066 Looking for someone
Why would His Highness Prince Yu want turmeric?
Song Xi looked at Yuan Chongjing and asked, "Could it be that his illness hasn't been cured yet and he needs Yu Jin to treat him?"
Yuan Chongjing shook his head: "Your Highness had already fully recovered when you were in Yuzhou."
The two fell silent for a moment. Yuan Chongjing thought for a moment and said, "Don't put all your hopes on Yu Jin. When Li Yang arrives later, I'll find an excuse to let you take her pulse. Maybe you can figure it out."
That's all we can do.
There weren't many of them. Yuan Chongjing and Li Yang had already eaten dinner at the Yuan residence, so they only needed to cook for Song Xi, Madam Zhao, and Xiao Han. Li Yang returned with a tray shortly after, saying to Song Xi, "Xiao Han took Madam Zhao's food over; he can eat in the kitchen later. This is yours."
The food was prepared by Li Yang herself; it was vibrant in color and smelled wonderfully delicious. Smelling the aroma, Song Xi realized he hadn't eaten anything since last night. He rubbed his rumbling stomach and said somewhat awkwardly, "I'm really hungry. Wait for me a moment."
Seeing him wolfing down his food, Li Yang smiled and said, "It's alright, no need to rush. Eat slowly, don't choke."
Song Xi smiled, looked up at Li Yang, and said casually, "Yangyang, you don't look too well. Let me take your pulse after we finish eating, as a way of thanking you for cooking dinner for me."
“Great!” Li Yang readily agreed, and said proudly, “Then I’m really lucky. I can get the divine doctor to take my pulse just by cooking a simple meal.”
Song Xi swallowed the food in her throat and pretended to be annoyed: "Then I won't do it."
"No way, you're a grown man, you can't take back what you've said," Li Yang laughed.
Song Xi ate her meal quickly, wiped her mouth casually, took out a pulse pillow from her medical kit, placed it on the table, and gestured for her to put her wrist on it.
Li Yang adjusted her wrists and couldn't help but tease him, "You're really getting more and more careless." How could the Song Xi of the past, who demanded perfection in everything, have done something so casual?
Her attention was focused on comparing the changes in Song Xi now compared to before, and she didn't notice that Song Xi's brows slowly furrowed as she took his pulse.
Song Xi had her switch hands again. Just as Li Yang noticed his unusual behavior, Yuan Chongjing changed the subject again: "Yangyang, when you left, Xiao Taozi asked you to buy something to take back with you. Was it dried fruit?"
Li Yang said, "Yes, but that stuff is too sweet. We can't let her eat any more. We'll go to another pastry shop later and buy her something with a milder flavor."
"Maybe we shouldn't buy it. She keeps asking for it after we buy it. She's not young anymore, and she should limit her food intake a bit. It will be harder to lose weight when she gets older."
Li Yang laughed and said, "You said it yourself. When we get back, don't let her cry even once, or you won't be able to resist buying her this and that."
"I said it, it definitely won't happen again this time," Yuan Chongjing assured him. Seeing out of the corner of his eye that Song Xi had stopped, he immediately looked at Song Xi.
Song Xi secretly shook his head at him. When Li Yang looked over, he pretended to be worried and said to her, "You're too fiery and worry too much. Yangyang, you have to relax in the future. Don't worry about this and that. There's always a way out. Things will be resolved sooner or later."
"Okay, I understand, thank you so much, Doctor!" Li Yang replied politely, unaware of the interaction between the two.
Seeing that Song Xi had finished eating, she got up and tidied up the dishes, preparing to take them to the kitchen: "You guys chat first, I'll take these to Xiao Han."
Song Xi patted her belly, leaned back in her chair contentedly, and said lazily, "Thank you so much to our beautiful and kind-hearted Yangyang~"
Li Yang was amused by him and left with the tray, feeling helpless.
After watching her walk away, Yuan Chongjing immediately asked anxiously, "What's wrong? Didn't you notice?"
Song Xi nodded: "The pulse is normal, but I'm not entirely sure."
"Could it be fake, and Yu Jin is lying to you to protect herself?"
“That’s possible,” Song Xi paused, then asked the question that Yuan Chongjing was most worried about: “But what if it’s true? What if I’m not good enough and haven’t discovered it?”
We still need to ask Yu Jin for clarification.
So the question returns to its starting point: why did His Highness Prince Yu abduct Yu Jin?
Yuan Chongjing stood up and said, "I'll go find His Highness."
Song Xi stopped him, saying, "No need. He's probably doing this for my sake."
If Prince Yu didn't know that Yu Jin had drugged Li Yang, then his actions were likely aimed at controlling Song Xi. Yu Jin's existence was a threat to Song Xi. Even though he and the Empress Dowager had left the palace, if Emperor Mingde knew that Song Xi was born to the Empress Dowager and an outsider, he wouldn't let them off the hook for the sake of the late emperor's and the imperial family's reputation.
Furthermore, if Prince Yu knew that Yu Jin had drugged Li Yang, he could secretly have Yu Jin kidnapped and then openly send her to Yuan Chongjing or Song Xi, which would be a huge favor to them. Favors must be repaid, and this would make it easier for him to gain the loyalty of the Yuan and Song families.
However, both possibilities are closely related to Song Xi. Perhaps Prince Yu is waiting for Song Xi to take the initiative to approach him and speak up, so that he can then naturally give the tulips to Song Xi.
"Tell me the address of the Prince of Yu now, and I will pay him a visit later tonight," Song Xi said.
Yuan Chongjing said, "I'll go with you."
"No need. The more people involved, the more favors we do. I don't want to let him off so easily. You and Yangyang go back first. Don't arouse her suspicion. Just wait for my news."
As night fell and the streets became deserted, Song Xi arrived at a quiet courtyard, following the address provided by Yuan Chongjing.
It was Shang Jin who opened the door. Seeing that Song Xi looked unfamiliar, he immediately became alert: "Who are you looking for?"
Song Xi said, "Find His Highness Prince Yu and tell him that I am Song Xi."
Perhaps because Prince Yu had given prior instructions, Shang Jin's expression immediately relaxed: "His Highness told me to tell you to go back first. In an hour, go to the back door of your residence; you will find what you want there."
After he finished speaking, he immediately closed the door without giving Song Xi a chance to speak.
Song Xi breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed he had guessed correctly.
He glanced at the courtyard gate, then turned back and started calculating the time to wait.
Through the crack in the door, Shang Jin watched Song Xi walk away before closing the door tightly and rushing back to the main hall: "Your Highness, Your Highness, that person named Song Xi has really arrived!"
His Highness had previously instructed him to guard the gate, saying that a man named Song Xi would be coming today. He waited at the gate for most of the day but no one showed up, and he thought that His Highness disliked him and wanted to play a trick on him.
Prince Yu put down his brush, looked at the night outside the window, and said, "It's a little later than I expected. Keep an eye on the time and send the person over."
Shang Jin hesitated, "Your Highness, are you really going to send Madam Yu over there?" Yu Jin had been with their prince for more than four years, and Shang Jin had long regarded her as the prince's woman. Now that he was going to send her to another man, Shang Jin felt a little awkward.
Xu Shan, who was waiting to the side, shouted, "Shang Jin! How dare you question His Highness's decision?"
“It’s alright,” said Prince Yu. Seeing the doubt on Shang Jin’s face, Prince Yu did not want to explain and simply said, “Go do it.”
Shang Jin responded, bowed, and withdrew.
Xu Shan was somewhat puzzled and said to Prince Yu, "Your Highness, why is this matter entrusted to Shang Jin? Your Highness should know that although Shang Jin is skilled in martial arts, he is too straightforward and has no sense of propriety when it comes to his words."
Prince Yu smiled faintly: "This is exactly what I want. Let him spread the word. Don't stop him in private later. Just listen to his complaints and maybe even chime in with a couple of words."
"Your Highness means..."
The Prince of Yu did not speak again, but instead looked down at the words he had just written on his desk.
police.
The warning.
Xu Shan felt a chill run down his spine, and suddenly understood something.
The Prince of Yu said, "This character is written quite well. Don't remove it for the next couple of days; leave it here."
This place was where Prince Yu and his advisors discussed state affairs; placing it here meant they wanted someone to see it. As for who it was, Xu Shan connected it to recent events and had a clue.
"Yes." Thinking of the Prince of Yu's purpose, he bowed his head even lower.
Not long after, Shang Jin came running over, his face covered in sweat: "Your Highness!"
Judging from his anxious appearance, it seemed that something important had happened. Seeing that Prince Yu did not speak, Xu Shan said, "What's wrong? Why are you so flustered in front of His Highness?"
There was no one else in the room. Shang Jin said, "Madam Yu said she is pregnant, more than a month along."
"This..." Xu Shan was at a loss for what to do. Seeing that Prince Yu was still engrossed in his book, as if he hadn't heard Shang Jin's words, Xu Shan knew his intentions and secretly waved to Shang Jin: "How could that be? A month ago we were still on our way to the capital, our carriages and horses never stopped. I think she's definitely lying to you!"
Shang Jin thought to himself that the carriage hadn't stopped, so it wouldn't stop His Highness and her from doing *that* in the carriage. But then he saw Xu Shan frantically winking at him, and Shang Jin realized that His Highness didn't want to admit it.
He wasn't the kind of person to be soft-hearted, and after realizing what had happened, he said with certainty, "Yes, she must have been lying to me. Your Highness, I'll go out and do my work now."
He ran off hastily, then returned in a hurry. Yu Jin, his hands and legs bound, saw Shang Jin return and immediately cursed, "You bastard! Untie me right now! If my body is harmed, His Highness will certainly not let you off!"
Shang Jin turned around and grabbed an even thicker rope, pulling her towards him: "Don't blame me, Madam Yu. I have no choice. We're all just following orders. If you cooperate, I'll tie you up one less time!"
Yu Jin immediately understood that Prince Yu had abandoned her and her unborn child. She struggled and cursed, "You bastard, you beast, let me go! Otherwise, once I can move, I'll tear you all to pieces! Prince Yu! You heartless, despicable woman, you don't even care about your own child, you're worse than a pig or a dog, you better not fall into my hands, just wait until I... sob..."
Shang Jin couldn't stand it anymore, so he grabbed a piece of cotton cloth and stuffed it into Yu Jin's mouth: "Say less, it hurts my ears."
After binding her body and hands and feet twice to ensure everything was safe, Shang Jin found a sack, put Yu Jin inside, and finally carried her out the back door.
It was late at night, and any noise from riding a horse or driving a carriage would attract the attention of the patrolling soldiers. Shang Jin simply abandoned both, carrying Yu Jin along a back road, and finally dropped her off at the back gate of Song Xi's residence as instructed.
After he finished, he hid in the shadows. When Song Xi came out after confirming that it was time, he found Yu Jin and pulled her back into the courtyard before clapping his hands and humming a little tune as he went back.
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