The Beauties of the Song Dynasty - Chapter 49
On the way back to the capital, it turned out that she and Prime Minister Xue were not the only ones involved.
Xue Juzheng's trip to Luoyang was partly because of her, but also because of Xue Suxin. Suxin fell ill on her way back to the capital from Junzhou and was rescued by Xue Weiji, who had been tracking her. She stayed in Luoyang temporarily and sent Fengxing back to the capital to inform Xue Juzheng, and also to tell Zhao Defang that their appointment to meet in the capital in mid-August might not be able to be kept.
Confined in Luoyang Palace for over a month, Wanlan knew of the changes in the capital but was unaware of Suxin's plight. Seeing that Suxin was alright except for her weak health and unusual silence, Wanlan was relieved. She left Luoyang the day after the Mid-Autumn Festival. Xue Juzheng, holding an imperial edict, escorted her out of the palace. She noticed that Aunt Xu had a calm expression, seemingly already aware of the situation, while Qiuju was completely at a loss. This girl, not knowing why the Emperor had placed her under house arrest, naturally instinctively wondered if she would be in danger after being summoned back to the capital.
What puzzled her was the imperial edict in Xue Juzheng's hand. She wasn't sure if it was real or fake, but as the prime minister, Xue Juzheng shouldn't be able to forge an imperial edict, right? But if it was real, why did the emperor summon her back to the capital? Besides the things he relayed to her, was there something else happening in the capital that she didn't know about?
The group didn't exchange a single word throughout the journey. Xue Suxin kept her eyes closed and rested the whole time. She even ate while lying in the carriage and never got out. Biyu naturally stayed by her side. The atmosphere between Xue Weiji and his son Xue Juzheng also seemed to be quite tense. Xue Weiji often lingered around Suxin, knowing that she wouldn't pay attention to him, but he still stubbornly insisted on his own opinion.
Therefore, whenever they needed to rest at an inn, only Wanlan and Xue Juzheng ate at the same table. Biyu and Fengxing would each take food and deliver it to their masters, and then eat outside. Wanlan could only remain silent in the face of this situation.
"I've heard that Your Highness knows about my son's background. May I ask how Your Highness found out?"
Inside a teahouse by the official road, Wanlan was smiling as she watched Biyu, who was carrying tea, walk towards the carriage parked outside the teahouse. Suddenly, she heard someone ask her a question, and her smile froze on her lips. After a long while, she sighed inwardly.
here we go again.
"Didn't you say the other day that where I came from is no longer of any significance?"
Xue Juzheng slowly put down his teacup, glanced at her sideways, and asked calmly, "And the Princess Consort also said that if I help you leave Luoyang, you should tell me the answer. So, can you tell me now?"
Wanlan raised her eyelashes, a half-smile playing on her lips, "Didn't you already guess the answer, sir? If you're unsure, then I can tell you that your guess is absolutely correct."
"Then—" Xue Juzheng raised his voice, his piercing eyes unfathomable, "what is the Princess's stance?"
Wanlan lowered her eyes and looked at the rough rim of the teacup in her hand. The corners of her mouth curled up a little higher. Prime Minister Xue probably thought she would fight for Zehua, which is why he asked this question.
"My stance..." She only hoped that Zhao Dezhao could let Zehua go, that Zhao Guangyi's path to the throne would be smoother, and that she could spend more time with Zehua before Zehua's destined fate arrived.
She even humbly prayed to heaven, hoping that Zehua's fate could be changed. He was just born into an imperial family by mistake, possessing the gentlest nature and the clearest eyes in the world. His ending should not be as tragic as history has described.
“My lord, although Wanlan’s stance differs from yours, our goals are the same, so—” she winked and smiled playfully, “would you like to cooperate with me?”
Can she change history and save Zehua's life?
Chapter 57, Only Love Is Hard to Die (1)
Something seems to have happened to Xue Suxin in Junzhou. I heard that she didn't see Zhao Dezhao. Is that why she suddenly became so silent? On the way back to the capital, she didn't say a word. Xue Weiji seemed to know something. His face was extremely cold, but even so, he couldn't tolerate anyone other than Suxin.
Xue Juzheng seemed to have discovered the secret between his children, and this historically known, upright and magnanimous prime minister suddenly fell silent. If he supported the Prince of Jin, he would be determined to oppose Zhao Dezhao, so he must have felt quite distressed but helpless about his only daughter who was devoted to the Prince of Yan.
"Your Highness, the master sent me to tell you that we are about to enter the city."
Wanlan withdrew her gaze from the sleeping Suxin, got up, opened the car door, glanced up at the city gate, and met Fengxing's call with a smile, "Anything else?"
"We will go directly to the palace."
"...Can't I meet with Zehua?" I knew going to the capital wouldn't be so simple; it turns out it was just moving from one cage to another.
Feng Xing grinned, jumped off his horse, and stood in front of the carriage. "Master said we should rest for half an hour before entering the city."
Wanlan's eyes lit up, and she instantly understood his meaning. She immediately bent down and climbed out of the carriage. With Fengxing's help, she jumped off the carriage road and said, "Although it is a bit rushed to come and go in half an hour, I am still grateful to Lord Xue for giving me the time. Please tell Lord Xue for me that I will definitely come back."
“There’s no need for such trouble.” Feng Xing smiled and shook his head, turning slightly to the side, and said, “Please take a look, Madam.”
Behind Feng Xing stood his horse. As he stepped back, the horse turned to look at him. At that moment, a man stepped out from behind the horse, stood in front of her with his hands behind his back, dressed in a plain white scholar's robe, with his black hair tied up in a jade bun, and gazed at her with a smile she knew all too well.
"Zehua?!" Wanlan exclaimed in surprise, taking a step forward and grabbing his arms. When she confirmed that it was indeed him and not her hallucination, she excitedly threw herself into his embrace, exclaiming with delight, "How did you get here? Did you know that I came back with Lord Xue?"
With her arms slightly raised to encircle the person in her arms, Zhao Defang smiled gently and said, "Yes, I've come to pick you up."
"Pick me up?" Wanlan looked up at him in surprise.
"Yes!" His large hand stroked her hair, caressing it tenderly. His eyes softened, and his smile deepened. "Didn't I tell you and Xu'er to wait patiently for me to send someone from Guizhou to pick you up? Why didn't you tell me you were going to Luoyang to recuperate with Miss Xue?" He reached behind her head and pulled her towards him, letting out a long sigh. "Wanlan, you scared me to death."
She snuggled against him playfully, merely smiling slightly at his avoidance of certain matters, and chuckled softly as she leaned against him, "Did I scare you so much that you rushed back from Guizhou? Aren't you afraid the Emperor will punish you? Doing things like this time and time again, do you want me to be called a femme fatale?"
"Don't you know?" Zhao Defang winked at her mysteriously.
Wanlan looked puzzled. "Know what?"
“You already are.” His eyes crinkled with laughter as he turned and leaped onto his horse, extending his hand to her. “Get on, I’ll take you somewhere.”
"I am already? What does that mean?" she asked, placing her hand in his palm. Then her eyes widened in disbelief, and she pointed at him with her other hand. "What did you say? You mean I'm already a femme fatale?"
Zhao Defang smiled but said nothing. With a swift movement of his arm, he pulled her onto the horse. Then, he cupped his hands to Feng Xing beside him and said, "Thank you. I will bring her back on time."
Feng Xing returned the greeting with a fist and a fist salute, and said with a smile, "Your Highness need not worry, it is alright if it is a little late. My master said that as long as we enter the palace before 5 pm, it will be fine."
Zhao Defang smiled and nodded, then hugged the person in front of him, whipped his horse, and rode off towards a side path branching off from the main road.
Wanlan sat facing Zhao Defang. She had never ridden a horse before. When the horse galloped, all she could do was hold Zhao Defang tightly. As her initial panic subsided, she slowly opened her eyes and looked at the trees rushing past beside the road, smiling silently with her lips curved.
She would make sure Zehua was safe, and she wanted to continue to have this kind of happiness with him in the future, to be able to rely on each other and embrace each other.
Deep in the woods, at the end of the path, stands a three-story pavilion. The first floor is openwork, supported by several thick tree trunks. In front of the pavilion is an open-air bamboo staircase, which gleams with a crystal-clear emerald green in the sunlight.
"I never expected there to be such a beautiful pavilion here!" Wanlan's eyes widened in surprise. With Zhao Defang's help, she dismounted and watched him tie the horse to a tree. She laughed and asked, "Zehua, how did you find this place?"
Zhao Defang took her hand and led her up the stairs to the second floor. It was like a living room, and also had the feel of a study. There was not only a couch, but also a desk and bookshelves, which were even filled with books. All the furniture was either made of wood or bamboo. Even some small items, such as pen holders or decorative items, seemed to be hand-carved. Although the workmanship was not very fine, you could see the care that the person who carved these things had put into them.
The staircase leading to the third floor was located in the corner of the outer room on the second floor. The third floor was a bedroom, which also included a small study. Inside, there was a small desk with the Four Treasures of the Study on it, but they seemed to be quite old; the inkstone was dry, and the brushes were clean and hung to the side. On the other side, a thin, clean mattress was laid out on a couch, suggesting that it had been used before.
"Where is this place?"
Zhao Defang smiled slightly, pulled her to sit on the bamboo couch, and explained to her in a warm voice: "My health has not been very good since I was a child. Before I was twelve, my father would send me out of the palace to find a quiet place to recuperate for a period of time every year. However, I did not like the big house that my father found, and my mother was also worried about me going too far. So she had someone build this small pavilion here. Later, when I grew up, my health improved and I rarely came here. However, I still ask Steward Pei to invite people to take care of it from time to time."
Wanlan stroked the bamboo bed beneath her and asked, "Are you always alone? Aren't you lonely?"