15. Conversation with the Queen

After everyone went back, there were only the Queen and Ming Liao left in the Queen's residence. The Queen once again walked down from her seat and sat beside Ming Liao, holding her hand lovingly as she said, "Lian Hua and I were childhood playmates. We grew up together. We would always play together. What a shame she died young." As she said the sentence, her voice got smaller. The last sentence was almost inaudible, but Ming Liao, who was near her, still heard her. The Queen looked at Ming Liao, worried that she might have said something that might bring pain to Ming Liao. But when she saw Ming Liao looking at her sincerely as if she was talking about someone else and not herself, she felt relief and also a headache at the same time.

Ming Liao had lost her mother at such a young age. She might not even remember her. And her father must have been a stranger to her after he married another woman. She should not have brought up the past. Well, she had been helped by Lian Hua so many times when they were young, but she couldn't even help her take care of her biological daughter. Since she was in another kingdom, she could not look after Ming Liao previously, but now that she was in Jing, she would look after her.

"You might not know how your mother looked, right? She looked exactly like you. She was very kind and helpful," she said as she lovingly touched Ming Liao's head. "Child, I am like your aunt. Do not hesitate to come to me for anything. Do you get it? Don't be afraid of disturbing me."

The kind and sweet words of the Queen were indeed new to Ming Liao. She remembered her past lives, but she was chasing power and fame all her lifes. In some lives, she didn't care about family; in some, her parents didn't care about her; in some, she was an orphan. In none of the lives had she lived past 25 years of age. So, she had never married in any of her lifes. She always had a cold personality. She never said more than what should be said. But this life of hers was different. She had even lived her life as a physician as a mute.

This kindness was something new for her. She didn't even know if it was real or fake. And she didn't know how to react. Indeed, Liang Lian Hua, even though she was her mother in this life, other than the dowry and some rumors about her, knew nothing more. And just like the Queen said, she hadn't seen the face of her mother. There must have been some portraits of her, but how would she, who was confined inside the cold palace, get to see the portraits? Maybe the portraits in the Jing Kingdom were already burned or thrown away by the present Queen. Or not, since the King truly loved his first wife. If not for his infatuation with having a son, he might have loved and taken care of her too.

Well, no use thinking of those things now. Ming Liao looked at the Queen's loving eyes and suddenly thought to herself, "How could I possibly think these eyes and the kindness shown in them are fake? She is so sincere. I should work on my emotions more."

"Your Majesty, do not worry. If I ever get into trouble, I will come to you without a second thought. Don't find me a hassle when the time comes," she said with a laugh.

The Queen, who was reminiscing, also laughed, "You girl, how can I find you a hassle? Do come to visit me when you have free time. I am so lonely alone in here. My sons rarely come to visit me. They are always busy because of work."

"I will, Your Majesty," smiled Ming Liao.

"Xiao Liao, I am sorry about what happened in the courtroom yesterday too. I heard about what happened after I left to take care of Zimo. Zimo, he…"

"Your Majesty, please do not blame yourself. Since we were not destined, it was inevitable. I am thankful to Your Majesty and the King for letting me stay in the Jing Kingdom. I had always wanted to see the place where my mother grew up. Now I can even live here because of the King's kindness. Your Majesty, you do know, that I have never seen my mother and I have heard lots of rumors, but I don't know anything about her. Can you tell me about her?"

Ming Liao wanted to know about her mother. She had heard about her mother, the treasure of the Jiang clan, and the massacre, but there were many versions of the story. Some said one thing while some said another. Some sighed with regret when talking about the Jiang clan while others didn't even want to talk about the Jiang clan out of fear.

The Queen looked at Ming Liao and lovingly started to tell her about the old days. But those things of the past couldn't be said in one day. And the Queen had her duties to attend to. So, after telling a few things, she sent Ming Liao away and asked her to come back another day.