The Beauties of the Song Dynasty - Chapter 81
“Yuanniang, you may leave.” Song Huining suddenly interrupted, looking at her with a faint smile. “Go and keep an eye on those two maids, don’t let them have a chance to talk nonsense.”
"Your Majesty?"
Song Huining lowered her eyes and sighed softly, "Go down."
"Yes..." Coughing, Yuan Niang lowered her head and slowly retreated, closing the palace door behind her. Standing before the Funing Palace, a tear rolled down her cheek.
Her Majesty... she's setting herself on fire...
When will fate stop its cruel joke? How will this ill-fated relationship between the Empress and the Emperor end?
Chapter 82
On the eighth day of the second month of the second year of the Taiping Xingguo era, the King of Wuyue, noting the approaching date of Emperor Taizu's burial at the mausoleum, dispatched envoys to offer funeral supplies. On the ninth day, Emperor Taizong changed his name to Jiong and decreed: "Except for the names of prefectures, counties, officials, and personal names that have been changed, the two characters of the original name need not be avoided."
In March, Zhao Pu, the military governor of Heyang, came to pay homage and requested to accompany Emperor Taizu to his tomb. On March 14, Emperor Taizong granted him the title of Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent and ordered him to remain in the capital.
In the summer, on the 24th of the fourth month, Emperor Jingzong of Liao dispatched Yelü Chang, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and others to assist in the burial of Emperor Taizu. On the 25th, Emperor Yingwu Shengwen Shende was buried in Yongchang Mausoleum.
At this point, everything seemed to have settled down and returned to normal. As summer approached and temperatures rose, people gradually shed their heavy clothing and put on lighter summer clothes.
At the end of May, Wanlan and Xuan'er packed their bags. After waiting for five whole months, they were finally able to set off. A lot had happened in those five months. For example, they had helped Xu'er with her first birthday banquet last month, and Song Huining had moved from Anfu Palace to Baoci Palace in the West Palace. As for why the Emperor didn't let her move to Kunning Palace, they kept it to themselves. However, there seemed to be another rumor circulating among the people about the current Emperor—because the Emperor still held a grudge about Empress Song's attempt to summon Prince Qin to the palace on the night her brother had protected her, and therefore had no intention of treating Empress Song well.
However, the imperial uncle didn't care at all. Since he had already taken the blame for the regicide on behalf of his mother, what difference would one more charge make? It was insignificant.
After quickly tying up all the necessary clothes, Wanlan let out a long sigh of relief, slumped into the chair, and didn't want to move anymore.
"Madam, I'll take care of the rest. Please don't bother."
Xuan'er picked up the clothes that the two of them had packed and carried them out, intending to put them on the carriage in the front yard so that they wouldn't have to rush when they set off the next morning. As soon as she stepped out of Ziyun Pavilion, she saw the prince coming this way. Xuan'er quickly stopped and was about to bow when Zhao Defang gestured for her to stop.
"Get back to your work."
"Yes, Your Highness." Holding a rather heavy bundle in her arms, Xuan'er hurriedly walked out.
Zhao Defang, however, turned a corner and went around the corridor to the bedroom.
Upon entering, one sees Wanlan almost entirely slumped over the table, her arms stretched straight out to the other side, nearly knocking over the tea set. She seems oblivious, simply resting her head on her arms with her eyes closed, her brow furrowed, looking quite tired.
Zhao Defang strolled over shamelessly, moved the tea set aside, went behind her, placed his hand on her shoulder, and gently but firmly massaged it. He then asked in a loud voice, "I told you earlier that you didn't need to worry about the luggage. You could have just left it to Xuan'er and the others."
Wanlan's slightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and she sighed comfortably, "I didn't do anything, I just picked up some clothes, they did all the moving." She had been unusually tired these past two days, wondering if it was because she had been having insomnia for no reason lately.
"Or we can postpone our departure for a few days—"
Wanlan suddenly opened her eyes and sat up, turning her head to glare at him. "No! Everything in the capital is back on track now, and Xu'er has fully adapted to Mother. I don't want to wait a moment longer. We must set off tomorrow."
"But you—"
"I'm fine!" She stood up abruptly, walked around the stool, and stood in front of him. As if to prove it, she turned around in front of him, trying to ignore the dizziness that suddenly came over her head, and said in a steady voice, "See, I'm fine. I was just too excited last night and couldn't sleep. I'll definitely get a good rest tonight, okay? There's no need to postpone it any longer!"
He put his hand back on her shoulder and pushed her onto the stool, pressing her down to sit. He massaged her temples with his fingertips and said helplessly, "Okay, no delay. Don't rush. Did you get dizzy again when you stood up in such a hurry?" Although her expression changed only for a moment, he saw it clearly. He wondered what was wrong with her this time. Not wanting to disappoint her didn't mean he would let her ignore her body like this.
The next day, as the sun rose, in the early summer morning, the breeze still carried a chill. Under Zhao Defang's worried gaze, Wanlan reluctantly wrapped herself in a warm fur coat that she would only wear in winter and got into the car. Zhao Defang then followed her and bent down to get into the car.
On this trip, only Lan Wen and Xuan'er accompanied her. Wanlan originally didn't want anyone to come with her, after all, she was planning never to return to the capital after this trip. However, she couldn't be honest with Zehua about this now. Besides, with Lan Wen and Xuan'er with her, the journey would be much smoother, and her uncle probably wouldn't suspect her.
Deep down, she felt a great deal of reluctance, but what she missed most was her one-year-old son. If she could, she would like to take him with her, but—
She was terrified.
She was still unsure what kind of historical changes abducting Zehua would bring, and Xu'er had his own path to take. She was afraid that if she took Xu'er away from the Song Palace because of her reluctance, it would bring even greater changes to her, Zehua, or even history.
She admitted that she was extremely selfish.
All she wanted to do from beginning to end was save Zehua's life.
The Empress Dowager is grieving the loss of her child, and I believe that it would be much better for Xu'er to stay with her than with her own mother.
Another person she was reluctant to part with was her mother. She knew that since her mother moved to Baoci Palace, her uncle had never bothered her. It seemed that he had really given up on her mother and devoted himself to the affairs of state.
While reassuring his mother, he also felt conflicted and resentful of his uncle's letting go. This was wrong, as their current status was far more distant than when the founding emperor was alive. Completely severing ties would be the best outcome for both of them.
Fate plays tricks on people. What can a mortal burdened with a lifetime of emotional debts do? All the regrets and pain of this life can only be exchanged for a lifetime of companionship in the next.
The other man, Xue Weiji, according to Zehua, was given a sinecure by the Emperor as the Right General of the Thousand Oxen Guard. Now he has resumed his carefree life, wandering the world in a white robe and a paper fan, his smiling, romantic eyes having seen all the grudges and love affairs of the world, but no one has been able to stay with him anymore.
Perhaps he would be alone for the rest of his life, but she believed he was not lonely.
The last person she couldn't let go of was Zhao Dezhao.
The last time she spoke with him was in the palace before the New Year. In the heavy snow, she chased after him and questioned his purpose, furious at his actions. The last time she saw him was a month ago at the funeral of the founding emperor. His lonely and taciturn appearance suddenly made her feel a pang of pity.
She has never been able to figure out why Zhao Dezhao opposed Zehua, and even today she still can't understand it. This part of history is completely unfamiliar to her. Historical records say that Zhao Guangyi killed his two nephews one after another because he was afraid of them. Now she is deeply immersed in the torrent of history and still can't see the clues.
Because the Imperial Uncle did not take any action against Zhao Dezhao. Even though Zhao Dezhao knew the Imperial Uncle's secret very well, the Imperial Uncle did not seem to be worried at all that Zhao Dezhao would use it to blackmail him or harm him. He not only promoted him, but also sent him to his post as if nothing had happened, as if he had no worries at all.
She couldn't completely let go of any of this.
However, she didn't want to get involved, nor would she allow Zehua to get involved.
Anyway, now that they're far away from the capital, they'll never return to that troublesome place.
Oh, and they also need to avoid Yongxing in Hunan, where Zhao Dezhao is stationed, and try to avoid running into him as much as possible...
The carriage suddenly jolted, and Wanlan, who was not asleep despite having her eyes closed, stumbled forward. Fortunately, Zhao Defang reached out and pulled her back into his arms in time, preventing her from "bursting out of the door".
Feeling a lingering fear, Wanlan patted her chest and gasped for breath. She turned to look at Zhao Defang. "What's wrong?"