Acuerdo de Mu Yucheng

Capítulo 102

Just thinking about the promise they had made, he was extremely unwilling to lose her so inexplicably, even though the person who had her was his beloved younger brother, and even though he knew that Defang's temperament would definitely give Lan'er everything she wanted, he was still unwilling.

Their agreement... was it just empty words from beginning to end?

Volume Five, A Fleeting Interlude: The Drunken Soul Should Chase the Dream of Lingbo (Zhao Dezhao's Medium-Length Story)

The reunion at the Prince of Qin's residence filled him with both surprise and anger.

Watching her lying by the crib, teasing the child who occasionally giggled, she smiled gently as she reasoned with the child. Her actions were clearly childish, yet her face was so gentle, radiating a warm aura that made people want to get closer.

He couldn't help but wonder, after a year apart, how would she react to his sudden appearance? He considered many possibilities—she would cry and say that everything was out of necessity, or she would put on her cold mask again and say that she didn't want to wait for him anymore, or she would say that she broke their promise because of Defang's child.

Whatever the reason, he told himself that as long as Lan'er was happy, he would let go and wish her well.

But to my utter surprise, she had forgotten him!

She frowned and glared at him fiercely, coldly asking, "Who are you?" After he stared at her stiffly for a while, she suddenly realized and pointed at him, shouting, "You...you are Zhao Dezhao."

She pointed at him and said in a startled tone, "You are Zhao Dezhao!"

There was no sense of helplessness, no tears, not even indifference.

Her reaction was as natural as if she were meeting someone she had heard so much about; it was as if the man standing in front of her had no other identity than her husband's brother.

Shocked, he questioned her identity, but upon seeing the bloodied marks on her wrist from his grip, he had no choice but to accept Defang's explanation—she had amnesia, forgetting everything from her past, unable to recall a single detail.

As she herself said, she was merely Defang's wife and Weixu's mother, and had no relation to him whatsoever.

How could he accept such an ending?

If Lan'er had clearly told him that everything was her own choice, he would have no complaints. But—she had no choice but to accept everything because of amnesia. How could he accept such an ending?

So he began to create opportunities for Lan'er to regain her memories.

First, she must leave Defang's side.

A person with amnesia often relies on the first person they see upon opening their eyes—this is the psychology of a fledgling bird. He believed that Lan'er also had this psychology, which was why she thought she was Ai Defang's. He heard from Su Xin that her amnesia stemmed from a near-difficult childbirth, caused by her disregarding her health and standing in the rain for most of the night. Knowing her as he did, he considered such behavior tantamount to suicide!

He thought that the reason she wanted to commit suicide might be because of her aversion to the child in her womb and her aversion to the marriage.

Could her amnesia be because she doesn't want to face herself like this, or this marriage?

Did waiting make her forget him and their promise?

He has to save her!

While Defang was accompanying the emperor to Luoyang, he took her out of the palace and directly to Jiangling. His initial plan was simply to isolate her and let her see only him. He didn't believe she could remain so ignorant forever.

However, his father secretly sent him a secret decree, instructing him to use Lan'er to force Defang out, which made him panic.

The Emperor was the only person besides the Emperor's uncle and Defang who knew so much about his relationship with Lan'er. Even the fact that he asked the Emperor for Lan'er on the eve of his wedding was something no one else knew except the two of them.

But now, the amnesiac Lan'er not only handles her role as the Princess of Qin with ease, but also steals Defang's heart.

The Emperor must be well aware of these matters, which is why he asked him to use Lan'er to pressure Defang.

Without a second thought, he was about to refuse, but the messenger, Eunuch Wang, informed him that the Emperor had known he would refuse, and suggested that if he wanted to refuse, he should go to the Emperor in person to refuse.

He's in Jiangling, how can he leave Lan'er behind and rush to Luoyang? Besides, what if he accidentally arouses Defang's suspicion?

Gritting his teeth, he accepted his father's secret decree. Leaving Xiao Luzi and Su Li behind, he returned alone to his post in Junzhou. He told Xue Suxin about Lan'er's whereabouts in Jiangling and, taking advantage of her worries, successfully lured Defang, who was heading south to find Lan'er, to Jiangling.

He retreated behind the scenes and hid in Junzhou, observing their every move. He was puzzled by his father's inaction. Just then, the guard named Lan Wu from the Prince of Qin's mansion actually followed the innkeeper all the way to Junzhou. Only then did he realize that Defang was not as simple as his father thought. The reason why Defang went to Jiangling to find Lan'er so openly was because he had already arranged for Lan Wu to secretly track down the truth about Lan'er's abduction and the person behind it.

He knew that as long as Defang received Lan'er, they would know that everything was done by his elder brother. Therefore, he did not hesitate to send people to counter-track Lan Wu's pursuit. However, the sudden appearance of Su Xin disrupted all his plans.

He had always felt guilty towards this frail woman who was devoted to him, but for Lan'er's sake, he didn't regret using her. He never expected that she would go to save Lan Wu, and that the excessive tension and fright would cause her to have an asthma attack, almost costing her her life in Junzhou.

He suddenly realized that the reason why his father had not sent anyone to Jiangling to bring Defang, who had "absent from his post," back to the capital was because his father had never intended to send anyone. His father's initial plan was to provoke a conflict between him and Defang in order to force Defang to come out.

In fact, if the Emperor wanted to make Defang the Crown Prince, he could have simply issued a decree. However, they all knew Defang's gentle and unassuming nature all too well. Defang was the kind of person who would neither love nor hate unless forced to, and naturally, he was also the kind of person who would not do his best to show himself unless forced to.

Therefore, everyone knows how mild-mannered and kind the King of Qin is, but no one cares about his actual abilities.

Defang was too indifferent, almost to the point of being devoid of desire.

That's why his feelings for Lan'er were so thoroughly exploited and manipulated by his father.

It's easy to imagine how much of an impact Lan Wu's encounter in Junzhou and Xue Suxin's relapse would have on Defang.

His father had achieved half of his goal, but he didn't want to continue.

He gradually came to understand that this woman was completely different from the Lan'er of the past. He never knew that amnesia could cause such a drastic change in a person's personality. However, he knew that he did not want to do anything to hurt Defang anymore. If his father wanted to force Defang to show his true colors, then his father should do it himself. He should not expect his father to help.

However, he forgot that in order to force out Defang's ambition, his father had to use him, Defang's brother who had always been as close as brothers to him.

Even the Emperor himself resorted to kidnapping people on the road, hiding Lan'er away. The Emperor's purpose was probably to frame him and further deepen the conflict between him and Defang.

The series of unexpected events that followed were probably something even the usually shrewd Emperor hadn't anticipated. These included Defang's trust in Wanlan, the affair between the Imperial Uncle and the Empress, Xue Suxin's sudden death, and Xue Weiji's departure from home.

Things spiraled out of control after Lan'er was brought into the palace by her father. He originally wanted to meet Xue Suxin to inquire about Lan'er's recent situation, but he missed the opportunity due to unforeseen circumstances, which led to her falling ill and dying. He remained silent about this matter, knowing full well that he could not escape responsibility.

After several months of maneuvering, he gradually calmed down and realized that all he had done had not reminded Lan'er of the past in the slightest, but instead made her and Defang grow closer.

He thought it was time for him to stop...

But just as he was about to give up, his father's sudden death and Lan'er's inexplicable injury shocked him into learning a secret that Defang had kept hidden for seven months—

Volume Five, A Fleeting Interlude: Entrusting the West Wind with the Chill of This Night (Zhao Dezhao's Part 2)