. If you and A’bi truly spend your lives together as Dao companions, even if you love each other deeply, we can’t help but feel we’ve failed the Lady…”
Mei Qing fell silent. In truth, he had always wished to be openly recognized as A’bi’s husband. Even in the cultivation world, there were prejudices against dual cultivation. In this Ming dynasty, where Confucian rites were held in such high regard, people who didn’t understand the situation might look down on A’bi.
“But since Zhen’er made that vow back then, what can be done?” Mei Qing said with some frustration, “She even approached the Emperor about it, but for some reason, the Emperor refused to budge…”
At this, he suddenly grew wary, casting a suspicious glance at the two men.
Zhong Shu inwardly cursed, realizing that Mei Qing was exceptionally clever and might suspect that the Emperor’s refusal to allow A’bi to renounce her vows had been orchestrated by them. Hurriedly, he interjected, “What if we could find a way for A’bi to marry you without breaking her vow? Would you be willing then?”
“A way like that exists?” Mei Qing asked doubtfully, “You’re not just pulling my leg, are you?”
Zhong Shu smiled, “There’s always a way. We old folks have lived longer and eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice.”
“You mean we just have a heavier hand with the seasoning!” Mei Qing retorted sarcastically, “Alright, let’s hear it. But I’ll warn you in advance—whatever plan you come up with, I’ll only pass it on to Zhen’er. I won’t force her to agree to anything.”
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