She shouted something in a shrill voice, and before Mu Ci could cover her mouth, Huangfu Mi's low voice came in from outside.
“How could I be heartless? Tell me.”
These words startled the three people in the room. While they were still in a daze, Huangfu Mi strode in.
Startled, Bao Tong's legs went weak, and she pretended to kneel down, saying, "This servant deserves to die!"
To gossip about the young lady behind her back is already extremely disrespectful, but to say such nasty things is no wonder Bao Tong is so afraid.
Huangfu Mi merely raised an eyebrow slightly. "Get up. No one is asking you to die. But you should tell me how I'm heartless."
Her calm tone was as it always was, but it sent a shiver down Meng Wan's spine. Only three days had passed, yet she felt as if she were in another world. She didn't even dare to turn around, afraid that it was a dream and that she would wake up if she turned her head.
Bao Tong had already stood up tremblingly. When Huangfu Mi asked her a question, she mustered up her courage and looked up at him. But after just one glance, she quickly lowered her eyes again.
"This servant misspoke; I was just joking because I was angry. Your Highness, please don't take it seriously."
Huangfu Mi's face darkened: "You were talking non-stop just now, but now you're stammering when I ask you a question. It seems you really don't want your head anymore."
Terrified, Bao Tong knelt down again, but this time she dared not say another word.
Meng Wan finally turned around, but instead of looking at him, she gazed at Bao Tong and frowned slightly. "Get up. How many times have I told you not to kneel so easily?" She paused, then looked up at Huangfu Mi. "Why are you scaring her like that? Just ask me what's wrong. There's no need to get angry. We only exchanged a few words here because the Crown Princess was here earlier. Is that not allowed?"
His words sounded like an explanation, but every sentence was in defense of Baotong, and there was even a hint of displeasure in them.
This startled Huangfu Mi, and a deep sense of guilt welled up in her heart: "You haven't blamed me for not coming to see you these past few days, have you?"
His hand naturally reached out to put his arm around Meng Wan's shoulder, but Meng Wan subtly avoided it. "Isn't the Crown Prince supposed to accompany the Crown Princess to admire the flowers? Hurry up and go, don't be late."
Her tone was indifferent, revealing no emotion, yet the subtle ripples spreading outwards caused Huangfu Mi to raise an eyebrow.
"You..." He tilted his head to look at her, a glimmer of hope appearing in his eyes, "Are you jealous?"
This realization delighted him greatly. She had always been reserved, and even after knowing him for so long, she had never shown much affection for him. Now, she was showing signs of jealousy, which made him very happy.
Her jealousy meant she cared, and how could he not be happy about that?
Meng Wan blushed, feeling as if her secret had been seen through. Meeting his gaze, she lowered her head again and denied it outright: "No."
She would never do something as tasteless as being jealous. Her thoughts were different from Huangfu Mi's. In her mind, being jealous meant that she considered herself inferior to Changping and that her relationship with Huangfu Mi could not withstand the test. Therefore, she would never be jealous, absolutely not.
Even though I think this way, why do I still feel so uncomfortable even though I deny it?
As if she had been drained of all her energy, even with Huangfu Mi right in front of her, she still couldn't calm down completely. She felt that Changping's figure and voice were always with her.
"I see..." Huangfu Mi's eyes darkened. "Fine, I'll pretend you weren't jealous. Then don't throw a tantrum anymore. You're not a child."
He reached out to put his arm around her waist, but as before, Meng Wan dodged away as if avoiding a flood or a ferocious beast the moment he touched her. She looked at him with a faint smile and said, "I am not a child, so I don't need Your Highness to coax me with such a gentle tone. Your Highness should save such tricks for other people."
The address "Crown Prince" carried a distant tone, and his gaze was as cold and serene as a still pond, without a ripple. When it fell into Huangfu Mi's eyes, he couldn't help but frown: "Wan'er, what exactly are you being difficult about? I've already humbled myself like this to coax you, what more do you want from me?"
Meng Wan paused for a moment, her mind disturbed by his lifelong criticism. She turned to look at him, and although his face was so familiar, it somehow revealed a hint of unfamiliarity.
She sighed, a barely audible sigh: "What can I do for you?" Her tone seemed to carry helplessness, and all the grievances in her heart welled up. At this moment, she suddenly felt that perhaps Huangfu Mi was really going to leave her. The moment he agreed to marry Changping, she had completely lost him.
His appearance was so pitiful, a sight rarely seen, and Huangfu Mi's heart trembled uncontrollably.
He reached out, wanting to embrace her, but remembering her aloofness, he froze, unsure whether to go forward or retreat.
He sighed: "You've never cared about those empty titles, so why are you starting to worry about them now? If you really feel wronged, then I'll think of another way to make it up to you."
He said something, but Meng Wan shook her head. She used to not care about those empty titles because he only had her by his side, but now, another woman is occupying the position of his wife. How can she be at peace?
Huangfu Mi, however, did not understand her thoughts. Seeing her shake her head, he thought she was struggling with her decision. He held back for a moment, but could not help himself and finally hugged her: "How about this, let's have a child quickly, then we will have leverage to negotiate with them."
child?
Meng Wan narrowed her eyes. "I want a child, but I don't want to use it as a bargaining chip. I want to grow old with you, but not because of the position of Crown Princess."
Huangfu Mi was stunned. He didn't know what to say. His Wan'er had suffered such a great injustice, and he had completely forgotten about it these past two days.
He bent down and gently kissed her forehead, then stood up abruptly, still holding Meng Wan's hand tightly, and said, "Don't worry, I'll go back and ask for permission, and I'll come to take you to the palace right away."
Having said that, he turned and left without waiting for Meng Wan's reaction. His clothes fluttered, stirring up a gust of cold wind. Meng Wan did not move, but just sat there, watching his back, and remained in a daze for a long time.
--
Huangfu Mi returned to the palace and immediately went to see the Emperor. He had been busy studying government affairs these past two days and had forgotten about Wan'er. Now, he naturally had to go and ask for permission immediately.
The emperor naturally agreed, but then hesitated about bestowing a title upon her.
Wan'er is his first wife, and he doesn't want to just give her a title casually. Simply calling her a concubine or anything like that would make him feel that he is doing her a disservice. So he has to think about it carefully.
After bidding farewell to Zhengyang Palace and returning to the Crown Prince's residence, he locked himself in his study, picked up a pen, and wrote back and forth on paper, but no matter how many times he wrote, he was still not satisfied.
Frustrated, he crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it toward the door. It landed squarely at Changping's feet as she jogged in. Changping took a step back and immediately pouted as she stood at the door.
"Brother Mi, what are you doing! Throwing things around everywhere, trying to scare people!"
She gave a reproachful look, lifted her skirt, and started walking briskly to Huangfu Mi's side.
"Why are you here?" Huangfu Mi raised his eyes slightly to look at Changping, his brows still furrowed in thought. Upon seeing this, Changping's face immediately fell: "Really, how dare you say that, Brother Mi? You've gone too far! You clearly made an appointment with someone to go flower viewing, but you're still here at this hour."
Huangfu Mi then remembered that there was indeed such a thing.
"I'm sorry, I have some things to take care of here, so I'm afraid I can't accompany you. How about this, let Zheng Dequan take you there, and you can go and take a look yourself."
Huangfu Mi smiled gently, but his tone was not friendly.