74 074 Final Chapter◇
◎【Part 2】◎
To avoid attracting attention, Li Yang came alone.
Xiao Han welcomed her in and brought her a cup of hot tea: "Madam, please wait a moment, I'll go and call Master right away."
As he was leaving, he glanced back and, seeing that Li Yang had drunk his tea, Xiao Han closed the door with a sense of relief.
He went straight to the backyard, opened one of the doors, and said to the person inside, "Master, she has already drunk the tea."
Madam Zhao had changed into a coarse cloth dress and wore a headscarf. Unlike her previous refined and noble image, she now looked more like a village woman from the countryside. She asked, "Are you sure everything is alright?"
“I’m sure, she won’t wake up for at least two hours,” Xiao Han said.
Madam Zhao got off the couch and tightened her collar: "Let's go. I'll go tell Xi'er. He should have found out by now. Go and prepare your things. We'll leave promptly in half an hour."
After she finished speaking, she parted ways with Xiao Han and went to the room where Li Yang was staying. Inside the room, Song Xi was checking Li Yang's breathing, while Li Yang was slumped over the table, unconscious. Madam Zhao pushed open the door and went in: "Don't bother looking, she's been drugged, she'll wake up in a while."
Song Xi looked up at her, puzzled: "What do you mean by this?"
Madam Zhao said, "Her poison hasn't been cured yet, and we have to leave today, so we have no choice but to take her with us."
"Why? I clearly prepared the antidote for her," Song Xi said, looking at Madam Zhao and immediately realizing, "You switched my medicine packet? What did you switch!"
"What's the rush?" Madam Zhao scolded. "It's just a slight reduction in the amount. You can make it up to her later. We don't have much time. Hurry up and get Li Yang to the carriage."
"Mother!"
Song Xi was both anxious and helpless. He knew that Madam Zhao was doing this for him. "I've told you before, Yangyang doesn't like me. You can't get what you want just by trying. Let go."
"Let go? If I were to give up so easily at the slightest difficulty, you wouldn't be in this world. Relationships are indeed difficult, but if you back down at the first sign of trouble, what kind of man are you? Do you really want to let go and never see her again in this life? Are you willing to do that? Are you really that righteous? To give up your true love for such a hollow reputation? Life is only a few decades long. What's wrong with being selfish just this once?"
A series of passionate words from Madam Zhao slowly shattered the high walls erected in Song Xi's heart. His hand slowly reached out towards Li Yang, his fingertips trembling slightly, yet his resolve was firm.
When he touched her warm forehead, Song Xi's heart pounded. He heard his heartbeat getting louder and louder, until it felt like it was going to jump out of his throat.
His mouth opened very wide, but he only uttered a simple sound: "Okay."
***
When Li Yang woke up, she felt something swaying beneath her.
Her head was feeling heavy, and her body was stiff from maintaining the same posture for so long. But she couldn't care less about that now. Instead, she used her remaining sanity to think about what had happened before she lost consciousness.
Before I could think about it, I heard a low shout from outside to start a horse.
That was Song Xi's voice.
Her eyelids twitched at this discovery, and then she heard Madam Zhao's cold voice: "Since you're awake, get up. I didn't tie you up."
Li Yang opened her eyes and saw Madam Zhao sitting upright before her. Even though she was in a simple carriage and dressed in simple cotton clothes, she still kept her back straight, maintaining her usual elegant and noble demeanor.
"Why?" Li Yang asked.
Through the carriage curtain fluttering in the wind, Madam Zhao saw Song Xi sitting on the carriage shaft, driving the carriage, and said, "Naturally, it's for my son."
Li Yang followed her gaze and looked outside. Song Xi seemed to be focused on driving and hadn't heard their conversation.
But the carriage was so small, how could he not hear it?
Li Yang stretched her body, and after realizing that she was not in any danger, she relaxed a lot and slowly sat up against the carriage.
The carriage traveled smoothly along the official road. As she watched the various tree shadows flash by outside the window, Madam Zhao's voice became old and drawn out: "It's really not easy for Xi'er to grow up like this. The journey has been difficult, and you are the only person she can open her heart to. I hope you can give her a chance. This is my request to you as her mother."
Li Yang smiled faintly and said, "Madam Zhao, you don't understand feelings at all, nor do you understand Song Xi."
“When you reach my age, you won’t care about anything anymore,” Madam Zhao said.
Li Yang sat close to her and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "What about Zhao Yan? Don't you even care about Zhao Yan anymore? Think about the earth-shattering love between you two. When you meet him in the afterlife, do you think he will forgive you?"
Madam Zhao's eyes flickered, and she shifted her gaze to the corner of the carriage.
The carriage did not stop until it was nearly evening, when Song Xi parked it at a large inn beside the official road.
As soon as the carriage came to a stop, he jumped off impatiently and gestured for Xiao Han to call Madam Zhao and Li Yang. Song Xi went into the inn and asked the waiter for three superior rooms.
Hearing their footsteps entering the inn, Song Xi paused, his hand holding the key twitching. He lowered his head and waited for Li Yang to reach him before handing her the room key: "Go in and rest for a bit."
Li Yang looked at his downcast eyes but did not reach out to take it.
The two remained locked in this stalemate; he didn't look up, and she didn't speak first.
Madam Zhao couldn't bear to watch any longer. She reached out and took the key from Song Xi's hand, pulled Li Yang towards the stairwell, and said in a tone that was both firm and softened, "How can we let her sleep in a room alone? She should stay with me."
Following her lead, Li Yang walked up the steps one by one.
Tap, tap, tap.
Each sound seemed to strike Song Xi's heart.
As he stopped walking, he suddenly looked up.
Just then, I saw Li Yang standing in the stairwell, looking down.
Their eyes met in mid-air. Song Xi wanted to look away and avoid it, but when she saw the purity in her eyes and the undisguised trust, Song Xi felt as if her whole body was frozen, unable to move even a hair.
It was as if, in the lobby of this inn, and in this world, there was no one else but the two of them.
The silence between them was broken by a woman's shout coming from the backyard.
Li Yang didn't pay much attention at first, thinking it was just ordinary noise. She glanced at Madam Zhao, and the two of them went forward to find their room.
The shouts rang out repeatedly, interspersed with the man's angry roars.
Li Yang stood at the door and reached out to push it open. The cold, round bolt on the door pricked her fingertips. She recoiled, then immediately ran back, rushing down the stairs, shouting to Song Xi as she ran, "It's Jinghe! Hurry, it's Jinghe!"
Song Xi stood at the bottom of the stairs and waited for her to land safely before running with her to the backyard.
In the backyard, five or six tall, burly men were punching and kicking a thin man lying on the ground, while a woman in a brown dress was desperately trying to pull them away.
The woman was Jinghe.
"Jinghe!" Li Yang shouted, rushing over and yelling, "What do you think you're doing? Let them go!"
The group paused for a moment, then the leader turned to Li Yang and said, "Who are you? What right do you have to interfere in our affairs?"
Taking advantage of the fact that the men weren't paying attention, Jinghe knelt down and crawled between them, hugging the man who had been beaten and crying out, "Chi Lai, Chi Lai, wake up! Young Madam, Young Madam, please save Chi Lai."
Upon hearing Jinghe's words, those people said, "You know them? Since you do, then pay back the money they owe."
Li Yang gestured for Song Xi to check on their condition, and then had Xiao Han, who had followed behind, take out a money bag: "How much silver? I'll give it to you. But you hit someone, so this can't be settled so easily."
"Oh dear, what's going on? I just went out to deliver goods, how did such a commotion happen!" A hoarse male voice came from the backyard entrance. He put down his basket and ran between the two, laughing and trying to appease them, "Madam, please calm down, please calm down. It was my men who were ignorant and made you angry. You too, too."
He turned around and rebuked the group of assailants: "I told you to watch yourselves, why did you have to resort to violence? If you break anything, you'll have to pay for it!"
The leader, somewhat unwilling to accept this, whispered in his defense: "Manager, it was because they couldn't come up with the money, and they smashed everything in the room and started cursing that we couldn't help but take action."
"You can't hit people, though." The old shopkeeper kicked him twice, then turned to apologize to Li Yang.
Li Yang wanted to know about Jinghe and Zhao Chilai's matter as soon as possible, and didn't want to get too entangled with him. She took out a silver ingot from Xiao Han's money bag and handed it to him: "This is the silver they owe you. We will not evade repayment."
After the old shopkeeper collected the money, Li Yang asked Song Xi, "How was it?"
Song Xi said, "It's alright, Xiao Han, come over here and carry him upstairs first."
Jinghe, sobbing, helped carry Zhao Chilai to their room. While Song Xi was examining him, Li Yang pulled Jinghe aside and whispered, "What happened? Why are you and Zhao Chilai here?"
Jinghe opened her eyes, red and swollen from crying: "Young Madam, didn't you come here to arrest us?"
Li Yang glanced at Song Xi and said very naturally, "No, I just came out of the city for a stroll."
It was already dark, and Yuan Chongjing wasn't with Li Yang, so Jinghe naturally didn't believe her. She thought Li Yang was just making up an excuse to protect her reputation. Jinghe explained tearfully, "Chi Lai and I ran away together. He said that Kyoto couldn't accommodate us, but the world is so big, there must be a place that can accommodate us. So we agreed to sneak out last night before the city gates closed."
She was sobbing and had trouble breathing. With Li Yang's comforting words, she took a sip of water, paused for a moment, and then continued, "But not long after we left, the coachman stole all our money, and we had nothing left. We were penniless and had no money to pay the bill, so the inn detained us."
It must have been after they were imprisoned for a long time and had a conflict with the people at the inn that Zhao Chilai was beaten.
"It's all my fault, young mistress, it's all my fault. If I hadn't taken a chance and wanted to come out with him, I wouldn't have encountered this situation today. Young mistress, isn't it all my fault? It's all my fault," Jinghe said, crying.
Zhao Chilai's voice suddenly rang out from inside the room. He had woken up at some point and, upon hearing Jinghe's words, loudly retorted, "No! It's my fault! Cousin, don't blame Jinghe! I forced her to leave with me!"
He was somewhat agitated, his chest heaving as he spoke, and he coughed loudly due to the large movements.
"Shut up!" Li Yang scolded, "Now you know it's for her own good, but where were you before! You've only been out of the capital for less than half a day and your money has already been stolen. With your kind of attitude, how will you provide Jinghe with happiness in the future? How naive!"
Zhao Chilai lowered his head in shame after hearing what she said.
Li Yang's clothes were tugged by Jinghe. She looked down at the pleading Jinghe, paused for a moment, and then said to Zhao Chilai as calmly as possible, "Let's go back, before the people from the Duke's Mansion find this place, before... you should at least save some face for Jinghe."
Zhao Chilai remained silent for a long time. He looked at Jinghe, who had her back to him, and said, "I understand, thank you, cousin. I'd like to speak with Jinghe alone for a couple of minutes, is that alright?"
Li Yang nodded and stood up, gesturing for Song Xi to go out with her.
She had Xiaohan find a carriage to send Zhao Chi back to the capital overnight, while Jinghe stayed by her side.
Watching the carriage depart, Jinghe's silent weeping turned into a wail. Li Yang didn't know what Zhao Chilai had said to her alone, but she saw the end of this relationship on Jinghe's face.
Night fell, and the inky blackness slowly pressed down on the sky above them. After Jinghe fell asleep, Li Yang left the room alone.
But there was a person sitting by the door.
Song Xi looked up and saw her come out, then gave a wry smile: "Yangyang."
Li Yang followed his example and sat down against the wall.
Song Xi withdrew her gaze, picked up a piece of straw paper from the ground on the other side, and handed it to her: "This is the prescription I wrote. After you go back, drink it for five more days, and there should be no problem. No, there will be absolutely no problem."
Li Yang reached out and took it.
Song Xi stared blankly ahead, her voice low and seemingly coming from a distant place: "Yangyang, will you forget me?"
Li Yang turned to look at him. The half of her face facing him was still perfect and exquisite, like the most expensive and beautiful porcelain. But Li Yang knew that the other half of her face, hidden in the shadows, bore two scars that would never fade. She said, "No."
Song Xi smiled genuinely. He supported himself with his hands on the ground, slowly and laboriously stood up, then turned and left, returning to his room.
At the same time, there was a knock on the door of the inn, and the waiter, who was sleeping in the lobby, rubbed his eyes and went to open the door.
Li Yang immediately stood up, her eyes fixed on the direction of the wooden door.
The door was only opened a crack by the shop assistant before it was eagerly pushed open by someone.
Yuan Chongjing was still panting heavily when he took the opportunity to run in and looked around in the middle of the hall.
Li Yang leaned against the second-floor railing, watching the sweat on his face from his hurried run, which reflected a faint glow in the dim candlelight. She called out to him softly, "Brother Jing."
Yuan Chongjing looked up, his gaze softening when he saw her.
He paused for a moment, then immediately lifted his robe, took two steps at a time, and in just over ten steps, he reached the second floor and leaned in to hug Li Yang.
His voice was still tinged with fear, and his body was trembling: "Yangyang."
Li Yang raised her hand and hugged him back: "I'm here, it's okay."
"Don't go, don't leave me." Yuan Chongjing's hand gradually tightened, so tightly that Li Yang could hardly breathe.
Li Yang didn't struggle, but gently patted his shoulder and back to try to make him relax a little: "I won't go, I won't go. I'm here, right here."
I'm here.
I'm not leaving.
[The main story is complete]
A note from the author:
Thank you for reading this far, my darlings!
I will occasionally update some side stories, including but not limited to Yuan Yue VS Eighth Prince HE: A Naive and Passionate Soldier and a General Who Openly Suspects and Secretly Protects Him.
Wei Songlan VS Song Hezhou (HE): A seemingly gentle but actually ruthless young lady, and a seemingly unrestrained but actually henpecked Lord Song.
And other things that weren't clearly explained, such as whether Yangyang's health had improved, whether she could have sex (it's a little embarrassing to say), and the future of the beautiful Song Xi, will all be addressed in the side stories. Please read on!
Let me recommend my next novel, "My Keeper's Mistress Ran Away," please add it to your favorites~ It'll be released soon!
[Copywriting]
Xuechen was Chu Zhaoyang's mistress.
She was originally the daughter of an official, but after her father was accused of committing the crime of deceiving the emperor and the whole family was imprisoned, she was sold to a brothel.
Because of her good looks and figure, she was given to Chu Zhao after changing hands several times.
Chu Zhao held a prominent position in the court, but was cold and ruthless. He framed loyal officials and eliminated dissidents for power, earning him a long-standing reputation for being cunning and ruthless.
Xuechen wanted to use him to investigate her father's wrongful conviction, so she did her best to play the role of a mistress.
From resentment at being forced into submission to a passionate devotion that disregards life and death for love, Chu Zhao continued acting step by step until she finally relaxed.
Xuechen became nervous.
She discovers that the mastermind behind her father's wrongful conviction is none other than Chu Zhao.
The hatred for the murderer of one's father is irreconcilable.
In front of Chu Zhao, she became even more immersed in her role.
***
Faced with Xue Chen's undisguised affection, Chu Zhao felt smug, thinking that he was so charming that she loved him so much.
One day, Chu Zhao returned to his residence and found that she had vanished without a trace.
He searched for a long time, only to find out that she was by his side only to gather evidence of his crimes.
Her sworn enemy was working with her from the inside.
He was also her childhood sweetheart.
After obtaining enough evidence to get him imprisoned and beheaded, they fled together!
☆1V1 SC, outdoor ball-dribbling, old-fashioned style
☆This is a fictional story; all are welcome to discuss and exchange ideas~
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