--
On the way back, they remained silent, but their hands were clasped together the entire time.
Perhaps because it had just rained, the air around them was very fresh, so the two of them strolled around the streets for a while longer. As it was getting dark, they headed to the Prince's Mansion together.
As soon as they stepped outside the door, they saw Eunuch Li, who was by the emperor's side, come to greet them.
"Your Highness, Your Highness--" He bowed to the two of them, and only after Huangfu Mi raised his hand did he stand up and walk to them: "His Majesty has sent this servant to wait here, and requests that Your Highness and Your Highness accompany us for dinner."
Meng Wan and Huangfu Mi exchanged a glance, somewhat surprised. Why would the Emperor send them all the way to dine with him?
But they did go after all. The emperor even had a sedan chair prepared by Eunuch Li. The two rode into the inner palace and headed to the side hall of Zhengyang Palace.
The meal was already laid out, a table full of food. The emperor sat alone there. When he saw Huangfu Mi and his wife, he waved his hand, and the two of them stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Alright, alright, it's just a family dinner, no need for formalities, please take your seats!"
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V65 Gently Undressing (Part 1)
"Alright, alright, it's just a family dinner, no need for formalities, please take your seats!"
The emperor spoke calmly, and immediately an eunuch placed the jade chopsticks and bowls that had been prepared earlier in front of Meng Wan and Huangfu Mi. Seeing the emperor give them a look, they bowed and withdrew.
Only the Emperor and his wife Huangfu Mi remained in the room. Meng Wanfang and Huangfu Mi exchanged a glance, wondering why even the servants had been driven out, which made things even more strange.
"Father, is there anything you wish to instruct me on?" Huangfu Mi asked respectfully after the person had left, without beating around the bush.
The emperor nodded, picked up his wine cup, took a small sip, and put it down. He said, "A report came from the border that Yu'er led troops to repel the Huachao army, and the palace rebellion was also successfully resolved. I am pleased, so I called you two over for a couple of drinks."
Huangfu Mi and Meng Wan were overjoyed.
Originally, Huangfu Mi and Huangfu Yu were leading troops on an expedition together, but Huangfu Mi turned back halfway because he had learned of the rebellion in the palace. He only sent Huangfu Yu to take some men to provide support. Unexpectedly, good news came so quickly.
Huangfu Mi was overjoyed, picked up his wine cup, and said, "This is truly a wonderful thing! Your Majesty, I will drink with you!"
After saying this, he drank it all in one gulp.
The emperor was delighted and, seeing Huangfu Mi drink, also picked up his wine cup. Meng Wan, watching from the side, couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
When she arrived, she heard the Emperor coughing. Now he was drinking one cup of wine after another. So she gave Huangfu Mi a wink and then said in a soft, gentle voice, "Father, too much wine is bad for your health. Even if you are happy, you can't drink too much. Why don't you drink some soup instead? Fish soup is good for your health."
Huangfu Mi was taken aback. When he heard Meng Wan say this, he hurriedly put down his wine cup. He hesitated for a moment when he saw the color she handed him, and then took away the emperor's wine cup and replaced it with a bowl of fish soup.
“Wan’er is right. Too much wine is bad for your health. Father, it’s better not to drink. Let’s drink tea instead.”
The husband and wife followed each other's lead. The emperor wanted to say something, but seeing the two children trying their best to stop him, he didn't say anything more. He just took the fish soup and drank it in small sips.
After the meal, the emperor went to the main hall to wait, intending to play chess with Huangfu Mi. While Huangfu Mi accompanied Meng Wan to get the chessboard, he took the opportunity to ask a question.
"It's just a few drinks, why are you reacting so strongly? Is something wrong?"
Meng Wan glanced outside and, seeing that the Emperor had already left, whispered, "Father has been coughing the whole time, you heard it, why did you make him drink?"
"But it's just a couple of drinks, it's fine..."
"What do you mean 'nothing,' 'something,' or 'major'? Let me tell you, if you care about Father Emperor, you'd better have Hua Jiuye take his pulse as soon as possible. I've told you this so many times, but you never care."
Meng Wan put on a stern face and scolded him.
Huangfu Mi waved his hands repeatedly: "It's not that I don't care, it's just that Father said the imperial physician comes to see him every day, and that he's fine. His cough is probably just because the weather is getting colder..."
Before he could finish speaking, Meng Wan glared at him fiercely: "Can those imperial physicians compare to Hua Jiuye? Some illnesses are the result of accumulated minor ailments. At first, nothing can be seen, and by the time they can be diagnosed, it's too late."
It wasn't that she was exaggerating; rather, she knew from her previous life that the emperor had died of tuberculosis, which was why she was being extra careful now.
Seeing the seriousness in her words, Huangfu Mi didn't say anything more. After playing chess with the emperor and returning to his residence, the first thing he did was to find Hua Jiuye and convey Meng Wan's message to him. The next day, he took him to the palace.
Hua Jiuye is the last disciple of the divine physician, and his medical skills are superb. For example, when Meng Wan was poisoned, he saved her life by performing a blood transfusion. Therefore, Huangfu Mi and Meng Wan have great faith in his medical skills, and his diagnoses are always convincing.
Unexpectedly, after carefully taking the emperor's pulse, Hua Jiuye concluded that although the emperor had been coughing, it was due to the changing seasons and was not a serious matter.
Meng Wan was astonished upon hearing this conclusion.
If she remembered correctly, the Emperor passed away at the end of this year in his previous life, the cause of death being tuberculosis. If so, then with Hua Jiuye's skills, she should be able to find out by now. But... what's going on?
With this question in mind, she was filled with doubt and couldn't figure out what was going on. She couldn't ask, so she could only keep her thoughts to herself in silence.
When Huangfu Mi returned, he saw her leaning against the window, looking bewildered. He teased her silently and approached her from behind, hugging her. Before she could react, he bit her earlobe and said, "You should be happy that Father is alright. Why are you so quiet? Is there something else?"
"I..." Of course, there's no problem.
She was more than happy that the Emperor was in good health; she was just puzzled.
Hearing Huangfu Mi say this, she glared at him reproachfully, and then said, "What's the problem? I was just overthinking. Didn't they say that King Huachao would come in a couple of days to reconcile with Lanling? He's not going to bring some princess with him for a marriage alliance, is he?"
There aren't many princes left in the court now. If he were to marry a foreign prince, there's no guarantee that another Hongxiu wouldn't appear and pester Huangfu Mi. Although Meng Wan trusts him and knows that it's unlikely that anything will happen at this time, she is still quite annoyed.
"You're overthinking it. Although the Huachao Kingdom has several princesses, they are all married, so the idea of a marriage alliance is impossible. The Huachao King came here only because of his defeat in battle and is seeking reconciliation."
Meng Wan was slightly relieved. Despite Huangfu Mi's carefree and irresponsible attitude, he was very popular with women. If there were any women, he would definitely be the first one they took a fancy to.
These words were not spoken by Meng Wan, but by Consort Xin when she went to the palace earlier, and Meng Wan thought they made a lot of sense at the time.
"If that's the case, then that's good. It saves me from having any more trouble with other women!"
Undeterred by the teasing, Huangfu Mi still breathed softly into Ruolan's ear with a smile, "When have I ever caused you any trouble? Don't talk nonsense..."