Chapter 24 My Lover
Yang Qing was still in a daze when she woke up in the morning. Just a few days ago, everyone was fine, but today everything had completely changed. Li Shangxuan didn't bring many people, only seven including Huo Lu, but each of them was a skilled fighter.
Yang Qing had only ever seen them smiling and cheerful in the past, but she never expected their true faces to be so frightening now. She shrank back, and saw that Xin Wanyou, who was being watched, was crying loudly, her face covered in tears, looking very pitiful.
Li Shangxuan was talking to Doctor Xin, so Yang Qing couldn't ask him directly. She could only secretly ask the nearest guard named Jiang Xun, "Brother Jiang, what happened?"
Jiang Xun was always smiling and spoke softly, seemingly having a good temper. But at this moment, his expression was very serious. He said, "This Miss Xin has ulterior motives. She drugged us and wanted to harm you, young master."
Yang Qing was a little confused. Didn't Xin Wanyou like Huo Lu? Why was she now targeting Li Shangxuan?
Thinking of what happened that afternoon, her face flushed slightly, and she couldn't help but connect the two events together. It was highly likely that the drug Li Shangxuan was given was her doing.
When Xin Wanyou saw Yang Qing, her eyes lit up, and she immediately said, "A Xun! Please plead for your brother. I was wrong, I will never dare to do it again."
Both Li Shangxuan and Doctor Xin were drawn by her loud shouting and turned around at the same time.
The renowned physician sighed, "Now you know you were wrong? Where were you before?"
Li Shangxuan whispered to Yang Qing, "Why are you here?"
Although yesterday's experience was quite enjoyable, it was still a very shameful thing to do. So far, only Doctor Xin knows the truth. Huo Lu and the others don't know yet, only vaguely knowing that Xin Wanyou is audacious and wants to harm him.
Yang Qing pleaded, "Perhaps it's all a misunderstanding, and there's no actual harm done. Please let her go, young master."
Xin Wanyou nodded frantically, her eyes brimming with tears, and said, "Yes, yes, I will never dare to do it again. I was so bold that I drugged you with aphrodisiacs. I was blinded by lust, I was like a toad trying to eat swan meat. But I didn't get what I wanted, did I? Please be magnanimous and let me go. I will definitely turn over a new leaf and start a new life."
Huo Lu was the first to burst out laughing.
Li Shangxuan's face immediately darkened. He had been stammering and trying to hide it for so long, but now she had exposed everything at once.
Seeing his unusually pale face, Yang Qing was afraid that he would be like he was in his previous life and immediately order someone to drag Xin Wanyou out and behead her. She hurriedly said, "No one is perfect. It's good that you can admit your mistakes and correct them. Didn't we come here this time to invite the divine doctor back? I heard that Miss Xin's medical skills have been fully passed down. Why don't we let her come back to the capital with us to treat Madam?"
Li Shangxuan remained silent, his face ashen, his mind filled with the thought that his lifelong reputation was ruined. Although he had grown up in the palace, his mother had died early, and the emperor had treated him exceptionally well. Later, he was adopted by Empress Ming, who, while indifferent to him, had never made things difficult for him. There were often wolves and tigers lurking in his shadow, but those were always insidious attacks; no one had ever dared to openly insult him like this.
Yang Qing inwardly knew things were going to get bad. She really liked Xin Wanyou. Perhaps fate between people was just that mysterious. She had won Xin Wanyou's heart, and she wanted to repay her. Naturally, she wouldn't just let her die like that. Disregarding everything else, she pleaded softly, "Please spare her this time. She said she would definitely change. Besides, wouldn't it be more useful to take her back?"
Li Shangxuan remained silent, so Yang Qing could only plead repeatedly. She was truly going all out to ensure Xin Wanyou's survival.
Li Shangxuan finally relented and allowed Huo Lu to release Xin Wanyou first. He didn't say anything to Chi Yangqing, but turned and left.
Xin Wanyou was terrified after surviving the ordeal and rushed into Doctor Xin's arms, tears still streaming down her face.
The divine physician, Shen, was both angry and pleased. He scolded, "What are you still crying for? Hurry up and thank them for speaking well of you!"
With tears in her eyes, Xin Wanyou said to Yang Qing, "Thank you."
She had just learned Li Shangxuan's true identity and felt extremely unlucky. She never expected that the man she finally took a liking to and tried to force herself on was actually the crown prince.
Fortunately, Yang Qing spoke up for her, otherwise she might have really lost her life.
Sure enough, she made this friend in vain.
The weather didn't clear up for the next few days. Xin Wanyou, who was usually carefree, quickly put the near-death experience out of her mind and started chatting with Yang Qing. "Your brother is actually the Crown Prince, so Yang Qing, you're a princess?"
Yang Qing asked in surprise, "Who told you... he's my brother?"
Xin Wanyou said, "Who else could it be? He told me himself. Didn't you admit it before?"
Yang Qing said, "I thought you were talking about Huo Lu, but who knew you were talking about him? Aren't our names easy to guess? We both have the surname Huo, and one is Lu and the other is Qi."
Xin Wanyou said, "I've noticed it these past few days too. When he treats you, he doesn't act like a biological brother, but more like a lover."
Yang Qing blushed. These past few days, because Xin Wanyou had been clinging to her all the time, Li Shangxuan hadn't had a chance to speak at all. She didn't know how she figured it out, so she could only say, "Don't talk nonsense."
Xin Wanyou leaned closer and whispered, "You're so lucky. He's very handsome, but he has a terrible temper. I really thought I was going to lose my head that day; it scared me to death. Ah Xun, thanks to you, you're my savior from now on. When I go to the capital, you have to take care of me!"
Yang Qing said, "Thanking me is useless. When we get to the capital, you will be going to the palace to treat the Empress. I am just a nobody and won't be able to say anything. Since you have so much free time, you might as well go and curry favor with him. He is the Crown Prince, and you will be doing him a favor this time."
Xin Wanyou immediately shook her head and said, "I don't want to. I'm scared whenever I see him. If you ask me to say flattering things to him, my legs will tremble so badly I can't even open my mouth."
As if she had just thought of something, she quickly said, "Ah Xun, don't worry. I only had inappropriate thoughts because I didn't know about his relationship with you. If you had told me earlier that you two were a couple, I wouldn't have made any moves on him, no matter how handsome he is."
Yang Qing said, "I told you to stop talking nonsense, why do you keep saying these things?"
Xin Wanyou said, "Alright, alright, I won't say anything more. You rich girls are all so shy, you're embarrassed to even talk about men. Although girls from farming families may not have as much food and clothing as you, they are much freer in these aspects."
Yang Qing didn't speak. She didn't know many girls from farming families, so she naturally didn't know whether what Xin Wanyou said was true or false, but...
"What kind of aphrodisiac did you take that day? How could a girl like you have such a thing?"
Xin Wanyou laughed and said, "You don't know this, but my mother is not only good at treating headaches, but she is also quite accomplished in treating impotence."
She lowered her voice, "You don't know, there are so many men with erectile dysfunction these days. Even the Ming family has several like that. Our family's business is booming; it's much more profitable than treating patients."
Yang Qing's lips curled slightly: "You'd better behave yourself when you get to the capital. You absolutely mustn't give this drug to anyone else."
Xin Wanyou stuck out her tongue: "How could I dare?"
Xin Wanyou wanted them to go to the capital together. Yang Qing thought for a moment and decided to tell her her identity first so that she wouldn't let it slip in the capital. "Actually, I'm not Huo Lu's sister, and my name isn't Huo Xi. When we get to the capital, please pretend you don't know me, okay?"
Xin Wanyou asked curiously, "Why?"
Yang Qing said, "You said it yourself, girls from wealthy families are all shy. If others find out that I've been with the Crown Prince for so long, my reputation will be ruined. So, you can't tell anyone about this."
Xin Wanyou seemed to be thinking about something, then patted her chest and promised, "I will definitely not tell anyone."
Yang Qing said, "When we get to the capital, we can find another opportunity to pretend we know each other, and then I'll take you to all sorts of fun places. There are so many fun places in the capital..."
Three days later, when the weather cleared up, Xin Wanyou insisted on bringing the chubby little white dog with her when she came down the mountain. Li Shangxuan only glanced at her and didn't say anything.
Xin Wanyou immediately whispered a vow, "Xiaobai is very well-behaved and will definitely not cause any trouble."
Yang Qing was quite happy; she also really liked the puppy.
Although Xiaobai wasn't particularly imposing or as cute as the puppies she'd seen in the capital, it was very intelligent and seemed to truly understand human speech.
Xin Wanyou originally didn't want to put a leash on the puppy, but under Huo Lu's strong insistence, she temporarily made a collar for the puppy out of hemp rope and put it on.
Yang Qing was alright this time going down the mountain. The soreness in her legs had mostly disappeared. She was tired from walking down, but not to the point where she couldn't take another step.
After descending the mountain, they first returned to the Ming family. The eldest son of the Ming family was also surprised to see Xin Wanyou. He did not expect that they could actually succeed. Although it was not the divine doctor Xin who came out of the mountain, Xin Wanyou was not lacking in anything.
Although Xin Wanyou often traveled within Luonan City, she had never ventured far from home and still longed for the capital city, the most prosperous and wealthy place in the world.
After bidding farewell to the Ming family and setting off, Yang Qing's journey was no longer boring. Xin Wanyou always had endless things to say, and that little dog was simply adorable.
But Yang Qing was still occasionally worried. When she left Tongtang Mountain and returned to the Ming family, the eldest son of the Ming family looked at her with a very meaningful gaze. It was probably because the guide had said something to him, such as how Li Shangxuan carried her up the mountain. Anyone would find it unusual.
Although she didn't understand much about these official matters, she could tell from the rumors that the Ming family hoped the Crown Princess could come from their own family.
After all, Li Shangxuan was not Empress Ming's biological son. The affair between Consort Xue and the Empress had been widely publicized, and there were even rumors that Consort Xue was involved in the death of the Empress's eldest son.
However, these are all just rumors, and there is no real evidence to support them.
It's probably impossible to get Empress Ming to truly and completely support Li Shangxuan.
After leaving Luonan by carriage, they had to switch to a boat to return. The little white dog was so excited to see the water that it barked at Xin Wanyou several times before the boat started moving. Xin Wanyou nodded, "You can only play for a little while."
Having received its owner's approval, Little White jumped into the water, splashing up a huge spray.
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