She turned her head away, large tears falling down her face, but she didn't utter a sound. Only when the door closed did she slowly turn her head back. Through her teary eyes, she saw the flickering firelight and finally couldn't hold back anymore, bursting into tears.
*
The days that followed became increasingly peaceful, with no significant changes except for the addition of a few guards at the main entrance of the ancestral hall.
No, if there's any difference, there's one more thing—the Empress's investiture at Changping.
When she heard the news, Meng Wan was indeed taken aback for a moment, but only for a moment, and she quickly regained her composure.
It's inevitable that she'll be made empress; there's no need to think twice. Her child is her bargaining chip, needless to say. Meng Wan is currently imprisoned because of the musk incident, and the Empress Dowager won't give up until she takes this opportunity to push Changping to the position of empress.
And so, life went on uneventfully.
On the 18th day of the ninth lunar month, Meng Wan's birthday, Mu Ci got busy early in the morning. He dressed Meng Wan up, prepared a large table of dishes, and even asked someone to get two jugs of wine.
She wanted to help Meng Wan celebrate properly, not only for her birthday but also to make Meng Wan happy, since what happened recently had been unpleasant.
In the evening, the master and servant sat facing each other and began to eat.
Mu Ci poured Meng Wan a cup of wine, and then poured herself a small cup as well. She raised her cup and said, "Miss, today is your birthday. Although we cannot celebrate it in a very grand manner, I hope you will be happy. I will drink this first as a sign of respect, and wish you many happy birthdays to come."
On this rare auspicious day, Meng Wan was in a good mood. She picked up her cup, took a small sip, and said, "Thank you for your poem, Mu Ci. Thank you for remembering my birthday."
"It's not just Mu Ci, it's me too." Before Mu Ci could speak, a free-spirited voice came from the doorway. Without even looking, one knew who the voice belonged to.
Meng Wan and Mu Ci both looked out in the direction of the sound, but did not see Huangfu Yi. Just as they were wondering about it, they heard a hissing sound and a puff of white smoke, and all the candles in the room went out.
At the same time, the light outside the door suddenly came on, not the faint light of lamps, but a light as bright as day, shining through the window into the room, so bright that it was blinding.
Before Meng Wan could even be surprised, she heard Huangfu Yi's voice seem to descend from the sky: "Meng Wan, come to the courtyard."
Meng Wan and Mu Ci exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with surprise and confusion. Yet, as if bewitched, they acted first, getting up and following the light to go outside.
The view was much clearer in the courtyard than inside the house. The light illuminated the entire courtyard as if it were daytime, and on the side of the light, Meng Wan looked up and saw thousands of fireflies dancing in the air.
firefly...
Meng Wan paused.
Naturally, he knew that so many fireflies couldn't have arrived by chance; it must have been the work of the man before him. He stood there, stunned, speechless for a long time.
Meng Wan's body trembled instinctively.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't moved. In this state of despair, even her family members couldn't come to the palace to see her. But only Huangfu Yi would sneak in to surprise her and celebrate her birthday.
She couldn't help but look up, gazing at his handsome silhouette hidden in the moonlight, and she simply reached out her hand.
"Thank you, Huangfu Yi."
She leaned closer, her head slowly resting against his chest: "Thank you for doing so much for me. I'm so grateful to have a friend like you."
This embrace was devoid of any lust; it was simply gratitude—gratitude to Huangfu Yi, gratitude that fate had ultimately been kind to her, allowing her to have such a friend.
Huangfu Yi paused for a moment, as if he had been pondering for a while, before reaching out and tightly embracing her.
He slowly closed his eyes, inhaling her faint scent, and a gentle smile curved his lips.
Meng Wan, your friendship is to me waiting. No matter how long it takes, even a thousand years, I will quietly guard this land and wait for you.
You don't love me, but I still want to protect you, that's all.
However, this heartwarming scene was not as innocent as the two of them imagined, as seen by others. Just like at this moment, the pair of cold eyes hidden in the shadows outside the door suddenly turned into a dark mess.
--
Night had fallen, and Meng Wan sat on the bed with her knees drawn up to her chest. The fireflies outside had all flown away, but the scene seemed to still be right before her eyes. She smiled slightly, feeling a warmth in her heart.
But the smile only lingered on her lips, before it could reach her eyes, when it was interrupted by a cold voice. With a creaking sound of a door being pushed open, Huangfu Mi's voice seemed to descend from the sky: "Looks like you're in a good mood."
Meng Wan paused, momentarily forgetting to turn around and look, remaining in her original posture, blank and dazed.
It wasn't until a gigantic figure loomed over her that she squinted, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
"Why are you here?" Her smile vanished instantly, and she only glanced at him once before turning away. She had nothing more to say to Huangfu Mi.
Huangfu Mi narrowed her eyes, looking at her dangerously: "What are you doing? Playing the high and mighty card with me?"
Her voice was extremely cold, devoid of any emotion. Meng Wan was stunned, but quickly came to her senses and reached out to rub her forehead: "If you're here to argue, I'm sorry, I'm not interested."
"Not interested?" He suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Meng Wan's collar. "You're not interested in talking to me, but you're flirting with other men. Meng Wan, I really underestimated you."
Meng Wan paused, then noticed Huangfu Yi.
In the brief silence, Huangfu Mi suddenly pulled Meng Wan close with a single effort.
"Ugh—" Meng Wan couldn't help but gasp as Huangfu Mi grabbed her by the collar. Huangfu Mi didn't give her any time to react and threw her back onto the bed with a forceful movement.
The bed was large and hard, and Meng Wan's tears flew out from the pain. She covered her chest with one hand and rubbed her waist with the other, but still stubbornly looked up: "Huangfu Mi, what's wrong with you!"
The sharp tone and cold eyes added fuel to Huangfu Mi's already burning anger. His hand suddenly touched Meng Wan's snow-white neck, his fingertips gently gliding over it.
"Yes, I've gone mad, you've driven me crazy." He laughed. His fingers slowly moved up her neck, then her cheek, her eyes, and her forehead. The gesture was undeniably suggestive, yet it sent a chill down her spine. Meng Wan turned her head away, avoiding his hand.
Huangfu Mi's hand grasped at empty air, paused slightly, and then narrowed his eyes. Beneath his cold gaze, a dark red light emanated, which was extremely frightening.
"Don't touch me." Meng Wan was held captive by him and couldn't move. It felt like a huge rock was pressing on her chest, making it hard for her to breathe. She kept twisting her body.
"I won't touch you?" He seemed not to hear her words, or rather, he pretended not to hear them, and just kept talking to himself, even a slight smile on his lips, "Are you waiting for another man to touch you?"