054 Leaving the Palace
Song Hezhou chuckled and said, "I think you've been living a life of luxury and your heart is only for those two."
He strolled in leisurely, sat down on a wooden chair not far from Li Yang, leaned back comfortably with his legs crossed, casually picked up an apple and tossed it around in his hand, as if waiting for her to speak.
Li Yang, preoccupied with comforting Xiao Taozi, casually remarked, "If it's not them, then who else could it be?"
Song Hezhou's purpose in entering the palace this time was to upset her; how he said the matter was not important. He said, "It's Yuan Chongjing, isn't it? I heard that he and Prince Yu were ambushed on their way back to the capital. He was seriously injured while protecting Prince Yu. He had to be carried into the Yuan family home. You, as Madam Yuan, are truly incompetent."
Li Yang paused for a moment, seemingly calm and collected, her eyes lightly shifting to Song Hezhou: "How do I know if what you're saying is true or not?"
"Whatever you want." Song Hezhou tossed the apple back into the fruit plate, got up, and walked out.
Only after his figure disappeared through the door did Li Yang's straight back slump weakly. She leaned against the table, catching her breath, before calming herself down. Little Peach, who hadn't heard Song Hezhou's words because Li Yang's ears were covered, saw Li Yang's unusual behavior and called out worriedly, "Mother~"
Li Yang patted her head: "Little Peach, be good, Mommy's alright."
She calmed herself down and quickly thought of a solution. In the end, she had no choice but to ask the Sixth Princess to let them leave the palace. Li Yang stood up and took Xiao Taozi's hand as she got off the bed: "Xiao Taozi, Mother will take you to find Aunt Six."
Having not seen her for several days, Little Peach also missed the Sixth Princess. Upon hearing this, she smiled and followed her out of the palace.
The Sixth Princess's residence wasn't far from them; it was just across the courtyard wall. However, two palace maids stood guard in front of the Sixth Princess's palace. Both of them recognized Li Yang and, upon seeing her approach, politely curtsied, saying, "Madam Yuan."
Li Yang smiled sheepishly and said, "Is the Sixth Princess inside? Little Peach has been making a lot of noise these past few days since I haven't seen her."
One of the palace maids said, "Yes, Madam Yuan, please wait a moment while I go in and ask if the princess is free."
After speaking with Li Yang, she turned and went into the bedroom.
Inside the palace, the Sixth Princess was sitting by the window reading a book. Upon hearing her words, the Sixth Princess paused for a moment. She looked up at Cui Yu and asked expectantly, "Has Yangyang come to see me these past few days? Not even once?"
Cui Yu lowered her eyes and quietly said, "No."
The Sixth Princess's eyes were somewhat gloomy. She looked out the window with disappointment: "Forget it, it was wishful thinking on my part. Cui Yu, send them out of the palace."
From the moment the Sixth Princess learned that Song Hezhou had entered Shou'an Palace, she knew that the news of Yuan Chongjing's injury could no longer be kept secret. Sure enough, no sooner had he left than Yangyang came over impatiently.
After the sixth princess finished speaking, she leaned back against the window frame and closed her eyes helplessly.
Cui Yu felt a pang of pity. She had cared for the Sixth Princess since she was a child, practically watching her grow up. She wasn't the Empress Dowager's person, yet now her attitude was the same as the Empress Dowager's. That Li Yang, in terms of status and anything else, was unworthy of her.
But the sixth princess liked it.
The Empress Dowager explicitly forbade the Sixth Princess's relationship, but Cui Yu, knowing the Sixth Princess's temperament, knew this method wouldn't work. To nip this relationship in the bud, the Sixth Princess had to give it up herself.
Therefore, she concealed Li Yang's situation from the Sixth Princess.
But now, seeing the Sixth Princess's disappointed expression, Cui Yu's heart wavered. She didn't know if what she was doing was right.
Not hearing her footsteps leave, the Sixth Princess looked up at her and asked, "Cui Yu? Why aren't you going?"
Cui Yu gritted her teeth and knelt down before the Sixth Princess, saying, "Princess, I lied to you. These past few days, Madam Yuan has been asking about you every day and is very worried about you. She has also come to the vicinity to see you. I lied to you, Princess, please forgive me."
The Sixth Princess looked at her in shock: "Cui Yu, why... You are the only one I trust in this palace." That's why she felt at ease entrusting Yangyang and Xiaotaozi to Cui Yu's care.
Cui Yu's eyes reddened, and she cried, "It's all my fault, I was out of my mind."
The Sixth Princess sighed, "You can go out now. Let Yangyang come in."
Cui Yu wiped away her tears and went out to invite Li Yang and Xiao Taozi into the palace.
When Li Yang came in, he turned around and glanced at her several times. After seeing the Sixth Princess, he asked, "What's wrong with Cui Yu? I think she's been crying?"
Little Peach let go of her hand, ran to the Sixth Princess's side with a smile, looked up and sweetly called out, "Sixth Aunt, Little Peach misses Sixth Aunt so much."
The Sixth Princess smiled and hugged her: "I miss Little Peach too~ Has Little Peach been good these past few days? Has she listened to her mother?"
Little Peach nodded emphatically: "Yes, Little Peach is very obedient. Mother said Sixth Aunt isn't feeling well and doesn't want Little Peach to come. Little Peach is worried about Sixth Aunt~"
The sixth princess picked up a piece of dried persimmon from the table and gave it to her: "Thank you for your concern, Little Peach. I'm fine now. Here, try this dried persimmon and see if it's delicious."
Little Peach nestled obediently in her arms, lowered her head, examined the persimmon cake, and took a bite.
The Sixth Princess then had time to face Li Yang: "She made a mistake, and I scolded her a bit, but it's alright."
Li Yang sat down opposite the Sixth Princess: "Sixth Princess, I've come here today because I have something to ask of you."
“I know,” the Sixth Princess said first. “I have already made arrangements. Cui Yu will take you out of the palace later.”
"Shouldn't we inform the Empress Dowager?"
"No need," the Sixth Princess said, wiping Xiao Taozi's hands with a handkerchief as she watched Xiao Taozi munching on a persimmon and looking up at her pitifully with her big, blinking eyes. "Persimmons are cold in nature, so you can only eat one at a time."
Little Peach pouted, and after the Sixth Princess wiped her hands, she leaned against her and reached out to pinch the pearls hanging from her hair bun.
The Sixth Princess finished wrapping up the remaining persimmons and then said to Li Yang, "You don't need to worry. Prince Yu has a highly skilled person by his side, and her medical skills are no less than mine. Besides, the Yuan family is so important right now, Prince Yu won't let anything happen to him."
Li Yang didn't understand his words and asked in confusion, "Is the Yuan family important?"
The sixth princess nodded: "Yes."
With Yuan Chongjing by his side, the Li family, Li Yang's maternal family, can be kept in check. Currently, Li Yang's younger brother, Li Ting, has a close relationship with Luo Pingping, the third daughter of the Duke of Luo. Li Yang's aunt is also the wife of the Duke of Zhongyong. In addition, there is the Wei family, Yuan's maternal family. Wei Qin's position in the court is currently at its zenith, and the Wei family has also formed a close relationship with the Song family, the maternal family of the Empress Dowager, through marriage.
If Prince Yu had a long-term vision, he would have definitely seized Yuan Chongjing's opportunity.
However, the Sixth Princess couldn't say much to Li Yang: "Go back and pack your things. Cui Yu will take you out in an incense stick's time."
Knowing that she could leave the palace so easily, Li Yang no longer cared about what the Sixth Princess had said. She said with some concern, "Once we leave, Sixth Princess, you'll be all alone in the palace again."
Little Peach overheard Li Yang's words and retorted in her childish voice, "How could that be? Aunt Liu has many people around her, more than the family."
The sixth princess chuckled and replied, "Yes, I have many people around me, so there's no need to worry."
Although she was smiling, the bitterness in her eyes was impossible to ignore.
Li Yang felt a little reluctant.
But there was nothing they could do.
The sixth princess understood her meaning and said, "It's alright, really. I'll be leaving soon too, and I'll stay in the same place as before. You can always find me whenever you need anything."
Li Yang nodded and said with relief, "Okay."
Perhaps it was arranged beforehand by the Sixth Princess, because their journey out of the palace was exceptionally smooth. After more than half an hour, the carriage slowly came to a stop at the gate of the Yuan residence: "Madam Yuan, we have arrived."
Li Yang, carrying the sleeping little Taozi, stepped off the car using a wooden stool. The gatekeeper, who had already spotted them, ran over to greet them, saying, "Second Young Mistress is back."
Li Yang nodded: "Go to the courtyard and call two people over to move everything inside." While packing in the palace, the Sixth Princess sent over many more gifts that Xiao Taozi liked, which were forcibly loaded onto the carriage. Li Yang couldn't refuse her, so she had to accept them.
The commotion at the door quickly attracted the attention of everyone in the mansion. Li Yang had just handed Xiao Taozi to Xia He when she saw the eldest young mistress rush over, saying in an exaggeratedly warm tone, "Oh, sister-in-law, you're finally back! A lot has happened in our family while you were gone!"
Li Yang knew it was about Yuan Chongjing's injury.
The eldest young mistress watched longingly as the people from Li Yang's courtyard carried boxes of things into the mansion. She feigned heartache and said, "Sister-in-law, how can you still have the mind to pack these material possessions? Second brother is injured and is still lying in bed."
Li Yang said, "Then I'll go back to the courtyard first, and then go see my parents."
She was about to leave when the eldest young mistress immediately followed, taking Li Yang's arm and whispering, "Don't say that your sister-in-law didn't tell you beforehand. There's more than one person in your courtyard now."
"What do you mean by that, sister-in-law?"
The eldest young mistress narrowed her eyes and said indignantly, "That Xu Biyun, she rushed over as soon as my second brother came back injured, saying she wanted to take care of his injuries herself. She's so eloquent, and she has that child named Song'er with her. Our mother really likes them now."
In other words, Li Yang's position as "Mrs. Yuan the Second" is in jeopardy.
Li Yang wasn't too worried. Yuan Chongjing had already told her about his plan to deal with Xu Biyun, and Li Yang didn't believe that he would change his mind just because he was injured.
We can't let him hurt his head again and suffer amnesia.
Seeing that Li Yang did not show the expression she had expected, the eldest young mistress said in a tone that seemed to be for Li Yang's good, "Don't take this lightly. Our mother has already told Song'er to call her grandmother. And do you know what everyone is saying about you now that you've been to the palace?"
"How so?"
The eldest daughter-in-law was furious at her son's lack of self-respect: "What else can we say? That you and your second brother never consummated your marriage, that Xiao Taozi isn't a member of the Yuan family, that we've all been deceived by you two. Although your mother doesn't believe it, she has her doubts. After all, when we asked you to have another son, your second brother refused no matter what."
She leaned close to Li Yang's ear and whispered, "Mother thought there was something wrong with my second brother and that he couldn't have children, so she gave him a good scolding when he came back."
The eldest young mistress spoke close, her warm breath hitting Li Yang's earlobe, sending a shiver down her spine. Li Yang shuddered and asked, "And you, sister-in-law, do you trust us?"
The eldest daughter-in-law said, "Of course I believe it. Sister-in-law, you are such a good person, so filial to your parents-in-law, respectful to your elder brother and sister-in-law and husband, and very loving to the children. If you say that all of this is false, then I must be blind."
Li Yang chuckled: "Sister-in-law isn't blind, her eyes are very sharp."
As the two approached Li Yang and Yuan Chongjing's courtyard, the eldest young mistress stopped. "Sister-in-law, I'll accompany you this far. From here on, you'll have to walk the rest of the way by yourself. When you see Xu Biyun later, you must remain calm!"
Li Yang nodded: "Don't worry, sister-in-law, I understand."
"That's good. We women aren't here to guard against Xu Biyun, otherwise, if one Xu Biyun falls, who else will come along, like Zhang Biyun or Liu Biyun? Sister-in-law, remember, what we need to deal with is a man's heart. As long as you can make him cherish and care for you, no matter how many Biyuns come along, it won't matter!"
Her words sounded genuinely concerned for Li Yang. Li Yang smiled and said, "No wonder my brother is so family-oriented; it turns out my sister-in-law is quite the hidden talent."
"Alright, alright, save your flattery for your second brother, that's the only way to go. Go on in, I'm going back now."
Li Yang smiled as he watched the eldest young mistress walk away before turning and entering the courtyard.
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