--
In the dead of night, the Jiangyun Pavilion was deathly silent. Meng Wan stood there, her face more somber than ever before.
Yes, she was calm. Even though her heart was full of wounds, on the surface she still pretended to be nonchalant. She didn't want to make herself look so pathetic at this moment.
Huangfu Yi, standing behind him, remained silent for a long time until the person in front slowly turned around. Only then did he step forward and ask, "You summoned me... what is it?"
He actually wanted to say something else, to comfort her, but at this moment, he was afraid that saying more would only make things worse and hurt her feelings, so it was better to say nothing and mention nothing at all.
Meng Wan was always grateful to him, whether it was for his presence during her most difficult times or for his meticulous care. So at this moment, he was the only one she could think of and the only one she could turn to for help.
"Could you help me one last time?" she said, her gaze long and firm.
She thought that rather than continuing to hurt each other like this with Huangfu Mi, rather than letting all their last memories vanish, it would be better for her to leave, to leave this place where they once had happy memories, but which also caused her immense heartbreak.
Huangfu Yi was clearly taken aback, then nodded: "What is it? Tell me."
V110
The next day, the sky was clear and the air was crisp.
The long, sweltering summer days were simply unbearably hot.
The main hall of Yunshui Pavilion was Huangfu Mi's bedroom after he became emperor. Wisps of smoke rose and lingered in her heart. Meng Wan raised her head and looked at him through the smoke. He still looked the same as before, but she knew that everything was different.
"Your Majesty—" After a long silence, she spoke softly, uttering only these two words.
Huangfu Mi, who was sitting there, stiffened noticeably. Whether it was because of the lingering smell of alcohol from yesterday or something else, her eyes tightened and she felt an urge to cry.
But he hesitated, looked at Meng Wan groggily, and nodded: "You say—"
They had grown so estranged that they could no longer see each other. They looked at each other in silence. Perhaps this was something even more terrifying than separation.
Meng Wan gritted her teeth: "Since Father Emperor's passing, I have been deeply concerned. Now that Your Majesty is sending people to keep vigil, I have volunteered to do so, as I wish to repay Father Emperor's kindness and care. Please grant my request."
Huangfu Mi was clearly taken aback. How could he not understand that she was doing this because he had hurt her so badly that she wanted to escape? He instinctively wanted to refuse, but seeing her pale and bloodless face, he froze, hesitated for a long time, and then suddenly nodded: "If you have such filial piety, how could I not allow it? You... go!"
The last two words were forced out of his throat. His heart ached, it really ached, but what could he do? Keep her by his side and continue to hurt her? No, he didn't want to!
Meng Wan was also taken aback, seemingly not expecting him to be so decisive, but she quickly felt relieved. Wasn't this better? It would save her from further entanglement with him.
He bowed again, respectfully to Huangfu Mi who was sitting there, and said loudly, "Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty!" He remained prostrate there for a long time without getting up.
This time, it might really be the last time, to be face to face with him and talk to him.
Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. Goodbye, Huangfu Mi!
Goodbye, and goodbye forever!
--
The next morning, amidst a commotion, Huangfu Yi led his army to protect Meng Wan as she left the palace.
This was invited by Huangfu Yi himself, and it was also something he and Meng Wan had discussed.
Perhaps because Huangfu Mi felt sorry for Meng Wan and also felt guilty towards Huangfu Yi, he agreed without even considering it when Huangfu Yi asked for permission, only instructing him to take good care of her safety.
Perhaps in his eyes, letting Meng Wan leave for the time being is a good thing. A year would give them both a chance to calm down, and maybe the separation would make them see their own feelings more clearly.
However, he was wrong. Meng Wan was completely heartbroken this time, and her talk of keeping vigil was just an excuse. What she wanted was to take the opportunity to escape.
However, Huangfu Mi was unaware that this was their plan. So when everything was in place, Huangfu Yi rushed back to report that when Meng Wan fell off the cliff, Huangfu Mi felt as if the sky had collapsed. He froze there and did not move for a long time.
They said, they said Meng Wan died, and that she and her sedan chair fell off a cliff.
But how could that be? How could she have fallen?
"Eighth Brother, are you kidding me?" He grabbed Huangfu Yi's collar, his whole body trembling.
Huangfu Yi was taken aback. In truth, he didn't want to lie, but he knew this was Meng Wan's only chance to escape, and he couldn't be soft-hearted. So he gritted his teeth and said, "Seventh Brother, I'm not joking. She really did fall. We saw it with our own eyes!"
"Clang—" Blood rushed to his head, and he felt a sharp pain in his heart. He never expected that what he had just wanted to let the two of them calm down would turn out like this.
Wan'er, his Wan'er...
"Your Majesty—" The servants in the room panicked and tried to rush over to help him, but Huangfu Mi pushed them away. Looking at Huangfu Yi, he tightly gripped his collar: "Did you send anyone to look for him? Did you?"
"We've already sent people there, and we should have news soon!"
As they were talking, a guard trotted in, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, we have found it, but..."
At this point, the man clearly paused, and Huangfu Mi rushed forward, grabbed his shoulder, and said sternly, "But what? Where is she?"
The man was clearly terrified, trembling uncontrollably. Under Huangfu Mi's sharp gaze, he spoke in a trembling voice, "But when we found her, she was already dead, and because the cliff was so high, her flesh was mangled beyond recognition..."
"A bloody mess?" Huangfu Mi's eyes widened. "That...that can't be her, it can't be!"
"But this servant discovered this."
A sandalwood hairpin was handed to Huangfu Mi. He had been full of hope, but now he staggered a couple of steps, staring at the sandalwood hairpin, his head buzzing.
"As long as the sandalwood burns out, I will not leave," was their vow. Yet, while the vow still echoed in their ears, the person had vanished without a trace.
"Wan'er--" He suddenly cried out to the sky, and was about to run out the door. He wanted to see her, even if it was just one last time. But suddenly everything went black before his eyes, and before he could understand what was happening, he fainted.
Before he fainted, he seemed to see Meng Wan again, her beautiful smile fading away with the wind.
Wan'er...