Unexpectedly, amidst the rising and falling of the voices, besides the stern rebuke from the guards outside, another voice, neither loud nor soft, came from Meng Wan, like a lifeline.
Who's inside?
Meng Wan was stunned, her whole body stiffened, and even her shouts stopped.
That voice... is it Huangfu Yi?
--
night.
The clear moon hung in the sky, its soft light pouring down. The shadows of the trees in the courtyard, bathed in moonlight, shimmered like a vast ocean.
A night breeze blows, the moonlight ripples, and the shadows of the trees are sparse.
Huangfu Mi stood with his hands behind his back in the courtyard of Jiangyun Pavilion. The night was gloomy and a cool breeze was blowing, but he seemed oblivious to it. He just stood there with his brows furrowed.
He had always prided himself on being a romantic and carefree person, never bothered by worldly affairs. However, the matter he had encountered this time was a truly enormous problem, leaving him no choice but to worry.
He couldn't help but sigh, straightened his clothes, and prepared to go back to his room. In any case, he had to remain calm. He had already sent people to investigate the Empress. If he could find Wan'er, things would be much easier.
Thinking this, he turned to leave, but just then, a figure flashed past his eyes. When he came to his senses, Huangfu Yi had appeared in front of him without him even noticing.
Huangfu Mi was clearly taken aback. As Huangfu Yi walked up to him on his own, he frowned almost imperceptibly: "Eighth brother, why do you come and go from my palace so secretly instead of openly? This is not like you."
Upon hearing this, Huangfu Yi curled his lips and smiled instead of answering: "What does it matter how I come and go? I'm here today because I have something important to tell Seventh Brother."
Something important?
Huangfu Mi raised an eyebrow.
To be fair, although he and Huangfu Yi had some dealings, they were not close. Huangfu Yi had only visited the mansion once when he returned from traveling abroad. It was no wonder that Huangfu Mi was suspicious of his sudden appearance and the important matter he was talking about.
"Seventh Brother, is Seventh Sister-in-law not at home?"
Seeing his disbelief, Huangfu Yi didn't mind. He simply stepped forward and asked softly.
Huangfu Mi was stunned again. Even his fifth brother and father-in-law hadn't been informed of Wan'er's abduction. How did the eighth brother know? Could it be...?
"You saw Wan'er?"
With a hurried tone, Huangfu Yi finally dared to conclude that Meng Wan was indeed not in the Prince's residence. Judging from Huangfu Mi's expression, it seemed very likely that she had been taken away unwillingly.
He shook his head: "I haven't seen the person. It was just that in the afternoon, when Song'er and I were playing in the backyard of Chonghua Palace, we vaguely heard cries for help coming from the dark room. Although the palace maid said we must have misheard, I secretly went to check and there were indeed guards outside the dark room. That's why I guessed from the sound that it might be Seventh Sister-in-law."
Huangfu Mi's heart jumped. Heaven has eyes, after all, Heaven has eyes. There was no complete despair, but at this moment, the Eighth Prince brought hope.
He grabbed Huangfu Yi's arm and said, "Take me to that dark room. I need to rescue Wan'er."
Huangfu Yi understood his urgency; he also wanted to rescue Meng Wan as soon as possible, since staying in the Empress's hands was extremely dangerous. He just didn't understand...
"Why did the Empress arrest Seventh Sister-in-law? And has something happened in the palace? I feel like something's not right."
He loved to travel and had been away from the capital for the past two days. He only returned this afternoon and happened to hear Meng Wan's cries for help with Song'er. He hadn't even had time to investigate what was going on, so he simply asked Huangfu Mi.
Huangfu Mi was clearly hesitant, as if he was wondering whether he should tell him. After all, he didn't know Huangfu Yi very well, so he was worried that he might be in cahoots with the Empress.
But then he thought, if they really were in cahoots, they probably wouldn't have told him about Wan'er. Besides, he was also the Emperor's son. If he were told about the Empress's actions, perhaps he would even help.
So he told Huangfu Yi the whole story of the conversation the Empress had with him at noon. Finally, he instructed, "This matter is of great importance. I haven't even told my father-in-law or my fifth brother, for fear of causing a huge uproar. So, Eighth Brother, you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone else. At the very least, you can't let anyone else know until I come up with a solution."
Huangfu Yi fell into a long silence. He never expected that the Empress would do such a thing, asking his seventh brother to choose between the Emperor and Meng Wan. What kind of thing is this!
A voice exclaimed in shock, "This is outrageous! Seventh Brother, what are you thinking? Let's go rescue Seventh Sister-in-law right now, and then storm into Zhengyang Palace!"
Huangfu Mi also wanted to, but General Gu had been bribed by the Empress and had gathered a large force to guard every gate of the palace, even controlling Zhengyang Palace. Acting rashly would only lead to disaster, so...
"Eighth Brother, don't get agitated. Listen to me. This matter is of great importance, concerning the fate of the nation. We need to consider it carefully. I have an idea, and if possible, I would like your help. I wonder if you would be willing?"
Huangfu Yi paused: "What kind of help? Tell me."
--
The next morning, Huangfu Mi entered the palace early, instructing Puyang and the others to continue searching for Meng Wan's whereabouts in a grand manner, while he went alone to Chonghua Palace.
The Empress was waiting there. She wasn't surprised to see him. She just smiled and looked at him. When he walked up to her, she smiled and said, "You've made up your mind so quickly?"
Huangfu Mi stood there, looking at her smug expression, wishing he could stab her to death, but he knew he couldn't. At this moment, he could only clench his fists tightly and try his best to make his voice sound calm as water.
"Yes, I've thought it through."
"And what will the result be? Will you kill your father with your own hands and become a sinner for all time, or will you kill the woman you love and regret it for the rest of your life?"
Huangfu Mi narrowed his eyes, his expression extremely conflicted. Under the Empress's gaze, he gritted his teeth and said, "I choose Wan'er, I will save Wan'er!"
The Empress raised an eyebrow: "Heh--This is quite unexpected. You actually disregarded your father and chose your woman instead. Heh, Huangfu Mi, it seems your filial piety is nothing more than this. And your father, upon hearing this news, will probably regret it. He'll regret that all the love he's given you over the years is ultimately less than that of a woman."
With a cold laugh, she raised her hand. Seeing Huangfu Mi in such pain, she felt even more pleased. She waved her hand and shouted outside, "Someone, take the medicine to the Emperor!"
"Wait a minute!" Huangfu Mi suddenly interrupted her.
The Empress paused, then raised an eyebrow: "What? Have you changed your mind?"
"No." Huangfu Mi shook his head: "Didn't you want me to kill Father Emperor with my own hands? How about I deliver this medicine?"
His unusual behavior aroused the Empress's suspicion. She squinted at him and asked, "What trick are you trying to pull?"
Huangfu Mi shook his head: "Wan'er is in your hands, what tricks can I play? I just want to see Father Emperor again. Besides, isn't this exactly what you want? Although I don't know why you resent Father Emperor and me so much, you should feel very happy to see us father and son killing each other, right?"