002 Prenuptial Agreement
Hearing her voice as if she was about to cry, Yuan Chongjing finally turned his stiff head to look at her.
A pair of large, black, agate-like eyes were filled with tears, as if they were about to burst into tears at any moment.
"my daughter?"
He paused for a moment before struggling to utter the unfamiliar title he had never used before.
“Yes,” Li Ying comforted her, stroking Xiao Taozi’s body, “She was born the second year after we got married, when you took office in Chenzhou.”
As she spoke, she hugged Xiaotaozi in her arms and wiped away the tears on her cheeks: "Xiaotaozi, be good. Daddy is sick, that's why he can't remember you. From now on, Xiaotaozi will make sure Daddy eats properly and takes his medicine, and then he will remember you."
Little Peach sniffed, blinked her big eyes, and asked Yuan Chongjing pitifully, "Really, Daddy?"
Afraid that she would cry again, Yuan Chongjing nodded perfunctorily, "Really, really."
Little Peach finally smiled with satisfaction, her eyes, washed clean by tears, shining brighter than any luminous pearl Yuan Chongjing had ever seen. His heart suddenly softened.
Li Yang tapped Xiao Taozi's nose and teased her, "Eek~ You're crying and laughing at the same time. A little slug is going to crawl out of your nose soon."
Startled, Little Peach burrowed into her arms twice, crying, "No, no~ Little Peach doesn't want a slug~"
She dodged Li Yang from all sides, her gaze inadvertently falling on the red spot on Yuan Chongjing's left chest. She immediately cried out, "Daddy's bleeding! It hurts! Little Peach, blow on Daddy's wound!"
After she finished speaking, she kept arching her small body outwards.
Helpless, Li Yang had no choice but to hold her and suspend her above Yuan Chongjing so that she could blow on his wounds.
Little Peach puffed out her cheeks and blew on the pillows four or five times before looking at Yuan Chongjing: "Daddy, does it still hurt?"
Li Yang answered before Yuan Chongjing could, "It doesn't hurt anymore, it doesn't hurt anymore! Your father is a man, he doesn't feel any pain!"
She quickly put Little Peach down on the ground and secretly swung her arm. Although Little Peach was young, she was quite chubby. Holding her and suspending her in mid-air, she really couldn't hold on for long.
In the past, Xiao Taozi and Yuan Chongjing had the best relationship. Even after hearing Li Yang's words, she still waited anxiously for Yuan Chongjing's reply.
Seeing that Li Yang's nose was beaded with sweat from exhaustion, Yuan Chongjing's eyes flashed with a smile. He then looked at Xiao Taozi pitifully and said, "It hurts, Xiao Taozi, can you rub it on Daddy's nose again?"
Having said it so naturally, Yuan Chongjing immediately realized that the word "father" came out of his mouth very smoothly.
It was as if he had said it many times before, without his knowledge.
His expression immediately turned somewhat unpleasant.
Little Peach didn't know why his emotions had changed so quickly, and looked at Li Yang for help: "Mother?"
Li Yang smiled gently at her: "Little Peach, Daddy's wound needs a dressing change. Little Peach, stand still and wait for Mommy to change Daddy's dressing."
"Okay~" After getting Li Yang's explanation, Xiao Taozi grabbed the bed sheet by one leg and obediently stood to the side.
Li Yang reached out to untie the bandages on Yuan Chongjing's body, but he reacted quickly and pressed the blanket down to stop her from moving: "Go and call Beihai to come and change my bandages."
Li Yang gave him a charming and shy look: "Why are you being so polite with me, Brother Jing? What part of your body haven't I seen?"
"Shut up! Don't you dare call me that!"
Seeing his face turn red with embarrassment again, Li Yang felt a surge of satisfaction. She raised an eyebrow and said, "You're shy now. Little Peach, tell me, what does Mother usually call Father?"
Little Peach smacked her lips, mimicking how Li Yang usually addressed her, and called out in a high-pitched voice, "Brother Jing~"
Li Yang burst into laughter and pinched Xiao Taozi's chubby cheeks: "You're such a good daughter!"
Little Peach leaned against her leg and giggled.
The boy was stubborn and straightforward, so he couldn't be teased too much. After Li Yang had had enough fun, she quickly composed herself and said, "Alright, I'll take Xiao Taozi out first, and then Bei Hai will apply the medicine for you."
She knew that Yuan Chongjing would definitely want to inquire with Beihai about what had happened in the past five years.
Besides, she has more important things to do.
Yuan Chongjing pulled the blanket over himself, not wanting to pay any attention to her.
Li Yang reached out and patted the blanket covering his face. After seeing him shiver, she left with Xiao Taozi, completely satisfied.
Bei Hai was still waiting outside. Li Yang said a few words to him, then coaxed Xiao Taozi to go play first, while she went into Yuan Chongjing's study alone.
On the night of their wedding, Yuan Chongjing wrote a prenuptial agreement stating that their marriage was merely a matter of mutual consent and that they had no feelings for each other. He wrote this agreement out of guilt towards her, stipulating that if Li Yang were to request a divorce during the marriage, he would agree unconditionally and without principle.
The agreement was made in duplicate, with each party holding one copy.
Now that Yuan Chongjing has lost his memory, he absolutely must not see this agreement.
She had already searched their room thoroughly, but couldn't find even a trace of the agreement. Now it seemed very likely that Yuan Chongjing had hidden it in his study.
Fortunately, in order to show their affection for each other, Yuan Chongjing had previously said that she could freely enter and leave his study.
The guards at the gate saw it was her and didn't even stop her; they simply opened the gate and let her in.
Yuan Chongjing's study was very large, occupying three rooms. There were six bookshelves alone, not to mention the books on them. The agreement was only a single sheet of paper; if he had just randomly slipped it into any book, she wouldn't have been able to find it so easily.
Li Yang paced anxiously around the study twice, his gaze finally settling on the bookshelf in the far corner.
Shortly after their marriage, they went to Chenzhou, where they stayed for nearly four years before returning. This long career in officialdom had molded Yuan Chongjing into a cautious and shrewd man. Such an important document as the agreement, if discovered, would be an indelible blow to his career. He would definitely hide it in the most unexpected place.
This excludes the area around his desk, where he often frequents.
Li Yang arrived at the bookshelf on the far north side.
When they were in Chenzhou, their life was hard, and the writing materials he used were not of the best quality. In other words, if the paper was left between books for a long time, the ink would definitely bleed when it got damp. Yuan Chongjing would definitely take it out to air it out occasionally. Thinking about it this way, she just needed to find those relatively clean and tidy places on the bookshelf.
Li Yang flipped through three or four books in a row, but couldn't find the agreement. She carefully put them back in their places, then eagerly pulled out the next one. Just as she was about to open it, she heard a voice from the doorway, "Li Yang! What are you doing!"
Li Yang's hand trembled, and the book was about to fall. She quickly reached out and grabbed it, secretly moving the muscles in her face before turning to him with a normal smile: "Brother Jing? Why did you get out of bed? The doctor said you shouldn't move around too much these next few days."
Yuan Chongjing had changed into a white brocade robe, over which he wore a loose light-colored long gown. His full head of black hair was held in place by a jade hairpin. He still looked very weak, but his inner aura remained strong and prominent. Leaning against the doorframe, his gaze fixed on the book in her hands, he asked, "What are you doing?!"
The study was a sensitive place, and the way she looked made it seem like she had sneaked in to search for something.
Li Yang pointed to the basin next to her: "I'll clean it. You haven't been here for almost half a month, and it's covered in a layer of dust. I was thinking that you'd definitely need to work here after you recovered, so I cleaned it for you in advance. What, is that not allowed?"
Following her gaze, Yuan Chongjing saw a basin of water on the wooden shelf, containing a damp cotton towel. The water in the basin had become so murky that sediment had settled.
He had nothing to say, so he could only say, "From now on, you are not allowed to enter the study without my permission."
Li Yang slowly put down the book, lowered her head and rubbed the hem of her clothes, then looked up at him somewhat uneasily: "But Brother Jing, you said before that I could enter the study at will. Everyone in this mansion knows that."
As she spoke, she looked at Beihai, who was standing behind Yuan Chongjing.
Bei Hai chimed in, "The young mistress is right."
Yuan Chongjing was already feeling down and gloomy, and now the two of them were talking back and forth, making his heart ache: "Whatever, I'm not watching anymore. Beihai, help me back."
"No, please!" Li Yang rushed over to support him. "Brother Jing, what book do you want to read? I'll find it for you."
Li Yang's hand had just touched the corner of his sleeve when he shook it off: "No need!"
Having suffered repeated setbacks at Li Yang's hands, and with his wounds still throbbing, Yuan Chongjing's frustration intensified.
Li Yang withdrew her hand, which had been slapped red by his clothes, and after making sure the two of them left, she suppressed her smile and returned to the bookshelf to continue flipping through books.
After working for most of the hour, they still hadn't seen a trace of the agreement.
***
After all that commotion, Yuan Chongjing developed a fever not long after returning to his room.
Fortunately, Dr. Tao, who treated him, lived not far away, so Li Yang quickly asked Bei Hai to invite him over. She then wet a cotton towel to wipe his hands and face.
Yuan Chongjing, however, was extremely uncooperative, turning his face from side to side to avoid her touch.
The two remained locked in this silent standoff, and before long, Li Yang lost her patience. Just as she was about to speak, a startled exclamation came from outside the door: "What happened? Why did she suddenly develop a fever?"
It's Madam Yuan.
Before the maid could lift the curtain, Madam Yuan strode in, her face full of worry and anxiety for Yuan Chongjing: "My son, let your mother see you quickly."
Following behind her was the eldest young mistress, dressed in a light pink floral print fitted long dress. Her skin was fair and radiant, and her almond-shaped eyes were slightly upturned, their dark pupils glancing left and right. Suddenly, her gaze met Yuan Chongjing's in mid-air, and she immediately took a half step back, feeling somewhat guilty, and hid behind Madam Yuan.
Taking advantage of the fact that Yuan Chongjing dared not resist in front of Madam Yuan, Li Yang folded a cool cotton towel and placed it on Yuan Chongjing's forehead, then automatically stepped aside, making room for Madam Yuan by the bed.
Madam Yuan smoothly took her place on the stool by the bed and reached out to touch Yuan Chongjing's face.
She barely touched him before recoiling from the heat of his skin. Frowning, she scolded Li Yang, "Second son's wife, how have you been serving me! You can't even give me a grandson, and now you can't even take care of my son. What good are you to the Yuan family!"
The eldest young mistress chimed in, "Yes, sister-in-law, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but our second brother has just woken up and needs someone by his side right now. How could you let him get out of bed and go to the study? What could be more important than our second brother's health?"
Li Yang lowered her head and listened quietly to their teachings, not daring to refute them in the slightest.
Seeing how obedient she was, a stark contrast to the hot-tempered, unruly girl he remembered, Yuan Chongjing widened his eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping over her. Just as he looked away, he noticed Madam Yuan staring at him curiously.
"mother?"
Madam Yuan's brow remained furrowed: "You used to argue with me every time I said something like this. Why not now..."
Could it be that because of what she said, he's considering divorcing her and remarrying?
“Son,” Madam Yuan’s heart skipped a beat, and she advised, “Don’t have any dirty thoughts. Your wife has been with you all these years and has suffered all kinds of hardships. She raised Xiao Taozi for you all by herself in that desolate Chenzhou. You can’t divorce her just because she can’t give birth to a son!”
As she spoke, she couldn't help but glare at her eldest daughter-in-law.
It's all the eldest sister's fault. If she hadn't rushed over to tell me that the second son's condition had worsened again, and said it was all the second son's wife's fault for not taking good care of him, I wouldn't have had to come over so late.
At this moment, the eldest young mistress could no longer care about her mother-in-law's thoughts. If Yuan Chongjing really divorced his wife and remarried, and the new wife gave birth to a son, wouldn't half of the family's property have to be divided up in the future?
She smiled slightly, with a warmth that was completely out of character for her: "Mother, my second brother isn't that kind of person. My sister-in-law is so virtuous. During the two weeks my second brother was in a coma, she took care of him without taking off her clothes. Look at how thin she's become, her face is smaller than the palm of your hand. How could my second brother bear to see her like that?"
The room was brightly lit, and Li Yang dared not laugh too loudly, so she had to suppress it. Everyone used to say that her sister-in-law's face-changing skills were the most impressive, and seeing it today, she truly witnessed a level of mastery that was unparalleled, divine, and unpredictable!
Yuan Chongjing was so confused by their noise that he irritably shooed them away: "I know, Mother, you can go out now. The doctor will be here soon."
Madam Yuan feared that if she stayed any longer, her second son would keep thinking about divorcing her, causing further unrest in the household. She pulled her eldest son's wife out, saying, "Alright, alright, second son, you lie down first. Second son's wife, take good care of him."
Li Yang nodded, then personally escorted them to the door before returning to her room to wait for the doctor to arrive.
Seeing that she remained expressionless throughout, Yuan Chongjing asked, "Does my mother often scold you like she did just now?"
Li Yang shook his head, saying nonchalantly, "It's not that often. My mother is easily swayed. Sometimes she listens to my sister-in-law's words and worries that you won't have a son to carry on the family line. So when she's in the mood, she'll say a few words. It's nothing."
"Then why didn't you resist? You used to hate it when people criticized and lectured you," Yuan Chongjing asked.
Li Yang glanced at him, her eyes sparkling with affection: "Isn't it because of you? You always stood up for me whenever Mother scolded me."
Yuan Chongjing felt a chill run down his spine from her gaze. Without thinking, he casually brought up a topic: "Why...don't we want to have any more children?"
Li Yang's gaze lingered on him for a long time before finally settling on his private parts. She raised one corner of her mouth mischievously and said, "It's not that I don't want it, it's that I can't. Your body... can't handle it."
Yuan Chongjing: "...Li Yang! Get out of here!"
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