She felt relieved. Wei Pingxi opened his mouth, and suddenly realized: Was this venison? No, this was 'excitement'.
While eating the venison, she exclaimed once again that she had struck gold.
Such a beauty is so pleasant to be with, and even just looking at her is a pleasure.
She hoped to get tired of playing with it later.
And for some reason, I was hoping she could give me an even more exciting experience.
"Want to eat more?" Yu Zhi's hand was held by her, afraid that she would act recklessly regardless of the occasion, and she also felt a flutter in her heart because of her closeness.
"I'm not eating anymore." Wei Pingxi sat there with an air of composure.
Where no one could see, under the table, the fourth young lady brazenly and intimately played with the beautiful woman's delicate hands.
Her technique was skillful, and Yu Zhi slowly lowered her head, her face flushed.
Using the excuse of needing to relieve himself, and taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention at the banquet, Wei Pingxi secretly slipped out the door with his favorite concubine by the hand.
Before long, Madam Wei looked towards a corner, but couldn't find her beloved child, and her expression turned cold for a moment.
With the Empress above and the noble ladies in attendance, she couldn't express her dissatisfaction with Yu Zhi. She could only say that this woman was a vixen who had made her Ah Si infatuated with her.
It's fine if someone goes astray temporarily, but if they lose their conscience as they go down the wrong path, that's something she absolutely cannot tolerate.
She slowly loosened her clenched fist, her face calm and serene.
The first day of the new year.
The palace was filled with the festive spirit of the New Year. The emperor and empress were busy, as were the palace servants. There were hardly any idle people in the vast palace.
The unhurried fourth young lady took Yuzhi's hand and ran to a quiet, secluded place.
Yu Zhi was about to speak when her mouth was blocked. She was leaning against a wall, facing a passion that she couldn't refuse yet felt shy about.
Young, hot-tempered, and with a knack for causing trouble, this is probably a talent that Xi Xi was born with.
Clutching at her clothes, Yu Zhi inexplicably thought: Doesn't she get tired?
Thinking about how I've been so tired lately that I don't know whether it's day or night and I can't get enough sleep, while the Fourth Miss is like a fresh, fat fish pulled out of a fish tank—always splashing around.
It's definitely better to practice martial arts.
...
Marquis Yiyang stopped every three steps, carefully avoiding the palace servants, and arrived at the hidden place written on the note.
The sound of footsteps approaching from afar entered his ears. Wei Pingxi subconsciously tried to calm the beauty down, but Yu Zhi was struggling to breathe and felt dizzy.
Separated by a wall.
The wind whistled.
Wei Hanqing waited and waited, growing increasingly impatient.
He had drunk wine at the banquet earlier, and when he saw the king again more than ten years later, who was so high and mighty and whose beauty was unparalleled, he felt ashamed of himself and dared not hate him, let alone kill this extremely dangerous man.
As a young girl, Ji Ying, the son of a deposed empress, stood out among the princes, possessing abilities and cunning that were unparalleled.
He endured more than a decade of hardship to become the crown prince.
After more than a decade of diligent governance, he became a powerful and respected emperor who commanded the respect of all under heaven.
He feared Ji Ying even more than he had feared the late emperor.
"You invited me here, why have you not shown yourself yet?"
The familiar voice startled Yu Zhi, who was in a daze. She tried to push away the person on top of her, but Wei Pingxi suppressed her and she was powerless to resist.
With a gentle touch, the Fourth Miss placed a finger on the beauty's acupoint and kissed her tenderly.
A breeze stirred in the Imperial Garden as Ji Qingyao arrived alone: "My Lord."
Wei Hanqing looked at her suspiciously: "Your subject has met the princess before. I wonder why Your Highness has secretly summoned me here?"
Wei Pingxi subtly concealed his aura and lightly pressed his fingertip against the corner of Yu Zhi's lips.
Their eyes met, and Yu Zhi's alluring gaze regained some clarity as she quietly held her breath.
Ji Qingyao looked around, took two steps forward, and stared intently at the unfamiliar man.
Lady Wei has already disappointed her. She doesn't know if this man has the courage to become her ally, but things are what they are meant to be. Since she has gone to great lengths to stand here against everyone else, she must make sure that Marquis Yiyang becomes the weapon in her hand.
She remained silent for a long time, her expression strange. Wei Hanqing, having finally used the excuse of 'urinating' to escape, could not linger: "If the princess has nothing more to say, then I will—"
"father."
Marquis Yiyang was in a daze, thinking he was hallucinating.
"Father, after eighteen years, your daughter has finally seen you again."
Her words were so moving that they brought tears to my eyes.
On the other side of the wall, Wei Pingxi's back was stiff, and his breath grew cold.
Chapter 59 Love and Sword
The banquet at Ganning Palace was still in full swing.
After exchanging a few words with the wife of the Vice Minister, Madam Wei couldn't help but glance towards the corner—
Her daughter gazed at the woman's profile with a deep smile, her fair fingers casually playing with a small silver knife used for cutting meat. The knife was tossed into the air but then fell back into her hand as if it had eyes. As a woman, her calm and leisurely demeanor was the most striking feature.
Almost everyone in the capital knows that the fourth young lady of the Wei family has chosen to take a beautiful concubine instead of getting married.
The concubine was five years older than her, possessing a seductive charm and a gentle, affectionate nature.
Some people despise Wei Pingxi's actions, but the Fourth Miss is, after all, from a noble family. The Marquis of Yiyang has been ordered to move back to the capital, and who knows when His Majesty might give the Wei family an important position.
The fact that the palace bestowed vegetables upon the Marquis's residence on New Year's Eve was a genuine act of imperial favor.
Moreover, Wei Pingxi has a beloved aunt who is the Empress. The Empress would gladly cook and clean for her nephew. His Majesty, loving her so much, would surely protect this niece and the Wei family.
Those who came to the banquet wished they had been more cautious.
Wei Pingxi's behavior was consistent with her usual style. Having seen enough beauties, she watched the dancers swaying their hips on the stage, but found it all rather uninteresting. Instead, she exchanged glances with her favorite concubine.
Yu Zhi blushed shyly at her teasing; to outsiders, it looked like a junior flirting inappropriately.
The Empress, seated on the throne, looked at him with doting eyes.
Yan Qing stopped staring at her daughter and instead looked at her elder sister's brow. Before Yan Xiu could notice, she lowered her head and slowly drank her wine.
The plum wine didn't make him drunk, but as he drank cup after cup, Wei Pingxi's hands were cold, his heart was chilled, and his teeth were chattering slightly.
It's not a very intoxicating drink, and it's fine to drink a lot; people just think she needs to cut through the grease from eating too much meat.
The Fourth Miss's actions were meticulous; apart from Yu Zhi, who could see the chaos and desolation in her heart?
The truth is often cruel.
Yu Zhi dared not recall the words she overheard through the wall. Every word was like a knife piercing the Fourth Miss's heart, the tip of the knife pointing out, and she gritted her teeth, not daring to let the blood flow.
She looked at the person who was putting on a bright smile and couldn't understand how she could still smile. She admired her ability to swallow her pride and suffer in silence, but felt even more sorry for her.
In heaven and on earth, there is at most only one Miss Wei.
She was afraid she would break it.
I'm afraid she won't be able to handle the blow.
Wei Pingxi put down his wine cup and joined the ladies in the festivities, then eagerly exchanged auspicious greetings with his aunt.
She was always sweet-talking, and even Madam Wei, who knew her well, didn't find anything unusual about her.
Yan Xiu's beautiful eyes sparkled with a gentle smile, and with her golden words, she bestowed many fine items upon the recipient.
Such kindness aroused Yan Qing's suspicions.
The suspicion hasn't subsided since last night.
Even if it's a beloved niece, repeatedly showering her with excessive praise and rewards is going too far.
She knew her older sister well. Her older sister was a very discerning person. She had more than one nephew, but she was particularly fond of Xi Xi.
Rather than treating Xi Xi as his own daughter, he treats her like a biological daughter.
My own daughter.
She scoffed lightly.
The child is hers; she sacrificed her own flesh and blood, spending eighteen years carefully raising and caring for him.
No one can take it away.
She calmed herself down, still bothered by the Empress's kindness to her daughter, and wondering if the Empress had begun to doubt what had happened back then.
Fortunately, my sister is a smart person. Smart people not only rely on intuition when doing things, but also on irrefutable evidence.
The imperial bloodline is of paramount importance, concerning the dignity and prestige of the royal family. It cannot be determined by mere words; one cannot simply say what is true and what is false.
Only what is convincing can be truly legitimate.
Those who know about this will not betray her; Fushou Palace is an enemy of His Majesty, and will certainly not be a benevolent person who 'corrects the wrongs'.
Yan Qing smiled slightly.
She really wanted to know how her older sister was feeling right now—wanting to acknowledge her daughter but not being able to, having doubts but not being able to speak out, how painful and conflicted that must be.
The plum wine was sweet and sour, and she tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp.
As the sun set in the west, the banquet officially began, with the emperor and his ministers gathering at the Rende Hall.
Princess Jiaorong helped the Empress Dowager out gracefully. The Emperor and Empress sat together, toasting and exchanging drinks, celebrating the occasion with the whole nation.
Marquis Yiyang was drinking his wine absentmindedly until Marquis Fuyang nudged his arm, bringing him back to his senses.
He feigned being unable to hold his liquor and sighed, "I'm getting old, getting old. Only today, witnessing His Majesty's extraordinary demeanor, do I truly understand what it means to be a supreme ruler, blessed by Heaven..."
His Majesty has held the top spot on the list of beauties for many years, and no one can shake his title as the most handsome man in the world. Marquis Fuyang greatly admires the current emperor, and upon hearing this, he laughed heartily and said, "The Great Yan Dynasty has His Majesty, and its subjects have His Majesty. How wonderful!"
He got quite drunk, and Wei Hanqing kept his composure, not daring to look at the princess beside the Empress Dowager.
However, His Highness's words kept echoing in his ears: