Transmigrated Leftover Woman in Rural Style

Unexpectedly, there were others in history who had been burned alive. Li Xiaonuan was horrified when she heard this. Even now, thinking about it, her own actions were no different from that boy's. Fortunately, no one knew she had become different; otherwise, her fate would certainly not have been any better than his.

"What happened to the members of the Li family in the end?" After a long while, Li Xiaonuan finally found her voice.

"Within the three clans, regardless of gender or age, all were beheaded and their heads displayed to the public. His Majesty the Emperor at the time used this as a warning to those who spread heresies and mislead the masses, lest more exceptional talents be ruined in an instant." Prince Jing spoke with an air of authority, startling Li Xiaonuan.

"What about the other clansmen who weren't beheaded?" Li Xiaonuan felt her voice sounded weak, as if she were speaking in an empty room, with only echoes and a hollow buzzing sound.

“They were either enslaved or exiled. Only one branch voluntarily retreated to the mountains, never to concern themselves with worldly affairs, thus avoiding punishment,” Wei Yu replied.

The Li family retreated into the mountains a hundred years ago.

As if sensing something, Li Xiaonuan looked up at Prince Jing. Prince Jing was also sizing her up. No, it should be said that Prince Jing was looking through her, sizing up something else.

Li Xiaonuan swallowed hard, her voice hoarse as she said, "Your Highness, we are not members of the Li clan. Our ancestors have lived in seclusion in the deep mountains for nearly two hundred years and have never heard of such a thing."

Prince Jing snapped out of his reverie, sat up straight, took a couple of sips of tea, and then said, "I know that. Alright, you can get up now. Don't kneel there like an idiot; no one made you kneel."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaonuan pouted. She wanted to reply with a word or two, but instantly remembered the era she lived in, and quickly swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue. Damn feudal autocracy, it was truly infuriating.

She braced herself against the ground, a sharp pain in her knees instantly spreading throughout her body. Li Xiaonuan bit back the groan that was about to escape her lips and stood up, enduring the pain. Only then did she realize that her entire body was trembling.

That was pain, fear, regret, and resentment.

"Why are you standing there like an idiot instead of sitting down? Do you want me to look up to you?" Prince Jing spoke again. Thinking of the injury on Li Xiaonuan's knee, he felt a pang of pity.

Li Xiaonuan felt deeply wronged, but she no longer acted with her usual boldness. Gritting her teeth, she tried her best to sit back down steadily. The sweat that had already dried began to trickle down again. Li Xiaonuan felt dizzy, as if her soul was being ripped from her body, and pain spread throughout her.

Before losing consciousness, she only heard voices calling her name.

"Li Village Girl, Li Xiaonuan, Li Xiaobing," Wei Yu called out anxiously, looking at Li Xiaonuan, who was slumped in the chair and clearly unconscious.

Seeing this, Prince Jing quickly stepped forward to take Li Xiaonuan's pulse. He was horrified to discover that Li Xiaonuan's pulse was weak and slightly erratic, indicating that her condition was very serious.

"Quickly send someone in and get her to a place where she can be treated; her condition is very bad," Prince Jing hurriedly instructed Wei Yu.

Upon hearing this, Wei Yu ran outside and called out, "Xiao Si, quickly tell Qi Ji to prepare a room. Li Xiaonuan has fainted."

Xiao Si slipped in from outside the courtyard, obeyed the order, and disappeared immediately. Seeing Xiao Si gone, Wei Yu returned inside. Li Xiaonuan had already been laid horizontally on the ground by Prince Jing, who was inserting acupuncture needles into her philtrum.

When her philtrum was pierced, Li Xiaonuan only frowned slightly, and then showed no further reaction. Prince Jing was shocked and quickly checked her pulse again, finding that although Li Xiaonuan's pulse had become stronger and more powerful, it was extremely erratic. It was as if she had gone mad from practicing martial arts.

"Your Highness, how is Miss Li?" Seeing the Prince Jing's expression change drastically, Wei Yu couldn't help but ask.

“She’s probably possessed by a demon. I think she was frightened by me. The situation is critical now, and she might not make it. Quickly send someone to find her family and call out to them in her ear; maybe they can bring her back.” Prince Jing wasn’t sure either.

Prince Jing's words left Wei Yu's mind blank, as if something was draining from his body—a very ominous feeling. However, his consciousness continued to carry out Prince Jing's orders.

"Quickly, someone go to Xinzhou Village and find Li Xiaonuan's parents and brothers. Be quick. First, go to the clinic and call her younger brother, Li Xiaogang. Hurry."

Regardless of who was obeying him, Wei Yu issued the order. When he came to his senses, he noticed his fingertips were somewhat cold. Suddenly, he realized that his feelings for Li Xiaonuan went beyond those of a mere business partner.

He walked unsteadily to Li Xiaonuan's side, watching Prince Jing insert needles into several places on her body. Because of the clothing, many acupoints were very difficult to insert accurately, and Prince Jing dared not proceed. Qi Ji arrived with Fei Fei just as Prince Jing was feeling utterly powerless.

"Your Highness, what's wrong? Why did Miss Li faint?" Qi Ji asked anxiously as soon as he entered the room, before even seeing anyone.

Fei Fei breathed slightly behind him, feeling somewhat helpless. She knew Qi Ji was worried about Li Xiaonuan. But thinking about the decisions Qi Ji had made for Chu Lin, she felt sorry for Li Xiaonuan. She thought Qi Ji would definitely suffer in the future.

After bypassing Qi Ji, Fei Fei squatted down next to Li Xiaonuan. She first checked Li Xiaonuan's pulse, then touched the back of Li Xiaonuan's neck and forehead, and said, "Miss Li probably suffered from wind-cold and was also frightened, which caused her to fall into a coma. Everyone, don't worry."

Prince Jing had already sat back down when Fei Fei entered. Hearing what Fei Fei said, he felt relieved. After all, there's a difference between men and women; he had only taken Li Xiaonuan's pulse, and couldn't examine other areas.

"We can't let her lie on the ground. Have someone come in and carry her to my yard," Fei Fei said again.

Upon hearing this, Wei Yu, who was staring at Qi Ji, turned to leave, intending to continue giving orders. But he stopped before reaching the door. He remembered that this was the clinic, Qi Ji's territory.

Qi Ji smiled and walked past Wei Yu as if nothing had happened. She went to the door and called the maids who were waiting outside. The maids carried the stretcher into the house and worked together to lift Li Xiaonuan upstairs. Then they followed Fei Fei out.

Outside the courtyard, Li Xiaogang's anxious voice came: "Sister, sister, what's wrong? Uncle Fei, what's wrong with my sister? Is she sick? How could she..."

As the sound faded into the distance, Qi Ji came to his senses and sat down in the spot where Wei Yu had just been. Wei Yu shrugged and sat down next to him indifferently.

"Your Highness, what did you say? Why is Miss Li so frightened?" Qi Ji asked casually as soon as Wei Yu sat down.

Prince Jing snapped out of his reverie, looking silently at the two young people before him. He hadn't expected that Li Xiaonuan, who could be as stoic as a blanket even if the sky were to fall, would be so frightened by him. Perhaps it was because Li Xiaonuan usually gave him the impression of being utterly fearless.

“I know even if you don’t tell me. Miss Li once told me a thing or two about that painting.” Not getting a reply, Qi Ji answered himself, “However, judging from the current situation, you’ve probably made the wrong move. Miss Li is simple-minded, but she’s stubborn. I’m afraid you’ll only get the completed painting from now on, and the rest will probably never be seen again in your lifetime.”

Qi Ji's words made Wei Yu uncomfortable. He couldn't help but retort, "You talk as if you know Li Xiaonuan very well. I never knew she would tell you that. It seems there really is some ambiguity between you two."

His tone was slightly sarcastic, but Wei Yu himself didn't seem to notice. Qi Ji smiled indifferently and didn't reply. Prince Jing, who had been watching from the sidelines, didn't want to see the two of them bickering, so he spoke up to stop them, saying, "Alright, now is not the time for you to argue. Since young Qi Ji also knows about that matter, let's talk about what to do."