064 Embrace
Li Yang quickly noticed Yuan Chongjing's unusual behavior.
She sat down, facing Yuan Chongjing, and asked earnestly, "What's wrong? Did the morning court session not go well today, or did something else happen?"
Yuan Chongjing hadn't expected that he wouldn't even want to hide his emotions from her now. He changed the subject, saying, "It's nothing, everything went smoothly. It's just that seeing Song Xi like this makes me a little emotional."
Li Yang's attention was immediately drawn to his words: "Yes, do you remember the first time we met him? It was so nice back then. He was a carefree and unrestrained divine doctor. But now he's trapped in the deep palace, not only is his appearance damaged, but his background has also become the topic of conversation."
Thinking of the injury Song Xi sustained on his face while saving her, Li Yang felt a little guilty: "Brother Jing, do you think Song Xi will have a scar on his face? If he does, then I'll be in big trouble."
Yuan Chongjing recalled Song Xi's hesitant gesture when he handed him the celadon bottle containing scar removal cream that morning. He couldn't help but think further: Song Xi and Yangyang had spent a considerable amount of time together. As a doctor, he was adept at reading people and probably already knew Yangyang's personality well. If he wanted to leave a mark on Yangyang's heart, this scar was a perfect opportunity. If the scar didn't fade, given Yangyang's temperament, she would likely remember it for a lifetime.
He had ample evidence to suspect that Song Xi was plotting this!
Seeing his wife being coveted by others, and being unable to say anything, Yuan Chongjing's mood worsened.
"No way, he's a miracle doctor. If he can't even remove a tiny scar, what kind of miracle doctor is he? Besides, you've used that scar removal cream before, haven't you?"
Li Yang unconsciously touched her neck. Back then, she and Yuan Chongjing were tricked by Qiuqiu into going to Xishan to find some herbs. When they were trapped in a cave at night, she was bitten on the neck by a poisonous insect, leaving a small scar. Later, Xiao Han gave her this blue porcelain bottle and told her to apply it three times a day. Now, there really wasn't a trace left on her neck, and the skin at the wound was even whiter than the surrounding skin.
Li Yang felt a little relieved.
"Second sister-in-law, second brother~" Hearing Yuan Yue's voice from outside the door, Li Yang turned her head and saw Yuan Yue holding Xiao Taozi's body with her left arm and covering her mouth tightly with her right hand. Seeing Li Yang and Yuan Chongjing's gaze, Yuan Yue smiled ingratiatingly: "Sorry to disturb your intimacy."
As she spoke, she released Little Peach.
Little Peach, now free, ran towards the two of them, calling out, "Mother! Father!"
Li Yang bent down to catch her and let her sit on his lap.
Yuan Yue followed her in, carrying a gift for Xiao Taozi. With a fake smile, she asked with concern, "Hey, Second Brother, why is your face so red? Is there something wrong with your wound?"
Yuan Chongjing glared at her irritably: "Your wound is the problem, why are you looking for me?"
"Oh, Second Sister-in-law~ Look at Second Brother, he's cursing your dear sister like this." Yuan Yue pouted and clung to Li Yang's arm in a coquettish manner.
Li Yang smiled helplessly, but before she could speak, the little peach in her arms made a face at Yuan Yue: "Auntie is so old, yet she still acts like a child with Mother, how embarrassing!"
"Hey you brat, have you forgotten all the delicious food your auntie gave you? Are you siding with outsiders now?" Yuan Yue said, rolling up her sleeves to grab her.
Little Peach giggled and snuggled even deeper into Li Yang's arms.
Afraid that she might fall again, Li Yang hugged her and said to Yuan Yue, "Alright, is there something you need from your second brother?"
"You truly understand me, Second Sister-in-law." Yuan Yue's cheeks flushed slightly, and an unnatural shyness lingered on her face. She leaned her head against Li Yang's shoulder and nuzzled against him.
Yuan Chongjing: "...Heh."
Ignoring his mockery, Yuan Yue asked, "Second Brother, I just wanted to ask, do you know that Eighth Prince?"
Yuan Chongjing immediately saw the deeper meaning in her eyes. He exchanged a glance with Li Yang and said coldly, "I don't know her."
“How could that be? Aren’t you the one who loves to associate with the powerful and wealthy? How could you not know the Eighth Prince!” Yuan Yue immediately retorted.
Upon hearing her speak so highly of Yuan Chongjing, Li Yang immediately stopped her: "Yue'er! Apologize to your second brother!"
Yuan Yue pouted, realizing she had spoken out of turn, and lowered her head, saying, "I'm sorry, Second Brother, I was wrong."
Yuan Chongjing wasn't going to hold a grudge against her. He patiently said, "Someone like the Eighth Prince is not someone I can associate with right now. Although he hasn't accomplished anything yet, his status and position are what they are. It's only a matter of time before he makes meritorious contributions on the battlefield. After all, he is a prince. He's not someone that people like us can just casually meet."
Yuan Yue was a little discouraged, but she didn't give up. She retorted in a low voice, "But my cousin is also engaged to Song Hezhou."
Yuan Chongjing said, "No matter how powerful the Song family is, can it be more powerful than the royal family? Besides, you and Songlan, your... identities are different."
Yuan Yue knew he was referring to the difference between their father, Yuan Heng, and their uncle, Wei Qin. Wei Qin, true to his name, had always been dedicated to his duties in court, and with the support of the Song family head, his official position had risen higher and higher in recent years. In contrast, their father, Yuan Heng, was content with his official post, happily going to the Ministry of Rites every day to show up for his duties. He didn't make any mistakes in his political achievements, but he also didn't have any outstanding accomplishments.
She is not an unreasonable person.
I'm just a little unwilling to accept it.
Yuan Yue said, "I understand."
Yuan Chongjing felt a little reluctant, but such things couldn't be forced, and he was afraid that saying more would have the opposite effect, so he didn't bring it up again. Li Yang, on the other hand, felt quite empathetic towards Yuan Yue. She put her arm around Yuan Yue's shoulder and patted her lightly twice to comfort her.
Yuan Yue wasn't as fragile as they thought, nor did she give up as easily as they assumed. Since other paths were blocked, she decided to take the initiative to approach the Eighth Prince herself. No matter what, she had to try to know the outcome. She made up her mind that in two days, when the Eighth Prince's camp was recruiting soldiers, she would disguise herself as a man and apply. As long as she could make contact with him, it would be a good way.
She had a plan in mind, but didn't show it on her face: "Second brother and sister-in-law, I'll go back first." She needed to prepare as soon as possible.
Li Yang thought she was heartbroken and wanted to say a few more words of comfort, but when she saw Yuan Chongjing secretly shake his head, she had no choice but to put aside her thoughts and send Yuan Yue out of the courtyard.
"Why didn't you let me try to persuade Yue'er?" Li Yang asked after they returned.
Yuan Chongjing was playing with Xiao Taozi when he heard this and explained, "She's been stubborn since she was little. If you tell her not to do something, she'll do it anyway. Some things are best left unsaid. Saying too much will only stir up her rebellious side. Let her relax for a while and let her be. Once she's learned her lesson, she'll sneak back."
Li Yang was somewhat skeptical: "Will it work?" Matters of the heart are not so easily predicted. If it comes to giving up, she felt she was the same kind of person as Yuan Yue. She had persisted for Yuan Chongjing for so long, so Yuan Yue was certainly not the kind of person who would give up at the first sign of difficulty.
"Let's take a look first," Yuan Chongjing said.
Although he said he would "take a look first," when he got busy, even Xiao Taozi couldn't see him. Not long after, Yuan Chongjing was summoned away by Beihai, who said that His Highness Prince Yu had important matters to discuss.
For several days in a row, Yuan Chongjing got up earlier than the rooster and returned home close to midnight.
Li Yang wanted to ask him what he was busy with, but seeing the fatigue on his face, all she could do was make him a late-night snack when he came back, so that he could do what he wanted to do without any worries.
It was Yuan Chongjing who spoke first. He had eaten his fill and felt a warm glow in his stomach, which warmed his heart as well. Watching Li Yang's busy figure, he took her hand and helped her sit down: "It'll be in the next few days."
"What?"
Yuan Chongjing said, "He tripped up the Fifth Prince."
Li Yang's heart skipped a beat: "The Fifth Prince is not as easy to deal with as the Third Prince. Are you confident in your ability to handle him?"
Yuan Chongjian nodded: "Everything is ready, don't worry. There's just one thing I'm a little worried about."
Li Yang asked, "Is it Song Xi?"
“Hmm,” Yuan Chongjing sighed, “Currently, His Majesty only knows that Song Xi is a man and still thinks he is his son. If the Fifth Prince falls, then the ‘Sixth Prince’ will likely rise. Given the Sixth Prince’s status and the Song family’s background, he will probably be seen as a new enemy by Prince Yu.”
Upon hearing this, Li Yang asked, "You already know?" Song Xi was not actually the son of Emperor Mingde and Consort Jia, but rather the son of the Empress Dowager and an outsider.
Yuan Chongjing said, "Yu Jin said that His Highness Prince Yu also knows."
Therefore, after the Fifth Prince fell, before the Sixth Prince's power could rise, Prince Yu would definitely start by exploiting his lineage to crush the Empress Dowager and the Song family's power in one fell swoop.
No matter how much Emperor Mingde revered the Empress Dowager, her disloyalty to the late emperor alone would be enough to put her and Song Xi to death.
But Song Xi cannot die yet.
At the very least, she can't die yet; the poison in Yangyang's body hasn't been cured.
Li Yang had no idea what he was thinking; she was simply worried about Song Xi's safety: "What should we do? Song Xi doesn't actually have that intention."
Yuan Chongjing said, "He just doesn't have that thought yet. But when things come to light and he's put in this position, with the Empress Dowager and the Song family's lives at stake, he won't have a choice anymore."
Li Yang thought about it and agreed. Regardless of what Song Xi thought, His Highness Prince Yu would not let him off the hook.
"What can we do? Are we really just going to stand by and watch him get into this mess?"
Yuan Chongjing thought for a long time: "The best way now is to have Song Xi give up her identity voluntarily, make the person 'Sixth Princess' disappear from the world, and make the Song family have no chance to seize the throne again."
This coincided perfectly with Song Xi's plan. Li Yang remembered that Song Xi had said before that after seeing off the Empress Dowager, he would fake his death and leave the palace forever, becoming a truly free 'Song Xi'.
Li Yang said, "Song Xi told me before that he no longer wanted to stay in the palace, and I think he meant it."
“Alright,” Yuan Chongjing said, “I will find a way to see him again after court tomorrow.”
Li Yang looked at him, unable to hide her inner emotions: "Brother Jing, I'm a little scared." Too many things have happened lately, almost all of them life-or-death matters. A slight misstep could endanger her family.
In the bright, flickering candlelight, Yuan Chongjing's face was filled with determination and confidence. His voice was deep, full of patience and reassurance: "It's alright, everything will be fine. I'm here, don't be afraid."
Li Yang reached out and hugged his neck, pressing herself tightly against his chest.
Yuan Chongjing hugged her back and patted her back lightly twice: "I'm here, you'll all be fine, it's okay."
Will you always be there?
Hearing her muffled, tearful words, Yuan Chongjing chuckled, stretched out his arms and hugged her tightly, saying firmly, "Yes, always."
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