Meng Wan frowned slightly, but her gaze went past Eunuch Zheng and looked inside. The vermilion curtain blocked the view, making it not very clear, but she could vaguely hear Changping's voice rustling over, mixed with a few questions from the Empress Dowager and a man's voice.
Meng Wan glanced at Eunuch Zheng: "The guest is... Princess Changping?"
The old man looked bewildered, glancing at Meng Wan, then glancing towards the house before finally stammering, "This..."
Needless to say, it's self-evident.
Meng Wan's heart sank.
Just then, Physician Hu came out. He was clearly taken aback when he saw Meng Wan, then greeted her before leaving.
Meng Wan chased after him, saying gently, "Physician Hu, please wait." Physician Hu had no choice but to stop and bow to Meng Wan again, saying, "Consort Li."
His strides were long, and Meng Wan had to jog to keep up. By the time she reached him, she was already panting heavily. She clutched her chest and it took her a while to catch her breath before she asked, "Imperial Physician Hu, you went to see the Empress Dowager earlier. Was she feeling unwell?"
Physician Hu had not expected her to ask such a question. He was slightly taken aback before shaking his head: "The Empress Dowager is in good health, so the concubine need not worry."
"Then..." Meng Wan looked back again, bit her lip, and after a long while, asked, "What was the imperial physician doing there?"
Physician Hu paused for a moment.
The Empress Dowager and His Highness had repeatedly warned him not to let anyone else know about his visit to the Empress Dowager, but Meng Wan caught him red-handed, and he didn't know how to answer.
He looked at Meng Wan with a troubled expression, hoping she wouldn't ask any more questions.
However, Meng Wan felt something was amiss about this matter, or rather, she had a bad feeling, so she had to find out the truth.
"Is it something that's inconvenient to talk about?" she asked cautiously, observing the expression on Physician Hu's face.
Physician Hu nodded and said, "Please, Consort, do not make things difficult for me."
"Difficult?" Meng Wan murmured, as if something was awakening in her heart. She looked at Physician Hu and slowly narrowed her eyes. The weather was so hot, but for some reason, a chill kept running down her back, and she couldn't help but shiver.
She lowered her eyes, looking at the medicine box that Physician Hu was carrying. Its dark red color and gilded table gave it a somewhat irresistible feel.
"Is it, Changping..." The words stuck in her throat, and she suddenly couldn't finish them. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Changping walking out with the help of two maids. She was taken aback when she saw Meng Wan, then gave her a meaningful look before staggering away.
Physician Hu also looked up and glanced in that direction, then nodded slightly to Meng Wan and said in a low voice, "This humble subject is only following orders; I know nothing else."
Meng Wan's legs suddenly went weak. If it weren't for the quick-witted palace maid beside her supporting her, she might have lost her composure in front of Physician Hu.
She looked up at the departing figure of Physician Hu, and what came into view was the endless sky, a deep blue that seemed to want to drown one in it. Meng Wan gazed at it quietly, her heart sinking little by little.
--
In Jiangyun Pavilion, Meng Wan sat quietly on the carved wooden chair, without moving.
Huangfu Mi stood with his back turned in front of her, looking at her expressionless face, and a sense of panic rose in his heart.
"Wan'er..." He opened his mouth, but could only call out her name once, and could not say anything else.
At that moment, he didn't even know what to say to her.
Meng Wan raised her eyes, her expression not changing much as he spoke. She looked at him calmly and slowly said, "Tell me the whole story."
Her voice stirred Huangfu Mi's heart, and he almost rushed to her side, grabbing her delicate hand: "Wan'er, listen to me, listen to my explanation, things aren't as you think, her and I, her and I..."
V107
Her voice stirred Huangfu Mi's heart, and he almost rushed to her side, grabbing her delicate hand: "Wan'er, listen to me, listen to my explanation, things aren't as you think, her and I, her and I..."
If Meng Wan asked, he would have a chance to explain, which was better than the last time when she simply wouldn't listen to him.
Meng Wan slowly raised her eyes: "How is it?"
Huangfu Mi's eyes gradually darkened: "That day I was drunk, completely drunk. She happened to be in the study, and I mistook her for you, so I..."
Meng Wan's eyes narrowed. Although she had known for a long time, hearing him say it from his own mouth now, the pain in her heart was even stronger than she had imagined.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and barely managed to suppress her surging emotions. She sneered, "Treat her as me, that's a good explanation, very good."
Her mind was in turmoil as she recalled that day when she stayed up all night by the emperor's bedside, just to fulfill her filial duty to him who had not returned, but he did such a thing.
Upon meeting her smile, Huangfu Mi was taken aback, and a hint of panic flashed across her face.
He would rather she scold or hit him, but he didn't want her to speak to him so calmly and without any emotion. This made Huangfu Mi feel that the distance between them was growing further and further apart.
A world of difference...
Huangfu Mi tightened his grip on Meng Wan's hand, repeatedly apologizing, "Wan'er, I'm so sorry, I really didn't mean it. That time I saw you and Huangfu Yi were very close, and I was furious, so I went out drinking. I got drunk, really drunk... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."
At this moment, he knew nothing more than to repent.
Meng Wan merely lowered her eyes, her tone remaining tightly controlled, striving to remain calm and composed: "Then why did you hide it from me? Why didn't you tell me?"
Although she didn't know if she could handle being told sooner, she only knew that the current situation made her feel like she was on the verge of collapse.
She bit her lip, and then heard Huangfu Mi's voice, which seemed to come from afar. He said, "I kept it a secret because I was afraid you wouldn't forgive me. If she hadn't been pregnant, I wouldn't have..."
Pregnancy... These two words pierced her heart like needles. She had always wanted to have a child with him, and so had he, but after being married for so long, they had never been able to. Who knew that another woman would become pregnant with her?
She suddenly wanted to laugh, wanting to mock herself for this fact. How could she have trusted him so much? She never doubted his strange question that day, but what about him?
She actually laughed, pulled her hand away from his, stood up, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. For some reason, she felt a chill, a bone-chilling cold.
"In that case, what are you going to do now?" She spoke in a low voice, trying her best to make her tone sound casual, but the tremor in her voice still betrayed her true feelings.
Huangfu Mi was clearly taken aback, then shook his head: "I don't know either. My mind is in a complete mess right now, Wan'er, I'm really confused..."