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

Chapitre 98

"They" refers to her and Lan Wu.

She never expected that Lan Wu would also be swept away by the flood. Judging from the situation at the time, it is more likely that Lan Wu jumped in voluntarily. Or perhaps he originally wanted to save her, but found that he was too far away and had no other choice but to jump in after her.

Aunt He said she should be glad that Lan Wu jumped into the Yellow River with her.

Because Lan Wu was still asleep, while she had already woken up.

Before Wanlan could get out of bed, the kind couple told her that the young man who was with her had not yet woken up and was much more seriously injured than she was. He must have been covered in wounds while protecting her.

"Your child..."

The woman, looking hesitant, spoke very cautiously. Wanlan, who had just sat up, suddenly stiffened, her hands immediately going to her abdomen. She asked in a panic, "My child... is something wrong?" Having been swept downstream by the flood, even with Lan Wu protecting her, this child... is it difficult to save?

"No, no!" the woman quickly reassured her. "Although you stumbled and bumped in the river, the young master next door took good care of you, so nothing serious happened. It's just that your high fever over the past few days has made you very weak, and you have a slight miscarriage. But the doctor said that with careful care over the next few months, there shouldn't be any problems."

"Really?" Wanlan gently protected her still flat stomach, her tense body slowly relaxing. Thinking of Lan Wu, who was still unconscious, she asked, "Aunt He, how is the person who was with me? Did the doctor say when he will wake up?"

"That young master's abrasions are quite serious, especially his arms. He was cut twice deep by a sharp object in the river, and he lost too much blood, which is why he's been unconscious. Other than that, there's nothing else. He should wake up in the next couple of days." Aunt He said, pulling the blanket up for Wanlan. She glanced at Wanlan strangely several times before hesitantly asking:

"Is that young master your husband?"

Judging from his injuries and the fact that the lady in front of him was unharmed, the young master must have done everything in his power to protect her. Moreover, the lady was pregnant. With the Yellow River breaching its banks, many disaster-stricken people upstream had to relocate their entire families. Presumably, these two were in the same situation.

Wanlan was taken aback by her question, finding it both funny and absurd. Could a fox spirit and a lone woman be without any other relationship besides being husband and wife?

No, he—

"lady!"

The half-open door was suddenly kicked open from the outside, and Lan Wu, dressed only in a gray shirt, rushed in in a panic, startling the two women sitting opposite each other inside.

Wanlan stared in astonishment at Lan Wu's disheveled appearance, his right arm wrapped in layers of blood-stained cloth and his steps unsteady. She instinctively threw off the covers and got out of bed, but due to her illness over the past few days, her legs were completely weak, and she immediately collapsed to the ground.

"lady!"

Lan Wu was shocked and wanted to help her up, but he was too weak to reach the bedside. He collapsed to his knees, exhausted.

"oops!"

Aunt He was startled when Lan Wu suddenly barged in. Then she turned around and saw Wan Lan fall off the bed. She cried out and bent down to help Wan Lan up. She looked back and forth between the two of them and muttered as she found a stool for Lan Wu and helped him sit on the edge of the bed.

"Why are you all so nervous? Don't worry, everyone's fine."

Aunt He stood up, a knowing smile on her face, and leaned close to Wanlan's ear to whisper, "He really is your husband. A man who would risk his life to protect his wife is quite good!" Without disturbing them any longer, Aunt He left with that smile, considerately closing the door behind her.

Wanlan stared in astonishment at the closed wooden door, truly speechless.

How could that woman know that the "madam" Lan Wu spoke of was not the intimate term used between husband and wife...

"Madam, are you really alright?"

Turning her gaze to the worried young man by the bedside, she smiled faintly, "I'm fine. You should focus on recovering. Aunt He said that Hongfeng Town is nearly a hundred miles away from Rongyang. Once you're healed, we'll go to Rongyang first and then find an opportunity to contact the Prince."

Zehua must have received the news of her accident by now, right?

I just hope I don't frighten him.

She resented him for letting her go to Beijing alone without hesitation, but now she only hoped that he could continue to show his composure.

"Madam, the child..."

"The baby is alright," Wanlan said with relief, gently stroking her belly. "This child is very strong. I hope he can keep this courage until he is safely born into this world."

Lan Wu pursed his lips, then suddenly bent his right leg off the stool and knelt before her, hissing, "This subordinate failed to ensure Madam's safety, please punish me!"

Wanlan's expression changed. Never in her life had a grown man knelt before her so closely. She quickly moved away and said sternly, "Lan Wu, get up! A man's knees are worth gold. Don't kneel down to me so easily! Besides, where did you fail to protect An Hui? You're the one who's injured now, not me! Get up!"

Lan Wu lowered his head and shook his head, filled with regret. "I should have brought Madam back to Rongyang immediately. I shouldn't have let Prince Yan isolate Madam in the bamboo house. And I shouldn't have fought with Prince Yan when danger was approaching, causing Madam to fall into the water! My sins are unforgivable!"

"So if you kneel here and beg me to punish you, will everything start over?" Wanlan gasped, utterly exhausted. "You can choose to stay kneeling, or you can focus on healing and bring me safely back to the capital. It's up to you!"

Lan Wu remained silent for a moment, then slowly raised his head to look at her. With a "snap," he braced his right hand on the stool beside him and slowly stood up. "After I have safely escorted Madam back to the capital, I will request Your Highness to punish me. Madam, please rest. I will take my leave."

"Wait a minute," Wanlan said, struggling to move her weary body onto the bed, as Lan Wu turned around, "Aunt He probably misunderstands that we are husband and wife, and I'm pregnant—"

Lan Wu was startled, his face paling. "Go and explain to them! The lady's identity—"

"Lan Wu! Stop! My identity must not be revealed!"

Wanlan hurriedly called out to him as he turned to run away, "Aunt He mistakenly believes we are people from upstream who were swept away by the flood. Putting aside the unreasonable relationship she misunderstood, this identity is better for us." She paused, and seeing that Lan Wu opposite her had quieted down, she continued:

"It's not appropriate to reveal our true identities at this time. Everyone knows that the King of Qin is in the capital. So, how could the pregnant Queen Consort of Qin be alone in Rongze, with only one guard by her side? This matter could be very simple—the King and Queen Consort of Qin, who have always been inseparable, encountered danger when the Yellow River breached its banks during their brief separation. But it could also be complicated—the King of Qin leaving behind his pregnant wife and returning to the capital alone would lead people to speculate whether there was something wrong between the two of them."

Lan Wu lowered his eyes and remained silent.

Wanlan lowered her voice and continued, "Ever since the night the late emperor died suddenly, the people have been spreading rumors that the Prince of Qin should have been the heir to the throne. The most serious thing is that the Princess of Qin was inexplicably seriously injured in the palace that night and has been in a coma for two months. We cannot ignore all of this. Although more than half a year has passed, the Prince and Princess of Qin are still sensitive figures. We are only staying here temporarily and are unlikely to see them again in the future. Let them think we are just ordinary disaster victims. From today onwards, you don't need to be so humble. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir—"

"Lan Wu!" Wan Lan was both amused and exasperated. He was actually "breaking the rules" while listening to her "rules".

Lan Wu paused for a moment, then couldn't help but smile faintly.

"I see."

Volume 5, Chapter 93, "After Parting, I Don't Know How Far You Are" (2)

Red Maple Town, as its name suggests, is surrounded by a vast expanse of red maple trees. Wanlan was amazed by this sight. Although the red maple leaves were gradually turning green due to the arrival of summer, the bright red that had not yet fully turned was like a blazing fire under the finally clear blue sky, which was almost blinding.