Chapter 536: The Thousand-Year-Old (57)
Moreover, the emperor tried to arrange marriages for her, but Wen Wan chased them all away. In any case, she believed in the principle of one man for life, and it was impossible for Wen Wan to marry anyone else. Besides, her circumstances did not allow her to marry anyone else.
What Wen Wan didn't expect was that she would actually see Mei Yi.
She was shopping at the time, and someone walked past her. Wen Wan glanced over and happened to see that unfamiliar yet strangely familiar face.
Wen Wan turned her head, but she couldn't see anyone.
She initially thought she had misread the image, but to her surprise, she saw Princess Meiyi again at a restaurant the next day.
However, since this beautiful princess was dressed in men's clothing, if it weren't for her face, Wen Wan wouldn't even think she was Mei Yi.
That's normal, though; a little pretense is understandable.
Wen Wan didn't want to go up and disturb them. After all, they had no relationship anymore. She had set Mei Yi free, and now she had a new lover. As for Mei Yi, she was destined to be just a passerby.
However, Wen Wan did not want to bother the other party, but soon the other party took the initiative to come to her door.
"Young Master Qi, it's been a long time."
Wen Yan: "!!!"
This voice... seems different from before; it's deeper, even more like a man's.
Wen Wan stared at Mei Yi's Adam's apple, then glanced at her chest, and frowned. Is this really a woman? It doesn't seem quite right.
Gu Li, standing beside her, stared coldly at Mei Yi, especially when he saw Wen Wan observing her. He even tightened his grip on Wen Wan's hand. Wen Wan called her into a private room at the restaurant, "Why is Princess Mei Yi here?"
Mei Yi glanced at Gu Li, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
"I heard that His Highness has married a new princess consort. So this must be the Second Prince's consort?" Mei Yi greeted.
Gu Li nodded.
She didn't even introduce herself. Her eyes were full of thorns as she looked at the other person. After all, this beautiful woman was married to Wen Wan, which made her different from everyone else.
"What does Princess Meiyi want with me?"
"I have something I would like to ask Your Highness for help with."
Wen Wan was surprised that the other party really wouldn't come without a reason. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"I would like to ask Your Highness to lend me a few men to protect me."
"Can."
Mei Yi looked at Wen Wan, "Your Highness, aren't you going to ask me why?"
Wen Wan: "Why?"
Meiyi: "..."
“My brother recently tracked me down and wants to get rid of me, so I need someone to protect me.”
Wen Wan knew the details, but she stopped asking for more specifics, knowing that even if she did, the other party might not tell her.
While drinking tea, Wen Wan observed Princess Meiyi several times, saying, "Meiyi, your disguise is really good. I even suspect that you are a real man."
Mei Yi: "I was originally a man."
Wen Wan spat out her tea with a "pfft," and exclaimed, "What did you say?"
Mei Yi smiled and said, "I'm just like Your Highness, I'm only trying to save my own life. Your Highness will surely understand how difficult it is."
Wen Yan: "..."
I understand, but I really didn't expect this!
This was not only not a princess, but also a prince, and a prince who was married to her in a political marriage.
Although he escaped afterward.
But what's wrong with this world? Why do so many people like to dress as men and women as men? Are the concubines in the harem all so mixed up?
Furthermore, one of her princesses was disguised as the empress's son to consolidate her power and status, while another prince was disguised as a princess. What was the point of all this?
But this was Mei Yi's secret, and Wen Wan couldn't ask too many questions.
Afterwards, Wen Wan gave Mei Yi a few guards, and then Mei Yi left. Wen Wan looked at Gu Li, who seemed to be in a bad mood, and belatedly realized that the other party seemed to be jealous. She took Gu Li's hand and asked, "Are you jealous?"
Gu Li: "No."
"Your face is so sour and you still say you're not jealous? But Meiyi and I have nothing to do with each other, so you don't need to be jealous. I only like you."
Gu Li: "I know."
Wen Wan: "It's good that you know, but I really didn't expect him to be dressed as a woman. How interesting! Me, a second prince dressed as a man, marrying a princess dressed as a man—if word got out, no one would believe it!"
Do royal palaces always prefer to obscure the gender of their offspring?
As soon as Wen Wan finished speaking, she noticed that the air had turned cold. Good heavens, Gu Li was angry again.
"I was wrong."
Gu Li: "I didn't say anything, Your Highness, there's no need to explain."
"You're scary even without saying anything." Wen Wan kissed Gu Li. "I was wrong. I promise I won't mention him again. Maybe we won't even have a chance to meet. Why are you jealous?"
Gu Li: "..."
Of course he was jealous.
The moment he saw Meiyi, he even considered killing her on the spot.
This beautiful woman was Wen Wan's lawfully wedded husband. He had initially thought she was a woman, and he could control himself from having any wild thoughts. But who would have thought that she was actually a man?
The thought of a man marrying his lover filled him with uncontrollable anger and heartache.
They had been in the same room for so many days, and although he knew nothing had happened, he still felt he couldn't accept it.
Next time, it's best not to let him see it.
Otherwise, he himself doesn't know what he might do.
...
For a while afterward, things were calm, and the secret guards sent to protect Meiyi occasionally sent messages.
The other party was being hunted down, and by a very skilled assassin.
However, they later learned that the Second Prince was protecting Mei Yi, so the people chasing after her stopped.
They sent the beautiful clothes to his country, and then he was taken away.
The guards returned to report.
Wen Wan did not expect that Mei Yi was not only asking for people for her, but also using her identity to tell the people who were hunting her that they should not act rashly.
Wen Wan was used.
To be honest, she wasn't too angry, since the other person hadn't done anything too outrageous. She had agreed to lend the money, and there were no injuries. However, she knew they would never have any further contact. Wen Wan was afraid of this kind of person.
She dislikes anyone who takes advantage of her.
We might not be able to be friends anymore.
Wen Wan took the initiative to report this matter to the emperor. Although she knew that there must be spies of the emperor among the secret guards protecting her, and that the emperor might have known about it for a long time, Wen Wan still had to speak up, mainly because she was honest.
The emperor indeed said nothing, as he had expected it all along.
He was urged to have a child again, but Wen Wan pretended not to see it. This time, however, he not only urged her to have a child, but also asked her to go back, because it was the Empress's birthday and the Emperor wanted her to go back to visit her mother.
Wen Wan, however, had no choice but to go.
So they started packing their luggage and took Gu Li, Xiao Cui, Mingzhu, and Xiao Jiu'er back with them. Along the way, Wen Wan bought a lot of things, filling one carriage after another.
Upon arriving in the capital, we first paid our respects to the emperor.
He did his best to escape the emperor's pressure to get married, and then hurriedly went to visit the empress.
Compared to when Wen Wan visited last time, the Empress was much calmer and more composed. She was even without any jewelry, looking like a true nun practicing Buddhism rather than an Empress who had been demoted to reflect on her mistakes.
She looks even more ethereal.
Upon seeing her, the Queen was delighted. "You've come all this way, but why did you bring so much stuff? I don't need it here."
Wen Wan: "Why don't we need them? These are all local specialties from different places. They are all delicious and nutritious. And these clothes are all simple in color but beautiful. They are most suitable for Mother."
"The Empress Dowager is practicing spiritual cultivation, not enjoying a life of luxury."
“Cultivating oneself and enjoying blessings are not mutually exclusive! Mother, this is a gift from your daughter to you, please accept it all.”
The Empress smiled and said, "Alright, I'll accept them all."
Afterwards, the Empress asked Wen Wan about her recent situation, and Wen Wan answered her questions one by one. Then she said, "Mother, there is something I have been thinking about for a long time, and I have decided to tell you."
“Yu’er said.”
"Mother should know that I have a second prince's wife, and Mother should also know his identity."
The Empress's expression changed slightly. "I know. Xiao Cui told me that it was Gu Li, the eunuch by your side, who was in disguise."
"I...I've fallen for him, and we're already together."
Empress: "!!!"
Her bad premonition came true, and the Empress wanted to explode in anger for a moment, but her long years of cultivation allowed her to control her temper. "Yu'er, don't joke with your mother. His identity... he's a eunuch. How could you..."
"Mother, Gu Li is a good person. If it weren't for him, I would have died countless times. If there is anyone in the world who would protect me without regard for their own life, then besides you, it is only Gu Li."
"My daughter just likes him. Whether he is a eunuch or a normal person, she doesn't care."
"Yu'er, you are still young. Maybe love is very important to you now, and you are willing to do anything for love. But what about the future? You won't have children, and you won't even have a normal married life. How can that be?"
Wen Wan: "Why is that not allowed? Who says lovers have to sleep together? Father has three thousand beauties in the palace, and many women can only grow old and die in the palace, and they can't even see Father once. Do they not live? Love is love, and it has nothing to do with anything else."
"Besides, I can't have children. Didn't my mother say that my safety is the most important thing? My happiness is all that matters? I am very happy now, but I still hope to get my beloved mother's understanding."
Empress: "..."
"I... need to think about it. You should go back and rest first."
Wen Wan nodded and hugged the Empress. "Mother, I love you very much. I don't want to have any unnecessary conflicts with you because of anything, so I took the initiative to confess."
Wen Wan left the Empress's room, leaving her alone to think things over. After all, accepting this matter was no easy task for her.
The Empress sat in her chair, her mind a jumbled mess. Was this retribution? Had Heaven finally realized the extent of her wrongdoings and was now slowly bringing this punishment upon her? She shouldn't have even entertained the idea of turning her daughter into a son. Perhaps none of this would have happened. How could her perfectly healthy daughter have fallen for a lowly, rootless eunuch? Even if it had been an ordinary man, the Empress wouldn't be so heartbroken and unable to understand.
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