Ning You's eyes showed helplessness.
"What are you yelling about if you're not even disfigured? This Wei Pingxi! He's framing me at this critical moment, deliberately trying to make things difficult for me!"
After a long pause, she said, "Bring the person here. I will personally go to the Gan Ning Palace to apologize to the Empress Dowager."
The palace maid who had been hitting the girl clearly knew why the princess had called her, and she was so frightened that her face turned ashen and her body trembled: "Princess! I serve you wholeheartedly! Please have mercy, Princess!"
Ji Qingyao looked down at him and said in a low voice, "The Empress Dowager wants to give Wei Pingxi an explanation. You will inevitably suffer physical pain on this trip."
"You are, after all, one of my palace people. Do you think she's so arrogant that she wants to kill you? The Empress Dowager may dote on her, but can a nephew be more affectionate than a daughter? Put your mind at ease."
"Thank you, Princess! Thank you for your mercy, Your Highness!"
"Get up, don't embarrass this princess."
...
Yu Zhi accompanied the Fourth Miss to drink tea in the Empress's palace. Unlike the Fourth Miss, she was not as carefree and dared not remove her shoes and sit in front of the Empress. She just obediently stayed by the Empress's side.
Her quiet nature was the complete opposite of Wei Pingxi's. Yan Xiu liked her appearance, cherished her sense of propriety, and treated her with great kindness.
"Try this cup of tea, it's a fine tea that's just been brought as tribute from a foreign land."
Yu Zhi accepted the tea with both hands. The aroma of the tea wafted to her nose, and her eyes lit up: "I don't know much about tea ceremony, but I can tell whether it's good or not just by smelling it."
Wei Pingxi was wrapped in a snow-white blanket, so tightly that only her head was showing. She was just doing it for fun. When she heard this, she chuckled and said, "Then you are exceptionally talented, even more so than those who know the art of tea."
Her words were more teasing than praising. Yu Zhi blushed and put down her teacup. The Empress tapped her niece on the head with her finger: "Behave yourself, or you'll suffer later."
Wei Pingxi snorted twice, unconvinced, but she had always loved her aunt dearly and treated her like a second mother, so she wrapped herself in a blanket and shut her mouth.
Seeing her fall silent and subdued by a flick on the forehead from the Empress, Yu Zhi beamed with joy.
With a smile, Wei Pingxi, caught off guard, was taken aback.
The women of the Liu family in Jinghe possess an innate allure; the later they seduce each other, the more captivating their seductive charm becomes.
When you meet the one you love, the beauty that emanates from your heart is enough to make someone live or die for her, and go through countless trials and tribulations for her.
This kind of magic made 'Jinghe Willow' a target of public criticism.
Perhaps it was because the women in the family were born with a charming nature, but the Liu family members were more particular about rules and etiquette than ordinary people.
Liu Zicheng's outburst from the city tower years ago upheld the pride of the scholars of the Great Yan Dynasty, refusing to submit to tyranny and boldly speaking out for the legitimacy of the country.
This completely dispelled people's prejudice against 'Jinghe Willow'.
That's just how the world is, so strange and wonderful. So many people would go bankrupt trying to marry a woman from the Liu family, but those who couldn't get her would inevitably make sarcastic remarks.
Too much sour talk makes it seem as if that heavenly gift is some kind of filth that can't be seen in the light.
When the Liu family offended the Empress Dowager and was expelled from the capital, people would lament, "The world has no more Liu family from Jinghe, and lacks seven parts of their charm."
The Empress watched without flinching as her nephew was captivated by the Liu family's daughter. She smiled slightly, laughing at her hypocrisy and how she had dug her own grave.
Yu Zhi's heart pounded wildly, and she almost awkwardly avoided the Fourth Miss's dazed and infatuated gaze, her ears burning hot.
She hid from being seen, so Wei Pingxi cleared her throat uncomfortably, turned her head and saw her aunt handing her a cup of tea, which she drank without any manners.
The dryness in my throat slowly subsided.
She shook her head, wondering: What's wrong with her? How could she...?
"Your Highness, the Princess has arrived."
Yan Xiu pinched her nephew's cheek: "Let her in."
...
Princess Jiaorong stepped into the palace gate amidst a huge crowd.
The grandeur of the royal family is evident.
The main guest has arrived. Wei Pingxi sat up lazily, his blanket scattered on the table.
She was no longer dazed and confused; her eyes were clear, and she looked thoughtfully at her cousin, who was the same age as her but was born an hour earlier.
After several years apart, she has grown up and looks nothing like her aunt's fairy-like beauty or His Majesty's stunningly beautiful appearance.
She raised an eyebrow: This person must have been found!
Princess Jiaorong stepped into Ganning Palace without looking to the side, tucked her sleeves in and bowed, her voice gentle and soft: "Your subject greets Your Majesty and inquires about Your Majesty's well-being."
She bent down.
Yu Zhi stole a glance before she bowed, feeling slightly disappointed: the only princess of the Great Yan Dynasty looked neither like the Empress nor the Emperor. A question arose in her eyes.
"Get up."
"Thank you, Mother Empress."
The mother and daughter were behaving themselves in a very proper and orderly manner. Just as Yu Zhi sensed something was amiss, she heard a teasing voice coming from inside.
Who else could it be but Wei Pingxi?
"Pingxi greets cousin. How have you been?"
She hastily bowed while sitting on the warm mat. Ji Qingyao looked in the direction of the sound and saw the stunningly beautiful Miss Wei.
Her phoenix eyes were long and captivating, sparkling with light; her lips were red and her teeth white; her face was like that of an immortal.
Like a blooming white lotus flower, it greeted her ostentatiously, its face clinging to the Empress Dowager's side was truly ugly!
She suppressed her astonishment and surprise, which she couldn't share with outsiders, and felt that Wei Pingxi was even more detestable than he was when he was a child.
Seeing her curled up on the mat, covered with the blanket that the Empress Dowager usually used for her naps, hatred surged in my heart.
The more she hated, the calmer she became.
Ji Qingyao smiled and said, "So it's my cousin. From a distance, I only saw a bag, but up close I realized it's my cousin."
Her words were sarcastic, and Wei Pingxi loved her tendency to pick fights. Just as a pillow comes when you're sleepy, she went along with it, saying, "What my cousin says is true. Someone in the harem actually tried to assassinate me. Look at me, look at my concubine."
Yu Zhi looked embarrassed as she saw someone point a finger at her forehead.
Wei Pingxi, as if struck by a sudden inspiration, hooked her little finger with his, and the scene of their intimate gesture made Ji Qingyao feel nauseous.
"I was assassinated in the palace. The assassin smashed my things and ran away. Cousin, do you think the palace is haunted?"
"You, you're being insolent!" Princess Jiaorong exclaimed angrily, "Mother! Listen to what she's saying! What do you mean the palace is unclean? This is the harem you manage, and she actually—"
"She was actually injured." The Empress said meaningfully, "Yao'er, who is the person cowering behind you?"
thump!
The maid knelt down: "Your Highness, Your Highness, spare my life! I didn't mean to hurt Consort Yu, it was an accident, please forgive me!"
Wei Pingxi straightened up: "Oh, so you're the one who hit me. Do you want me to be disfigured, or do you want to see my head explode?"
"I...I didn't! Even if I had the guts of the heavens, I wouldn't have smashed the Fourth Miss! Your Majesty, I didn't do such a thing!"
"You scoundrel! You smashed my head and won't admit it, and you even want my aunt to show leniency? Is there no law in this palace? Or is your face more important than mine? I deserve this bump on my forehead, don't I?"
She was aggressive, and Ji Qingyao naturally couldn't tolerate her scolding her: "Cousin—"
"Shut up, cousin! This scoundrel is yours to deal with!"
She spoke first, leaving no room for silence, Ji Qingyao clenching her fists: "Wei Pingxi! Haven't you caused enough trouble?!"
Princess Jiaorong shouted angrily, and Yuzhi's face turned pale. She couldn't understand why this princess had come up with such a ferocious look.
Wei Pingxi kicked the blanket away, earning a glare from the Empress.
She let out an exaggerated howl and threw herself into the Empress's arms: "Aunt, my cousin is so powerful! Is she trying to beat me to death in front of you?"
Yan Xiu was so angry that she laughed several times that day. She reached out and touched the top of her head: "Why would she want to beat you to death? You, why don't you get up? What kind of behavior is it to lie in my arms like this?"
"I won't get up, I won't get up. If my aunt doesn't help me punish the thieves, I won't get up even if His Majesty comes."
Yu Zhi was dumbfounded: Is this person... is this person being coquettish and unreasonable?
This person is trying to infuriate her! Ji Qingyao watched as she crumpled her mother's exquisite robes in the blink of an eye, and she was so angry that her teeth itched.
She has never received this honor in the past eighteen years.
Not to mention throwing tantrums in his mother's arms, he never even drank a drop of her milk after he was born.
How dare Wei Pingxi? How could she be worthy of her!
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, spare my life! I would never dare to harm the Fourth Miss. I did not mean to injure Concubine Yu. My conscience is already troubled. I am willing to accept punishment for my mistake, but I dare not accept this false accusation!"
The maid cried out in dramatic wailing, and Wei Pingxi's eyes reddened: "Does this young lady deserve to be hit? You wicked servant, you hit me and then try to downplay the seriousness of the situation. What, just because my concubine is injured, I can't punish you?"
She turned around: "Aunt! You must stand up for your nephew!"
Ji Qingyao was so angry that she vomited blood. After swallowing the blood, she smiled and said, "The Empress Dowager rules the harem with benevolence. This servant girl made a mistake on her own. Why do you have to hold a grudge, cousin?"
"Me, holding on to this?" She released her aunt's sleeve, her expression deep. "You won't cry out in pain until you cut yourself. If I hit you and then tell you why you're holding on, would you agree? If you agree, then I agree."
"Cousin, you're being far too spoiled and arrogant."
"Yes, I think so too, but my aunt loves me too much."
Her words struck at the heart, reopening old wounds. Ji Qingyao smiled broadly, then suddenly prostrated herself in deep bow, speaking earnestly: "This servant is from my palace. If she has made a mistake, I, her master, will take responsibility."
"Since my cousin is resentful and unwilling to show leniency, Mother, please punish me and spare this servant!"
She touched the ground with her head.
Seeing that things were not going well, Wei Pingxi quickly got up and kowtowed to the Empress.
After kowtowing three times, she burst into tears: "I finally made it to the palace, and I was bullied even after I got here. Am I being unreasonable? Shouldn't I be punished for hitting someone?"
“I said she smashed my things, so she smashed my things. What kind of person am I to wrong her? If she smashed my concubine, wouldn't that be the same as smashing me? Is there any difference?”
"Mother, I am willing to bear all the consequences! If you want to fight or kill, please come at me, cousin!"
Wei Pingxi raised her head, her eyes blurry with tears: "She wants me to come at her, isn't that bullying an honest person? She's a princess, and I'm nothing. If I hit her, I'll be offending the imperial heir. Am I stupid?"
Although the Empress was just watching the spectacle, she was still concerned about the injury on her forehead: "What do you intend to do?"
The fourth young lady wiped away her tears and said sincerely, "Shouldn't this wicked servant, who has deceived his master, be killed?"
"How dare you!" Ji Qingyao shouted angrily.
She's kneeling here and still can't protect the life of a maid. If word gets out, won't she lose face?
"Someone come here!"