Chapter 19 It’s My Fault “This time, the princess…
"This time, the princess won't care...you go find them." Song Youning pointed at the two people.
At this time, the old temple keeper obviously had not reacted yet and was standing there in a daze.
After a while, his face turned red, his eyes widened, and his sunken eyes stared straight at the glutinous rice ball on the Buddha's forehead... and then he threw it to the ground.
"Oh my God, Bodhisattva! Why are there so many disasters today?" The old temple keeper sat cross-legged on the ground, crying miserably.
The temple keeper's crying became louder and louder, and more and more people came outside to watch the excitement, but the two men stood there indifferently, as if nothing had happened.
"Princess, these two people were brought by His Highness, so you have to take responsibility for them." The old temple keeper saw that the two men didn't care at all and rushed straight towards her.
He wrapped his hands around her legs and howled, "Princess, you have to take responsibility."
"??? You're blackmailing her, right?"
"Let go first..." She shook her legs, but they didn't move at all...
Seeing she couldn't get rid of it, she tried to pull it away, but the temple keeper's hands were wrapped around her legs, like an octopus, not moving at all...
"The princess is the future ruler of the country... How can she bully us good people..." The old monk pointed out her identity deliberately. More and more people gathered around her, pointing fingers at her "evil deeds".
She already has a bad reputation, and if this is added to it, she will never be able to leave the palace again.
"Pay, pay," she sighed... She had to take care of this matter even if she didn't want to.
"You two..." She squinted her eyes and glanced between the two of them: "Pay the money honestly."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lin immediately pointed at Li Funing and said, "He was the one who hit me..."
Li Funing calmly brushed the incense ash off his sleeves, took out an account book from his pocket, turned to a certain page, and handed it to the old temple keeper:
"The cost of repairs will be charged to Prince Xiao's account."
Xiao Lin: “??? Why?”
Xiao Lin laughed in anger: "Li Funing, why are you acting so arrogant? It was you who bumped into the altar?"
Li Funing lowered his eyes, his tone slightly aggrieved, "Your Highness, please be careful with your words. I am weak and I just... couldn't stand steadily, so I was accidentally pushed by Your Highness and bumped into the altar..."
"It's my fault, Your Highness. Please don't blame the Crown Prince." After saying that, he coughed twice "weakly".
Song Youning: “…”
Xiao Lin: "...the same trick again?"
Xiao Lin glared at him condescendingly, "You were the one who knocked over the altar in the first place, why are you pretending?! It was obviously you..."
He pointed at Li Funing angrily, but saw that Li Funing remained calm, even lowering his head slightly, making an attitude of "I plead guilty and I will accept the punishment."
Song Youning looked at Xiao Lin who was still blaming him incessantly, while Li Funing had already "generously" taken all the responsibility, and she was so angry that her temples were throbbing.
"Xiao Lin!"
She interrupted coldly, "Since Lord Li has admitted it, then the compensation... is yours!"
Xiao Lin: “…”
He turned his head in disbelief: "Ningning, it wasn't me who hit you."
"Even if it wasn't you who bumped into me, you still have to pay for it..." Song Youning closed his eyes, his tone leaving no room for refusal.
"This prince has no money..." Xiao Lin crossed his arms righteously, with incense ash still on his cuffs, as if to say "I have no money but my life".
Song Youning looked at him with such a desperate look, and his anger grew even stronger.
Li Funing lowered his eyes, sighed softly, and slowly took out a promissory note from his sleeve. He tapped the paper lightly with his fingertips and said softly:
"I can lend it to the prince."
"Lord Li is so generous." Xiao Lin took it suspiciously and opened the account book:
"A thousand ounces of gold, and a ten-cent daily interest rate?!"
Xiao Lin's fingers, which were holding the IOU, trembled slightly, and he almost poked a hole in the paper.
Li Funing looked calm, even a bit innocent, and said slowly:
"Don't be upset, my lord. This interest is something I wrote for fun. It doesn't count."
He lightly raised his fingertips, ready to take the IOU back, and said in a gentle tone:
"If the prince is truly in financial difficulty, it's fine if he doesn't pay it back..."
Xiao Lin narrowed his eyes: "Master Li, what are you planning?"
Li Funing lowered his eyes, the corners of his eyes reddened, and he felt like he was about to burst into tears. "I was just sympathetic to the prince, but I never thought that the prince would look at me like this..."
Song Youning suddenly reached out and snatched the IOU from Li Funing's hand. She glanced at it and saw that although the interest rate was a bit high, it was nothing considering the status of the Zhenbei Palace. She raised an eyebrow and said to Xiao Lin, "Sign it, or I will mortgage you to the Yuzhou Temple to sweep the floor for three years."
"Ningning..."
Song Youning remained silent
Xiao Lin snatched the money from her hand and asked, "Where's the ink?"
"Here, here," the old temple keeper, who was quite discerning, went to the table at the door and took the ink pad.
As Xiao Lin pressed the seal, his eyes were fixed on Li Funing, knowing that he must have been set up by him, but he had no other choice but to press the seal angrily.
The corners of Li Funing's lips curled up slightly, which was noticed by Song Youning.
By the time the three had finished worshipping Goddess Guanyin, it was already the hour of Xu and it was already dark outside the temple. The rainstorm in Yuzhou came suddenly and fiercely. As soon as the three of them left the temple, raindrops as big as beans fell down. The Yuzhou Temple was built on the mountainside and it was impossible to get off the sedan chair. People who wanted to come to worship could only go up the steps.
They were still hundreds of steps away from the carriage, and the three of them were trapped in the temple.
"Your Highness, why don't we stay in the temple for a day? The rain is too heavy." Chuntao said worriedly as she looked at the increasingly heavy rain.
Song Youning looked at the book in his hand that was filled with the customs and culture of Yuzhou and shook his head: "No, tomorrow is the day when the Yuzhou chapter is released, I have to go back today..."
"Princess, there is only one umbrella left in this temple." The old temple keeper searched the entire temple and finally found a dusty oil-paper umbrella.
Xiao Lin was quick-witted and snatched the umbrella from the temple keeper: "Ningning, this prince will protect you and take you back!"
Song Youning glanced at Li Funing who was silent.
He stood under the eaves of the temple. Although sheltered, the rain was so heavy that his blue shirt was mostly soaked. However, he still stood upright and said softly, "Your Highness, please ride with me. I...will not mind."
His robes were soaked, his black hair stuck to his pale cheeks, water droplets slid down his jaw, and his whole body exuded a sense of brokenness.
Song Youning frowned: "You will catch a cold..."
He shook his head slightly and forced a smile: "I am fine, Your Highness, please go back quickly and don't catch a cold. I will wait for Jingwen to come and pick you up."
After saying that, he turned and walked into the temple.
Song Youning stared at Li Funing's back as he walked away, and his heart suddenly felt a pang.
He could have snatched the umbrella.
He could obviously pretend to be pitiful and make her feel distressed.
But he just left like that without even saying a word of grievance.
She took out a gold ingot and threw it to the old temple keeper, saying, "Find him some clean clothes to change into, don't let him catch a cold."
The old temple keeper quickly took the gold ingot thrown to him, bit it with his teeth, and then carefully put it into his sleeve. Two wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes, and he smiled happily and said, "I obey your order."
Half an hour later, Song You Youning returned to Lai Fu Inn, and the rain outside the window was getting heavier and heavier. The strong wind blew the flowers and plants outside the door to and fro, and there were gusts of wind.
The light in Song Youning's bedroom flickered, and with the burning of calming incense, there was a warm atmosphere.
"Has Li Funing come back?" Song Youning was sitting on the stool, feeling uneasy. His mind was full of Li Funing's thin figure. He didn't know whether the greedy temple keeper had brought him clothes.
Song Youning was uneasy, so he simply stood up and paced back and forth in the bedroom: "Chun Tao, go boil a bucket of hot water and prepare a pot of ginger tea."
"Your Highness! Lord Li is back..." Xiao Si, who was at the door, ran over to talk. Before he arrived, his voice fell steadily into the ears of the master and servant.
"Really?" Before Chuntao finished her words, Song Youning rushed out without caring whether the news was true or not.
He bumped into the running servant and, not caring about the pain, blurted out, "Is Master Li okay?"
The servant rubbed his bruised knee and replied, "I'm back, but I heard that Lord Li has a high fever and the doctor said... the situation is not good!"
Her heart skipped a beat and she immediately rushed out of the room.
Li Funing sat leaning on the bed, his face as pale as paper, a wet handkerchief covering his forehead, and his lips so pale they were almost transparent.
With a "bang", the bedroom door was pushed open.
Li Funing looked up and saw Song Youning coming in the rain. He opened his eyes slightly and said in a hoarse voice: "Your Highness... why are you here?"
Song Youning pursed her lips, feeling reluctant. She reached out to touch his forehead, and the scorching heat made her heart tremble: "You..."
He gently held her wrist, his fingertips cold: "I'm fine, just... a little cold."
As the candlelight flickered, Li Funing's pale face looked even more clear and distinct under the brocade quilt.
His black hair spread out on the pillow, making his neck look as fragile as glazed porcelain. The corners of his eyes were slightly red from the high fever, but he still managed to stand up and salute. His thin shirt slipped off, revealing his alluring collarbone.
"Stop fooling around! Lie down!" Song Youning pushed him back onto the couch, and the skin his palm touched was frighteningly hot.
His cold fingertips brushed across her wrist, seemingly unintentionally yet deliberately: "Did I... disturb His Highness?"
Suddenly he started coughing, and his shoulder blades trembled violently under the quilt.
She subconsciously tried to help him, but he used his strength to pull her down to the edge of the couch. As her black hair tangled with his, she could smell the faint fragrance from his collar.
.
"If the prince were here... he would definitely scold me for being hypocritical."
He tilted his head, covered his lips and chuckled, looking at her with a smile.
Song Youning narrowed his eyes and said angrily, "He dares."
"If he comes to my palace, I will make him pay."
"Your Highness..." His voice was low and hoarse, his long eyelashes drooping slightly, "The prince is innocent and straightforward, and I will not argue with him."
Song Youning narrowed his eyes, seeing through his little thoughts: "Li Funing, why are you pretending to be magnanimous?"
Li Funing coughed lightly, his fingertips tightening slightly. "I just... don't want Your Highness to argue with the Crown Prince because of me. I don't want to embarrass Your Highness..."
"Okay, okay, just rest assured..." Song Youning knew that he was taking the opportunity to report Xiao Lin, but looking at his appearance, her heart softened for no reason.
The corners of his eyes were red, and there was a hint of grievance in his voice, as if he had been severely bullied. She knew she shouldn't indulge him, but she couldn't help but think, forget it, he's already like this, so what's wrong with just going along with him for once.
"Your Highness, the ginger soup is here."
When Chuntao came in holding a porcelain bowl, Song Youning was bending over to tuck in the quilt for him.
She straightened up and took the ginger soup. It was just the right temperature, and the hot steam blurred her vision.
"While it's hot..." Before he could finish his words, he caught a glimpse of a light green book corner sticking out from the bedside.
I thought about putting it on the table for him so he could sleep more comfortably, but my hand suddenly twitched...
The large characters "One Hundred Strategies of Showing Weakness" caught Song Youning's eye. He took it in his hand and looked at it, only to discover that there was more than one copy...
She slowly raised her eyes and met Li Funing's smiling eyes. How could there be any sign of sickness? They were clearly clear and even had a hint of amusement at being caught by her.
"This book..." Her voice was slightly hoarse.
"Well," he took the ginger soup calmly, "I really like reading some policy papers recently..."
The moment the edges of the bowls touched, Song Youning suddenly felt that the medicinal fragrance that had filled the room had turned into the lingering... fragrance of tea.
The sound of rain outside the window was getting heavier. She looked at the "sickly" Li Funing in front of her and suddenly realized that she might be the one being soaked.
"Is Lord Li pretending to be sick?" Song Youning asked with a raised eyebrow, picking up the book with his fingertips and waving it in front of his eyes.
Li Funing suddenly sat up, the sick look in his eyes gone. He slowly straightened his clothes, a playful smile curling his lips, his dimples deep. "If I hadn't used some tricks, why would Your Highness care about me?"
"You..." Song Youning was so angry that he was speechless for a moment.
"I am not favored by the princess. If I don't think of a way, the princess' heart will fly away to who knows where..." He suddenly came closer, his eyes red, his nose twitching slightly, and the fragrance on his body mixed with the bitter smell of medicine, making him look particularly pitiful.
Song Youning narrowed her eyes and looked at him: "How do you know that you are not liked by this princess?"
Li Funing's eyes darkened, his voice tinged with resentment. "Back then, the princess left with Prince Xiao without a second thought, leaving me alone in Bianjing for years. Your Majesty repeatedly sent memorials urging a marriage, but the princess always made excuses..." His Adam's apple moved slightly. "With this attitude, how can I not feel...that the princess has abandoned me?"
"oh?"
She suddenly leaned closer, her warm breath brushing against his ear.
She lifted his chin with her slender fingers, her voice carrying a dangerous sweetness: "Lord Li, are you...accusing me of being incestuous and then abandoning you?"
His breathing stagnated, and his long eyelashes trembled slightly: "Your humble servant... dare not." But the knuckles that grasped her sleeve clearly showed reluctance.
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