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Sanyuan Town is just north of the imperial city, only a dozen miles away. The carriage bumped along the way, and by evening, they had arrived in the town.
There were people waiting there early in the morning, which was naturally arranged by the King of Western Shu. He cupped his hands to the two brothers who got off the carriage and said, "Our king has instructed that we take you two to the post station to rest first. This way, please."
Despite being very polite, Meng Wan frowned, took out a portrait from her bosom, and handed it to the man: "We are looking for someone. Could you please take us to see the person who said he saw the one in the portrait?"
"But..." the man hesitated, "We were instructed to go tomorrow, so we probably can't go today."
Meng Wan was extremely anxious at this moment, and couldn't wait until tomorrow. She was about to say something more, but Meng Junheng reached out and stopped her: "Wan'er--"
He said, "Since it is the King of Western Shu's order, we should do as he says. Otherwise, it will be difficult for this person. Besides, we should get a good rest tonight so that we can wake up refreshed tomorrow. If it really is His Highness, it would not be good for him to see you looking haggard."
Although he felt something was amiss, Meng Junheng still offered this words of comfort.
Meng Wan bit her lip. Although she wished she could see that person right now and ask him where she had seen someone who looked like Huangfu Mi, her elder brother said so, and she hesitated for a moment before following the person leading the way.
Although Sanyuan Town is very close to the imperial city, the climate is quite different.
It was already evening, but the streets were still bustling with activity, and the sun hung high in the sky, illuminating the earth as bright as day.
Looking at the pedestrians on the street, their attire was quite different from that of other parts of Western Sichuan. They were all adorned with gold and silver, which was quite unique.
Meng Wan and Meng Junheng followed the man down the street, looking at the passersby, especially the women's beautiful attire. Thinking that they might see Huangfu Mi tomorrow, Meng Wan smiled and said, "Brother, do you think it would be good if I wore that outfit tomorrow? Would he be happy to see me?"
This was a rare moment of joy for her in the past three months. Although the days of running around had left her looking unwell, her smile remained as bright as summer. Meng Junheng smiled and said, "Great! Let's go buy a few pieces later so we can wear them when we go back to Lanling."
Meng Wan nodded, genuinely delighted. Her gaze lingered on the small handicrafts at the roadside stalls as she asked, "Brother, I see that the ornaments here are mostly silver. Is there any significance to them?"
Meng Junheng pondered, "Sanyuan Town is rich in silver, so the women here prefer to adorn themselves with silver chains, coins, and beads. They also love wearing rooster-crest hats, with the large and small silver beads representing stars and the moon, symbolizing light and happiness. Most of them are skilled singers and dancers, and when they dance, these silver ornaments make a tinkling sound. Our Yunnan County in Lanling is the same, so Sanyuan Town is also called Yunnan County of Western Shu." Meng Wan raised her eyebrows, "It's really beautiful. The name Yunnan County is also lovely; I've read about it in books before." Turning her head, she added, "There seems to be some kind of legend about it, isn't there?"
Meng Junheng nodded: "One theory is that it was named after a mountain. It is said that there is a mountain called Yunshan, which is connected with clouds all day long, a hundred miles to the northwest. The county is located to its south, hence the name Yunnan. Another theory is that it was named after an auspicious omen. Legend has it that Emperor Wu of Han dreamed of auspicious colorful clouds appearing at Baiyan. The county is located to its south, hence the name Yunnan."
Upon hearing this, the person leading the way praised Meng Junheng, saying "What a learned man!" Meng Junheng smiled slightly but said nothing more, simply leading Meng Wan forward.
There was a shop by the roadside, filled with colorful ethnic costumes. Meng Wan turned inside, but the interior was quite different from what she had seen from the outside.
The room was small, with clothes and accessories hanging on all four walls, as well as wind chimes with very unique shapes.
Looking inside, a large rosewood and marble table stood in the center, displaying various calligraphic works by famous calligraphers and dozens of precious inkstones. To one side was a large hexagonal porcelain vase, filled with various flowers. On the right wall hung a large copy of the poem "He Xinlang" by You'an Jushi, which reads: "How greatly I have declined! I lament my life, my friends scattered, how few remain now! My white hair hangs down three thousand feet, I laugh at all the affairs of the world. What can bring you joy? I see the green mountains as charming, and I suppose the green mountains see me the same way. Our feelings and appearances are somewhat similar."
A lone figure scratches his head by the east window. He thinks of Yuanming, composing his poem "Stopping Clouds," capturing the essence of that moment. Those in Jiangzuo, drunk on fame, how could they understand the profound truths of this turbid wine? He turns and shouts, "Clouds fly, wind rises!" He doesn't regret not seeing the ancients, but regrets that they didn't see his madness. Those who understand him are but a few.
The other rooms had several shelves filled with antiques and porcelain, giving the whole place a scholarly atmosphere, rather than being a place for buying and selling clothes.
A young man who looked like a pageboy sat in front of a pear-blossom table. When he saw the group enter the room, he did not get up but simply nodded slightly. Meng Wan also bowed and then looked around.
There were all sorts of clothes, far more than what was seen outside. Meng Wan looked closely, but she was a little dazzled.
Blinking, Meng Wan inadvertently noticed a bronze disc in the corner of the left shelf. It had delicate openwork patterns around the edges and looked exquisite. She couldn't help but glance at it again. Just then, a trembling voice came from outside the door: "Seventh Sister-in-law, your taste is as good as you are—no, even better." Meng Wan was startled. Before she could turn around, she heard Meng Junheng beside her exclaim in surprise, "Eighth Prince?"
Meng Wan followed the gaze and was stunned.
The man before them stood tall and imposing, his eyebrows slanting upwards towards his temples. His long, narrow phoenix eyes gazed languidly at the crowd, their depths seemingly imbued with a profound, unfathomable light. His face was like jade, his red lips slightly parted with a touch of allure, and a warm smile played at the corners of his mouth.
He was draped in a deep purple robe, a color that, while not particularly bright or eye-catching, blended seamlessly with his features. He exuded an indescribable air of nobility.
Meng Wan was utterly speechless. They had clearly come to find Huangfu Mi, but they hadn't even found him yet, and instead, Huangfu Yi had arrived instead? Seeing their reactions, Huangfu Yi burst into laughter, "What, are you surprised to see me?"
Of course I'm surprised!
"How did you end up here?" Meng Wan frowned.
"This shop is mine. I can come and go as I please. Why can't I even do that?"
His shop? Meng Wan was even more surprised: "How come you have a shop here? And you came all this way? Is everything alright in the palace? Is Father Emperor well?"
Only then did he remember the palace. Huangfu Yi pursed his lips and said, "Good, good, very good!"
He was filled with resentment. If it weren't for her refusal to return to Lanling and her unwillingness to accept the fact that Seventh Brother was no longer there, why would he have returned again out of worry? You see, this shop was just something he opened on a whim back then, and he hadn't been back for many years. This time, however, he returned, not for any other reason than that he had gone to Western Shu and saw Meng Wan and Meng Junheng riding in a carriage towards Sanyuan Town, so he followed them.
Meng Wan nodded, and Huangfu Yi, seeing this, asked, "But why did you come here? What are you doing in such a small town?"
It would have been better if this hadn't been mentioned, because once it was brought up, Meng Wan became excited: "Because there's news about your seventh brother!"
"News about Seventh Brother?" Huangfu Yi raised an eyebrow.
“Hmm.” Meng Wan nodded. “Someone saw someone who looked a lot like him in Sanyuan Town, so we came here. Huangfu Yi, do you think it might really be him this time?”
Seeing her so happy, Huangfu Yi couldn't bear to spoil her mood, so he nodded to her, but he knew in his heart that the hope was slim and that he would probably be even more disappointed in the end.
V87
The next morning, before dawn, Meng Wan woke everyone up. Since there was news, they should hurry over to avoid getting more and more anxious and to prevent any unforeseen complications.
When the person in charge of the inn led them to the witness's house, it was empty; there was no witness there.
Meng Wan grew anxious, looking at the empty house, and said, "Sir, could we have come to the wrong place? There's no one here."
The man was clearly taken aback, seemingly not expecting such a strong reaction. He paused for a moment, then said, "Please don't rush, let me have someone look again."
They immediately ordered people to search, and Meng Junheng and Huangfu Yi, unwilling to give up, went into the house again to search, but it was all in vain; they couldn't find a single clue.
Meng Wan never expected this outcome. Yesterday, she was full of anticipation for today, but it turned out to be just another dream, even more painful than before.
She clenched her fists, clearly telling herself not to cry, but tears still streamed down her face.
I'm so sad...