Anti-Knochen-Scharlachlied

Kapitel 68

"Come on, let's eat," Zhao Guangyi said with a smile, picking up his chopsticks. "Eat first, we can talk about it later."

Zhao Defang shut his mouth, and Wanlan remained expressionless. The three of them quietly finished their lunch. Wanlan got up and told the palace maids to take the food away. She then had tea brewed. When the three of them were in the hall again, the air seemed to stand still.

No one spoke.

Wanlan held her breath for a moment, then gasped as she felt a slight throbbing in her heart. Her fingers, hidden within her wide sleeves, tightened so much they almost drew blood from her palms. She had so many questions for him, yet she feared bringing danger to her mother. Was this really the best situation? How unfair it was to her mother! She couldn't bear the thought.

"Royal Uncle".

Zhao Guangyi frowned slightly, considering how best to start the conversation, when he suddenly heard Wanlan call him. He instinctively looked up and met Wanlan's serious expression, replying, "What is it?"

"Wanlan dares to ask what happened that night, is that alright?" Historical records only mention a few words about the death of Emperor Taizu of Song, and the man in front of her had the power to block the news. If she asked him so directly, aside from the crime of treason, Zhao Guangyi would probably find it difficult to tell her the truth. But if she didn't ask, she would be uneasy for the rest of her life.

Zhao Guangyi was taken aback, probably not expecting her to be so bold and direct. "This is not something you should be concerned about," he said in a cold tone, pursing his lips.

Wanlan chuckled softly, "It shouldn't be, but I have the right to know what kind of ending I'll get by risking my life, and how much my uncle is connected to my father's death—"

"Wanlan!"

Zhao Defang, who had been sitting, suddenly stood up, strode over to her, pulled her behind him, raised his eyes to look at Zhao Guangyi, and said softly, "Uncle, please forgive Wanlan's impetuousness. I will take her back now—"

“No, you may all sit down.” Zhao Guangyi interrupted him calmly, a barely perceptible smile curving his lips. “Since Deqing has spoken, it saves me the trouble of considering how to begin.”

Zhao Defang gritted his teeth, tightened his grip on Wanlan's hand, and silently pulled her to sit down beside him.

"Deqing," Zhao Guangyi said in a low voice, his eyes slightly lowered and his right hand stroking the teacup on the table, "I would like to know how future generations will evaluate me regarding the death of the late emperor."

Sitting between the two, Zhao Defang's face was tense, and he held Wanlan's hand tightly. Hearing Zhao Guangyi's words, he looked up, about to interrupt, but Wanlan gently tugged at his arm, and before he could speak, she had already spoken—

"Uncle, your question seems superfluous. Later generations did not witness it firsthand, so how can they evaluate it? The only way they can understand the whole story is through historical records, and they will believe whatever the historical records are written."

Zhao Guangyi's sharp eyes narrowed, fixing on Wanlan's calm face. "So you think the late emperor's death is related to me?"

"Yes," she answered without hesitation.

"Was it done by me?" He raised an eyebrow.

Wanlan smiled and said firmly, "No."

Zhao Guangyi lowered his eyes and chuckled softly, "In your opinion, this matter is related to me but not my doing, so it was a coup orchestrated by me?"

"Royal Uncle!" Zhao Defang suddenly stood up, staring at him with surprise and uncertainty. What was the purpose of his interrogation of Wanlan?

The couple were deliberately challenging his authority.

Zhao Guangyi glanced at him sideways, a half-smile on his face.

Wanlan, who was holding hands with Zhao Defang, stumbled and nearly fell as he suddenly stood up. She glared at him helplessly, pressed him back down, and then turned to meet Zhao Guangyi's intrigued gaze, shaking her head.

“I never said you planned this, Imperial Uncle. Don’t pin a false accusation on Wanlan. You are the Emperor now, and your word is law. A single word from you could put Wanlan’s life in danger.”

Zhao Guangyi lowered his head expressionlessly, then slowly stood up from his chair, hands behind his back, and turned away. "What crime could you possibly have committed? The one who is guilty is me..."

He looked up at the colorful phoenixes painted on the vermilion beam and said quietly, "My brother did indeed die at my hands, and this throne should have belonged to Defang. I brought you into the palace today to tell you this clearly. As for what to do next, that's up to you. I... will have no objections."

He said he used "I" instead of "朕" (the imperial "I") in this passage, and his tone was very calm, even somewhat weak.

Zhao Defang was startled, his body, which had been about to stand up, suddenly slumped back down. He stared blankly at Zhao Guangyi's retreating figure—that night, his uncle had clearly sent Wanlan back to Qinlan Palace, then summoned the imperial physician, and stayed until the physician had bandaged Wanlan's wounds before leaving… Why did his uncle lie? Why… would he take the blame for the murderer? Wanlan glanced at Zhao Defang, stood up, and walked to Zhao Guangyi's side. With their backs to Zhao Defang, who was five steps away, she lowered her voice and said, "Uncle, Zehua won't believe this, and I certainly won't."

Zhao Guangyi remained motionless, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Whether you believe it or not is your business. Anyway, I've already said that I won't have any objections to whatever you do next."

Wanlan also tilted her head slightly to look at the phoenix on the beam, and continued in a soft voice: "Although I lost consciousness that night, you must have taken me to Zehua's side before you could leave. Even if you turned back to assassinate Father Emperor without stopping for a moment, there would definitely not be enough time, because it was already close to dawn."

"No, I have enough time. I can have Eunuch Wang take you to Qinlan Palace first, while I stay behind to kill my brother, then catch up with Eunuch Wang and hand you over to Defang myself."

Wanlan remained noncommittal. She turned to face him, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Uncle, if I remember correctly, besides you and me, there was another person present at the Wansui Palace that night. Isn't she somewhat suspicious?"

Zhao Guangyi's sharp eyes swept over her, then he glared at her abruptly, his face immediately tightening as he gritted his teeth and said, "Jiao Wanlan! You need to know what you're saying!"

Wanlan's smile remained unchanged. "I'm just stating the facts. Your Majesty is being too agitated."

"Salty orchid!"

"Royal Uncle!"

Zhao Defang was startled to see the two men's expressions change. He rushed over and pulled Wanlan behind him. The worry and fear he had suppressed for so long made him blurt out his innermost thoughts, "Uncle, Wanlan doesn't know anything. Please don't pressure her anymore. I've already said that the matter of the throne has nothing to do with me. If you allow me, Uncle, I want to take Wanlan away from the palace, away from the capital. Anywhere is fine. We can never set foot in the capital again!"

"Zehua!"

Wanlan stared at him in astonishment. "What nonsense are you talking about? Uncle didn't force me to do anything. Don't be so nervous." On the contrary, she was the one pressuring Zhao Guangyi. Her suspicion of her mother was just something she mentioned casually, but now that she thought about it, it seemed quite likely. If she were to take the blame for her mother, that would indeed be something Zhao Guangyi would do. But she still didn't understand—how exactly did her mother's child disappear?

Zhao Guangyi glanced at the two of them, then turned away with a flick of his sleeve and said coldly, "Go back!"

"Then, we'll take our leave." Zhao Defang hurriedly pulled Wanlan into his arms and moved her away, but Wanlan resisted. Unable to break free, she helplessly called out to the isolated man:

Is it her?

Zhao Guangyi suddenly turned around and glared at her, "No!"

"It's her, isn't it?" Wanlan met his fierce black eyes without flinching. "Since you protect her so much, why did you hurt her? Aren't you afraid of regretting it later by taking her child? You—"

"Wanlan!" Zhao Defang roared in shock and anger, grabbing her with both hands and pulling her close to his chest to stop her from speaking. He looked up and met Zhao Guangyi's shocked eyes, suppressing his voice as he said, "Uncle, please forgive Wanlan for all her outrageous words tonight. I will take her away now and ask you to punish her another day."

Holding his struggling wife tightly in his arms, Zhao Defang quickly left.

Chapter 73, Emperor Wang's Springtime Heart Entrusted to the Cuckoo (3)

Wanlan glanced furtively at the man still standing straight by the window. His desolate figure made her bite her lip hard, but she didn't dare to approach him and apologize.