Acuerdo de Mu Yucheng

Capítulo 55

“Yes, a deal.” Wanlan smiled slightly. “If I’m not mistaken, the matter you secretly returned to the capital to discuss with Prince Jin was rejected by Prince Jin, wasn’t it?”

Zhao Pu's face froze, his eyes flickering as he avoided her gaze. "How did Your Highness know the purpose of my return?"

“How would I know? Don’t worry about it. I can help you, but you have to promise to do something for me,” Wanlan said, staring intently at him.

Three days ago, she said the same thing to Prime Minister Xue. However, although Xue Juzheng, like Zhao Pu, favored Prince Jin, he did not have Zhao Pu's eagerness and greed. Zhao Pu's appearance in the capital today shows that he clearly understands the current situation and hopes that Prince Jin can take action quickly. Xue Juzheng would never have imagined that a palace coup was imminent.

Zhao Pu did not immediately show any signs of relief. After a moment of silence, he looked back at Wanlan and asked, "Does Your Highness not wish for His Highness Prince Qin to achieve great things? In my humble opinion, His Highness Prince Qin should have no trouble becoming the Crown Prince. He not only has the Empress as his backing, but also the long-standing support of Prince Jin, doesn't he?"

Wanlan shook her head slowly but firmly, "I just want him to be safe and sound. This is also what I want you to promise me. When you succeed in your great undertaking, you must ensure that Zehua is safe and sound. No one, whether it is the Prince of Jin or the ministers of the court, is allowed to harm Zehua out of fear. How about it?"

Zhao Pujing gazed at the calm and composed woman before her, a hint of joy gradually appearing on her face. She said, "The King of Qin has always been kind and benevolent, and with the King of Jin treating him with utmost care all the way, who would dare to harm him in the slightest? Your Highness is probably overthinking this." She paused slightly, then sighed softly, "Moreover, the King of Jin has no intention of competing with his nephew. The King of Qin's ascension to the position of Crown Prince is just around the corner."

Wanlan smiled inwardly. Zhao Pu was being far too cautious. She had already put in so much effort, yet he still hadn't let his guard down. But then again, if he had given up on such an important matter so easily, he probably wouldn't have become such a remarkable figure in Song Dynasty history, serving as prime minister three times.

Lowering her eyes and slowly rising, Wanlan walked to Zhao Pu's side, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Lord Zhao, the Prince of Jin is not without the intention to compete with my nephew, but there is a reason why he is not competing."

Zhao Pu nodded in agreement upon hearing her words, "I also guessed that the Prince of Jin was concerned about something and that's why he had this attitude, but I just can't figure out the reason."

“I know why you can’t figure it out.” Wanlan straightened up, smiled, and turned around. “Lord Zhao, you can wait here for news. Wanlan will definitely persuade your uncle to cooperate with you.”

For the sake of his mother, the Imperial Uncle was able to protect Zehua day after day for years. So this time, he should also be willing to do the same for his mother.

Where did you go?

As soon as she entered, before she could even return to Tongxin Garden, she was stopped by Zhao Defang, who had come out to greet her. Wanlan took a step back guiltily, and as the person rushing towards her pulled her back into his arms, she secretly stuck out her tongue.

"Wanlan, why didn't you tell me you were going out? I thought Father had taken you back to the palace again."

"I went to Prince Jin's residence to see my uncle," Wanlan answered honestly, knowing full well that even if she didn't say it, Xuan'er would definitely tell her. She just hoped that Xuan'er wouldn't know that the person she went to see at Prince Jin's residence was Zhao Pu.

“You should have told me you were looking for your uncle,” Zhao Defang said, his brows furrowed slightly. His handsome face, still flushed with anxiety, remained pale as he held her tightly. “If you had told me earlier that you were looking for your uncle, you wouldn’t have made this wasted trip.”

She nodded obediently in his arms, and Wanlan said softly with a smile, "It was my fault, I'm sorry."

"Alright, it's good that you're back." Trying to suppress the lingering panic, Zhao Defang took her hand and led her into the house. "What did you need to see the Imperial Uncle for? Why were you in such a hurry that you forgot to tell me?"

It's not that I've forgotten, it's just that it's not the right time for him to know.

"It's nothing. I just wanted to ask if my uncle knows about my mother's situation. We haven't seen her for a long time, and I don't know how long Father will keep her under house arrest. What about you? What does my uncle want to see you about?"

As soon as Wanlan finished speaking, Zhao Defang suddenly stopped and turned to Xuan'er, who had been quietly following behind, and said, "You go down first. Madam and I will go back to our room. Don't let anyone disturb us before dinner."

Xuan'er responded and went downstairs, while Zhao Defang pulled Wanlan and hurried towards Tongxin Garden. He only let go of her after they entered Ziyun Pavilion. His dark eyes were fixed on her for a long time, successfully arousing Wanlan's fear. Then he spoke: "Wanlan, three days ago you said that the world would change in only half a month. Did you mean when the Imperial Uncle came to see me today?"

Wanlan remained silent. As expected, Zhao Guangyi came to discuss this matter with Zehua. It was probably because Zhao Pu had originally intended to help Prince Jin when he returned to the capital, but Prince Jin had instead dragged him to help Zehua. Zehua had no interest in the throne, while the Imperial Uncle was interested but could not sit on it. Zhao Dezhao's intentions were unclear, but there was no doubt that he had been stirring up Zehua's desire for power.

Zehua's position is unlikely to last long, and Zhao Dezhao's heart is not in it, so he will likely not have a good end either. It is still necessary to force the Prince of Jin out.

"Wanlan, tell me, did you know all along that Imperial Uncle was going to take some action soon? Why didn't you tell me? I can't let Imperial Uncle make a mistake. Not to mention that I have absolutely no interest in that position, even if I desperately wanted it today, I couldn't commit such a heinous crime of deceiving the emperor and betraying my ancestors! I can't do it, and I won't allow Imperial Uncle to do it!"

Zhao Defang spoke faster and faster, more and more urgently, pressing her hands on Wanlan's shoulders and staring at her intently. "Wanlan, tell me, what will the Imperial Uncle do? What can I do to stop him? Wanlan, tell me everything!"

Wanlan remained motionless, letting him do as he pleased. She quietly said, "Zehua, have you forgotten what you said? You said that if I rewrote history, I would become a sinner for all time. So now you want me to tell you everything, and then let you rewrite it and become a sinner for all time?" She slowly shook her head, saying slowly, "Zehua, leave everything to me. I will do my best to preserve certain things from harm. Don't worry... don't worry..."

How can I be at ease?!

Zhao Defang abruptly released her, flicked his sleeves, and turned his back. "One of them is my father, and the other is my uncle. Do you expect me to just stand by and watch them kill each other? I can't do that!"

Wanlan staggered back a few steps because of his sudden release, but stared unblinkingly at his stiff back. "So you want to kill each other with Zhao Dezhao?" He forbade the Prince of Jin to do it, but he had to do it himself, and there was no way to avoid it.

Zhao Defang suddenly turned around and glared fiercely at her. Wanlan had never seen such a terrifying expression on his face before. She lowered her eyelashes to avoid his direct gaze and forced herself to continue calmly, saying, "Zehua, you have no choice. Zhao Dezhao is forcing you, and Father is forcing Uncle, do you know that? He strictly ordered you to accompany him on the Northern Expedition. Isn't that to make you fight to the death?"

She gave a sarcastic laugh and continued, "Zhao Dezhao has been using all sorts of underhanded tricks since April. Do you think Father Emperor didn't know? But Father Emperor has never stopped him. You know all this, so why can't you see that Father Emperor is just using Zhao Dezhao to sow discord between you? I know your personality, and so does your uncle. He will help you do things that you can't do, but—I won't let him force you to do things that you don't want."

Zhao Defang's eyelids twitched in shock at her words. He turned around sharply and stared at her resolute expression, asking in alarm, "Wanlan, what are you going to do?"

Wanlan slowly raised her head to meet his shocked eyes, and said slowly but firmly, "I want to... enter the palace!"

Chapter 63, Looking Back, All is in Vain (1)

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Wishing all my friends a happy holiday and a joyous family reunion!

I'm really sorry for the few days I haven't updated.

It's National Day holiday soon... *sweat*

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Wanlan took the initiative to enter the palace and directly requested to accompany the Empress in the Funing Palace. Outsiders only thought that she was willing to be confined in the Funing Palace with the Empress. However, Zhao Defang, Zhao Guangyi, and Zhao Dezhao had completely different thoughts.

Knowing Wanlan's true background, Zhao Defang was terrified after failing to dissuade her, fearing she might do something outrageous.

Zhao Guangyi, who also knew Wanlan's true background, was suspicious of her motives. In addition, after learning from Zhao Pu that Wanlan had once contacted him, he began to suspect that Wanlan might know Zhao Pu's purpose in returning to the capital and wanted to use it to blackmail him. Therefore, he became more wary of Wanlan.

Although Zhao Dezhao did not know that Wanlan was no longer Princess Deqing, he suspected that Wanlan had entered the palace to do something for Zhao Defang, so he naturally paid more attention to Wanlan.

Wanlan, however, paid no attention to any of this. She no longer cared about the fighting outside the palace. In the days leading up to the palace coup, she had to be on the scene and arrange everything for Zehua before anyone else.

So when she was taken away by the carriage sent by the palace on the morning of the tenth of the tenth month, she handed Xu'er over to Xuan'er and left without looking back.

Wanlan had not seen Empress Song for four or five months. Although she knew that the reason why the Empress was placed under house arrest was because of Prince Jin, she also suspected that if the Emperor had evidence to prove the affair between the Empress and Prince Jin and punished them accordingly, he would not have let them off so easily.

She never imagined that the reason the Emperor only placed the Empress under house arrest was because the Empress was pregnant!

Inside the Funing Palace, Wanlan watched in disbelief as the Empress, her belly slightly protruding, struggled to her increasingly weak body as she came out of the inner palace to greet her. Startled, she hurried forward to support her.