Meng Fu couldn’t be certain whether His Majesty’s accelerated heartbeat and the poisoning really had some kind of inevitable connection, but out of concern for His Majesty’s health, she still opened her mouth and asked: “How about calling a doctor over to take a look at you?”
“Wait a moment, maybe I’m not poisoned,” His Majesty promptly stopped her. He paused for a bit, then seriously began to analyze his own condition with Meng Fu, he said, “Maybe it’s just because you suddenly came close to me just now and I got too excited.”
His Majesty himself was also feeling puzzled inside—what was there to be so excited about?
Meng Fu’s eyelashes trembled lightly, she didn’t speak, only stared fixedly into His Majesty’s eyes, as if through this body of flesh, she could see His Majesty’s soul.
Li Yue, being looked at by her like that, felt his heartbeat—which had just calmed down—become restless again.
He wanted to say something to Meng Fu, but it seemed he didn’t know what exactly he should be saying to her at this moment.
He racked his brains and thought of a joke he’d heard before, told it to Meng Fu, and after speaking for a while, he stopped and silently watched her.
Meng Fu was somewhat absent-minded at the moment; even after His Majesty finished telling the joke, she didn’t smile. After a long while, she put down her hand, stepped back half a step, and said to Li Yue: “The sand is gone, but it might still feel uncomfortable. Don’t use your hand to touch it.”
Li Yue gave an “oh” in reply.
The wind stopped, and for a moment the entire archery range fell silent. In the world, only the occasional chirp of insects in the grass remained, as if whispering sweet nothings between lovers.
Meng Fu sorted out her excess emotions and asked Li Yue: “What do you plan to do with the Prince of Xuan?”
She relayed one by one the secret reports that the dark guards delivered today to Li Yue. Li Yue had some rough idea of who the Prince of Xuan could recruit, but he hadn’t expected that so many people from the former Crown Prince’s faction still hadn’t given up. “Like a centipede that dies but does not fall”. [百足之虫，死而不僵, meaning that old forces or corrupt systems are hard to completely eliminate even after being overthrown]
After Meng Fu finished speaking, Li Yue calculated the days and said to her: “Once the Mid-Autumn Festival has passed, have the dark guards take action.”
Give the Prince of Xuan two more days—perhaps he could still rope in a few more small fish. Li Yue even hoped he could draw in more, so he wouldn’t have to keep arresting them again and again endlessly. Hopefully this time, they could clear them out more thoroughly.
Meng Fu nodded and remembered Li Yue’s words.
Li Yue leaned his upper body forward a bit and asked Meng Fu: “You seem a little unhappy.”
“No.” To show that she wasn’t unhappy, Meng Fu lifted the corners of her lips and gave him a smile.
Li Yue shook his head, reached out his hand, and rather intimately pinched her cheek, saying to her: “This smile is too fake.”
Li Yue withdrew his hand, and Meng Fu then raised her own to rub the spot he had pinched.
Li Yue asked: “Did it hurt?”
He felt he hadn’t used any strength just now, though Meng Fu’s skin was delicate—wait, no, that was his own face. Then it should be fine.
“No, it didn’t hurt,” Meng Fu put her hand down and explained to Li Yue: “I was just thinking about some things.”
Li Yue asked her: “What things? Tell me.”
Meng Fu shook her head and smiled at Li Yue. This time, her smile carried more genuine emotion. She said: “It’s a secret, can’t be told to others.”
Li Yue didn’t press her and just nodded: “Alright then.”
That’s what he said with his mouth, but his expression still looked a bit aggrieved.
Meng Fu felt that His Majesty like this was really too cute.
If one got to know this emperor deeply, who wouldn’t like him?
She even thought to herself, could he stop being like this.
She had always thought that human emotions and feelings could be controlled, and she had always controlled them quite well.
It was only recently that she discovered—wanting to control one’s own heart was not as easy as she had imagined.
She let out a sigh in her heart. Some things really couldn’t be thought about—once thought about, they would only make one feel even sadder.
She said to Li Yue: “Then I’ll go practice riding and archery now. If you feel cold, you can go into the room and warm up.”
Li Yue waved his hand and said to her: “Go, go, I’ll just sit here and watch you.”
That’s what Li Yue said, but when Meng Fu walked into the archery range, he couldn’t sit still either. When sitting down, he didn’t feel much, but the moment he stood up, he immediately felt a wave of heat rush downward.
His Majesty took a deep breath—what kind of worldly suffering was this!
He stood in place for a while, feeling like everything had drained out of him, and then slowly dragged his chair over. Meng Fu gave him a slightly disapproving glance, but His Majesty didn’t pay her any mind, swaggered over and sat down on the chair, saying that later he could help give a few pointers.
Meng Fu withdrew her gaze. In fact, it didn’t make much difference where His Majesty sat.
She picked up her bow and arrow, drew the bowstring tight, and squinted to aim at the target in the distance.
The wind started blowing again, and the sky was darker than before. This, to some extent, affected Meng Fu’s performance—only whether the influence was good or bad couldn’t be determined just yet. Because her fifth arrow hit the bullseye. This was the first time Meng Fu had achieved such a result relying solely on herself.
Of course, the wind might have secretly helped her a bit.
Who knows?
The moment she saw the arrow hit the bullseye, even Meng Fu herself couldn’t quite believe it. She had thought that her skill—if she could manage to avoid missing any targets before the Autumn Hunt—that would already be very good.
She turned her head, the curve of her brows, eyes, and lips were all smiling, countless tiny stars sparkled in her eyes. Her tone carried a trace of pride, and she said to Li Yue: “Your Majesty, I hit the target.”
Meng Fu rarely showed emotions like this—it was like a child who had just been praised by their teacher.
Li Yue felt like his heart was being gripped by a hand, and then completely softened. He suddenly wanted to pull her into his arms and properly praise her.
But in the end, Li Yue didn’t do anything—he only laughed along with Meng Fu and clapped his hands for her.
Only that one arrow hit the bullseye today, but for Meng Fu, it was already an incredible improvement. The sky gradually darkened, and fine drizzle began to fall from the sky. The dark guards delivered two paper umbrellas to them, then quickly disappeared from their sight.
This kind of weather definitely wasn’t suitable for continuing to shoot arrows. Besides, it was getting late—they both should head back. As they were leaving the archery range and about to part ways, Li Yue suddenly asked her: “How do you plan to spend Mid-Autumn Festival?”
His Majesty’s harem was empty. In the entire imperial palace, there were only her, the Empress Dowager, and the Ninth Prince—just these three masters. But the Ninth Prince was still young and didn’t like talking much. The only ones who could chat were the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, so the Mid-Autumn Festival likely wouldn’t be much different from usual days.
Meng Fu replied: “Not long ago, the Fifth Princess entered the palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager and said she was planning to hold a moon-viewing banquet in Bai Xiang Garden during Mid-Autumn, and would like to invite the Empress Dowager to honor it with her presence.”
In previous years, the palace would also hold a small banquet for Mid-Autumn, but it wasn’t very meaningful. Li Yue asked: “What does Mother think?”
Meng Fu said: “The Empress Dowager told me that staying in the palace was fine, but from the look of it, she probably does want to go out.”
Li Yue was easygoing about matters like this, and nodded: “Then go out of the palace. A bit of lively atmosphere is good too.”
In the fine misty rain, the distant green hills were like ink, wisps of clouds curling up.
On the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month—Mid-Autumn Festival—the Fifth Princess and her Prince Consort held a moon-viewing banquet in Bai Xiang Garden, inviting most of the nobles and high-ranking officials in the capital. The Xuanping Marquis Manor was also among the invited.
Bai Xiang Garden was built in the southeast of the imperial capital. Within the garden grew more than a hundred kinds of famous flowers and dozens of fruit trees—lush and green with vegetation in all seasons, filled with a pleasant fragrance, hence the name “Bai Xiang Garden.” The garden was also large enough that even with over a hundred people attending, it didn’t feel crowded in the slightest.
Li Yue was attending a banquet outside the palace for the first time in his identity as the Consort of Xuanping Marquis. Originally, he thought this kind of banquet wouldn’t be much different from a palace banquet, but in truth, he was too naïve.
At palace banquets, everyone dared not make a single mistake, so they all spoke and acted with extreme caution, saying and doing as little as possible, staying honestly in their own seats, and only speaking when addressed by someone of higher status. But today was different—the Emperor and the Empress Dowager hadn’t arrived yet, and many people didn’t even know they would be attending. So, everyone was gathered in small groups, chatting idly.
Meng Fu’s relationships with these madams should be pretty good, so when Li Yue arrived at Bai Xiang Garden, the noblewomen all came over, asking him this and that.
All kinds of scents from rouge and powders almost drowned Li Yue. He had originally wanted to try helping Meng Fu maintain good relations with these noblewomen, but looking at all these faces—each one unfamiliar yet somehow vaguely familiar—Li Yue’s mind was left with only one thought: Who’s this? Who’s this? Who’s this again?!
He truly gave it a try—he really couldn’t handle it. Moreover, the mixed smell of cosmetics was somewhat choking.
Li Yue sneezed, found an excuse at random, and took Qingping away from that terrifying place, intending to find a quiet corner to lay low. On the way, they ran into a noblewoman adorned in fine silk and brocade.