Qing Kangxi 23 years

  Meili knelt on the white marble floor outside Cining Palace, her head bowed. The sky was overcast as if it were about to rain, and in the slightly damp air, the flowers in the courtyard seemed especially vibrant.

  She took a light and gentle breath, so fragrant... For more than two years, she hadnt smelled the fragrance of flowers. In the desolate and bleak Anning Temple, there were only weeds and dandelions without any fragrance. She liked to collect dandelion fluff in the warm spring sunlight, then sit on the broken stone steps in front of the temple, blow them one by one, and let them drift away with the gentle breeze... Free at last.

  She couldnt help but glance at those vibrant colors, such a beautiful thing, making her feel unfamiliar, as if she had only seen it in her previous life, just like the magnificent Cining Palace in front of her!

  When she withdrew her gaze, she inadvertently saw that the four palace maids standing in front of the palace gate were all looking at her with strange eyes. She smiled slightly at them, and they all averted their gazes. In two years, she had already gotten used to it - being looked at with contemptuous eyes, and also learning to appreciate others sympathy. Accepting sympathy... was actually a very difficult thing; when she could smile in response to others sympathetic glances, the one who felt uneasy was no longer her.

  There were low whispers and laughter, several women came out of the Cining Palace, and Yu An, the elder sister of the Empress Dowager, personally saw them off, showing that their status was extraordinary.

  Those delicate flower pot bases stopped beside her for a moment, and after passing by, Mei Li heard a young, soft voice whisper: "Is she the fallen princess who trampled people to death while riding a horse?"

  "Uh-huh." The one who should have responded was her mother, after all. She roughly replied and lightly scolded, "Go out and talk about it later."

  Whats wrong with you?

  She spoke accurately. Mei Li raised the corner of her mouth, she was very frustrated, not because of the commotion caused by riding a horse on the street, but from the time her mother passed away and all the family property fell into her uncles hands, she had already tasted the frustration. Its just that the young and ignorant her once thought that emphasizing her status and bloodline could erase the impression of defeat in peoples hearts. How ridiculous, she suppressed a self-mocking smile, because she heard Yu An say to let her see the old ancestor.

  She didnt lift her head, she didnt dare to lift her head.

  The kindly old lady sitting on the kang was a stranger to her, yet she could say with one voice that she liked her very much and spoiled her, but also abandoned her in the cold palace for several years without asking for anything, letting her who thought she had a strong backstage taste the ups and downs of the world.

  "Meili..." Xiaozhuang fell silent for a moment, her voice choked with emotion when she called out.

  "Yes, Im here." She replied softly, following the rules.

  Filial and Village fell silent again. Was this really the same girl who was so reckless and uninhibited, not knowing the height of heaven or the thickness of earth back then? "Lift your head up."

  "Ah." She responded submissively, slowly lifting her face.

  "Ah!" Xiaozhuang exclaimed, wiping away the tears that welled up in her eyes. The original beautiful and mischievous Meili had made her love and hate intertwined, but now the well-behaved Meili made her heart ache with tenderness. "My little Meili has grown up, and become so beautiful."

  Beautiful? Mei Li lightly pursed her lips. It must be the old ancestor comforting her... She and beauty had long since parted ways. Not to mention the rough life of the past two years, she unconsciously glanced at her own left arm - for the sake of meeting the old ancestor, a unfamiliar man gave her a set of clothes - under the still somewhat luxurious fabric, the ugly scar on her left wrist, less than two inches from the top, if seen by the old ancestor, would he still praise her like this? Even she herself felt disgusted when looking at it closely.

  "Wasnt that fire frightening for you?" Xiaozhuang felt another pang of heartache. It wasnt that she was being unreasonable or ignoring her, but as a condition of not demoting her to a commoner, she had promised the Emperor that during this period of confinement, she would not hear from or ask about her. The Emperor detested Meilis arrogance and wanted to truly make her taste bitterness and change her ways. In fact... if she wanted to, without needing to appear in person, as long as there were capable and reliable servants by her side who could give orders at the Anning Palace, Meili wouldnt have suffered such a great punishment. But... she also wanted to use this opportunity to make this child see through human emotions and worldly affairs, grind away her sharp edges, so that in the future, she could find a peaceful and happy life.

  She is a declining royal family, with no power in her maiden home, and with such a proud and indulgent temperament, how can her husband love her, and how can her parents-in-law tolerate her? Severe illness requires strong medicine, although its hard to force a naughty and spoiled little girl into the current state, it may not be a bad thing for her future.

  "Dont worry, Grandfather, Im fine," she said calmly.

  That fire... The Anning Palace around the Forbidden City was a "widows house" where many childless and powerless concubines of the previous dynasty were confined. An old imperial consort got up in the middle of the night to burn incense in front of the Buddha, but her old eyes were blurry and it was windy and dry in spring, so she accidentally set fire to the canopy and ignited several adjacent palaces. She remembered that the leader of the guards who came to put out the fire loudly scolded the eunuchs for letting people get up at midnight to burn incense, but the guard leader must have been new, in this dead city within the Forbidden City, there was no day or night, only loneliness and despair, only pain and helplessness. There wasnt even anyone to confide in, a heart full of words... could only be told to the Buddha.

  "Its also a blessing in disguise. The Emperor has already issued an edict, since the Anning Palace was destroyed by fire and needs to be rebuilt, you can return home ahead of schedule."

  "Thank Your Majesty for your great kindness, thank our ancestors for their grace." Meri replied carefully.

  Her courtesy was too thorough, and it made Xiaozhuang lower her eyes. "Get up. You havent been back home for over two years, and the people from King Pings residence have all helped to retrieve them...". Seeing Mei Lis eyes flash slightly, Xiaozhuang regretted stopping mid-sentence and sighed, "You go back and take a look first. Take good care of yourself for a few days before coming to the palace to see me."

  "Hmph." Meri Boku, she thought that hearing his name again wouldnt hurt her heart, but it seems thats not the case. Its laughable, really - the infatuated dream had long since awakened, yet her heart was still so dull.

  Just as she was about to turn around and leave, Xiaozhuang called out to her again, "Meili, do you resent the Emperor? Do you resent your ancestors?"

  She stood up straight and said without hesitation: "No."

  "Oh?" Xiaozhuang looked at her slightly lowered small face, with long and curved eyelashes drooping down, sincere and calm.

  "Ancestors, these two years I have been alone in the deep palace, calming my mind to read scriptures and worship Buddha, understanding many principles that I didnt understand when I was young. I truly thank Your Majesty and our ancestors. The suffering Mei Li endured is nothing compared to the old lady who lost her life because of Mei Li, the family members of the old lady who lost their loved ones because of Mei Li. Even if Your Majesty had wanted Mei Li to atone with her life back then, it would have been reasonable. I am already grateful for the kindness of Your Majesty and our ancestors in giving me a second chance at life."

  "I hope what you said is from the heart." Kangxis calm and cold voice came from outside the door, and before he finished speaking, he had already entered.

  Meili hastily knelt down and performed a grand ceremony, but was impatiently stopped by Kangxi.

  "Its all right." He walked to the edge of the bed and sat down. Xiaozhuang lovingly scolded him for not letting the palace staff know he was coming, Kangxi smiled at her and then looked at Meili with a serious face, "If you really think so, then these two years in the cold palace havent been wasted."

  "Yes." Meri lowered her head.

  "Go back, and from now on... take care of yourself."

  Meili retreated with reverence, "Be good for yourself, be good for yourself", this was the most frequent advice she had heard in her life.

  As she turned out the door, she hadnt expected there was still someone standing in the corridor. He had his back to the light, and his face was indistinct. She quickly lowered her head, not needing to look; she knew who it was.

  A moment of confusion and heartache, just like that.

  She stood up straight and bowed to him, now that he was the prince and she was the lowest rank of princess, according to the rules she should have knelt down and kowtowed.

  "Youre excused." He said in a cold tone, after not seeing each other for two years, his words were even more arrogant and authoritative, worthy of being a noble with powerful military forces.

  She took two steps back and prepared to turn around.

  "Your familys carriage is outside the Xihua Gate." For two years, he had rarely thought of her, and even when he did, he was relieved that he had cut off her entanglements. He heard that she had been released from the palace ahead of schedule, and for a brief moment, he thought about meeting with her, but all he could think of was how angry he would be, scolding him for being heartless and unfaithful, just like when he had asked the emperor to heavily punish her back then. Or maybe that annoying and stubborn attitude still lingered, shamelessly clinging to him... But what he didnt expect was that she would be so calm. When he regretted saying those words to her, fearing it would stir up her infatuation again, she simply smiled faintly at him.

  His heart skipped a beat unexpectedly, how could she still smile at him?

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