In just a moment, Huangfu Qian was dragged away, and the huge courtyard fell silent.
The emperor, still furious, glared at the two kneeling monks and spoke again: "Drag these two out and behead them too!"
The situation changed rapidly. Outside the Meridian Gate, blood was everywhere in no time. Huangfu Mi stood there the whole time, watching a snow-white dove take off in the sky. A barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips.
Girl, everything that needed to be eliminated has been eliminated. From now on, you can live a good life without resentment or burdens!
--
Meng Wan heard the news that evening. When the Prime Minister mentioned it, Meng Wan listened quietly and then fell into a long silence.
The man she loved for a lifetime died in the end, and so did Meng Junyao. All her scheming and plotting ended up as nothing more than a pile of bones after death. What was the point?
However, after such sadness, she let it go and decided to start afresh and live a good life.
Her father, aunt, brother, sister, and that person... These are the people closest to her in life; she wants to live a good life with them.
Life became increasingly peaceful.
Every day, apart from being at home, she spent most of her time in the palace accompanying the emperor.
Although he made a solemn vow when he beheaded Huangfu Qian, it was mostly out of anger. After all, he was his own son, and he would inevitably feel reluctant to part with him.
Meng Wan didn't want him to be too sad, so she often went to keep him company and played chess with him to relieve his boredom. In this way, several days passed.
The weather is getting warmer, the breath of spring is approaching, and everywhere is full of vitality.
Because the game of chess with the Emperor on the first day had ended inconclusively, the Emperor sent someone to bring her into the palace early the next morning. Meng Wan continued the game with him from the previous day. At this moment, someone announced that the Empress had arrived. Meng Wan hurriedly got up to pay her respects and waited for the Empress to sit in the main seat before standing next to the Emperor.
The Empress glanced at the chessboard on the table, covered her mouth with her handkerchief, and said with a smile, "Your Majesty is in high spirits, playing chess with Wan'er again. I'm a little jealous watching this."
With a playful chuckle, the emperor smiled back, turned to look at Meng Wan, and said, "Who can blame me when this girl is so lovable, clever and quick-witted, and proficient in all the arts, from music and chess to calligraphy and painting? When I'm tired after finishing my official duties, playing chess and chatting with her always lifts my spirits."
Such praise was too much for Meng Wan to bear. She quickly lowered her eyes. The Empress, watching from the side, couldn't help but smile and said, "Don't be modest. Not everyone can win the Emperor's favor. You are truly someone people like very much!"
If the emperor praised her, Meng Wan would feel a little embarrassed, but if it was the empress, alarm bells would ring in her mind.
She didn't believe that she came simply to praise herself; she must have some ulterior motive.
Sure enough, as Meng Wan's thoughts drifted, she heard the Empress say again, "By the way, after the New Year, Wan'er will be fifteen, right?"
Meng Wan's heart skipped a beat, but she still nodded as instructed. Looking at the Empress's heavily made-up face, she felt that there was a hidden meaning in her words.
As expected, upon hearing this, the Empress turned to the Emperor and said, "Since she has reached the right age and Your Majesty likes her so much, why not arrange a marriage for her? If she becomes a member of our royal family, His Majesty will surely be satisfied, won't he?"
Meng Wan's heart skipped a beat. The Emperor had already given his approval. It was something he had wanted for a long time, but he hadn't had a chance to say it before. Now that the Empress had brought it up, he naturally agreed wholeheartedly.
only...
"This marriage can't be arranged haphazardly; it must be to the girl's satisfaction, otherwise she'll blame me for playing matchmaker." Having said that, he turned to Meng Wan: "Girl, of all my sons, is there one you fancy?"
Meng Wan was taken aback, then her face flushed red, as if someone had seen through her secret. She quickly lowered her head and remained silent.
Seeing this, the Empress laughed and said, "Your Majesty is usually very shrewd, how come you're so confused now? This girl is close to our Yu'er, and the two of them are naturally very much in love. There's no other person involved."
After talking for a while, we finally got to the point.
Meng Wan lowered her head, her brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. "Your Majesty, actually I..." She bit her lip, hesitating on how to express her meaning without embarrassing the Empress, who, after all, was the Empress and Meng Wan could not afford to offend her.
After a long pause, she finally spoke hesitantly: "I'm still young, there's no rush to get married. Besides, I have an older brother who hasn't settled down yet, so I, as his younger sister, can't be ahead of him."
This reason was somewhat far-fetched, and although the Empress wanted to say something more, seeing that the Emperor did not intend to press the matter, she decided to hold back for the time being.
Meng Wan took it to heart. Even after leaving Zhengyang Palace, she was still preoccupied. She told the sedan chair that was to take her back to wait outside while she walked slowly along the palace corridor.
If the Empress brought this up, she must have already planned it out. So even if she brushes it off today, she will definitely bring it up again in the future.
V30 Wedding (Part 2)
If the Empress brought this up, she must have already planned it out. So even if she brushes it off today, she will definitely bring it up again in the future.
Her purpose was crystal clear: to arrange for Meng Wan to marry Huangfu Yu. However... Meng Wan had no desire to marry Huangfu Yu, especially since the Fifth Prince harbored no romantic feelings for her.
Lost in thought, she didn't notice a figure approaching from a distance until she bumped straight into a warm chest, at which point she jerked her head up.
What she saw was Huangfu Yu's ambiguous smile, staring intently at her face. When she looked up, he suddenly smiled, the corners of his lips slightly raised: "What are you thinking about? You were so lost in thought that you didn't even hear me calling you."
The Empress had just mentioned it, and now she had met the person in question. Meng Wan was clearly taken aback, then frowned and sighed almost imperceptibly, "It's nothing, I was just thinking about something."
"What is it?" It was rare to see her so worried, especially since she had just come from Zhengyang Palace. Huangfu Yu keenly sensed something was wrong, suppressed his smile, and asked in a deep voice.
Meng Wan raised her head, glanced at him, then turned back to look at the towering tower of Zhengyang Palace. After pondering for a while, she finally spoke: "Just now, the Empress suddenly mentioned my marriage and brought you up. I'm a little flustered right now!"
marriage?
Huangfu Yu frowned, recalling that the Empress had mentioned earlier that she was going to speak with the Emperor today. He had initially thought it was something else, but it turned out to be this matter.
"So what did you say?"
Meng Wan was taken aback: "What else can we say? Of course, we just made up some excuse. But judging from the Empress's expression, she probably won't let it go easily. Fifth Prince, what should we do?"
Huangfu Yu hesitated for a moment, "In my opinion, we should discuss it with Seventh Brother and find a way to stop Mother before she makes any further moves..."
"No!" Meng Wan interrupted him before he could finish speaking. "Given his personality, if he finds out about this, he'll definitely go to the Emperor right away. Things could get even more complicated than they are now."
"But even if we don't tell him now, he'll find out eventually anyway. Or do you want to wait until you become my princess consort before telling him?"
Of course not!