Anti-Knochen-Scharlachlied

Kapitel 22

Wanlan raised her right foot and stepped onto the low stool. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the slightly flustered face of the palace maid standing behind Xiahe. Her thoughtful eyelids narrowed, and she became increasingly convinced that this matter was probably not arranged by Zehua at all.

Thinking this, she slowly pulled her feet back from the low stool. If it wasn't Zehua's arrangement, then who was it? Why would they lie to her about leaving the capital? The Emperor, the princes, and the civil and military officials were all accompanying the Emperor to Luoyang; who would be distracted at this crucial juncture to deceive her?

Seeing her step back, Xiao Luzi asked in surprise, "Your Highness, what's wrong? Hurry up and get in the carriage!"

Wanlan remained expressionless, staring intently at him. "You are the prince's attendant? Why have I never seen you before? None of the servants in the prince's mansion have ever mentioned you."

Xiao Luzi's expression visibly stiffened, and his smile became somewhat forced. "Your Highness, please get in the carriage. I will explain everything to you slowly in a moment. Please get in the carriage first."

Wanlan remained silent, seemingly lost in thought about Xiaoluzi's excuses. Suddenly, she smiled and said, "Alright, you can talk about it later. I left the palace in such a hurry today that I didn't even have time for breakfast. So—" She glanced at "Qiaofeng Inn," "Since we're already late, I'll have breakfast first and then go after them. It's okay if I'm a little late."

After saying that, she took the lead and headed towards the post station.

The three people behind her had different expressions, but for some reason, none of them said anything to stop her. Xiao Luzi just bit her lip and silently followed.

Breakfast lasted less than fifteen minutes. During the meal, Wanlan specifically requested that the palace maid who had been cautiously following Xiahe accompany her to the outhouse in the backyard of the post station. Afterward, she obediently followed Xiaoluzi and Xiahe into the green-canopied carriage, remaining silent the entire way. She didn't know where the carriage would take her, only hoping that Zehua wouldn't mistake her disappearance for an attempt to escape from him.

As the desolate scenery outside the window, washed clean by the drizzle, rushed past, Wanlan quietly reached out and pressed her hand to her chest. A slight, tingling pain suddenly assaulted her mind, which she was trying to calm down, and she felt panicked—there was no way to avoid it.

For the first time, she found herself so strongly wanting to depend on someone—her only husband, the only one she was close to in this unfamiliar Song Dynasty…

Chapter 22, Turning Around, the Building Was Empty and the Person Was Gone (1)

In the summer, in the fourth month, on the day of Gengzi, a joint sacrifice was offered to Heaven and Earth at the southern suburbs. It rained incessantly for a month, only clearing up on the appointed day. After the ceremony, the elderly people of the capital, their hair streaked with gray, said to each other, "We have experienced much turmoil in our youth; we never imagined we would see a peaceful emperor again!" Some wept. On that day, the emperor ascended the Five Phoenix Tower and granted a general amnesty.

On the day of Jia Chen, an imperial edict was issued ordering the return of the people to the east.

On the day of Bingwu, the emperor departed from Luoyang Palace; on the day of Xinhai, he arrived in Dongjing (Kaifeng).

On April 15th, the imperial carriage returned to the palace. The officials had already been dismissed outside the palace and sent home to rest. Emperor Taizu also returned to his bedchamber. Prince Qin wanted to go directly to Qinlan Palace as soon as he got off the carriage, but the Empress invited him to Funing Palace instead.

Before even entering the palace, he heard a desperate cry, and Zhao Defang was startled, suddenly having a very bad premonition. He quickened his pace and rushed into the Funing Palace. Inside, besides the attending maids, only Yuanniang, who was holding Xu'er and constantly patting and comforting him, and the Empress, who sat anxiously to the side. Zhao Defang's heart tightened, and he stepped forward to ask, "Mother, what has happened?"

"Defang!" The Empress rushed forward in alarm. "Lan'er is missing!"

Zhao Defang's face stiffened. He lowered his eyes, clenched his fists, and forced himself to calm down. He asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

"Lan'er left the palace the day you went to Xijing. According to some of the palace maids, Lan'er left the palace in a silver-gray carriage that day. The driver was a young eunuch, and Qiuju was with her beside her."

As the two were talking, Xu'er kept crying. The Empress's voice became a little louder. After Zhao Defang finished speaking, he strode over and hugged the child, whose face was red from crying, and gently comforted him. Perhaps sensing the arrival of his father, the child gradually stopped crying and fell into a deep sleep.

With a tender touch, Zhao Defang gently shook the child in her arms, looked at the Empress, and asked in a low voice, "Mother, besides these, are there any other clues? You haven't found a single piece of information in the past half month? Wanlan couldn't have disappeared into thin air."

Empress Song sighed, "Of course I found some information, but—there is still no news about Lan'er's whereabouts. Not long after you left the capital that day, the Imperial Guards in the capital had not yet dispersed. According to them, a young eunuch took your token and drove a carriage out of the palace. When I sent people to find the carriage based on the eyewitness's description, the carriage was already empty."

Zhao Defang was stunned. His token?

"Does anyone remember what that little eunuch looked like? Do they know who he was? Also, did Wanlan disappear alone or was she accompanied by a palace maid? Where is the silver-gray carriage you found parked? Has anyone in the area seen Wanlan get out of the carriage? Do they know the direction they left in?" He asked all the key questions in one breath.

The Empress shook her head. "Besides Wanlan, Xiahe and Qiuju from Qinlan Palace have also disappeared. As for who that little eunuch is, no one recognizes him, nor does anyone know where he got the token. The carriage is parked in the suburbs, but there are no houses nearby. We have no idea where Lan'er has gone, and she hasn't sent any message back. I think something must have happened. Your father just returned to the palace today, and I haven't had time to tell him about this yet. I'm still considering whether it's convenient to tell him."

"Don't say anything yet," Zhao Defang handed the sleeping child in her arms to Yuan Niang beside her. "Please take care of Xu'er, Mother. Father has been tired these days, let him rest. We can talk about the token later. The most important thing now is to find Wanlan's whereabouts."

Seeing him hurrying out, Empress Song quickly called out to him, "How are you going to find it?"

Zhao Defang paused, his hands clenching tightly. "I don't know yet, but I will definitely find her!" Only half a month had passed, and he never expected to return to find her missing. Wanlan had amnesia… Where would she be taken, someone she might not even be familiar with in the capital? Was she afraid?

Oh my god... he should stay by her side every step of the way!

"Although I don't know if this matter will be of any help to you, on the morning Wanlan disappeared, Yongqing went to see her and we talked about something. As soon as Yongqing left Qinlan Palace, Wanlan left the palace shortly afterward."

Zhao Defang turned around and looked at her in surprise, "Sister Yongqing? Why is she back in the palace?"

"I heard that Consort Wei came to the capital on some business, so Yongqing came along and stayed in the palace for two days. After hearing that she was looking for Lan'er, I originally wanted to summon her to ask about what happened that day, but I never expected that she would only stay in the palace for two days before going back."

"Is that so?" After a moment of contemplation, Zhao Defang stepped outside. "I'll go ask my elder sister first."

"Well, there's one more thing. On the day Wanlan left the palace, many people in the city saw the carriage she was riding in. Some insiders said that the carriage initially stopped at the 'Qiaofeng Inn' and left the city several hours later. Wanlan may have gotten off the carriage at the 'Qiaofeng Inn' and no one knows where she went afterward."

Fengfeng Inn? It seems to be located in the west of the city.

He hurried out of the Funing Palace. The scorching heat from the western sun made Zhao Defang pause. He squinted at the setting sun, which was clearly fading, yet still lingered with a burning intensity. It had been raining when he left, the fine, dense rain turning his path to Xijing into a long, wet ribbon. The reluctance he felt for Wanlan that day seemed to be entangled and bound by that fine rain, hindering his difficult steps. Why, when he returned, had the rain stopped and the sky cleared, yet she had vanished without a trace?

That day, he hadn't even properly said goodbye to her.

When he returned to the mansion, it was already getting dark. It was Chief Steward Pei who opened the door. Seeing him enter alone, he asked with great confusion, "Your Highness, didn't the Princess and the young master come back with you?"

Zhao Defang was slightly taken aback. It turned out that the household was unaware of Wanlan's disappearance. However, he assumed that his mother thought he was not in the household, so she did not send anyone to inform him.

"Steward Pei, pass on the message and have the Lan brothers, Lan Wen and Lan Wu, come to my study. You come too, I have something to tell you." Zhao Defang said as he walked towards Canghan Pavilion. Just before he turned the corner, he suddenly turned around and called out to Steward Pei, who had turned away to look for someone. He then called out, "Oh, right, Steward Pei, call Xuan'er too."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Chapter 23, Turning Around, the Building Was Empty and the Person Was Gone (2)

He pushed open the study door, paused for a moment at the doorway, and then stepped inside.

He still remembered what she said when she first pushed open this door: she wanted to be his wife, to be Xu'er's mother. At that time, besides being happy to accept, he only felt a hesitant flutter in his heart. He couldn't help but wonder, if he had known then that he would eventually be unable to let go of that woman, would he have held her even tighter?

She stepped through that door a second time, but it was because of that provocative letter. That trust, perhaps, was the beginning of his descent into an inescapable trap.

The third time, he would probably never forget the way that woman rushed towards him with tears in her eyes as she pushed open the door in a panic, and the light kiss and deep embrace. Their souls were truly connected from that moment on.

Wanlan, no matter where you are, I will find you.

Please wait patiently for me.

"Your Highness, everyone has arrived." Steward Pei led the three into the study and closed the door, vaguely sensing that the prince seemed to have something very important to tell them.