The Beauties of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 73

“Lord Xue, we seem to have forgotten that he can easily appear at night. Shouldn’t we send people to keep watch? I absolutely do not believe that he can remain so indifferent; he must be nearby.”

Xue Juzheng nodded in realization, "The Princess Consort is indeed very thoughtful. We did forget about the evening. I'll arrange for a few people to come over when we get back to the manor."

“We can’t have too many people,” Wanlan shook her head to interrupt him. “Too many people will make us easy to be discovered. One or two will suffice. We need to find someone who is bold and skilled in martial arts, someone who can completely hide himself from Young Master Xue. How about I leave Lan Wu here? What do you think, sir?”

"This...this is too much trouble for the Princess's people. There are plenty of people in the Xue family who can do it. I'll just pick two at random."

"My lord, I shall stay."

Feng Xing, who was following behind, stepped forward and said loudly, "I will stay. You can go back to your residence and send someone else. What do you think?"

Lan Wu stepped forward at the opportune moment, bowing his head slightly and saying, "Lord Xue, Feng Xing and I will stay here tonight. Perhaps Young Master Xue will show up today. If there is any movement, we will inform you immediately. Since it is still early, you and your wife should return to the city first."

"But--"

“Lord Xue, instead of going back and sending more people, why don’t we just let them stay and wait for news?” Wanlan interrupted his hesitation, then turned to Lan Wu and said seriously, “Lan Wu, you must prioritize your own safety. It’s very cold in the winter night. If you can’t stand it, go back. You can come back tomorrow. If Young Master Xue appears, don’t let him hide again. If you can’t stop him, let him go. One of you will secretly follow him, and the other will come back immediately to inform us. Do you understand?”

Lan Wu raised his eyes slightly to meet her worried gaze, and smiled faintly, "Thank you for your concern, Madam. I will certainly not fail in my mission and will definitely keep Young Master Xue here!"

"Well, you all should hurry and find a hiding place. Lord Xue and I will be leaving now."

Lan Wu and Feng Xing exchanged a glance, then clasped their hands in a fist and smiled at their respective masters, saying, "Your subordinates obey." With that, the two turned and passed through the winding path they had just crossed, disappearing from sight.

Wanlan turned around and smiled slightly at Xue Juzheng, "My lord, let's go back."

Chapter 77, Sunlight Warms the Jade Fields (2)

When she returned to the manor, Zehua was already back, the only time in several days that he had come home earlier than her. Wanlan was overjoyed and almost pounced on him in public. Seeing the man's gentle face with a rare mischievous smile, she couldn't help but blush.

The two finished their dinner in silence and then returned to Tongxin Garden together.

As soon as Zhao Defang entered Ziyun Pavilion and turned around after closing the door, he was greeted by his wife's unusual enthusiasm. He quickly caught her as she rushed towards him and chuckled, "Wanlan, what's wrong with you today?"

“Uncle, there must be a reason why you let me come back so early today. What is it?” Ever since Zehua mentioned to him that he would go on a trip with his wife after the late emperor’s funeral, Zhao Guangyi has kept Zehua in the palace every day and only let him come back very late. Today, he didn’t even let Zehua stay in the palace for dinner. Something must be wrong.

Zhao Defang smiled and pulled her towards the bed. "It's not that I, Your Highness, are willing to let me go, but I insisted on coming back at this time, and Your Highness can't do anything about it." When he gets stubborn, no one can dissuade him. The reason he came home late a few days ago was simply because he didn't want to have a conflict with His Highness, which is why he had remained silent.

The two moved to the edge of the bed and sat down like conjoined twins. Wanlan lowered her head slightly against the man's chest so that he could easily remove a hair ornament for her. She smiled and said, "So what is the reason that my husband insisted on coming back at this time?"

He removed the last jade hairpin from her hair, watching her long, flowing black hair cascade down her back. His hand instinctively stroked it, and he sighed softly, "Naturally, it's because my wife dared to take such a dangerous step behind my back. How could I stay in the palace with peace of mind?"

Wanlan stuck out her tongue before looking up to meet his smiling eyes. "I didn't intend to hide it from you, it's just that I haven't been able to see you these past few days. When you come back, I've already gone to bed, and when I get up, you've already gone to the palace." She pouted. "Zehua, I'm turning into a bitter woman. Tell your royal uncle that if he continues like this, I'll run away with you right away, and we won't stay in the capital for another second."

Zhao Defang chuckled, gently pulled her away a little, stood up and walked to the dressing table, placed her hair ornaments on the table, turned around and stared at her resentful eyes, and said with a smile: "Alright, I will tell my uncle tomorrow that he is driving his niece-in-law into a resentful woman, and ask him to be lenient."

Wanlan sat on the bed and reached out to him. Only after he walked towards her and took her cold hand did she say, "Are you deliberately making my uncle laugh at me?" After a pause, she added, "Zehua, I left Lanwu in the western suburbs with Fengxing to wait for Xue Weiji. It's so cold. Do you think we should ask Lanwen to send him some warm clothes?"

Zhao Defang sat down next to her and hugged her tightly. Since she woke up this time, she seemed to be particularly sensitive to cold. Her hands and feet were often so cold that it alarmed him. He would definitely ask a doctor to take a look at her another day.

"Didn't you notice that Lan Wen had already left the manor?" From the moment she stepped into the house, Lan Wen had already rushed out the door with his winter clothes on, even before he saw Lan Wu behind her. It seemed that the brothers' relationship had become even closer after Lan Wu almost lost his life last time.

Upon hearing this, Wanlan was dumbfounded. "They've already gone?" Although she and Lan Wu hadn't deliberately kept their trip to the western suburbs a secret from the people in the manor, the decision to leave Lan Wu and Feng Xing in the western suburbs today was a last-minute one. Lan Wen knew nothing about it and just rushed out the door.

"Hmm." Zhao Defang responded softly, then focused on rubbing her cold little hands together, her brows furrowing with worry. "Wanlan, let's see a doctor tomorrow. You've been feeling cold lately, rarely warm. Isn't that a bit abnormal?"

"No, it's just that I'm a bit sensitive to the cold." Wanlan answered casually, then steered the conversation back on track, "Do you think Young Master Xue will show up today? Does he really not want to see us? Why is he avoiding us?" More than three months have passed, and she knows that the pain is hard to heal, but how could he bear not to go home and see his elderly parents? The Prime Minister and his wife, who have lost their beloved daughter, are no less grieving than he is.

“It’s not that he doesn’t want to, he just doesn’t know how to face them, especially Lord Xue and Madam Xue. He feels guilty towards them and doesn’t know how to associate with them anymore. After all, he has rarely spent time with his parents since he was fifteen, and now he has killed their daughter.” With a long sigh, Zhao Defang shook his head with great reluctance. “He feels that he is the murderer and is probably avenging Miss Xue by exiling himself.”

Wanlan bit her lip hard and whispered, "He said Suxin died because he... raped her, but I don't believe it!"

It's truly unbelievable. "Even if such a thing really happened, there must be some hidden story. Before, because of my uncle and father's affairs, I didn't have the energy to investigate further, but this time I will definitely find out what really happened!"

Clutching his clothes tightly, she looked up into his dark eyes. "Zehua, could you not go to the palace tomorrow and wait with me today? I know he will definitely show up, but I don't know if Lan Wu and the others can stop him. Lord Xue is already exhausted because of this, and my uncle has given him a secret order to find Xue Weiji. Let's help Lord Xue."

"No," Zhao Defang gently shook his head, raised his hand slightly to stop her from speaking so urgently, and smiled gently, "I'm not waiting with you, I'm waiting for you. We don't know when he will show up. You must be exhausted after staying in the suburbs for so long today. Sleep for a while now. I promise you, I will call you as soon as I hear any news about Lan Wu, okay?"

Wanlan opened her lips but he stopped her several times. When he released her after speaking, she nodded to him dejectedly, "Okay, I'll listen to you, but you have to wake me up immediately if there's any news from Lanwu."

"Um."

As night deepened, perhaps because she had spent most of the day squatting in the suburbs, Wanlan quickly fell asleep. When she was groggily woken, she opened her eyes and met Xuan'er's panicked gaze. Suddenly, she was wide awake. She sat up abruptly, but a strong wave of dizziness made her vision go black. Unable to bear the throbbing headache, she shook her head violently and grabbed Xuan'er, asking:

"Is there any news about Lan Wu?"

“Yes, Lan Wu and Lan Wen brought Young Master Xue back, and Feng Xing also went back to the Xue residence to invite Lord Xue,” Xuan’er said while pressing Wan Lan’s hand as she tried to get out of bed, and hurriedly said, “But none of that matters, Madam, do you know you have a fever?”

A fever? No wonder her head felt so heavy she could barely lift it.

Wanlan closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind. She brushed away Xuan'er's hand from her leg and insisted on getting out of bed. "Let's go out. Are they in the main hall? Where is the Prince? Is the Prince here too?"

“Madam! You have a fever! You shouldn’t go. The Prince will handle Young Master Xue’s matter. He’ll be angry soon. You should lie down and rest. I’ll go and fetch a doctor.”

"Xuan'er," Wanlan said, rubbing her aching head. She helped Xuan'er to her feet with difficulty. After a slight sway, Xuan'er stood up straight. "I can't rest easy until this matter is dealt with. Take me to the main hall now, and then you can go see the doctor. I'll do whatever you say about what I need to see, what I need to eat, and what I need to rest. Now—take me to see Young Master Xue first."

"lady--"

"Let's go."

Holding Xuan'er's hand, he moved with heavy steps out of Ziyun Pavilion, around the courtyard and through the flower hall, and hurriedly left Tongxin Garden and headed straight for Qinming Pavilion. Because it was late at night, there was nothing around except for the scattered lanterns emitting a faint light, and the air was eerily quiet.

Wanlan and Xuan'er's clasped hands were sweaty, whether from their fevers or from the anxiety and confusion of their moment, they couldn't tell. Was Xue Weiji, who had been hiding for three months, doing alright? Since he intended to avenge Suxin by exiling her, surely he wouldn't so easily throw away his own life?

When Wanlan reached the main hall of Qinming Pavilion, she held onto the doorpost and gasped for breath. She felt a tightness in her chest, which made her subconsciously open her mouth wide and force the breath out of her throat before panting rapidly.

The four people in the hall turned their attention to them upon their appearance. Wanlan looked up and met Zhao Defang's slightly surprised eyes. She gave a weak smile and hurriedly searched for the person's figure.

The man was dressed in a gray-blue long robe, with a dark blue quilted hunting jacket over it for warmth. As Wanlan ran to the hall entrance, he glanced at her indifferently, then turned away to look at the ground, remaining silent.