Chapter 23 - Happy being part of her life

In the middle of a huge garden filled with cherry blossom trees and chrysanthemums, a man in a purple robe stood with his gaze fixed on the blooming cherry blossoms. His pale jade skin was gleaming under the sun; he had the most beautiful pair of black eyes; and his long black hair was groomed into a perfect top knot with half of his tresses cascading down his back. With defined cheekbones and a concrete jaw, he looked elegant and ethereal.

He was so lost in his world that he didn't hear the nearing footsteps until the person stood beside him. As he turned, his gaze fell on a beautiful woman in red, fit to be called a goddess.

"Mei'er, you are here!!!" He greeted her with a warm smile. The woman nodded in acknowledgment as she quietly gazed at the beautiful cherry blossoms. She liked it here; the peace compared to all the bustling of the outside world was soothing to one's heart.

"Brother Yi, can you help me find someone?" she asked as her eyes shined with hope. Qin Yi stared at her for some time as a teasing smile appeared on his face.

"What?? No hi or hello?? Straight to business as always, right, Demon Empress Xie Mei???" He teased her but stopped immediately when he received a glare from her.

"We have been friends for four years now, and you still behave so coldly and distantly toward me," he grumbled.

Xie Mei stared at the man who was her only friend in this huge palace, and he was also the so-called crown prince of the empire. She truly respected him as a friend and as a citizen of the empire. He was the only person, apart from Feng Shu, she could blindly trust. If not for him, she wouldn't have found the pieces of evidence against Prime Minister Qiao in such a short time.

"Alright!!! I'll help you find this person only if you make those delicious osmanthus rice cakes for this crown prince." he declared as his eyes shined with mischief. Xie Mei's eyes twitched as she listened to the man.

What crown prince?? This guy was a complete lunatic and had a worse temper than a three-year-old!!!!

"Mei'er, I'm rather curious: Why is the General's family still in prison?? Did you not find the evidence??" he questioned.

Xie Mei stiffened; as anxious as she was right now to save her child, she couldn't let him know about her situation. Otherwise, this guy, knowing how much he pampers her son, will not leave a single stone unturned to find him. This will only alert her enemy, and right now she can't afford it.

"N-no, I had some difficulties, but I'm sure that I'll find it soon," she stuttered. Qin Yi had a feeling she was hiding something from him. He stared at her, trying to figure it out, but he got nothing. He always figured out a person's motive, but in her case, it was difficult to even guess.

"You do know that you have to present the evidence before the execution, which is in three days???" he asked worriedly.

Xie Mei's eyes dimmed; how could she forget that?? Isn't she running around asking for help so that she can save everyone???

Qin Yi quietly observed her as his gaze turned gentle.

"Mei'er, rest assured that until I'm here, you have nothing to worry about. I'll find this person for you," he said with a warm smile.

Xie Mei thanked him; she was very grateful to this man. Not only today, but he had helped her on so many occasions that even she lost count. Otherwise, with all the tricks pulled by her dear husband and that cheap woman, she would have become a laughingstock of the empire.

"Why didn't you bring Yu'er with you today??" he asked her with a questioning gaze. Xie Mei paled, unable to come up with an answer.

"Uhhh... You know he is still recovering from his injury, so I left him to rest. You shouldn't bring him out for the next few days. Let him rest and recover." She lied, staring straight at him. Xie Mei knew how quick he was at catching a lie, so she mustered up all her courage and lied through her teeth.

Qin Yi narrowed his gaze at her before he sighed and nodded.

The two quietly discussed their plan to search for Meng Zhi. After a few minutes, Xie Mei left, and a figure clad in black appeared behind the man.

"Master, are you going to help her again??" the man asked. Qin Yi's gaze filled with sadness as he stared in the direction she left.

"Do I have a choice?? Even if I say no to her now, I'll still end up helping her anyway. Hu Chen, go and find this woman Mei'er told... COUGH!! COUGH... COUGH!!!" Qin Yi stumbled as a fit of coughing hit him, and his chest heaved heavily.

"Master!!!" Hu Chen panicked as he quickly held his shoulders and sat him on the chair. Feeding him his medicine, he quietly stood aside as a troubled look crossed his face.

Xie Mei, who was about to leave, remembered some things she hadn't warned him about. She quickly turned around and walked towards the garden.

Qin Yi looked at his handkerchief, which had splashes of blood on it. A weak smile appeared on his pale face; he quietly kept it inside his robe and closed his eyes.

Hu Chen looked at the man as his eyes filled with tears.

"Master, why are you tormenting yourself in this state??? You have been waiting for her for seven years; don't you think she has the right to know how you feel?? Don't you think she should know that you were the one who saved her that night during the festival seven years ago and not that bastard Qin Feng? That you were the one who left her the cherry blossom hairpin and all the other things, not him!!! Maybe things would have been different if you told her about all this!!!" he huffed out in annoyance.

Qin Yi looked at his subordinate and childhood friend as a sad smile graced his lips.

"Hu Chen, of all people, you should know better than anyone about my health condition. How could I even think about marrying her when I didn't even know how much time I had left to live?? It's too late now, and besides, I'm happy to help her like this. At least in this way, I can still be a part of her life, and even if I die someday, I know she will remember me."

"I don't expect anything in return from her; just knowing that she is living her life happily with her loved ones is more than enough for me. I just hope after I'm gone she'll still be able to smile freely and happily like the day I saw her for the first time," he whispered as a warm smile appeared on his pale face when he remembered their first meeting.

" But... " Hu Chen wanted to say more, but when he saw the sad smile on his master's face, he stopped.

"Hu Chen, if my health wasn't like the way it is now, then the day Mei'er came back from war, I would have run to her and told her about everything. I would have asked her father for her hand in marriage. This day, instead of sitting here waiting for my death, I would have been happily married to her and treated her just like she deserved. Today Yu'er would have been our child... But sometimes what fate has in store for us is completely different from what we planned."

Hu Chen quietly stood there, listening as his heart filled with sadness for his master. This master of his has been in love with that woman for so many years that even a person like him feels pity for him. He fell for her the moment his gaze fell on her, and from then on, he had been taking any or every opportunity he got to see her from a distance, tormenting Hu Chen in the process, who had to follow him everywhere.

Hu Chen had never heard of a prince who didn't have any concubines or wives in his harem; only his master was an exception. He had gone to such lengths to reject all the marriage proposals just because she didn't like men like that.

When he finally mustered up the courage to ask her hand in marriage, his health declined, and he quietly returned to the shadows, only to watch her fall in love with another man. Only he knew how much his master suffered in silence when he saw her with him and how badly hurt he was when he got the news of her marriage, but he didn't utter a single word. Once she entered the palace, he quietly helped her with all he could. Some things even Hu Chen didn't know about until they came to his attention.

Xie Mei couldn't believe what she heard just now—these four years of her life were a complete lie. She recognized the wrong person; he was the one all along!!! That's why she felt him so familiar when she met him in the palace. That's why she could confide in him so much. That's why whenever she felt the palace walls closing up on her, her feet brought her here. Her heart squeezed in pain as tears rolled down her face. She felt her entire world crumbling. How was she to cope with the fact that the man for whom she fell was not the man she married?? And when she finally found out the truth, the man in question was already on his deathbed.

Xie Mei quickly cupped her hands to her mouth to muffle her cries. She felt that fate had played a very cruel game with them. She didn't utter a single word and slowly stumbled her way towards her courtyard. Her heart felt heavy, and her entire life rolled out in front of her eyes from the time she met him. Her brother Yi...