001 Confused
The Beginning of Autumn has passed, and the weather is getting cooler day by day. The autumn air is crisp and clear, and sometimes a cool breeze blows, making people shiver involuntarily.
Despite the sweltering weather, Li Yang stood in the deathly quiet room, a fine layer of sweat quietly forming on her back.
Even though Yuan Chongjing had just recovered from a serious illness and his face was still somewhat pale, he had long since cultivated an imposing aura due to his years of experience in officialdom. Although he had lost five years of his memory, the lingering power remained when he looked at people with a sullen expression.
What Li Yang feared wasn't that, but rather the guilty feeling she had inside, a sense that she was deceiving him.
However, she didn't show it on her face, and met his scrutinizing gaze directly, saying each word clearly, "I didn't lie to you, we really got married."
Yuan Chongjing scoffed, his face turning even paler, his voice weak but still insistent: "How could that be! Li Yang, how could I possibly marry you!"
Even though Li Yang had made thorough preparations, she was still hurt by the undisguised disdain in his eyes.
In fact, even she herself didn't believe that the two of them could become husband and wife.
They went to school together in their youth. He was a prodigy, admired by the teacher and envied by his classmates. He had a photographic memory, was full of youthful vigor, and it was said that even the emperor praised his writings. She, on the other hand, was a joking, irresponsible, and annoying little rascal who just drifted through life.
The two had no prior connection, but it all started when she startled a horse-drawn carriage while skipping school one day.
As luck would have it, his beloved was sitting in the carriage, her palm slightly scraped. Li Yang still remembers her small, tearful face, which broke Yuan Chongjing's heart and caused him to turn against Li Yang on the spot.
From that moment on, the feud between the two was truly established.
She couldn't stand his pretentious and serious act, which she found hypocritical, while he couldn't stand her lazy personality and her tendency to talk nonsense. The two would argue whenever they met, and on several occasions they even came to blows.
They had both studied martial arts at the academy, but she was weak. When he pinned her down with her hands bound, she looked at him against the light, his eyes shining with pride, gleaming in the sunlight.
Her heart skipped a beat.
It got out of control.
......
Li Yang calmed herself down. Having spent so many years with him, she knew she couldn't confront him directly. So she changed her approach, speaking with a slightly sad and disappointed tone: "You should be the one asking me that. You were the one who personally went to the Li family to ask for my hand in marriage. You even promised my parents that you would treat me well for the rest of your life, be devoted to me, love me, take care of me, and never abandon me."
Yuan Chongjing's lips twitched, as if he couldn't believe he could say such cheesy things.
Seeing that his momentum wasn't as strong as when he first woke up, and that he had the upper hand in the confrontation, Li Yang immediately pressed her advantage and turned the tables: "Don't think that just because you're injured and have amnesia, you can erase all of this."
Her words immediately blocked all his escape routes.
Why should I believe you?!
"Believe it or not, it's up to you." Li Yang's tone gradually became more confident and assertive. "Why don't you go ask your parents, your elder brother and sister-in-law, your nephews and nieces, your sister, or even the maids and servants in the manor? Go ask them all and see if we're a loving and harmonious couple. Besides, we're the famous 'Number One Loving Couple in the Capital,' many people outside know that. If you don't believe me, you should at least believe them, right? Go ask them all!"
The room had suddenly become crowded with people since he woke up. Her parents called her their second wife, her elder brother and sister-in-law called her sister-in-law, and the maids and servants addressed her as the second young mistress. All signs indicated that they were indeed husband and wife.
Moreover, they are a couple with an extremely close relationship.
She refused to believe that if everyone said so, he couldn't be fooled.
Yuan Chongjing opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but couldn't come up with any reason. In the end, he just said with a stiff face, "I will ask the questions I need to ask."
Seeing that he was still not giving up, Li Yang secretly chuckled as she looked around the room's decor while tidying up the blankets.
She felt a surge of confidence. Yuan Chongjing's memories were now stuck at eighteen, when they were studying together at the academy. She had lived five years longer than him, and everyone was on her side. With the right timing, location, and people, she refused to believe she couldn't win him over.
Li Yang walked to the bedside and deliberately blocked his gaze from looking around: "Alright, you've been lying in bed for more than half a month. Now that you've finally woken up, don't think about these stressful things. You always said that you were busy with court affairs and were often away from home. Take this opportunity to get some rest."
Yuan Chongjing was inwardly criticizing her behavior when he was drawn in by her words: "Court politics? I've entered the court?"
"Hmm." Li Yang bent down and adjusted the cushion behind him to make him more comfortable, completely ignoring the curiosity in his eyes.
Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Where do I work?"
"You didn't believe me, so why are you asking me these questions?" Li Yang said with amusement.
Yuan Chongjing's face stiffened for a moment. The proud young man was thin-skinned and intolerant of any questioning. His pale cheeks finally turned pink with embarrassment and anger: "Fine, don't tell me then. Go and call Donghai here."
Donghai was his servant. When he was a child, his family was flooded, and he got separated from his family while fleeing the famine. Later, Yuan's parents took pity on him and bought him to accompany Yuan Chongjing. The two grew up together, and their relationship was naturally extraordinary.
Li Yang immediately stopped stroking the blanket. Her heart skipped a beat, then quickly returned to normal: "Donghai went to Qinzhou three years ago, have you forgotten?"
Qinzhou is the hometown of the East China Sea.
Yuan Chongjing was somewhat surprised: "He found his parents?"
"Yes, he didn't want to leave at the time, and you were the one who persuaded him to go back."
After Li Yang finished making the bed, she looked up and saw a large expanse of his chest exposed beneath his open white brocade robe.
Her eyes darted around quickly, and she sat up on the edge of the bed, pulling the blanket over his body: "Don't think about it too much, or you'll get a headache again. I'll tell you in detail when you're better."
After a long silence, Li Yang mustered her courage and looked up, only to see Yuan Chongjing staring intently at her.
Then, he slightly raised his hand and, under Li Yang's gaze, quickly pulled open the shirt at his chest.
He was naturally fair-skinned, and after being in a coma for more than half a month due to illness, his skin had a sickly pale whiteness, like almost transparent soft jade, dazzling to the eye.
Li Yang immediately turned her head to look outside.
She regretted it the next moment.
Yuan Chongjing sneered, "Five years of loving marriage?"
Li Yang cursed Yuan Chongjing inwardly for being so cunning and treacherous even with amnesia, but on the surface he smiled and teased him: "Brother Jing, what are you saying? I was just afraid that I wouldn't be able to control myself if I saw this 'beautiful scenery.' You are still sick and really can't do any strenuous exercise."
Seeing that he remained expressionless, Li Yang stood up and began to undress in front of him: "If you feel you're losing out, then I'll take my clothes off for you to see."
Yuan Chongjing stared at her without moving, as if waiting for her next move.
Li Yang gritted her teeth secretly, but without changing her expression, she untied her headscarf, followed by a brocade half-sleeved shirt and a narrow-sleeved blouse, until finally only a crimson bodice was revealed underneath. Seeing him turn his head to look at the inside of the bed with a flushed face, Li Yang stopped what she was doing and said triumphantly, "See? You're embarrassed now, aren't you?"
Yuan Chongjing gripped the corner of the blanket tightly, and said in embarrassment and anger, "Get out of here!"
He never imagined that, even now, she would still be so shameless.
Li Yang pursed her lips and slowly put on her clothes, piece by piece. Finally, under Yuan Chongjing's unbearable glare, she left the room with a grin.
The smile on her face vanished the moment she reached the door.
She began to regret her decision.
Yuan Chongjing wasn't stupid; he quickly realized that his shyness stemmed from the fact that he was just an eighteen-year-old, inexperienced young man, while she was a 'young married woman' with whom he had been married for many years.
Their ages, experiences, and temperaments are all unequal. They shouldn't react the same way to matters of the heart.
It seems we need to find something more impactful for him to distract him.
Li Yang looked around the courtyard and asked her maid, "Is Little Peach awake?"
Little Peach is her daughter, who is four years old this year. She is plump and chubby, and very cute and lovable.
The maid said, "He hasn't woken up yet. But judging by the time, he should be awake soon."
Li Yang nodded: "Bring her over to Brother Jing to see after she wakes up. The father and daughter haven't seen each other for many days, so they must miss each other."
The maid responded and went to wait in Little Peach's room next door.
Li Yang waited at the door for a while, and then saw the servant Bei Hai carrying a wooden tray over: "Young Madam."
On the wooden tray sat a porcelain bowl filled with a dark, medicinal liquid. Li Yang craned her neck to smell it, and a pungent odor assaulted her nostrils.
She frowned, fanned herself several times with her hand, and then said with disdain, "Why does this medicine taste different from before?"
Bei Hai replied, "Young Madam, it was Doctor Tao who said that the Second Young Master would need a new medicine after he woke up."
"Okay, take it in."
Li Yang, unsuspecting, followed Bei Hai back into the room.
Beihai was someone Yuan Chongjing found from outside after Donghai left. His appearance was different from that of ordinary men; he had a fair complexion and looked like a weak scholar, with no strength to even kill a chicken.
However, Yuan Chongjing trusted him very much and would take him with him whether he was going out or traveling far away.
However, Yuan Chongjing does not recognize Beihai now.
Seeing the unfamiliarity in his eyes, Li Yang explained, "This is Beihai, the servant who is with you, who has taken over from Donghai."
Yuan Chongjing was skeptical, and stared at Li Yang with some impatience: "Why did you come in again?"
"I was just worried you wouldn't know Beihai, so I was busy introducing you. Brother Jing, why are you misunderstanding me like this?" Li Yang softened her tone, sounding as if she'd been abandoned, and said aggrievedly, "While you were unconscious, I took care of you day and night. How come you..."
Yuan Chongjing opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.
He was really not used to Li Yang, who was always flamboyant and strong, becoming so weak.
Fortunately, Bei Hai explained, "Young Madam, don't be sad. It's probably because the Second Young Master just woke up and hasn't gotten used to it yet. Just wait a little longer."
Li Yang gave a soft snort, sat down to the side looking aggrieved, and said with barely suppressed concern in her voice, "Hurry up and drink your medicine."
The medicine was a large bowlful and so bitter. The pampered Yuan Chongjing gulped it down in one go, and he certainly had no mind to think about anything else.
Yuan Chongjing also didn't want to continue like this. He took the bowl, felt that the medicine inside was already warm, and without thinking, tilted his head back and poured it down.
At first it was fine, he didn't even have time to taste it. But after four or five mouthfuls of medicine, the fishy and bitter smell rushed up from his nasal cavity, making him dizzy from his toes to the back of his head.
Not wanting to lose face in front of Li Yang, Yuan Chongjing drank the tea in one gulp, then quickly grabbed a cup of cold tea from the side and drank several mouthfuls to dilute the bitterness.
This series of movements was so fast and urgent that the wound on his left chest began to reopen.
Upon seeing this, Bei Hai exclaimed worriedly, "Second Young Master, your wound is bleeding!"
Li Yang calculated the time and realized it was time to change his dressing. She stood up and said, "Beihai, you can go out first. I'll change Jing-ge's dressing."
Bei Hai nodded, not even glancing at Yuan Chongjing, and left the room with the wooden tray.
Li Yang retrieved the medicine bottle and gauze. Seeing Yuan Chongjing staring in the direction Bei Hai had left, with a hint of dissatisfaction on his face, she smiled and said, "Bei Hai was just worried about you."
Yuan Chongjing didn't even look at her: "Is he your man or mine?"
What was he thinking when he chose Li Yang as his wife and then found such a clueless follower?
Li Yang lifted the blanket and reached out to undress him, coaxing, "Don't be angry. I'll ask Bei Hai to be more careful in the future. Besides, this is only because you've always respected me; that's why your people respect me so much."
She spoke gently and understandingly, so Yuan Chongjing couldn't afford to lash out again.
By the time he realized what was happening, she had already untied most of the knot in his shirt. He was both anxious and angry, and quickly pulled it back, yelling, "What are you doing!"
Just as Li Yang was about to say he would change his dressing, the door creaked open and a chubby little dumpling ran in: "Daddy, you're awake!"
Yuan Chongjing froze in mid-air, not daring to move an inch.
Given the circumstances and the sounds, he had a bad feeling.
Just then, a little girl walked in through the doorway. She had two buns in her hair, adorned with fluffy red flowers, big round black eyes, fair and delicate skin, and wore a light pink long dress. She rushed towards the two of them.
Li Yang calmly caught her, looked at the stunned Yuan Chongjing, and said with a smile, "Let me introduce you, this is your daughter, Xiao Taozi, she is four years old this year."
"My...what?" He didn't dare look at Xiao Taozi, but gritted his teeth and stared intently at Li Yang's expression, asking incredulously.
Little Peach clung to his hand, her eyes immediately reddening with worry: "Daddy, I'm your precious Little Peach! Don't you remember me?"
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