069 Pleading
Yuan Chongjing had never shown such vulnerability in front of her.
No, in front of her he was always confident, certain of victory, and brimming with self-assurance.
Even when they were struggling to raise Xiao Taozi in Chenzhou, and he encountered difficulties with local officials while he was away, he always remained calm and composed when he returned home to face her. It was as if with him by her side, no matter how big the problem, she had nothing to fear or worry about.
With his frail, youthful back, he once sheltered her and Xiaotaozi, becoming their support and pillar of strength.
But now, that pillar has lost its foundation.
Li Yang patted his back and comforted him, "No, I won't leave you."
"Then you promise."
“Why are you acting like a child?” Li Yang chuckled. “Little Peach doesn’t need my promises anymore.”
Yuan Chongjing insisted, "No, you must give me a guarantee."
"Okay~" Li Yang said patiently, "I promise, okay?"
“Say it all out,” Yuan Chongjing continued relentlessly.
Li Yang: "...Okay, I promise I won't leave you, we'll always be together."
Only after hearing what he wanted to hear did Yuan Chongjing reluctantly let her go.
Li Yang looked up and immediately noticed his slightly red ear tips. She suppressed a laugh and didn't point it out: "Remember to call a carriage when you get out of town, and be careful on the road."
Feeling embarrassed by such a direct exposure of his vulnerability, Yuan Chongjing lowered his head, unable to look at her any longer, and hurriedly prepared to leave.
He turned to leave, but Li Yang hesitated, saying, "Brother Jing."
"Um?"
Li Yang couldn't think of anything to say for a moment, so she blurted out an excuse: "Do you still have enough money?"
"That's enough. I'll come back to see you tomorrow. Go inside now."
Li Yang stood still, waiting for his figure to disappear around the corner before entering the courtyard.
Xia He was helping Xiao Han fetch water in the courtyard when she saw Li Yang come in and said, "Miss Tao is talking to Young Master Song."
Li Yang looked at Xiao Han: "Song Xi is awake? Have you gone to see her?"
Xiao Han nodded: "The situation is much better, and the fever has gone down."
After he finished speaking, fearing that Li Yang would think Song Xi was better and leave, he explained, "However, the situation is still not very optimistic. Master's facial injury has not been examined yet. We'll have to check the wound when we change the dressing tomorrow."
Xia He glanced at him suspiciously, but seeing that Li Yang didn't ask, she assumed she was just overthinking it.
Li Yang was about to check on Song Xi's condition when he entered the room and saw Xiao Taozi pour a glass of water on the table and bring it to Song Xi's lips. Xiao Taozi stubbornly refused to let him touch it and made Song Xi tilt his head back to drink.
Song Xi couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he tilted his head back towards the rim of the cup. As a result, Xiao Taozi felt her arm get sore after holding it up for a short while, so she switched arms and ended up spilling more water than she drank. Fortunately, Song Xi knew his condition, and the water flowed down his uninjured cheek without wetting the wound on the other side.
Hearing Li Yang's footsteps, Xiao Taozi turned around and said with delight, "Mom~ I'm making sure Uncle Liu drinks water."
As she turned her head, her hand followed suit, and the water glass hit Song Xi's teeth with a dull thud.
"Little Peach did a really good job," Li Yang said as she walked over.
Little Peach smiled smugly, then, seeing that the water glass was empty, she ran over and poured another glass, insisting on feeding Song Xi herself.
Song Xi quickly took it: "Thank you, Little Peach. Uncle Liu's arm isn't injured, so he can drink it himself."
"Ah~" Little Peach dodged: "No, at home Mom feeds Daddy water like this, Little Peach wants to feed Uncle Six too."
Seeing Song Xi's predicament, Li Yang couldn't bear to see him unable to even drink water, so she comforted him, "Little Peach, be good. Daddy was injured in the chest before, and he couldn't move his arm, so Mommy fed him like this. Now that Uncle Liu's arm is not injured, he can drink water by himself."
Little Peach was a little disappointed: "Oh."
She obediently handed the water glass to Song Xi, and watched him gulp it down. Then she became interested again: "Whatever Sixth Uncle can't do, Little Peach will do. Little Peach will take care of Sixth Uncle!"
Li Yang smiled and coaxed her, "Then Little Peach, go and get a cotton towel to wipe Uncle Liu's face. Sister Xiahe will bring the food later, and then Uncle Liu can eat."
"Okay~" Little Peach replied, clenching her little fists and quickly running to find the water basin.
After taking her medicine and taking a nap, Song Xi felt much better. Seeing the mother and daughter arranging their own affairs in a coordinated manner, she smiled and said, "Yangyang, don't let Xiaotaozi do anything. I can manage on my own."
Li Yang said, "She has a lot of energy to burn right now, so just let her release some of it."
"Sixth Uncle, Sixth Uncle, Little Peach is back!"
As they were talking, Xiao Taozi ran back with Song Xi's face towel. She climbed onto the bed and, without thinking, plopped down on Song Xi's lap, facing him and looking intently at his face.
However, she did not move.
Song Xi and Li Yang were just wondering when they heard Xiao Taozi pout, blink her eyes, and large tears begin to stream down her face: "Waaah, Sixth Uncle~"
Song Xi asked, puzzled, "What's wrong? Uncle Liu is here. Tell Uncle Liu, what's wrong?"
Little Peach pointed to the wound on his face: "It hurts."
Knowing she was worried about her injury, Song Xi hugged her and asked her to sit closer: "It's okay, it doesn't hurt anymore. Uncle Liu is an adult, adults aren't afraid of pain. Come on, Uncle Liu is hungry, Little Peach, quickly wipe Uncle Liu's face, okay?"
Little Peach sobbed and reached out to carefully wipe Song Xi's forehead and the other half of her unharmed face with a damp cotton towel.
After she stopped, Song Xi asked, "Are you done wiping?"
Little Peach nodded, but tears still welled up in her eyes.
Song Xi reached out and gently pinched her little nose: "Let your mother see if the little peach is clean enough."
Little Peach turned to look for Li Yang.
Li Yang exclaimed, "So clean! This makes Sixth Uncle truly the most beautiful woman in the world!"
Little Peach was amused: "Hehe, Sixth Uncle is the most beautiful man in the world."
Song Xi weighed Xiao Taozi in his hand: "How about we make Xiao Taozi the second most beautiful woman in the world?"
Little Peach hesitated for a moment: "No, Little Peach is third, Mother is second!"
"Oh, our little peach is so filial, she even knows to give it to her mother."
Little Peach lowered her head shyly, climbed off the bed, and hid in Li Yang's arms, refusing to come out.
Watching Li Yang playfully tease Xiao Taozi, Song Xi relaxed and leaned back on the pillow, a satisfied smile playing on her lips.
Such an ordinary yet happy life was exactly what he had longed for all his life.
This sense of contentment lasted until the following morning.
Madam Zhao came to see him and found that there was no one else in the room except Song Xi. Madam Zhao said, "Where is Li Yang? Wasn't she here to take care of you?"
Song Xi was reading a book and didn't even look up when she heard this: "He's probably busy."
"What's she so busy with? She's off to meet Yuan Chongjing in secret!" Madam Zhao said, displeased.
Song Xi paused for a moment, put down the book in his hand, and said bluntly, "What do you mean by a secret meeting? They are husband and wife. What's wrong with them meeting?"
"You know they are husband and wife," Madam Zhao muttered to herself.
Seeing Song Xi looking somewhat dejected, Madam Zhao couldn't bear it and earnestly advised him, "Xi'er, they are husband and wife, young lovers who have shared joys and sorrows for five years. Their feelings for each other are naturally extraordinary. Listen to your mother, let's leave once you're better. Staying here will only cause you more heartache and bring you no other benefit. You have a long life ahead of you, and you'll meet all kinds of girls. Why think about someone who has been married before?"
Song Xi did not answer her, but stared blankly at the "Medicine Classic" in her hands.
He had been running away, running away from a reality he knew in his heart. But even if it was just a fleeting dream, even if it was stolen from someone else, if it could bring some peace to his restless heart, he would accept it.
Now, it's time to wake up from the dream.
Song Xi smiled bitterly: "I know she will leave sooner or later. I just feel that I have given so much for her. Even if we can't be together in the future, it would be good to let her stay here for a few more days."
Madam Zhao sighed, "You really are your father's daughter, both of you are the same kind of infatuated lovers."
Song Xi shook her head: "I don't have his good fortune."
Madam Zhao said, "What good fortune? He still died young."
Hearing Xiao Taozi and Xia He's playful shouts outside, Song Xi turned to look at them through the window and said, "Being able to find happiness, even if only for a moment, is better than a life of emptiness."
Madam Zhao had experienced this feeling long ago. Even though more than ten years had passed and she was now sitting in the position of Empress Dowager, her life, though rich and lonely, had gradually filled her life. But whenever she thought of him, that happy but short-lived time would still appear clearly in her mind.
Madam Zhao said, "Xi'er, I just feel sorry for you."
"Do you regret going to that mountain to cultivate in seclusion, regret being with him, regret giving birth to me?" Song Xi asked.
Madam Zhao shook her head and said firmly, "Never."
Song Xi smiled and said, "Me too."
Madam Zhao felt somewhat helpless, but she knew that matters of the heart were beyond her control. Looking at Song Xi's lonely and expectant figure gazing out the window, she made up her mind: since Song Xi liked her, she would help him this time!
***
Yuan Chongjing came over after the morning court session.
Worried that she and Xiaotaozi wouldn't eat well here, he bought a lot of things from the street. Seeing the various boxes and bags he was carrying, Li Yang chuckled, "What are you doing? We're safe from the wind and rain here. Why are you making it seem like Song Xi would mistreat us?"
Yuan Chongjing awkwardly refused to admit it: "It wasn't bought for you. These are all things that Xiao Taozi likes to eat."
Li Yang said, "Little Peach is currently controlling her food intake and can no longer eat anything other than regular meals, so you can take all of these back."
"No, I brought this over with great care." Yuan Chongjing smiled ingratiatingly, "It's for you, it's all for you."
Li Yang opened the box and looked through it, finally choosing a small food box: "Let's keep this one. After all, this is Song Xi's yard. If I really bring in big bags and small packages, wouldn't that make him look bad?"
“Who cares what he thinks?” Yuan Chongjing didn’t want to agree, but seeing Li Yang’s dissatisfied expression, he had no choice but to reluctantly agree: “Alright then, I’ll take it back and you and Xiao Taozi can eat it when you get home.”
"Alright, you should go back now. I'll leave with Xiao Taozi once Song Xi is feeling better," Li Yang said.
Yuan Chongjing didn't want to leave so soon, so his mind raced and found a topic that Li Yang was interested in: "That child Yue'er actually joined the army without telling us, and even dressed up as a man. It made our father and eldest brother so angry that they went to the army to look for her."
Li Yang was somewhat surprised, and she had a vague suspicion: "Could it be because of the Eighth Prince?"
Yuan Chongjing nodded: "I don't know how she persuaded the Eighth Prince. In the end, it was he who stepped in and got Father and my elder brother to come back."
"So Yue'er stayed at the military camp?"
"Yes, under the Eighth Prince's command, he has been busy training troops lately. I thought it would be good for Yue'er to experience some hardship, so that if she can't hold on, she will definitely be able to come back."
“Are you stupid?” Li Yang said, “Don’t you know Yue’er’s personality? She’s as stubborn as a mule. In front of the Eighth Prince, even if she’s half dead, she can pretend that nothing’s wrong. Once she admits defeat and comes back, it will only be if she actively gives up on the Eighth Prince’s feelings.”
But thinking about it, this might work. Yuan Yue is the kind of person who won't give up until she hits a wall. She'll only give up once she realizes for herself that she and the Eighth Prince aren't a good match. Otherwise, no matter what others say, she'll still give it a try. Rather than letting her suffer in the future, it's better to let her try now and then give up on her own.
"Can you guarantee her safety? Those men in the barracks don't care about anything when they're having sex."
Yuan Chongjing said, "She's with the Eighth Prince, so there's no problem with her food and lodging. But once the Eighth Prince gets going with the training, he's ruthless and doesn't show any mercy. If Yue'er insists on continuing this time, she'll suffer a lot."
Li Yang said, "What happens next depends on her. You and your elder brother shouldn't be too worried; go and find out what's going on from time to time."
"I know."
After seeing Yuan Chongjing off, Li Yang turned and returned to the courtyard. The courtyard was bustling with activity. Xia He, hands on her hips, glared angrily at Xiao Han under the eaves of the opposite house. Xiao Han, holding a tray, was caught in a dilemma.
Little Peach stood behind Xia He, clapping her hands and jumping around to cheer her on.
"What's wrong? What are you arguing about?" Li Yang walked down the steps and handed the snack box that Yuan Chongjing had brought over to Xiao Taozi: "This was brought over by your father. Xiao Taozi, share it with everyone."
Without Xia He's angry glare, Xiao Han, carrying the tray, lowered her head and secretly ran away.
Xia He turned back to Li Yang and said, "He went to deliver food to that crazy woman. Madam, you don't know, the one locked up in the woodshed in the backyard is Yu Jin. She's the one who poisoned you, and Xiao Han has to take good care of her. It's infuriating!"
"Song Xi must have other plans. After all, she is Song Xi's senior. You should be careful in your actions."
Xia He nodded, looking dejected, and said, "I understand."
Little Peach opened the snack box, took out a piece, and brought it to Li Yang's lips: "Mother, have some~"
Li Yang shook her head: "Go eat with Uncle Liu."
"Okay~" Little Peach cheered and went to Song Xi's room with the snack box in her arms.
Li Yang told Xia He to follow her, while she herself got up and went to the eaves of the side room: "Madam Zhao, you wanted to see me?"
Madam Zhao smiled faintly: "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
By deliberately sending Xiao Taozi with the pastry box to Song Xi, Li Yang was using Xiao Taozi to tell Song Xi that Yuan Chongjing had been there. This also indirectly showed Li Yang's attitude: she wanted Song Xi to let go of his feelings for her.
Li Yang said, "Madam Zhao is overthinking it. Since you have nothing to do with me, I'll head back now."
"Wait," Madam Zhao said in a soft tone as she saw her turn to leave, "Li Yang, I want to talk to you, as Song Xi's mother, is that alright?"
We still have to give Song Xi face.
Li Yang stopped and sat down in front of her: "Madam Zhao, please speak."
Madam Zhao's tone was somewhat mournful: "I believe you know about Xi'er's identity. I brought him to the palace when he was young and disguised him as a girl. To avoid being discovered, he never spoke to a fourth person other than me, Granny Fang, and Cui Yu. This made him increasingly silent and withdrawn. Sometimes he would not utter a single word for three or four days."
"Later, when he grew up, I felt that if he continued like this, he would be ruined. So, when I left the palace for a period of quiet contemplation, I sent him to his biological father's side. After studying medicine, he improved a bit, but he still closed himself off and never let outsiders in, including his father and Yu Jin."
"Li Yang, you are the first friend that Xi'er has truly made, and the first person he is willing to open his heart to and treat seriously."
Seeing that she paused for a moment, as if waiting for her to speak, Li Yang said, "Song Xi is an excellent person and a very capable doctor. With a mother like you, I believe his future life will be very happy."
The light in Madam Zhao's eyes gradually dimmed, as if she were admitting defeat. She then said in a conciliatory tone, "Actually, I'm telling you this for no other reason than to say that we're planning to leave Kyoto in a few days. In the meantime, could you stay and spend more time with us?"
Li Yang pondered for a moment: "Okay."
Having achieved her goal, Madam Zhao raised her hand and pressed her temples: "As people get older, they are prone to drowsiness and headaches. You go ahead and do your work, I'll go back and rest for a bit."
Li Yang stood up: "Then shall I escort you back to your room?"
"No need, I can go back by myself. You go ahead."
Li Yang got up and watched her leave before turning back to Song Xi's room.
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