037 Delivery
Li Yang simply forgot that Song Xi was not present today.
Xiao Han said, "Master left last night, and I don't know where he went or when he will come back."
Li Yang knew that Song Xi must have returned to the palace. The Empress Dowager's illness was fluctuating, and as the 'Sixth Princess' who had been personally raised by the Empress Dowager, Song Xi would definitely be by her side to take care of her.
Unfortunately, that was the inner palace, a place neither the Yuan family nor the Li family could enter.
However, her aunt, the Duchess of Zhongyong, could use the excuse of visiting the Empress Dowager to submit a petition to the inner court, but whether the inner court would allow it was another matter.
Asking my aunt for help is not a good idea.
Li Yang wandered around outside for a long time, only to find that she had no one to ask for help. Somewhat dejected, she returned to the Yuan residence.
Inside the main hall, Madam Yuan and the eldest son's wife were waiting. Upon seeing Li Yang return, Madam Yuan asked, "How is Yang'er? Did you see Jing'er?"
Li Yang shook his head: "The Dali Temple is very strict, I didn't go in."
"It's alright, don't worry. I'll have your father and Yue'er go back to the Wei family to visit," Madam Yuan comforted them.
The Wei family is Madam Yuan's maternal family, and the current head of the household is Madam Yuan's elder brother, Wei Qin. The Wei family and the Song family are related by marriage, and Wei Qin's daughter, Wei Songlan, is Song Hezhou's fiancée. If Wei Qin agrees to help make a trip to the Song family and meets Song Hezhou, it might be possible for him to also meet Yuan Chongjing.
“Mother, Jing-ge has to go to the miracle doctor for acupuncture tomorrow morning. The miracle doctor said before that the acupuncture cannot be interrupted, otherwise all the previous efforts will be in vain,” Li Yang said.
Madam Yuan nodded: "I know, I've already spoken to your father about it."
Yuan Heng and Yuan Chongyue didn't return until evening. Their expressions were not good. Seeing Madam Yuan and Li Yang waiting, Yuan Chongyue patiently explained, "My uncle went to the Song family in person, but he didn't see Song Hezhou. I heard that he has been staying at the Dali Temple recently and hasn't returned to the Song family. Lord Song also sent someone in to deliver a message, but Song Hezhou didn't even see him and sent him back."
They waited at the Wei family home until Wei Qin returned, and only returned home after receiving the news.
"What should we do?" Madam Yuan said anxiously. "Is Song Hezhou really so stubborn? He won't even listen to his father?"
Li Yang comforted her, "Mother, don't worry. As far as I know, Song Hezhou isn't someone who uses torture indiscriminately. He locked Jing Ge up because the commotion at the Luo State Duke's Mansion today was too big, and he wanted to quell the public's anger. I'll go over and take a look tomorrow."
The Yuan family also knew that Yuan Chongjing was in the wrong. Madam Yuan scolded, "Jing'er has lost his mind. Why did he have to provoke the Duke of Luo's mansion? I don't think that Xu Biyun is easy to deal with either!"
"Alright, the most important thing now is to release Jing'er," Yuan Heng said.
As he finished speaking, the hall fell silent. Even Wei Qin couldn't see Yuan Chongjing, so the Yuan family was truly at their wits' end.
At this moment, Bei Hai walked in from the side hall. He winked at Li Yang and then said to everyone, "Master and Madam, the Second Young Master has sent word."
This prompted everyone to immediately ask, "What did you say?"
Hokkaido: "The second young master said he's fine inside and that everyone shouldn't worry. Song Hezhou won't do anything to him. Today's events were all a misunderstanding. Once Song Hezhou has investigated, he'll release him. He said there's no need to find anyone to help him; just wait for him to come back."
Yuan Heng, however, did not believe it. The Dali Temple was managed by Song Hezhou like an iron barrel; how could Yuan Chongjing have such great ability to relay messages?
Li Yang said, "No matter how capable Song Hezhou is, he can't control everyone. Besides, in a place like a prison, as long as it doesn't involve anything serious, it's still possible to send a message out with a little money."
This principle applies everywhere. Yuan Heng, having served as an official for many years, also understood this: "That's good. Lord Song has already visited the Dali Temple; presumably, the people there won't go too far out of respect for him."
Everyone was relieved. After much persuasion, Li Yang led Bei Hai back to their courtyard after everyone had gone back to their rooms to rest.
Bei Hai followed behind her and reassured her, "Don't worry, young mistress. We have people in the Dali Temple. The second young master won't suffer inside."
"Well, is there anything else you wanted to say, Brother Jing?"
Hokkaido: "The second young master wants to find out about the situation in Song Hezhou. His Highness the Crown Prince doesn't have much influence in the court right now. If he can win over Song Hezhou, it would be a great help."
Li Yang disagreed, saying, "He certainly dares to think that way!"
Behind Song Hezhou lies the deeply entrenched Song family, as well as the Empress Dowager and the Sixth Princess, who are currently highly respected by the Emperor. Such a lucrative prize—didn't the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince even consider it? They simply couldn't bring themselves to take it.
Although His Highness the Crown Prince is in Yuzhou, he must be well aware of the situation in the capital. Whether the capture of Songhezhou was on His Highness's orders or a risky move by Yuan Chongjing to gain merit is unknown.
Hokkaido: "It was the second young master's own idea."
Li Yang's heart ached upon hearing this. She understood Yuan Chongjing and knew he wanted to revitalize the Yuan family. Now that he had pledged allegiance to the Crown Prince, he had to do everything in his power to help him regain the throne. If Song Hezhou were to truly assist the Crown Prince, then Yuan Chongjing would finally be considered a respected and meritorious official in the Crown Prince's eyes.
He was willing to take a gamble for the sake of the Yuan family.
However, Song Hezhou, aside from searching for the mysterious butterfly fairy, usually dealt with cases sent from various regions in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice, and rarely interacted with outsiders. Given his status and position, it was virtually impossible for Yuan Chongjing to establish contact with him from an external perspective.
The Dali Temple was the only point of intersection for the two of them.
However, given Song Hezhou's arrogant and proud personality, he probably wouldn't take Yuan Chongjing seriously.
Li Yang tossed and turned in bed all night, and before dawn she made up her mind that she had to help Yuan Chongjing.
After figuring things out, she went to Yuan Chongjing's study, quickly wrote a letter, and then, avoiding everyone, quietly left the mansion alone.
Then Li Yang arrived at Song Xi's residence again.
She wondered if Song Xi had returned yet. If he had, she would have asked him to help her with a different makeup look.
If Song Xi hadn't returned yet, Li Yang had considered on the way that Xiao Han, as Song Xi's eldest disciple, should be at least 50-60% as skilled in makeup, even if she hadn't mastered it completely. Since it was still dark and people's faces weren't clearly visible, she should be able to fool them.
Song Xi returned as early as midnight.
Xiao Han was still fast asleep under the covers when Song Xi heard someone banging on the door. He was already furious and wanted to throw a stone at the door. Xiao Han rubbed his eyes and opened the door, and was startled to see Song Xi: "Master, why are you back at this hour?"
Song Xi usually pays great attention to his appearance and rest, and he absolutely will not get out of bed until he has slept for at least five hours every day. Especially since it is still midnight, no matter what happened in the past, Song Xi insisted on midnight, and he had to be sound asleep, and no one could break his sleep.
Song Xi also felt strange. He had clearly gone to sleep in the palace, but he still felt uneasy, as if there was something important on his mind that he hadn't done. He lay on the bed for a long time before realizing that it might be because he had chased Xu Biyun and Luo Song away during the day for Li Yang's sake, and subconsciously wanted to wait for Li Yang to come so he could show off in front of her and see her praising him.
However, he didn't want to say this to Xiaohan.
He pushed open the door and casually tapped Xiao Han on the head: "I can come back whenever I want. What, do I have to consider your feelings?"
Xiao Han chuckled and walked towards him, saying, "How could I dare? Master, this way is safe, the road is slippery."
Song Xi glanced at him sideways: "Alright, what time is it? Your teacher is going to sleep now. Remember, don't bother me unless it's absolutely necessary! Wait until Yangyang comes over before you call your teacher, understand?"
Xiao Han nodded vigorously: "I know, I know!"
Only then did Song Xi return to her room, satisfied, and lie down to sleep.
Less than an hour later, Song Xi was hurriedly woken up by Xiao Han: "Master!"
Song Xi was dozing off at the moment and was about to explode in anger when he heard Xiao Han say, "Master, the young mistress is here!"
"I don't care who she is, get out... Wait, is Yangyang here?"
"Hmm! Master, you should go and take a look. I think she's not in a good state. She keeps getting distracted, and she can't even hear me when I talk to her."
Seeing that Xiao Han's expression didn't seem fake, Song Xi quickly got up, put on a long robe, and went outside. Upon entering the hall, she saw Li Yang indeed. She looked very haggard, radiating a sense of restlessness. She was pacing anxiously back and forth at the doorway.
"Yangyang, what brings you here at this hour?" Song Xi asked as she walked over.
Li Yang said, "There's no time to explain, Young Master Song, could you please do me a favor?"
"you say."
"I'd like you to do my makeup. It doesn't matter if it's a man, woman, young or old, just so no one recognizes me. I need to be quick; I have to get things done before dawn."
Seeing her anxious, Song Xi didn't ask any more questions and simply agreed, "Okay. Sit down first. Xiao Han, go and get my makeup case."
Song Xi carefully studied Li Yang's face shape and finally gave her a makeup look resembling a middle-aged village woman. He always had a wide variety of strange and unusual things here, and after changing into peasant clothes and her usual headscarf, coupled with the hazy sky, she looked no different from an ordinary rural village woman.
Xiao Han found a broken basket in the kitchen and had her carry it: "Now you look even more like her. If I didn't know the young mistress's identity, I wouldn't have recognized her."
Li Yang checked himself in the mirror to make sure everything was perfect before saying, "I have to go now. I'll come back and explain to Young Master Song when I have time later."
"Okay." Song Xi saw her out. After all that commotion, he and Xiao Han were no longer sleepy: "Xiao Han, while I wasn't here during the day, did something happen between Yangyang and Yuan Chongjing?"
Xiao Han usually stays at home, spending her free time studying herbal remedies and not being interested in outside affairs: "I don't know, I haven't heard anything about it either. This morning, after Young Master Yuan finished his acupuncture, he originally planned to wait for the Young Madam to come and pick him up to go back together. Later, he heard that Madam Biyun couldn't get into the Duke's mansion while carrying Luo Song, so Young Master Yuan went to help her. In the afternoon, the Young Madam came again to see you, and left somewhat disappointed after hearing that you weren't there."
Song Xi frowned inwardly. He gave Xu Biyun the prescription hoping she would take Luo Song and leave as soon as possible, so he wouldn't get in Yangyang's way anymore. He hadn't expected that even after leaving, she would still cause trouble for others.
"No, I have to go and see what Yangyang is up to." Song Xi said to herself, then pushed open the door and went out into the night.
But Li Yang walked hurriedly, following the wall all the way, and there was no trace of her around.
At this moment, Li Yang had arrived near the dilapidated temple in the city. He found a lone beggar and handed him the letter: "Boy, give this to Song Hezhou of the Dali Temple, and all the silver in my pocket is yours."
Song Hezhou's reputation was so great that the little beggar hesitated for a moment, then peeked at the silver in her brocade pouch, wiped his nose, and said, "If you run away, you'll have to give me a deposit first."
Li Yang took out some loose silver and handed it to him: "Is this alright? Come back after you deliver the letter, and I'll wait here."
The little beggar weighed the loose silver in his hand, then glanced at the silver in her bag before making up his mind and threatening her fiercely: "Fine! If you leave when I get back, I'll join forces with our Beggars' Gang and raze your house to the ground!"
“No problem!” Li Yang handed him the letter, and after watching him walk away, she immediately found a side path, made her way to the vicinity of the main gate of Dali Temple, and hid in a corner.
She waited for a long time before she saw an old beggar, probably in his fifties or sixties, walking shakily with a cane, still clutching the letter she had given to the little beggar in his hand.
Li Yang thought to himself, "That little beggar is too cunning. Who knows how many hands he's passed through in between."
Only after seeing Song Hezhou leave and receiving the letter did Li Yang leave with satisfaction.
When she returned to the dilapidated temple, the little beggar was squatting on the ground playing. Seeing her, he ran over with a grin, reaching out for the silver: "I didn't expect you, old woman, to be so trustworthy. I delivered the letter to Lord Song, where's the silver?"
Li Yang glanced at him sideways: "Did you deliver that letter?"
A hint of guilt flashed across the little beggar's face, but he forced himself to remain calm: "I gave it to him!"
Li Yang smiled, not exposing his lie, and instead gave him all the silver in the brocade pouch as agreed: "Here, this should be enough for you to live on for a while. You're still young, don't beg here..."
Before she could finish speaking, the little beggar snatched her brocade pouch and ran away, yelling, "Mind your own business, you old hag!"
"Hey you little brat!" Li Yang scolded his retreating figure twice. Seeing that people were starting to appear around her, she lowered her head and hurriedly left.
Originally, Li Yang wanted to contact several people to conceal her identity. However, given Song Hezhou's personality, writing too many letters might provoke his rebellious nature and arouse his suspicion, which would be counterproductive. Writing only one letter should be enough to convince him that the writer was indeed the 'Butterfly Fairy' from back then.
Song Hezhou was indeed shocked to receive the letter.
The person he had searched for for five years without finding a single clue suddenly reappeared before his eyes. He was somewhat incredulous, yet filled with overwhelming excitement and exhilaration.
He read the letter dozens of times from beginning to end, then waved to his deputy and said with a smile, "Go and release that... Yuan Chongjing. But there's one condition: he must stay in the Yuan residence and is not allowed to leave. Also, leave two people to guard the front and back gates of the Yuan residence."
The deputy envoy found it strange, as he had never seen Song Hezhou behave so poorly or make such a hasty decision in recent years.
"What are you looking at? Hurry up and go!" Song Hezhou said.
Having made these arrangements, he got up and went to the main entrance of the Dali Temple: "Where is the old man who delivered the letter to me?"
A constable immediately reported, "Sir, he's with us. He's asking for food on the streets of the city."
"Bring him here; I want to interrogate him myself."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com