A deafening roar shook the entire palace, and the two people below shuddered, both prostrating themselves: "Father, please calm your anger—"
"Calm down? If you all behave yourselves, then I naturally have no need to get angry. But look at your behavior, I'm already incredibly lucky that I haven't been driven to my death by anger. What more could I possibly ask for?"
The emperor gave a cold snort, clearly furious.
The two men lowered their heads even further, neither daring to utter a sound, fearing that saying too much at this moment would lead to making a mistake. Little did they know that the more they remained silent, the angrier the emperor became. Seeing the two men's silence, he felt an overwhelming surge of anger in his chest. Pointing at them, he said, "You were quite energetic when you were fighting, what? Have you become mute now? Hurry up and speak, tell me the whole story!"
The two raised their heads, then lowered them again, exchanging a silent glance while still secretly vying for attention. Just then, someone outside announced that the Prince of Heng and his wife were requesting an audience. The Emperor's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed slightly.
He glared coldly at Huangfu Yu and Huangfu Ming, then ordered someone to invite Meng Wan and Huangfu Mi in. Before he finished speaking, the two had already entered and walked straight to the Emperor: "Father—"
Seeing his beloved son and daughter-in-law, the emperor's mood improved slightly. He gestured for them to rise and then said calmly, "Why have you come at this hour? Is there something you need from me? If you're not in a hurry, go to the side hall and wait. I'll talk to you after I've dealt with them."
Contrary to their previous fury, the two kneeling men were taken aback. However, Meng Wan and Huangfu Mi calmly rose, glanced at Huangfu Yu, and then nodded slightly to the emperor. "Father, your son does have something to say, but there's no need to wait until later, because your son has come here to plead for your two elder brothers."
"Plead for them?" The emperor raised an eyebrow. "Do you know that their public fight not only damaged the royal family's reputation, but they also refused to tell me the whole story afterward? And now you want to plead for them? Are you trying to anger me too?"
"Your subject wouldn't dare." Huangfu Mi hurriedly nodded: "How could your subject anger Father Emperor? It's just that my two elder brothers are young and vigorous, and some friction is inevitable. Why should Father Emperor get so angry? It would be a loss if it harmed the Emperor's health."
Friction arises because young people are full of vigor and blood.
"Then what exactly is this friction between brothers that you're talking about?" The emperor narrowed his eyes. "Since you've come to plead for mercy, you must know the whole story, right?"
The two kneeling figures gasped, both looking up at Huangfu Mi with unreadable expressions of tension or something else, but inwardly wondering, "What is Seventh Brother trying to do? It seems like he's going to help?"
But... the Emperor isn't so easily fooled. A random excuse might not be enough to fool them, but if they tell the truth, the two of them will definitely suffer. After all, fighting over a woman is something the Emperor will never forgive.
Amidst the diverse gazes of the crowd, Huangfu Mi remained unfazed, gently holding Meng Wan's delicate hand. He watched as she nodded slightly at him, then hesitated for a moment before saying, "It's just that Father's calligraphy... Sixth Brother saw it at my residence earlier, and I was reluctant to part with it. However, because of my friendship with Fifth Brother, I reluctantly gave it to him. Unexpectedly, Sixth Brother found out and, while envying Fifth Brother, harbored resentment due to my unequal treatment. That's why we had an argument. Therefore, this matter is entirely my fault, and I beg Father's forgiveness."
He shifted all the responsibility off Huangfu Yu, partly to Huangfu Ming, and partly took the blame himself, knowing that the Emperor wouldn't do anything to him anyway.
However, Huangfu Ming's expression was not so pleasant.
After all that talk, the blame has fallen on him, while Huangfu Yu has been protected by Huangfu Mi and has no responsibility whatsoever.
Naturally, she was resentful and instinctively wanted to drag him down with her, but rationally, she suppressed it for the time being. Because, compared to acting out of admiration for the Emperor's calligraphy, acting out of a woman was entirely different...
"Father, please forgive me. I only did this because I really wanted your calligraphy. Please forgive me!"
He hurriedly followed Huangfu Mi's words. He wasn't stupid; he naturally knew what to do to protect himself at this moment.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, the emperor's expression softened slightly. Looking at those people, he said, "If that's the case, why didn't you say so earlier? Why wait for the seventh prince to defend you? You're truly useless."
"Father, please forgive me!"
The two remained prostrate on the ground, repeatedly begging for forgiveness. Only then did the emperor raise his hand and say, "Enough, enough. Since the seventh prince has come to plead for you, this matter will be dropped. However, you may be spared the death penalty, but you cannot escape punishment. After all, you fought in public. You two will kneel outside Zhengyang Gate for an hour. Go!"
Having already made the greatest concession possible, the two hurriedly expressed their gratitude. At this moment, the emperor summoned Meng Wan and Huangfu Mi to speak, and Huangfu Yu and Huangfu Ming both withdrew.
After everyone left, the emperor relaxed his stern face, looked at the two men, and said, "Alright, now that there's no one else around, you can tell us why those two attacked."
The Emperor was indeed as clear-headed as a mirror; his deceitful tricks could not be concealed. Fortunately, Meng Wan and Huangfu Mi had no intention of hiding it in the first place. At this moment, they both knelt down and said, "Father, please forgive us. There was a reason for the lie, but thankfully Father did not expose us in person. Thank you, Father."
"You've gone to so much trouble to fabricate your stories, how could I possibly expose you? Besides, seeing how nervous you two are about this, there must be something I don't know about behind it all. I also want to know what's going on, which is why I kept you here. Now you'd better tell me properly what really happened. If you conceal even half a word, I will punish you both for deceiving the emperor!"
The two exchanged a glance, and finally Meng Wan spoke, nodding slightly, and said, "Then Father must guarantee that if I tell the truth, Father will not pursue the matter further."
They even started discussing conditions.
"Taking advantage of my favor, you've even started making demands of me. Oh well, whatever you say, I promise I won't hold anyone accountable."
"Thank you, Father!"
Meng Wan was overjoyed and turned to look at Huangfu Mi. Seeing that he nodded slightly at her, she then told the Emperor the whole story about Huangfu Yu and Chu Ningyan.
This was also the story that Meng Wan had pestered Huangfu Yu and Ning Yan to tell her that day at Changyin Pavilion. It was a story of a hero rescuing a beauty and falling in love at first sight. The man was talented and the woman was beautiful, but they dared not be together because of the difference in their social status. They could only silently admire each other in their hearts.
Meng Wan was unsure whether telling the Emperor was the right thing to do. She knew that the two men were of vastly different social standing and that the Emperor might find it difficult to accept. However, after discussing it with Huangfu Mi, they both agreed that it would be more appropriate to tell the Emperor the truth.
Because in their hearts, the emperor was benevolent and had a heart that could embrace the world. Even if it was difficult for them to accept it at first, as long as he knew that the two were truly in love, he would surely be moved. Therefore, Meng Wan and Huangfu Mi were betting on the emperor's benevolent heart.
As expected, after listening to Meng Wan's words, the Emperor fell into a long silence, seemingly shocked for a long time. He never imagined that his son would take a liking to an actress, let alone that he would take action against Huangfu Ming, who harbored ill intentions towards Chu Ningyan. He was quite taken aback at this moment.
Huangfu Yu, is he really protecting that woman with such sincerity?
He remained silent, as did Meng Wan and Huangfu Mi. A long silence fell over the vast hall. After what seemed like an eternity, Meng Wan and Huangfu Mi grew increasingly anxious, wondering what the emperor was thinking. Suddenly, the emperor spoke: "I know of this matter. I'm a little tired today and don't want to play chess with Wan'er. You may both return to your residences!"
Although no words were explicitly mentioned about the matter, the tone implied tacit approval. Meng Wan and Huangfu Mi were delighted, their eyes sparkling with smiles as they exchanged glances. They quickly kowtowed before expressing their gratitude and leaving. Once at the door, Meng Wan stopped, turning to look at the man beside her, her eyes crinkling with amusement: "Father, does he mean to observe the situation? He shouldn't... shouldn't object, right?"
"Hmm." Huangfu Mi nodded: "That's roughly the idea."
"That's wonderful." Hearing Huangfu Mi say that, Meng Wan was overjoyed and immediately grabbed Huangfu Mi's arm. Her joy was palpable, and it made everyone who saw her feel much better.
Holding her hand tightly, Huangfu Mi kissed it and said, "Yes, now you can finally get a good night's sleep, right? I really admire you. You worry about other people's affairs all day long. If I didn't know how much you love me, I'm afraid I would be mad at Fifth Brother."
"Tch--" Meng Wan pouted, "I just think about how hard Fifth Brother has worked. Besides, he's your Fifth Brother, isn't he? After you returned to the capital, he's the only one who truly treats you like a brother. So, I'm thinking of him. Isn't that right?"
"Yes, yes, the Princess is absolutely right." Huangfu Mi smiled and put his arm around Meng Wan's shoulder. "She always thinks of me. What good fortune I have to marry such a wonderful wife!"
He made a joke, which made Meng Wan giggle. She gave him a reproachful look but didn't say anything more. She simply let him lead her hand, and the two of them left Zhengyang Palace.
v52 Eternal Separation (Part Two)
Huangfu Yu and Huangfu Ming were kneeling in front of Zhengyang Palace. When they saw Meng Wan and Huangfu Mi come out, they both raised their heads and looked at the two people with different expressions.
Huangfu Ming was filled with resentment, hating that they had shifted the blame onto her. Huangfu Yu, on the other hand, was slightly puzzled. But when he met Meng Wan's reassuring smile, although he was still confused, his heart finally calmed down a little.
Huangfu Mi had already walked up to him and deliberately spoke in Huangfu Yu's ear in a voice loud enough for several people to hear: "Fifth Brother, let's go see Miss Ningyan first. You can go to Changyin Pavilion later. We'll be waiting for you."