Meng Wan's cheeks flushed crimson, almost reaching her ears. She turned to look at Huangfu Mi, but a smile unconsciously played on her lips.
To everyone's surprise, the emperor spared them so easily, not even asking a single question about how they met, fell in love, and pledged their love, and simply allowed them to be together.
Huangfu Mi was also overjoyed, and her dark eyes were unusually filled with tenderness as she gazed at Meng Wan quietly, her joy overflowing.
This greatly alarmed the Empress!
She hadn't taken Huangfu Mi seriously before, thinking that although he was favored by the emperor, he was still raised outside and had no real ability. But that kid had secretly hooked up with the prime minister's daughter. She would never believe that he had any ulterior motives.
"Your Majesty, the marriage of a prince is a major event. Moreover, the seventh prince is the only prince currently granted the title of king, so we must be even more cautious. Therefore, in my opinion, perhaps we should wait a little longer?"
"Does Your Majesty mean that Meng Wan is not good enough for me?" Before the Emperor could say anything, Huangfu Mi spoke in a low voice, his tone unreadable, as the joy he had just felt had vanished without a trace.
The Empress was visibly taken aback, then shook her head: "How could that be? I just think it would be better to reconsider."
"No need to consider it. Your Majesty, I have thought it through very clearly. I don't need you to worry about me. Please don't try to matchmake Wan'er and Fifth Brother anymore. We don't have that kind of relationship."
"Mi'er--" Huangfu Mi's tone was not very good. Seeing this, the Emperor called out to him, signaling him not to say anything more.
Meng Wan hurriedly tugged at his sleeve. Seeing this, Huangfu Mi immediately changed his expression, grabbed Meng Wan's hand, and, ignoring her struggles, bowed down together: "In that case, your son thanks Your Majesty. Please order the Ministry of Rites to select an auspicious day as soon as possible. Your son is eager to get married!"
Huangfu Mi then casually pulled Meng Wan out of Zhengyang Palace.
Huangfu Yu was still waiting outside. When he saw the two holding hands, he was delighted and went to greet them.
"Looks like I should congratulate you. But Seventh Brother, shouldn't you also thank me properly?"
After making a joke, Huangfu Mi smiled and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Huangfu Yu, saying, "Yes, a thank you is necessary, but it's not enough to express my gratitude. Everything is understood without words. Thank you, Fifth Brother!"
This sound came from the bottom of his heart. After all, although everyone had been polite to him on the surface since he returned to the palace, he knew that it was only because of his father’s favor that everyone had to be polite.
As for Huangfu Yu, knowing that marrying Meng Wan would greatly benefit him, he was not selfish and instead helped to bring them together. Such magnanimity is truly rare, so Huangfu Mi naturally had to be grateful to him.
"Then invite me to your wedding banquet, and I'll accept your gratitude." Huangfu Yu laughed loudly and patted Huangfu Mi on the shoulder.
The two brothers exchanged a few more words, then Huangfu Mi took his leave as he was escorting Meng Wan back to her residence.
Watching the two figures leave, Huangfu Yu's smile became even gentler. With the seventh brother protecting her like this, Meng Wan must be very happy, right?
Thinking this, he didn't notice that the Empress came out in a fit of rage behind him. When she saw Huangfu Yu, she stepped forward and scolded him. But when she saw the smile on his lips, she became even more annoyed.
"You useless piece of trash, you can't even handle a woman, what can I expect from you? Do you even want this empire anymore?"
Huangfu Yu was startled. The moment he turned around, he knelt down and prostrated himself at the Empress's feet, saying, "Mother, please calm down."
"Calm down? How can I calm down? You have lost the Emperor's favor and now you have lost your only chance. How can I calm down?"
The Empress spoke sternly, and Huangfu Yu fell silent.
This was their usual way of getting along. His relationship with the Empress was not one of mutual love and care between mother and son, but rather one of humility, hoping that she would be gentler with him, even though he knew it was impossible, because to her he was just a pawn, and he only had this opportunity because the Empress had no children.
V32 Love Arises Without Knowing Where It Begins (Part 1)
The Empress spoke sternly, and Huangfu Yu fell silent.
This was their usual way of getting along. His relationship with the Empress was not one of mutual love and care between mother and son, but rather one of humility, hoping that she would be gentler with him, even though he knew it was impossible, because to her he was just a pawn, and he only had this opportunity because the Empress had no children.
In the past, he was grateful for this, but as time went on, he felt he couldn't bear it anymore. He didn't want to be a puppet anymore, a puppet whose mind was bound by her.
"Mother, I have never thought of relying on Meng Wan or even Prime Minister Meng to ascend to the position of Crown Prince. I do not believe that I can achieve this by climbing up to them. Moreover, even if I could, I would disdain to do so."
These words made the Empress's face turn pale. She glared at Huangfu Yu with hatred and snorted, "You look down on me? You don't know how many people are vying for this opportunity. Not to mention Prime Minister Meng's influence in front of the Emperor, even Meng Wan, how much the Emperor likes her, you've seen it all. Isn't that enough to make you care?"
“It’s not that I’m not capable, but that I don’t want to. I believe that Father Emperor must have a clear idea of who the Crown Prince should be. If I am capable, Father Emperor will see it and know it. If I am not, even if ten or a hundred Meng families came out to help, it would be useless.”
"you..."
The Empress was furious. She never expected him to say such discouraging things. She glared at him with disappointment and then turned and left without looking back.
How could she have raised such a good-for-nothing!
--
Huangfu Mi escorted Meng Wan back to the Prime Minister's residence because the Emperor had given his permission, so there was no need for such restraint, and they walked freely on the street.
The two walked very slowly, and their rare time together was very quiet. It seemed that their words in front of the emperor had made them both a little embarrassed, and they walked in silence the whole way.
Upon arriving outside the Prime Minister's residence, Meng Wan bid farewell and continued walking inside. At this moment, Huangfu Qian finally spoke: "Wan'er—"
It seemed to be the first time he had called her that. Although he had said it to others before, it felt different to call her to her face. Meng Wan stopped and turned to look at him, her face slightly flushed: "Hmm?"
"Nong--" Huangfu Mi handed over an object, waved it in front of her eyes, and before Meng Wan could see what it was, it was already stuffed into her palm: "Take it."
Meng Wan frowned, opened her palm and glanced at it. She saw that it was wrapped with an object that looked like a jade pendant, but it was not an ordinary object. There were seven small holes in the middle, which made the jade pendant look different.
"This is...?"
"This is called a Ruyi pendant, and its most special feature is the seven small holes on it."
As he spoke, he took her hand, raised it, and looked up at the sun on the horizon.
His fingers were long and slender, the tips gleaming with a pale pink light that echoed the verdant jade. But that wasn't all; seven-colored rays of light streamed through seven small, indistinct holes in the jade, reflecting onto his face. The interplay of light resembled a rainbow after the rain, dazzling and endless. Meng Wan was mesmerized, staring blankly as the multicolored light cast its patterns on her cheeks. A smile involuntarily crept onto her lips: "So beautiful," she said.
She spoke sincerely, and her fair cheeks looked even more beautiful and moving under the light and shadow. Huangfu Mi's heart trembled slightly, and he held her hand even tighter. Unconsciously moved, he leaned down and gently placed a kiss on her forehead.
The kiss came suddenly, and Meng Wan was taken aback. In his surprise, he had already stood up straight. Looking at her face, which was so red it was almost bleeding, he suppressed a smile and said, "This was left to me by my mother before she died. Now I'm giving it to you. Keep it safe. From now on, you'll be mine."
Meng Wan was speechless at his domineering words. She blinked, unable to come to her senses. She didn't know if it was his words or the kiss just now that warmed her heart to the extreme.