The Empress glanced at Liuli, then fiddled with the nail polish on her fingernails for a long while before saying, "You yourself said that His Majesty praises her highly. Then let me ask you, how many people in the whole world can earn His Majesty's praise? Especially such a young girl, which shows that she is quite capable. In that case, why shouldn't I take her in for my own use? After all, Yu'er is not yet married..."
"So, Your Highness, you mean you want her..."
Just then, Prince Heng arrived from outside. The Empress narrowed her eyes and said, "She also has the Prime Minister as her backer. If we can win her over, it will be of great benefit to important matters."
--
Yueji led Meng Wan out of Huaqing Palace and settled her temporarily in a pavilion. Yueji said, "Miss Meng, please wait here for a moment. I will go and fetch the sedan chair."
Meng Wan nodded slightly, offering a gentle and harmless smile. Yue Ji had already left, and only after watching her figure disappear from sight did she put away her feigned smile.
I'm not quite sure what the Empress means. Is she trying to win her over or something else? But as an Empress, it doesn't seem like she needs to go to such lengths. But then again, I think it's still possible.
After all, the Empress had no children, and the only prince she raised to adulthood was not favored by the Emperor, so it was not surprising that the Empress wanted to win her over.
only...
Meng Wan narrowed her eyes. She had been used as a pawn far enough already. In this life, she would never repeat the same mistake, and she would never become anyone's pawn, absolutely!
V8 Feng Qi's Jealousy Arises (Part 1)
Because of the Emperor's praise, the Empress summoned her to the palace several times in the following days. Even the Emperor played chess and guessed riddles with her on several occasions. In no time, everyone in the capital knew that Miss Meng was deeply loved by the Emperor and Empress. Some even said that she would become the Empress in the future.
Whether she would become empress or not, Meng Wan did not know. She only knew that she did not want to get involved in the palace struggles again. Apart from seeking revenge, what she wanted to do was to serve her father and aunt well and take care of her younger sister.
As usual, early in the morning, a palanquin from the palace brought her into the palace. It turned out that the emperor had finished his court session and, remembering that he had not yet solved the riddle Meng Wan had given him two days ago, sent someone to bring her into the palace.
"The riddle you mentioned last time, I racked my brains but still couldn't figure it out. What is the meaning of 'consistent inside and out'?"
With the affairs of state being so numerous and complex, the emperor was also feeling bored and restless, so he was naturally delighted to have such riddles as a pastime.
Moreover, Meng Wan would often pose some difficult questions unexpectedly, which only increased the emperor's interest.
Meng Wan brewed tea for her, and only after the aroma filled the air did she personally serve it. She sat down next to the emperor and then said with a smile, "Your Majesty, you've guessed it now, haven't you, with your words and actions in perfect harmony?"
The emperor's eyes lit up: "It's the character '回' (hui)."
Meng Wan smiled and said, "Exactly."
The emperor laughed: "If you had said so earlier, I wouldn't have had to worry for so long; I would have guessed it immediately."
"But what's the point of guessing it right away? It would just be an attempt to make things difficult for His Majesty."
Despite the emperor's usual stern demeanor, he was completely unrestrained with rules when he was with Meng Wan. Instead, he was incredibly loving, readily engaging in riddles and chess games with her, treating her like his own daughter.
"Haha, you're just as mischievous as the seventh brother."
Seventh brother?
"Is His Majesty referring to Prince Heng?"
"That's right. He's been back for so long, and you still haven't had a chance to see him, have you? Come to think of it, you were the one who solved his riddle back then, and now you're the only one who hasn't seen him. What a pity!"
The emperor laughed heartily, and Meng Wan pursed her lips as well: "Everyone says that His Highness Prince Heng is unrestrained and carefree by nature, and I also really want to see him! But it's probably just not meant to be, otherwise how come I can't see him every time I go to the palace!"
"Haha--" The emperor laughed even more heartily, reached out and tapped Meng Wan on the forehead, and said with a majestic yet loving tone, "Now that you mention it, I feel sorry for him. Unfortunately, he is not in the palace today. It seems that it will not be so easy for you two to meet."
This action reminded Meng Wan of someone, but the thought only lasted for a moment before she smiled back.
Just then, an eunuch came to announce that the Empress had arrived, so Meng Wan stood up and stood aside.
The Empress did not come alone; she was accompanied by the Fifth Prince. Meng Wan hurriedly bowed and paid her respects, but the Empress had already helped her up: "I heard you had entered the palace earlier, but I waited for a long time without seeing you. I guessed you were with the Emperor, and sure enough..."
"Haha, I had a mystery I couldn't solve, so I brought her into the palace. Well, even the Empress is stumped by this girl?"
Indeed, the emperor had nine sons but not even a daughter. Although he had many sons, there was not one he could have a heart-to-heart talk with. Even his most cherished seventh prince was not very close to him due to years of separation. On the contrary, Meng Wan was a girl who pleased him in every way and made him very happy.
The Empress chuckled softly: "Not at all. I don't have the ability to solve riddles or compose couplets. It's just that Yu'er has always admired Wan'er's talent, but he didn't have the chance to see her at the last palace banquet, so he specially asked me to bring her here."
After saying that, he looked at Huangfu Yu and gave him a wink.
Huangfu Yu nodded in agreement, and Meng Wan quickly bowed and paid her respects, though her expression remained unchanged, she felt somewhat depressed inside.
The Empress is indeed impatient, acting so quickly. After observing for several days and confirming that the Emperor truly dotes on Meng Wan, she so blatantly pushed the Fifth Prince in front of her. It's clear that she knew the Emperor liked Meng Wan and wanted to please him.
However, Meng Wan believed that she had no special abilities and was only trying her best to please the emperor out of respect, without any other intentions.
However, others did not seem to think so. From Huangfu Qian in the past to the current Empress, they all seemed to believe that as long as Meng Wan was won over, Prime Minister Meng could be won over, and thus the Emperor's mind could be controlled.
But how could they have such an absurd idea?
In her previous life, although she was favored by the emperor, Huangfu Qian was ultimately able to ascend the throne through various schemes and plots, eliminating other princes in the process. Meng Wan and Prime Minister Meng merely played supporting roles. Therefore, in this life, no one, regardless of who they are, could possibly influence the emperor's thoughts.
The Emperor laughed heartily: "This girl is indeed clever and witty, and her mind is full of knowledge. If you, Fifth Prince, are also interested, you can have a friendly competition with her. If you can give her a question that she can't answer, I will reward you handsomely!"
The emperor made a joke, and everyone in the room laughed. The empress turned to Huangfu Yu and said, "In that case, you'd better go back and think about it carefully."
Huangfu Yu hurriedly nodded in agreement. At that moment, an eunuch announced that several princes and ministers were waiting for the emperor in the side hall to discuss state affairs. The other three then left Zhengyang Palace together.
"Yu'er—"
After leaving the house, the Empress suddenly spoke up and called out to Huangfu Yu: "It's getting late, you should go back to the Prince's residence. You can take Wan'er back and ask her for advice on how to please your father. Look how good your father is to her."
Huangfu Yu visibly stiffened, then nodded obediently. Meng Wan originally wanted to refuse, but seeing this situation, she couldn't say anything. She could only bid farewell to the Empress and then leave the palace with Huangfu Yu.
Huangfu Yu was indeed a man of few words, and he didn't say much along the way. Meng Wan was not familiar with him and didn't know what to say, so after a few words, there was a long silence.
Just then, the whistle hanging around his neck suddenly went off.