It wasn't that this girl was perceptive, but rather that her emotions had changed too drastically. The gloomy expression on her young mistress's face just two days ago was quite different from the clear and bright sky she had today.
"Nothing good happened, I'm just happy, is that not allowed?"
Meng Wan chuckled lightly, her steps light as the wind, seemingly oblivious to even the slightest pain, almost jumping up in excitement.
Huan Yan felt something was off, but she knew her mistress's tight-lipped nature, so she could only pout and help Meng Wan sit down on the soft couch before going to get the ointment.
"If you don't want to tell me, then don't. I don't care to know anyway. As long as Miss is happy, that's all that matters."
Her little mouth was pouting high, and she was muttering to herself, which made Meng Wan laugh. She reached out and poked her forehead, and then said, "Don't you dare take revenge on me. Your leg isn't fully healed yet, so be gentle."
"Serves you right!" Huan Yan scoffed, not taking Meng Wan's words seriously, but her movements did indeed become much lighter.
As he removed Meng Wan's shoes and socks and placed her on the mat, he frowned as he looked at the thin scab on her fair skin: "I've been applying this medicine for quite a while now, why isn't the scab falling off? What if it leaves a scar?"
"No, the Fifth Prince said that it's Consort Xin's treasure, and it's the most effective way to remove scars. Besides, the scar is on my leg, so even if it leaves a mark, it's not a big deal."
Seeing Huan Yan's distressed expression, Meng Wan waved her hand dismissively.
Indeed, what she said wasn't wrong. As long as it doesn't leave a lasting illness or a scar, it's fine. On the contrary, it can remind her that she's not living just to survive in this life. She still wants to avenge those who hurt her!
--
It snowed again during the night, and the snow continued to fall the next morning. It was probably because spring was approaching. It wasn't very cold, but the damp and sticky feeling made people feel uncomfortable.
Lying on the bed, I didn't feel like moving much because of the weather. I just lay there, listening to the quiet sound of wind and snow outside, and remained silent for a while.
Huanyan rushed into the room at that moment.
"Miss—" Her voice was urgent. Meng Wan opened her eyes abruptly, all sleepiness gone. Seeing Huan Yan rush to the bedside, she hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"
Huan Yan was out of breath, clearly from running too fast. She took a couple of deep breaths and, once her breathing had calmed down a bit, said, "Just now, this servant heard some noise on the street and saw the Third Prince."
Huangfu Qian?
Meng Wan raised an eyebrow: "So what if you saw it? It's not like you haven't seen it before. Why are you so surprised?"
"No, I wasn't surprised to see him, but I was surprised to hear that he was going to Sichuan to provide disaster relief in place of the Emperor."
To provide disaster relief in Sichuan? Or to act on behalf of the Emperor?
Meng Wan was also stunned at this moment. Although disaster relief was a difficult task, it was a job that all the princes were vying for, not for any other reason than that they could curry favor with the emperor.
After all, it's just transporting grain and fodder, which isn't a difficult task, but it can earn you a good reputation. How could that not be a great thing?
And this time, he was using the title of someone who had replaced the emperor in the past, which made him even more enviable.
But... how could such a good thing possibly fall to him? Putting aside the fact that the Empress would recommend the Fifth Prince, even with the First and Second Princes above him, it shouldn't be his turn in the first place. Moreover, the Emperor has never shown him any particular favor.
So what's going on now?
Because of this incident, Meng Wan couldn't sleep at all, especially since she was full of doubts and had to find out the truth. So she immediately ordered Huan Yan to prepare a sedan chair, changed her clothes, and hurriedly went to the palace.
In any case, the Emperor had already given the order that she could enter the palace at any time and had also given her a waist token, so she arrived at Zhengyang Palace without much effort. After the announcement was made, she was led inside by the eunuch.
Unexpectedly, Huangfu Mi was also there. Meng Wan was clearly taken aback, but she still bowed properly. When she stood up, she looked at him with a hint of inquiry in her eyes.
What's he doing here? Is it also about that matter?
"Come here, Wan girl, come and be my strategist. Let's work together to win this game."
The emperor seemed to be in a great mood, and warmly greeted Meng Wan.
No wonder, since the seventh prince is usually nowhere to be seen, he not only came to pay his respects early in the morning but also played chess with him. This was unprecedented, which is why the emperor was so happy.
However... Meng Wan's mind was not on this. She absentmindedly echoed the emperor's smile, but her gaze drifted to Huangfu Mi, giving him a wink to signal him to speak to her alone.
Huangfu Mi merely returned her a faint smile, without moving, but instead placed a chess piece down, then looked at the emperor and laughed loudly: "Father, you don't need anyone else's help, you've already lost."
Throughout the entire world, only Huangfu Mi dared to win against the Emperor in chess, and after winning, he was even more so the only one who dared to tease the Emperor. The Emperor couldn't help but snort, feigning anger and keeping a straight face as he looked at the chessboard where the game was already decided. He sighed, "It's all because I was talking to Wan'er earlier that I'm like this. Otherwise, I wouldn't have lost. Let's play again!"
Thus, the game resumed, and the father and son began a new round of battle.
Meng Wan was anxious, but she couldn't say anything at the moment. She could only watch the two play chess and personally brew tea for them. In this way, an hour passed quickly. When the two finally took a short break from their fierce battle, Meng Wan hurriedly seized the opportunity to step forward: "Your Majesty, I heard you coughing again just now. I was thinking that I had someone prepare some mint at Zhengyang Palace last time, but I can't find it now. Do you remember where you put it?"
"Mint?" The emperor stretched, his back aching from sitting for so long.
Hearing Meng Wan's words, he stood up without suspicion. Since the father and son didn't want to be disturbed while playing chess, the eunuchs who were serving them had all been driven away. At this moment, he could only go to the side hall to find them by himself.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Meng Wan quickly walked to Huangfu Mi's side. Watching the emperor walk into the side hall, she whispered, "You know about Huangfu Qian's matter, right?"
His cautious demeanor prompted Huangfu Mi to smile: "Yes, how could I not know about something so important?"
Still laughing--
"Then why didn't you stop it?"
Although she didn't know how Huangfuqian had won the emperor's favor to the point of having the honor of going on the inspection tour in the emperor's place, she knew that if this matter was handled well, the emperor would look at Huangfuqian with new respect, and it would be much more difficult for her to take revenge.
V26 Turbulent Times (Part Two)
"Then why didn't you stop it?"
Although she didn't know how Huangfuqian had won the emperor's favor to the point of having the honor of going on the inspection tour in the emperor's place, she knew that if this matter was handled well, the emperor would look at Huangfuqian with new respect, and it would be much more difficult for her to take revenge.
"Why stop it? This is a good thing, providing relief to disaster victims. I'm more than happy to support it."
"you..."