Song Xingzhi a vécu sous le règne de l'empereur Huizong

Chapitre 5

Zhao Defang stared at her in surprise, as if she couldn't believe that she had said such a thing. The person in front of her was indeed Wanlan, but her words and actions were clearly different from Wanlan's. Even if she had amnesia, how could she become completely different?

"Why are you staring at me like that? Is my question strange?" She frowned and glared at him with some dissatisfaction—she was not Wanlan, and she didn't want to be anyone else. It might not matter in front of Su Li or Yuan Niang, but she didn't want the man in front of her to treat her as the Wanlan she used to be, not at all.

Zhao Defang lowered his eyes, concealing the fleeting smile in them, and said, "I needed a wife, and you at that time—needed a husband, so we got married. As for how we get along... whatever method suits us, we'll use it; there's no right or wrong."

Wanlan... has really changed a lot.

Although he didn't know the reason, the fact that Wanlan had lost her aggressive strength and troublesome stubbornness was a good thing for Xu'er. Although there had been such an unrelated agreement, he had secretly thought about giving the child a more stable home since he learned that Xu'er was born.

Wanlan looked at his somewhat dazed face and was speechless.

Should she feel fortunate? The woman she depended on had such a gentle husband. He might not love her, but he would definitely be loyal to the marriage. For her, a newcomer to the Song Dynasty, life here under Wanlan's protection should be quite good. Perhaps she should be at ease, content, and quietly be Wanlan, waiting for the day she could return or disappear, or rather, waiting for the day the real Wanlan would return...

But—she felt no joy whatsoever, only—heartache.

Is the heart inside this body Wanlan's or her own? Why does it ache for the man before her?

"Zehua," she called softly, her eyes gradually becoming misty, "Will you... fall in love with your wife?" Things were getting bad. Could she... have fallen in love with this man?

Zhao Defang turned his head in surprise, his dark eyes falling on the somewhat bewildered pretty face, pondering the fleeting look of confusion in her eyes—Wanlan…what did she think of? Her question…was quite interesting…

Have you fallen in love with... your own wife...?

Chapter 4, Old Best Friends Reconcile Past Events (1)

The next day, Wanlan had just gotten up and was sitting in front of the mirror having Xuan'er comb her hair when Yuanniang walked in with a smile, carrying Xu'er. To Wanlan's surprise, she placed the child in her arms.

“I told you that the child should not be separated from his mother, but the prince wouldn’t let the child stay in your room. Now it’s all right, from now on you can take care of the child yourself, and the child will be much closer to you.”

At first glance, Wanlan fell in love with the delicate, fair-skinned baby wrapped in a plain white brocade swaddling cloth. She held him carefully, watching him smile at her with his little mouth curving up. In that instant, she realized that she was the mother of this child, and her heart was filled with satisfaction, pride, and joy.

"His name is Weixu?" Wanlan held the tiny baby nervously, feeling that this little bundle of flesh must be extremely fragile, and that she might hurt him if she wasn't careful.

"Yes, the young master's name is Weixu."

Zhao Weixu, her son.

Wanlan bit her lip, narrowed her slightly stinging eyes, and smiled—yes, this was her son. The Wanlan who deserted in the face of battle and abandoned her son at the crucial moment was not qualified to be a mother.

"So cute." Wanlan chuckled softly, freeing one hand to hold his little hand that was raised towards her, and kissed it lightly. "Xu'er, Xu'er, I'm your mother, do you know that?"

Her somewhat silly actions made Yuan Niang and Xuan'er laugh along with her.

"What's making you laugh so happily?"

When the familiar laughter reached her, Wanlan's smile faltered, and her chest tightened. She lowered her eyes and sighed very softly before raising them to meet the man who had walked around the screen and entered, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"What brings you here?" It's still early, isn't it? He's never come to see her this early before, has something happened?

Zhao Defang looked at his wife, who was holding their son and smiling tenderly at him. Her familiar and beautiful face held an unfamiliar warmth. This naturalness stirred something within him, making his calm and unprepared heart flutter. He paused for a moment, then suddenly lowered his eyes and smiled.

He couldn't help but wonder if he was about to find the answer to her question from yesterday.

Liking her... doesn't seem like such a difficult thing, does it?

But……

"Zehua?"

He raised his eyes, looked at her as she stood up, and smiled, "Hmm?"

But... if she forgets the past, has she also forgotten her elder brother completely? What will she do when she remembers him someday in the future?

Wanlan looked at him strangely, "You came to find me so early in the morning, just to stand here in a daze?"

He chuckled at her subtly humorous remark, "No, I came to tell you that someone has come to see you."

Wanlan opened her eyes in astonishment, "Look at me? Who's coming to see me?" Oh no! Who are these people who came to see her? She certainly doesn't recognize any of them now. What will she do if something goes wrong?

The panic that flashed in her eyes was noticed by Zhao Defang, who had been watching her closely. He instinctively stepped forward and took her hand. "Wanlan, don't panic. It's Miss Xue. I've already explained your situation to her. It's alright."

Wanlan sighed inwardly. What good would it do to explain? She was no longer the same Wanlan. "Who is this Miss Xue? What is her relationship with me?"

Zhao Defang smiled, gestured for Yuan Niang to take the baby from Wan Lan's arms, and then instructed Xuan'er to go to the main hall to invite Miss Xue to the Cherry Blossom Garden. Only then did he pull Wan Lan to sit on a couch to the side and answer her questions.

"Miss Xue's given name is Suxin. She is the youngest daughter of Xue Juzheng, the current prime minister. She has suffered from asthma since childhood. You and she have always been close, but you haven't seen each other since you married into the Prince of Qin's mansion. This time, she probably heard that you almost had a difficult childbirth, so she came to see you in person."

In other words, this Miss Xue can be considered Wanlan's close friend, right? Then she must know everything about Wanlan, right? If she can win over this prime minister's daughter, knowing everything about Wanlan will be no problem!

Thinking this, the person next to her suddenly stood up. She looked up and was about to ask a question when her wandering gaze met that of a girl in purple who had entered the room. The girl was very delicate, with her eyebrows slightly relaxed and her eyes slightly raised, clear and bright like autumn waves. She was following behind Xuan'er and looking at her.

Wanlan was speechless: she had never seen such a gentle and elegant classical beauty before.

Xue Suxin had noticed Wanlan's loss of composure, but she merely raised her eyebrows in surprise before curtsying to Zhao Defang, her beautiful face remaining serene.

"Your Highness."

"No need for formalities." Zhao Defang smiled and nodded, then turned to look at Wanlan beside him and said, "You two chat, I have something to take care of, so I'll be leaving now."

"Zehua!"

Without even thinking, she reached out and grabbed his body as he was about to leave. When Wanlan's helpless eyes met his lowered gaze, she quickly let go of his hands, took a deep breath, and said softly, "I'll come find you when I have time."

Looking for him?

Zhao Defang raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Okay." What did she want with him?

After watching Zhao Defang leave, Wanlan turned her gaze to Miss Xue, who was still standing there, and smiled, "Miss Xue, I'm sorry to have made you laugh." At that moment, she actually wanted Zehua to stay and keep her company.