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

Chapitre 83

The guests have all departed from the high pavilion, and the flowers in the small garden are flying in disarray.

The winding paths stretch out in disarray, the setting sun casting its long shadows across the distance.

My heart aches, yet I cannot bear to sweep away the tears; my eyes are weary, yet I still yearn to return.

Her heart, yearning for spring's end, has been left with only tears staining her clothes.

The poem "Fallen Flowers," which can be used as both a descriptive poem and a poem expressing one's feelings, is completely devoid of any affectedness; the poet is truly a master of erotic poetry. There are also several untitled love poems; some people may not be able to remember the entire poems, but many of the lines are beloved by many and are often quoted to express their own thoughts and feelings.

Confined to the inn, Wanlan, out of desperation, suddenly found herself in a mood for poetry and dragged Zhao Defang to write down all of Li Shangyin's poems for her to enjoy, as a way to express her frustration at being confined.

“The phoenix tail fragrance garden is thin and layered, the green patterned dome is sewn in the deep night. The fan is cut to fit the moon's soul, but the shame cannot be concealed. The carriage moves with the sound of thunder, but words cannot be understood…” Wanlan held a thin piece of poetry and paced around the room, reciting it aloud with a carefree and leisurely demeanor. Zhao Defang, who was writing next to her, shook his head and laughed helplessly.

She must be really bored.

Setting down his pen, Zhao Defang walked around the table to block her path, reaching out to take the poem from her hand. "Wanlan, stop reading, take a rest. Are you hungry? I'll have Xuan'er get you something—"

"Zehua!" Wanlan glared at him, looking at him with a mixture of amusement and helplessness. "All you do is sleep and eat, and you're not allowed to go out. What do you take me for? I just want to recite some poetry to relieve my boredom, and you stop me!"

Zhao Defang smiled slightly, pressed her shoulder and pushed her to sit down at the table. "You've been traveling a lot lately, and I'm worried that your body can't handle it. It's always good for you to rest for a while."

"I'm fine!" Wanlan didn't even bother to sigh. The man in front of her was being too cautious, giving her the illusion that she wasn't just newly pregnant, but almost about to give birth. "Let's not waste any more time here. Can we rest in Luoyang?" Because it was only a temporary stay, they had been staying at an inn for the past few days, but inns were never very convenient. If they went to Luoyang, perhaps they could find a place to stay temporarily, even for a month or two.

"Just one more day."

Wanlan stared suspiciously at her smiling face, "Zehua, what mischief have you been up to behind my back?" What are you up to so mysteriously? Come to think of it, she hadn't seen the Lan brothers these past two days, and while she was confined to her room, she only saw Xuan'er, who would occasionally bring her food and tonics.

Zhao Defang almost choked on his words when she questioned him. He stared at her in astonishment for a long time, his lips curving into a strange, ambiguous smile. "I did something bad behind your back?" How could that be?

"Then why are you being so secretive? Where did the Lan brothers, Lan Wen and Lan Wu, go?"

Zhao Defang sat down beside her, staring at her intently with his dark eyes. "Wanlan, how about we stay in Xingyang?" The doctor said that one must be very careful in the early stages of pregnancy.

Wanlan raised an eyebrow in surprise, then looked at his serious face with a chuckle. "How long are you staying?" She's not going to stay until she gives birth, is she? How far have they even left the capital? She was planning to take him as far away from the court as possible; will her pregnancy change that now?

The child's arrival... is both too coincidental and too unfortunate.

Zhao Defang hesitated for a moment, then got up and pulled her up. "I'll take you somewhere." He had originally planned to take her there tomorrow, when everything should be ready, but now—it shouldn't be much different.

Volume Five, Chapter 84: The Long Night Makes One Want to Know the Heartless One (1)

It was a quarter past noon, and the temperature was much higher than in the morning, so the extra cloak seemed superfluous.

It's only the beginning of summer.

Wanlan thought to herself, silently following Zhao Defang around the bustling street and into a wide alley. A cool breeze swept over her, and she couldn't help but smile, wondering where Zehua was going to take her.

He just said... he wants to stay in Xingyang...

The alley wasn't long, and we walked out of it in the blink of an eye. At the other end of the alley was a main street along the river, which was quieter and cooler than the previous long street. No wonder there was a cool breeze as soon as we entered the alley.

Wanlan pointed to the shimmering river surface, "Is this the Honggou Canal?" It is the Chu River in the "Chu River and Han Border" in Chinese chess. Could it be the river in front of her?

Zhao Defang glanced at her with slight surprise, then smiled faintly, "No, this is the Bian River, which branches off directly from the Yellow River. All the grain and provisions transported to the capital pass through this river, so it is also called the Grain River."

Why did you bring me here?

Zhao Defang smiled mysteriously, but did not answer her. He simply said, "Come with me."

After walking along the Bian River for about 15 minutes, they were blocked by a branch of the Bian River that runs through Xingyang City. Zhao Defang led her across the arched bridge to the other side of the street, turned into an alley, and stopped in front of a bungalow.

The gate to the bungalow was not closed. Wanlan looked inside and saw that it resembled a traditional courtyard house, which was very simple and elegant. He raised his eyes to meet the man beside him and asked silently.

Zhao Defang smiled but said nothing, and took her hand as they went inside.

The front yard was a bit crowded with tables and chairs. Wanlan was puzzled, but then she saw several people coming out of the hall and suddenly realized, exclaiming in a low voice, "So we're really going to stay here..."

The people who came out of the hall were the Lan brothers and Xuan'er, followed by several strangers who looked like laborers. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they carried tables and chairs into the hall.

"Master? Madam? What brings you here?"

"How's the tidying up going?"

Lan Wen chuckled and pointed to the few remaining pieces of furniture in the yard, "That's all there is. We'll just wipe them down once they're all set up. Didn't Master say he'd move in tomorrow?"

Zhao Defang looked down at his silent wife. She glanced around, her face calm, but she remained silent, seemingly uninterested in their conversation.

"Wanlan, what do you think of this house?"

Wanlan did not answer. She strolled around the courtyard. There were two side rooms on each side of this courtyard. The main hall on the south side was where furniture was still being arranged. She secretly wondered if the main hall should have a backyard and a kitchen or something like that.

Xuan'er glanced at the prince, who was silently gazing at his wife, then walked to Wanlan's side and asked in a low voice, "Madam, the prince is asking you if you are satisfied with this house?"

Wanlan finally stopped, turned around and looked at the man ten steps away, and asked calmly, "How long are you going to stay?"

“One month,” Zhao Defang replied quietly.

Wanlan twitched the corner of her mouth. "How long has this plan been going on?"

Zhao Defang stared intently at her expressionless face. "Ever since the day my royal uncle summoned you, I've been planning to take you out for a walk, but the decision to stay in Xingyang temporarily was only made a few days ago."

Wanlan lowered her head and sighed softly.

In that sense, Zehua was thinking the same thing as her. He also wanted to stay away from the court, but his purpose was to take her away from the palace, fearing that she would be dragged into state affairs by her uncle and would find it difficult to extricate herself.

But it seems unnecessary to stay in Xingyang. Even if he is worried about her health, he should know that this place is not far from the capital. Can Zehua really put his mind at ease?

"lady?"