Chapter 22 Who else can she marry if not me? ...
Yang Qing quickly replied, "It doesn't hurt."
Li Shangxuan said solemnly, "If you feel unwell, you must tell me. You must not hide your illness and avoid seeking medical treatment."
Yang Qing then said, "My calves hurt."
Li Shangxuan lowered his eyes and said, "Let me give you a massage."
The two were sitting not far apart. Before Yang Qing could refuse, he naturally leaned down and grasped her ankle, easily placing one leg on his knee. He controlled the pressure in his hand and looked at her expression.
It hurts terribly when touched. They had done this in their previous life, but that was after they got married.
This is really against the rules. Yang Qing tried to pull back, "You can't do this."
The frequency with which she frowned amused Li Shangxuan; her strength was insufficient to contend with his.
He firmly gripped her ankle to prevent her from moving, his words clearly teasing, "What do you mean by 'like this'?"
Yang Qing bit her lip and remained silent, only to hear Li Shangxuan continue slowly, "We've kissed, we've hugged, if you don't marry me, who else can you marry?"
This wasn't a good time to refute, but Yang Qing still couldn't help but say, "No, you forced me to do that, it doesn't count."
Li Shangxuan said, "I forced you? I don't know who crawled into my arms."
Yang Qing was furious and used all her strength to pull her leg back. Unexpectedly, she succeeded this time. However, she had only been free for a short time when Li Shangxuan came over and quickly touched her lips.
Yang Qing retorted angrily, "You shameless bastard!"
Li Shangxuan went along with her: "I have no shame."
Then he kissed her again, but unlike the previous light kiss, this time he also gently licked her.
Yang Qing's face flushed red. Looking at his smiling face so close to hers, she cursed him again, calling him a "rogue," and then quickly covered her mouth.
How can he kiss her like that?
Li Shangxuan changed his target; unable to kiss her lips, he tried to kiss her earlobe.
This action sent chills down Yang Qing's spine. In her past life, he had enjoyed doing this in bed. If this continued, things might get out of hand. She quickly said, "Your Highness, this is really going too far!"
Li Shangxuan then came to his senses. The one who had been teasing blushed even more than the one who had been teased, and once again assured, "I will take responsibility."
Yang Qing exclaimed, "You can't do that!"
Li Shangxuan didn't say anything more, silently massaging her calves. Before leaving, he kissed her cheek again, "Be good."
The head-patting gesture made Yang Qing very unhappy. Was he kidding her? She was now twenty-seven-year-old Chi Yang Qing, while he was only eighteen or nineteen. What was he doing putting on airs with her?
She was just calling him "brother" on purpose to curry favor, but he actually thinks she's his older brother?
Yangqing remained unhappy after he left.
In the afternoon, Xin Wanyou, who had come to see her yesterday, came again, looking very unhappy with a worried expression. As soon as she entered, she asked bluntly, "Qiqi, has your brother already gotten engaged?"
Yang Qing was slightly taken aback before realizing that "Qiqi" was calling her.
This girl is too enthusiastic, it makes it seem like it's immoral for her to use a fake name. I couldn't help but explain, "My nickname is Ah Xun, you can just call me that."
Anyway, apart from her family, no one knew her nickname.
Xin Wanyou nodded: "Ah Xun".
She pressed on, "Tell me quickly, does your brother have a fiancée in the capital?"
Yang Qing thought for a moment. The brother that Xin Wanyou mentioned should now be Huo Lu. Does Huo Lu have a fiancée?
There probably isn't one now, right? His family background wasn't prominent, and it seems there were no elders in his family to take care of this for him. In his previous life, he later married Yang Jiarong's younger sister, Yang Jiayin, and the two of them were always arguing. Jiayin often went to the palace to complain to him.
But why is Xin Wanyou asking this?
Yang Qing shook her head, somewhat confused. "No, why are you asking this?"
Xin Wanyou's face showed an expression of "I knew it!" and she snorted coldly, "I knew it!"
Her expression changed immediately, and a girlish, heart-fluttering smile spread across her face. "Ah Xun! How about I be your sister-in-law?"
Luckily, Yang Qing didn't drink any water, otherwise she would definitely have choked. Why would anyone like Huo Lu?
She carefully chose her tone and asked again, "To be my sister-in-law?"
Xin Wanyou nodded excitedly: "That's right. Your brother actually lied to me, trying to fool me by saying he already has a fiancée. Luckily I'm smart enough to ask you, otherwise I would have really been fooled by him."
Yang Qing pursed her lips, thinking that she had talked too much. This must have been planned by Huo Lu and the others, and maybe her words had ruined everything.
Xin Wanyou continued, "Look at me. I just don't understand why your brother doesn't like me. I'm not ugly. I know you are from noble families in the capital, but I'm not bad either. Besides, aren't you here to invite my mother to the capital? If you marry me, everything will be fine, right?"
She stared with wide, round eyes, her face showing a troubled expression. Her skin was slightly dark, and her lips moved as if she were a sparrow in the mountains, never able to stop for a moment.
But she was indeed beautiful, and her beauty was different from the kind of beauty that Yang Qing usually had. She was like a piece of unpolished jade, untouched by worldly customs and rules, like a happy little deer roaming through the mountains and forests, open and honest about everything, even matters of love between men and women, and like a stream whose bottom could be seen at a glance.
Yang Qing genuinely liked her and was even a little envious of her, but she couldn't make decisions about Huo Lu's marriage, so she could only vaguely say, "Of course you're very beautiful. But marriage isn't just about being good-looking. I don't know what my brother is thinking."
Undeterred, Xin Wanyou remained full of energy. "What's the big deal? As long as he's single, that's enough. As the old saying goes, 'A woman pursuing a man is like piercing a thin veil.' I'm confident I can make him like me."
Yang Qing kindly reminded her, "Then you'd better hurry, I'm leaving after the weather clears up. By the way, didn't you say your medical skills are also very good? It would be nice if you came back to the capital with us."
Xin Wanyou snorted, "I don't want to. If he likes me, I'll naturally be willing to go to the capital with him. But if he doesn't like me, would I be willing to go back with him and give myself away?"
Yang Qing nodded and said, "That's right."
Xin Wanyou's eyes lit up: "I've already thought of a way. Don't worry, I'll definitely become your sister-in-law. When we get to the capital, you have to show me around."
Yang Qing asked curiously, "What method?"
Xin Wanyou said mysteriously, "It's a secret."
She originally wanted to take Yangqing out for a stroll again, but because the rain was getting heavier and Yangqing's legs were hurting badly, she had to leave alone.
Yang Qing lay alone on the bed, locking the door from the inside, preparing to take another nap. She had completely exhausted herself yesterday, and today, not only did her calves hurt, but her whole body felt weak and powerless. Even sitting was uncomfortable, and all she wanted to do was lie down.
Lowering the curtains by the bed plunged the room into darkness, and the air was filled with a faint, bitter herbal scent that was very comforting. Yang Qing, who had a habit of taking afternoon naps, quickly fell into a deep sleep.
*****
Li Shangxuan looked at Xin Wanyou in front of him with a helpless expression. "I didn't take what happened this morning to heart, and you don't need to apologize."
Xin Wanyou smiled and said, "No, just because you don't care doesn't mean I didn't do anything wrong. To show my apology, please have this cup of tea. It's just a cup of tea, and it's only a matter of boiling water for me. You don't need to refuse anymore."
Li Shangxuan looked down at the emerald green tea. A few tea leaves floated to the surface, showing how casually the person who brewed the tea had placed them. However, as soon as he took out the teacup, a fragrant aroma wafted out. This was definitely a fine tea, even better than the tribute tea from the imperial palace.
Li Shangxuan found Xin Wanyou's eager gaze somewhat strange, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Although the Xin family didn't know his true identity, their guide and introducer were from the Ming family, so they should be well aware that his identity was extraordinary and wouldn't do anything outrageous.
But... Xin Wanyou's expression was really strange, full of ill intent. If he believed her, he would be a real fool.
No matter how she tried to persuade him, he firmly refused. After she left, he even threw the cup of tea out the window before he felt relieved.
He listened to the rain outside the window all afternoon. Yang Qing's room was next door, and he really wanted to go and say a few words to her, but he had gone too far this morning, and she was probably angry again, so he decided not to go.
As evening approached, it got dark exceptionally early because of the rain. A young apprentice came to deliver tea and reminded Li Shangxuan that there might be heavy rain that night, and that he should make sure to close the doors and windows before going to bed. Li Shangxuan agreed to everything.
The tea that was brought was very coarse, completely incomparable to the tea that Xin Wanyou had brought before. Li Shangxuan was indeed thirsty. After drinking it, he closed the window and then thought of Yang Qing. What was she doing now?
Are you listening to the pattering rain outside, and thinking about him?
Once that opening was made, the imagination became more concrete, from her rosy lips and watery eyes to the earlobe he had nibbled on this morning, and then to her trembling body with her clothes soaked through that night...
A girl's body is different from a man's; it's soft and light. Two soft mounds of flesh pressed against his chest, as if inviting him to knead them...
No, no, how could he think of such things?
You can't think like that.
Li Shangxuan poured himself another cup of tea and drank it all in one gulp, intending to suppress the irritation in his heart. However, his lower abdomen became even hotter, and he then realized that there was something wrong with the tea.
Indeed, this is the Shen family home. As the daughter of the renowned physician Shen, it wouldn't be difficult for Shen Wanyou to order around a young apprentice. He was simply careless.
He never expected her to be so bold as to give a man such a drug.
She gritted her teeth, trying to clear her head, and was about to get up when the door was opened. Coincidentally, the person who entered was none other than Xin Wanyou.
Seeing Li Shangxuan's flushed face, Xin Wanyou knew the drug was working. Her bright eyes were filled with a triumphant smile. "Haha, aren't you going to end up in my hands anyway? Hey, don't glare at me like that. It's okay, even if you don't marry me, I won't lose out..."
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