To protect the lives of the Manchu Liu clan, the young emperor openly challenged the Empress Dowager, using his imperial dignity to block the sword hanging over Liu's head. Later, he was forced to expel Liu from the capital.
There are few clues left from the old case, and it is from these few clues that Wei Pingxi suspects that even after Liu Shi successfully left the capital, she still could not escape the Empress Dowager's secret assassination attempt.
Yu's mother's background has been confirmed, but it is a pity that her daughter does not know anything about the Jinghe Liu family.
That makes sense when you think about it.
The Liu family offended the Empress Dowager, and in order to save their lives, they had no choice but to go into hiding.
Yu Zhisheng lived in the cramped Liushui Lane in Lingnan Prefecture, a place where people from all walks of life could hardly survive.
His biological father died early, and he lived with his blind widowed mother. Every day, all he thought about was making a living.
With the ultimate ambition of curing her mother's eye disease, she dared not think of anything more.
The humiliation she suffered in her youth was so deeply ingrained that even now, when she mentions the "Liu family of Jinghe," the girl doesn't dare to think about it.
A pity that Wei Pingxi herself was unaware of surfaced in her eyes.
She remained silent for a long time. Yu Zhi looked over in confusion and saw a pair of eyes full of pity and sorrow.
Unlike before, when she had seen those captivating, smiling eyes, she felt a sudden, unsettling grip on her heart, making it hard to breathe.
Was she pitying her?
Why should we pity her?
Wei Pingxi gently pinched her fair cheek: "If you don't know, you don't know. It doesn't matter."
Whether she knew it or not, she was still her concubine. Even if the Empress Dowager wanted to arrest someone, she would have to get past her first.
Moreover, His Majesty is no longer the same as before. Under his wise rule, the Great Yan Dynasty is prosperous and powerful, far surpassing the Empress Dowager's achievements.
Yu Zhi nestled in her arms, silently counting her heartbeats.
"It seems they really like you."
"Where is it that you like me?" Yu Zhi's voice was soft and gentle: "I'm just benefiting from your fame."
"You're one of my people, so of course you should benefit from my influence. But that's not how it works. If you're really not good, even if you're one of my people, they won't give you a gift."
The First Madam gave a pair of gold-inlaid pearl earrings, the Second Madam gave a red gold pomegranate bracelet, and the Old Madam mysteriously said that she would give her gift later that night.
Yu Zhi was not only not treated coldly when she visited for the first time, but she also received a gift. Who would believe it if you told them?
The Yan family treated her with great kindness and hospitality.
Much of this friendliness and enthusiasm stems from a fondness for the house and its inhabitants.
She loved the younger generation she hadn't seen in a long time, so she treated all the women around her, even the concubines who brought her a bad reputation, as her own family.
The treatment he received was completely different from what he received at the Wei family.
After leaving the Jingzhe Courtyard or Liulan Courtyard in the Wei family, the servants in the mansion all feared and avoided her out of respect for the Fourth Miss, and no one respected or revered her.
Yu Zhi's eyes were slightly moist.
"Why are you crying?" The fourth young lady wiped away the tears that had welled up in her eyes.
"Happy."
Wei Pingxi chuckled: "It's good to be happy, I'm happy too."
"What are you so happy about?" Yu Zhi asked her, her eyes red.
"You are crying tears of joy, while I am overjoyed at the sight of beauty."
Yu Zhi was caught off guard by the compliments, and her cheeks slowly warmed up.
When the Fourth Miss is in a good mood, her sweet words are more beautiful than her songs.
Even when she knew that what she said in bed didn't count, her heart would still tremble slightly at those sweet words.
Wei Pingxi enjoyed watching her blush, and a thought inexplicably popped into his mind—with her beauty and charm in bed, it wouldn't be so bad to sleep with her for a lifetime.
She shook her head.
What's so good about it?
She must be confused!
How can something meant to amuse oneself be kept by one's side all the time?
Looking at Yu Zhi's reddened eyes and fair face, she hardened her heart and pushed her away.
Yu Zhi tactfully got out of her arms, and her heart, which had been pounding just moments before, suddenly felt empty.
She hesitated, the words she wanted to say slipping from her eyes, which held a hint of flirtation. Wei Pingxi suddenly became irritated: "It's time to eat."
"Cousin, cousin, come out quickly! Dinner's ready!"
Just then, Yan Ruqing's energetic voice called out from outside the door. Yu Zhi, receiving a signal, knelt down to straighten her clothes.
"Cousin, don't stay inside, your brother's so bored he's practically rotting away... Hey? Big brother, big brother, why are you tugging at the back of my collar?"
Yan Ruyu's arrival silenced Yan Ruqing's chatter. Through the door, one could vaguely hear the eldest cousin lecturing the second cousin, telling him to follow the rules and not to trespass into the women's backyard.
The door creaked open, and Wei Pingxi, holding Yu Zhi's hand, stepped out.
Having learned her lesson, Yan Ruqing solemnly apologized to her cousin, but Miss Wei dismissed it lightly, saying, "It's nothing to worry about."
She might say it's "nothing to worry about," but if her second cousin rudely spoils her mood, she'll probably get angry.
Yu Zhi knew her temperament to some extent.
Turning the page, Yan Ruqing circled around her cousin with a radiant smile: "It's your first time home, I'm just so excited, I'll never do that again."
He winked at Wei Pingxi, practically as if to say, "Don't worry, your cousin won't interfere with your good time with the beauty."
Yan Ruyu felt ashamed of him and reached out to pull him over: "Be more composed. You were quite proper when you went to the Wei family before, but now you're acting so rudely?"
"Why bother with formalities in my own home? My cousin won't mind!"
Wei Pingxi listened to their bickering the whole way without feeling annoyed.
The hypocritical brotherly affection in the Wei family was laughable, but seeing the relaxed relationship between the brothers in the Yan family warmed her heart.
Yu Zhi lagged half a step behind her, and Wei Pingxi would occasionally glance back at her, pretending not to care. It was like a small pebble being thrown into a calm lake, or a willow branch brushing across the mirror-like surface of water, creating ripples that spread across her heart.
Sensitive people can be the first to notice even if others look at them differently. The fourth young lady kept turning around to look at her. Yu Zhi pressed the back of her hand to her face, trying to dispel the heat on her face.
Despite the cold winter weather, her little face was flushed. Wei Pingxi poked her arm and whispered, "Are you hot?"
"It's not hot."
Why are you blushing like this if you're not feeling hot?
That's fooling the blind.
Wei Pingxi gently pinched her fingertips, pinching them two or three times. Yu Zhi couldn't take it anymore and stopped pretending to be silent. Taking advantage of the fact that the Yan brothers weren't paying attention, she spoke to her in a soft voice, acting coquettishly.
After a while, the two started whispering to each other.
"Grandmother, my cousin is here!"
In the dining hall, one can see a plaque that reads "Food is the most important thing". The Yan family is gathered here. Grand Tutor Yan and the old lady sit together, Madam Wei sits next to the old lady on the left, and Wei Pingxi sits to the right of his maternal grandfather.
Yuzhi was a concubine and was not qualified to sit at the table. Generally speaking, concubines would sit at the same table with each other.
She ate at the same table as the Fourth Miss in the Jingzhe Courtyard every day at the Wei family home. Wei Pingxi indulged her, but that was at the Wei family home. When she came to the Grand Tutor's mansion, she had to follow the rules.
She was thinking of following the rules, but after looking around and not finding a second table, she belatedly realized that no one in the Yan family had taken a concubine.
She stood there awkwardly, feeling a little flustered.
In her moment of utter confusion, a voice saved her: "Are you stunned? Come sit over here."
Seeing her standing there motionless, Wei Pingxi called out to her, "Come here, this is your seat."
There's actually a place for her?
Yu Zhi looked at the smiling Yan family members. Old Madam Yan looked at her with a kind smile, the First Madam was also waving at her, and the Second Madam chuckled at her in a low voice, probably laughing at her for being so shy that her ears turned red after only a few words.
Yan Qingrou gently scolded, "You child, you go to her when she calls you, why are you being so distant now?"
Wei Pingxi couldn't wait for her to come to her senses and got up. He took a few steps forward, grabbed her slender white wrist, and raised his eyebrows arrogantly: "Second Aunt, don't laugh. I just like her delicate face and thin skin."
The second wife made a few teasing remarks with a smile, and the atmosphere was very pleasant.
Yu Zhi stood nervously beside the Fourth Miss, while Wei Pingxi generously squeezed her hand: "Don't worry, with me here, how could I let you suffer?"
The voice wasn't loud, but everyone at the table, including the elderly lady, heard it clearly.
The old lady looked at her grandson with affection, but said to Yu Zhi, "Our Yan family is particular about things outside, but we don't have so many cumbersome rules at home. At home, it's enough for the whole family to be happy. There are many worldly etiquette rules, so we can't lock our hearts up too."
Yu Zhi understood her words, and her willow-leaf eyes finally curved slightly.
Not stupid, but rather quite clever, the old lady had gentle features.
Once all the dishes were served, Grand Tutor Yan announced, "Let's eat!" and the table began to bustle with activity. People were putting food on each other's plates, a stark contrast to the Wei family's atmosphere.
Let alone her, even people who believe in etiquette would criticize her for being ungentlemanly.
"Don't talk while eating or sleeping, that's when it's set aside. Now everyone's happy, and we can't bear to eat in a gloomy mood, so give me a small bowl of tofu fish."
Yu Zhi responded with an "oh".
After spending several months together, she had become accustomed to providing Wei Pingxi with food and clothing. When doing familiar things, she immediately forgot her nervousness and her face showed ease and composure.
"You eat too."
Yu Zhi stared at the crispy duck slices she picked up, blushed, and lowered her head to eat them.
She only picked out the dishes she recognized and ate the ones she didn't recognize, not even knowing how to eat them.
Lingnan Prefecture is in the south, and the capital is in the north. The Great Yan Dynasty has a vast territory, and the differences in food between the north and south are great. Yu Zhi came from the shady alley of the Three Religions and Nine Schools and moved into Jingzhe Courtyard as a concubine for less than half a year. She was pampered with fine clothes and delicacies and her horizons broadened considerably.
It's still not enough for the present.
She didn't want to show weakness or lose face for the Fourth Miss. Looking at the many different dishes and smelling the aroma, she felt a little hungry, but she forced herself to resist.
Wei Pingxi could easily discern interesting details from her face. She was like this even in bed; she didn't like to tell the truth, but with a little manipulation, what she wanted to say would be written all over her pretty face.
She leaned in and whispered in her ear, but Yu Zhi suddenly gripped her long chopsticks tightly, afraid that she might bully someone at this moment.
Miss Wei was far from being such a beast; a soft, gentle laugh escaped her throat, barely noticeable amidst the clinking of glasses at the dinner table.
"Little country bumpkin."