The Prince let out a slight sigh, then continued, "When I was very young, you and Father took me to Lingyin Temple to meet Master Jueyuan. I noticed a couplet next to the temple. Do you remember what it said?"
Mrs. Ye slowly shook her head; she could hardly remember something so distant.
The Prince smiled faintly, "It read, 'In life, how can all be as one wishes, one only hopes that half of things go smoothly.'"
Mrs. Ye fell silent...
"Mother, having studied Buddhism for many years, you should understand a principle even more—that destiny revolves in cycles... My inability to obtain Gu Xia is not for lack of competence or effort... It might simply be that the connection between us is so faint—a connection, the most peculiar of things, cannot be forced... If I couldn't establish more ties in a previous life, then in this life I can only be a bystander. In fact... to be her mentor, to occasionally see her, to see her smile, that's all I ever wanted."
