Li Cheng brought Mei back to the study room but he said nothing to her at all, but after waiting for so long Mei finally said something.
"Does Your Highness need something from me?" Mei asked him and he cleared his throat
"Ahem. I will allow your dismissal and allow you to return home." Li Cheng said to her and she smiled
"Really?!" Mei asked him and he nodded
"But I'll be going back with you." Li Cheng said to her, confusion was written all over her face
"Why does Your Highness want to return to the village with me?" Mei asked him
"I would like your parent's permission to bring you back into the palace." Li Chegn said to her
"I think that it's fine to come back to work after I visit them for a while, there is no need for your highness to go out of your way." Mei said to him and he smiled
"I didn't say I want to hire you back into the palace." Li Cheng said to her and at this time Mei was getting more confused
"Then why would I return to the palace?" Mei asked
"To marry me of course." Li Cheng said to her and her jaw dropped
"W-What?" Mei has never thought of marrying him even though she has a crush on him since he was the prince of their nation and her parents have taught her to not be greedy. To know her place
"I've talked to my father and I've received permission to take you as my legal wife. I have no intention of letting you return home unless that home is within the palace walls." Li Cheng said to her, she felt excited but scared at the same time
".....Do...Do I have a choice?" Mei asked him and he nodded
"I would like it if you would marry me, I love you. What about you." Li Cheng said to her and that was all she needed to hear from him
"I...I dare not step out of line." Mei said to him and he smiled
"You won't be. You don't have to say anything, just take my hand. I'll take that as your answer to my proposal." Li Cheng said to her and she hesitantly took his hand, he smiled at her.
Three days later, the two of them return to the village she grew up in. Li Cheng talked to her parents, and they gave their blessings to the two of them. It was only later on that Li Cheng found out that the reason his father agreed was that Mei's grandfather used to teach in the palace and was of the distant but royal bloodline.
How did the king find this out? It was simple, he met Mei when he came to the crown prince's palace and noticed Mei. On her waist, she always carried around a jade that was from her father but she didn't know what it was but the king knew what it was. The jade was unique, it was a white jade craved out to look similar to a paintbrush brush, and at the tip of the white paintbrush was a tainted black. It was a one-of-a-kind and the king had not seen one like it since the main teacher left.
When it was found out that the main teacher was not a part of the rebellion, they couldn't find any trace of him left.
The king was taught by the main teacher, and it was always on his waist, the king asked Mei where she got that from, and Mei told him that it was from her father who got it from his father.
All of this would make her, not just a commoner but someone who was of royal bloodline. The king was also sure that she would be of great help to his son as well if her father taught her, so he agreed to let his son marry her.
When the two of them went into the village, the two were welcome by everyone in the village since they knew it was the prince's carriage. Prince Li took hold of Mei's hand and went up to her parents.
"Please forget the formalities, I should be the one to be kneeling to you." Li Cheng said to her family and helped her father back to his feet. Prince Li looked at her father in the eye.
"I've come to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage." Li Cheng asked her father and her father looked at her.
"Mei, is this true? You're going to marry into the palace?" her father asked her, and she nodded.
"His highness has asked for my hand; I've come to get you and mother's blessing." Mei said to her father.
"Of course, I want to take the two of you into the palace as well." Li Cheng said to her parents but the two smiled at them and shook their head.
"That won't be needed, your mother and I are more use to life outside of the palace walls." Her father said to her, and she took hold of her father's hand.
"But dad-" Mei was about to say to her father but her mother cut in.
"Mei, what your father said is right. Me and him are used to the life out here, we also don't know the rules of the palace and we wouldn't know what to do if we went into the palace." her mother said to her, and she gripped onto her mother's hand.
"But-" Mei was about to say to her mother but her mother shook her head.
"Your father and I live well outside the palace walls, if you miss us then you can just visit us here." her father said to her, and she sighs as she knew that there was nothing that she could say or do to change her parent's mind.
Her parents took the two into their house, the prince spent a few days with them living a humble life, after 6 days the two of them headed back to the palace.
A month later it was announced that the crown prince was getting married, the whole country celebrated his wedding.