Acuerdo de Mu Yucheng

Capítulo 86

Or perhaps, all of this was pre-planned by him, or at least he knew about it beforehand but kept it from her...

No wonder he was so careful when they first left, treating her like a porcelain doll. After learning she was pregnant, she always thought Zehua must have been pregnant for the same reason. Now that she thought about it, could it be that he knew they would part ways today and was apologizing to her in advance?

She knew she shouldn't doubt him. No one could understand better than her how worried Zehua was about her, especially in the six months since she woke up from her two-month slumber, when she and Zehua were practically inseparable.

But her inability to return last night, Lan Wu's unexplained departure, and today's unusual behavior left her unable to calm down. She could only blame Ze Hua for being too kind to her usually; this sudden coldness only fueled her suspicions.

Perhaps it was because Wanlan's expression was too cold or too melancholy, but Dexuan'er and Suli, who were sitting in the carriage together, dared not breathe and looked at her in bewilderment.

Are the lady and the prince having a conflict?

After the carriage had been traveling for about half an hour, Wanlan finally raised her eyes to look at the person in front of her, and smiled faintly, "Su Li, I haven't asked you yet, where is Zhao Dezhao? Where are we going?"

Her words put both of them at ease. Su Li replied, "It's in Xingze County, about thirty miles away. It takes us about half an hour to get there by car."

Wanlan was taken aback. Xingze County? Half an hour?

How did Zhao Dezhao end up in this place?

"Su Li, were you lying to me again in the courtyard? If Zhao Dezhao truly had no attachment to life, why would he come here to think of slow suicide? Shouldn't he be in Yongxing?"

“Miss, Su Li is not lying to you!” Su Li hurriedly explained, “The Prince has been staying in Xingze for two months. In these two months, apart from returning to the capital for half a month before the late emperor’s funeral, he has not stepped out of his residence at all. I only came to find you yesterday because I heard that you were passing through Xingyang City.”

Wanlan froze. Zhao Dezhao had stayed here for two months? He hadn't been ordered to go to Yongxing? Why?

No... that's not what she's thinking about...

Zhao Dezhao had already settled in Xingze County two months ago, which means he didn't intentionally try to stop her here. So, is Zehua's insistence on staying in Xingyang City because she knows Zhao Dezhao is here?

He did it on purpose... Zehua did it on purpose...

Why keep it from her? Is there something he can't let her know? Is he going to just hand her over to her?

"lady?"

Xuan'er tugged at her sleeve with concern, pulling her back from her daze. "Madam, what's wrong?"

Wanlan narrowed her eyes, suddenly feeling confused. She had no choice but to believe that Zehua did indeed want her to go find Zhao Dezhao, and that it was all his idea. But what was his purpose? Did he want her to persuade Zhao Dezhao? If it were that simple, he could have explained it to her directly, or at least accompanied her. Why had his attitude become so cold?

What did he do last night?

Looking up at Su Li across from her, she asked in a low voice, "How did you know we came to Xingyang? And how did you find our lodgings? You said you saw Lan Wu last night, so what about Ze Hua? Did you see him yesterday too?"

Su Li nodded hesitantly. "Yesterday, the King of Thailand invited me to meet, so I went. As for the news that you arrived in Xingyang, it was a little boy who told me. As for who instructed that child, I don't know."

"So how did you two break up last night? No, wait..." Wanlan shook her head abruptly, "You came back with Zehua today, so you two were talking about Zhao Dezhao all day yesterday?"

So, Zehua knows everything about Zhao Dezhao, which is why he didn't stop her just now, right?

Su Li shook her head at her, "Last night, the King of Thailand asked me to meet you at the inn where you stayed before. We parted around 9 PM. This morning, the King of Thailand was waiting for me at the entrance of the inn and took me back to the courtyard to meet you."

In the end... he originally intended for her to travel alone.

Zehua, what are you thinking?

Wanlan smiled bitterly and slowly lay down on the carriage bed, saying in a very tired voice, "Xuan'er, I want to rest for a while. Call me when we get to Xingze County."

She barely slept last night, and after this series of inexplicable events, she felt utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.

Volume 5, Chapter 86: Early Summer Already Stained with Longing (1)

Xingze County is very small. It probably has only about a hundred households, of which shops account for about 20 percent. The rest are ordinary people who live near mountains, rivers, and farms. They have connections in all walks of life and are quite well-off.

Not understanding why Zhao Dezhao would choose such a small place to stay for two months, upon inquiry, it was learned that the place where Princess Deqing and Zhao Dezhao truly pledged their love was Xingze County. That year, Princess Deqing was only twelve years old. When she returned to her hometown with her mother, she was stopped in Xingze County by Zhao Dezhao, who had come to chase after her, and from then on, they made a vow of love.

"The Prince is currently staying in the same courtyard where you temporarily stayed that year. Xiao Luzi is by his side, and the Prince hardly ever steps out of the courtyard. Xiao Luzi and I are so anxious that we wanted to ask you to persuade the Prince."

As Su Li spoke, he led Wanlan and Xuan'er across the only main street in the county town, and after going around two alleys, they stopped in front of a courtyard house.

This courtyard house is very similar to the one they bought in Xingyang City. I heard that there are many courtyard houses like this in the Xingyang area. Ordinary people with some means usually live in courtyard houses, and the structures are all very similar.

After Su Li knocked on the door, Wanlan asked, "Is it just the three of you living here? Does the Emperor know about Zhao Dezhao's situation in Xingze? Doesn't the Emperor care?"

Su Li walked back to her side and waited together for Xiao Luzi to open the door. She replied, "I don't know if His Majesty knows that the Prince is here, but no one has come looking for the Prince."

"Is that so..." Did the Imperial Uncle truly not know, or did he simply not want to care? Could this be the reason why the Imperial Uncle allowed Zhao Dezhao, who knew his secret, to go his own way? Because he knew that Zhao Dezhao was slowly committing suicide, the Imperial Uncle simply let him bring about his own destruction?

Or... this is Zhao Dezhao—

"princess!"

Wanlan suddenly snapped out of her daze and looked up at the path leading out of the courtyard. The boy looked quite childish, his expression a mixture of surprise and joy. He rushed out and almost bumped into Wanlan, but was blocked by Xuan'er who was standing to the side.

Wanlan nodded slightly, then looked up at the empty courtyard. "Is your prince here?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Your Highness, please come in!" Xiao Luzi nodded hurriedly and stepped aside.

Wanlan was about to enter the house when she glanced at him sideways. "Don't call me Princess when we're outside. Just call me Madam like Xuan'er does."

Xia Luzi nodded hurriedly, "Yes, Madam."

This courtyard house is indeed very similar to the one they bought in Xingyang, except that there is only one room in the west wing. Zhao Dezhao lives in the west wing, while Xiao Luzi is always worried about their master, so he also built a bed in the outer room of the west wing. Su Li lives in the east wing.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, Xiao Luzi led her directly to the west wing, listening as he recounted Zhao Dezhao's daily life:

"Master spends most of his time lying in bed sleeping, but this servant knows he's not actually asleep; he's just thinking. Occasionally, he'll get up to read a book or go out to the courtyard to watch the sunrise and sunset. Besides that, Master doesn't eat his three meals a day on time, and he doesn't care whether he's hungry or not. If he doesn't want to eat, no matter how much this servant tries to persuade him, he won't budge."

Wanlan silently followed him to the door of the west wing. She heard Xiao Luzi turn back before knocking and say one last thing: "Madam, it has been more than two months since Master moved into this courtyard. He has not said a word. Even when he stayed in the capital for half a month when the late Emperor was buried a few days ago, he remained silent and unhappy. No matter how I tried to talk to him, he just wouldn't open his mouth."