Dispel Suspicion
In the morning, there was some mist in the forest, making it dim and unclear. I leaned against a big tree, motionless, and could clearly hear the conversation between them two.
"...If your Tangmei enters the palace, she will have the support of the Wei family, and even I would have to show deference," said Empress Xu in a soft, choked voice, devoid of any haughtiness. "Meng Jing, Chengxiang already controls half of the world, why must he covet even this tiny corner of the Imperial harem?"
"This is a decision made by my father, and I cannot intervene."
"He did it on purpose, didn't he?" Empress Xu stopped her low sobbing. "He has always resented my father's refusal to marry me off, and instead, he arranged for me to marry the Emperor, subjecting me to such humiliation…"
"I'll say it again," Wei Tan interrupted calmly, "the matter of my Tangmei entering the palace is not solely my decision. If you are truly concerned about safety, then don't send messages about secret meetings anymore. You are already a married woman, and if someone catches wind of this, no one will be able to save you."
"Oh? But you still came," Empress Xu said indifferently. "Why?"
"Whether you listen or not is up to you. This will be the last time I'm telling you," Wei Tan didn't explain but said, "This time, coming to see you will also be the last time. There won't be another chance." With that, his footsteps echoed away.
"Are you feeling guilty?" Empress Xu's voice regained its composure.
The footsteps came to a halt.
"Though our meetings can be counted by fingers, whenever I wish to see you, you still come," Empress Xu's tone was light but sharp. "You know that your father will eventually make a move against the Emperor, and I won't escape unscathed either. You feel guilty, that's why you keep coming to see me."
Wei Tan remained silent, offering no response.
The forest fell into an eerie silence, and for a moment, I thought they had suddenly vanished.
"Do you treat her the same way?" Empress Xu's voice was slow and she chuckled softly. "The Yumeiren I sent, does she understand its meaning?"
It felt like my heart was struck by something.
Wei Tan said, "She doesn't know, and there's no need for her to know."
"Oh? Indeed, she has Pei Qian."
"That's enough!" Wei Tan suddenly interjected with a stern tone. "You are the Empress now, the past..."
"Whoosh!" A sound interrupted their conversation.
I watched as the branch continued to sway, intending to quietly slip away. However, to my surprise, it caught onto my clothes. The noise was too loud, alerting the two of them. I held my arm, which was stinging from the branch's impact, and inwardly cursed my luck.
Should I run? I asked myself, but when I heard the footsteps approaching from about twenty feet away, I knew I couldn't escape.
"Who's there?" Wei Tan's cautious voice echoed from behind the tree.
I took a deep breath, adjusted my clothes, and walked out slowly.
When I faced the two of them, the astonishment on their faces was just as expected.
Wei Tan stood there motionless, staring at me with an inscrutable expression on his face.
Empress Xu also widened her eyes, but quickly hid her surprise and revealed a mocking smile as she glanced at Wei Tan. "You said that someone would catch us, and lo and behold, someone did. Ah, what a coincidence."
Wei Tan remained silent but stepped forward.
I couldn't help but take a step back, but he reached out and took my hand.
"Let's go," he said, holding my hand, and we walked back in the direction we came.
"Meng Jing!" Empress Xu suddenly changed her expression.
"Let's go back," Wei Tan said without looking back, pushing aside the branches that came towards us.
On the horizon, the sun was just peering out from behind the clouds, casting a crimson glow. The mist in the forest took on a faint golden hue. Wei Tan pulled my hand. We moved much faster than when we came, with each step deeper and swifter than before.
No one said a word, and Wei Tan's grip on my hand remained tight. The cold wind blew, and my ears, which had been burning with embarrassment just moments ago, now felt chilly and cool.
When we came here, the walk felt long and endless, but now, leaving seemed surprisingly fast. Before long, we were back on the road. A group of patrolling soldiers spotted us and looked surprised, saluting us one after another.
Wei Tan remained silent, leading me back to the tent without saying a word.
"Da Gongzi," a servant outside the tent approached him and said, "Just now, a messenger from Chengxiang came, saying…"
"Say that I am not here," Wei Tan said calmly. "No matter who comes looking for me today, tell them I'm not available." With that, he lifted the tent flap.
Ah Yuan had already stood up, and upon seeing us entering, she looked surprised. "Da Gongzi, Furen..."
"Leave," Wei Tan said.
Ah Yuan looked startled and quickly complied, glancing at me before hurrying away.
With no one else around, Wei Tan continued to hold my hand until I sat down on the couch. I stumbled slightly as he released his grip, but managed to sit up straight. Wei Tan kicked a small stool over to sit facing me, locking eyes with me.
Seeing that he was still agitated, I decided to explain first, "Qie didn't mean to eavesdrop. Earlier, inside the tent, Qie heard Fujun's voice, so One got up to leave. Little did One know that Fujun had already left, and Qie followed along, inadvertently running into (both of you)." After pausing for a moment, I added, "Qie didn't hear anything at all."
Wei Tan looked at me but remained silent.
Inside the tent, it was quiet, and I could hear the voices of soldiers chatting outside.
"Is this an explanation or an apology?" Wei Tan finally spoke.
"An apology," I considered for a moment and replied.
"Oh? You seem in the right and self-confident(idiom) (in your apology)."
"Every word Qie has spoken is true," I asserted.
Wei Tan didn't continue the conversation but looked at my arm. "Did the tree branch hit you just now?"
I hesitated for a moment and then nodded, then said, "How did Fujun know?"
"You were holding it with your hand just now," he said, reaching into a pouch at his waist and taking out a small porcelain bottle. "Stretch your arm, I'll apply some medicine."
"No need," I said, "It doesn't hurt."
Perhaps my tone was firm, but Wei Tan didn't insist. He hesitated for a moment with the porcelain bottle in his hand, then put it back in the pouch.
"Does Furen have any questions about what happened just now?" He asked.
Is this another trap? I hesitated for a moment.
"Then I'll tell you," without waiting for my response, Wei Tan continued, "I and the Empress, we once had a marriage agreement. But within less than a year, the engagement was called off."
The words came completely out of the blue, and my heart was caught off guard. Although I had known about it before, hearing him say it to me in person felt different.
"En," I didn't know how to respond, so I could only give a perfunctory reply.
"Our Zufus were old friends, and our families have had connections for a long time," Wei Tan explained. "When Fuqin served as an official in Luoyang, he encountered some troubles, and thanks to Xu Shaofu's assistance in Chang'an, our family moved to Chang'an, and the first family we interacted with was the Xu family. It was during that time that I met Xu Ping. The engagement was the idea of our grandfathers, but Xu Shaofu was not pleased with it. Fuqin understood her family's thoughts and didn't publicize the engagement after it was made. As expected, within less than a year, Xu Shaofu claimed Xu Ping was unwell, and a fortune-teller advised against an early marriage. He came personally to break off the engagement."
"After the engagement was set, I became a Yulin Guard. The discipline there was strict, and for half a year, I couldn't even see Xu Ping once. When I finally had some free time to go back home, I heard about the broken engagement," Wei Tan chuckled self-deprecatingly. "At that time, I was full of indignation and didn't know the reason, so I wanted to go to the Xu residence to find out the truth. But Fuqin locked me up. However, in less than two months, I heard that the late Emperor was going to select a consort for Prince Zhen, and Xu Ping's name was on the list. You know the rest of the story. Fuqin welcomed the Emperor to Yongzhou, and there was a great deal of work to be done. Many officials from Chang'an followed suit, and Xu Shaofu was among them. A year later, the Emperor granted the request to establish an Empress, and among the wives and families of the officials, Xu Shaofu sent Xu Ping into the palace, and not long after, she was proclaimed Empress."
I listened to his words without saying anything, but my mind was spinning like a wheel, unable to rest.
Prince Zhen was the son of Empress Bian, who was highly favored at that time. It was clear that Xu Shaofu's intention behind breaking off the engagement is to send Xu Ping to be considered for the position of consort. I remember that at that time, Wei Jue was only a Cavalry Commandant, while Xu Shaofu held a position among the Nine Ministers, so it was understandable that he didn't think highly of Wei Jue.
"...He did it on purpose, didn't he..." I recalled Empress Xu's question to Wei Tan in the forest.
What she said was not unreasonable. The Emperor was just a puppet, and the so-called establishment of an Empress was merely a show to pair this puppet with another. Wei Jue had been in close association with the Xu family for many years and knew all their secrets. Making Xu Ping the Empress was the perfect choice, but if any trouble were to arise in the future, Xu Ping and the Xu family would be unable to escape the consequences.
The image of Wei Jue, full of scheming, appeared before my eyes, and I couldn't help but feel a chill down my spine.
"Two years ago, the Empress was pregnant with a child," Wei Tan continued, "but in the spring of last year, she suffered a miscarriage at around four months. Since then, she has been haunted by suspicions of someone wanting to harm her, and she has been restless. She sent secret messages, pleading for my help, citing our past relationship. I was often away at war, and it was not convenient to reply to her letters. When I returned to Yongdu, she secretly left the palace to see me, just like today. This is already the fifth time." After finishing his explanation, he looked at me, "That's all there is between me and the Empress, apart from the meetings we've had. The rest of the details, Zi Xian (Wei Ci) knows about it. Furen can go and ask him."
The words sounded like a child making empty promises. Wei Ci, though not a seasoned schemer, was a cunning person, and he had always been on good terms with Wei Tan. I wouldn't go to him to seek confirmation on these matters.
"Understood," I nodded.
"There's one more thing. She likes Yumeiren, and when we got engaged, she adorned her hair with this flower," Wei Tan added.
I was surprised, "Yumeiren?"
Wei Tan nodded, "After our engagement, she once gifted me a handkerchief embroidered with Yumeiren. It was the only thing left from that year, and it has been stored in an old clothes chest in the side chamber."
I was taken aback by his words. Both directly and indirectly, he was telling me that he knew I had seen that handkerchief. The significance of the Yumeriren in the courtyard was no longer a secret either.
"Furen," Wei Tan gazed into my eyes, "We are already husband and wife, and our future lies ahead. Today, One spoke openly about these matters, and will continue to do so in the future. If Furen has any doubts or questions, there is no need to hide them."
I looked at him, and my heart felt like it had been grasped tightly.
"Da Tangxiong!" I was about to speak when suddenly Wei Ci's voice came from outside the tent, sounding both breathless and excited. "Da Tangxiong, come out quickly! The hunting party is about to begin! I saw them bring in a white wolf from Mount Zhongnan!"