Двойной бокс-сет

Глава 28

Lan Wen was dumbfounded, "Your Highness..."

With a gentle wave of his hand, Zhao Defang turned his back again and put his hands behind his back. "The weather has been fine these past two days, and the river is very calm. There's nothing to worry about. Just do as I instruct you."

Lan Wen sighed inwardly, truly not understanding why his master was in such a hurry. Since the princess was with the Prince of Yan, there was certainly no danger to her. He felt that the prince was the one who should be on high alert.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Leaving the room and closing the door behind him, Lan Wen turned to go back to his own room next door, but his gaze unconsciously swept towards the entrance of the inn. To his surprise, he found that the crowd had disappeared, and the master and servant were gone as well. He guessed that the doctor had arrived and they had been taken away for treatment.

Without thinking further, Lan Wen pushed open his door and stepped inside.

Chapter 30, Longing Across Cities (1)

The next day, the dew on the leaves had evaporated in the morning sun, and the room was filled with warm, bright sunlight. When Zhao Defang opened the door, the creaking sound from the opposite side made him raise his lowered eyes. He saw a young man in blue carrying a basin of water step out of the room. The young man looked up unintentionally and met Zhao Defang's searching gaze. He immediately widened his eyes and almost dropped the basin of water in his hands.

Zhao Defang opened his eyes in surprise, watching the boy hurriedly turn around and go back to his room, slamming the door shut with a "bang." He couldn't help but wonder if he had become repulsive overnight.

"Your Highness? What's wrong?"

Lan Wen and Xuan'er stood on either side of the door waiting for him. They were both surprised when he opened the door but didn't come out. Then they were startled by the loud slam of the door closing, which left them somewhat puzzled.

"Who lives across the street?" Does that servant know him? Otherwise, wasn't his reaction a bit excessive?

Lan Wen shook his head, "I didn't see clearly just now, and I don't know who it was. Should I go ask them?"

"Never mind." Turning away, Zhao Defang strode downstairs. "Have you found any boats willing to go?"

"Found it, but the boat belongs to a local fisherman and is different from a passenger boat. It probably won't be as convenient as a passenger boat, so—"

"It's alright, as long as there's a boat willing to go, let's set off after breakfast."

"yes."

After that, the three of them stopped talking and sat quietly in the hall to eat. Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from the second floor. Some guests were scattered in the hall. Perhaps they found the quiet too boring. They were all attracted by the unusual footsteps and looked up, including Lan Wen.

"Huh? It's that sickly young master from yesterday! He's really quite handsome..." Lan Wen murmured in surprise, then his eyes widened suddenly, "That's... Master! Is that Miss Xue?"

"What Miss Xue?" Zhao Defang followed his gaze and met his eyes. She was immediately stunned and wide-eyed. "Miss Xue?"

The young man in white, who had been flustered, calmed down after seeing Zhao Defang. He then walked towards them, his delicate and elegant features relaxed, and said, "Luckily, you haven't left yet."

Xuan'er hurriedly got up and helped the young man sit down. "Miss Xue, what are you doing in Xiangzhou?" She's ill, how could she have left the capital for such a faraway place? How could Prime Minister Xue have agreed to this?

Xue Suxin smiled slightly at her, but did not sit down. Sensing the curious gazes coming from all around, she looked at Zhao Defang and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, would you mind moving? Suxin has something to tell you."

Zhao Defang nodded slightly, immediately stood up, and instructed Lan Wen, "Pack up the things and bring them to the room." He then led the way up the stairs, followed by Xue Suxin and the servants, entering the room Zhao Defang had almost left. After Lan Wen entered and closed the door, Xue Suxin pursed her lips and said directly:

"Is Your Highness on this trip to find Wanlan?"

Zhao Defang was slightly surprised. How did Xue Suxin know about Wanlan's disappearance? Could her presence here be because of Wanlan? And how did she know that Wanlan was in Junzhou?

He didn't hide it from her. "How did Miss Xue know?"

Xue Suxin coughed lightly. Perhaps because she had just fallen ill last night, her complexion had not yet recovered and she looked somewhat pale and bloodless. Upon hearing her cough, the servant beside her hurriedly helped her sit down.

"Never mind how I know. The reason I came to Xiangzhou was to follow in your footsteps. Fortunately, you were stopped here, otherwise I'm afraid I would have made a wasted trip." She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled faintly. "Your Highness, Wanlan is not in Junzhou. You don't need to go north to look for her."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Defang and his two servants were all taken aback.

“She has been taken to Jingzhou.” Xue Suxin lowered her eyelashes to hide the bitterness in her beautiful eyes. “Your Highness should go directly to Jingzhou. Wanlan is currently in Jiangling Prefecture in Jingzhou.”

Zhao Defang quietly watched her lowered eyes, her pale face unable to conceal her heavy weariness. "May I ask, how did you know?" Could there be some kind of relationship between Miss Xue and my elder brother? It's unlikely, isn't it?

"If... you want to know, could you take me with you to Jingzhou?" She raised her head, meeting Zhao Defang's unfathomable dark eyes under the troubled gazes of Lan Wen and Xuan'er. "Is it alright to take me with you? I want to make sure Wanlan is safe. Whatever you want to know, I'll tell you on the way, is that alright?"

"Miss!" A young servant girl, her delicate brows furrowed, spoke in a clear, melodious voice. She was clearly a girl disguised as a boy. Seeing the young lady's pretty face, she was filled with disapproval and said urgently, "You promised Biyu that you would return to the capital with her after finding the Prince of Qin and telling him where the Princess was. You can't go back on your word! Master doesn't even know we're out here yet, so don't worry him." The young lady was frail; her illness yesterday had terrified her. How could she possibly endure the arduous journey to Jiangling? If Master knew that she, her maid, not only didn't stop the young lady but actually went out with her, she would be condemned to a hundred deaths!

“Miss Xue, you should go back,” Zhao Defang said slowly. Seeing her extremely anxious expression, he was puzzled but did not ask any further questions. “You are ill and it is inconvenient for you to travel far. You shouldn’t have come to Xiangzhou in the first place. If you are only concerned about Wanlan, I promise you that once Wanlan is brought back, I will send someone to inform you. What do you say?”

"No, I must go." Xue Suxin's voice was soft and gentle, but her tone was quite firm. "If Your Highness finds it troublesome to bring me along, then I will not bother you. I will go to Jingzhou by myself."

"Miss Xue!"

Zhao Defang hurriedly called to the sickly girl who was about to get up and leave. His brows furrowed slightly as he suddenly realized how similar the stubbornness of the woman in front of him was to that of Wanlan in the past. Despite suffering from a chronic illness, she remained resilient and uncompromising. No wonder the two of them became close friends.

"Let's go together."

He relaxed his brow and said calmly. However, he wondered whether he should send someone to inform Prime Minister Xue about Miss Xue's company, lest he worry. But… if people found out that she, a sheltered young lady, was traveling alone with a man, it would likely damage her reputation!

He couldn't help but wonder again, what was the purpose of Xue Suxin's visit?

Chapter 31, Longing Across Cities (2)

The upper reaches of the Han River flow through the Hanzhong Basin, where the current is rapid. Downstream from Junzhou, the middle reaches enter the plains, where the flow slows down abruptly, with many sandbars and pebble beaches. Downstream, the river enters the Jianghan Plain, where the current is gentle. In addition, since the weather has cleared up and there has been no rain, the tide should recede soon. If we can wait another day and night, and considering that Xiangzhou is so close to Jiangling, it should only take about two days to reach the destination by boat.

Unfortunately, Zhao Defang was unwilling to wait, and Xue Suxin was also eager to set off.

So immediately, the five people who had finished their breakfast asked the fisherman who was willing to go out on the boat to turn around and sail down the Han River. The simple awning boat carrying the group gradually left Xiangzhou. After the slender boat entered the territory of Xiazhou, the view on both sides of the Han River became more and more open. Farmland and houses stretched as far as the eye could see. The clear and peaceful Han River was like the most beautiful woman sleeping on this fertile plain.

Zhao Defang and Xue Suxin sat quietly at the bow of the boat, watching the scenery on both banks. Neither of them spoke until dusk, when Biyu brought them dinner. Xue Suxin seemed to finally wake up from her reverie and slowly began to tell them what she had promised to say.

Jiao Wanlan ran into the rain before giving birth because she was completely disillusioned with Zhao Dezhao. She had made a promise to him when she married him, and although she was somewhat impulsive, after a year of reflection, she finally understood what she wanted. She originally intended to disregard everything and have Su Li find her only close friend, Xue Suxin, to help her escape. However, she unexpectedly learned of Zhao Dezhao's overly close relationship with Xue Suxin. Perhaps feeling betrayed, Jiao Wanlan, in despair, decided to end it all. The torrential rain lasted from midnight until dawn, and she was soaked from midnight until dawn, ultimately nearly suffering a miscarriage and death…

Xue Suxin went to see her with the intention of atonement, but unexpectedly heard about her amnesia. Shocked, she was overjoyed. In Xue Suxin's eyes, since Wanlan was already married to the Prince of Qin and had a child, why should she cling to a man who had already abandoned her? It was too unworthy…

She didn't want Wanlan to end up like herself... inexplicably trapped in a hopeless and miserable situation. She herself had no future, and suffering from a serious illness, she would probably continue in this obsessive way for the rest of her life...

Long and heavy words flowed slowly from Xue Suxin's gentle voice. The sky had completely darkened, the night sky was as black as ink, and not a single star could be seen. The oil lamp hanging at the bow of the boat swayed in the night wind, casting a hazy glow on the rippling river, adding to the desolate atmosphere.