The Beauties of the Song Dynasty - Chapter 31
"And..." Zhao Defang glanced at the two reluctant farewells, leaned over and whispered a few more words in Lan Wen's ear, then smiled faintly as if to breathe a sigh of relief, "Did you remember everything?"
Lan Wen looked utterly bewildered. "Your Highness, doing this...that would mean the Prince of Yan—"
"It's alright, just do as I say."
"yes."
At the moment of parting, it seemed that nothing else was appropriate to say except to wish the other person well. Wanlan watched as Xue Suxin got into the carriage with the help of Biyu and Lanwen, her eyes stinging with tears. She turned her head and buried her face in the arms of the person behind her, unwilling to watch the carriage gradually disappear into the distance.
"You didn't wake me up that day because you couldn't bear to see me in that situation, right?"
Zhao Defang withdrew his gaze and looked down at the black hair on his chest. "Yes. I just didn't expect that silent departure would last for more than a month." He let out a long sigh and tightened his arms. "I'm sorry, Wanlan."
She shook her head silently and said quietly, "She's braver than me." Knowing that the other person could never reciprocate her feelings, she still persisted in waiting—that kind of strength she lacked. If Zhao Defang had someone else in her heart today, she might have severed all her emotional ties and distanced herself from this man, never daring to stand by his side and watch him walk towards someone else.
"Don't underestimate yourself." He chuckled, put his arm around her, and turned to walk into the house. "You probably didn't get enough rest last night. Go back and catch up on your sleep."
She followed in his footsteps without question, asking, "And you?"
“I have some things to arrange. My elder brother will find out when I’ve arrived in Jiangling. I need to come up with a plan before he does,” he paused and said softly. “I don’t want to have any unpleasantness with my elder brother.” He was his only brother, and they were the closest of brothers. He didn’t want their relationship to become strained because of this.
"He should find out in less than three days." Wanlan narrowed her eyes and smiled. "You should have already noticed that Su Li and Xiao Luzi sneaked out as soon as you stepped into Bizhuang. They must have gone to inform Zhao Dezhao."
Thinking of Su Li, she naturally thought of Xuan'er. She hadn't realized at all that the little girl was one of the three guards of the Prince of Qin's mansion, and that she and the Lan brothers were fellow disciples.
"Zehua, will those two palace maids be alright if they go back to the capital with Lan Wen?" Lan Wen set off for the capital today, accompanied by Xia He and Qiu Ju, who were left behind by Su Li.
"You don't need to worry about this matter; the Empress Dowager will make the decision herself."
The two talked all the way to the room, and Zhao Defang put his arm around her and led her to the bed, saying, "Sleep a little longer, I'll come see you later."
"Okay." She took off her coat and lay down in bed, but her gaze lingered on him.
Zhao Defang smiled helplessly, affectionately ruffling her hair. Just as he was about to turn around, he suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask, "By the way, I gave you a token when we got married. Do you remember?"
Wanlan blinked blankly, "What token?"
Zhao Defang frowned. "Don't you remember? Never mind then, go to sleep!" With that, she turned and left.
Wanlan stared blankly at the door he had closed, nearly choking with anger. They had been separated for over a month; had he forgotten about her amnesia? Otherwise, why would he ask about their wedding?
She was only kidnapped by Zhao Dezhao for a month.
Ah... Zhao Dezhao...
Wanlan blinked in surprise—Zehua wouldn't be asking because he was worried about this, would he?
Chapter 35, The Storm Is Brewing (1)
Perhaps due to extreme exhaustion, or perhaps because the person she had been longing for was right beside her, Wanlan slept until evening before slowly waking up. When she opened her eyes, the dimness of the room made her uncomfortable, so she closed them again for a long while before opening them again.
Before her blank gaze could focus, it was caught by the gaze of the person beside the bed. He had moved a low stool to sit on the edge of the bed, propping his forehead with one hand and staring at her intently. His dark eyes did not blink. When he saw her open her eyes, he smiled gently at her and said, "Awake? Are you hungry? You slept all day."
She propped herself up and sat up. "What time is it now?"
"It's about three-quarters past Shen time." Zhao Defang got up and moved to sit on the bed, facing her. "How about I have Xuan'er bring dinner over?"
"Not busy. You've been sitting here for a long time. You said you had something to tell me, has everything been arranged?"
"Hmm." He couldn't help but reach out and stroke her flowing black hair. He smiled and said, "With Brother not here, we seem to have taken over the place. We asked a few servants today, but none of them knew your true identity. They just thought you were a guest invited by Brother."
Wanlan tilted her head and rubbed against his palm, then snorted, "Guest? I'm completely under his control, I can't even leave my room, what kind of guest is that?"
Zhao Defang remained silent for a long time, his smile somewhat forced. After a long while, he finally spoke: "Wanlan, have you been troubled by your elder brother these days? Have you... have you thought of anything from the past?" He had wanted to ask these questions yesterday, but she had been with Xue Suxin the whole time, and he hadn't found the opportunity.
Looking at his slightly nervous face, Wanlan tilted her head and remained silent, watching his increasingly uneasy expression. She thought to herself with a wicked glint in her eyes, "If I tell him that I thought of Zhao Dezhao, I wonder what he will do?"
"Wanlan, why...why aren't you answering?"
His face turned pale, and Wanlan quickly lowered her eyes. If she looked any longer, she would surely feel heartache again. This man... could control her emotional fluctuations so easily. She really didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse.
"I—", she began to deny, but he suddenly hugged her tightly. The force was so great that her chin hit his shoulder blade. The instantaneous pain made her feel numb for a moment. She wanted to scream but couldn't. She reflexively pressed against his chest to steady herself, but she froze when her palm touched his tense body.
"Ze...Zehua?" What happened to him?
“I hope… you don’t regret what you said,” he said with difficulty, slowly releasing her and pushing her away from his chest. His deep, dark eyes were fixed on her surprised expression. He pressed his hands firmly against her shoulders and said in a tight voice, “I won’t allow you to regret it! Whether you think about the past or not, you can only be my wife for the rest of your life! Only mine!”
Wanlan trembled slightly. Looking at his frenzied expression, a slight stinging pain rose in her chest. She completely erased the slight thought of teasing him in her heart, stretched out her arms to hug his neck, leaned down and kissed his lips, and softly replied, "Of course I belong only to you, unless you don't want me."
Touching her soft lips, Zhao Defang paused for a moment, then suddenly seized them, swallowing her warm breath whole. He tightened his arms around her waist, imprisoning her in his embrace, not allowing the slightest gap.
"Ze...Hua..." she gasped as he moved his lips to her ear, she couldn't breathe! "You...wait—ah!" He actually bit her!
A soft pressure against her back made Wanlan abruptly look up, startled to find herself pinned down on the bed. A warm, wet, itchy sensation spread across her neck. She panicked and reached out to grab his head, which was buried against her chest, trying to stop him. "Zehua... wait a minute!" She wasn't ready. Although they had been intimate before, she was flustered and completely unsure what to do...
Zhao Defang seemed to freeze for a moment. He slowly raised his head, his deep eyes unusually moist with intense desire, but his face was quite pale, his lips were tightly pursed, and he stared at her without saying a word.
Wanlan almost groaned out loud. She couldn't help but press her hand to her tight, uncomfortable chest and tried to smile at him. "Zehua, don't do this. I'm just a little nervous. When you're like this... I can't breathe. My chest hurts."
Zhao Defang jumped up in fright, instantly sobering up. Looking at her vulnerable figure clutching her chest with a panicked expression, he carefully helped her up. "Is your heart aching again? Are you in a lot of pain? I'll send someone to fetch a doctor—"
“Zehua, listen to me first,” she hugged his flustered arm, looking intently at him with wide eyes, “Listen to me first, I am still your Wanlan, I still have not a single fragment of memory of the past.” When could she tell him that she was not the real Jiao Wanlan, and that she would never remember those memories?
Zhao Defang's throat tightened, and he silently reached out to embrace her, carefully tightening his hold. "I'm sorry... Will it hurt you if I hug you like this? Your illness... why didn't you ever tell me? I didn't know for so long..."
"I told you before, I'm not sick..." She leaned her head on his shoulder, smiling gently. She had clearly said that she was only sick because she missed him, and that the heart in her body was perfectly healthy.
"Why would you feel heartache for no reason if you're not sick? Wanlan, are you hiding something from me?"