Chapter 134 The Return of Little Deer: Li Yang Pays a Heavy Price to Sever His Connection with Little Deer

The dinner at the teahouse continued in a strange atmosphere.

At this moment, an unexpected guest arrived at the teahouse.

"Second Prince," Li Yang said calmly to the newcomer.

Li Zhen glanced at the people in the room, which could hardly be called a welcome, and chuckled self-deprecatingly before saying to Li Yang, "Zhao Zhao, do you have time for a few words of casual conversation?"

Li Yang pursed her lips and nodded slightly.

Stepping out of the teahouse, Li Yang noticed a slight chill in the air. Such a cool night in the height of summer was a rare treat, a welcome relief after several months.

The two walked down the street. Li Yang kept his head down, intently watching the pebbles under his feet. He would take a few steps closer and then kick them with his toes.

After several exchanges, Li Zhen spoke first: "Zhaozhao, regarding the matter of the arranged marriage, if it is you..."

"I promised," Li Yang said without looking up.

Li Zhen was somewhat surprised, turned his head to look at Li Yang, and the starlight in his eyes flickered.

Li Yang smiled knowingly, glanced at the other person, and said, "I agree to His Majesty's request to marry into the Crown Prince's household."

She stopped abruptly, her gaze fixed on the other person with seriousness and determination. "But I have one condition."

The flame in Li Zhen's eyes flickered briefly before fading into stillness.

That evening, the two chatted for a long time, and by the time they returned to the teahouse it was already past midnight.

The private rooms in the teahouse had already been cleaned up, and everyone was drinking tea in the main hall. When they saw Li Yang return, they all subtly sized her up and Chen Junbai.

Li Yang closed the door, paused briefly, then turned around, nodded to everyone, and went upstairs to rest.

She could hear several people downstairs talking to Chen Junbo, probably trying to persuade him to reconcile with her.

Sister Ziyan's voice was still as pleasant as ever. Xiaobai would occasionally chime in, Mr. Zheng was always bickering with Xiaobai, and Liu Yitong was incredibly noisy.

Li Yang lay on the bed, staring blankly at the blue canopy above him.

When she told His Highness the Crown Prince that she had agreed to marry into his household, it was as if the person standing opposite her was not the Crown Prince, who was second only to the Emperor, but rather the 'Master Fei' she had met when she first came to the capital.

He was not like Fei Ye when we first met; he was more like an older brother following his father.

She told Li Zhen that she was willing to marry into the Crown Prince's household.

Recalling the scene when she said those words, she felt tears slide down her cheeks and fall into her ears.

My earlobes were damp.

She blinked, then remembered when she told Fei Ye she didn't love him, and he blurted out, "I know, you still have feelings for Chen Junbo."

Yeah?

There is no doubt that I am concerned.

Their journey from first meeting to getting to know each other and falling in love was filled with countless worries and setbacks.

Now, things are a bit unclear?

The things the Fourth Prince whispered in her ear in the palace that day still make her feel dizzy when she thinks about them now.

He said that his parents' existence in Songshan Town was revealed by the fact that Old Master Zhang had taken his mother's pearl as tribute to the Salt Commissioner, Lord Jiqing, which led to the events that followed...

Thinking back to her mother's distraught state on the day of her father's funeral, Li Yang kept asking herself, "Do I still love Chen Junbo?"

Can I still love him?

But at least I don't owe him anything anymore.

Because of the lawsuit she got herself into, she has now used all her strength to clear his name, so she should owe him nothing now.

As for whether or not one loves another, it seems that in that instant, it became unimportant.

After they worked hard to clear all the obstacles, they discovered that a loved one's life was blocking their way.

Was this trouble caused by her or by him?

I can't tell them apart, I can't tell them apart anymore.

That's what Li Yang told the Crown Prince: "I don't know, but I definitely don't love you. If the Crown Prince doesn't mind, I agree to marry into the Crown Prince's household."

To everyone's surprise, Li Zhen was actually quite good-natured. After hearing what she said, he simply replied, "It's alright, we have plenty of time."

Li Yang was stunned by his answer. He shook his head and said to himself, "Your Highness, please don't waste your time on me. I only ask for a place in His Majesty's residence to live out my days. But besides that, I need you to promise me one thing first."

So she told Li Zhen what the fourth prince had said to her in the main hall.

The Fourth Prince probably intended to use this incident to put her in a difficult position, but she couldn't bring herself to distort the truth about the salt permit issue based on those words.

However, since she is to marry into the Crown Prince's household, it's time to settle accounts with the Fourth Prince.

Li Zhen was absolutely certain that his fourth brother was responsible for Li Lang's death.

Over the years, Li Zhao has become increasingly erratic. In the past, he only resorted to framing and suppressing dissidents. In recent years, he has even started committing murder and arson, so it is not surprising that Li Lang died at his hands.

Li Zhen replied to her at the time, "Even if you hadn't brought it up, I wouldn't have let Li Zhao off the hook."

The two had reached an agreement, and how he would deal with Li Zhao was no longer her concern.

Thinking of this, Li Yang looked up at the top of the tent and breathed a sigh of relief.

For some reason, even though she was not yet twenty, she had a feeling that her whole life was going to end like this.

Looking at her life, which seemed to have no end in sight, and now that she could entrust her father's revenge to someone else, marrying into the Crown Prince's residence would be her way of repaying Li Zhen.

After thinking about Chen Junbo again, Li Yang felt annoyed and turned over to face the inside of the room, closing her eyes and trying to fall asleep quickly.

-

The next morning, Li Yang was woken up by You Feng.

"Young Madam, Little Deer is here. Please come down and take a look."

A deer?

I haven't heard this name in a long time.

Li Yang changed his clothes and went downstairs. The teahouse was not yet open to customers today. A group of people were sitting against the wall, eating melon seeds and watching the show. The person kneeling in front of the counter was none other than that little deer girl.

Seeing her come downstairs, Xiao Lu burst into tears, "Young Madam, please help me."

Bi Fang stood beside her as if he wanted to help her up, but when he looked up and saw You Feng walking angrily toward the crowd, he withdrew his hand.

Li Yang chuckled: "Little Deer, now that you are a member of the Zhang family, how can I help you?"

"Young Madam, Xiao Lu was wrong." Xiao Lu's knees were weak, and her forehead was weak; she could easily kneel down and kowtow. "That Zhang fellow, he, he..."

Chen Junbo interrupted, "That Zhang fellow joined Master Ji's faction and came to provoke you to find out about the teahouse. Now that Master Ji's lineage has fallen, and no one is paying rent for your courtyard anymore, so you've come back to look for Zhaozhao, haven't you?"

Youfeng angrily rebuked, "If it weren't for the help from our mistress, you would have been sold out long ago. But you repay kindness with enmity, betraying her when she needed you most. How dare you come back now?"

The little deer sat slumped on the ground, sobbing.

Bi Fang felt a pang of pity and said to You Feng, "Don't talk nonsense."

"I'm talking nonsense? Ask her yourself." Youfeng said resentfully, "When the master first arrived in the capital, she wrote to you every time, revealing the young mistress's whereabouts completely. Later, after she got involved with that Zhang family member, did she write you a single letter?"

Who do you think that Zhang family member is?

Zhang Lang...

Zhang Lang!

The little deer's eyes widened in surprise, "Zhang, Zhang Lang? It's you..."

"Yes! It's that heartless man. You still think you've met a good person? You think you're going to rise to prominence?" Youfeng sneered.

Everyone fell silent. Little Deer had actually brought up Youfeng's biological father...

Bi Fang touched his nose and took a few steps back.

He could convince himself not to think about what Xiaolu had gone through, but when Youfeng laid everything bare and bloody in front of everyone, even if he wanted to numb himself, he couldn't turn a blind eye.

Little Deer actually hooked up with Youfeng's biological father.

If he dares to say another word in defense of Xiaolu, Youfeng will definitely tear him apart.

He was somewhat afraid of Youfeng, not knowing when this girl had gotten on his head.

The subtle footsteps were caught red-handed. "Butler Bi, you always call me 'Little Deer Sister,' but now that your dear sister is back, what's wrong with you, as her older brother, not doing anything about it?"

“Youfeng…this…” Bi Fang blushed.

Li Yang said expressionlessly, "Little Deer, come with me."

The two returned to their room.

Li Yang took out several silver notes. "Here is three hundred taels. I'm not exactly well-off right now, but this is all I can give you. It's enough for you to eat, drink, and live on. If you're willing, and you know how to run a teahouse, this money is enough for you to rent a shop and make a living."

Little deer, from now on, take care of yourself.

The little deer wanted to cry again.

Li Yang said coldly, "Little Deer, our fate ends here. Let's go."

Everyone was silent that day. Youfeng was like a firecracker; anyone who dared to say another word would be set off.

Bi Fang followed You Feng around, helping her. He regretted standing up for Xiao Lu earlier and offending this young lady. Now he was having a hard time.

Little Deer, that pretty little girl, has grown up and become more cunning. She no longer regards me, her housekeeper, as a person.

Thinking about these past events, he shook his head and hurriedly stepped forward to take the rag from Youfeng's hand.

Xiao Bai couldn't help but chatter, "Sister, Miss Feng is so fierce."

Ziyan glanced at her sideways, "Really? Did you practice the piano today?"

"I've been practicing! I got up early this morning to practice, sister, I'll play the piano for you." Saying this, she took her hand and led her to the backyard.

Zheng Qingbo looked at the two of them with a furrowed brow.

Ziyan seemed unwilling, "Stop pulling and tugging. You haven't been home for several days, and your mother is coming to me looking for you again."

"No, I told my mother that if she treats you badly, I won't come home for a day." Xiao Bai seemed very proud. "The Bai Family Restaurant has Manager Chen, so they don't need me. I just follow my sister to learn the zither every day."

Zheng Qingbo frowned even more. "Ziyan, shall we talk?"

"What are you talking about? I want to go too." Xiaobai stepped forward and stood between the two.

Li Yang couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the chaotic scene unfold between the three at the counter.

Ziyan sighed, "Mr. Zheng, there's nothing more to talk about. You should go back to town as soon as possible."

She seemed to have said nothing, yet she also seemed to have said something.

At this moment, Xiaobai, like a rooster that had won a fight, held her head high and puffed out her chest, "That's right, sister, let's go play the piano."

Looking at him, Li Yang suddenly remembered what Sister Ziyan had said a few days ago: "If you can have someone make a firm choice for you once in your life, it seems pretty good."

Xiao Bai, he is no match for Mr. Zheng, he is not as intelligent as Mr. Zheng, and he doesn't have much ability either, yet he actually did it right.

sincere.

Extreme sincerity; he exudes sincerity at all times. The sincerity of a young man is perhaps the best betrothal gift in the world.