Marrying a concubine and swallowing her dowry? The mistress turns around and marries a high-ranking

Chapter 617

Consort Xing would summon him to the palace every few days to brainwash him at length, playing the victim to pressure him to improve himself. She would repeat the same things over and over again: bide your time, endure hardship, and one day rise again...

The Third Prince felt like each day was an eternity, filled with extreme oppression and suffocation, with only despair and gloom before him.

He didn't know how much longer he could live like this, but it didn't matter anyway, since living was no different from being dead.

Because the Hanlin Academy was very close to the Third Prince's residence, and the Third Prince didn't want to take a sedan chair, he walked back. This was one of the few times he could get some fresh air.

Halfway there, an old man with white hair and beard stopped him.

The third prince was greatly surprised when he saw the old man clearly.

"you are......"

The old man smiled and said, "Third Prince, may I have a word with you?"

The servants who had accompanied the Third Prince immediately stepped forward and asked suspiciously, "Old sir, who are you...?"

The old man calmly replied, "I am Meishan Jushi. I heard that His Highness the Third Prince is making friends with many scholars, so I have come to request an audience."

The servant had never heard of the Hermit of Meishan, but there were many hidden talents and masters in the world. Moreover, the old man was dressed in a wide robe with long white hair and a long beard. He stood there with his hands behind his back, exuding a refined and elegant air, with a demeanor that seemed otherworldly. He certainly looked like a hermit master.

The servant hesitated for a moment, then let the Third Prince follow the old man.

The old man led the third prince to a roadside restaurant and found a private room where the two of them sat down.

Once they were alone, the Third Prince eagerly asked, "I... it is truly an honor to see Elder Mei again, but why did Elder Mei come to find me?...

This old man was actually one of the most famous painters in the Western Qi Dynasty. During the Meishan period, he had been famous for many years and his painting skills had reached the pinnacle. He was a legendary figure in the Western Qi painting world.

Many years ago, when the Third Prince was still a child, he had met Mei Shanqi by chance at a gathering and regarded him as his most admired and longed-for idol. So when he saw him now, he was very excited and even stuttered.

Mei Shanqi laughed and said, "Back then, I was only concerned with enjoying myself and didn't find a successor. But now that I'm getting old, I've had the idea of ​​taking on a disciple, lest this painting skill be lost when I pass away. I've heard that Your Highness has a great talent for painting, so I've shamelessly come to find you. I wonder if you could take me on as your disciple?"

When the Third Prince heard Mei Shanqi praise his talent and even wanted to take him as a disciple, he was overjoyed, but then his eyes dimmed as he thought of his current situation.

He smiled bitterly, "One of my lifelong wishes is to receive guidance from Master Mei. If Master Mei were willing to take me as his disciple, I would be a thousand times, ten thousand times willing, but now..."

He lowered his head and said painfully, "I am a prince, and my mother's only son. Now my mother is threatening suicide to force me to study politics and forbids me from touching a paintbrush again... I really... I really..."

He couldn't hold back his tears as he spoke, and his voice choked with emotion.

Meishan Qi looked at him with a mixture of understanding and regret. He stroked his beard and sighed, "I understand."

He looked at the Third Prince with regret: "It seems that our fate has not yet come, so there is no need to force it. But I will be staying in Ancheng for the next few days at the Yunhu Inn. If the Third Prince has any questions or insights about painting, he is welcome to come and talk to me."

The third prince nodded, but his heart was filled with increasing bitterness and depression.

Given his current situation, he has absolutely no freedom. Even if he talks to Meishan Qi for a long time, he still won't have the chance to pick up a paintbrush, so what's the point?

One of his greatest wishes was now within his grasp, yet he could only watch helplessly as he gave it up.

It felt like half of his heart had been ripped out; the pain and emptiness were indescribable.