044 Harmony

Ever since Song Hezhou went crazy and cut down a tree in the courtyard, Li Yang has closed the gates of the Li residence and stayed at home with her mother to take care of Li Ting.

On the third day, Yuan Chongjing arrived with his men, intending to take the mother and daughter back home.

While he was talking to Li's father, Jinghe used the excuse of helping Li Yang pack her luggage to quietly come and find her.

Judging from her furtive manner, Li Yang knew she had something to say to him. Li Yang chuckled and said, "So, what do you want to tell me?"

Jinghe ignored her teasing and stamped her foot anxiously: "Oh, young mistress, you don't know, that Xu Biyun brings her son to our courtyard every day, looking for the madam today and the eldest young mistress tomorrow, and the second young master doesn't care. Young mistress, you must teach her a lesson when you go back."

Seeing the anxiety on her small face, Li Yang said, "How can I have the right to care? Haven't you heard what people outside are saying? Luo Song is Brother Jing's illegitimate son. Maybe I'll be overshadowed by her in the future."

"How can this be allowed!" Jinghe stood up straight in anger: "Young Madam, you are the Second Young Master's lawfully wedded wife. What is Xu Biyun? She's just a widow. The Master and Madam will not let her into the house. Young Madam, you don't need to worry."

Li Yang patted her on the shoulder: "I didn't expect Jinghe to know so much."

Jinghe puffed out her chest and proudly accepted Li Yang's praise: "That's right."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yuan Chongjing carrying Xiao Taozi into the courtyard. Li Yang said, "Alright, go and pack some of Xiao Taozi's clothes, then we can go back."

Jinghe obediently responded and turned to pick up Xiaotaozi's clothes from the bed.

Li Yang stood at the doorway, blocking Yuan Chongjing's view: "What brings you here today? Have you taken care of all those matters?"

Little Peach was holding a half-eaten candied hawthorn skewer. When she saw Li Yang, she hurriedly put it into her mouth: "Mom, eat quickly, Dad bought it."

"Mother isn't eating. Sister Jinghe is folding clothes inside. Little Peach, go and see if it's your new clothes."

Little Peach cheered, got off Yuan Chongjing, and ran into the room to find Jinghe.

With nothing in his hands, Yuan Chongjing fidgeted with his arms for a while before putting them behind his back: "As you suspected, the Fifth Prince pushed all the dam-related matters onto his subordinates. Seeing this, they pushed the Third Prince forward instead. His Majesty sent people to investigate and found evidence of bribery between those people and the Third Prince, and has already placed the Third Prince under house arrest."

Li Yang said, "I heard my father say this morning that His Highness the Crown Prince's past has been brought up again?"

Yuan Chong nodded: "Yes, the evidence has been submitted, and His Majesty is also looking for people to investigate. However, five years have passed, and it might be a bit troublesome to investigate it again."

Seeing the worry on her face, Yuan Chongjing immediately said, "Fortunately, the people His Majesty sent should be able to find out about the Third Prince if they put their minds to it. They might even be able to expose quite a few officials."

Upon hearing this, Li Yang felt a bad premonition: "Which official did His Majesty appoint?"

"Song Hezhou".

Seeing his confidence, Li Yang asked, "Have you already formed an alliance with Song Hezhou?"

“Not yet,” Yuan Chongjing said. “Song Hezhou is a stubborn man. He comes from the Song family and is pampered. He has everything he needs, so naturally, he doesn’t care about anything.”

As he spoke, he looked at Li Yang and said, "I heard that when he came here that day, he cut down a tree here?"

Hearing him say that, Li Yang knew that he must have guessed something.

Sure enough, the next moment he asked, "Are you the butterfly fairy he's been searching for all these years?"

Song Hezhou's five-year search for the Butterfly Fairy was no secret in the capital. Considering Song Hezhou's recent unusual behavior in front of Li Yang, and the fact that Li Yang had told Yuan Chongjing about being hunted down to dispel his doubts and make him believe that she was also trying to escape the capital when they got married, it's not surprising that Yuan Chongjing could guess the truth.

Li Yang nodded: "Yes, it's me."

Yuan Chongjing was filled with mixed emotions, and a sense of vigilance immediately arose. There was already their benefactor, Song Xi, eyeing her covetously, and now Song Hezhou had appeared; the Song family was truly his nemesis.

He asked, "Song Hezhou suspects you? Hasn't he recognized you yet?"

"Yes, he asked, but I didn't admit it, and he couldn't find a way to get it out," Li Yang replied. Years ago, to avoid Song Hezhou discovering her secret, she had long since practiced a new handwriting style.

Yuan Chongjing said, "It's alright, I'll figure something out, don't worry."

Hearing his calm and composed voice, Li Yang looked at him in surprise. She was about to say something when Xiao Taozi and Xia He came out hand in hand: "Mother~ These are all clothes that Xiao Taozi folded herself~ Let's go home with Father~"

"Little Peach is so great! Come on, let's go home." Yuan Chongjing stepped forward, grabbed Little Peach by the armpits, and lifted her up into the air. Little Peach screamed and laughed, "Haha, that was fun! Daddy, do it again!"

Yuan Chongjing swung her around in mid-air, eliciting a shrill laugh from her.

Jinghe, carrying a bundle, stood behind Li Yang and said, "Young Madam, let's go."

The two, along with Xiao Taozi, bid farewell to Li's parents before leaving the mansion and boarding the carriage back to the Yuan residence.

There were only the three of them in the car. Seeing that Yuan Chongjing had been interacting with Xiao Taozi ever since he got in the car, Li Yang casually asked, "I heard that the person who beat up Li Ting was paralyzed after being beaten on his way back to the mansion the night before last."

Yuan Chongjing teased her by squeezing Xiaotaozi's soft hand, and answered her without looking up, "I did it. It's not exactly paralysis. At most, he'll spend the next year or two in bed. He can endure the pain and do training, and he'll be able to stand up again."

He spoke as naturally as if he were discussing the weather, but his words were extremely ruthless and cold.

Li Yang asked, "Will the Third Prince find out?"

Yuan Chongjing shook his head: "No, the Third Prince is too busy taking care of himself to have the energy to do these things."

"That's good."

Hearing her sigh of relief, Yuan Chongjing looked up at her and asked cautiously, "Don't you think I went a bit too far?"

Li Yang said, "He deserves to be hit."

Yuan Chongjing smiled faintly, said nothing more, and then lowered his head to play with Xiao Taozi's fingers.

The Yuan family mansion was bustling with activity. Madam Yuan and her eldest sister-in-law were both there, sitting on benches in the courtyard, embroidering. Nearby, Yu Yi and Xiao Li'er were playing football with a little boy on the ground.

Little Pear was the first to spot them. She put down the football and ran towards them, saying, "Little Peach, you're back."

Little Peach also went over and, like an adult, took Little Pear's hand and spun her around: "Sister Pear, Little Peach missed you so much."

The eldest daughter-in-law looked up when she heard the voice and smiled, "These are true sisters, eager to see each other after only two days apart. Unlike someone who comes three times a day, but the children don't seem very happy."

Li Yang descended the steps into the courtyard and saw the child squatting on the ground playing; it was Luo Song. Xu Biyun was sitting behind Madam Yuan. She hadn't seen her earlier because Madam Yuan and her sister-in-law had blocked her view.

Hearing the eldest young mistress's words, Madam Yuan did not stop her, but said, "Jing'er and Yang'er are back. Yang'er, how is your brother's health?"

Li Yang replied, "Thank you for your concern, Mother. He has already woken up. There are people at home taking care of him, and there is also a doctor. He should be able to get out of bed soon."

"That's good, that's good. I remember your brother isn't the type to fight. What was it all about this time that caused such a big commotion? I heard even the Dali Temple got involved," Madam Yuan said.

The eldest young mistress glanced at Xu Biyun with displeasure and said sarcastically, "What else could it be for? Mother, you don't know, when men fight, it's all for a woman."

"woman?"

“Yes,” the eldest young mistress said casually, “It’s Luo Pingping, the third young lady of the Luo family. By the way, Biyun, you’ve had a lot of contact with Miss Luo and have been her sister-in-law for several years, so you should know what kind of person she is. Why don’t you tell us and clear things up for us?”

Xu Biyun lowered her head, her hand tightly gripping the embroidery needle: "I... I'm not familiar with Pingping either."

"Tch," the eldest young mistress scoffed, "We all live in the same mansion. Although you might not see each other all the time in the Luo State Duke's Mansion, you should see each other two or three times a month. What's wrong, Biyun? Are you getting distant from us and don't want to have a heart-to-heart talk anymore?"

She was always straightforward, speaking only according to her own mood and rarely caring about others' opinions. Especially Xu Biyun, who had been coming to the Yuan residence for the past few days under the pretext that she and Luo Song were alone and wanted to find someone to 'have a heart-to-heart talk' with. The eldest young mistress had long disliked her. Now that she had a reason, she naturally spoke her mind completely.

"No, Song'er and I have already been divorced by the Duke's Mansion. It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss Miss Luo San any further," Xu Biyun replied.

"What's wrong with that? Everyone gets talked about when they're alive. Besides, didn't you say we're all 'one of us'? Who would know if we gossiped a little at home? Unless you don't consider us 'one of us,' then all the goodwill we've shown each other these past few days is just a facade, isn't it?"

If she let her continue, Madam Yuan was certain that Xu Biyun would burst into tears. Although she didn't care, it wouldn't sound good if word got out that the Yuan family was bullying a widow, so she said, "Alright, eldest daughter, I see Yu Yi keeps yawning, take him back to sleep for a while. Pear and Peach, come here to Grandma, Grandma will take you to eat something delicious."

As everyone left, Luo Song, seeing that his friends had all gone, walked over to Xu Biyun with the football in his arms: "Mother~ Song'er is hungry, I want to eat something delicious too."

Xu Biyun put away her embroidery frame, took his hand, and stood up.

To leave, one had to pass by Li Yang and Yuan Chongjing. Xu Biyun said to them, "It seems you both dislike me and Song'er. Fine, we won't bother you anymore."

"Whether you welcome them or not is up to you." As they passed each other, Yuan Chongjing said, "Li Yang and I also want to welcome you and Song'er, but welcome isn't for everyone. Biyun, your time is running out."

Xu Biyun paused for a moment, then left the Yuan residence with Luo Song without answering him directly.

Li Yang watched her walk away and said, "If we push her too far, won't it backfire?"

"No. She's been testing my limits lately. I don't have much patience, and I've given her plenty of time. Now it's up to her to decide."

Li Yang withdrew her gaze and looked at Yuan Chongjing: "So what do we do next?"

With no one around, Yuan Chongjing said, "The Third Prince has been framed repeatedly, so he's bound to have some suspicions. Whether it's the dike being in disrepair or the Crown Prince being framed, either one will keep him in trouble for a long time. Do you think the Fifth Prince will choose to continue following the Third Prince and be his 'good brother,' or will he choose to take advantage of his misfortune and use the opportunity to further strengthen his own power?"

Although the Emperor did not completely entrust the investigation of the Crown Prince's framing to Song Hezhou, Song Hezhou holds most of the power in the Dali Temple, and he can practically control the entire course of the matter. If the Song family intends to reveal the true identity of the 'Sixth Princess,' they will definitely make a fuss about it.

But if the 'Sixth Princess' really is Song Xi, will it harm Song Xi if she tells Yuan Chongjing the truth now?

"Li Yang, Li Yang, what are you thinking about?" After waiting for a long time without her answer, Yuan Chongjing asked.

Li Yang snapped out of her daze: "It's nothing. Jing-ge, do you trust Song Hezhou? Could there be some ulterior motive in his thorough investigation of His Highness the Crown Prince?"

Yuan Chongjing said, "It shouldn't be. I've already investigated secretly. The Song family hasn't taken sides, nor have they had any close contact with any prince. Moreover, there are also people from the Crown Prince's side in the Dali Temple. If Song Hezhou really wanted to interfere with his own interests, we would have discovered it in time."

"That's good, that's good." Li Yang murmured a couple of times, then, as if remembering something, suddenly said, "You go in first, I have to go out for a bit."

Where are you going?

"Go ask the miracle doctor about Li Ting's injuries; he didn't explain it clearly last time."

Yuan Chongjing looked at her and asked, "Shall I go with you?"

"No need," Li Yang smiled, "Little Peach keeps talking about you. She'll cry if she doesn't see you. Go keep her company. I'll be back soon."

Yuan Chongjing didn't insist any further and nodded: "Be careful on the road."

After Li Yang left, Yuan Chongjing did not go to find Xiao Taozi, but turned around and went back to his study.

He sat alone at his desk, staring at the blank pages before him, his expression growing increasingly uncertain.

After five years together, he understood Li Yang better than he understood himself. Just as he could easily see the unusual relationship between her and Song Hezhou, and the strange look in Song Xi's eyes when he saw her, he could also tell at a glance that Li Yang was hiding something from him about Song Xi.

Before leaving, she asked Song Hezhou whether he harbored any ulterior motives in overturning the Crown Prince's case. For whom were those motives? He was certain the Song family hadn't taken sides, and Song Hezhou wouldn't stoop to scheming for the princes. So, what did all this have to do with Song Xi?

Song Hezhou, Song Xi.

Song Xi, Song Hezhou.

Song Xi, a man who disguises himself as a woman, is skilled in disguise and travels mysteriously.

The sixth princess never saw outsiders. She spent years in seclusion outside the palace, unable to speak or walk properly, and spent her days in a wheelchair.

Furthermore, during the time when Song Xi's grandmother was seriously ill, the Empress Dowager was also seriously ill.

Thinking of this, Yuan Chongjing suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes instantly brightening and flashing with a sharp aura.