The Beauties of the Song Dynasty - Chapter 39
So… Zehua wasn't asking what she and Suxin talked about in the back garden? He wasn't pressing Suxin about what happened in Junzhou? He actually offered to let her stay and keep Suxin company…
"So... you're going to Guizhou alone tomorrow?"
Zhao Defang said apologetically, "Wanlan, it's only a few days. Once I arrive in Guizhou, I'll have Lan Wen come back to pick you up immediately. I believe Miss Xue should be feeling better by then."
It turns out she didn't even need to make up an excuse.
Wanlan lowered her eyes and smiled slightly. "Okay, I'll stay."
She couldn't refuse Su Xin.
Although she was worried about Su Xin's health, she was even more worried about a potential threat to Ze Hua that might have already occurred. She originally wanted to use the Prince of Jin's secret to disturb Ze Hua, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Unexpectedly, Ze Hua took the initiative to ask her to stay.
That's fine, so she took advantage of these few days to accompany Suxin to Junzhou.
Chapter 44, The Willow Swaying in the Wind, Seemingly Raising Its Sleeve (1)
In June, the lotus blossoms fill the pond with fragrance, their red petals and green leaves reflected in the clear water.
In the height of summer, lotus flowers of all colors bloom throughout the moat, swaying gracefully in the morning breeze. The air is filled with their fragrance, and the few pedestrians passing by below the city gate cannot help but stop and smile at this subtle fragrance.
A plain, simple carriage slowly drove into the city gate. The young man driving the carriage, dressed in a light gray shirt, was leisurely shaking the reins, seemingly humming a song as the carriage wheels passed through the fragrant lotus blossoms.
The sky after the downpour was an unexpectedly blue, with no trace of the chaos from yesterday's relentless summer thunder and torrential rain. After a night of calm, the entire city was transformed as the first rays of the morning sun rose.
As the carriage passed through the towering city gate, a slender white hand lifted the curtain from the inside, revealing a beautiful, fair face. The woman looked up at the majestic ancient city wall, and the strong characters "Luoyang" above the gate made the heavy worry on her slender eyebrows fade, replaced by a hint of excitement.
Luoyang is the only city in Chinese history to be named "Divine Capital." Before the Northern Song Dynasty, thirteen dynasties established their capitals here. Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, was born in Luoyang and greatly admired the local customs and scenery. He even considered moving the capital to Luoyang. Previously, during his westward journey to perform a sacrificial ceremony, some people warned him of the difficulties of the journey. Taizu not only ignored their warnings but insisted on proceeding. After completing the ceremony, he originally intended to stay, but he instructed the Prince of Jin and his ministers to dissuade him, ultimately preventing the plan from being implemented.
They will make a brief stop in Luoyang before setting off again for Junzhou tomorrow.
Ostensibly, they were accompanying Su Xin to Luoyang to recuperate, but in reality, they were using this as an excuse to change their route from Luoyang to Junzhou.
Zehua had gone to Guizhou ten days ago, and Xu'er had been taken back to the palace by Yuanniang because she had to accompany Suxin. Prime Minister Xue had originally sent two guards to accompany them, but Suxin sent one back. Now, only Xuan'er and Biyu were traveling with them, along with the guard surnamed Feng who was driving the carriage. This trip was arranged by Prime Minister Xue, and their destination was Luoyang, the Western Capital. If it weren't for someone secretly helping them, they would have had no way to secretly cross the Zhencang Pass and change their route to Junzhou.
"Wanlan".
Hearing the call from behind, Wanlan lowered the carriage curtain and turned around. She saw the beautiful woman lying opposite her, half-propped up with a displeased expression, and asked with a smile, "What's wrong, Suxin?"
"Why did you tell the Prince of Jin about our itinerary?" She had clearly said that the fewer people who knew about this trip, the better, especially the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Qin. But she did not expect that Wanlan would tell the Prince of Jin.
Wanlan smiled faintly, “Suxin, the two of us alone have absolutely no way to go to Junzhou. Your father will not allow it, nor will the Empress. If Zehua finds out, there is nothing we can do. I know you care about Prince Jin’s opinion of Zhao Dezhao, but even if we don’t tell Prince Jin, his opinion of Zhao Dezhao will not change. Even if we don’t say anything about our trip to Junzhou, Prince Jin will find out sooner or later. Perhaps he already knows. If he wanted to stop us, he would have already taken action. There is no way he would come to help us.”
Xue Suxin lay back down, and Biyu quickly propped up a pillow for her. She asked in a doubtful voice, "Wanlan, why is Prince Jin helping us? He changed our itinerary without telling my father, and even bribed Fengxing. Will we gain nothing from this trip to Junzhou?" She distrusted Prince Jin very much.
"You're overthinking it." Wanlan smiled faintly. In her opinion, they would not only not come away empty-handed, but they might find more than expected. Although she couldn't be sure that Prince Jin would help them, she was betting on Prince Jin's feelings for Zehua—his feelings of loving someone because of them.
He should help her, right? Otherwise, he wouldn't have secretly sent her out of the capital.
"I hope I'm overthinking it," Xue Suxin sighed, slowly closing her eyes.
The carriage sped through the city without stopping for a moment. Wanlan looked out the window at the bustling streets, thinking to herself that after resolving all worldly affairs, she would definitely ask Zehua to take her sightseeing, not only in Luoyang, but also in Chang'an.
Come to think of it, she hasn't even had a proper visit to Kaifeng.
The carriage finally stopped in front of a house on the outskirts of the city. This was the accommodation that Prime Minister Xue had arranged for them. After the people that Prime Minister Xue had arranged to pick them up, they would send someone back to the capital to inform Prime Minister Xue so that he could rest assured and they could proceed to Junzhou safely.
With Xuan'er's help, Wanlan jumped down from the carriage. She turned around and helped Xue Suxin, who was leaning halfway out, down with Biyu. Together, they looked up at the houses in front of them. This place was located in the southern suburbs, far from the bustling city, making it a very suitable place for quiet recuperation. Prime Minister Xue had really thought of this carefully. If he knew that his only daughter had deceived him for another man, he would probably be heartbroken.
"Suxin, your father dotes on you. Do you really want to betray him?" Wanlan spoke softly, suddenly remembering her parents whom she hadn't thought of since the Song Dynasty. Compared to Suxin, how pathetic she had been. Both suffered from serious illnesses, yet the woman before her received such attention from her father, while she herself? The only people closest to her, besides the nurses at the hospital, were her personal physicians.
Perhaps she shouldn't have any complaints; the fact that her parents didn't abandon her is the greatest comfort.
Xue Suxin looked quietly at the mansion in front of her, and smiled bitterly, "This is my... last act of willfulness. I will apologize to my father when the time comes."
Wanlan glanced sideways at her clear, bright eyes, and remained silent.
The two walked together up the stone steps in front of the door. Before they could step through the door, a man dressed in a sky-blue brocade robe leaped out from the wide-open lacquered door. His long, dark hair, reaching his waist, was tied up with a jade hairpin. He had long eyebrows and slender eyes and was quite dashing. He stood in front of the two with a smile, waving an extremely luxurious paper fan with gold edges.
"You've finally arrived! I've been waiting for you for days!"
Before Wanlan could even react in surprise, Xue Suxin pulled her back a few steps, nearly causing her to fall off the stone steps. She quickly regained her balance and looked at the woman beside her, only to be astonished to find that Xue Suxin's expression was one of obvious disgust and wariness, which she made no attempt to hide.
What's going on? The woman in front of me has always been gentle and kind; when has she ever shown such obvious negative emotions?
"How did you end up here?" Xue Suxin asked cautiously, her guard up suddenly.
The man in blue shrugged, looking nonchalant. He glanced at Wanlan briefly before turning his attention back to her, and extended his hand to her with a broad smile. "I heard you came to Luoyang to recuperate. I've been waiting here for you for a few days now. You must be tired from your journey. Why don't you come in and rest?"
Xue Suxin quickly dodged his outstretched hand, took a step back, and instantly tensed up, looking as if she were facing a formidable enemy, which surprised Wanlan beside her.
"How did you know? Father would never tell you!"
"If Father won't tell me, someone else will. What? Are you going to stand at the door forever?"
The man raised an eyebrow and withdrew his hand, his gaze falling on Wanlan. He smiled and said, "My name is Xue Weiji. Your Highness, you must be tired from your journey. Please come inside with me to rest for a while. There are countless beautiful sights in Luoyang. I will definitely accompany you both to enjoy the sights for the next few days. What does Your Highness think of this plan?"
Wanlan raised her eyebrows in surprise, her clear eyes fixed on the handsome and elegant face of the man before her. She quickly thought about who Xue Weiji was, and said lightly, "I thought that Suxin came here to recuperate rather than to play, Young Master Xue."
Xue Weiji, the adopted son of Xue Juzheng, had a bad reputation before Xue Juzheng's downfall. He was rumored to be a very idle and dissolute playboy. It was only after Xue Juzheng's death that he gradually changed his ways and was later highly regarded by Emperor Taizong of Song. Wanlan knew little about him; historical records contained not a single word about his life before entering the court. She was unaware that this disreputable young master Xue was such a handsome and charming man.
Su Xin dislikes him so much, probably because he is really frivolous. However, in her opinion, although the man in front of her is full of charm, there is a hint of righteousness hidden in his eyes, which makes him seem somewhat contradictory.
“In that case, why don’t you two stay a little longer? Once Suxin’s health has improved, I’ll take you out for a stroll. What do you say?” Xue Weiji replied with a smile.
Wanlan raised her lips, suddenly feeling a bit curious about the person in front of her. She was about to agree when Xue Suxin snorted coldly and quickly refused, "No need! If you want me to live under the same roof as you, I'd rather find an inn to stay in; it'll be cleaner!" After saying that, she turned to leave, her angry appearance startling Xuan'er and Biyu, who were following behind. They hurriedly stepped aside, looking at the woman's rare angry expression with dismay.
Xuan'er was just as confused as her mistress, while Biyu was stunned by Xue Weiji's sudden appearance. She had been in the Prime Minister's residence for more than ten years and had only seen the young master a handful of times. She never expected to see him in Luoyang.