In the hazy light, it seemed someone entered, and a familiar voice rang out amidst the flashes of lightning: "Wan'er, where are you?"
Thinking she had misheard or was hallucinating, Meng Wan opened her eyes but didn't move. Her arm was tightly gripped by a pair of warm, large hands.
"Wan'er?"
Meng Wan was startled and sat up abruptly from the bed. Amidst the flashes of lightning and thunder, a familiar figure came into view. It was not a dream, not an illusion, but a real person: Huangfu Mi!
She practically jumped off the bed and threw herself into his arms. Her heart was pounding, and she was having trouble breathing. The thin layer of sweat on her body immediately turned cool when touched by his breath.
She exclaimed, "You... Huangfu Mi, is that you? Is it really you? You're not dead? You've come back!"
With an urgent tone, he stroked her damp hair and chuckled, "Of course not. You're waiting for me, how could I bear to die?"
"But..." Mu Ci clearly said that he was ambushed and died, how could that be?
"No buts. You sent Hua Jiuye, how could I not understand my brother's plan? So I made arrangements long ago, but I pretended to be ambushed to make him lower his guard."
"Then..." Meng Wan hesitated, then suddenly remembered her father and the Emperor, and jumped up: "You and Fifth Brother are alright, but something terrible has happened in the palace! Father, and the Emperor... hurry and save them..."
"Don't rush, don't rush, Wan'er, listen to me..."
Seeing that she was almost frantic with worry, Huangfu Mi quickly grabbed her wildly waving hands, clasped them to his chest, and said, "Father is fine, Father-in-law and the Meng family are fine too, don't worry."
“But…” How could Meng Wan not be worried? “Father is ill, and Father is to be beheaded. How could he be alright? And Fu Qingcheng, she is Meng Junyao, disguised as Qingcheng, to come back for revenge. Now everything is under their control, how could he be alright?”
"Because His Highness sent people back a long time ago to arrange everything!"
Huangfu Mi didn't speak, but a deep, steady voice rang out from the doorway. Meng Wan looked in the direction of the voice, froze, and then staggered over, crying out, "Father... Father?"
"Hmm." Prime Minister Meng nodded slightly, dressed in a crimson court robe, looking nothing like a prisoner.
Meng Wan was even more confused: "What do you mean by 'planning everything,' Father? What exactly is going on?"
Everything seemed different from what she had imagined. She thought she was on the verge of despair, but then she miraculously found a way out. However, she fell into a long period of confusion.
Seeing this, Huangfu Mi smiled slightly, reached out and stroked her long hair. The delicate touch was something he hadn't felt in a long time; now that it was in his palm, he finally felt at ease.
"After realizing that my elder brother was hiding something, I secretly sent a letter to my father, and he also discussed it with my father-in-law. That's why we played along, pretending to fall for my elder brother's scheme, and then made them lower their guard."
Meng Wan opened her mouth, explaining why the Emperor avoided seeing her and questioned her father without proper investigation. It turned out...
"So, you planned this all along?"
"yes."
So, does that mean I'm the only one who's been kept in the dark?
"Um."
"So that means..."
Meng Wan blinked. It was a shame she had been so desperate, thinking that all was lost, and had almost given up on herself.
"You all ganged up on me without telling me anything, keeping me completely in the dark. Aren't you afraid something will happen to me? Aren't you afraid I'll do something rash?"
"How could that be? I know your personality all too well, why would you be so upset?"
Huangfu Mi smiled, but Meng Wan suddenly roared, "How could I not be suicidal? You have no idea how desperate I was after hearing that you were all in trouble. If Meng Junyao hadn't been waiting for me to watch you die, and that's why she sent people to watch over you, I probably would have died long ago. And you're still here making sarcastic remarks, Huangfu Mi, I hate you to death..."
She clenched her fists and punched Huangfu Mi repeatedly, but because she hadn't eaten much in days, she didn't have much strength and the punches didn't hurt.
Huangfu Mi knew she was wronged and had been frightened these past two days, so he didn't dodge and just let her hit him.
She didn't know how many times she hit her, but in the end she was exhausted and gasped for breath, clutching her chest. Huangfu Mi then stepped forward and patted her back to help her catch her breath. He also wiped away her tears and pulled her into his arms. "Alright, alright, I've actually had someone watching you secretly all along, so if anything happens to you, he will definitely stop you."
In his arms, Meng Wan burst into tears. All the fright and grievances of the past two days surged into her heart, and she could no longer hold back, bursting into loud sobs.
--
She cried for an unknown amount of time, but eventually she was exhausted and lay on Huangfu Mi's chest, refusing to lift her head.
Huangfu Mi knew she was a little embarrassed from crying, so he didn't urge her. He just patted her back to help her catch her breath.
After an unknown amount of time, Meng Wan finally sobbed twice and raised her head. Her eyes were swollen, and her little face was flushed. She looked at Huangfu Mi, then at her father, and asked, "What about the eldest prince? What will Your Majesty do with him? And where is Meng Junyao?"
Prime Minister Meng's expression visibly stiffened. He glanced at his daughter and son-in-law, but said nothing. He simply turned and left.
Once the person had gone some distance, Huangfu Mi said, "Tomorrow at noon, he will be beheaded at Caishikou. Father is truly enraged now, and no amount of pleading will help."
Meng Wan's face stiffened. She glanced in the direction her father had left, and her brows slowly furrowed.
--
The night passed in silence. After several days of intense stress, Meng Wan slept peacefully beside Huangfu Mi. When she woke up, it was already broad daylight, and Huangfu Mi was nowhere to be seen. Mu Ci came in carrying a basin and saw Meng Wan sitting on the bed in a daze. She smiled and said, "Miss, I've prepared water for you."
Meng Wan nodded, glanced outside. Last night it was windy and rainy, but today the weather had cleared up, and the fresh air could be felt even inside the house.
"What time is it?" Meng Wan asked, getting out of bed.
Mu Ci asked, "It's just past 9 AM, are you hungry, Miss?"
Meng Wan shook her head: "No, I was just planning to visit Huan Yan's grave today, but I got up a little late."
Mu Ci nodded: "When the prince left early this morning, he told Miss to rest and wait for him to come back so he could go with you."
Huh? He even thought of that.
But... "Where did he go? Did he say anything?"