"Auntie, would you like to go for a walk?"
"Hmm? Can we go shopping?"
Yin Ding smiled and said, "Auntie is the Fourth Miss's person. There is no place in this palace that the Fourth Miss cannot go. You can rest assured."
Yu Zhi once again witnessed how favored the Fourth Miss was. In such a vast palace, how could the Empress allow her niece to run around like this? Just how much did she dote on her?
Although the Zhehua Palace is nice, it's not as bright and spacious as outside. Yuzhi couldn't stay still: "Okay, let's go for a walk outside."
Gold and silver ingots paved the way for her.
...
"You're a sensible person now, you shouldn't mistreat those around you. I heard from the Empress that your favorite concubine is from the Liu family of Jinghe?"
Wei Pingxi held a cup of tea in his hands, marveling at how the Emperor and Empress, even though they were thousands of miles away in the capital, could not hide the slightest movement from their eyes.
"Don't blame your uncle for sending people to investigate thoroughly. If you want to take a concubine, we must know what kind of family background and character she has."
"Auntie, you're overthinking it. Your nephew is more than grateful."
She spoke with poise and grace: "The Liu family of Jinghe is renowned for its stunning beauty. Their women are naturally alluring. Uncle and Aunt, please tell me, is my choice of concubine acceptable?"
The Empress always doted on her, and even though she knew she was showing off, she still played along.
The Emperor, however, raised his long eyebrows and said jokingly, "Since she is so good, why are you still unwilling to accept the jade bracelet that your aunt bestowed upon her?"
He deliberately brought up the very thing she didn't want to talk about, so Wei Pingxi shut up. After a while, she hugged her aunt's arm and said, "Aunt, would it be alright if Xixi slept with you tonight?"
"..."
His Majesty's face suddenly showed a hint of grievance.
A quarter of an hour later, Miss Wei was expelled from Ganning Palace by the good-natured Emperor, and the palace servants who accompanied her couldn't stop smiling.
Wei Pingxi lightly dusted off his sleeves and glanced back at the palace: "Hmph, stingy."
"You're jealous of Xi Xi too?"
"Your niece is no pushover."
The Empress chuckled, "So what? She's still my niece. You know that she's the one I dote on the most among the younger generation of the Yan family, and we get along very well."
The incredibly handsome emperor, still shaken by the near loss of his wife to a younger generation, asked, "How long is she going to stay in the palace?"
"Stay as long as you want."
...
In the Imperial Garden, Yu Zhi went out to admire the plum blossoms and was suddenly hit on the forehead by a hydrangea ball.
When Jinshi and Yinding returned from picking flowers, they found her crouching on the ground, head in her hands. They cried out anxiously, "Miss, Miss, what's wrong?"
Yu Zhi's eyes were red. She released her hand from her forehead, revealing a pebble-sized bump on her fair forehead.
Jin Shi picked up the embroidered ball that had fallen a few steps away and asked, "Who threw this? Was Miss injured by this?"
"It was this very thing. I was standing here admiring the plum blossoms when this ball suddenly flew over, and I couldn't dodge it in time and got hit."
Yin Ding looked distressed and put his hands on his hips, saying, "Which scoundrel smashed my young lady's jewelry? Step forward!"
A shout went unanswered, and there was no one around; it's likely the person who smashed the object had already fled.
The two women, having failed in their duty to protect their mistress, were filled with remorse: "Miss, let us help you back and apply the medicine first. Thank goodness there was no blood..."
If this leaves a scar, they will be unable to atone for their sins even if they die a thousand deaths.
Yu Zhi was also still shaken. The swollen area was still throbbing with pain. She suppressed the urge to complain and let the maid help her back to Zhehua Palace.
...
Did you hit it?
"Your Highness, you've been hit! A huge bump has swelled up on his forehead; it looks terrifying!"
The maid was gloating; it was undoubtedly her who did it.
Princess Jiaorong smiled, tossing a string of pearls to her: "This is for you. That Wei Pingxi is just a lowly subject, yet she dares to compete with me for the Empress Dowager's favor. I can't touch her, but I can't touch a concubine."
...
"Miss, Miss, please walk slowly."
Jinshi and Yinding escorted Yuzhi back to the palace, and they bumped into the Fourth Miss at the entrance of Zhehua Palace.
Before Wei Pingxi could speak, a smile played on his lips, he suddenly noticed that the beauty's eyes were red.
Her smile faded: "What happened?"
Upon seeing her, Yu Zhi suddenly felt like she had found a pillar of support. At first, she didn't feel wronged, thinking that she was just unlucky to get hit even when she went out to admire the plum blossoms.
Meeting the Fourth Miss's clear, cold eyes, she felt aggrieved and wanted to cry: "I got hit, it hurts so much..."
Wei Pingxi's expression suddenly turned cold, and without saying a word, he carried her inside.
Suddenly, the maids in the Zhehua Palace became busy, some preparing medicine and others fetching water.
Yu Zhi sat on the soft couch, her eyes brimming with tears. The pent-up frustration she'd held back all the way finally burst forth: "It hurts so much, be gentle..."
Tears streamed down her face, and Wei Pingxi felt a surge of annoyance: "I haven't seen you for long and you've gotten into this state. Who did this?"
"I don't know, they just smashed it and ran away..."
Wei Pingxi was amused by her words, and said resentfully, "Then don't let me find her. She doesn't like me and comes to bully you. I'll definitely help you kill her if I get the chance!"
"Be gentle."
"Am I not light enough?" she said, feeling extremely distressed.
Her concubine was delicate, and she had always treated her with great tenderness, even in bed she always had some strength left.
She didn't even have the heart to smash it, but it got smashed by outsiders after coming to the palace?
When will this swelling go away?
"It will take at least three to five days."
Three to five days?
Yu Zhi hugged her and wiped away her tears: "That looked so ugly..."
"Who can argue with that?"
"..."
Realizing he had said the wrong thing, Wei Pingxi smiled and tried to comfort her.
Little did she know that Yu Zhi had been unintentionally stabbed in the heart, and was in so much pain that she couldn't breathe. No matter how she tried to comfort her, she wouldn't listen.
"Sigh, don't cry."
Yu Zhi sobbed in her arms, and Wei Pingxi was at her wits' end: "Go and invite Physician Song, and ask her to come to Zhehua Palace immediately!"
"Yes, Fourth Miss!"
The Empress's beloved niece had just arrived at the palace, and before the day was even over, the palace servants of Zhehua Palace invited Physician Song to come to the door.
Upon hearing the news, Madam Wei rushed over, only to find that it was Yu Zhi who was injured, not her beloved child. Her heart sank, but her expression remained grim: "How did she get hurt?"
"I was hit by a hydrangea ball."
"Hydrangea?"
"This is it."
Wei Pingxi pointed the "hidden weapon" to his mother, his eyes arrogant: "This is a slap in my face. Isn't my concubine my face? He hit someone and ran away, sure I wouldn't dare to make a big deal out of it."
Just as Madam Wei was about to advise her, she saw Wei Pingxi pick up the embroidered ball and smash it hard against her forehead. In no time, a bump appeared on her forehead.
She sneered, "Jade, go tell my aunt that her harem is not safe. I was attacked by assassins, so I'm leaving. I'll pack my bags and leave tomorrow, and go back to Lingnan."
Jade was terrified, staring at the bump on her forehead, and gasped, "I'll go right now!"
Madam Wei was alarmed: "Why take your anger out on yourself?"
She dragged her daughter to find Doctor Song.
The door opened, and the female doctor had just finished applying medicine to Yuzhi. She turned around and saw another bag. Upon closer inspection, she realized that the person carrying the bag was the fourth young lady whom the Empress Dowager doted on like her own daughter.
"Oh dear, what's wrong?"
Wei Pingxi smiled and said, "There are assassins in the palace. They ran away as soon as they smashed things up."
"..."
Who would believe that if I told them that?
Who would dare to disrespect this master in the Zhehua Palace?
Yu Zhi's eyes were red at the corners, and she stared blankly at the fourth young lady whose bag was even bigger than hers: "You..."
"Does it look good?" she asked, pointing to the bump on her forehead.
Yu Zhi hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke: "Ugly."
"Ugly is good enough." Wei Pingxi gritted his teeth inwardly.
The person who hit her thinks they can just run away? That's not how dreams work.
She's a ruthless person; when she gets ruthless, she'll even smash herself. A concubine might have no recourse if she's smashed, but what if the 'thief' smashes her instead?
We must dig three feet into the ground to find it.
Things have blown up.
--------------------
Chapter 37 Fighting for a Sense of Pride
"Does it hurt?" Yu Zhi, despite having a bump on her forehead, felt sorry for the Fourth Miss's bump. What would happen if such a beautiful fairy were disfigured?
She was very worried, but Wei Pingxi didn't understand her worries: "It's nothing, I just hit it a little too hard. It hurt a moment ago, but it doesn't hurt now."
"Come here."