It was natural for Huangfu Mi to feel sorry for him. He felt a warmth in his heart and reached out to pull her into his arms, chuckling softly, "Don't worry, your husband is no good-for-nothing. He just didn't have any ambition before. Now that I have you, and we'll have our children in the future, I can't be like I was before. Besides, my father loves me and is even willing to entrust the country to me. How could I betray his trust? So don't worry, starting tomorrow I will try to learn how to be a crown prince. I believe that with my intelligence, this won't be difficult."
Seeing his spirited demeanor, Meng Wan naturally wouldn't discourage him. She watched him intently, then nodded with a slight smile: "Yes, I believe in you too."
--
After that day, Huangfu Mi seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving early and returning late for several days in a row.
Meng Wan didn't go to see him. She knew he was busy. After all, the responsibilities of the Crown Prince were heavy, and he had always been carefree and irresponsible. It wouldn't be easy for him to start learning from scratch.
A few days passed, and before they knew it, it was May 18th. The Prince's mansion was filled with joy. It was neither a festival nor a birthday, but rather the occasion for the Crown Prince's enthronement ceremony.
Under a clear, sunny sky without a single cloud, fluffy white auspicious clouds floated in the sapphire-blue sky. Fragrant flowers bloomed, and scattered splendor seemed to be celebrating as well.
As dusk fell, a fiery sunset appeared on the horizon, resembling a blazing fire from afar. The wind blew, the clouds dispersed, then gathered again, their crimson hues shifting and changing, creating a breathtakingly beautiful and auspicious scene.
Meng Wan sat in front of the bronze mirror, letting Mu Ci style her hair.
Normally Baotong would take care of her, but this evening the girl had gone off somewhere to play and hadn't returned by this time, so Muci had to do it herself.
Her hair was piled high in a bun, and she adorned it with a hibiscus-patterned, ink-black hairpin with emerald beads. Mu Ci looked at herself closely again and saw that the person in the mirror was lightly made up, with delicate eyebrows like willow branches and a touch of vermilion on her forehead. She was charming and beautiful to the extreme, so beautiful that one could not bear to look away.
Baotong entered at this moment, and ran up to Meng Wan in a flash. She looked Meng Wan up and down, her eyes full of amazement: "Sister Muci has dressed the Princess up so beautifully, she looks like a beauty who has stepped out of a painting. You are really very skillful. How about you teach me sometime tomorrow?"
A crisp laugh stirred up ripples in the peaceful room. Mu Ci glanced at Bao Tong with a smile, then gently tapped her head: "All you do is talk big. You're always so impulsive and restless. Where have you been all day?"
Upon hearing this, Baotong protested, "Sister Muci always uses her seniority to lecture me. I am truly wronged. I went out to do serious business."
She even started pulling on the ridge. Mu Ci glared at her and said, "Then tell me, what is your serious business?"
At this point, Baotong smiled mysteriously, ran to the outer room, and returned shortly afterward, carrying a tray covered by a headscarf.
"What is this?" Mu Ci and Meng Wan exchanged a glance, both puzzled by her mysterious behavior.
Bao Tong had just lifted her handkerchief when a magnificent gown was revealed to everyone.
It was a silver-embroidered dress with butterflies and flowers, and the cuffs and collar were decorated with overlapping, indescribably gorgeous, thread-work patterns.
Meng Wan was slightly surprised: "Didn't the dress arrive early this morning? Where did you get another one from?"
Baotong laughed even more heartily: "This servant took that one and altered it, adding some patterns and more stitches, so that it would be worthy of our Princess, oh no, the future Crown Princess. You know, although we are not officially crowning the Crown Princess today, our Princess is the Prince's first wife, and the throne of Crown Princess is undoubtedly hers. Therefore, our Princess must dress in a luxurious style to match her status."
They were gesturing wildly as they spoke, as if it were the truth. Meng Wan and Mu Ci exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with helplessness.
She didn't know whether it was luxurious or not; she only wanted to know that the dress had been altered to be heavy and stiff, offering nothing more than a bit of brilliance. But seeing Bao Tong's excited and delighted expression, she couldn't very well disappoint her. After all, Bao Tong had done so much for her, so she changed her clothes and, with Mu Ci and Bao Tong's support, slowly took a few steps.
Fortunately, although it was a bit heavy and every step felt tiring, it wasn't too much of a burden. I changed into double phoenix-head shoes, which matched my gorgeous clothes perfectly.
After getting dressed, Meng Wan sat quietly in front of the dressing table, letting Mu Ci apply her makeup. The whole process took about half an hour. When everything was finished, a sedan chair had been waiting outside for quite some time.
Dusk had quietly descended, the evening glow on the horizon was fading, and the sun was setting, leaving only a sliver of golden light hanging in the sky, casting dappled shadows that fell gently onto the ground.
Stepping through the shimmering light, Meng Wan boarded the sedan chair. Her festive dress and elegant makeup made her look stunningly beautiful with every gesture.
She sat gracefully in the sedan chair, heading towards the palace.
The ceremony for establishing the crown prince was to be held at 3:45 PM. Before that, Meng Wan and the others would first go to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.
When Meng Wan arrived, the place was also filled with joy. With Mu Ci's help, Meng Wan got off the sedan chair and looked up. Before her were red walls and high beams, vermilion gates and flying pavilions, and magnificent halls, all decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, creating a festive yet solemn atmosphere.
As they approached the entrance, they happened to meet the Empress Dowager. Today, she was also dressed in a magnificent palace gown. Her smooth, lustrous skin, as delicate as warm jade, appeared even more radiant and beautiful against the backdrop of her deep purple palace dress.
She then curtsied and greeted the Empress Dowager, who quickly helped her up, saying, "You're dressed so inconveniently, there's no need for such formalities." After Meng Wan stood up, the Empress Dowager looked her up and down and said with a smile, "You're dressed quite beautifully today, it seems you're very happy."
That's only natural; how could she not be happy on the auspicious day of her husband's investiture as crown prince?
She reached out and touched her face, smiled gently, and said, "Yes, I am very happy."
The Empress Dowager nodded slightly, then glanced at her again, her gaze lingering on Meng Wan's magnificent attire, a deep, unfathomable light flashing in her eyes.
Dressed so flamboyantly, she must have been hoping for a surprise after the ceremony to establish the crown prince. It's just a pity that today there will probably be more surprise than joy.
*
At this moment, amidst the bustling scene in the palace, Zhengyang Palace was shrouded in gloom and cold.
Huangfu Mi stood with his back to the table, dressed in a bright yellow crown prince's court robe, so vibrant, yet his back trembled slightly, making him appear somewhat flustered.
Behind him, the emperor stood tall, also dressed in an apricot-yellow court robe, but he was clearly out of place in the silent atmosphere.
“Father, I have said that my wife will always be Wan’er. I will never marry Changping as my Crown Princess.”
Huangfu Mi's tone was resolute, with an undeniable authority. He was certain that no one but Meng Wan could stand shoulder to shoulder with him and grow old together.
The emperor was well aware of his son's sincere feelings, but the idea of establishing a crown princess was proposed by the empress dowager. Although he, as the emperor, could object, the empress dowager used the fact that Wan'er had been married for a long time but had not yet conceived a child as a reason to insist on giving Changping to Mi'er.
The emperor naturally did not want this to happen, but the empress dowager was, after all, the empress dowager. Although she was not his biological mother, she had helped him ascend the throne, so the emperor respected her very much. Changping was the empress dowager's only direct granddaughter, so it was understandable that he wanted her to marry Mi'er as the crown princess. Therefore, he had no choice but to agree.
However, Huangfu Mi did not think that way.
He only wanted to be the crown prince because his father favored him and because he wanted to become stronger to be worthy of Wan'er. Now, he was being asked to marry someone else as the crown princess because of this. He couldn't do it!
Absolutely impossible!
The room grew increasingly quiet. The warm air in the heated room wafted gently, and a subtle fragrance lingered in the air. Sunlight streamed in at an angle, casting long shadows on the golden bricks, all in serene silence.
The emperor pondered for a long time before finally speaking: "But I have already promised the Empress Dowager, and I cannot go back on my word."
"Since it was Father Emperor who agreed, then Father Emperor can go and marry her. What does it have to do with me?" Huangfu Mi ignored the emperor's words, raised her voice, and said coldly, which angered the emperor so much that he shouted, "Insolence!"