"It's happening again!"
The Third Young Master Wei smashed a blue-patterned white jade cup worth a hundred gold pieces: "Why doesn't Grandfather beat her to death? Mother always protects her!"
The maidservant standing by his side knew he was just saying it in anger. She thought to herself, even tigers don't eat their cubs. No matter how outrageous the Fourth Miss was, or how angry the Master was, how could he really beat her to death?
The Wei family, which was as big as a behemoth, could only tolerate one voice, which was the old man's voice. When the old man hit the fourth young lady, was he really only hitting the fourth young lady?
They weren't hitting the Fourth Miss; they were hitting Madam Wei from afar.
Who could blame them when the Fourth Miss was the Madam's darling?
Who told the lady to be so powerful, wanting to compete with the old man for control of the family?
Being the apple of your wife's eye is so difficult.
Young Master Wei, his brows drooping, hesitated for a long time before asking, "How badly is she injured?"
...
"Fractured leg bone, fractured spine, serious injuries."
After listening to the old doctor's diagnosis, Madam Wei, who was usually kind and gentle, became gloomy as she sat on the edge of the bed.
At that time, the three young masters of the Wei family were staying at the Jingzhe Courtyard where their fourth sister lived. They were all dissatisfied, dissatisfied with their mother's favoritism towards their youngest sister, and dissatisfied that their mother had ordered them to come and visit her while she was unconscious.
Jade once again carried a basin of bloody water out of the house. The sunlight shone on the bloody color, making it very glaring.
Unlike his two brothers, the Second Young Master Wei was not stunned. He scoffed and said, "She is Mother's own flesh and blood. When have we ever hurt or fallen ill? Has Mother ever worried about us like this?"
Years of preferential treatment have alienated the blood ties between siblings born of the same mother.
"Why does she want to take a concubine?" Wei San muttered to himself. "Would Mother really allow her to have her way?"
"Speaking of which, I haven't seen the woman my sister brought home yet. I heard she's extremely alluring, delicate and frail, like the willow branches along the moat."
The second young master smiled maliciously: "Taking a concubine is a man's business. Why is Fourth Sister getting involved? No wonder Grandfather is angry. He hopes that a beating will make her obediently marry someone and stop disgracing our Wei family."
He was clearly tempted by the woman his sister had brought home. Young Master Wei cleared his throat twice with his fist to his lips: "Stop talking nonsense. It's still uncertain whether Fourth Sister can pull through this ordeal."
"A scourge can live for a thousand years and never die."
Wei San Gongzi craned his neck to peek inside with concern, then glanced back at his two older brothers with their eyes half-closed, and said awkwardly, "I'm telling the truth!"
The truth cannot withstand repeated exposure.
In the main room of the Jingzhe Courtyard, Wei Pingxi, who had been asleep for a day and a night, slowly opened her eyes. Yu Zhi was lying by her bedside, her eyes red and swollen from crying, her sobs mournful and plaintive.
Tears streamed down her face, her cheeks were pale, and her clothes were wrinkled.
As dawn broke, magpies chirped on the wall, while Wei Pingxi lay there peacefully, a contented smile on his lips.
It was exactly as she had predicted.
They couldn't kill him, but they were half-dead.
The light in her eyes flickered, as if she were deep in thought. She reached out and placed a hand on Yu Zhi's trembling shoulder: "Don't cry."
Yu Zhi was so engrossed in crying that she didn't hear clearly.
The fourth young lady's smile became more genuine, her skin as white as snow, devoid of any color, and she flicked a finger at Yu Zhi's slender wrist: "She's not dead yet."
Startled by the sudden flick, Yu Zhi was momentarily dazed. Once the daze subsided, she wiped away her tears, and through her misty eyes, she saw a familiar face. Tears streamed down her face again: "You...you scared me to death!"
She hiccuped, which made Wei Pingxi's eyes light up with tenderness: "How old are you? Why are you still such a crybaby?"
Yu Zhi was worried sick about her all night and didn't sleep a wink. When the Fourth Miss woke up, she teased her. She was furious, but couldn't bear to be cold to a cripple, so she leaned closer and asked softly, "Are you... are you still in pain?"
"pain."
How can the pain of a broken bone not be painful?
Wei Pingxi's smile concealed the fierce glint in his heart, and he said in a very irreverent tone, "Come here, let me kiss you."
What kind of time is this to still be thinking of taking advantage of her?
Yu Zhi glared at her.
"During the time I was unconscious, no one made things difficult for you, right?"
Seeing that her face was as pale as paper yet she was still thinking of her, Yu Zhi's heart softened, and she asked with red eyes, "Where do you want to kiss me?"
Wei Pingxi's throat moved, and he touched his lips.
The beautiful woman glanced shyly behind her. There were only the two of them in the inner room. She held the handkerchief and offered it to the door.
Their breaths mingled. Despite his serious injuries, Wei Pingxi endured the pain and held onto that slender waist, biting Yu Zhi's lower lip with all his might.
She groaned in pain.
As soon as they separated, tiny beads of blood seeped from their lips.
Yu Zhi had no words to express her bitterness, only saying that the Fourth Miss was indeed the Fourth Miss, even after being beaten so badly that she couldn't get out of bed, she still remained so fierce.
"Get me some paper and a pen."
Yu Zhi looked at her shyly, as if she wanted to say something, and Wei Pingxi raised her eyebrows: "Go quickly."
She wouldn't die anytime soon and still had the energy to bully people, so Yu Zhi felt relieved. But as she turned around, tears almost welled up in her eyes again.
A writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were brought to her bedside. She looked puzzled and asked, "Why do I still need to write a letter?"
"I have no choice but to write it." Wei Pingxi was in an extremely good mood. The pain of her broken bone had snapped her out of her daze and shattered her hopes. She chuckled, "Do you know why I'm so eager to get beaten?"
Yu Zhi retorted angrily, "Are you asking for trouble?"
"I'm itchy-skinned, not only itchy-skinned, but also incredibly irritating."
"you……"
Yu Zhi wanted to say, "Don't say that," but seeing the Fourth Miss's cold eyes, she was instantly too frightened to utter a sound.
Even when beaten and bones are broken, they still smile. Yu Zhi had never seen such a person before, and she was always afraid of them.
"How can I take you as a concubine without giving you a beating?"
Wei Pingxi's injuries looked serious, but she had endured the excruciating pain of having her intestines ripped open in her previous life, so she didn't care about this little injury.
Yao Chenzi had the foresight to predict that her trip home would be quite painful, so he sent her only the best medicines that money couldn't buy.
She casually wrote: "Whether I bring you back or not, I can't avoid this beating. The Song family is a hopeless mess, whoever wants them can have them, but I don't. If you don't want them, you have to pay the price. If you want to take a concubine, you have to pay the price. My grandfather beat me, so of course you have to pay the price."
After writing a full page, Wei Ping chuckled and said, "I was so foolish before. I just took it when others hit me. Why should I take it? They didn't care if I lived or died, so why should I care about saving face for them? It's better if they lose all face. I need to let them know."
She suddenly stopped.
Yu Zhi asked softly, "What do you know?"
"Know……"
The pages were turned with a slight rustling sound, and she concealed all her emotions: "You know that I am not only the granddaughter of the Wei family, but also the grandson of the Yan family."
Madam Wei paused in her steps.
The beaded curtain was lifted.
Wei Pingxi finished the last stroke of his pen, then looked up and said, "Mother."
“You’re right.” Madam Wei stepped in calmly. “You’re not only the granddaughter of the Wei family, but you also have the blood of the Yan family flowing in your veins. While it’s true that the old man’s beating of you is a grandfather’s right to discipline his grandchild, your leg is broken.”
"Someone come here!"
"lady."
A thin letter was handed to the maid.
“Send it to the Grand Tutor’s Mansion in the capital as fast as possible. If my words have no effect, then the Yan family must seek justice for my son.”
The maidservant bowed and took her leave, holding the letter. Wei Pingxi smiled broadly and said, "Why is Mother angry? I read it carefully. Grandfather is not trying to kill me. He just wants to teach me a lesson. He has disliked me for a long time."
Madam Wei doted on her, so naturally she would do whatever she said. She couldn't bear to scold her or bring up old stories to upset her.
"Zhizhi, quickly call for help."
Yu Zhi stood to one side with her head bowed and eyes lowered. As soon as Madam Wei entered, her lips turned pale with nervousness. Fortunately, she hadn't forgotten what someone had told her in the carriage. She stammered, "Mother, Mother."
Madam Wei's brow twitched, and her gaze fixed on the beauty's injured lips.
Wei Pingxi smiled brightly: "Mother, this is my concubine. Please have someone train her and find an auspicious day to welcome her into the house."
Welcome in?
She used the word "welcome," which surprised Madam Wei: "Are you planning a grand celebration?"
In ordinary households, when a concubine was taken in, they would simply find a sedan chair and carry her in through a side door. In the least particular households, they would wrap her in a quilt and throw her into the bridal chamber at night, and that would be considered her entry into the household.
"Just like my eldest and second brothers take concubines, my Zhizhi should be treated the same way. She is my first woman, and I can't let her be treated unfairly."
The fourth young lady of the Wei family grew up amidst extreme neglect and favoritism. As long as she asked for it, even if she wanted a woman from the palace, Madam Wei could get it for her.
Yu Zhi had never seen her mother so doting on her daughter; the doting was excessive.
She couldn't get a word in edgewise when the mother and daughter were talking, nor did she dare to say much. It wasn't until after seeing Madam Wei off that she took the medicine that Agate brought and fed it to the Fourth Miss spoonful by spoonful.
"bitter."
Yu Zhi was dumbfounded, never expecting that the fourth young lady, who was not afraid of pain, would be afraid of bitterness.
He picked up a piece of candied fruit and was about to feed it to Wei Pingxi when Wei Pingxi tilted his head and said, "You eat it."
Yu Zhi dared not disobey her. As soon as she put the candied fruit into her mouth, Miss Wei, pale-faced, swallowed the medicine spoonful handed to her, finishing the entire broth.
She frowned slightly: "Come here, lower your head."
Yu Zhi put the medicine bowl back, thinking that she was going to kiss her again, and blushed as she chose to comply.
But this intimacy is different from before.
The candied fruit in her mouth was eventually snatched away, and the bitter taste of medicine spread across her tongue, making Yu Zhi gasp for breath.
After a long while, Wei Pingxi let her go, his eyes bright: "Is it bitter?"
Yu Zhi nodded, feeling dizzy, and tears welled up in her eyes and suddenly fell: "Bitter."
Chapter 16 Fearless