Huangfu Yu, watching the two bickering yet unable to let go of each other, couldn't help but smile slightly. While the two were feeling somewhat awkward, he quietly left.
Huangfu Mi felt a little uncomfortable as her private actions were inadvertently spoken out. As she watched Huangfu Yu leave, her face fell, and she glared at Meng Wan, saying, "You know perfectly well that you're not feeling well, yet you still love to get angry. You're sickly all day long but you still won't give up. I really don't know what's going on in your head."
"That's because you deliberately provoked me that I got angry!" Meng Wan retorted defiantly, though her confidence seemed somewhat lacking.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't moved. Arguments between couples usually end as long as one person is willing to back down first. But she was strong-willed, and so was he, so they argued back and forth, neither willing to give in. Now, hearing that he still cared about her behind her back, most of her resentment from the past two days vanished, leaving only gratitude.
Huangfu Mi was both angry and annoyed at her defiant attitude, but when he looked at her pale face, all his anger vanished, leaving only deep helplessness: "In this life, I've fallen for you."
Hearing this, Meng Wan felt a surge of joy, but her stubborn nature prevented her from letting it go. She glared at Huangfu Mi and snorted, "Don't think that I'll forgive you just because you said that. I still have a skeptical attitude towards Fu Qingcheng. Don't even think about making me accept her. As for you, whether you want to believe her or be grateful is none of my business. Just one thing: if you get close to her again and go to be with her in the middle of the night, I'll give you a divorce agreement first. I mean what I say!"
Her earnestness surprised Huangfu Mi, who had calmed down.
I used to think that Meng Wan was targeting Qingcheng out of jealousy, but now that things have been out in the open, she is still so insistent. Could it be that Qingcheng really has a problem?
--
At the same time, as the two left, two figures emerged from behind the tree, one after the other, watching the three figures disappear from sight. One of them said, "It seems your plan to sow discord failed. But so be it. Those two have a deep bond. It's not easy for you to drive a wedge between them. You might as well try something else. For example, try to find out Huangfu Mi's true strength, or find a way to make him dislike Father Emperor. As for Meng Wan, don't keep bothering with her."
"No!" The latter interrupted him mercilessly, staring coldly at the two backs, his gaze deep and indifferent: "I must get rid of Meng Wan, and I will make her suffer endless torment. Not only that, but I will also make the entire Prime Minister's mansion pay with its life! This is what you promised me, and it is also the condition for me to help you get rid of Huangfu Mi. Don't forget!"
"Of course I won't forget such a thing, but I just don't understand what deep-seated hatred you have for the Prime Minister's Mansion that makes you hate it to such an extent!"
"Yes, it is a deep-seated hatred, an irreconcilable enmity. Therefore, in this lifetime, I will risk my life to ensure that everyone in the Prime Minister's mansion suffers a terrible death!"
--
Any misunderstanding, once explained, will be resolved.
Just like Meng Wan and Huangfu Mi, after Huangfu Yu's move that put them in a life-or-death situation, they completely swept away the previous gloom and returned to their former close relationship.
That makes sense. No matter how much Meng Wan doubts Fu Qingcheng, she should trust Huangfu Mi to the end. Why distance herself from her closest person for someone unrelated?
Moreover, if Fu Qingcheng really has some kind of conspiracy, then Meng Wan's estrangement from Huangfu Mi and pushing him to Fu Qingcheng's side would put him in even greater danger.
With this thought in mind, Meng Wan felt much more at ease when she encountered Fu Qingcheng in the mansion again.
Regardless of any schemes or plots, if they really exist, then let them come. Meng Wan was very interested to see what Fu Qingcheng wanted to do and what she would do, and whether it was truly aimed at her, just as she had guessed.
Once you understand this, your mindset immediately becomes more open, and life suddenly becomes brighter.
Because Meng Wan had been unwell, Huangfu Mi had Hua Jiuye specially prepare medicinal wine for her to help her recover. After a few days, she was back to normal.
Life continued uneventfully. Shortly after the Emperor's birthday celebrations came Prime Minister Meng's birthday. He got up early and made all the preparations, but just before leaving, it suddenly started to rain. It wasn't heavy, but the light drizzle was unsettling.
Meng Wan, dressed neatly, stood by the window gazing at the drizzling rain outside. She thought to herself, "It's such a nice day, yet it's raining. It's just making me feel irritable." Just then, she saw Huangfu Mi enter the courtyard with an umbrella.
Before even entering the door, he started complaining: "It's finally my father-in-law's birthday, but the weather just won't cooperate. It's drizzling down, so annoying!"
Raindrops fell from the dark umbrella onto the ground, spreading into water stains. Seeing this, Meng Wan quickly picked up a handkerchief from the table and went over to wipe the water off him, saying, "You're right, it's inconvenient to go out in the rain, and on top of that, it's hot. It's really annoying. By the way, is the birthday gift for Father ready?"
"Of course. My father-in-law is a heavy drinker, so I had a pair of wine jugs made for him a long time ago. I'm sure he'll like them."
Upon hearing this, Meng Wan smiled and nodded slightly. She then helped him dry the water stains from his braids before the couple went out together under an umbrella.
--
The rain continued to fall, but the area outside the Prime Minister's residence was bustling with activity. The endless stream of guests did not diminish in the slightest due to the rain; on the contrary, everyone's face was filled with joy.
No wonder, Prime Minister Meng was already an important minister in the court and was deeply trusted by the emperor. Now that he had climbed up to the status of a royal relative, there were naturally even more people trying to curry favor with him.
When Meng Wan and Huangfu Mi arrived, the hall was already filled with people, chatting and laughing. Upon hearing the proclamation, they all stood up. When Huangfu Mi and Meng Wan reached the center of the hall, they all bowed. In an instant, the large hall was filled with greetings.
Huangfu Mi waved his hand casually, then took Meng Wan's hand and walked straight to Prime Minister Meng. He cupped his hands in his palm and said, "Greetings to my father-in-law. I wish you boundless happiness and longevity."
Meng Wan also stepped forward, curtsied, and then said, "Daughter also wishes Father a long life. This is a birthday gift that I have prepared for Father."
After she finished speaking, a servant brought up a scroll. Meng Wan took it and opened it; on it was written a poem:
In this prosperous age, we celebrate the whole nation; as we meet again, even those with white hair find inspiration in poetry.
In those days, we braved wind and rain with determination; in our prime, we worked diligently and were at our most vigorous.
Rhymed prose adds brilliance, while the waves of the river slap against the water, displaying their elegance.
With lofty aspirations and a magnanimous spirit, may your twilight years be filled with happiness, longevity, health, and prosperity.
"This is my humble work. Although it is not as good as the work of famous masters, it is still my heartfelt wish. I hope my father likes it."
"Good, good, good!" Prime Minister Meng was very knowledgeable about calligraphy and shared a fondness with the Emperor for the works of famous calligraphers. Now, seeing his daughter and his own powerful and magnificent brushstrokes, and seeing the poem praising him, he was naturally overjoyed and exclaimed "good" three times in a row, full of praise.
Seeing this, the others hurriedly joined in the praise, both to flatter the Meng family and to curry favor with Huangfu Mi.
Huangfu Mi smiled calmly, but his gaze, filled with approval and ambiguity, fell on Meng Wan, making her face turn bright red.
She glared at him reproachfully, then said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "What are you staring at me for? Quickly show Father the birthday gift you prepared—"
Huangfu Mifang withdrew his gaze and instead stretched out his hand behind him, whereupon someone presented the box with both hands.
It was a birthday gift that he had ordered prepared for Prime Minister Meng long ago. He personally went to retrieve it early this morning and handed it to Prime Minister Meng, bowing respectfully: "This is what your son-in-law prepared for you, father-in-law. It cannot compare to Wan'er's heartfelt work, but please do not find it distasteful."
Despite his humble tone, Meng Chengxiang nodded repeatedly, his eyes and brows beaming with an irrepressible smile. However, that smile only lasted until the box was opened and the contents were revealed, at which point his expression suddenly changed.
"This..." Inside the box was a blue and white porcelain moon flask with two handles and floral and fruit patterns. The blue and white floral and fruit patterns were striking and very familiar to him. In particular, the two small characters in the bottom corner of the flask made his eyes widen in surprise.
"What's wrong?" Everyone noticed his unusual behavior. Huangfu Mi was even more confused, not knowing what had happened. He turned his head and looked at Meng Wan, both of them puzzled.
At this moment, Prime Minister Meng took the item out of the box and handed it to the two women. What caught their eye was a bottle that was completely different from the blue and white porcelain ewer with chrysanthemum patterns that Huangfu Mi had prepared earlier. What surprised them even more were the two small characters on the bottom corner of the bottle – Junyao.