No one could disobey the Empress Dowager's orders. They could only walk up to Meng Wan and whisper in her ear, "I'll be right back. Wait for me here with Grandmother."
Meng Wan nodded, naturally unable to stop him. Seeing that Huangfu Mi was about to leave, she grabbed his hand and whispered, "Come back soon."
She didn't know if Huangfu Mi had heard it, but her words were ultimately forced. How could she be alright? She could trust Huangfu Mi, but Changping's affection was so obvious. Even if the man was uninterested, Meng Wan didn't dare to imagine what would happen if Changping persisted.
The Empress Dowager saw everything clearly from the side, and after Huangfu Mi left, she calmly withdrew her gaze.
"That's just how Changping is, don't mind her. She's just acting like this because she hasn't seen Mi'er for so long." She asked casually, her nail-painted fingers constantly fiddling with the prayer beads, her movements unhurried.
Meng Wan also came to her senses. After hearing the Empress Dowager's question, she felt a vague sense of unease, but she still answered her question in accordance with her words: "Yes."
The Empress Dowager paused for a moment, then asked, "What do you think of her?"
Meng Wan glanced at her.
What about the person?
"This..." Meng Wan was even more stumped by the question: "It's the first time I've seen you, I can't tell anything about you."
The Empress Dowager's lips curled into a deep smile, her gaze sweeping over Meng Wan with a profound intensity. However, she did not continue the topic but instead changed the subject.
They simply asked Prime Minister Meng if there were any interesting things happening in the capital recently, and so the two began to chat.
They chatted until noon, when other people came to pay their respects. Seeing that there was nothing more for her to do, Meng Wan took her leave.
Puyang was already waiting outside. When he saw Meng Wan come forward, he bowed to her and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty just sent someone to invite you, and the Prince went. He also asked me to tell you that he will send you back to your residence first, and he will return later."
Meng Wan nodded, then remembered something and asked, "What about Princess Changping?"
Puyang was clearly taken aback: "The princess went along too."
Meng Wan's face stiffened, but she didn't say anything. She just nodded. The sedan chair that was supposed to take her away was already prepared, so she sat down and went back to the Prince's Mansion.
However, she was filled with unease, and her anxiety grew as Huangfu Mi failed to return.
He hasn't come back so late, could he be with Princess Changping?
Thinking this way, he immediately dismissed it, thinking that Huangfu Mi was a man of principle and it was impossible for him to do so.
I kept thinking like this until it was late at night.
She lay down on the bed fully clothed. It seemed like the wind had picked up outside, howling and making quite a racket. It mingled with the sound of the palace gates being locked in the distance, cutting through the quiet night. Meng Wan couldn't help but sigh. It seemed like there was more rain than usual this year. It had only just begun spring, and there had already been several rain showers. Now, it seemed like the wind was picking up again outside. It looked like it was going to rain again.
He sighed, lay on his side on the bed, not quite sleepy. He didn't know how much time had passed, but in his hazy state, he seemed to hear the curtains clattering. Then a figure approached, carrying a faint smell of alcohol.
She suddenly opened her eyes and saw Huangfu Mi standing by the bed with a smile.
Meng Wan hurriedly stood up, her hair slightly loose and her clothes disheveled. Before she could tidy herself up, Huangfu Mi pulled her into his arms. He was still damp with moisture, and there were water droplets in his braids that fell down the ends of his hair and splashed onto his dark blue robe, quickly spreading out.
Meng Wan took a handkerchief and wiped the water droplets from his forehead, asking softly, "Did it rain?"
Huangfu Mi grunted an "Mmm" to himself, letting Meng Wan do as she pleased. He seemed to be feeling a little dizzy from the alcohol.
Meng Wan scolded, "Why didn't you wait for the rain to stop before coming back? Look how wet you are, you'll catch a cold."
He let her ramble on, and only after he stopped what he was doing did Huangfu Mi turn her around and kiss her ear, saying, "I can't bear to leave you alone in this empty room on a spring day."
His voice carried a hint of languid allure, causing Meng Wan to blush. She gently pushed him away, saying, "You're talking nonsense. I think you've had too much to drink and are feeling dizzy."
Huangfu Mi held her tightly, his head resting on her shoulder. She heard his low voice: "I know you're not feeling well, but don't worry, I didn't come back late to be with her. It's just that Father was happy that Grandmother was back, so he dragged me and Fifth Brother to have a few more drinks."
His voice was low, echoing in the empty room, but it was quickly swallowed up. Yet she heard it clearly, and her body trembled involuntarily.
She was at ease, she had always trusted him, but for some reason, even though she trusted him so much, even though he made such solemn vows, her heart still couldn't help but pound wildly, and she always felt uneasy.
She could only hug him tightly, feeling his warmth, which was clearly so comforting. However, a gust of wind that seemed to be blowing in from somewhere still made her shiver. She couldn't help but shiver and moved closer to him.
She glanced at the candle on the table, which flickered slightly, making her expression unfocused.
The night passed in silence.
--
The night was filled with a continuous drizzle, which kept Meng Wan from sleeping well all night. She finally drifted off to sleep just before dawn.
Meng Wan slept soundly, but when she woke up, Huangfu Mi was nowhere to be seen. She didn't move, just lay there lazily, staring at the ceiling.
Hearing the commotion, Mu Ci brought in a basin. Seeing Meng Wan still lying down, she put down the basin, quickly walked to the window, and seeing Meng Wan looking dazed, hurriedly asked, "Miss, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Seeing that it was Mu Ci, Meng Wan finally smiled and said, "I'm fine, I'm just a little lazy."
Mu Ci was relieved and nodded. She helped Meng Wan up, wrung out a handkerchief and handed it to her, saying, "It must be because of the spring weather that you feel so tired. Why don't you let me accompany you for a walk later? I heard that the pear blossoms in the backyard are in bloom and they are very beautiful."
Seeing Mu Ci's cheerful words, Meng Wan felt a warmth in her heart and smiled slightly, "Alright, let's get another basket and have someone bring a ladder, then we'll go pick some pear blossoms to make tea."
In a rare moment of high spirits, Mu Ci readily agreed and went out to prepare as instructed, while Meng Wan got up and tidied herself up.
The backyard, however, was unusually exquisite. The flowers weren't blooming profusely, but rather scattered here and there, appearing from afar like a white dot amidst a sea of trees. That white carried a touch of hazy beauty, exuding a pure and elegant simplicity.
Meng Wan climbed up the ladder and carefully cut off a few branches. Mu Ci watched from below, her heart pounding with fear. She earnestly advised, "It looks so dangerous. It's really worrying. Meng Wan, please come down and let me go up."
Because the weather wasn't too cold, but rather quite refreshing, yesterday's frustrations were all put aside. Meng Wan was in a great mood. Listening to Mu Ci's ramblings, she turned her head to look down and, mischievously, grabbed a handful of flower petals and threw them at Mu Ci below. The pink and white petals fell like snowflakes, tumbling and spreading in the air. She didn't forget to shake her head and mutter, "How can you understand the grandeur of overlooking all the mountains without standing on this high place? Come up here too."
Mu Ci really went up, so Meng Wan climbed up another step of the ladder, then gripped the tree branch and sat down sideways among the branches. She then reached out to Mu Ci and pulled her up as well.
"How is it? Not bad, right?" She smiled broadly.
Mu Ci glanced at her sideways, momentarily lost in thought, which made Meng Wan raise an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled: "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"