Although she had never met him, the Empress Dowager had heard some things about the Seventh Prince and his wife. When she saw Meng Wan arrive, she immediately raised her hand and said in a kind tone, "Seventh Prince's wife, no need for formalities. Come here quickly and let me take a look at you."
As expected, Meng Wan quickly rose as instructed and walked gracefully towards the Empress Dowager. She stopped a step away from her and smiled, "Grandmother Empress Dowager—"
"good--"
Meng Wansheng's beauty was a result of her mother's teachings, and her every move was dignified and proper, so the Empress Dowager had no reason not to like her.
Holding Meng Wan's hand in his, he examined her closely, wanting to see what kind of daughter-in-law his grandson had chosen. "Not bad, she is indeed a well-behaved child."
Meng Wan blushed and immediately bowed to pay her respects, but the Empress Dowager took her hand and said, "Don't be so polite, sit down."
Immediately, a palace maid brought a chair, and Meng Wan sat down next to the Empress Dowager. At this moment, the woman who had been standing there silently spoke up: "The Empress Dowager likes beautiful girls. Seeing that the Princess Consort of Heng is beautiful, she likes her from the bottom of her heart."
The woman spoke in a gentle and soft voice, much like her appearance. Meng Wan thought to herself that someone who could speak like that in front of the Empress Dowager must not be an ordinary person. Then she raised her hand and poked the woman's forehead: "You little brat, you're talking nonsense again. Hurry up and come and see your seventh sister-in-law."
The woman immediately stood up and walked up to Meng Wan, bowing respectfully to her. Meng Wan hurriedly rose to return the bow, but her mind was filled with increasing confusion.
Seventh Sister-in-law? Call her Seventh Sister-in-law?
But she didn't remember the royal family having such a princess!
Seemingly noticing her question, the Empress Dowager smiled slightly: "She is Changping, a maid from Prince Fu's household."
Changping? Princess Changping?
If she remembered correctly, Princess Changping was the only daughter of Prince Fu, who was the only son of the current Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager had originally intended to assist her own son in ascending the throne, but unfortunately, Prince Fu was short-lived and died soon after having Changping with his wife. The Empress Dowager had no choice but to assist the current emperor instead.
However, the princess was raised by his side and he always doted on her. After all, she was his only legitimate granddaughter, and now that he saw it, it was indeed true!
Therefore, he dared not underestimate the woman even more, and nodded slightly to her, calling out, "Princess."
Changping nodded as well: "Seventh Sister-in-law, just call me Qingluan. That's what Brother Mi calls me too."
Brother Mi?
Meng Wan's lips trembled slightly; this title gave her goosebumps.
It's surprising that Huangfu Mi likes this kind of thing, acting like a brother and sister, which is quite affectionate. But Huangfu Mi hasn't returned to the capital yet, so how did he become acquainted with this Princess Changping? Could it be when he went to visit the Empress Dowager?
Lost in thought, Meng Wan was just pulled back to reality when someone announced the arrival of Prince Heng. She was about to rise to greet him when a sudden gust of wind arose beside her, and Changping rushed forward first, calling out, "Brother Mi—"
As Huangfu Mi was walking inside, he saw a shadow rushing towards him. If he hadn't reacted quickly, he would have bumped into it. After regaining his balance and seeing who it was, he smiled slightly and said, "Qingluan, you're back too."
That one word made Changping's cheeks flush red. She looked at Huangfu Mi, lowered her head slightly, and awkwardly rubbed her clothes with her hands folded in front of her. She nodded and said, "The Empress Dowager has returned, so naturally I came back with her. Besides, after being away for so many years, I missed the capital and I missed you all very much."
Ga--
Meng Wan was startled.
Perhaps because of the beautiful and charming women before her, Meng Wan was particularly sensitive to the affected mannerisms of women. These were mannerisms that women only displayed towards people they liked, and she couldn't help but frown.
Could it be that Changping likes Huangfu Mi?
An inexplicable unease arose in my heart, and I didn't know why. I hurriedly picked up my teacup and took a sip, trying to extinguish the flames in my heart. However, glancing at that person out of the corner of my eye, I felt increasingly uncomfortable.
Is it true that she likes Huangfu Mi?
Thinking this, her hand trembled, and she put down the cup with a little more force, causing a few drops of water to splash onto the back of her hand. It was a little hot, and she frowned slightly, but maintained a proper smile on her lips the whole time.
Stay calm, stay calm. The situation is still unclear, so we must remain calm and composed.
Huangfu Mi, on the other hand, had already strode past Changping and taken a handkerchief from a palace maid's waist. He then took Meng Wan's hand and began to wipe it carefully.
This action startled everyone in the room, and Meng Wan was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth. What was this person going to do!
"Why are you so distracted? What are you thinking about!" he said, half angry and half reproachful. While wiping, he glared at Meng Wan. Meng Wan subconsciously tried to pull her hand back, but she was no match for Huangfu Mi. Under everyone's gaze, she could only let him wipe her little by little, her body burning up.
Huangfu Mi, on the other hand, was relentless, even tending to each fingertip that wasn't wet, as if they were precious treasures, with extremely gentle movements.
Meng Wan felt her face flush red and her fingers slightly hot. She shrank back and whispered in his ear, "It's done, it's clean now."
Huangfu Mi slightly raised his eyes and looked at her with deep gaze: "Not angry anymore?" He had actually seen through Meng Wan's emotions.
Meng Wan became increasingly embarrassed, as if she had done something wrong. She glanced at him but smiled without saying a word.
Huangfu Mi then released his grip.
"Grandmother, what if the water here scalds Wan'er's hand?"
His tone carried a hint of jest, and the Empress Dowager immediately gave him a reproachful look: "I know you're worried about your wife, but you're not allowed to blame her like that. Otherwise, people might think I'm bullying someone!"
The family chatted happily, but Changping, standing to the side, was truly an outsider.
She stood to one side, a fleeting hint of annoyance crossing her face, but it vanished in an instant and was quickly concealed.
She stepped forward and stood behind Huangfu Mi, gazing at his tall figure with eyes full of adoration: "Brother Mi, when will you have time? I haven't been back to the capital for many years. I want to climb up and see what the outside world has become. Would you take me?"
Huangfu Mi smiled slightly and politely declined, "I was thinking of staying here to keep Grandmother company. If you want to go, I'll have Caiyue take you."
She originally wanted to spend more time with him, so if someone else took him, wouldn't that be a waste of the opportunity? Changping was unwilling to agree, and even reached out and tugged at Huangfu Mi's sleeve: "Grandmother likes Seventh Sister-in-law very much, how could she have time to entertain you right now, right, Empress Dowager?"
Her lips were pouting high, clearly she was being coquettish. Seeing this, the Empress Dowager smiled kindly and said, "Yes, Seventh Prince, it's rare that she's in such a good mood. You should take her with you. I was just thinking of having a chat with your wife."
"But..." Huangfu Mi really didn't want to go out with Changping, after all, he understood her little scheme very well.
The Empress Dowager waved her hand and said, "What do you mean by 'but'? Your sister Changping has finally come back. She kept talking about you while she was away. Now that she's seen you, are you going to neglect her as her brother?"
These words left Huangfu Mi speechless. He turned to look at Meng Wan, and when she looked over as well, their eyes met, and both were filled with helplessness.