Chapter 83

Chapter 83: She Is My Wife

Huo Zheng answered without delay: “I bowed with Chun Zhi to Heaven and Earth and went through the Rites of Zhou, so of course I take her as my wife.”

Song An Lan had almost bowed to Heaven and Earth with Chun Zhi as well. But in this world, almost can be as far as a thousand miles. If on that wedding day Huo Zheng had been one step late, and Song An Lan and Chun Zhi had bowed in public and become husband and wife, then even as Prince Chang’an he could not have taken Chun Zhi away. Yet he arrived at just the right moment. It was the Song Clan uncles who had reported Chun Zhi’s whereabouts to the prince, letting him appear at the key moment and take her.

Song An Lan had known these days that Chun Zhi was at the South City Villa, but as a merchant he could not match a prince. By status and rank alone, he could not act rashly. Besides, the way Chun Zhi looked at Huo Zheng was completely different from the way she looked at him. Whether it was love between a man and a woman or the affection of siblings, one could tell at a glance. So these days he had not disturbed them. He had not expected that between Chun Zhi and Huo Zheng it would be a case of one force met by its counterforce. So quickly had Chun Zhi left Huo Zheng helpless that he had to send her back to Song Manor, and even he himself came along.

Song An Lan met Huo Zheng’s eyes and said evenly: “If you truly take Chun Zhi as your wife, you should treasure her and value her. Why then did you let her fall into the river and almost drown?”

Huo Zheng was silent for a moment before he said in a deep voice: “That is between me and her. It is not your place as an outsider to judge.”

Song An Lan replied coolly: “You might as well ask Chun Zhi whether, in her heart, you are the outsider or I am.”

After half a year together, Song An Lan understood Chun Zhi well. She felt no love between man and woman toward him, but she already treated him like an elder brother. Once he learned that Chun Zhi was the one for whom Prince Chang’an would even deploy the Nanzhou Navy to seal the river and search, he secretly sent people back to Nanzhou to investigate. He learned that Chun Zhi was an orphan, that the top scholar Lu Jing Yun had failed her, and that she had been the hidden wife of Prince Chang’an. He had even guessed early on that the child in Chun Zhi’s belly was Huo Zheng’s.

Song An Lan kept Chun Zhi at Song Manor first out of kindness, and second because he saw the tangled bond between her and the prince. He knew he would not live long. Song Wan’er was frail and innocent; she could not hold the Song Clan’s vast wealth. So he set his sights on Chun Zhi. Chun Zhi’s status was low. Even if Prince Chang’an liked her, he would not make her his princess consort. At most she would be a concubine, or kept outside as a mistress, and with Chun Zhi’s nature she would not accept that. Song An Lan therefore planned to marry her and give her and the child an open and proper name. When he died, Chun Zhi and the child could help Wan’er keep the family business. If they could not, when the prince came looking, he would step in himself. The Song Clan was rich. If the prince wished to reach the throne, he would need money. Even if he did not care about Chun Zhi and the child, for the Song Clan’s piled-up gold and silver he would treat Wan’er well.

Sadly, for all his careful plans, Song An Lan had not expected Huo Zheng to arrive so quickly. He had not yet died, and already he faced the prince head-on.

Hearing all this, Huo Zheng’s heart roiled like a stormy sea, though his face did not show it. He knew well that by forcing Chun Zhi to stay in the South City Villa, he had only made her place great weight on the Song siblings and treat him as the outsider. Hearing those words from Song An Lan’s mouth was all the more galling. Still, Huo Zheng always kept his anger off his face. He said in a low voice: “For half a year I searched everywhere for Chun Zhi. A well-informed man like you could not have failed to know. You hid her in Song Manor on purpose. What was your aim?”

Song An Lan would not speak of his plans. He was about to answer when he suddenly began to cough. He coughed for a long time before he could steady himself. Hoarse-voiced, he said: “I only wanted to give Chun Zhi a home.”

A faint, mocking smile touched Huo Zheng’s lips as he said: “Song An Lan, have people called you a great kind man for so long that you truly believe you are gentle and pure?”

Merchants prize profit; without gain, they will not rise early. Huo Zheng did not believe Song An Lan kept Chun Zhi at Song Manor with no design at all.

Song An Lan smiled lightly and said: “At least in Chun Zhi’s eyes, I am just so.”

Huo Zheng’s gaze cooled as he said: “You can only fool her.”

“I have never lied to Chun Zhi,” Song An Lan answered. “When I said I would marry her, I explained the pros and cons. When I said I would entrust the Song Clan’s wealth to her as long as she treated Wan’er well, I meant it. And you, Prince Chang’an?”

Huo Zheng was silent. From the start he had hidden his identity from Chun Zhi. He had had no choice, yet he had still deceived her. It was the dead of winter. A brazier burned in the hall, but he still felt a deep chill.

After covering his mouth to cough for a while, Song An Lan spoke again: “Even if my heart holds many plans, I speak them clearly to Chun Zhi. If she does not wish it, I will not force her. Whether on the wedding day or now, as long as she wants to go with you, I will never stand in her way.”

He was so open that Huo Zheng had no place to land a blow. In Chun Zhi’s eyes, Young Master Song had a thousand good qualities. Even if he turned over every plan for her to see, she would only think he was gravely ill and had it hard, and she would forgive him no matter what he did.

Song An Lan added calmly: “If Chun Zhi wishes to stay at Song Manor, I will take good care of her.” The meaning was clear: I will not pick a fight with you, and I am not afraid of you.

Huo Zheng laughed instead of getting angry and said: “Song An Lan, do you truly like raising another man’s wife and child so much?”

Song An Lan’s expression stayed mild as he replied: “If you raise them long enough, they become your own. Why not?”

Their gazes met, hard and bright like sparks. Huo Zheng had been testing him with that line. From Song An Lan’s answer, he heard what he wanted: the child in Chun Zhi’s belly was not Song An Lan’s. It was his. Certain at last, the corner of his mouth curved.

Song An Lan did not know why Huo Zheng’s mood had suddenly improved. He pressed on and said: “I can give Chun Zhi a proper, open status and make her Madam Song. You say you take her as your wife. Do you dare to announce to the world that you, Prince Chang’an, will marry a commoner?”

Huo Zheng said nothing. Even if he wished to, the Emperor Father and Empress Mother would fight it. And his half brothers were waiting for him to make a wrong move.

Song An Lan asked again: “Can you give Chun Zhi the Three Letters and Six Rites and marry her in the proper way?” Without waiting for an answer, he gave his judgment: “Prince Chang’an, you cannot.”

He went on calmly: “So, you might as well let Chun Zhi stay at Song Manor. My days are numbered. If she becomes Madam Song, she can oversee the Song Clan’s property. If you two truly love each other, you do not need the name of husband and wife to—”

Huo Zheng cut him off in a low, steady voice: “I can. The Three Letters and Six Rites, a proper marriage. Whatever Chun Zhi should have, I will not let her lack even one thing.”