056 Meeting Prince Yu
"Alright, Yue'er, keep your voice down, or you'll disturb your second brother's rest," Madam Yuan said with a stern face.
Yuan Yue stuck out her tongue and sat down intimately, linking arms with Li Yang.
Madam Yuan looked at them and continued to mutter, "You're so grown up now, and you've spent so much time at the academy with your cousin, how come you haven't learned even a trace of her gentleness and refinement? You're always so loud and rude, who will want you in the future?"
Two months ago, Yuan Yue went to the capital to study with Miss Wei Songlan of the Wei family. Wei Songlan had a good reputation since childhood, and was known for her gentle, kind, virtuous, and generous nature. After becoming engaged to Song Hezhou of the Song family, Wei Qin and Madam Wei discussed sending Wei Songlan to a very famous girls' academy in Daqi, specifically to learn the ways of managing a household and the social etiquette of officials.
Fearing that Wei Songlan would be lonely, Madam Wei discussed it with Madam Yuan and decided to take Yuan Yue with her.
Yuan Yue said nonchalantly, "If no one wants me, fine. I'll just stay at home. Anyway, my sister-in-law and second sister-in-law don't mind, right?"
Li Yang smiled and said, "How could I dislike it? You will always be the master of the Yuan family."
Yuan Yue chuckled, tilted her head and leaned on Li Yang's shoulder, saying in a coquettish tone, "Second sister-in-law is the best to me~"
Madam Yuan said, "I haven't asked you yet, Yang'er. I heard that the Empress Dowager kept you in Shou'an Palace. What is the reason for that?"
Her tone was harsh, almost barbed. Yuan Yue and the eldest young mistress both noticed and tried to explain for Li Yang, but Li Yang said, "It's nothing, it's just that one of Xiao Taozi's wet nurses came to the capital years ago, saying that Xiao Taozi's background was questionable and went to complain to the Third Prince. The Third Prince was imprisoned in his residence and didn't investigate properly, so this misunderstanding happened."
Madam Yuan asked suspiciously, "Is it really a misunderstanding? Your sister-in-law and I have both given birth to children. There are some things you can't hide from us."
Upon hearing this, Li Yang secretly glanced at Yuan Chongjing. If she hadn't known beforehand, she might have genuinely assumed that Madam Yuan's aggressive demeanor stemmed from her belief in the palace's affairs and her resentment.
Li Yang said, "Mother, don't worry. Would I lie to you? Jing-ge is your own son. Would he lie to you about something this big?"
Seeing that she had shifted all the blame onto Yuan Chongjing, Madam Yuan turned to him and said, "Jing'er, really, can't you tell who your real child is? If you ask me, all those beautiful eyes of yours are useless."
Before Yuan Chongjing could speak, Yuan Yue, standing beside Li Yang, couldn't help but interject: "Who else could it be? Little Peach was raised by Second Brother and Sister-in-law themselves. Who else could it be but her? Mother, use your brain and think for yourself, don't just believe everything you hear. How old is Luo Song? When Xu Biyun was pregnant with him, he was still at the Duke of Luo's mansion, right? Second Brother was in Chenzhou at that time and never came back once. Does he have such great ability to get Xu Biyun pregnant from afar?"
As Yuan Yue spoke, she casually swung her legs back and forth on the footstool, which annoyed Madam Yuan. She kicked Yuan Yue's foot and said, "Sit up straight!"
Yuan Yue pursed her lips, sat up properly, and continued, "I think Xu Biyun has no good intentions. Isn't it enough that Bei Hai is taking care of my second brother's injury? She's a widow and doesn't know how to avoid suspicion. She comes over to serve him every day. Mother, you really are something. Why did you let them move in? If word gets out, what will people think of our Yuan family? Everyone will be laughing at us."
Watching her little mouth chatter away, getting more and more animated, Li Yang and the eldest young mistress exchanged a glance, silently applauding Yuan Yue in their hearts. There were some things they, as daughters-in-law, couldn't say aloud, but Yuan Yue, as Madam Yuan's biological daughter, naturally said what she meant.
Madam Yuan was furious at Yuan Yue's words. She didn't care about anything else and stood up, slapping Yuan Yue's shoulder twice: "You brat, now that you're all grown up, you dare to talk back to your old mother? I'll beat you to death!"
Yuan Yue winced as she was hit, twisting her body in the chair trying to dodge.
"Mother! Mother! You hit me too hard! You're going to kill me!"
Taking advantage of Madam Yuan's slowed movements due to being held back by the eldest young mistress, Yuan Yue quickly stood up and ran outside, turning back as she ran to stick her tongue out at Madam Yuan provocatively: "Hehehe~"
Just as Madam Yuan was starting to feel better after being comforted by the eldest young mistress, she saw Yuan Yue like this and immediately rolled up her sleeves and walked towards her: "You unfilial girl, you stop right there!"
Seeing this, the eldest young mistress quickly followed them out.
After this farce came to an end, the room fell silent again. Li Yang couldn't help but chuckle, "Mother's going to be angry this time." She had to cooperate with their act, only to be misunderstood by other family members, and most importantly, she had no one to confide in.
Yuan Chongjing said nonchalantly, "It's nothing. Didn't you notice? She's really enjoying herself."
As Yuan Yue's screams faded into the distance, Li Yang felt a pang of worry: "Does Mother really believe us?"
Yuan Chongjing's eyes were filled with determination as he said, "She will believe it."
Seeing that she was still worried, Yuan Chongjing explained, "Don't worry, we have a long life ahead of us. Once everything has settled down, I will tell Mom and Dad the whole story, and they will understand."
"Mm," Li Yang replied, then changed the subject to something lighter: "You haven't seen Xiao Taozi yet, have you? She's been having a blast these past few days in the palace, doing nothing but eating and playing. Shall I go and call her over?"
“That little ingrate, she came back without even saying she wanted to visit her father.” Yuan Chongjing laughed. “When she comes, I’ll have to give her a good beating to teach her a lesson.”
Li Yang said, "Why are you hitting her? She's been on the carriage the whole way and has long since fallen asleep. She has no idea we're home yet."
She got up and was about to leave when Bei Hai knocked on the door and came in, saying to the two of them, "Second Young Master, His Highness wishes to see the Young Madam."
Li Yang knew that, on the surface, he was seeing her, but in reality, it was for Xiao Taozi's sake.
She turned around somewhat flustered to look for Yuan Chongjing.
Yuan Chongjing gave her a reassuring look and said to Bei Hai, "Go find Xia He and tell her to get ready."
Beihai responded, turned around, closed the door, and walked out.
Yuan Chongjing waved to Li Yang: "Yangyang, come here."
Li Yang came to his bedside and listened carefully to what he had to say.
Yuan Chongjing said, "Don't worry, His Highness probably just wants to see Xiao Taozi briefly. The situation is urgent right now, and he won't have much time to focus on Xiao Taozi. When you get there, just give him whatever he asks for, and you can accept it directly."
Li Yang nodded: "Okay."
“That’s not what I’m worried about. It’s the woman by the Crown Prince’s side,” Yuan Chongjing said. “On the way back, I inquired about her. Her name is Yu Jin, and she’s a doctor. I heard that His Highness sought treatment from the legendary physician Gui Shou, but Gui Shou refused. Yu Jin and Gui Shou are from the same school, so she’s Gui Shou’s senior sister. Their relationship is quite extraordinary.”
The legendary healer, that's Song Xi. Li Yang breathed a sigh of relief: "She's Song Xi's senior sister?"
Yuan Chongjing said, "Don't be too complacent. I always feel that something is off about Yu Jin. She keeps asking me about Song Xi, and neither her attitude nor her tone is like that of a senior sister to a junior brother. Think carefully, has Song Xi mentioned Yu Jin to you before?"
Li Yang shook her head: "No." Whether it was Song Xi, Qiu Qiu, or Xiao Han, Li Yang had never heard the word "turmeric" from them.
“So I think Yu Jin and Song Xi’s relationship isn’t very good, at least not on the surface. If she finds out that you’re close to Song Xi, I’m afraid she might do something to you,” Yuan Chongjing said.
Li Yang said, "Okay, I understand. I'll be careful then."
Yuan Chongjing gave her some more instructions about His Highness Prince Yu before having Beihai escort her and Xiao Taozi to the designated location.
It was a very quiet and elegant courtyard, surrounded by grand mansions with white walls and deep tiles, and almost no pedestrians passed by. Beihai led them out of the car and knocked on the door twice. The person who opened the door seemed to know him, and without asking any questions, led them inside.
After navigating through winding corridors and courtyards, one finally arrives at the main hall of the house. Entering a large room, the man stops and says, "Your Highness, we have arrived at Beihai."
The beaded curtain and gauze canopy in front of them were lifted by a pair of fair hands: "Wait a moment, Your Highness will be right there."
Just by listening to the voice, Li Yang could tell that this person's personality was flamboyant and sharp.
Sure enough, the next moment, Li Yang saw a woman in a bright red dress walk out, her eyes filled with pride and disdain. This must be the Yu Jin that Yuan Chongjing had mentioned.
The man bowed to her and respectfully greeted her, "Madam Yu."
Yu Jin nodded, gesturing for him to leave, then turned to Li Yang with hostility and said, "You are Yuan Chongjing's wife?"
Li Yang said, "Yes."
Yu Jin sneered, "He's not much to look at either."
Understanding the implication in her words, Xiao Taozi let go of Li Yang's hand, stepped in front of Li Yang to block her, and shouted loudly at Yu Jin, "My mother is the most beautiful! You're nothing special, you're a fierce and ugly old woman!"
She didn't know how to respond, but she knew that her mother and aunt hated it when people said she was old, so she thought that the most annoying thing for a woman was to call someone old.
Li Yang patted Xiao Taozi's head: "Xiao Taozi, don't be rude."
Little Peach pouted, looking aggrieved: "She was the one who mentioned Mother first."
Yu Jin was a little angry at being lectured by a child and was about to reprimand them when she heard footsteps behind her. His Highness Prince Yu came out from the inner room: "Yu Jin, Madam Yuan is right, we must not be rude."
Yu Jin glared at Li Yang fiercely, then turned and walked out of the room, unconvinced.
Only then did Li Yang see what Prince Yu looked like. He was dressed in ordinary brocade home clothes, with a dark blue cloak draped over his shoulders. He seemed to still be ill, his face somewhat pale, but he still exuded the noble and dignified air unique to a person of high status. Looking closely, his eyebrows and eyes seemed to resemble Xiao Taozi's.
His Highness Prince Yu gestured for Li Yang to sit down, then his gaze finally fell on Xiao Taozi: "This...this is...Xiao Taozi?"
Little Peach hugged Li Yang's leg, looking up at him curiously.
Li Yang moved her leg: "Little Peach, quickly call for help."
Little Peach asked, "Mother, what's your name?"
Li Yang said, "Kneel down and kowtow to Your Highness."
Having learned a lot of etiquette in the palace, Little Peach immediately knelt down before Prince Yu upon hearing this, and said in a childish voice, "Little Peach greets Your Highness, and wishes Your Highness good fortune and good health."
His Highness Prince Yu's eyes were slightly red as he reached out to help Xiao Taozi up. But his trembling hand stopped halfway through, and he suppressed the lump in his throat, saying, "Get up."
Little Peach stood up briskly and skillfully brushed off non-existent dirt from her legs. After finishing, seeing that His Highness still hadn't moved, she looked up at Li Yang in confusion and asked, "Mother, Little Peach has already kowtowed to His Highness, why hasn't he given her a reward yet?"
Li Yang: "..."
She hugged Xiao Taozi somewhat awkwardly and explained to Prince Yu, "Your Highness, please don't be offended. We stayed with the Empress Dowager for a while before, and she's just used to it."
His Highness Prince Yu knew about this. Thinking of what the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince had done, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it and smiled at the two of them, saying, "It's alright, I have already prepared a gift for our meeting. Xu Shan, bring it in."
Two men immediately entered. The one in the lead, a man in his thirties with a goatee, and the other carried a large, vermilion wooden chest. Prince Yu gestured for them to open it and said gently to Little Peach, "Go and see. It's all for you. If you don't like it, just tell me, and I'll give you something else."
Little Peach gaped in surprise: "Mother, this is more than what Sixth Uncle gave me!"
Li Yang patted her head: "This is all from His Highness, so hurry up and thank His Highness."
Little Peach excitedly ran to the box, glanced at it, then knelt down before Prince Yu, kowtowed, and said, "Little Peach thanks Your Highness. From now on, Your Highness is Little Peach's most beloved person, even more so than Sixth Uncle!"
His Highness Prince Yu smiled indulgently: "Get up quickly, you don't need to kneel in front of me anymore."
Upon hearing this, Little Peach stood up, ran to the box, and excitedly picked out her favorite items.
Li Yang looked at her helplessly, told her to be careful, and then explained to His Highness Prince Yu: "Your Highness, please don't look down on Xiao Taozi. When Jing Ge and I were in Chenzhou, we lived a rather frugal life. Xiao Taozi knew this and is very sensible. After growing up, she liked to save some gold and silver jewelry. When she had saved enough, she would take it out and ask her family to buy her something delicious."
His Highness Prince Yu said, "You have taken good care of her; I should be thanking you."
Li Yang smiled, flattered, and didn't dare to reply. These were words His Highness Prince Yu could say, but she dared not take credit for them.
His Highness Prince Yu knew that there was a difference in status between him and Li Yang, and that summoning her here today was already an overstepping of boundaries. He asked, "How is Chongjing's health?"
Li Yang replied, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Brother Jing is much better now."
"That's good. It's getting late, you should go back now. I'll have someone escort you out."
Li Yang stood up, took Xiao Taozi's hand, said goodbye to him, and then followed the man named Xu Shan outside.
Seeing the large box being carried out with them, Little Peach secretly felt smug and giggled all the way: "Mother, are those things really gifts from His Highness to Little Peach?"
Li Yang wiped the sweat from her forehead: "Yes, His Highness likes little peaches, that's why he gave them to you. How about you look at them slowly when we get back?"
Little Peach held her hand and skipped happily as she walked, saying, "Mmm!"
As the group walked out of the courtyard wall and reached the corridor, Li Yang saw Yu Jin sitting leisurely under the pavilion nearby. A bad feeling rose in her heart, fearing that Yu Jin would speak up and stop them at any moment.
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