The Beauties of the Song Dynasty - Chapter 6
Xue Suxin shook her head, stepped forward to her side, and looked at her quietly with gentle eyes, "Wanlan, I'm very happy."
Wanlan asked in surprise, "Happy?" How do you explain that?
“Yes, I’m happy for you. Perhaps this is God’s will, to let you let go of the past and start anew.” Xue Suxin took her hand very naturally and smiled gently. “Wanlan, the Prince of Qin is a very good person. You can rely on him with peace of mind. If you really can’t remember the past, don’t be afraid. He won’t hurt you.”
Wanlan was stunned. This Miss Xue... is she really a close friend of Wanlan?
"Xue—"
"Call me Suxin."
Wanlan smiled slightly, then pulled her to sit on the soft couch. "So, Suxin, can you tell me about my past? I want to know what kind of person I am. I need to understand my past self in order to know how to move forward."
“Of course.” Xue Suxin winked at her playfully. “That’s why I came here.”
Wanlan chuckled softly. This prime minister's daughter, though seemingly delicate, revealed a strong inner strength in her words. Despite suffering from asthma, she could joke around with others without any concern, which was truly endearing.
Chapter 5, Old Best Friends Reconcile Past Events (2)
Wanlan, originally surnamed Jiao, was the daughter of Jiao Jixun, the Prefect of Henan and Military Governor of Zhangde, and General of the Right Martial Guard. In the early spring of the eighth year of the Kaibao era—that is, last year—she married Prince Qin, Zhao Defang, at the age of seventeen, nine months older than Zhao Defang. Their marriage came quite suddenly. Wanlan had been favored by Empress Song since childhood and was taken in by her side. She was given the title of Princess Deqing by the Emperor and grew up with Zhao Defang and Zhao Dezhao. However, perhaps because Zhao Dezhao was the older of the three, Wanlan liked to cling to him and did not associate much with Zhao Defang, who was about the same age as her. Unfortunately, Zhao Dezhao pretended not to know, or perhaps he really did not care about Wanlan, and he did not see any of Wanlan's feelings for him.
Later, Zhao Dezhao married and left the palace. Wanlan, longing for him, originally wanted to ask Empress Song to go with him. However, somehow, Zhao Dezhao married a wife in a short period of time, shattering Wanlan's unspoken feelings. Empress Song, heartbroken for Wanlan, was considering whether to let Wanlan enter the Prince of Yan's residence. But Wanlan was strong-willed; since the person she loved no longer belonged to her, she would never utter the word.
Empress Song was at her wits' end and had a headache. She thought of Zhao Defang, who was to be married the following year, and decided to bring the two children she had watched grow up together. To her surprise, the two parties involved had no objections at all and actually agreed to her wish and the marriage took place.
When Xue Suxin got to this point, she glared at her with amusement and said, "You two are really a match made in heaven, treating marriage like a child's game."
Wanlan merely smiled and said nothing, but in her heart she recalled what Zhao Defang had told her yesterday. He said he needed a wife, while Wanlan at that time needed a husband, so they got married. But why did Wanlan need a husband? Was it really because the Prince of Yan abruptly married her before she could express her feelings, and she resigned herself to marrying someone else? This reason seemed perfectly reasonable, but upon closer examination, it was somewhat far-fetched. She really wondered what Wanlan was thinking at that time.
"What kind of person is Zhao Dezhao?" Wanlan suddenly asked.
Xue Suxin paused for a moment, then raised her lips and said gently, "The Prince of Yan is a rather taciturn person. He is cold and polite to people, but not eloquent. He has a rather strong personality, which is completely the opposite of the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Dian."
"So, did he still like the old Wanlan?" She needed to find out this so she could decide how to treat the Prince of Yan in the future.
Xue Suxin was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled softly. She nudged Wanlan, "Why are you asking me? Do you think I'm that familiar with the Prince of Yan? How would I know whether he likes you or not?"
Wanlan playfully stuck out her tongue, and after looking at each other for a while, the two of them burst out laughing at the same time.
Xue Suxin left around noon. Before leaving, she looked at her son and said that the child looked very much like the prince. Wanlan originally wanted to have lunch with her before going back, but she said that her family would worry if she stayed out too long and that she would see her again when she had the chance. Wanlan also said that she would choose a time to visit her after she finished her postpartum confinement and chat. Only then did she reluctantly let her go.
Xue Suxin was truly a good friend. I just don't know if she can still regard Wanlan as a confidante as before.
"lady?"
Wanlan snapped out of her reverie and realized she had been standing by the bed in a daze. She looked up at the pink-clad maid in front of her and smiled slightly, "What is it, Xuan'er?"
"It's time for your meal," Xuan'er replied softly, her eyes half-closed.
Wanlan didn't move. She quietly observed the girl for a long time until she noticed her body becoming increasingly stiff, then slowly spoke, "Xuan'er, do you know where the Prince is?"
Xuan'er seemed to be taken aback for a moment, then replied respectfully, "His Highness is still in the study."
“Very good,” Wanlan nodded, walked past her to sit at the table, looked at the table full of delicacies, and said loudly, “Go and invite the prince over, and tell him that I want to have lunch with him.”
Xuan'er stared at her blankly, not reacting for a moment. Wanlan raised an eyebrow, "Didn't you understand?"
"No, I understand," Xuan'er replied hastily, and hurriedly left.
Wanlan smiled slightly as she turned around, then rested her chin on her hand and looked at the door with interest—this girl was really afraid of her, which was quite strange. According to Suxin, Wanlan used to be strong-willed and stubborn, but she shouldn't have been so ruthless to her servants. Why would Xuan'er be afraid of her mistress?
Just as he was considering how to get the truth out of Xuan'er, someone flashed into his line of sight, accompanied by the baby's shrill cry.
Wanlan was startled and quickly stood up to greet Yuanniang, who was carrying the child into the house. "What's wrong? Why are you crying like this?"
Yuan Niang smiled and said, "It's alright, it's alright. The young master is hungry, so I brought him over to feed you."
Breastfeeding...
Wanlan paused for a moment, sighed, and carefully picked up her son, who was crying pitifully, and patted and comforted him as she went into the inner room.
This child is her son; it's her responsibility.
But--
"Ouch—ouch—it hurts!"
Wanlan grimaced and cried out in pain. How could such a tiny child have such a strong mouth? It was sucking her nipple so hard it hurt terribly.
Yuan Niang laughed from the side, "Madam, this is still mild. When the child grows teeth, you might bite them until they bleed!"
"ah?"
However, after the baby suckled a few times, her chest didn't feel as full as before. Instinctively, she turned the baby to the other side and gently held him in her arms. The baby's eyes were tightly closed, his furry little head nuzzled a few times, found the nipple, opened his mouth, and sucked hard.
Wanlan looked at his satisfied expression with his eyes closed and smiled gently.
The feeling of being a mother...it's so wonderful. Although in her world she had never even been in love or married, at this moment, she felt a sense of pride. Are women... truly born mothers?
After a while, the child stopped inhaling, and the breath he exhaled through his nose blew evenly onto her bare chest.
Yuan Niang smiled and said, "Madam, the young master is asleep. Let me hold him."
"Oh, okay."
With a touch of reluctance, Wanlan handed her son over, her gaze still fixed on the sleeping little face, a warm feeling welling up inside her, filling her with an inexplicable excitement. Her eyes followed Yuanniang as she carried the child out, when suddenly her gaze met a pair of deep, dark eyes standing by the screen. She was startled, momentarily speechless, staring blankly at him.
When did he arrive?