Chapter 73

Chapter 73: As Long As You Marry Me

In Dongzhou City, at Song Manor.

Chun Zhi had first planned to leave Song Manor once the people searching for her gave up. She wanted to find a place where no one knew her and start over. But for some reason, Huo Zheng never stopped looking. The search only grew louder.

Chun Zhi had no choice. She stayed in Dongzhou and ended up living at Song Manor for more than half a year.

She got along very well with the Song siblings. Because Song Wan’er was frail, she rarely went out and had few friends. After half a year of living side by side, Wan’er treated Chun Zhi as her dearest friend and called her sister all day long.

Song An Lan had a gentle temper and was generous. Whenever he went out to bring gifts for Song Wan’er, he also brought a share for Chun Zhi. He already treated himself as Chun Zhi’s elder brother.

After winter started, Song An Lan’s illness worsened, and he rarely went out.

Uncles from the Song Clan came to the manor and urged Song An Lan to take a wife to bring luck and ease his illness. They said his health was poor and he should marry early to leave an heir.

Some even spoke of adoption.

Song An Lan was still young and unmarried. Those uncles thought no woman would want to marry such a sickly man. They wanted to pass one of their own sons into his name to inherit the Song Clan’s great wealth.

In recent days, Chun Zhi heard that the people looking for her had reached Dongzhou. She did not want to bring trouble to the Song siblings, so she decided to leave. When she came to say goodbye to Song An Lan, she happened to hear the Song Clan uncles saying these things just outside the door.

Song An Lan did not agree to marry, nor did he say he would adopt anyone’s son. He only brushed off the uncles with a few polite words and then sent them away.

The uncles failed to persuade him and left in a bad mood.

Chun Zhi was eight months pregnant and close to giving birth. Her body felt heavy. When she saw the uncles coming out, she tried to avoid them but was too late and ran into them face to face.

The uncles looked her up and down and muttered to each other: “Why is there a beautiful woman with a big belly hidden in his house?” and “He’s this sick but still won’t marry or adopt someone from the clan. Could it be that he already has a child of his own?”

They whispered and left.

Chun Zhi turned her body to keep them from seeing her face clearly.

Inside, Song An Lan coughed for a long time before he calmed down. In a weak voice he called: “Chun Zhi, why are you standing at the door? Come in.”

A waiter came out to invite her inside.

Chun Zhi held her belly, stepped over the threshold, walked to the bed, and said: “Young Master Song.”

Leaning weakly against the bed, his face pale and his lips colorless, Song An Lan asked in a gentle voice: “Chun Zhi, did you need something from me?”

Since winter began, Song An Lan’s illness had grown much worse.

They had invited all the famous doctors in Dongzhou, but none had a cure.

People said he did not have much time left.

Song Wan’er cried day after day over it. Song An Lan himself was not very sad.

He had been sick since birth and had long known he would not live long. Now that the time had come, he was calmer than everyone else.

Chun Zhi said softly: “Those people have reached Dongzhou. I have to go.”

Song An Lan asked in a warm voice: “Where do you plan to go?”

“I don’t know,” Chun Zhi said. “I plan to head west and see how far I get.”

“But you are about to give birth. How can you travel outside…” He suddenly started coughing again. He covered his mouth with a handkerchief and coughed for a long time, almost fainting, before he stopped.

When he slowly raised his head, Chun Zhi saw a blot of blood on the white silk handkerchief.

Song An Lan quickly folded the handkerchief up, but she had already seen it. Young Master Song had coughed blood.

“Young Master Song,” Chun Zhi said, frightened.

She knew he was very ill, but she had not expected it to be this serious.

No wonder the Song uncles had set their sights on him.

“Don’t be afraid,” Song An Lan said with a small smile, speaking softly to calm her: “I won’t die for now.”

Chun Zhi could not speak for a moment.

Song An Lan handed the bloody handkerchief to the waiter and told him to burn it.

The waiter did as told at once, moving so smoothly it seemed he had done this many times.

Chun Zhi looked at Song An Lan. She wanted to say something but did not know how to begin.

At last, Song An Lan spoke first. He said in a low voice: “Do not tell Wan’er.”

Chun Zhi nodded and answered softly: “Alright.”

Their parents had died early. Song Wan’er had relied on her elder brother all her life. She already wept daily because of his illness. Song An Lan hid that he had coughed blood because he did not want his sister to be too sad.

“Chun Zhi,” Song An Lan called to her gently and motioned for her to sit by the bed.

Chun Zhi hesitated.

She and Song An Lan were not in the kind of relationship where she should sit on his bed. But Young Master Song was so weak that letting him keep craning his neck up to speak was tiring.

Chun Zhi thought it over, then walked over and sat on the edge of the bed so he could talk more easily.

“Actually, you do not have to leave,” Song An Lan said. “I just thought of a way to keep the people looking for you from taking you away even if they find you.”

Chun Zhi asked in surprise: “What way?”

Looking at her, Song An Lan said gently: “As long as you marry me, all the problems will be solved.”

“What did you say?”

Hearing this, Chun Zhi could hardly believe it.

Song An Lan said very seriously: “The man who keeps searching for you has an extremely high status, and he refuses to give up…”

Over the past half year, Young Master Song had figured out who was searching for Chun Zhi. The one who had once sealed the river and now kept sending people everywhere was Prince Chang’an Huo Zheng. Song An Lan guessed Chun Zhi did not want to hear that name, so he did not speak it.

Outside, the wind blew fallen leaves across the ground. The air felt bleak.

Chun Zhi lowered her head and stayed silent.

In truth, she did not know why Huo Zheng was so stubborn about finding her.

“But the higher his status is, the less he can do whatever he wants,” Song An Lan said. “If you are willing to marry me, even if he comes to Dongzhou and finds you, he cannot take another man’s wife by force.”

Chun Zhi knew he was right.

Exactly because Huo Zheng was the well?known, virtuous Prince Chang’an, he could not do something like snatching another man’s wife.

“But,” Chun Zhi said, “I have already brought Young Master Song so much trouble. I cannot make you take such a big risk for me.”

What if Huo Zheng ignored his status and tried to take her by force? Even though the Song Clan was the richest family in Dongzhou, a merchant house was no match for a prince. Chun Zhi did not want the Song Clan to suffer for her. Young Master Song had already helped her enough.

Song An Lan said: “It is not me taking a risk for you. I am the one who needs your help, Miss Chun Zhi.”

“What do you mean?”

Chun Zhi did not understand why Young Master Song would say this.

Song An Lan covered his mouth and coughed a few times, then said in a weak voice: “Chun Zhi, you heard what my uncles just said. I do not have long to live. Right now I need a wife, and a child.”