Meng Wan hadn't wanted to argue with him, but his question immediately annoyed her: "What do you mean by that? What private affair? Huangfu Mi, are you crazy?"
"Yes, I'm crazy. Seeing my woman flirting with my brother, am I supposed to just sit here and get cuckolded?"
"Slap--" Before the words were even finished, Meng Wan's face had already been hit solidly. She was extremely annoyed and had put all her strength into this blow, truly driven to desperation by him.
How could he say such a thing about her? How could he distrust her like this!
Huangfu Mi was clearly taken aback, and squinted at Meng Wan, his eyes filled with obvious disbelief.
"Good, good, good!" He said "good" three times, but there was no smile in his eyes. He just stared coldly behind Meng Wan for a long time. Then he suddenly turned around and rushed out without looking back, leaving Meng Wan frozen there, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.
--
At the same time, Huangfu Yu and Xiao Yun'er stood there, watching Huangfu Mi leave, before walking together to Meng Wan's side. Seeing her standing there in a daze, they panicked and hurriedly asked, "Sister, what's wrong?"
Meng Wan then came to her senses, shook her head, and said, "I'm fine, but I'm feeling a little unwell and want to go back to the palace. You can wander around here a bit more, and I'll have Fifth Brother take you back later."
Xiao Yun'er and Huangfu Yu exchanged a glance, about to say something, but Meng Wan had already lost interest in listening. She got into the carriage, gave the order to set off, and then returned to the palace.
But as soon as they arrived at the palace gate, they saw Eunuch Zheng pacing anxiously at the entrance, nearly bumping into Meng Wan.
Upon seeing Meng Wan, he immediately came forward: "Has the concubine returned?" After glancing at her, he only saw Meng Wan and then asked, "Where is His Highness?"
His anxious look suggested something was wrong, so Meng Wan asked, "Eunuch Zheng, what happened?"
Eunuch Zheng said, "It was His Majesty who suddenly fainted and has not yet woken up. That's why I rushed to find His Highness to return to the mansion."
Meng Wan was startled, her eyelids twitched twice, but she managed to maintain her composure and instructed Eunuch Zheng to search for Huangfu Mi. She then ran towards Zhengyang Palace.
Consort Hui was guarding the bedside when she saw Meng Wan rush in. She gestured to Meng Wan, who then tiptoed over.
"Your Majesty, how is Father?" she asked in a low voice.
Consort Hui glanced at the emperor, who was fast asleep on the bed, and then sighed: "He suddenly fainted. The imperial physician came to treat him and said that the poison he had been poisoned before had relapsed and damaged his lungs and internal organs, which caused him to faint."
Meng Wan's body trembled, and she took two steps back. She suddenly remembered that in her previous life, the emperor had died of tuberculosis. In this life, she originally thought that she would be fine after getting rid of the empress, but in the end, her lungs were the problem again. Could it be that the trajectory of fate would not change because she had been reborn? Could it be that many things were not as she expected?
Her mind was racing, but she couldn't calm down. She could only try to remain calm and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry too much. Father is a lucky man and will be alright."
Consort Hui nodded, her face extremely tired, her eyes red and swollen, as she looked at Meng Wan and asked in a hoarse voice, "Where is the Crown Prince? Why didn't he come back with you?"
Meng Wan was slightly taken aback, then said, "His Highness had some business to attend to and sent me back first."
Consort Hui nodded slightly and did not ask any further questions; at this moment, her thoughts were entirely on the Emperor.
Meng Wan stood guard to the side. The food on the table was already cold, obviously because Consort Hui had not eaten lunch. She then whispered, "Your Highness, please eat first. I will serve you here. I will call you if you need anything."
Consort Hui shook her head: "I have no appetite, no need, let them take it away."
V106
Meng Wan stood guard to the side. The food on the table was already cold, obviously because Consort Hui had not eaten lunch. She then whispered, "Your Highness, please eat first. I will serve you here. I will call you if you need anything."
Consort Hui shook her head: "I have no appetite, no need, let them take it away."
Indeed, when a loved one is sick, no one can eat in peace. But this is not a solution. The emperor can't stay unconscious forever, and the empress can't eat. After thinking for a moment, she still spoke up to comfort her: "Your Majesty, now that Father is ill, you must take good care of yourself. Father is counting on you to take care of him. You must not overwork yourself."
That made sense. After a moment’s thought, Consort Hui said, “How about this, you go and prepare some of the Emperor’s favorite snacks. I’ll have some and save some for him.” As she spoke, she glanced at the Emperor, her voice slightly choked, “The Emperor will be hungry when he wakes up.”
Such a scene always makes people feel a little sad. Meng Wan's heart trembled involuntarily. She bit her lip, said nothing, and simply turned around and left the palace.
I feel uneasy.
--
Her unease came true; the emperor never got to taste the pastries she made, and that very night, he died in Zhengyang Palace.
Consort Hui fainted on the spot. Meng Wan stayed by her bedside until dawn. Tears streamed down her face, from her cheeks to her chin, and onto her clothes. One drop after another, the salty taste rolled down to the corner of her mouth. She tasted it; it was so bitter.
In the end, he still passed away. Father Emperor still couldn't save his life, even though it was longer than before.
She knelt there, tears streaming down her face, waiting for Huangfu Mi. If he knew that his respected father had passed away, he would surely be heartbroken.
However, Huangfu Mi did not return that night. Eunuch Zheng sent people out but they could not find him. It was not until noon the next day, when the mourning hall had been set up, that Huangfu Mi returned, smelling of alcohol, and immediately knelt down in front of the coffin.
"Father—" His voice was choked with sobs and a little hoarse. Kneeling before the coffin, his eyes welled up with tears.
"Father, I am late, Father—"
"You unfilial son, you only come back at this time! Where have you been?" Upon waking up, Consort Hui slapped Huangfu Mi on the back as soon as she saw him. She gathered all her strength and the blow made Huangfu Mi collapse to the ground.
Not satisfied with that, she half-squatted down and began to repeatedly strike Huangfu Mi's chest, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed.
"Where did you go? You didn't come back all night. Do you know that the Emperor held on all night just to see you one last time?"
Tears welled up instantly, and Consort Hui let out a hoarse roar of anger.
Huangfu Mi's feelings could hardly be described as regret; no matter how much Consort Hui cursed him, he did not try to dodge her.
Meng Wan couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she flew forward and hugged Consort Hui from behind.
"Your Highness, please don't be like this. His Highness didn't mean to stay away. Besides, he didn't want this to happen either—"
Everyone was heartbroken. The news of the emperor's death plunged the entire palace into grief. Consort Hui's actions were understandable. However, scolding and beating Huangfu Mi was of no use; the emperor could not be brought back to life.
Consort Hui finally stopped moving and collapsed into Meng Wan's arms, completely dazed, still muttering to herself: "Your Majesty, how could you leave like this? What am I supposed to do now that you're gone? Didn't you promise me that this summer you would accompany me to Jingguo Temple to admire the flowers and pray to Buddha, just like every year? You also said you wanted to have another child with me. If you leave like this, aren't you breaking your promise to me?"
Her voice was filled with tears, making those who heard it want to cry as well. Meng Wan supported her body tightly, suppressing her own grief, and kept comforting her: "Your Majesty, the deceased is gone. Please take care of yourself."