The Beauties of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 143

Was it because of the tears?

It wasn't a dream... She turned her face closer to his chest, her blank, lifeless eyes staring at the withered grass in the corner of the steps, and whispered, "Zehua, I don't know why I'm crying, tell me why..."

Why did he place her hand in Zhao Dezhao's today? Why was Zhao Dezhao so strange today? Why was there such deep longing and affection in his eyes? Why did he leave that kiss on her forehead that still causes her heartache?

Why?

Zhao Defang simply hugged her tightly in silence, staring blankly at the path she had just walked behind her.

She closed her eyes, the remaining tears at the corners of her eyes were mercilessly squeezed out and silently slid down her cheeks.

"Zehua, the Empress Dowager is pregnant, but she doesn't want the child. My uncle still can't let go of the Northern Expedition. Has he changed? Your elder brother said some strange things to me today. My mind is still a mess. What should I do?"

Zhao Defang closed his eyes, rested his face against her hair, and said in a low, husky voice:

"Wanlan, let's go."

Leave here.

They always talk about leaving, but they always end up coming back for various reasons.

But this time... it's a permanent departure.

Volume Six: The Rise and Fall of the Song Dynasty, Chapter 120: From Now On, We Will Be Home Across the Four Seas (The End)

September 18th, the fourth year of the Taiping Xingguo era.

Prince Zhao Dezhao of Wugong committed suicide by poisoning himself in his residence.

On the same day, Empress Dowager Song Huining took poison in her bedchamber.

However, Song Huining was saved because her poisoning was not severe and was discovered in time.

When the Emperor learned of this, he was furious, especially when he discovered that Song Huining was pregnant. He was enraged and all the palace maids in Baoci Palace who knew about it had their tongues cut out. The imperial physician who rescued Song Huining was put to death for learning such a terrible thing.

Such a shocking event in the inner palace would normally be difficult to conceal, but Zhao Dezhao's suicide drew all attention away from the truth, thus keeping the matter of Baoci Palace a secret.

Wanlan heard the two pieces of news almost simultaneously.

At that time, she was leading Xiao Weixian to learn to walk when the two pieces of news brought to her by Lan Wen and Lan Wu left her frozen in place, completely unsure of what to do or think.

Zhao Dezhao's smile, Zhao Dezhao's tenderness, Zhao Dezhao's lingering affection, and that hot yet heartbreaking kiss—all of this was just telling her that he was leaving, wasn't it?

And the Empress Dowager, when she said she "would not abandon that child again," was it because she planned to go with the child?

They're all lying to her...they're all lying to her... "Wanlan!"

Her blank thoughts were shattered by a thunderous shout. She sluggishly raised her head and looked at Zhao Defang, who stood in front of her with a pale and sorrowful face. She opened her mouth, but found herself unable to utter a word.

Zhao Dezhao clearly said that there were people here who he missed so much that he didn't want to leave, so why did he break his promise as soon as he turned around?

The Empress Dowager clearly said she would not abandon her child, so why did she end up not only abandoning her child but also abandoning herself?

"Wanlan? Talk to me, or if you're sad, just cry it out. Don't hold it in."

Wanlan closed her dry eyes; she couldn't cry now.

Zhao Dezhao ultimately chose to commit suicide, the reason for which she no longer understood.

“Zehua…”

"Um?"

Aren't you sad?

Why was he so calm? His older brother was dead; the older brother he had always wanted to save had still died in the end.

“I’m sorry… I couldn’t save him… She had so confidently told Zehua to rest assured…” Zhao Defang finally reached out and pulled her into his arms.

"It's none of your business, it's not your fault."

Rather... it was his fault.

Wanlan gasped for breath, feeling like a drowning person about to suffocate. "He clearly... said he wanted to know what would happen if he lived, why did he..." Zhao Defang slowly closed her eyes, murmuring, "I'm sorry... If I hadn't appeared here... wouldn't everything be different? Princess Deqing would have reunited with Zhao Dezhao, your relationship with your elder brother might have been much simpler, and he wouldn't have used Suxin because of me, causing her to suffer and ultimately die. If I hadn't appeared on the night of the palace coup, the late emperor would have forced my uncle out, and if my uncle could have taken my mother away from the palace, things wouldn't be like this today. If it weren't for me—"

"Wanlan!"

He roared at her in shock and anger, “Don’t think about these things! If it weren’t for you, my elder brother would have suffered for the rest of his life, because Deqing didn’t even have the courage to live. If it weren’t for you, my elder brother and I would never have been able to live peacefully together because of Deqing. If it weren’t for you, my uncle and mother might have been disgraced or even died! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be like this today. I might have lived a life of obscurity. No one could understand my feelings and my heart, and no one would care.”

He took a deep breath and held her face in his hands with utmost seriousness, forcing her to look at him. "So, Wanlan, I won't allow you to be so arrogant! You always say that no matter how the process changes, the ending is unchangeable, so it's not because of you that things turned out this way. Don't overthink it."

Her dry eyes stung from his words. She blinked, her vision blurring. "But your elder brother... and Mother... I..."

“Your elder brother’s matter really has nothing to do with you. As for Mother, she’s fine, isn’t she? The child is safe too. If you don’t believe me, I’ll take you to see her right now.”

Wanlan grabbed him in astonishment, "Is Mother alright?"

"It's nothing, just a false alarm. I'll take you to see her now."

"good……"

After handing the two children over to Xuan'er, Zhao Defang and his wife hurriedly entered the palace and headed straight for Bao Ci Hall. Before they could even step into the hall, they heard a thunderous roar: "When will you finally wake up?!"

Wanlan bit her lip and exchanged a glance with Zhao Defang before rushing inside.

The empty inner hall had only five people.

Zhao Jiong paced back and forth in the center of the hall, furious. Behind him was Wang Ji'en, hunched over with his head bowed. Yuan Niang knelt by the bedside, and Song Huining was still unconscious on the bed. There was also an old man in plain clothes who was so startled by Zhao Jiong's roar that he prostrated himself and trembled slightly. Next to him was an ordinary medicine box.