The Beauties of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 94

Taking a deep breath, she tried to suppress the tightness and pain in her chest. "If you feel it's difficult, you can talk to the Prince of Yan. If he wants me to agree to his request, he must let me return to Rongyang. He can come back with me then."

Xuan'er bit her lip, looking at her pale face, and reached out to cover her with the quilt. She replied in a choked voice, "Okay, Xuan'er will go and tell the Prince of Yan. If he doesn't let you go back, Xuan'er will definitely take Madam back to Rongyang to wait for the Prince!"

Volume 5, Chapter 90, Misty Mist and Rain (2)

Xuan'er is gone and will never return.

Wanlan didn't know what she said to Zhao Dezhao, or what insubordinate words she said, or whether Zhao Dezhao didn't want to refuse her directly but also wouldn't allow Xuan'er to tip her off, so he sent Xuan'er away.

Wanlan didn't know the specifics, but only half an hour after Ji Zehua left with Lan Wen that day, Xuan'er also disappeared. Zhao Dezhao sent Su Li to serve her and still let her live in the east wing. Without her permission, he would never cross the line.

Overnight, she became isolated and helpless.

She couldn't help but wonder if Zehua had considered this possibility.

After she was seriously injured in the palace and fell into a coma for two months, Zehua said that she was not allowed to leave him again, otherwise he would hate her. He never expected that they would end up in this situation. Did he ever think that she would hate him?

But... she simply couldn't bring herself to hate him.

She had no idea how things had happened or in which direction they would unfold. She felt as if she had been suddenly thrust into a vast, pale world with no way back and no way forward. It seemed that all she could do was stay put.

Then, wait.

"Lan'er!"

Looking up blankly at the man who had appeared in her room, she silently lowered her eyes and remained silent.

Her feelings for this man evolved from initial sympathy and heartache, to later resentment and helplessness, and finally to indifference. Who orchestrated this transformation? If Princess Deqing knew this from beyond the grave, would she regret her decision to take her own life?

"Although the sun hasn't come out, the rain has stopped today. Would you like to go for a walk?"

Wanlan turned her head slightly to look out the window. The dark sky was still very low, but the torrential rain that had lasted for several days had indeed stopped. It was mid-June. At this time last year, she and Suxin left the capital for Luoyang. She remembered suffering from heatstroke on the way. She never expected that this year there would be continuous torrential rain and the temperature would drop so much.

It seems like it's been raining heavily for half a month now? I wonder if there will be a major flood. Rongze is right on the banks of the Yellow River...

"Lan'er?"

Coming to her senses, she looked up and stood up. "Let's go."

The man in front of her seemed to pause for a moment. She raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly, "What's wrong?"

"It's alright, let's go."

He stretched out his large hand in front of her. Wanlan lowered her eyes and remained silent for a long while before slowly extending her hand and following him out of the house.

She didn't understand why this man would ask a woman who was completely different from the one he loved to be his wife, and she didn't want to understand anymore. Since she couldn't leave, why not cooperate with him and play the role of an actor?

Zehua, if you really want me to be this man's wife, then I'll show you.

If you still care even a little, then show yourself and take me away.

The only bustling street in Rongze County was very lively, lined with shops, crowded with people, and filled with the constant shouts of vendors. The torrential rains of the past two weeks had washed the bluestone slabs of the street until they were exceptionally shiny, and pedestrians could easily slip and fall if they were not careful.

Zhao Dezhao held Wanlan close, protecting her from being jostled by pedestrians. Wanlan remained expressionless, only smiling faintly with a slight upturn at the corners of her lips. Her eyes quietly observed the stalls along the way, but she showed no intention of stopping to admire them.

"Is there anything you want to buy?"

"No." As Wanlan answered him, she looked around. Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure flashing by at the corner of the shop on her left. She was slightly startled and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Why don't we buy the groceries and take them home? That way, Su Li won't have to make another trip later," she suggested with a smile.

Zhao Dezhao smiled slightly, put his arm around her, and walked towards the market. "Okay."

Wanlan lowered her eyes and followed quietly beside him, sensitively sensing the presence following closely behind her. A faint smile appeared on her usually indifferent face, which had been blank for half a month.

It turns out she wasn't alone and helpless...

What would you like to eat?

The person beside her asked softly, and she looked up at him with a smile, saying softly, "It's up to you to decide." Since he was going to be a guest actor, what was wrong with being a supportive wife?

She spoke softly and gently the whole way, appearing every bit the well-bred, obedient, and pleasing daughter-in-law. The aunts and uncles in the market praised the couple's loving relationship, saying it was the envy of everyone. She, however, kept her eyes half-closed and smiled shyly.

The two returned to the courtyard together. She was about to go back to her room to rest when Zhao Dezhao stopped her, staring intently at her with his deep eyes, as if trying to see through her.

"What?" she asked with a smile. "Is there anything else?"

"Hey..." Zhao Dezhao frowned, feeling that her sudden change in attitude was really strange. "Are you alright?"

"It's nothing," she shrugged casually. "I'm just a little tired. If you're alright, I'd like to go back to my room and rest for a while, is that alright?" She was already in character, so why was this man so indecisive? Wasn't what he wanted precisely the princess who admired him? Now that he had gotten what he wanted, why was he dissatisfied with her attitude?

Zhao Dezhao's jaw tightened, and he stared intently at the indifferent woman before him, saying in a deep voice, "After lunch, we're going to the bamboo house. You might as well rest for a bit first."

He turned and went back to the west wing.

Wanlan tilted her head and smiled as she watched him enter the west wing. She turned back into the room and closed the door. All expression vanished from her face instantly, and she became somewhat dazed.

If she hadn't been seeing things, the person who had been following her seemed to be Lan Wu.

He was indeed in Rongze?

Did he ever meet Zehua, and did he know that Zehua had returned to Beijing?

Regardless, she felt much more relaxed when she suddenly realized that she wasn't alone.

After a light nap, it was past noon when Su Li took her to the front hall for lunch. After the meal, without resting, Zhao Dezhao pulled her out the door and headed straight for the bamboo house by the river.

The sky cleared up a bit in the afternoon, and the bamboo house looked quite translucent after being washed by the rain for several days. Wanlan looked at the crystal-clear green building with almost fascination, and couldn't help but feel a little grateful to Princess Deqing. If it weren't for her, she probably wouldn't have seen such a beautiful house.