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

Chapitre 40

"Pure Heart!"

Wanlan quickly grabbed her, "Where are you going? It's too far from the inn. Why go to such lengths? You've been traveling all these past few days and you're already exhausted. You need to rest right away!"

"No! I'd rather die of exhaustion in the carriage than stay here. Let's go back to the city."

"Pure Heart—"

"Hehe!" A frivolous laugh suddenly broke through the tension between the two, causing them to turn and glare at the man whose laughter was so obnoxious. He snapped open his folding fan and shook it before casually curling his lips into a smile. "Sister Suxin, it's up to you whether you want to stay here or not. But I have no interest in living in a place so far from the city. I'm only here today to fulfill my duty as an older brother. Now that you've arrived, I'll be leaving."

As he finished speaking, he closed his folding fan, smiled faintly, and walked between the two of them down the stone steps. Then he raised his hand to his mouth and blew a very sharp and long whistle. Along with the whistle, a cloud of dust rose from the end of the street and the sound of horses' hooves could be heard.

The four women standing in front of the house had the same look of astonishment. They stared at the man as he leaped onto his horse, smiled, waved his fan at them, and rode away, gradually disappearing into the end of the street.

"Damn it!" Xue Suxin gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She turned around and went into the house first, her body tense and stiff with anger.

As soon as she left, Biyu hurriedly followed, while Wanlan looked thoughtfully at the dusty street, recalling the man's unusual behavior—he clearly came out of the house and said he had been waiting here for several days, so how could he not be staying here? Moreover, judging from his expression, he seemed to already know Suxin's dislike for him, so why would he deliberately come here to annoy her?

Xue Weiji seems to be another enigmatic figure.

Chapter 45, The Willow Swaying in the Wind, Seemingly Raising Its Sleeve (2)

This secluded house wasn't large. Turning left after entering the gate led to the front courtyard, where three flower halls lined up on the south side. Passing through the halls, one found an inner courtyard with three wing rooms on the east, west, and south sides. Feng Xing was left in the south wing room of the inner courtyard. After all, there was only one steward and two servants in the house, and even with Xuan'er and Biyu, there were only four people to manage it. The two women who came to live there were the Princess Consort of Qin and the daughter of the Prime Minister, so Feng Xing naturally had to protect them closely and dared not relax his vigilance in the slightest.

Wanlan and Xuan'er moved into the east wing, while Xue Suxin and Biyu moved into the west wing. Perhaps they were very tired from the journey, because Xue Suxin rested as soon as she entered the room. Wanlan, along with Xuan'er and two other servants, tidied up the things brought from the carriage. By the time everything was settled, it was just past 11:00 AM. The steward told the two servants to go and prepare lunch, and Wanlan took the opportunity to go back to her room to rest.

Xue Suxin was still a little weak when she got up, so lunch was arranged in the west wing. After Wanlan finished eating, she went to the south wing, intending to discuss the trip with Feng Xing, but unexpectedly, she found that Feng Xing was not in the room.

Upon inquiring with the housekeeper, Wanlan learned that Feng Xing had left without even having lunch. This news puzzled Wanlan greatly. What had Feng Xing gone to do? Why hadn't he informed anyone?

Wanlan stood by the round table in the outer room of the south wing, her eyelids lowered in thought, her slender fingers unconsciously stroking the tabletop beneath her palms. Her gaze fell on the bundle lying on the edge of the bed. Was that Fengxing's luggage? It looked rather stiff. Fengxing's weapon was the longsword at his waist; what could be so stiff in this bundle that should have contained clothes?

Of course, this is Feng Xing's private matter, and she seems to be overthinking it.

"princess?"

Feng Xing, who had just stepped into the room, never expected that there would be anyone in his room. He immediately froze at the door and looked at Wan Lan, who turned around upon hearing the sound, with great surprise.

"Did the Princess need to see me?"

Wanlan smiled faintly. "I just wanted to come and discuss our plans for tomorrow. Suxin seems quite tired from traveling these past few days, so I was considering staying here a few more days. I didn't expect to come here and not see you. The steward told me you went out without eating. Does Prince Jin have any other tasks for you?"

"No."

Feng Xing stepped in and said with a smile, "I went to check the surrounding area to ensure the safety of the Princess and Miss." He walked to the table and placed the sword he was holding on it. Feng Xing glanced at Xuan'er, who was standing waiting to the side, and then looked at Wanlan and said, "If the Princess has made a decision on this matter, just have Miss Xuan'er come and inform her. There is no need for her to come in person."

Wanlan gracefully walked to the soft couch and sat down, gesturing for Fengxing to sit beside her. She looked at him steadily with her clear, bright eyes and said, "I was worried that Suxin wouldn't stay. I was thinking that perhaps you could find a way to reassure her to stay here and rest for a few days before leaving."

Feng Xing looked at her in surprise, his bright, smiling face stiffening slightly. "What makes you say that, Your Highness? How could I possibly have a way to make Miss listen to me?"

Wanlan smiled, seemingly casually adjusting her sleeve. "Perhaps I should say that Young Master Xue has a way to make Suxin stay with peace of mind." She raised her eyes and glanced at the uneasy man opposite her. "Fengxing, what do you think?"

Feng Xing stood up in alarm, his eyes darting around, clearly uneasy. "Feng Xing doesn't understand what the Princess means."

“Since you don’t understand what I mean, I won’t force you,” Wanlan shrugged inelegantly, stood up and walked out indifferently. “Let’s proceed as planned tomorrow. If something happens to Suxin on the way, there’s nothing I can do. I can’t stop her, so I can only accompany her to the end.”

"Your Highness!" Feng Xing hurriedly called out to her, "You...you already know?"

Wanlan blinked. "What do I know?" Seeing his hesitant expression, she immediately covered her mouth and chuckled. "I guessed it. Young Master Xue cares so much about Suxin, he wouldn't just leave her here unattended. Since he came here a few days ago to arrange everything, how could he let her go through all that trouble without regard for her health?"

She paused, looked up at the bundle by the bed, and continued, "That bundle doesn't seem to be the one you were carrying before. I was wondering if it might be Young Master Xue's? When we met Young Master Xue at the door before, you didn't seem surprised at all?" Especially after Su Xin showed such a strong reaction to Xue Weiji, Feng Xing stood by without saying anything. Although this action didn't necessarily mean anything, as Su Xin's guard, he should at least have done something to stop Xue Weiji, but he did nothing.

Feng Xing nodded rather awkwardly, "Your Highness guessed correctly. The eldest young master did come to Luoyang because he was worried about the young lady. It's a pity that the young lady still dislikes the eldest young master so much."

"So, the reason you cooperated with Prince Jin to bring Su Xin out without Prime Minister Xue's knowledge was actually at Young Master Xue's behest, right?" From the beginning, she felt that it was suspicious that Feng Xing so easily listened to Prince Jin and promised to safely send them to Junzhou. Feng Xing was a member of the Xue family; how could he be so easily "bought off" by Zhao Guangyi? Even if Zhao Guangyi was Prince Jin, Feng Xing, as a loyal guard, would never be so "obedient." If all of this was arranged by Xue Weiji, then it made sense; Xue Weiji was, after all, the eldest young master of the Xue family.

However, his excessive concern for Su Xin and Su Xin's undisguised dislike for him made the situation somewhat strange.

"Your Highness, this matter must not be known to Miss, otherwise all of Young Master's efforts will be in vain."

Wanlan nodded knowingly, aware of the gravity of the matter. "Don't worry, I won't tell. Tell me first, what are Young Master Xue's plans? Since he couldn't bear to see Suxin overworked, why did he have you cooperate with Prince Jin to bring us out of the capital? What are his plans next?" They still had to go to Junzhou. Regardless of Suxin's purpose, she herself needed to go to Junzhou to investigate one thing—

It was about the token that both Zehua and Prince Jin had mentioned to her.

"It's best to let the young master discuss these matters with the princess himself. Feng Xing isn't very clear on the details."

Wanlan suddenly came to her senses and looked at him, "Is your young master here?" He didn't go into the city to find a place to stay.

Feng Xingyang smiled and nodded, "Of course! This place is in the suburbs. The young master was worried about you, so he didn't go far. I just went out to see the young master. He is in a small house about ten miles away from here. He can know everything that happens in the mansion."

Wanlan was bewildered. Why were they being so cautious? "Are we in danger?" Impossible! They had already been as discreet as possible on their way here.

"Young Master said there is one person who cannot be ignored."

Could it be... "The Prince of Yan?"

Feng Xing nodded. "Yes, young master said that the Prince of Yan cannot believe that you have simply come to Luoyang to recuperate. He will definitely keep an eye on your every move. So as long as you stay in Luoyang, the Prince of Yan will have no excuse to do anything. But he can't afford to be careless either. The Prince of Jin has also thought of this." Feng Xing paused, then suddenly turned his gaze to Xuan'er, who had been silently waiting to the side, and smiled. "So Miss Xuan'er stays by the Princess's side at all times because she promised the Prince of Jin that she would not tell the Prince of Qin about your unauthorized departure from the capital, but she is worried that this matter will bring you danger."

"Is that so?" Wanlan looked at Xuan'er, who suddenly became very flustered, with a half-smile. "I already knew about Xuan'er's matter, otherwise I wouldn't have brought her out." Meeting their surprised gazes, she explained calmly, "Since you thought of asking Prince Jin for help, you would naturally think of all the possible problems. In fact, it was also my intention to forbid Xuan'er from telling Zehua about this matter."

"Madam?" Xuan'er exclaimed in surprise, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Aren't you afraid that the Prince will worry about you if he finds out? Xuan'er did want to tell the Prince about this, but she kept quiet because she was afraid of Prince Jin. How could this be your idea?"

"Why tell Zehua? It will only increase his worries. I will just be careful not to get into trouble." She didn't want to hold Zehua back any longer. Not only could she not hold him back, she also wanted to do as much as possible for him. His position in the court determined the constraints he faced, and even if he was fully aware of the dangers around him, he couldn't do anything about it.

Wanlan turned to look at Feng Xing, "Feng Xing, will you take me to find Young Master Xue, or will you tell him that I want to see him?"

Feng Xing smiled slightly, "The young master will be coming tonight. Your Highness, please rest well. You must be tired these past few days. I will take the young master to see you as soon as he arrives."

"In that case, I'll head back now."