Chapter 74 Settling Accounts
Li Shangxuan looked at the person in front of him. The long robe was out of place, with a very long back and wide sleeves that almost reached the ground. It was embroidered with several cranes that seemed to be about to take flight. There was only a single jade hairpin in his hair. The whole person looked strange.
He had secretly read many storybooks from Yang Qing, and the reclusive masters in them were all strange and eccentric.
Zhuo Sigui hurriedly introduced, "This is Mr. Zhao. He is renowned not only in the capital but also in several surrounding prefectures."
She thought that even if she were present, Li Shangxuan would feel embarrassed, so she quickly and considerately took her leave, leaving only the two of them in the empty hall.
Before being invited, Mr. Zhao thought he could make a quick buck from the high-ranking officials and dignitaries, but he never expected to be taken to the palace.
He wasn't exactly a country bumpkin; he'd traveled far and wide for years and met many important people, but this was truly his first time visiting the imperial palace.
His desire for wealth was nowhere to be seen; he was only worried about his son's life. Even if he cured the man, these important people didn't care about their reputation. Would they let him leave unscathed?
Thinking of this, Mr. Zhao's legs began to tremble involuntarily. Even though it was winter, his back was almost soaked with cold sweat.
Li Shangxuan remained expressionless. Seeing his appearance, doubts arose in his heart. He trembled like a leaf, showing no trace of the demeanor of a reclusive master.
Mr. Zhao swallowed hard and hurriedly said, "I see that you are an extraordinary person with a blessed destiny. All the past events are just passing clouds. Your future will surely be smooth sailing."
You can't hit someone who's smiling; just praise them first.
Although he didn't know the identity of the person in front of him, he didn't seem like an emperor, and the age didn't match. The female official had called him "Your Highness," so he must be a prince or some prince's heir. In short, he was not someone he could afford to offend.
Li Shangxuan's heart stirred. The past, the future?
What was said unintentionally was taken seriously by the listener. He had a guilty conscience, so naturally, he started to overthink.
You can't judge a book by its cover, and you can't measure the sea with a bucket. Could it be that this Mr. Zhao really has some skill?
Li Shangxuan dared not relax. The idea of past and present lives was simply too far-fetched, and it was best not to let others know about it.
Mr. Zhao shared the same thought: the more he said, the more mistakes he would make. However, he was adept at dealing with the powerful and influential, and he was also skilled at handling such unspeakable matters. He definitely possessed an art of speaking.
And so, the two of them talked haphazardly, like chickens and ducks trying to understand each other, for a full hour. Each of them still had their own ulterior motives and said their own thing.
Mr. Zhao cautiously suggested taking his pulse first, and Li Shangxuan couldn't help but frown.
Among the books Yang Qing read, there were those about drawing talismans, setting up formations, calculating with fingers, and even shamanistic rituals, but he had never seen one about pulse diagnosis.
But it's nothing, it's just taking a pulse.
Mr. Zhao took his wrist and couldn't help stroking his meticulously groomed beard, muttering to himself, "This shouldn't be. In my humble opinion, Your Excellency is vigorous and in the prime of your life, not like..."
Li Shangxuan finally realized something was wrong: "What do you mean?"
Mr. Zhao continued, "If it's not due to health reasons, has your past been anything unusual?"
Li Shangxuan: "What past?"
Mr. Zhao said, "My esteemed sir, please do not conceal your illness from medical treatment. If you do not tell the truth, I will have no way to treat you."
Li Shangxuan: "Diagnosis? Treatment? I'm not sick at all, why would I need your diagnosis and treatment?"
He suppressed his anger, wondering what Zhuo Sigui was up to. "Tell me, what illness did they call you here to treat?"
Mr. Zhao was also dumbfounded. He thought to himself that he was suffering for being too proud, but he didn't show it on his face. After composing himself, he stammered after a moment, "It's that disease."
He wasn't embarrassed at all, since that's how he made a living anyway, but out of consideration for the person in front of him, he spoke very subtly.
Li Shangxuan's face darkened even more. "Which one?"
Mr. Zhao could only lower his voice: "So it's your erectile dysfunction? But don't worry, as long as you cooperate, I can definitely cure it..."
Before he could finish speaking, Li Shangxuan called Rong Shan in to see the guest off. Zhuo Sigui was already guarding the palace gate, so there was no need for anyone to call her.
Li Shangxuan's face was both dark and red, half from anger and half from embarrassment.
Zhuo Sigui was an old servant of his mother, Consort Xue, and had watched him grow up. He had always treated her with utmost respect, but at this moment he couldn't help but complain, exasperated, "When did I ever say that I had a hidden illness?"
Zhuo Sigui still thought he was just shy and kept reassuring him, "Your Highness, please rest assured, I have already instructed that Mr. Zhao will definitely not go around saying anything. You should focus on getting better first; that's more important than anything else."
Li Shangxuan thought to himself: I'm perfectly healthy.
He was still furious and finished his tea in one gulp. His anger hadn't subsided, but his mind had cleared up considerably.
After a moment's thought, it was perfectly easy to guess where this rumor came from.
He sneered, "Did Yang Qing tell you?"
Zhuo Sigui hurriedly said, "Your Highness, the Crown Princess is already under great pressure from being alone in her chambers. You mustn't blame her any further!"
Li Shangxuan laughed angrily: "I'm not sick. I'll go and teach her a lesson right away."
Zhuo Sigui was startled and hurriedly tried to plead for mercy again. If she had angered Li Shangxuan because of her cleverness, and the Crown Princess had to take the blame for her, she would really feel guilty.
Before she could even speak, Li Shangxuan told her to leave, leaving her no choice but to turn around.
Li Shangxuan then instructed, "You must deal with that person properly. We absolutely cannot let him go out and spread nonsense."
Zhuo Sigui nodded awkwardly: "I'll go after him now, and remind him again."
After Zhuo Sigui's figure disappeared through the door, Li Shangxuan originally wanted to go and settle accounts with Yang Qing, but then stopped after thinking about it.
She's getting more and more outrageous each time; this time he's determined to teach her a lesson.
At this moment, Yangqing, who was completely unaware of what was happening, was still having fun. The warm sunshine shone down as she and Lili and a few others played shuttlecock together. Xiaoman watched longingly from the side, but none of them wanted to play with her.
It's because Xiaoman always shows off her martial arts skills, kicking the shuttlecock high and far. No one but herself can catch it, so no one wants to play with her.
The cat lay sprawled out on the roof, basking in the sun. Little Yellow hadn't fully grown into a big dog yet, but it was naturally calm and composed. At this moment, it was lying on the ground, its pair of bright black eyes fixed on its owner, watching him play.
Recently, the family has been busy with the wedding of the third daughter, Rongyue. The second madam has sent messages to her, but they are all meaningless, just empty words about how she is doing and whether Li Shangxuan is good to her. There is nothing of real importance to them.
However, sometimes, having nothing important to do is the best thing.
When she first entered the Eastern Palace, she was uneasy, but now she has gotten used to it very well.
It would be best if Li Shangxuan ignored her, then she could do whatever she wanted and wouldn't have to repeat the pitiful life she had in her previous life, being coaxed and tricked by him.
If things could stay like this forever, it wouldn't seem so bad.
When it was time for dinner, without Li Shangxuan getting in her way, she ate with extra relish.
Perfect timing! Today's dishes were all her favorites. She ate until she was about 80% full before being persuaded to stop. She played with Xiao Huang for a while, and after digesting her food, she prepared to take a bath and go to bed.
When she came out of the clean room, there was already someone sitting on the bed. It was Li Shangxuan, who was flipping through a storybook that she had casually put there.
Yang Qing was taken aback. Why did he come over?
For some reason, she suddenly had a strong sense of foreboding.
The palace maids were all dismissed. When Li Shangxuan saw her come out, he only slightly lifted his eyelids. Although he threw the book aside, he still did not look directly at her. The corners of his lips curled up slightly, which made Yang Qing feel a little creeped out.
"The Crown Princess seems to be enjoying herself every day."
Yang Qing shrank her neck. Fortunately, winter was approaching and her nightgown covered her entire body, but even so, she still felt chilly around her.
She didn't speak, and Li Shangxuan wasn't in a hurry. He patted the spot next to him, signaling her to come over.
Yang Qing was initially hesitant, but then she thought that she was now the rightful Crown Princess, officially recognized by the imperial register. Li Shangxuan wouldn't dare to do anything to her easily; he would simply use this as an excuse to "punish" her severely, just like in her previous life.
Thinking this way, I wasn't too scared anymore. I slowly walked over and sat down next to him. I saw him take out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket and play with it in his hand.
She couldn't help but let her imagination run wild. What was inside?
Li Shangxuan: "Xin Wanyou has already set off today."
Yang Qing blurted out, "How come it's so fast? Wasn't it supposed to be before the New Year?"
Li Shangxuan didn't reply to her, but instead placed the small blue-and-white porcelain bottle in her hand.
Yang Qing paused for a moment, rubbed it for a moment, wanting to ask what it was, but opened her mouth and then didn't say anything.
Li Shangxuan was very kind this time, and took the initiative to explain without her asking, "Do you remember? This was the medicine she gave me back then."
Yang Qing let out a short "Ah," and immediately felt like she was holding a hot potato. She instinctively wanted to throw it away, but before she could make a move, Li Shangxuan grabbed her assistant first, along with the small porcelain bottle.
He was genuinely pleased at this point: "Do you want to take one yourself, or do you want me to feed you the whole bottle? Choose one."
Even if Yang Qing were heartless, she could guess why he had come here today.
Zhuo Sigui is so unreliable. She clearly said she wouldn't tell anyone, but how did he still find out...?
Apart from this incident, she hasn't seen her even once during this period, so how could she have offended her?
She knew how effective the medicine was, and she would definitely be unwilling to take it herself. But that bastard Li Shangxuan actually threatened her to feed him the whole bottle. That was too much!
After finishing the bottle, will she really survive?
Yang Qing felt wronged, her eyes welling up with tears. Did he want her dead?
Li Shangxuan's eyes flashed, and he urged, "Are you going to choose or not? If you don't choose soon, I'll choose for you."
Yang Qing didn't speak, but slowly poured out a pill from the small porcelain bottle. The small white pill was no bigger than her little finger, but when she thought about what kind of medicine it was and how taking it would cause her to get the same thing as Li Shangxuan, she felt both ashamed and angry.
Why is her life so miserable? Even if she gets a second chance, she still has to marry that scoundrel Li Shangxuan. He has no sense of tenderness or compassion for women. She'll be tormented to death sooner or later.
Clinging to her last glimmer of hope, she looked at him pitifully, but the wicked man remained expressionless, his face unchanged.
Yang Qing truly regretted it. When she was reborn, she should have pestered the Second Madam to find her a master to learn martial arts. She didn't have to become a peerless hero, but at least in this situation, she wouldn't be so easily manipulated by him.
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