The Beauties of the Song Dynasty - Chapter 121
"Father!"
Zhao Defang bent down and hugged his son, then looked up at his wife who was approaching and said with a smile, "I thought you had gone back, but as soon as I stepped out of the palace gate, I saw Lan Wen still waiting here."
Wanlan stopped in front of him and looked up at him. "Why are you up so early today?"
Zhao Defang frowned, a hint of melancholy etched on her face. "Get in the car, let's go back."
The three of them boarded the carriage one after another. As soon as the door closed, Lan Wen, who was in charge of driving, jumped onto the carriage floor, cracked his whip, and headed towards the Prince of Qin's residence.
Inside the car, Wanlan quietly watched the father and son laughing and joking in front of her, a look of worry rising in her eyes.
Zehua seems to have something on his mind. What could it be?
He used to tell me everything, so why is he so silent this time?
When she returned to the mansion, it was just in time for dinner. Wanlan went back to her room to feed her youngest son first. When she returned to the dining hall, she saw Zhao Defang sitting alone at the table. She paused and walked over to sit down next to him.
Where is Xu'er?
"I fed him and then Xuan'er took him to rest."
"oh."
After picking up her bowl and chopsticks, Wanlan didn't say anything more and quietly ate her meal.
The atmosphere was so quiet throughout the meal that it seemed as if no one was there.
Back at Zizhi Pavilion, Wanlan went straight to the inner room and opened the wardrobe to prepare clean clothes for the two of them.
Zhao Defang stood beside her, somewhat hesitant.
"Wanlan".
"Hmm?" she responded lightly without turning her head.
"My elder brother... insisted on joining the Northern Expedition."
They finally said it.
Wanlan paused for a moment, then took out the two people's clothes, closed the wardrobe door, and turned to face him.
"You saw him?" Zhao Dezhao should have just returned today.
Zhao Defang let out a long sigh and nodded. "My elder brother was summoned back by the Imperial Uncle. After entering the palace, the Imperial Uncle arranged for him to stay with me, saying that he wanted my elder brother to participate in the discussion of the Northern Han matter. I objected at the time, but when the Imperial Uncle asked me for my reasons, I couldn't give them. My elder brother, on the other hand, agreed immediately, which made me even more unsure how to refuse."
Wanlan placed the clothes on the bed, turned around and walked back to his side, taking his tightly clenched hand in hers. "This is good too. You can observe his every move up close, and if anything seems amiss, you'll notice immediately, right?"
“But… I hope he goes back to Yongxing.”
That's impossible.
She thought of what that man had said to her when she returned to Rongyang from Hongfeng Town last year.
Has he not given up on Zehua yet?
Or perhaps, he wants to take a gamble for himself?
Regardless of the possibility, once Zhao Dezhao returns to the capital, he will not be able to leave easily again. She cannot fathom the Emperor's thoughts, nor does she understand why he let Zhao Dezhao go.
But at least the Emperor promised that she would not threaten Zhao Dezhao's life.
She and Zehua weren't entirely helpless.
"Wanlan, you said you have a way to save my brother. Can you tell me what it is? What can I do?"
Wanlan smiled slightly, "You don't need to do anything, just maintain the status quo. Since Zhao Dezhao is with you every day, you are responsible for calming him down if he gets emotional. How about that? Right now, we can only take precautions, because we don't know if what I know will come true. In the end, we are just guessing."
"But you—"
"I'll be fine." Wanlan patted his hand. "You have to go to the palace tomorrow, so go wash up early and get some rest."
As she spoke, she turned back to fetch his clothes, placed them in his hands, and pushed him out the door.
Before leaving the palace today, the Empress Dowager asked her to come to the palace again tomorrow, as if she had something to tell her.
She should go to the palace with Zehua tomorrow.
"What?"
Inside Baoci Palace, Wanlan had just sat down with Weixian in her arms when she was stunned by the words of the person opposite her: "Go to Xiangguo Temple?"
Song Huining nodded. "I want to go to Xiangguo Temple to worship Buddha. I might stay there for half a month. Would you like to come with me?"
Wanlan pondered for a moment, then said, "I need to discuss this with Zehua. When does Mother Kou plan to depart?"
"How about we leave in the next two days?"
"But what about Xu'er and Xian'er?"
Song Huining smiled and said, "Xu'er can stay in the palace. I'll have Yuan Niang stay to take care of her. Xian'er can come along too."
Wanlan nodded slowly. "That's not bad either. Zehua will be going back to Qinlan Palace for a meal later. I'll tell him then."
After making this decision, the two chatted for a while longer. When it was time for lunch, Wanlan got up and carried her youngest son back to Qinlan Palace.
Chapter 107, The Curtain Falls Over the Vast Chu Sky (3)
"What?"