Huangfu Mi reached out and touched her forehead; it wasn't hot. He checked her pulse, but there seemed to be nothing wrong. So he reached out and nudged her: "Qingcheng—"
Her eyes snapped open, revealing a pitiful expression in her misty gaze. Upon seeing Huangfu Mi, she sat up abruptly and almost immediately threw herself into his arms: "Your Highness—"
Huangfu Mi instinctively stepped back, not embracing her, but instead placing his hands on her shoulders. Looking at her pained expression, he said gently, "Zixiu said you had a headache. Are you feeling better now?"
Qingcheng shook her head, reached up to touch her forehead, and said softly, "I just had a nightmare. I fell from a very high place, and no matter how much I shouted, no one came to save me..."
Her plaintive voice was pitiful. Upon seeing her, Huangfu Mi couldn't help but think of the day she fell off the cliff. His brow furrowed, but his voice softened: "Don't be afraid, it's all over now. Sleep peacefully!"
"Mmm." She nodded and lay down, but then took Huangfu Mi's hand. Huangfu Mi instinctively tried to pull away, but she wouldn't let him, holding on tightly as she lay there, looking at him with her boundless, watery eyes, and said, "Master, I'm still so scared. Can you stay with me for a while?"
Huangfu Mi hesitated for a moment, but looking at the pitiful look in her watery eyes, he couldn't bring himself to refuse. He could only pat her hand and whisper, "Okay, go to sleep!"
--
That night, Huangfu Mi returned to his room very late, looking exhausted. He lay down and fell asleep shortly afterward.
Meng Wan had more questions she wanted to ask, but now she didn't know what to say. Listening to his heavy breathing in her ear, she closed her eyes, but tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
The next morning, Huangfu Qian went to court, and she asked Huan Yan to inquire about the events of the previous night. After hearing that Qingcheng was haunted by a nightmare, she pondered for a moment before ordering someone to fetch Hua Jiuye.
After carefully inquiring about Qingcheng's condition, he concluded by asking, "Is there any treatment for this amnesia? Do you know when she will recover?"
Hua Jiuye sat opposite, drinking the tea that Meng Wan had personally brewed. As she drank, she shook her head and said, "This kind of illness depends on the patient. Some people can recover just by seeing people from their past, while others may never recover in their entire lives."
Meng Wan frowned: "Is there any way to cure the nightmares and headaches?"
"This can be controlled with medication, but as I said before, emotions arise from the mind. If you don't overthink, you won't have nightmares." She paused slightly, then looked up at Meng Wan and asked, "Is Your Highness worried about Miss Qingcheng?"
Meng Wan was taken aback, then nodded: "After all, she is the prince's benefactor. Seeing her in so much pain, I can't rest easy. So I have to trouble you to prescribe some medicine. Even if it can't restore her memory, it will be good if she recovers."
Hua Jiuye nodded, took out a pen and ink, quickly wrote out a prescription, handed it to Meng Wan, and then took his leave. Only then did Meng Wan call Huan Yan over: "Go and get the medicine according to the prescription, and then instruct the kitchen to prepare it for Miss Qingcheng."
“But Miss…” Meng Wan’s magnanimous actions displeased Huan Yan, especially after learning that the woman named Qingcheng had disturbed the prince in the middle of the night. Huan Yan was even more furious.
Meng Wan waved her hand and said, "Don't say anything more, go!"
She wasn't particularly magnanimous; any woman would feel uncomfortable seeing her husband spending the middle of the night with another woman. However, since he was Huangfu Mi's benefactor, she had to take care of him no matter what. Besides, she trusted Huangfu Mi.
--It was too much trouble to divide it into chapters, so I'll just post all 6,000 words at once. That way, everyone can enjoy reading, and it saves me trouble. Have a good read, mwah!--
V55 controversy resurfaces
Huanyan returned quickly, saying that she had sent the medicine to the kitchen and instructed them to brew it and send it to Qingcheng.
Meng Wan nodded, and when evening came, she went to the Liuli Garden where Qingcheng lived.
Liuli Garden is a courtyard next to Furong Pavilion. It was specially arranged for Liancheng to live here so that she could take care of Qingcheng more easily.
When Meng Wan arrived, there was no one in the courtyard. Thinking that Qingcheng might have already taken her medicine and fallen asleep, she quietly entered the room.
The door was ajar. Meng Wan stepped forward and peeked through the crack. Through the curtain, she could vaguely see Qingcheng standing by the window with her hands behind her back. Beside her was an exquisite porcelain medicine bowl. A faint smell of medicine wafted from inside, somewhat bitter. Meng Wan frowned, thinking that if the medicine smelled so bitter, it must taste even worse. She was about to order someone to prepare candied fruit to send to Qingcheng when she saw the person inside suddenly raise her hand and throw the medicine bowl violently to the ground.
"Crack—" The fragments shattered into pieces with a loud crash. At the same time, Qingcheng turned around. Only then did Meng Wan see her expression clearly. Her eyes were narrowed, her brows were furrowed, and her lips were pressed tightly together, as if she was extremely resentful.
Especially his eyes, blazing with hatred, coldly fixed on the shattered fragments on the ground, as if he wanted to devour them alive.
Seeing that expression, Meng Wan couldn't help but shiver. A sudden chill ran through her, making her panic. She didn't understand why Qingcheng had that look on her face, why she smashed the bowl of medicine, and why she was filled with resentment. Could it be... that resentment was directed at Meng Wan?
But why? She knew this woman completely, and even if she hated her, it shouldn't be her place. So what was going on?
With this question in mind, she returned to her room, still filled with doubt. When Huangfu Mi returned, she asked, "Did I do something that made Miss Qingcheng dislike me?"
This question clearly startled Huangfu Mi, who then smiled slightly, put his arm around Meng Wan's waist and pulled her close, saying, "Why would you ask that? You've never met before, why would she dislike you?"
"But during the day I saw her throw away the medicine I had prepared. If she doesn't hate me, then why?"
Huangfu Mi was stumped by the question and didn't know how to explain it. After pondering for a while, she finally said, "Perhaps the medicine is too bitter? She has always been most afraid of taking medicine."
Despite hearing this, Meng Wan simply couldn't believe it. If it was just because he was afraid of bitterness, he could have found a way to deal with it. But smashing the medicine bowl and still having that ferocious expression, she simply couldn't believe that nothing had happened.
"Do you think she might have regained her memories? Or is it because she likes you that she's hostile towards me, or perhaps it's because..."
She bit her lip, the more she thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. She considered several possibilities and tentatively spoke up, but before she could finish, a series of hurried footsteps sounded from the doorway, followed by Qingcheng's voice: "Your Highness, have you returned?"
Meng Wan was startled. Before she could react, the door was pushed open. Before she and Huangfu Mi could even respond, Qingcheng had already entered uninvited, ignoring Meng Wan's sudden frown, and darted to Huangfu Mi's side: "Yesterday you promised to tell me about the past, so as soon as I heard the Prince was back, I rushed over. What were we going to talk about today? I remember yesterday you mentioned that when I was thirteen, I lost my most precious jade pendant. The Prince searched for it for two days and two nights without sleep, turning Lingyin Mountain upside down..."
Meng Wan's face darkened. Just then, Lian Cheng came in from outside, tugging at Qing Cheng's sleeve as she said, "Elder sister, stop making a fuss. The prince is very busy. He doesn't have time to tell you about those old stories. If you want to know, why don't we go to my room and I'll tell you?"
"No! I want to hear what the prince says, not you!" Qingcheng shook her head, her little face scrunched up, pressed against Huangfu Mi's chest, refusing to leave no matter what.
Her appearance was so pitiful that it was hard to bear seeing her. Seeing this, Huangfu Mi patted her shoulder and said with a smile, "But I have to accompany the Princess back to the Prime Minister's residence later, so I'm afraid I won't be able to tell you. Besides, there are many things I can't remember. Liancheng has always had a good memory, so it's better for her to tell you than for me to make up stories because I can't remember them."
"But..." Upon hearing the words "Prime Minister's Residence," Qingcheng trembled, but only for a moment before reverting to her usual gentle demeanor, clutching Huangfu Mi's sleeve and refusing to let go.
Seeing this, Liancheng hurriedly stepped forward, grabbed Qingcheng's hand, and tried to pull it off Huangfu Mi's sleeve, but it was all in vain. Qingcheng held on tightly and refused to let go.
Helpless, Liancheng could only gently persuade her, "Elder sister, listen to me. The Prince has said he will accompany the Princess back to the manor. Don't disturb them. Come back with me quickly, be good—"
"But I..."
"Since Miss Qingcheng wants to hear about the past, how about this: let's go to the front hall and invite Puyang and Hua Jiuye to tell each other about your past. I'd like to hear it too, and it'll be more lively if we all go together."
Seeing that Qingcheng was obstructing her, Meng Wan knew that she wouldn't be able to go home today, so she generously suggested that she wouldn't argue with her.
Qingcheng was clearly taken aback, and instinctively wanted to refuse, but before she could speak, Huangfu Mi spoke first: "But Wan'er, today is Third Sister's birthday. If we don't go back, that girl..."
"It's alright, we can just give her a birthday gift tomorrow and appease her, and everything will be fine."