Meng Wan nodded. Indeed, even if her father knew what Meng Junyao had done to Meng Wan, he would still be saddened now that Meng Junyao was dead.
She didn't say much, but simply sat down in front of the Third Madam, then took the lotus pod and peeled it with her, remaining silent for a moment.
The days that followed became increasingly quiet. With the year drawing to a close and many things to do in the mansion, the second wife fell ill, and the third wife couldn't manage everything on her own, so she asked Meng Wan to lend a hand.
According to the rules of the Lanling Dynasty, at the end of each year, princes and ministers of the third rank and above had to pay tribute to the court. It wasn't anything valuable, but each household had to give ninety-nine sachets inlaid with dragons and phoenixes, symbolizing the dragons flying and the phoenixes dancing, and good fortune.
All the sachets would be delivered to the Ministry of Rites the day before the emperor's banquet at the end of the year, and then presented to the emperor for his inspection on the night of the banquet.
Meng Wan was not required to attend such an occasion, but because of the emperor's favor towards her, he granted her special permission to enter the palace. Before leaving the banquet, he even specially summoned her to Zhengyang Palace.
"I heard your second sister had an accident. You must be heartbroken. Are you feeling better now?"
The emperor did indeed feel an inexplicable fondness for Meng Wan; she seemed to give him a sense of familiarity and closeness.
Meng Wan nodded with a smile on her lips. She took a porcelain bowl from the food box she had brought from home and handed it to the emperor before saying, "The funeral arrangements have all been taken care of. The dead are gone, so there is nothing to be sad about."
The porcelain bowl contained rock sugar, snow pear, and snow lotus seeds that Meng Wan had prepared early that morning at home for the emperor to nourish his yin and moisten his lungs.
The emperor took the drink and sipped it. The smooth texture slid down his throat, and he felt truly comfortable. He couldn't help but smile and took two more big gulps before saying, "Wan'er is so thoughtful. She knew I was coughing, so she made this to stop my cough. It's no wonder I love you so much and always think of you."
"Um?"
Meng Wan raised an eyebrow in confusion. At that moment, Li Desheng, who was beside the emperor, took out a box and handed it to Meng Wan with both hands.
Meng Wan opened the wooden box with some suspicion, and a pure white jade hairpin came into view.
"This is..." Meng Wan was clearly taken aback.
The white jade hairpin in front of her was translucent and exquisite, clearly not an ordinary item. She was raised in the Prime Minister's mansion and had been in the palace for many years. How could she not recognize such a good thing?
“That was a tribute from Persia a couple of days ago. I thought it was a fine piece of goods and it would suit you very well, so I specially saved it for you.”
"But..." Since it's a tribute, how could Meng Wan dare to accept it?
"No buts, I told you to keep it, so keep it." The emperor waved his hand, not giving her a chance to refuse. "There's also a jade flute, which seems to be a pair with this. I've kept it for the seventh prince. By the way, didn't you not see him before? I've already sent someone to call him over. You can spar with him later. That kid, just like you, is very mischievous and likes riddles and the like."
Just then, a eunuch trotted in from outside. He had just heard the emperor's last words when he lowered his head and his face fell: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid there won't be this opportunity today."
"What?" The emperor frowned.
The official lowered his head even further: "Just now, this servant went to invite His Highness Prince Heng, but I heard that he left the palace early this morning, saying that he wouldn't be returning even for the evening banquet."
"This..." The emperor's face darkened. "That seventh prince is becoming more and more unruly. I clearly instructed him not to go anywhere today, but he has disappeared again. He's going to drive me crazy!"
The official shuddered. Seeing this, Meng Wan quickly waved her hand at him, walked up to the emperor, and then said with a light laugh, "Today is a joyous occasion, Your Majesty, please don't be angry. Otherwise, when the civil and military officials see you later, they will all be trembling with fear. How will they celebrate the New Year then?"
After a lighthearted remark, the emperor's expression softened considerably. He reached out and tapped Meng Wan on the forehead, speaking with a stern yet loving tone: "I originally intended for you to meet him, but he just left the palace without a word. How could I not be angry? But oh well, he's used to being wild outside, so we can't use these palace formalities to restrain him."
Meng Wan smiled slightly. At this moment, an eunuch came to invite the emperor to the Jade Sheng Tower. According to the rules, Meng Wan could not accompany the emperor, so she took her leave and went to the Jade Sheng Tower ahead of the eunuch.
--
Meanwhile, at the riding arena in the south of the city.
"Sir, why didn't you tell that young lady your identity? And why did you come all the way here to ride a horse just to avoid seeing her? It's freezing cold, not a good time for riding a horse."
On horseback, a man in white asked with a dark face. His face was red from the cold, clearly he was freezing, and he looked resentful. "I really don't know what you're thinking. Weren't you very close to that young lady? Why are you refusing to see her now?"
"What do you think?" On the back of the brown horse beside him was another man, dressed in bright red clothes, which made him even more conspicuous in the snowy landscape. Especially since he was looking at the person next to him with his eyebrows slightly raised, he was so handsome that he seemed otherworldly.
"How would they know? Could it be that they're feeling nervous about returning home?" the man in white chuckled. Just then, he saw another horse galloping towards them in the distance, and his heart leaped with joy, a smile spreading across his face. "Little Yangyang, what do you think?"
--
When Meng Wan returned, a group of people were sitting around chatting and laughing.
The Third Madam also came today. She was chatting with the ladies of other families when she saw Meng Wan. Naturally, everyone exchanged pleasantries and warm greetings, since Meng Wan is now a favorite of the Emperor.
Meng Wan responded to each of their requests, exchanged pleasantries, and then sat down in her seat.
At this moment, the Third Madam beside him said, "Have you sent the rock sugar, snow pear, and snow lotus seed to the Emperor?"
Meng Wan nodded, and the Third Madam's smile became even gentler: "With your thoughtfulness, it's no wonder the Emperor likes you. That's good too. When you come of age next year, even without your father saying anything, he will arrange a good marriage for you. You won't be wronged."
Upon hearing this, Meng Wan was taken aback but remained silent, only lowering her eyes and letting her heart flutter slightly.
As for marriage, she doesn't actually have that thought yet. It's not that she doesn't have it, but that she doesn't dare to, because she's afraid of repeating the same mistakes.
V13 A Storm Begins on Flat Ground (Part Two)
When the emperor arrived, it was already half an hour later. Behind him were a group of princes. Meng Wan sat there and clearly sensed a blazing light in the crowd. Her brows immediately furrowed.
Was Huangfu Qian among them? It seems that the emperor has truly taken advantage of the year-end season to temporarily set aside even the mistakes he made.
But so be it. Meng Junyao is already dead. All she has to deal with is Huangfu Qian. The simplest way to deal with him is to ignore him and let him fend for himself.
The Emperor and Empress were already seated, and after everyone had paid their respects, a eunuch announced in a high-pitched voice: "The Vice Minister of Rites requests an audience—"
This was one of the most important moments of the year, so everyone sat upright and looked towards the entrance, while the emperor watched with a delighted expression.
As several palace maids presented him with sachets from various households, he and the Empress looked at them, nodding slightly with obvious delight.
However, Meng Wan found it somewhat boring.
Bored, she took the jade hairpin that the emperor had given her from her hair and casually played with it in her hand.
It's a translucent, emerald green color, cool to the touch, like jade, but it doesn't break easily when tapped twice, so it doesn't seem to be that kind of material. It's quite interesting.