Acuerdo de Mu Yucheng

Capítulo 32

Wanlan was slightly taken aback; she was indeed hiding something from him.

Looking up at his furrowed brows and worried expression, she narrowed her eyes slightly. Should she... tell him? Could she tell him? Tell him she wasn't his wife, tell him she would never remember those memories that weren't hers, tell him this heartache was something she brought to him from another time and space.

Will he believe it?

"Wanlan?"

With slightly hazy eyes, Wanlan blinked slowly, smiled, moved her arms to hug his waist, and whispered, "Zehua, I'm hungry." Perhaps... next time. They had only just reunited; she wanted to experience more of his tenderness, to have more memories of him.

Chapter 36, The Storm Is Brewing (2)

The owner of Bizhuang has returned.

The people of Jiangling City have been paying close attention to this latest news for the past two days.

I've heard that the young master is incredibly gentle and refined, and treats his wife exceptionally well. He often takes his ailing wife out for walks, and the way he carefully tends to her makes onlookers swoon. However, the couple's favorite activity is boating on the emerald lake. A simple boat, an oil-paper umbrella, and a few desserts from Qingzhuzhai—their leisurely and tranquil lifestyle is the envy of all unmarried men and women.

And I've heard that the lady's heartache hasn't flared up again! That's truly something to celebrate!

"Heartache?"

The man in black, who was about to step into the teahouse, suddenly stopped and turned to look at the servant behind him with his head bowed. "What's going on? When did Princess Deqing develop such an illness? I've never heard of it before."

"Your Highness, the doctor can't find the cause either."

The man frowned. "Is Princess Deqing up to something? She suddenly came all the way from the capital to Jiangling, and even made Defang abandon her official duties to look for her. What exactly does she want?" That woman has completely changed her personality since she "lost her memory," and even Defang has changed along with her. It's really outrageous!

"Your Highness, the master hasn't forgotten his duties, otherwise he wouldn't have sent me back to the capital to request the Empress to send someone to fetch the Lady." But instead of seeing the Empress, the Prince of Jin ordered me to bring him to Jiangling to find her. Fortunately, another task the master had entrusted to me was completed.

However, after traveling day and night to reach Jiangling, they heard that their master often took his wife on trips around the country. None of the servants in Bizhuang could say where they were going today, so they followed Prince Jin out of Bizhuang, intending to sit in this teahouse and perhaps hear some news.

Zhao Guangyi glanced at him coldly, "There's something wrong with your wife." He had long felt that Princess Deqing had completely changed, and he didn't believe the "amnesia" story at all!

Lan Wen remained silent. He didn't care whether his wife was right or wrong; he thought his wife was good now, and he was very happy with the relationship between his master and his wife. Even if his wife had "lost her memory" and forgotten everything, she was still his wife.

"You still have the leisure to go sightseeing! The Prince of Yan must be quite something to have abducted Princess Deqing to Jiangling. How come Defang doesn't care at all!" Zhao Guangyi flung his sleeves and, without even entering the teahouse, turned and headed towards Bihu Lake on the outskirts of the city.

Lan Wen stared in surprise at his cold, hard back. Although he knew that his master, as the youngest son, had been favored since childhood and was loved by both the Emperor and the Empress, he was surprised that Prince Jin had become so biased towards his master. Moreover, when he returned to the capital to go to the palace to meet the Empress and tell her about his master's relationship with Prince Yan, Prince Jin stopped him and told him not to speak. He remembered that Prince Jin had a furrowed brow and looked very troubled at the time.

It seems... even the Prince of Jin is changing...

Finally, upon arriving at Bihu Lake, they encountered Zhao Defang and his wife returning from their boat trip. Zhao Defang was visibly stunned upon seeing Zhao Guangyi, before lowering his eyes and offering a faint smile. He then silently led the frosty-faced Zhao Guangyi back to Bihu Manor. Meanwhile, Wanlan, who had been sheltered in Zhao Defang's arms, seemed oblivious to the murderous glare in Zhao Guangyi's eyes, a faint smile remaining on her lips.

She had long known that Zehua had sent Lan Wen back to Beijing, and had hoped to follow in his footsteps to Guizhou. However, her son was still in Beijing, and she missed him terribly after not seeing him for a month. Now it was May, and Zehua would be back in less than half a year.

But... thinking about the reason that prompted him to come back, she couldn't help but frown with worry.

After her earlier argument with Su Li, she wondered about Zhao Dezhao's motives for kidnapping her, but she couldn't believe it. History clearly stated that Zhao Dezhao was indifferent to fame and fortune, and rarely spoke. That position shouldn't have held any appeal for him, especially since, as the eldest son, he shouldn't have taken any action before Emperor Taizu of Song had established a crown prince, lest he bring unnecessary trouble upon himself. Yet, he did this at this crucial juncture, which was truly incomprehensible.

"...Wanlan?"

She looked up and realized they were back at Bizhuang. Everyone in the room was staring at her strangely. Subtly concealing the faint confusion in her eyes, she smiled and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Your royal uncle is asking you a question."

She turned to greet Zhao Guangyi, who was sitting in the main seat, her smile unchanged. "Uncle, I'm sorry, Wanlan was just lost in thought. Could you please ask again?"

Zhao Guangyi turned his gaze away from her and asked indifferently, "Since the Prince of Yan is no longer here, why don't you leave on your own? I heard that the guards don't know your identity at all. If that's the case, if you want to go, who dares to stop you? Why must Defang come to fetch you?"

Wanlan pursed her lips, "Uncle, you don't know this, but before Zehua arrived, this place wasn't guarded by these people. Wanlan was being held captive here and couldn't escape on her own." But it's strange, the journey from Jiangling to Junzhou is much shorter than the journey to the capital, and Su Li and the others set off earlier than Lan Wen. How come Prince Jin has already arrived in Jiangling, but Prince Yan is nowhere to be seen?

"Since the situation is as it is, you shall return to the capital with me, so that Defang may go to Guizhou in peace. What do you say?"

Wanlan smiled gently, "Of course, Wanlan thanks you in advance, Imperial Uncle."

Zhao Defang dismissed everyone else in the hall, leaving only Lan Wen and Xuan'er to serve him.

"Uncle, why are you here in Jiangling? Does Mother know that Wanlan has been found?"

Zhao Guangyi lowered his eyes. "Yes, she knows."

Lan Wen, standing to the side, was taken aback. How did the Empress know? He hadn't even had time to hand over the letter his master had written to the Empress. The Prince of Jin had rushed to Jiangling the moment he saw him. How could he have had time to inform the Empress?

"Then, Imperial Uncle, please set off back to the capital tomorrow. I will entrust Wanlan to you." He himself should also get back on track. He had already delayed for so many days because of Wanlan, and he could not make things difficult for Imperial Uncle any further. If this matter were to be reported back to the capital, it would probably be difficult to resolve peacefully.

"No." Zhao Guangyi coldly refused. "We'll leave today. You go south, and we'll go north. It's better to leave this place as soon as possible. Your elder brother hasn't even shown up yet. You're letting her take Princess Deqing away so easily. Don't you think it's too simple? He tricked people out of the capital without considering the consequences. Was he really that naive?"

Zhao Defang remained silent for a long while. He naturally knew that this matter was not simple, but he hoped that it could be resolved peacefully. Besides, he did not want to part with Wanlan in such a hasty manner. "Uncle, it is getting late today. Shall we set off tomorrow morning?"

Zhao Guangyi stood up abruptly and stared at him intently. “We can return to the capital whenever we want, but not you! You’d better leave Bizhuang immediately, before Dezhao returns here, or rather, before the Emperor’s decree arrives. You must leave here.”

"Your Majesty?!" Lan Wen and Xuan'er both paled and exclaimed in shock. How did this involve the Emperor?

Wanlan's eyebrows twitched slightly, and her fingers unconsciously tightened around Zhao Defang's sleeve. "Zehua, listen to your uncle, leave now. I'll be fine. Once you've settled in Guizhou, send someone back to the capital to pick me up, okay?"

Zhao Defang frowned, his face turning grim, but his voice hardened, "Uncle, my elder brother wouldn't—"

"He can!"

Zhao Guangyi interrupted him sharply, his eyes icy cold, "You are you, and he is he! Don't even think that his thoughts are the same as yours! Defang, Defang, you are too cowardly!"

"Uncle, Zehua is just—"

"Shut up!" Zhao Guangyi's sharp eyes swept over Wanlan, and he angrily flicked his sleeve, saying, "Princess Deqing, I have no interest in your affairs! But if Defang is put in danger because of you, I will definitely not let you off! I don't care what Dezhao did with you, but if he causes trouble for Defang, I will definitely get involved!"

"I know!"

Wanlan raised her pale face to look at him, her whole body stiff and unable to move. She breathed softly, hoping to alleviate the dull pain in her chest. The person in front of her made her feel immense pressure. He had hated her from the beginning, and all he had done today was for Zhao Defang. This person made her feel that her existence was so shameful. The reason she returned to the Song Dynasty was only to give others the opportunity to use her to hurt Zehua.