The Beauties of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 9

Caught off guard by his question, Wanlan was momentarily flustered. She stood up unconsciously. "But...but you are my husband. Shouldn't I ask for your decision before I do anything?"

Husband.

Zhao Defang's heart softened, and his gaze softened as well. He reached out and took her hands, which were twisting nervously in her confusion, and gently stroked them in his palm. There was a hint of expectation in his eyes. "Wanlan, whatever you want to do, I will agree. Tell me first, what are you thinking?"

Her panicked heart calmed down. She stood in front of him, composed herself, and looked up to meet his gentle eyes. She smiled shyly and said, "I want to let go of the past. I want to be your wife, and I want to be Xu'er's mother. Is that alright?"

sure!

Zhao Defang closed his eyes briefly, wrapped his long arms around her from behind, and pulled her into his embrace. His smiling voice whispered in her ear—

"As you wish."

Chapter 8, The Emperor's Feelings Are Unpredictable, and My Heart Is Hidden (1)

"What?"

At midday, under the warm sun, Wanlan, dressed in a white Confucian dress with dark blue lotus flowers, sat in the pavilion of the Cherry Blossom Garden, basking in the sun. Beside her were Xuan'er and Yuanniang, who was holding a child.

Wanlan put down her teacup, looking at Yuanniang across from her with a surprised expression, and asked again, "Yuanniang, what did you just say?" She hadn't misheard, had she? That Tongxin Garden actually…

Yuan Niang smiled and shook the child in her arms, repeating, "I said, Tongxin Garden is the courtyard where you and the Prince got married. I don't care what happened between you two in the past year. Now that your relationship has stabilized, when are you going to move back?"

Wanlan was speechless: "You call that a stable relationship? At best, it's just peaceful coexistence. Compared to their previous situation where one of them lived in the east and the other in the west, now they occasionally have a meal together, and Zhao Defang occasionally comes to visit her and her son. Apart from that, what kind of relationship is there? Isn't Yuanniang overthinking things?"

At the very least, she couldn't see how much Zhao Defang liked her.

Wanlan rested her chin on her hands, glaring at the dishes on the table with a hint of annoyance—so this was what his "as you wished" meant that day; in five days, he had only had two dinners with her and visited her three times. Indeed! Compared to the previous situation where they couldn't see each other for half a year, their relationship was definitely "stable" now!

Little did she know that her appearance was seen by Xuan'er and Yuan Niang, who both covered their mouths and chuckled.

Yuan Niang looked at her mischievously and asked, "Is Madam complaining about the Prince?"

Wanlan snapped out of her daze, glanced at the expressions of the two, and her pretty face flushed red. She picked up her teacup, took a big gulp, glared at Yuanniang, and said with a mix of shyness and annoyance, "Yuanniang! What nonsense are you talking about!"

Seeing her reaction, Yuan Niang immediately said, "How could I be talking nonsense? Madam, please don't feel embarrassed. You and the Prince are husband and wife. If you have any complaints, just tell the Prince directly, and he will know what to do."

“That’s right!” Xuan’er chimed in from the side, her big eyes crinkling with laughter. “The Prince dotes on his wife so much now, he’ll definitely do whatever she says!”

Wanlan almost groaned out loud: Zhao Defang dotes on her? He only sees her once every three days and calls that doting? Xuan'er's demands are really too low! Besides, how could she complain about their prince? Anyway, since Zhao Defang has promised her the status of his wife, she will be content to be his wife. This peaceful life is not bad at all.

Although sometimes I feel a little regretful...

Wanlan bit her lip, that regret... but what was she hoping for? Was she hoping for someone to rely on, someone who would make her feel completely at ease staying in this Song Dynasty, in this Prince Qin's mansion? Or was she hoping that man would fall in love with her?

A pretty little face came into view from the dazed gaze. The girl looked at him with curiosity, "Madam? Thinking of the Prince?"

Wanlan sighed deeply, swatting the woman away before collapsing weakly onto the table. "Someone save me!" she cried. When did this old woman and young boy start teasing and joking with her? Just as she was wondering if she was being too easy to bully, a large hand suddenly touched her forehead, and a pleasant, warm voice sounded in her ear, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Wanlan nearly jumped up. She stood up abruptly and glared at him, her expression as if she had seen a ghost. "You—how did you get here?" These days, he usually appeared in the afternoon or evening, and it was only noon now.

Her reaction drew a surprised look from Zhao Defang, while Yuan Niang and Xuan'er couldn't help but burst into laughter. Yuan Niang pulled Xuan'er out of the pavilion and said with a smile as she passed by her, "Madam, the Prince has come to rescue you. Xuan'er and I will be leaving now." With that, she chuckled and left the pavilion, leaving Wan Lan with a flushed face and a sense of helplessness.

Zhao Defang looked at her blushing face with amusement, then walked over to the stone bench and sat down without saying a word, just sitting quietly and watching her.

She probably didn't realize how adorable she looked, both annoyed and shy. Zhao Defang, with that gentle smile, took a piece of pastry from the small dish on the table and began to eat it.

Seeing him so at ease, Wanlan slowly calmed down, walked over and sat down opposite him, and asked, "Why did you have time to come over?" She remembered that Zhao Defang got married in the ninth year of the Kaibao era, but she didn't know which month, so she didn't know what he was busy with now. Every time he came, he would either sit and eat with her or chat about random things, but on those occasions, Xuan'er was always there to serve her. This was the first time they had spent time alone together since the day they embraced.

Embrace……

Wanlan held her head in her hands. Why did she suddenly think of this?

"Does your head hurt?"

"No, no." She lowered her hand, looked at his worried gaze, and forced a smile. "Don't you have anything to do today? Have you had lunch?"

“I’ve eaten,” he said slowly. “Wanlan, I will be leaving the capital in a few days.”

Wanlan was stunned, her expression blank for a moment, unable to process what he had just said. "You...leaving the capital?" What does that mean? Leaving the capital—ah!

"You're going to Guizhou?" So he got married in March?

He had thought she would be shocked and at a loss with the news. She had lost her memory and forgotten the past. He was worried about how she would face it without him by her side and was considering whether to take her with him to Guizhou. But her exclamation startled him instead.

"How did you know I was going to Guizhou?" Zhao Defang looked at her with great surprise.

Wanlan paused, then guiltily shifted her gaze slightly. "I... I was just talking nonsense. How would I know where I was supposed to take you?" Why did she always lose her composure in front of him? Like a rash little girl.

His dark eyes flickered slightly; Zhao Defang clearly didn't believe her reasoning. Nonsense? How could someone be so "accurate" with their nonsense? Even someone who knew everything about him couldn't lie about his destination, let alone someone like her with amnesia. However, he didn't expose her, but continued slowly:

“I am indeed going to Guizhou. The Emperor has appointed me as the Guizhou Defense Commissioner. I don’t know when I will return from this trip to the capital. You—” He paused, raising his eyes to look at her thoughtful expression, “Wanlan, what do you think?”

What should she do? What can she do?

She had originally wanted to be his wife, and even if he couldn't love her, they could still get along peacefully. But after only a few days, he was leaving the capital... Oh well, she still had a son anyway.

Reassuring herself in this way, Wanlan breathed softly and smiled gently at him, "Don't worry about me, I'm fine on my own, and besides, there are so many people serving me in the palace!" That put his mind at ease.

Zhao Defang was taken aback. "You..." Do you really want to stay? You didn't even ask if I could take you with me? A few days ago you clearly said you wanted to be my wife, so why... did you push me away?

A warm breeze wafted in, and for a moment, the pavilion was quiet; no one spoke.

What should they say? What should a couple who have been married for a year and even have a son say to each other when they are not very familiar with each other, as their parting is imminent? "Have a safe journey?" or "Take care."

Wanlan rubbed her forehead, her head aching. She had always thought the man opposite her was someone she could rely on, but now he was about to leave. What was she to do? How was she supposed to survive in this unfamiliar Song Dynasty? Was she really destined to grow old and die in the Qin Prince's mansion? After all, she was, in a way, the Qin Prince's consort—

Her hand, which had been rubbing her forehead, paused—she wasn't just the wife of the Prince of Qin; she was also the daughter of General Jiao, who was favored by the Empress! How could she have been so foolish as to forget this, even forgetting that Xue Suxin, the Prime Minister's daughter, had visited her just a few days ago? Even without Zhao Defang, she could still find someone else…