The Beauties of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 30

"Lan Wen! Go and fetch Madam immediately!"

Lan Wen immediately stood up, his face solemn and serious. "Yes!"

Chapter 33, Clouds Rise Over the Sunset Pavilion (2)

In her hazy vision, she seemed to feel a pair of large hands gently caressing her face, so carefully, so tenderly, making her instinctively want to get closer. A sigh of relief washed over her, and she let the overwhelming longing overflow, softly calling his name:

"Zehua..." Is that you?

"Wanlan, it's me, wake up..."

She could actually hear his voice calling her name. Wanlan smiled faintly and, quite cooperatively, slowly opened her eyes.

The man's handsome face was somewhat haggard, bearing an undeniable weariness, but his deep black eyes were incredibly bright. When they met her bewildered gaze, a hint of surprise and suspicion welled up in them. Before she could react, he suddenly pounced on her, burying his face in her neck and holding her tightly in his arms.

"Wanlan..." His hoarse voice trembled slightly as he whispered her name in her ear.

A familiar pain rose in her chest, but her eyes stung with a stinging pain. She stared at the bed frame in disbelief, not daring to move, for fear that it was just a hallucination caused by her excessive longing.

After waiting for a while without her response, Zhao Defang slowly raised his head, his clear eyes meeting her stunned gaze. He stroked her hair with his large hand, and gently kissed her forehead, smiling as he said, "Wanlan, it's me. I've come to take you home."

"Ze... Zehua..." She gasped for breath, the pain in her chest intensifying from the earlier tightness, but without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. "It really is you..."

He really came to find her... he really came...

Zhao Defang propped herself up on her elbows, but remembering her heartache, she quickly let go of her and sat up. She looked her over very carefully again before asking softly, "Wanlan, are you alright? Qiuju said you've been experiencing heart pain these past few days. Is it very painful?"

Shaking her head, she tried to sit up, propping herself up on her elbows. Zhao Defang quickly reached out to help her sit up, settling her in his arms. Looking at her pale, bloodless face, his brows furrowed even more. "Wanlan, you look terrible. What did they do to you?"

Wanlan suddenly reached out and grabbed his collar, tilting her head up to meet his eyes, her tone urgent, "Zehua, I didn't mean to leave, I thought—"

He reached out and held her hand tightly, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Wanlan, I know." Seeing her blank expression, a burning desire surged within him, almost scorching him, causing him to instinctively tighten his arms and hold her close.

"Wanlan, don't panic, I've always believed in you."

Hearing this, her wide eyes slowly closed, and she buried her face in his chest. The hidden pain in her heart finally subsided, and she gradually calmed down. A gentle smile curved her lips—

She finally realized that her heart truly ached because of this man. Her first serious illness in modern times was because she heard of his name, and the pain she felt when she first arrived in the Song Dynasty was also because of his avoidance of her. Perhaps she hadn't even realized her own feelings back then, but the heart that ached for him was more honest than hers.

"Wanlan, why does your heart hurt? What illness do you have?"

His worried voice caused a tremor in her chest. She closed her eyes and nuzzled against him in a coquettish manner, whispering, "I'm not sick, I just... miss you." Only he could make her sick, right? Although Jiao Wanlan's heart was perfectly healthy, it couldn't bear the overwhelming longing she had been feeling these past few days.

How did you know I was in Jiangling?

He pulled her away from his chest, and she looked down at him with a smile, saying, "Someone brought me here to find you."

Huh? Who is it?

He winked mysteriously at her, then turned and called out towards the door, "Lan Wen!"

Before she could finish speaking, two people rushed into the open doorway. Before Wanlan could even see who they were, she heard two excited voices exclaim, "Madam!"

"Lan Wen... Xuan'er?" Wan Lan gasped, staring blankly at the two overjoyed faces. "You found me? How did you know—"

Zhao Defang patted her gently, "Wanlan, there are still people behind you." As she spoke, she raised her hand to indicate that she should look towards the door.

Wanlan was puzzled. She raised her clear eyes and followed his hand to look at him. She met a pair of tearful eyes. The owner of the tearful eyes was crossing the threshold and coming towards her. He was clearly smiling, but strangely, he was also carrying a kind of sadness on his face.

"...Su Xin?!"

Zhao Defang smiled and gave up her seat. She looked at the two people embracing and crying, then gently waved her hand to signal Lan Wen and Xuan'er to leave with her, and closed the door for them.

The three walked into the courtyard before Zhao Defang stopped and looked up at the Xiyun Pavilion, which was built entirely of green bamboo. The bamboo building, with its deep green color, looked exceptionally translucent under the sunlight, gleaming with an alluring luster like green jade.

As the clouds rise over the stream and the sun sets behind the pavilion, I finish my new makeup and am picking orchids.

This Xiyun Pavilion, elder brother, was it built for Wanlan?

"Lan Wen, I will write a letter in a little while. You should return to the capital first thing tomorrow morning and have Chief Steward Pei send someone to deliver it to the Empress, informing her that the Lady has been found and requesting that the Empress send someone to Jiangling to pick up the Lady."

Xuan'er was surprised, "Why does the Empress need to send someone to pick us up? Didn't no one know that the Lady was missing? Wouldn't this be announcing it to the whole world? Why don't we just go back as we came?"

Zhao Defang pursed his lips, his gaze darkening, and said calmly, "It's alright. I will tell the Empress that there's no need to make a big fuss. Don't forget, I'm leaving the capital this time to go south to Guizhou. Once the Empress sends someone to pick up Madam, I will set off immediately. For the next few months, you are not allowed to leave Madam's side. You must ensure her safety. Something like today must never happen again!"

The two who had been standing still composed themselves and solemnly said, "It will definitely not happen again!"

Xuan'er immediately frowned, looking at her master who stood calmly with his hands behind his back, and murmured, "Why doesn't Your Highness bring Madam with you?" They haven't seen each other for a month, are they going to be separated again so soon?

Zhao Defang smiled bitterly. How could he not want to keep her by his side? He even wanted to tie her to himself and take her wherever he went, but... he couldn't—"The young master is still in the capital. He's so young. It's better for his mother to stay by his side."

Xuan'er was taken aback and speechless. Lan Wen, however, had another question, "Your Highness, I'm actually a little unaccustomed to finding the Madam so easily!"

"Smoothly?" Zhao Defang shook his head slightly. "You can go and rest now."

Chapter 34, Clouds Rise Over the Sunset Pavilion (3)

The next day, as the sun rose, its fiery rays filtering through the leaves of the thick trees in front of the house, scattering fragments of light across the ground. At the foot of the steps in front of the Bizhuang manor, Wanlan gripped Xue Suxin's hand tightly, her brows furrowed in disapproval. "Are you really determined to go? Your body can't handle it. Why don't you rest for a few days first?"

"I'm fine, Wanlan," Xue Suxin smiled gently. After their long talk last night, she had gained the understanding of the person in front of her, and she no longer hesitated.

Looking at her beautiful face, which showed a hint of joy, Wanlan suddenly reached out and hugged her, whispering in her ear with a choked voice, "Suxin, if Zhao Dezhao dares to hurt you, I will definitely not let him off!"

On this side, two women embraced and said goodbye.

Meanwhile, Zhao Defang called Lan Wen aside and whispered, "Make sure Miss Xue is safely delivered to Xiangzhou. You must personally watch her board the passenger ship to Junzhou before you can return to the capital, understand?"

Lan Wen nodded solemnly, "Your Highness, please rest assured."