MCSCPM -Chapter 113 The Man in Black

Nangong Mei recalled the words this man had spoken earlier. If everything the man in black said was true, then all of this could be reasonably explained. But if he were lying to her, what could he possibly gain from it?

For a moment, she felt slightly dazed. She was alone now and could not afford to be careless. If she were to fall into someone else’s trap, she might lose her only chance to avenge her mother.

“If Your purpose is to gain something from me, then perhaps only my life is worth anything. Today’s meeting surely isn’t about taking something from me, is it?” Nangong Mei smiled faintly, remaining remarkably calm.

“The Second Princess is indeed very clever.” Hearing this, Nangong Mei felt as though her sore spot had been struck.

If she truly were that clever, would her mother have been framed and killed?

A flash of hatred and helplessness passed through Nangong Mei’s eyes, disappearing in an instant. The man in black did not notice it.

“Do you recognize this?” The man in black took out a hairpin and placed it directly into Nangong Mei’s hand.

She examined the hairpin carefully. It seemed familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before. The hairpin was crystal clear, without the slightest impurity, clearly made of fine jade. The beads hanging from it were exquisitely delicate. Yet it did not look like something from the imperial palace.

“Why are you giving me this hairpin?” Nangong Mei asked in confusion. Could he be trying to bribe her with it?

“Second Princess, please look closely. Doesn’t it look very similar to your mother’s hairpin?”
As the man in black looked at the hairpin in Nangong Mei’s hand, a trace of sorrow quickly flashed through his eyes.

“My mother?” In Nangong Mei’s memories, when she was young, her mother would often take out a hairpin from her brocade box—one that looked exactly like the one before her now. Her mother would stare at it for a long time, sometimes even shedding tears in secret.

Whenever Nangong Mei asked her mother why the hairpin made her so sad, her mother would always remain silent, looking at her with an extremely complicated expression.

“You… could it be that you were my mother’s beloved?” Nangong Mei fixed her gaze on the man in black. Though she found her own judgment hard to believe, the words still slipped out.

As soon as she spoke, the man in black’s body visibly trembled.

“Is your mother’s hairpin still there?” His voice carried a slight sob, filled with sorrow.

“Yes. When I was very young, I often saw my mother holding a hairpin exactly like this one in front of me. She never told me where it came from—only that it was given to her by someone very important in her life.” Nangong Mei stared intently into the man’s eyes. She felt certain that he must be deeply connected to her mother.

“Did your mother truly say that?” The man in black sounded unconvinced.

“Yes. There is no reason for me to deceive you,” Nangong Mei replied calmly, turning her gaze aside. She had nothing left to cling to—everyone closest to her was already gone. What did she have left to care about? Yet she had to live on. These secrets and conspiracies were the very reason she, Nangong Mei, continued to survive.

Once again, the man in black’s gaze fell upon the hairpin in her hand, sorrow quickly climbing between his brows.

In the bamboo grove, leaves rustled softly. A gentle breeze passed through, carrying the fresh fragrance of bamboo leaves, soothing to the soul.

Breathing in the scent borne by the wind, Nangong Mei slowly closed her eyes. Her mind filled with images of her mother. She tried to reach out to touch them, only to realize they were nothing more than illusions.

“Nangong Mei, I was your mother’s childhood sweetheart.” A low voice sounded by her ear, firm and resolute.

Nangong Mei stared at the man before her in disbelief. How could he possibly be her mother’s childhood sweetheart?

“Back then, when your mother entered the palace, she gave me this hairpin. After that, contact between us gradually diminished. Later, many things happened.” The man in black’s expression grew complicated, and he slowly fell silent.

In the pitch-black night, the two stood without speaking for a long time. The atmosphere became strangely heavy.

If this man truly were her mother’s childhood sweetheart, then why had things turned out this way? Why did he only come forward after her mother had already passed away? Nangong Mei’s thoughts raced.

“Mei’er?” The man in black suddenly changed the way he addressed her. The familiar tone caught Nangong Mei off guard.

She snapped back to her senses, confusion evident in her eyes.

“If you were my mother’s childhood sweetheart, why did you only come to find me now? My mother is already gone—why?” Nangong Mei spoke bitterly, tears filling her eyes.

Every word the man in black spoke pierced her heart. She could not accept this. Why—why had this man only come looking for her now, after her mother’s tragedy?

“I… with my own strength, I had no way to save your mother. Mei’er, you…” The man in black’s hand hung in midair, unsure how to comfort the girl before him.

“To claim you were my mother’s childhood sweetheart based on nothing more than a hairpin is far too far-fetched,” Nangong Mei said, wiping away her tears. Now that she was alone, she dared trust no one. She had to live on—for her mother’s revenge.

“Mei’er, if you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do. After all, these are only my own words.”
The man in black’s voice gradually softened.

Nangong Mei lowered her head, doing her best not to let him see her expression.

To her, the man in black was nothing at all. But what should she do in a situation like this? Nangong Mei felt helpless, her brows tightly knit. In the darkness, her expression could not be seen.

“I believe you.” Slowly, Nangong Mei raised her head and looked at him with hopeful eyes.

“Mei’er, get up quickly.” The man in black helped her up. As he gazed at her face—so strikingly similar to Consort Sun’s—countless memories stirred in his heart.

“Then what should I call you?” Nangong Mei smiled faintly. Even now, she still did not fully trust the man before her. She was no longer the Nangong Mei of the past.

“Mei’er, there’s no need to be so formal. Given my relationship with your mother, you may as well call me foster father.”
The man in black’s face broke into a broad smile, joy surging within him.

“Foster Father,” Nangong Mei quickly replied.

Holding her hand, the man in black spoke earnestly. “Mei’er, I originally did not wish to tell you these things. They should have been buried deep underground, never to be known again. But your mother died unjustly. If I don’t tell you now, I fear no one else ever will.”

Nangong Mei carefully observed the man’s expression and tone. He did not seem to be acting.

“Who’s there?” A man’s voice suddenly came from near the bamboo grove.

Nangong Mei stepped out unhurriedly. “This princess is here examining herbs. Do I need your permission to speak here?”

“So it’s the Second Princess.” The guard immediately lowered his head. Nangong Mei was known to enjoy handling herbs and studying medicine, so there was nothing suspicious about that. Still, coming to the bamboo grove in the middle of the night to look for herbs was rather hard to believe.

“The Second Princess is searching for herbs late at night—please take care of your health,” the guard said with a fawning smile.

Nangong Mei was now a fallen princess. In the palace, people naturally bullied those who had lost their backing, and she was no exception.

“I prefer quiet here. Leave at once,” Nangong Mei said sternly. She understood all too well the truth of a tiger fallen to the plains being bullied by dogs. Though she was a princess, it was in name only.

“Yes, Second Princess,” the guard replied aloud, though inwardly he sneered.
Without any backing left, what right did this Second Princess have to put on airs?

Watching the guard’s retreating figure, ripples stirred in Nangong Mei’s heart. When her mother was still alive, which servant in the palace did not flatter her, bowing and scraping? How could she have suffered such humiliation? Now, she was nothing more than a princess in title alone.