My Lord, the princess doesn't want you anymore.

In front of us is the Imperial Garden. In winter, the Imperial Garden is covered in silver, which presents a unique scenery.

Mei Xueer and Nanxing walked and admired the snowy scenery. In this snowy world before their eyes, the palaces with yellow roofs, red porches and wooden pillars, one after another, were magnificent and spectacular.

The color combination of white, red and yellow is pleasing to the eye, but when Mei Xueer thinks of the people who live in it and the things that happen in it, her mood is not so wonderful.

In theory, those who can live in or enter the palace are winners in life, either rich or noble, and should be very satisfied. But are they really living a good life?

Alas, this is the peak on earth, why bother climbing to the sky?

As they walked, Nan Xing finally couldn't help asking, "Miss, what's wrong with the Eighth Prince?"

Mei Xueer didn't answer, but just shook her head gently at her.

Nanxing quickly shut up.

It was too early now, and those who were going to the palace for the banquet had not arrived yet. I didn't meet anyone along the way, only a few palace maids and eunuchs hurriedly passing by.

Mei Xueer suddenly couldn't walk anymore because she saw a large forest of plum trees.

A very large plum forest.

Moreover, it was her favorite red plum.

The Imperial Garden is the Imperial Garden after all. In comparison, the plum grove in the Prime Minister's Mansion is simply not impressive enough.

In the vast expanse of white, there are dotted red flowers, just like cinnabar from the tip of a pen dripping onto the snow-white rice paper and then slowly spreading out.

The vigorous and ancient tree trunks and the thin and withered branches make this cold winter day more chilly and stubborn.

Snowflakes slowly fall from the sky, one after another, gently overlapping the red colors, revealing a hint of proud elegance and beauty.

Mei Xueer greedily immersed herself in the faint fragrance, as if there was only this plum forest and her in the world.

The young eunuch was also very tactful and waited at a distance, without coming forward to urge him.

"Does your sister-in-law also like plum blossoms?" A gentle voice sounded in my ears.

Mei Xueer slowly opened her eyes and saw a man standing in front of her without her noticing.

The man was wearing a creamy white brocade robe with a black border, with two sets of jade pendants hanging in between, carved with hollow Qilins, and dotted with a few red tassels.

As red as red plum.

A jasper hairpin held up her jet-black hair, which was draped freely over her shoulders. Her eyebrows and eyes were full of warmth, as bright as a jade tree in the wind.

He stood quietly in the snow, under the plum blossoms, like a banished immortal.

It also seemed to merge into one with the ice and snow between heaven and earth.

You can't tell that his legs are disabled.

This scene made Mei Xueer feel dazed for a moment.

She bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please call me Miss Mei. I am no longer the Princess of Jing."

"Yes! I was rude." A gentle smile appeared between Cui Hongqi's brows.

His voice was very pleasant, as if it could make flowers bloom in the dead of winter. The red plum blossoms beside him seemed to have bloomed a few more branches.

His smile was also very beautiful, like petals gently falling on the lake, creating slight ripples.

Then, starting from his eyes, ripples spread outward.

At last, his whole face seemed to be filled with a gentle smile.

But upon closer inspection, only his eyes were smiling.

But he continued, "My mother also likes red plums the most. So every time I go to the palace, I will come here to check on these red plums for my mother to see if they are okay."

He gently plucked a branch and sniffed it for a moment. The tenderness and melancholy in his eyes were all visible. "Besides, her last name is Mei, just like you..."

Mei Xueer: [Goudan, help me think about this. As far as I can remember, this is only the second time I've met this king, but from the tone of his voice, it seems that he treats me as a close friend.]

Goudan was lazy and seemed to be unable to wake up for a while. He seldom spoke unless Mei Xueer called him. [Okay, it seems so. The last time we met was in Shoukang Palace, when the princes went to visit the Queen Mother.]

Mei Xueer: [Could it be that he thinks I am his mother? ]

Goudan: [I can't rule out this possibility. Ahaha... I'm going to sleep now. You can handle it yourself.]

Mei Xueer: […I noticed that you have been very sleepy recently. Are you pregnant? ]

Goudan: […Hibernation! ]

Mei Xueer: […You are an electronic product, and you still need to hibernate? ]

Goudan: [Fell asleep.]

"What's wrong with Miss Mei? Are you feeling unwell?" Seeing that she looked strange, Cui Hongqi took two steps forward and asked with concern.

As he came closer, Mei Xueer smelled a faint, almost imperceptible fragrance.

It smells like plum blossoms, but not quite like that, at least not entirely like plum blossoms.

I can't describe what the scent is, but it smells very good.

It's also very faint, and you can't smell it unless you get close to it.

Perhaps it was the fragrance of plum blossoms in the garden that permeated her clothes.

However, he was so close that Mei Xueer felt a little uncomfortable, "I dare not compare myself with the prince's mother."

Cui Hongqi took two steps back tactfully, looking at the plum blossoms in his hand, a hint of sadness appeared in his eyes, "It's a pity that my mother passed away when I was four years old. That day, it was snowing heavily just like today. She fell under this plum forest, her body covered with red petals falling in the wind and white snowflakes... My leg was also broken in that winter. It seems like yesterday! I was still young at that time and thought she was just asleep. I was still wondering why my mother was sleeping in the snow, wasn't she cold? When I dragged my broken leg and crawled to my mother's side, I realized that my mother could never stand up again, and could never put the plum blossoms she picked in her son's room... But for some reason, until now, every morning when I wake up, I seem to be able to smell the fragrance of plum blossoms in the room..."

He seemed to be completely immersed in his own memories, and tears began to flash in his warm eyes under his long eyelashes.

But his expression was still peaceful.

The voice was still gentle, with a hint of sadness.

Mei Xueer was unsure why King Qi said all this to her and didn't know what he meant.

But she seemed to be infected by his words and emotions, and that scene inexplicably appeared in front of her eyes.

In the red plum forest, on the snow, a child with a broken leg was crying while hugging his mother who had just died.

A cold wind blew.

Red plum petals are falling.

The ice and snow seemed to freeze the child's crying.

She felt an inexplicable sadness in her heart: "I have broken a branch, and there is no one in the world or in heaven who can be my lover. Please accept my condolences, Your Majesty!"

"What a saying, 'There is no one worthy of my trust in this world or in heaven'!" The tears in Cui Hongqi's eyes had stopped, and there was an extra scrutiny in his eyes.

Perhaps his impression of Mei Xue'er was still stuck on the last time at the theater, when she had a fierce quarrel with the old man, and remained calm after being attacked.

Or maybe it was the last time in Shoukang Palace, when she and Prince Jing were laughing and showing affection, so playful as to please the Queen Mother.

Seeing Mei Xueer so sad at this moment, Cui Hongqi's eyes curved slightly again.

"Miss Mei's maiden name is very suitable for the plum forest in front of us."

"It should be that Feiyan is the previous incarnation, the willow catkins are blown by the wind, and the plum blossoms bloom in the snow. I think that's probably what it means."

Mei Xueer herself didn't know why the words she had seen on the Internet a few days ago suddenly popped up in her mind.

What a ghost! Why do I feel like a different person?

It's all this king's fault.

Cui Hongqi was pleasantly surprised, and had a deeper impression of the woman in front of him. "Miss Mei is really talented in writing!"

The corners of his lips curled up slightly, and that gentle smile made the plum blossoms beside him pale in comparison.

What a gentle and handsome disabled man!

But Mei Xueer wanted to escape because she didn't know what the king was going to do.

Just as he was about to say goodbye, he heard Cui Hongqi begin to express his feelings again, "Just now, when I saw this red plum, I thought of my mother and forgot about everything. I am sorry to make you laugh."

Mei Xueer: In a palace full of intrigues and calculations, without the protection of her mother, she was able to grow up alive and cultivate such an extraordinary character and temperament. She is truly an example of a strong will despite her disability!

She couldn't help but wonder, how did his leg become lame? How did her mother die?

But she was not stupid, and did not ask any more questions. She just said politely but at a distance: "The prince is a man of long-lasting love. Don't mind it."

Cui Hongqi lowered his eyebrows and looked at the woman in front of him who was a little wary of him, and smiled slightly: "In this case, I will not disturb you."

Mei Xueer bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please make yourself at your leisure."

She turned and left, then let out a long breath.

Cui Hongqi's strong desire to talk is comparable to Wen Yi's.

Could it be that he really treats me as his mother?

Staring fixedly at the slender lake green figure in the snow, which was gradually hidden in the plum forest, Cui Hongqi's eyes were filled with complex emotions, as thick as the ice and snow between heaven and earth, which could not be melted.

This woman really reminded him of his mother.

They all have the surname Mei, they all love red plum blossoms the most, and even the expressions between their eyebrows are somewhat similar.

At least that's what he felt.

In his childhood memories, his mother was just as kind and noble as she was, sometimes free and easy, and sometimes graceful and moving.

However, even with the favor of the emperor's father, the emperor's mother is too kind-hearted. How can she survive in the treacherous palace with such a character?

Especially after having this son, his mother became a thorn in the eyes of other concubines in the harem.

He thought again of the scene of his mother falling in the snow, and his heart ached.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes slightly, and savored the refreshing plum fragrance in the air.

After a long time, he opened his eyes and gently placed the plum branch in his hand on the snow.

He scooped up some more snow and buried it.