Chapter 85 Why
Time flies and we have entered late autumn.
Since the trip to Prince Jing's Mansion in early August, Mei Cheng'an went there three or four more times throughout August.
Prince Jing himself actually kept his word and always arranged music and dance performances. When Li Hongcheng was free, he would sit with them; when he was not free, he would go about his own business.
What Prince Jing said was true. He had in-depth research on music and dance, and his appreciation level was very high. Mei Chengan was far behind him, so every time it came to the commentary session, it was basically Prince Jing who was talking and Mei Chengan who was listening.
If we can't comment, can't we be a qualified listener? Can't we be a suitable supporting actor? Isn't it just providing emotional value? So easy.
Therefore, Prince Jing felt very comfortable chatting with Mei Cheng'an. This child's appreciation level was indeed not that good, but he was humble and eager to learn, and his comprehension ability was super strong. Basically, he could quickly remember and comprehend the knowledge he had said once, and could apply it to other situations. His appreciation level was improving almost visibly. The first one or two times he was still a beginner who could only say good, not bad, or nice, but the third time he could give decent comments.
Prince Jing almost shed tears. There were only three people in his family. His son liked poetry and his daughter liked storytelling. Prince Jing wanted to teach them, but the two unfortunate children were not interested. They listened with one ear and out with the other. They even refused to pretend, which made him lose interest. After trying several times, he gave up. God bless him, he finally met a child who was interested in music and dance, loved to learn and was smart.
Mei Cheng'an was not just acting to please his father-in-law. He might not be able to finish reading books on music and dance, but he loved watching live performances. Prince Jing did not teach him by dumping all that boring knowledge on him all at once. Instead, he combined actual performances to express emotions and expand his knowledge in a reasonable way. This vivid teaching method was similar to that of Teacher Su Lishi, and it greatly increased Mei Cheng'an's enthusiasm for learning.
One was willing to teach, the other was willing to learn. Prince Jing and Mei Cheng'an hit it off immediately. Naturally, their relationship became better and better, and they became closer and closer.
It is worth mentioning that Mei Cheng'an did not see Li Roujia during the several times he went there. It was not because of any other reason, but in Mei Cheng'an's idea, the first formal meeting between the two should not be held in someone else's home under the watchful eyes of everyone in the mansion. It would not only be boring but also tedious.
Instead, they should choose a suitable time, in a place with beautiful scenery, sparse population, where no one knows them, and abandon all etiquette and rules to meet in a relaxed and comfortable manner. That might be better and more interesting, and leave a deeper impression on each other.
He told Prince Jing this idea directly, and Prince Jing did not feel dissatisfied after hearing it. He felt that this was a manifestation of Mei Cheng'an's great attention to his daughter, so he readily agreed and let him make arrangements without interfering.
What Mei Cheng'an called the right time was actually his second autumn outing in late autumn, and the location was the maple forest in Akihabara.
Mei Cheng'an chose this place after careful consideration.
The first reason is that Princess Roujia had been here once before, so she would be relatively familiar with the place, which would make her feel more secure.
The second point is that the two of them had met vaguely here last time, and this place was where their fate began. It has some special meaning to them.
The third point is the scenery. The last time Li Roujia came, she only played on the grass and Akihabara Lake, and did not enjoy the most beautiful maple leaves in autumn. Although they were both in Akihabara, they were two completely different scenery.
He didn't plan to invite anyone except Li Roujia to this autumn outing, as he didn't want to be disturbed by anyone.
After Mei Cheng'an and Wang Qinian inquired carefully, the specific travel time was finally set on September 16th to avoid the peak period.
September 12th.
Mei Cheng'an went to Prince Jing's mansion again. After the music and dance performance, he informed Prince Jing of the scheduled autumn outing time and hoped that he would tell Li Roujia on his behalf. Prince Jing readily agreed.
After Mei Cheng'an left, Prince Jing waved his hand to dismiss all the performers, then walked leisurely towards Li Roujia's yard with his hands behind his back, humming a little tune.
When Prince Jing arrived, Li Roujia was sitting on the swing in the yard in a daze.
Ever since she learned from her father that His Majesty was going to arrange a marriage between her and Mei Cheng'an and that he had found an opportunity to watch it secretly, she had often been in a daze.
She had long heard of Mei Cheng'an's name and had read all the poems he wrote. How should she put it? She admitted that the poems were very well written, but they were not particularly to her liking.
So originally in her impression, Mei Cheng'an was just an ordinary literary talent who wrote excellent poems, had outstanding talent, was highly respected by his brother, was highly valued by his uncle, and had unlimited prospects, and that was all.
She was not as curious about him as she was about her good sister Fan Ruoruo's brother, because she really liked reading the book Dream of the Red Chamber.
But when she learned that Mei Chengan was going to be her future husband, her interest in him increased rapidly.
Especially after meeting him in person, looking at his handsome face, upright figure, carefree demeanor, genuine and natural personality, especially the way he smiled when he was happy. Whether it was the arc at the corner of his mouth when he smiled lightly, or the row of neat white teeth when he laughed heartily, the comfort between his eyebrows was like a ray of sunshine that sprinkled into her heart on a cold autumn day, warm and dazzling.
He looks so good when he smiles!
At that moment she suddenly felt that... this man might be a good future husband. No, it would be quite good.
After returning home, she took out the poems he had written again and read them carefully. She had different feelings again and began to imagine involuntarily the scenes when he wrote these poems, his mood at the time, and his every move. As she thought about it, she became obsessed and immersed in it, unable to extricate herself.
Then, her father suddenly invited her to Prince Jing's Mansion. She had no idea about it beforehand. If she had known, she would have probably not been able to resist going to the study to peek and eavesdrop.
Afterwards, her father came to her and asked her if she wanted to hear what Mei Chengan had said and done today. The teasing look in his eyes made her blush with shame. She was so embarrassed that she turned her back and said she didn't want to listen. But when Prince Jing started talking to himself, she couldn't help but tilt her head and listen carefully with her ears perked up.
Prince Jing described it in great detail, starting from the first time he saw Mei Chengan, and told her everything from his clothes to his every reaction and expression and every word he said.
When she heard the first half, apart from finding Mei Cheng'an's reaction fresh and interesting, the rest was almost all dissatisfaction with her father. How could this be? He invited people but didn't ask them to sit down. He just stood there and chatted foolishly. He didn't take the initiative to speak but just stared at them. She felt embarrassed for Mei Cheng'an and even had the idea of apologizing to Mei Cheng'an on behalf of her father if she had the chance.
When she heard her father asking Mei Cheng'an to evaluate her, her brows immediately frowned. Isn't this making things difficult for him? They didn't meet formally during that autumn outing, and he didn't even pay much attention to her, so what could she say?
When she heard that the other person had no choice but to politely compliment her on her beauty, she fully understood. But when she heard that her father actually insisted on asking him to describe it in detail, her brows furrowed even more. Just when she was about to turn around and blame her father for being too much, she didn't expect Mei Chengan to actually start describing it in detail.
As she listened, her mouth opened wide. Mei Cheng'an described her features in great detail and vividly. It sounded like he was talking about her personally, not just clichés.
It turns out that during that autumn outing, he was also secretly paying attention to me?
It turns out that he wasn't just trying to please my father, but he really thought I was beautiful?
Listening to Mei Chengan's compliments, she felt mixed emotions: surprise, pride, shyness, and even touched...
When she heard that Mei Cheng'an had been to the Liujing River, she didn't think there was anything wrong with it. It was her family's property. She had no aversion to those courtesans and had even met quite a few of them. She liked listening to stories about talented men and beautiful women.
Mei Chengan's answer to his father's test made her feel very relieved. He cared about his family's feelings, and she would become his family in the future. Doesn't that mean...
As she thought about it, her face turned red again. Oh, she was too unrestrained and shameless.
But soon he had no time to be shy, and instead became speechless and angry. What on earth was his father talking about? Couldn't he come up with another excuse? He had to use her as a scapegoat. When had he always been praising Mei Cheng'an in his ear? She was just thinking about it but didn't say anything, okay?
What if I give others the impression that I'm unreserved and disrespectful? That would be so annoying.
However, after hearing that her father invited him to come to Prince Jing's Mansion more often to see her more often and Mei Cheng'an readily agreed, she no longer had time to be angry. She was left with only anticipation and uneasiness.
However, this wait lasted for more than a month. During this period, Mei Chengan came to Prince Jing's Mansion several times, but her father did not send anyone to call her, and Mei Chengan never came to see her.
Her father did not take the initiative to explain the situation to her, which made her confused. Didn't he want to see her? Or did something happen to the marriage? This shouldn't happen. If something happened, why would he always come to Prince Jing's mansion? Naturally, her father would not entertain her warmly every time. Why was that?
Prince Jing also wanted to say it, but Mei Chengan asked him to keep it a secret, so he could only pretend not to see his daughter's resentful expression.
With Li Roujia's personality, it was definitely impossible for her to take the initiative to find Prince Jing and ask him. Eye contact was already her limit, but unfortunately Prince Jing avoided her eyes and did not respond to her at all. She was so angry that she wanted to smash his carefully collected musical instruments.
Unable to get an answer, she could only speculate on her own. She loved reading storybooks and had a very rich imagination. She could think of a possibility every day and then make up a complete story based on this possibility.
After thinking about it, I felt bored and sighed softly.
What is the reason?
(End of this chapter)
