027 Exchanging Secrets
Li Yang looked at him quietly without saying anything more, waiting for his answer.
The atmosphere between the two was subtly tense. Yuan Chongjing looked down at the pebbles on the ground, and after a long silence, he looked up at her and said calmly, "It wasn't me."
Hearing his answer, Li Yang didn't know how she felt.
I was somewhat disappointed, but also inexplicably relieved.
The person who disappointed me wasn't him.
He breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't gone up the mountain in such terrible weather, risking that the rain would worsen his still-healing injuries.
Yuan Chongjing explained, "It was Song Xi who saved you. He seemed to have an urgent matter to attend to in Xishan, and he found you unconscious on the ground. After bandaging your wounds, he went to inform me. He said we had been arguing and asked me to give you a chance to forgive him. After seeing that your high fever had subsided, he left."
Li Yang chuckled and said, "You're quite honest."
Yuan Chongjing pursed his lips, not responding to her words, and scooped some porridge out of the earthenware pot: "Song Xi said you caught a cold last night, and you should drink some porridge to warm yourself up when you wake up this morning."
Li Yang didn't take it, turning her head to look at the cave entrance: "It's too bland, I have no appetite."
As if he had expected this, Yuan Chongjing put the porridge on the ground and took out an oil paper package from his sleeve: "This is some pickled vegetable shreds that I exchanged with the people who came to the mountain to collect herbs that I met earlier. Try it."
As he spoke, he took a small piece of pickled vegetable from the oil paper package, tore it into shreds, placed it on the oil paper package, and pushed it in front of her.
Li Yang turned his head and looked at the black juice seeping from the pickled vegetables, which had almost completely stained his fingertips. He didn't mind, and ladled himself another bowl of porridge. It was a little hot, so he bent down and slurped it around the rim of the bowl. When he looked up, he saw her staring at him, and he smiled, looking rather innocent and shy.
Li Yang's heart suddenly softened.
She picked up the bowl, ate the pickled vegetable shreds, and slowly drank it all.
After they finished eating, Yuan Chongjing diligently washed the earthenware pot and bowls and put them back in their original places. Seeing that she was leaning against the wall, he rushed to help her: "Li Yang, can you still walk?"
Li Yang didn't want to miss this opportunity to be intimate with him. But when she thought about his body, she gave up: "Yes, you can help me."
A fleeting, unreadable thought crossed Yuan Chongjing's eyes, so quick that even he couldn't quite grasp it. He took Li Yang's arm, and the two slowly walked outside.
Upon reaching the cave entrance, Li Yang immediately stopped: "The herbs are still there."
Yuan Chongjing looked back. The medicinal herb, which she had carefully protected, had not withered after a night of wind and rain; on the contrary, it looked even more vigorous. He said, "Song Xi said it's not needed now."
"Huh? Oh, okay." Li Yang was a little disappointed, but didn't ask any more questions: "Let's go then."
They walked and rested intermittently, and it took them more than an hour to reach the foot of the mountain. A carriage was parked at the fork in the road ahead. The driver saw them and went over to say, "Young Master Yuan, Young Madam, please get in the carriage."
The man looked unfamiliar, so Li Yang asked, "Brother Jing, is this the carriage you called?"
Yuan Chongjing was also somewhat confused. Before he could answer, the coachman said, "Young Master Yuan asked me to wait here."
Li Yang knew Yuan Chongjing very well; she could tell at a glance that this carriage was definitely not one he had called. She asked the driver, "Who sent you?"
The coachman's gaze lingered on the two men for a moment. Remembering what Song Xi had said before leaving—that if anyone recognized him, he should say his name—he smiled and said, "It's Young Master Song."
Since it was Song Xi who called for it, there shouldn't be any doubt about the car. Li Yang said to Yuan Chongjing, "Get in the car."
The carriage incident was unexpected. Yuan Chongjing gritted his teeth, his sense of defeat reaching its peak after Li Yang boarded the carriage and leaned against it, eyes closed in exhaustion. His desire to regain his memories intensified. Perhaps, when he was twenty-three, after five years of experience in officialdom, he would be more prudent in his dealings and would certainly handle matters better than Song Xi.
Li Yang couldn't care less about his thoughts at the moment. The swaying of the carriage made her dizzy head throb even more. She dozed off and woke up along the way. When the carriage finally stopped and Yuan Chongjing helped her out, Li Yang found that they had stopped in front of Song Xi's house.
The coachman said, "Young Master Song said that bringing you here is fine, someone will pick you up."
As soon as she finished speaking, the gate was opened from the inside, and Qiuqiu came out: "Young Master Yuan, Young Madam, you're back. Please come in and rest."
Fearing they might worry, she explained, "Master has already made arrangements, and the Yuan family has also sent someone to inform them. Master said that the young mistress has a high fever and has left a prescription. Young mistress, please take the medicine and rest for a while before going back, so as not to worry the people in the mansion."
Yuan Chongjing also advised her, "Your face looks very pale right now. If your mother and Xiao Taozi see you when you go back, they will worry. Rest for half a day first."
Li Yang nodded, thanked the driver, and then went into the courtyard with him.
Qiuqiu closed the gate to the mansion and walked at the back: "I'm still brewing medicine in the kitchen, Young Master Yuan, could you go and check on it for me? I'll take the young mistress's pulse again and see if the dosage needs to be adjusted."
Yuan Chongjing had no suspicions. He helped Li Yang to the main hall, sat her down, and then went to the kitchen in the direction Qiuqiu pointed.
Qiuqiu took out a pulse pillow: "Young Madam."
Her head was spinning even more. Li Yang leaned back in her chair and placed her right hand on the pulse pillow. "Please, I'm sorry to trouble you."
Qiuqiu placed three fingers on her wrist, looked up at her pale face and dark circles under her eyes, and felt a little sorry for her, but still asked, "Young Madam, what happened? Young Master Yuan came back yesterday, bringing a woman and a child with him. He insisted that they stay here to see my master for treatment. My master doesn't allow anyone to come in, but Young Master Yuan insisted, so I had no choice but to let them in."
Li Yang's eyelids twitched, and she managed to open them with some strength: "A mother and child?"
Qiuqiu nodded: "They are still staying in the side room. The child fell ill and is unconscious. I asked her who they were, but she wouldn't say. Later, I heard Young Master Yuan call her Biyun, and that's when I found out that she was the former wife of the Duke of Luo's mansion who caused such a stir recently."
Seeing that Li Yang remained silent, he continued, "It's strange, the child's condition is very unusual. I wasn't confident enough to administer any medicine, so I could only keep his pulse steady. Madam Biyun was worried about him and cried all night, and Young Master Yuan stayed by his side with her..."
"Please!" A sharp shout came from outside the door, successfully stopping Qiuqiu from saying anything more.
Song Xi is back.
Qiuqiu was so frightened that she immediately stood up, lowered her head, took two steps back, and dared not look at him.
Song Xi's face was extremely gloomy. He coldly said to Qiu Qiu, "Get out!"
Qiuqiu didn't even dare to argue, and quickly ran out with her head down.
Song Xi sat down in his original seat and asked with concern, "Yangyang, how are you feeling?"
Li Yang gave a wry smile: "I'm a little dizzy, but I can still manage. Young Master Song, I heard from Brother Jing that the herb is no longer effective?"
While her hand was still on the pulse pillow, Song Xi reached out to take her pulse and casually replied, "Yes, I've found a substitute herb, so don't worry. As for you, you're really weak right now, so don't think about so much. Just rest well for the next couple of days, eat and drink well, okay? I'll figure out a way to help your husband with his acupuncture."
Li Yang smiled silently, noticing Song Xi's bloodshot eyes and the undisguised exhaustion on his face. He must have been working non-stop these past two days, caring for his seriously ill grandmother while also thinking about her and Yuan Chongjing. He must not have been eating or sleeping well. She sincerely thanked him, "Thank you, Mr. Song."
Song Xi said, "I'm fine. A grown man can't be bothered by a little hardship."
He spoke casually, while carefully observing her expression. He thought about the rumors he had heard on his way back, and wanted to comfort her, but felt that he was not good with words and that saying anything would only increase her sadness.
Li Yang noticed his embarrassment and hesitation, and said with a smile, "Young Master Song, you might as well speak your mind. Such hesitation is not like your personality."
“I…” He opened his mouth with difficulty, and finally said with a heavy heart, “I heard some things on my way here.”
It's better to end the pain quickly than to drag it out. It's better for him to say these things so that she can be mentally prepared.
Song Xi said, "I heard that yesterday Yuan Chongjing ran into the former wife of the Duke of Luo's son on the street. Her son had been unconscious in the mansion for a long time, and they had sought medical help everywhere without success. Desperate, she turned to Yuan Chongjing for help. Yuan Chongjing took her to the Duke of Luo's mansion, but the gates were tightly closed. They knocked for a long time, but no one answered. In a fit of anger, Yuan Chongjing smashed down the gates, broke into the Duke's mansion, and took away the young master of the Luo family. Now people outside are saying that Yuan Chongjing... and this former wife of the Duke's son were old acquaintances, and that they had a close relationship, and that they might have already... had an affair."
Some even say that the background of this young master Luo may still need to be verified.
He couldn't bear to say the rest.
Li Yang's face slowly turned ashen, almost bloodless, her eyes vacant, staring blankly ahead, lost and dejected.
Song Xi comforted her, "These are all just rumors. You know how rumors spread by word of mouth; they become completely different from the truth. Maybe Yuan Chongjing only helped her out of pity. You've been married for five years; you should know him better."
Li Yang's body slumped limply against the chair, as if boneless. Hearing Song Xi's words, she raised the corners of her lips in self-deprecation: "Understand? Yes, I understand him very well, even better than I understand myself."
Therefore, she knew that Yuan Chongjing, in his current state, was indeed capable of abandoning her and helping Xu Biyun.
Perhaps, given Yuan Chongjing's temperament before he lost his memory, he would have made the same decision.
And what about her? What does five years of dedication amount to?
Five years—she devoted all of her prime years to him alone.
Her expression slowly turned to despair, which stirred a pang of heartache in Song Xi: "Yangyang, he will see you."
"He can't, he's blind, he can't see."
After Li Yang finished speaking, seeing Song Xi's confusion, she gave a smile that was more like a grimace and slowly said, "Actually, we are a fake couple. Five years ago, we got married for some reason. He has never liked me. I was infatuated and thought that feelings would grow over time. I thought that as long as I stayed by his side, he would eventually fall in love with me."
Song Xi was somewhat incredulous: "How could that be? Everyone says you two are very much in love."
"That was all fake, a carefully orchestrated performance. I fooled everyone, including myself. But Brother Jing was clear-headed; he was clear-headed from beginning to end. Young Master Song, isn't that ridiculous?"
As she spoke, her eyes were gloomy, but not a single tear came out.
Song Xi looked at her, his eyes filled with tenderness. He pondered for a moment, then changed the subject, "Yangyang, let me tell you a story."
Li Yang knew he wasn't a carefree person, and that he must have some purpose in bringing this up now, or perhaps this 'story' was no small matter, and more likely something extremely important to him. She politely declined, saying, "But I don't want to hear the story right now, I'm sorry, Young Master Song."
Song Xi's expression stiffened for a moment, then she immediately resumed her usual playful demeanor: "It's a really fun story, I'm sure you'll be happy to hear it."
Since he was so enthusiastic, Li Yang couldn't refuse him any longer: "Tell me what you think."
Song Xi crossed her arms and leaned on the table, looking up at her: "Have you heard of the Sixth Princess?"
The Sixth Princess was born to Consort Jia, the niece of the current Emperor and Empress Dowager. It is said that she was born with a serious illness that has left her with difficulty walking. Because of this, the Sixth Princess has a volatile temper and has spent most of her time practicing Buddhism outside the palace with the Empress Dowager. Even when she returns to the palace, she rarely leaves her chambers. Therefore, even now that the Sixth Princess is in her early twenties, the number of people in the palace who have seen her can be counted on one hand. Outsiders know even less about the Sixth Princess's appearance and character.
Li Yang nodded: "I've heard some things about her. Have you ever treated her?" He was a renowned physician, so it was understandable that he was invited by the palace to treat the Sixth Princess.
Song Xi said mysteriously, "Do you know why the Sixth Princess is like this?"
Before she could answer, Song Xi excitedly said, "Because the Sixth Princess is a man."
Because he is a man, he is afraid of being discovered, so he cannot stand, walk, or speak in front of outsiders.
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