043 Fortunately
On the way back to the manor, Yuan Chongjing kept thinking about how he should treat Li Yang when he finally met her.
He's not like he used to be; he has more important things to do.
Li Yang was not in his plans.
right.
That's it.
He encouraged himself along the way, constantly telling himself that he was doing the right thing.
But all his mental preparation crumbled the moment he arrived at the gate of the mansion.
He dared not knock on the door, fearing that she would be the one to open it.
The raised right hand swayed back and forth, then swayed again and swayed back again.
In the end, the gatekeeper noticed him and opened the door. He saw it was him and shouted, "Second Young Master! Second Young Master is back!"
The shouts startled Yuan Chongjing, who stopped the gatekeeper and asked with difficulty, "Is Li Yang in the mansion?"
The man shook his head: "The second young mistress is not here. I heard that the young master of the Li family got into a fight and got into some trouble. The second young mistress took Miss Taozi back to the Li family early this morning."
Hearing that Li Yang wasn't there, Yuan Chongjing felt a surge of relief. But a hint of disappointment also crept in. He said, "I'll go in first and tell my parents and older brother not to worry about me."
"yes."
Yuan Chongjing took two steps forward, then stopped: "Tell the steward to prepare a gift and have him deliver it to the Li family later."
His manners were always impeccable.
***
Li Ting was severely beaten.
His face was bruised and swollen, and he was almost entirely covered in rags. His chest was rising and falling only slightly, as if he was exhaling but not inhaling. Li's father called three doctors in a row, but after taking his pulse and examining his injuries, they all shook their heads and left.
Luo Pingping stood to the side, sobbing uncontrollably, "It's all my fault. I messed with the wrong person. Li Ting was beaten because he was trying to help me. Sister, hit me to vent your anger."
The room was stuffy and oppressive due to Li Ting's unconsciousness. Li Yang took a deep breath: "Pingping, you should go back first. We'll talk about everything after Li Ting wakes up."
"No, I won't leave." Luo Pingping stood in front of Li Ting's bed, looking at Li Yang pleadingly, and said through tears, "Sister, please don't make me leave. I want to wait for Li Ting to wake up, I want to wait for him to wake up!"
Li's father looked at Li Ting with concern, while Li's mother sat anxiously holding Xiao Taozi. Neither of them had a clear idea, and they both waited for Li Yang to make a decision.
Li Yang said to Luo Pingping, "If you still feel grateful that Li Ting was injured for your sake, either go out and find a doctor who can save him, or go home and wait for news from him. You are so smart, you should know that the worst thing you can do right now is to cry and wail here. It's useless and will only cause us trouble."
"Okay, I'll go!" Luo Pingping wiped away her tears haphazardly, looked back at Li Ting, thought for a moment, then squatted down in front of the bed and carefully took Li Ting's hand: "You must wait for me to come back, Li Ting. If you dare to abandon me, I will haunt you even if I become a ghost."
After saying that, she stood up and quickly ran out.
Li's mother stood up, holding Xiao Taozi: "Yang'er, what should we do? Ting'er, he..."
Li Yang said, "It's alright, Mother. You take care of Li Ting first. I'll go and ask the divine doctor to come over."
Children are emotionally sensitive. Little Peach looked at the three of them, then at her uncle lying lifeless on the bed. Two tears welled up in her eyes, and finally fell down in a patter: "Mother~ Mother~"
"Little Peach, don't be afraid," Li Yang took her from her mother's arms and carried her for a few steps. "Uncle is injured now, and your mother is going to find your sixth uncle to save him. Little Peach is very brave, isn't she? Grandma is very sad now, so how about Little Peach stays and takes care of Grandma?"
Little Peach nodded, two hot tears sliding down her big eyes. Her little face looked extremely pitiful, and her voice still trembled with a sob: "Okay~~"
Li Yang placed the little peach next to her mother: "Mother, don't worry, the divine doctor will definitely come. Wait for me to come back."
Li Ting's injuries couldn't wait, so Li Yang hurriedly arrived at Song Xi's residence by carriage. Perhaps heaven heard her prayers, for Song Xi happened to be there. Upon hearing Li Yang's words, he immediately told Xiao Han to take the medical kit: "Let's go first, we'll talk on the way."
As they hurried along, Li Yang quickly finished speaking in a few words: "I don't know the specifics, I only know that he was beaten up."
"It's alright, let's save them first," Song Xi comforted her.
Li Yang seemed to see Li Ting lying lifelessly on the bed again. In front of her father and mother, she could still pretend to be strong, but at this moment, her hands were trembling and her whole body was exuding a cold and gloomy aura.
Song Xi secretly warmed his palms and gently placed them on her clenched fists: "It will be alright, trust me."
The warmth was faint, but it still calmed Li Yang's flustered heart.
The carriage stopped in front of the Li residence, and Li Yang led Song Xi and Xiao Han inside. The three went to Li Ting's room, where Li Yang was telling Song Xi about Li Ting's injuries. When they looked up, they saw Yuan Chongjing sitting in a chair, holding Xiao Taozi, talking to Li's father.
Hearing their footsteps, Yuan Chongjing looked up and his eyes met Li Yang's.
In just a moment, Li Yang was certain that Yuan Chongjing had returned to being the calm, composed, and deep-thinking Lord Yuan.
Ignoring her unease, she dared not look him in the eye and instead led Song Xi inside, saying, "Let's see Li Ting first."
Song Xi glanced at the two of them, but ultimately asked nothing. He then went to Li Ting and began to examine his injuries: "The rest of you can go out first. Xiao Han, stay here."
Little Peach saw her and cried out that she wanted to jump down from Yuan Chongjing's arms.
Li Yang said, "Father, Mother, please wait outside and see if the divine doctor needs anything. Brother Jing... come with me."
Yuan Chongjing carried Xiao Taozi and walked out of the courtyard with her.
Li Yang took Xiao Taozi from his arms, patted her reassuringly twice, and then asked Yuan Chongjing, "Why are you here? Did the Dali Temple release you?"
Yuan Chongjing nodded. He had imagined many things he would say when he met her again, but when the moment actually came, he found himself speechless. Hearing her indifferent tone, he said, "I heard that Li Ting had an accident, so I came to see him."
His original plan was to have the steward of the Yuan family come. However, when the steward was about to leave and asked for his permission, Yuan Chongjing put down what he was doing and came in person.
He also wanted to see her as soon as possible.
With her not in the manor, his heart was adrift, his mind empty, as if his feet were suspended in mid-air. It seemed that only when she was there did his life have a anchor, allowing him to do what he wanted without any worries.
“Kids fight without thinking, it’s good for him to learn a lesson. With Song Xi here, everything will be fine, don’t worry,” Li Yang said. After saying that, she asked again, “You, you remembered everything?”
Yuan Chongjing hummed in agreement.
Li Yang gave a blank, half-hearted smile, unsure whether it was a laugh or something else, and said, "That's good. Now that Li Ting is in trouble, my parents don't know what to do. Xiao Taozi and I will stay here for the time being. Please help us talk to our parents, and I won't be going back."
“Alright.” Yuan Chongjing thought for a moment, then explained, “The capital has been quite unstable lately. I’ve already contacted His Highness the Crown Prince’s people. If the Third Prince is pushed too far, he might retaliate. It’s good that you and Xiao Taozi are staying here. Try to spend more time with your parents-in-law and try not to go out unless necessary. Let’s have a proper talk once all this is over.”
Hearing his last words, Li Yang's heart sank. She immediately suppressed the bitterness and pretended to be normal: "Okay, I understand. Take care, I have to go back and check on Li Ting, so I won't see you off."
Yuan Chongjing sensed something was off about her mood, but upon closer inspection, he couldn't find anything. He hesitated for a moment, ignoring the obvious 'see you out' look on Li Yang's face, and carefully asked, "May I stay a little longer? I'll leave once Li Ting has calmed down."
Li Yang lowered her head and said, "My heart is in turmoil. Brother Jing, please go back and let me calm down."
Yuan Chongjing was somewhat disappointed. He didn't say anything more, but gave her a deep look, told Xiao Taozi to be obedient, and then left the Li residence reluctantly.
Li Yang and Xiao Taozi returned to Li Ting's residence and waited for more than half an hour before Song Xi opened the door and came out.
Li Yang immediately stepped forward and asked anxiously, "Young Master Song, how is Li Ting?"
Song Xi had a bit of cold sweat on his face, but he didn't bother to wipe it away: "Two ribs are broken, and internal organs are injured. But he's stable now. Try not to let him get out of bed during this time, and let him rest well. I've given the prescription to Xiao Han. Xiao Han, tell them the precautions."
Li's father and mother immediately went into the room to listen to Xiaohan's words.
Li Yang followed Song Xi into the courtyard. Little Peach looked at them, took Song Xi's hand with her short legs, and led him to a chair in the courtyard. She stood on tiptoe to wipe the sweat from Song Xi's face and poured him a glass of water: "Sixth Uncle is thirsty, have some water."
Song Xi patted her head: "Thank you, Little Peach. You're so smart. You even noticed that Sixth Uncle was thirsty. Unlike your mother, who didn't even notice."
Little Peach chuckled happily, swaying back and forth against his leg.
After drinking some water, Song Xi said to Li Yang, "Yuan Chongjing has regained his memory."
He used descriptive sentences.
Li Yang knew she couldn't hide it from him: "Yes. He must have recovered in the Dali Temple prison last night. That's probably why he was able to get out so quickly."
Song Xi smiled and stopped talking about it: "So what do you plan to do? Are you still going to be with him?"
Li Yang's eyes flickered slightly. She paused for a moment before saying, "I don't know. Let's wait and see. Maybe I'll be able to make a choice once everything has settled down."
A hint of melancholy flashed in Song Xi's eyes, but he lowered his gaze to hide it and smiled, "That's fine too. These things aren't something you can decide just by thinking about them. Yangyang, no matter what, I hope you can follow your heart and make a decision you'll never regret."
Li Yang said, "I will."
After seeing Song Xi and Xiao Han off, Li Yang instructed the steward to close the mansion gates: "Uncle Tao, later when everyone is not paying attention, have someone go to the Duke of Luo's mansion to inquire whether Luo Pingping has returned."
When she provoked Luo Pingping to leave, she already knew that to find a royal physician who could treat Li Ting, Luo Pingping would definitely return to the Duke of Luo's mansion to ask her father for help. If the Duke of Luo or Luo Yanzhi knew the whole story, they certainly wouldn't let Luo Pingping out again.
Butler Tao replied, "Yes, Miss."
He called out to Li Yang and whispered, "The young master just left. He was worried about the young master's injuries and waited outside. I just went to tell him what the divine doctor said before he left. But the young master looked very pale; he must have gone to find the person who hit the young master."
Li Yang has already found out who beat Li Ting; it was the Third Prince's brother-in-law. As for the reason, she hasn't asked him yet and can only wait until Li Ting wakes up to ask him in detail.
Li Yang said, "Let him go. He knows what he's doing. By the way, don't tell my parents about this, so they don't worry."
"Yes," Butler Tao replied, turning to leave.
Before Li Yang could figure out how to deal with this matter, less than two hours later, he heard that Song Hezhou had arrived at the Li residence with his men.
He went directly to Li Yang: "I've investigated Li Ting's matter thoroughly; the other party was at fault first. They're willing to compensate you with silver, whatever you ask for. Li Yang, what do you think?"
Li Yang said, "Although my Li family is not a wealthy or noble family, we are not short of money. Lord Song, please thank them for me. I'm just a little curious. Li Ting is not the kind of person who acts rashly and would never fight with someone. What did those people do to cause Li Ting to be so badly injured?"
Song Hezhou avoided her scrutinizing gaze: "I will question them about this."
"Did you arrange this?" Li Yang looked at him and suddenly said forcefully, "You hold a grudge against me, so you're taking it out on my brother, aren't you? Song Hezhou, you really haven't learned your lesson, you're just as wicked as you were back then!"
This matter was somewhat related to Song Hezhou. He just didn't want to see Li Yang so carefree and smug, so he wanted to cause her some trouble. That's why he stirred things up and made Li Ting suffer a bit. He just didn't expect those people to be so ruthless.
Song Hezhou felt guilty after hearing her words, and also felt that she had something on him. He was a little embarrassed and angry, so he stopped explaining and directly admitted, "Yes, it was me who arranged it. I told you long ago that if you mess with me, you have to bear the consequences."
Li Yang sneered, glaring at him: "You wanted to know why the Butterfly Fairy didn't want to see you, right? This is why she won't see you. You're always so stubborn, terrifying, ruthless, and vicious. No wonder no one loves you, no wonder you're so lonely. A person like you deserves to be alone forever; no one will ever truly love you!"
Li Yang understood him, and naturally knew what words could hurt him the most. These words, spoken by her, were like the most venomous snake's tongue, striking straight to the softest part of Song Hezhou's heart.
Upon hearing this, Song Hezhou's sharp eyes immediately turned to her. His grip on the knife tightened and loosened, and finally he pulled it out abruptly, pointing it directly at Li Yang. He gritted his teeth and said, "Shut up! Li Yang, don't think I wouldn't dare to lay a hand on you."
“Then move!” Li Yang stretched her neck toward his knife, showing no fear. “You’d better kill me now. That way you’ll never know where she is.”
Just as her neck was about to grazed the blade, Song Hezhou shifted his knife-wielding hand slightly to the side and asked, "You're her, aren't you?"
There was no fear in Li Yang's eyes: "I only know that if the Butterfly Fairy had known you were such a willful and reckless person, she definitely wouldn't have saved you."
"You're talking nonsense! She wouldn't!" Song Hezhou retorted.
Li Yang stopped answering him and instead looked at him with a half-smile.
That gaze was like a knife, piercing through Song Hezhou's deepest secrets, making it impossible for him to calm down.
"ah!"
He roared and raised his knife high, slashing it towards Li Yang.
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