The Beauties of the Song Dynasty - Chapter 59
"You can't go, Zehua."
"I--"
Zhao Defang opened his mouth to argue, but Wanlan quickly raised her hand to stop him, turned around and looked at the palace maid who rushed into the hall, and called out, "What is it?"
"Your Highness and Your Highness's Consort, Eunuch Wang requests an audience."
"Eunuch Wang?" Wanlan glanced at Zhao Defang and quickly said, "Please invite him in."
The palace maid responded and left. A moment later, Wang Ji'en strode in, his back bent, and said, "This servant greets Your Highness and Your Highness."
"What brings you to Qinlan Palace?" Wanlan took a step forward and asked urgently.
Wang Ji'en maintained his bent posture and replied with his head half-lowered, "Her Majesty the Empress is unwell. His Majesty is worried about the palace maids' clumsy hands and feet, so he specially sent this servant to invite the Princess Consort to the Wansui Palace to bring Her Majesty back."
Wanlan was startled. In her panic, she didn't even think about how the Emperor knew that she hadn't left the palace to return to the Prince of Qin's residence, but had stayed in Qinlan Palace. She just asked anxiously, "Is Mother alright?"
"Please rest assured, Your Highness. She is well, but she is a little tired and needs to rest."
"I'll go with you to fetch Mother!"
"Wanlan!" Zhao Defang quickly grabbed her as she tried to run away, and said sternly, "I said I'll go with you!"
I already told you you can't go!
Zhao Defang was furious, and he tightened his grip on her wrist. Although he didn't know what would happen tonight, he absolutely wouldn't allow Wanlan to leave his sight for even a moment. No matter what happened, he would face it with her, instead of her trying to be strong on her own!
He can't let her leave... he absolutely can't let her leave at this time!
Only this intense thought sustained him: "You can't stop me. Either I go with you, or you stay with me."
Wanlan gritted her teeth and met Wang Ji'en's gaze as he suddenly raised his head. She glanced at the knotted rope of the curtain by the archway in the hall, nodded slightly to Wang Ji'en, and then suddenly turned around and threw herself into Zhao Defang's arms. Before he could regain his balance, she spun him around so that his back was to Wang Ji'en. Wang Ji'en then quickly stepped forward and chopped him on the back of the neck. Zhao Defang only had time to look at Wanlan one last time with wide, incredulous eyes before he fainted.
Wanlan gasped, feeling her heart stop beating under his terrified and desperate gaze. She trembled uncontrollably, a suffocating pain almost making her groan. Clenching her teeth to suppress her unease, she and Wang Ji'en helped him to the bed, where he collapsed. She then got up, retrieved a knotted rope from the archway, and handed it to Wang Ji'en, saying:
"Tie him up."
"Yes." Wang Ji'en took the rope and returned to the bedside. After tying it around Zhao Defang's hands and feet a few times and tightening the knot, he got up and looked at Wanlan, who had been standing quietly watching him.
"Your Highness, the Prince will likely be angry with you when he wakes up."
Wanlan smiled bitterly, her gaze falling on the sleeping face of the person on the bed. "There's no time to worry about these things now..." She turned to Wang Ji'en, "Tell me first, how is things at the Wansui Palace? Is Mother really just tired? Or has something happened?"
"This servant has no idea what happened inside."
Wang Ji'en lowered his head and said slowly, "His Majesty has dismissed all the palace servants. I only heard that things seemed very unsettled inside the palace, and I dared not rush in. That's why I hurriedly came to discuss countermeasures with Your Highness. Just now, I was merely conveying a false imperial edict. I really don't know what to do. Please forgive my disrespect, Your Highness."
Wanlan waved her hand, leaned over to cover the man on the bed with the blanket, paused for a moment, then turned and walked out without hesitation, "Let's not talk about this for now, let's go to the Palace of Ten Thousand Years now."
What happened inside?
Volume 3: The Sound of Axe and the Shadow of Candlelight, Chapter 66, The Sound of Axe and the Shadow of Candlelight Startles the Snowy Night (2)
Rushing to the Wansui Palace, Wanlan was covered in snowflakes. Before she could brush them off, she hurried into the palace, only to be stopped by the palace servants guarding outside.
Wang Ji'en, who was accompanying the princess, immediately stepped forward and shouted, "All of you, step back! The Emperor has summoned the Princess Consort."
The guards at the gate exchanged a glance, then sheathed their weapons and let her through. Wanlan glanced back at Wang Ji'en, then strode into the hall.
The empty hall, devoid of servants, was eerily quiet. The lamps lit around the hall flickered unsteadily in the cold wind that seeped in, adding to the desolate atmosphere.
Without pausing for a moment, Wanlan rushed straight to the inner hall. Her panicked eyelids widened to their limit when she met the two men facing each other in the inner hall. Without thinking of the consequences, she rushed forward and knocked Zhao Kuangyin, who was holding a jade axe high, and fell to the ground with him.
The air, thick with murderous intent, froze when Wanlandi suddenly burst in. She lay on the ground, panting heavily, her eyes fixed on Zhao Kuangyin, who lay beside her, her voice broken and hoarse:
"Father, Father Emperor... what are you... doing?"
Zhao Kuangyin stared incredulously at Wanlan, who seemed to have appeared out of thin air, and quickly stood up, singing, "How did you get here?"
Wanlan stood up, her face pale, as she leaned against the bed beside her. "Father, please, please spare Uncle..." She didn't want to push him any further; she didn't want the brothers to turn against each other, and she didn't want Zehua to be heartbroken.
Zhao Kuangyin glanced coldly at Zhao Guangyi, who was staring blankly at Wanlan, and snorted, "Deqing, there are some things you know better than I do. How do you expect me to let him off the hook? You knew about his shameful affair with your mother all along. How do you expect me to let him off the hook?"
Wanlan shook her head hastily, "No matter what, you are brothers. Zehua would not want to see you become like this."
She paused, then suddenly remembered something and looked around, but couldn't find him. Startled, she looked at Zhao Kuangyin and asked, "Where is Mother? Didn't you leave Mother behind? Where is she?"
In response to her questioning, Zhao Kuangyin sneered, picked up the jade axe from the ground again, and pointed it at Zhao Guangyi, "Ask him! Ask him what good deeds he has done!"
He strode to the screen on the other side of the bed, and with a powerful swing, knocked down the large wooden screen. With a loud "crack," Wanlan saw Empress Song lying motionless on the bed behind the screen, and she was completely stunned.
What happened to the Empress?
Has something really happened to her?
No...it's impossible! She still has a long way to go; she definitely won't die here!
Wanlan shook her head in disbelief, rushed over, and looked the woman who seemed to be sleeping soundly on the bed up and down. She then reached out a trembling finger to check the woman's breathing, and her eyes slowly widened in disbelief—
No... How could Mother be dead? She clearly... clearly lived longer than Zhao Guangyi... Why is this happening? Why is this happening?
"You want me to release him? Then ask him why he tried to poison me!"
Wanlan was shocked and turned around sharply to glare at Zhao Guangyi—it was him? He was the one who killed the Empress Dowager?
How could that be...
Suddenly remembering the "family dinner" that evening, she opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Like a mute, she stared blankly at Zhao Guangyi, whose eyes were fixed intently on the woman beside her.