Sharing a Pavilion With You
Chapter 115: The One Thing I Ask for is Her

Chapter 115: The One Thing I Ask for is Her

"Are you quite finished?" the prince snarled at Bai Li. "I’m not sure what standing you have with her to come and have this discussion with me."

The prince’s jealousy was in full flight now, his anger burning that Mei Meili had shared their intimate conversation with this man.

"You’re not her brother or her father, and neither are you her fiancée, you’re simply an unrelated male friend, which means you have no standing to speak for her whatsoever. And I’m in violent disagreement with every word you’ve spoken. I’m the second prince of the realm. You don’t think I can keep her safe from a mere chit of a woman?" he looked scornfully at his friend.

"Her father and I are now allied. After I marry his daughter, I need only mention the arrangement with Mei Meili to him, and she will no longer be the target of Li Fengfeng’s resentment. Nor must she live under the same roof as the woman."

"I think you underestimate the influence of pillow talk and how much of a threat the Prime Minister might perceive in you keeping Lord Mei’s only daughter in a separate residence," Bai Li said frankly.

"But that aside, the point is that she’ll be a concubine, your highness," Bai Li said angrily. "She’s a noblewoman of more than sufficient status to be a first wife, which is what she deserves."

"Things may not stay the way they are now, Bai Li... It’s not in my plan for Li Fengfeng to remain above Mei Meili in status in my household."

Right at that moment the prince had a flashback to her calling him by his name; ’thank you for letting me go, Yicai.’ His face flushed red at the memory.

Bai Li looked horrified, seeing only two possible ways Mei Meili to rise above Li Fengfeng in the prince’s household, divorce or death, both of which would be highly unacceptable to the Prime Minister and embroil Mei Meili in the fallout...

"Listen to yourself, your highness! You’re not in your right mind over her! I, of all people, can understand your feelings. I can understand what that infatuation might drive you to want to do. But you know as well as I, that you can’t act on that desire! If you really care for her, you must let her go. Find the strength to do that. You must think of her, instead of only of yourself!"

The prince put his head in his hand and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were blazing with anger.

"You’ve wasted your time coming here Bai Li. You don’t think I’ve had those same thoughts? Hah! Of course I have! Who do you think I am? Who do you think you’re talking to? I’m the second prince of this realm! I haven’t brought you in on the plans I’m about to undertake to keep you safe for as long as I can. What lies ahead of me for the sake of the People and this empire is bloody and terrible. I ask only one thing for myself in this life... and that is her. I know it’s selfish but let me do this one selfish thing. This one thing for myself while the rest of my life is dedicated to duty..."

"You make it sound noble and that what you want is small, but it’s not, your highness, it’s not. Mei Meili is not a thing. She’s not a possession for you to own. She’s a real person, with her own hopes and dreams for her life, none of which you can fulfil."

"Let me be the judge of that Bai Li," the prince said coldly, "let me be the judge of that..."

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Mei Meili handed the emperor his first cup of tea for the morning, and he surreptitiously studied her face.

Much brighter, he thought with approval. The visit to the training camp had obviously done her the world of good putting his inept son’s proposition behind her.

"Thank you for letting me visit the training camp, Your Majesty," she said. "I was very glad to be able to bring home-cooked food to Commander Bai while he’s working so hard. It appears that his mother has a very high tolerance for concerns about her husband and son’s health, having had General Bai away in so many theatres of war."

"Military wives tend to know when they should worry and when they should not," agreed the Emperor. "Now your complete focus should be back on me," he said peevishly.

"It is, it is, Your Majesty," she assured him. "My apologies, for it should never have strayed enough to concern you with my petty matters."

"No indeed, it should not have," he said firmly. "How do you plan to make up for your lapse?"

"When you finish court today, I will be dancing for you, if it pleases Your Majesty."

"It does, it does please me. I shall look forward to that and you must promise not to disappoint me," he teased her.

"I’ll do my very best, Lord, I promise," she said very seriously, and his eyes twinkled with amusement.

"And tomorrow after court you must play the guqin for me," he ordered.

"Yes of course, Lord, if that would divert you, I shall play for you for so long as you wish."

"There, you said it. Did you hear that Feng Bao?" he called to his Chief Eunuch. "Miss Mei said she will play for so long as I wish. Make a note so that it’s not forgotten, and she can’t complain when she tires of playing for me."

"Yes, Master, I’m writing and dating it in the records as we speak," Feng Bao joined in his Master’s enjoyable little game of teasing Miss Mei.

She looked between the two men. "But of course I must play for our Lord anytime he wishes and for so long as he desires it, after all; whether Taijian writes it in the records or not," she said innocently.

"Quite right, Miss Mei," replied the Emperor, "well-spoken, and I fully intend you to hold you to your word".