Anti-Knochen-Scharlachlied

Kapitel 26

"Go down," Su Li said coldly, without even glancing at her.

Wanlan turned her head to look at Qiuju and said, "You go down too, Qiuju."

"yes."

When only the two of them were left in the room, Wanlan casually smoothed her hair, stood up gracefully, walked to the door and closed it. She turned around and smiled slightly at Su Li, whose eyes were half-lowered.

"It seems you're doing quite well by the Prince of Yan's side."

“You don’t need to look for those servants anymore, they know nothing.” Su Li repeated the same words, her eyes still half-closed, her long black eyelashes trembling slightly. “As long as you stay here quietly, I can guarantee your safety and won’t let anyone hurt you, after all…” She didn’t finish her sentence, but Wan Lan knew what she meant. After all, the two of them had once been master and servant, and even though they were now on opposite sides, Su Li didn’t want to hurt her former mistress.

The intense Su Li of that moonlit night was completely gone. Perhaps the separation from her master these past few days had made her think things through, or perhaps her current appearance had brought about some changes in her.

Wanlan raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't answer. She walked over and pulled her to sit down on the soft couch together, ignoring her astonished expression, and said casually, "Su Li, is he good to you?"

Su Li was so shocked that she stood up abruptly, her eyebrows trembling slightly, her lips parted but she couldn't utter a word.

Wanlan shook her head slightly and softened her tone, "I don't want to pry into your affairs. I just want to tell you that you need to know what you are pursuing. As long as you are sure that it is what you want, then do it and strive for it, just like me. Right now, all I want is a person named Zhao Defang. I am just a woman, and I only want to be a quiet and dutiful wife, following my husband wherever he goes and whatever he does."

"You make it sound so simple!" Su Li turned her face away, avoiding her gaze, her voice slightly hoarse. "Some things simply don't allow women to have control over them. You can't just do whatever you want."

"Is he good to you?" Wanlan asked again. Su Li was a beautiful woman with a strong personality who dared to love and hate. If such a woman were in modern times, she would definitely be a fiery and charming woman. However, in the Song Dynasty, many constraints made her hide her face and furrow her brows, living in a corner, waiting for that person to glance at her by chance.

How wronged I am!

"And what do you know?!" Su Li suddenly stood up and glared at her, tears of humiliation welling up in her narrow eyes. "You... what do you, this lucky princess, know? You think you can just get caught in the rain, have a child, and forget the past completely, then find someone who loves you again? Someone like you... has no right to sit here and pretend to care about others with this pitying tone! At least I, Su Li, don't need it!"

After shouting, Su Li flicked his sleeves and turned to leave.

"Stop!" Wanlan slammed her hand on the table, her face turning cold. "I may have forgotten the past, I may not remember what happened before, but you can tell me clearly! It's fine if you think my concern is feigned, and I don't care how Zhao Dezhao treats you! I only asked you this question today because I wanted you to say something worthwhile, and I couldn't force you to say it! But! What's wrong with me finding someone who loves me again? Especially since this person is my husband! You have no right to criticize me for this!"

Su Li's series of stern low shouts startled her, leaving her wide-eyed and unsure how to react.

With a cold face, Wanlan stepped down from the kang and stood in front of Su Li. Her clear, dark eyes fell silently on Su Li's face. "I am no longer a princess, and the former Jiao Wanlan no longer exists. Su Li, let me make things clear to you today. It is your business if you want to follow Zhao Dezhao. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other. Please tell Zhao Dezhao that if he tries to use me as a bargaining chip or resort to underhanded tactics, even if I, Jiao Wanlan, never return to Zehua's side, I will not tolerate him doing anything immoral!"

“You…” Su Li’s face turned pale. “You know…” She suddenly stopped talking, staring at Wan Lan’s frosty face with suspicion and uncertainty, unable to say anything more.

"What do I know?" Wanlan sneered, pressing forward aggressively, determined to win at every step. "Are you going to say that I know what Zhao Dezhao is planning in Jiangling? Or are you going to say that he kidnapped Princess Qin from the palace while the Emperor and his officials were away from the palace to offer sacrifices to Heaven in Luoyang, the Western Capital? Tell him! He won't succeed!"

"No!"

Su Li screamed, her face pale, and ran to the door, pulling it shut as if she had seen a ghost.

The room fell into a deathly silence in an instant.

Wanlan didn't react for a long time. She clutched her chest tightly with one hand, unable to catch her breath. Just as she was about to suffocate, she suddenly shuddered and gasped for air, then slammed her hand against the table next to her to prevent herself from falling.

My chest hurts so much...

She sat slowly on the stool, her face pale, breathing heavily. A cold sweat began to bead on her forehead, and the sharp pain in her heart gradually subsided after she took several deep breaths.

Her heart condition... she probably really brought it with her.

With a bitter smile, Wanlan lowered her eyes. How could she have lost control again today? She had no idea what Su Li hadn't said, nor did she know what Zhao Dezhao was trying to do. Her words just now were just words of coercion that she had blurted out, hoping to force something out of Su Li, but she hadn't succeeded.

But—judging from Su Li's pale, bloodless face, Zhao Dezhao is probably planning something big. What could it be?

Wanlan, who had been keeping her head down, suddenly looked up, her face showing fear again—

Could it be because of... that incident?

Chapter 27, Who Taught the Osmanthus Leaves to Fragrance in the Moonlight and Dew (1)

The thunder rumbled and the torrential rain subsided.

On April 17th, the sky, which had been clear for more than half a month, suddenly darkened. Thunder and lightning followed, and a torrential downpour relentlessly lashed down, inevitably soaking Zhao Defang and his entourage, who were returning to the capital from Ji County. Returning to the Prince of Qin's residence in a disheveled state, they were stopped at the door by the Prince of Jin, who had come upon hearing the news. Seeing Zhao Defang's drenched state, the Prince immediately gave him a cold scolding and sent him inside to change his clothes.

When he came out, besides Prince Jin, there was a middle-aged man in blue robes in the hall. He was standing anxiously by the tea table, about five steps away from Prince Jin. When Zhao Defang entered the hall, he suddenly raised his head and hurriedly called out, "Your Highness!"

Zhao Defang wore a long, wide-sleeved black robe, his dark hair half-tied up with a plain white jade hairpin, the rest hanging straight down his shoulders. His handsome face showed signs of fatigue, but he was in good spirits. His bright eyes sized up the man from head to toe, and he asked, "Who are you?"

"Your Highness, I am a waiter at the Qiaofeng Inn. I have come to deliver a letter to Your Highness. An old man surnamed Lan came to our inn yesterday to ask some questions and then wrote a letter asking me to personally deliver it to Your Highness."

Lan Wu? "What letter?"

The man hurriedly took out an envelope from his pocket. The envelope was bulging with something inside. Zhao Defang glanced at Zhao Guangyi, who was sitting to the side drinking tea with a cold expression, and his face grew increasingly cold. She silently took the envelope and opened it.

As he read the letter, Lan Wen and Xuan'er appeared in the hall, both dressed neatly, and waited quietly to the side. He put down the letter and slowly took out a crystal-clear white jade hairpin from the envelope. His dark eyes were fixed on the flower on the hairpin, which had lost two petals, and his lips were pressed tightly together. He didn't say a word.

"That's..." Xuan'er exclaimed in surprise. Having served Wanlan for nearly three months, she naturally recognized the hairpin. "Your Highness! That's the Madam's hair ornament!"

“I know.” Zhao Defang slowly exhaled, her eyes lowered to conceal the overwhelming emotions within them. “The petals on this hairpin were maliciously broken off. I hope Wanlan did it herself, which means she knew she was being deceived and must have wanted to leave this hairpin as a warning to me. Although the chances of me seeing this hairpin are very slim, she still wanted to send me a message.” But if… if it wasn’t Wanlan who left it, then she… she…

No way! If it really was my elder brother who took Wanlan away, he definitely wouldn't harm her, he definitely wouldn't...

"Your Highness, what did my brother say in his letter?" Lan Wen asked anxiously.

"After questioning some people at the post station, he learned that Wanlan had breakfast at the Qiaofeng Post Station before she left. This hairpin was very likely left by her at that time, which means that... Wanlan knew about her situation before she left the capital. However, since the other party is the Prince of Yan, Wanlan's safety should not be a problem."

"Defang".

Zhao Guangyi, who had been sitting quietly to the side, finally put down his teacup and coldly called out to him, "I don't know what you're up to. This happened and you didn't inform anyone. Do you think you can easily find Princess Deqing by secretly investigating on your own? Look at the state you've become in just two days since you returned to the capital! Don't forget that you still have to go to Guizhou!"

“Uncle.” Zhao Defang turned to look at him, smiled gently, put the jade hairpin in her hand into her bosom, and said, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. I must go to Guizhou. I will set off at any time after I have arranged things in the manor in the next two days.”

Zhao Guangyi snorted coldly, "That's for the best!" He stood up, shook his sleeves, and was about to leave when he suddenly stopped at the door. He stood with his hands behind his back, not turning around, and said casually, "Will you go to say goodbye to the Empress before you leave the capital?"

Zhao Defang looked up at him in surprise, only to see his straight back. "Of course, what's wrong?"