Gao Xi noticed that Meng Fu’s expression was off and quickly came over to ask her: “What’s wrong with the Emperor? Was the jade pendant broken?”
Gao Xi knew how much His Majesty valued this jade pendant. A few years ago, when he had accidentally lost it, His Majesty specifically sent secret guards to retrieve it.
After quite a while passed, Meng Fu came back to herself, shook her head, and said: “No.”
But Gao Xi still felt that His Majesty’s expression was somewhat strange at this moment. Then, he heard His Majesty ask him: “Has this jade pendant always been by Zhen’s side?”
Gao Xi thought, what kind of question is His Majesty asking—how could he possibly know whether it has always been by His Majesty’s side?
Although the Emperor’s temper had improved a lot recently, words like this were things Gao Xi only dared think in his heart. He answered: “It’s been a few years, right? Didn’t you also bring it when you went to the Northern Frontier?”
“Is that so?” Meng Fu said nothing more. She tilted her head slightly, scrutinizing the jade pendant in her hand, and in the end couldn’t help but softly laugh.
So it was His Majesty.
It was His Majesty ah.
She should have recognized him earlier.
She let out a breath, placed the jade pendant into a small case, then put the case back onto the shelf. After finishing all this, Meng Fu lowered her gaze and glanced at the palace servant still kneeling on the ground. The servant was trembling all over from fright, tears falling nonstop like a string of broken pearls. Meng Fu didn’t intend to make things hard for him, waved her hand, and sent him away.
Now, only she and Gao Xi were left in the hall. Meng Fu turned around and sat on the dragon couch. She tried to once again sketch out the youth’s appearance in her mind. She had done this not just once before, but perhaps because too much time had passed, the face that finally emerged in her mind always appeared blurry and indistinct. But back then she had confidence—she believed that as long as that youth appeared in front of her again, she would certainly recognize him at a glance.
However, she failed to do so. If not for seeing this jade pendant today, who knows how much longer it would have taken for her to realize—that youth was him.
The image of the youth in Meng Fu’s mind gradually became clearer. So many years had passed, yet the youth’s face had never been as clear as it was now—just like he was standing right in front of her.
Meng Fu raised her eyes and had Eunuch Gao in the distance bring over a mirror. The mirror reflected the Emperor’s face. Compared to before, he now looked more mature, also more handsome. Meng Fu’s gaze finally landed on that faint scar on his left cheek. Back in those years, His Majesty must have suffered greatly at the Northern Frontier. The last time at the archery field in the western outskirts, he originally wanted to tell her about his experiences in the Northern Frontier, but in the end, only said the beginning.
Meng Fu set down the mirror in her hand. She didn’t know whether His Majesty still remembered her, but this matter—she wanted to speak to His Majesty in person. Right now, she very, very much wanted to see him. Unfortunately, tomorrow they would be setting off for Jun Mountain for the hunt, so she could only wait until after they returned.
Even though she couldn’t see His Majesty immediately, today’s discovery was still a huge surprise for Meng Fu. She took a bath and lay down early, wanting to rest well to prepare for tomorrow’s departure to Jun Mountain. However, even though the lights in the bedchamber had long gone out, Meng Fu’s mind was exceptionally active, without a trace of sleepiness.
At one moment, she recalled the Lantern Festival in the 11th year of Wenkang, how the youth had fiercely beaten up those ruffians. The next moment, she remembered how His Majesty had cursed out those court officials in front of her.
In her mind, the memory box was overturned in this silent night along with that box holding the jade pendant. All kinds of memory fragments surged forth—of the youth, of His Majesty, of Meng Fu herself—endless and unceasing, leaving her without a moment’s peace. Only when the sky to the east began to brighten did Meng Fu finally doze off.
After falling asleep, Meng Fu had a dream.
In the dream, it was once again the Lantern Festival, yet she was trekking endlessly through a pitch-dark long night, without knowing her destination. Someone stood behind her and patted her on the shoulder. She turned around and saw the youth—and the sky full of lantern lights.
The youth grew up in an instant, becoming the present-day appearance of Li Yue. He held Meng Fu’s hand and led her toward the brilliant lights. From afar, a giant butterfly flew over and landed amidst the sea of lanterns.
They sat on the butterfly. The butterfly carried them as it flew across continuous mountain ranges, flew over boundless plains. The evening wind, carrying the fragrance of gardenias, brushed against her long hair. When Meng Fu lifted her hand, she touched a star.
This was a very, very beautiful dream.
The east began to brighten, the long night receded, and all things awakened for the first time.
It was already autumn now. In the blink of an eye, it had been nearly three months since Li Yue and Meng Fu swapped bodies. Recently, Meng Fu was always unable to free up time and couldn’t leave the palace to meet Li Yue. In the past, when he couldn’t see her, Li Yue would still enjoy himself—playing polo alone, wandering the marketplace—but now he suddenly found it all meaningless.
In the end, Li Yue made a trip to Baima Temple. That bald monk Huaiming burst out laughing as soon as he saw him. This time, Li Yue didn’t hold back and directly started fighting with Huaiming. Huaiming probably didn’t expect it either, but in the end, he actually fell behind. Fortunately, no one saw it.
That bald-headed fellow applied medicine to himself while asking Li Yue, “Your Majesty, do you still think this isn’t a good thing?”
Was it a good thing?
Li Yue pressed his lips together and didn’t speak.
But that was already a kind of answer.
After all, the first time Huaiming asked him that, he had bluntly said, “You’re talking shit.”
Yesterday afternoon, Li Yue had taken a nap with the windows open. When he got up this morning, he felt dizzy and weak in his limbs. He raised his hand and touched his own forehead—it was a bit hot. He clicked his tongue, called Qingping in from the outer room, and spoke in a somewhat hoarse voice: “Qingping, go summon a physician.”
Qingping asked him, “Madam, what’s wrong?”
Li Yue yawned and said, “Feeling a bit feverish.”
Qingping came over to take a look and stood at the bedside complaining: “Yesterday when this servant left, I told you several times—now that the weather’s gotten chilly, if you want to sleep, you have to shut the windows tight. You insisted on not listening. In the end, it was still this servant who came back and shut the window for you.”
Li Yue’s headache worsened from hearing that. He urged Qingping, “So young and yet you nag so much? Go on, go on.”
Qingping sighed, “Then this servant will bring you another quilt. Don’t you open the window again.”
Li Yue waved his hand and said, “Got it, got it. No need for the quilt. Just go get the physician.”
After Qingping left, Li Yue fell back asleep again. He didn’t know how long he had slept, only that later he kept hearing people talking beside his ear, so noisy it annoyed him. He opened his eyes and saw Qingping had already returned, and asked her, “Why is it so noisy outside?”
Qingping said helplessly, “Madam, did you forget? Today is the old Marquis’s birthday.”
He had just mentioned this matter to the madam two days ago—how could she forget this quickly?
Li Yue raised his hand to press his forehead. He only remembered that Meng Fu was leaving the capital today. That meant at least four or five more days without seeing her. Thinking of this made him feel even sicker and more miserable.
Qingping went with the physician to collect the medicine. Li Yue summoned the two secret guards by his side. No one in the Marquis Manor could control him anymore. He was worried that Meng Fu might encounter danger during this trip to Jun Mountain, so he sent the two guards to stay by her side.
Meng Fu knew that His Majesty had sent these two secret guards back and didn’t say much. She obediently accepted His Majesty’s goodwill.
Right before setting out, Divine Physician Pang came to Meng Fu to plead for forgiveness: “This humble one has matters at home and will not be going to Jun Mountain with you. It’s only one or two days left, please don’t be angered. Take this medicine with you—take one pill at sunrise and one at sunset, for three days, and the poison in your body will basically be cured.”
Meng Fu received the small jade bottle from Pang Huazhen’s hand and nodded. “Zhen knows.”
Pang Huazhen repeatedly reminded her several more times before finally withdrawing.
The hunting expedition team was fully prepared and ready to set off. In order to save face for His Majesty, Meng Fu had already claimed in advance that her body wasn’t feeling well, so she sat inside the carriage reading a book. The carriage slowly made its way along the central avenue of the Imperial Capital. Meng Fu’s eyes grew a bit tired from reading, so she lifted the curtain and looked outside—and whether it was heaven’s will or something else, the moment she raised her eyes, she actually saw His Majesty standing by the roadside.
His Majesty was wearing a gray cloak, with a veiled hat on his head, wrapping himself tightly from head to toe. Meng Fu didn’t know how it was possible, but she could recognize him at a glance from within the crowd. Qingping stood beside His Majesty, chattering away about something. And at that very moment, His Majesty raised his hand and waved at her.
He stood among tens of thousands of people and waved farewell to her.
Qingping saw Li Yue’s motion and asked him, full of confusion: “Madam, who are you waving to?”
Madam insisted on coming out, and she wrapped herself up like this—who could possibly recognize her?