"I have thought about it," Zhong Mingwei told the truth even though he knew Mei Ya didn't like it. He exhaled softly and continued, "I knew I had such a cousin since I was a child. At that time, the Xu family had great confidence in me, so the Queen Mother instilled in me the idea of marrying my cousin when I grew up. So I knew from a young age that I would marry my cousin when I grew up."
"Then...what happened next?" Mei Ya's voice was trembling a little, even though she herself was not aware of it. Somehow, she suddenly felt unsure, even more unsure than when she first saw Xiao An in Ningguta. She didn't know why she felt so unsure, even though Zhong Mingwei liked her so much. But...
Is there always a place in his heart for someone else?
"Later, as I grew older, the Queen Mother gradually stopped mentioning my cousin to me. I also began to vaguely sense the subtle changes in the Queen Mother and the Xu family's attitude towards me, which naturally made me feel bad. But I also knew that I was powerless to change the situation. So I could only rely on myself. I began to cultivate my own confidants in private, such as Pang Yi. There are also Chi Chongyuan and Cheng Xiangyang," Zhong Mingwei said slowly. He paused as if thinking about something, and then continued, "On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival when I was fourteen, I followed my father's order to go to Mount Wutai to pick up the Queen Mother and bring her back to the palace. That was the first time I met my cousin."
"She is very beautiful, right?" Meiya asked in a low voice, her heart feeling extremely bitter.
"Yes, she is very beautiful." As if remembering the woman's face, Zhong Mingwei slightly curled his lips and revealed a gentle smile, "She looks exactly like my mother in the painting. She is exactly the same. There is no part of her eyebrows and nose that is not like my mother. Even the indifference at the corners of her eyebrows and eyes is exactly the same. So, when I saw her for the first time, I couldn't help crying. I felt that... I finally met my mother."
Mei Ya suddenly hugged Zhong Mingwei tighter. Her originally bitter heart was now in unbearable pain. She imagined the scene of a lonely 14-year-old boy, crying in front of a girl who looked just like his mother. She felt so distressed that she kept kissing Zhong Mingwei and said over and over again: "It's not painful anymore! It's not painful anymore! It's all over."
"Yes, it's all in the past. That was the only time I saw her, and... it was the only time I saw that face," Zhong Mingwei said hoarsely, "I don't know what my mother felt when she died, regret, sadness, or... hating me like my father, but I really want to see her, even if she doesn't say anything, just let me see her. I want to know what my mother looked like, not facing a cold painting, but a living person. I thought it was just a dream, but I didn't expect that there would be a day when the dream would come true."
"I know what kind of life she lives, but I am powerless. I can neither marry her nor want to marry her," Zhong Mingwei said softly, "I just hope she can live well and not fall into the pool of sewage in the capital. Even if she spends her life with green lamps and ancient Buddhas, it is better than being stuck in the mud. My mother didn't have a good life. I hope she can live a good life and not repeat my mother's mistakes. So all along, I have been paying attention to Mount Wutai. I know that the Queen Mother doesn't like me to extend my hands too far, but I can't care so much until I, the crown prince of the East Palace, finally fall." At this point, Zhong Mingwei took a deep breath, and after a long time, he said, "I didn't expect that she would enter the palace after all."
"Is it... the Queen Mother's intention?" Mei Ya was startled, then immediately understood, and suddenly a look of surprise appeared on her face, "The Queen Mother didn't let her marry you, but let her marry your father?! There is a generation difference between them!"
"I, a prince with Xu's blood, am useless, so of course she has to be in a hurry to ask for another prince from the Xu family," Zhong Mingwei said sarcastically, "Bao'er, who has been hidden in Mount Wutai for more than 30 years, is finally put to use. I'm sure she must be very proud, right?"
"Today, Lord Fang and that unfamiliar Lord came here specifically to talk to you about this matter?" Mei Ya asked in a low voice.
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