“Things are not what they used to be.” Mother Yu sighed deeply, feeling a pang of regret for the past: “In the world of literature, our family has never been afraid of anyone. It’s just a pity that I haven’t seen a literary gathering in many years. Thinking back on the past prosperity, it’s like a dream.”
"Mother, have you ever witnessed a grand literary event?"
“I only saw it once, before I went blind. Your maternal grandfather took me there, and I was sitting next to him watching him compete with literary giants from all over the country. I haven’t forgotten that scene even after all these decades.”
"Grandfather sounds very impressive. Mother, why don't you mention grandparents' family much?"
"The time is not yet right. The less you know, the safer you are."
Yu Zhi nodded, not wanting to bother her mother with old stories and cause her unnecessary worry.
"Zhizhi, aren't you going to stay another night?"
"We're going back now, Mother. We'll come to see you again another day."
"Okay. When you're not busy, remember to come back and visit more often."
Before even leaving, the pain of parting has already begun.
After escorting Yu's mother back to Baihu Street, Wei Pingxi, without having time for dinner, took Yu Zhi back to the Wei family home.
During her trip, she stopped by Juanxin Villa to retrieve a white jade seal. As soon as she stepped inside, she was overwhelmed by a sea of beautiful women.
Yu Zhi felt a stifling anger in her chest with nowhere to vent it, and all she could hear was the constant chatter in her ears.
Sitting alone in front of the flower garden, the setting sun cast its last rays on her shoulders. Her figure was forlorn. Her two maids, Jinshi and Yinding, told her interesting stories from the streets, but she never smiled.
"The Fourth Miss is very popular with women. My aunt couldn't help but get jealous today. What will we do in the future?"
These words were spoken by Jinshi, a man of steady and reliable nature.
She was a maid given to her aunt by the fourth young lady, and from now on she only needed to serve her aunt.
Little did she expect that her comment about being "jealous" would actually backfire. Yu Zhi perked up and said, "I'm not jealous!"
"If Auntie says she's not jealous, then she's not jealous."
Yu Zhi couldn't reason with her.
"The Fourth Miss is skilled in painting, especially in painting portraits of beauties. The 'beautiful ladies' in the back courtyard are all courtesans that the Miss redeemed from brothels all over the country. Aunt, do you know that the Fourth Miss is asking the 'beautiful ladies' to paint portraits? What should the 'beautiful ladies' do?"
How would I know?
Jin Shi said, "Whenever the Fourth Miss summons you, Yan Ji will offer herself to the Fourth Miss for painting, and she will naturally be naked."
Click.
The small branch broke off in the middle.
Yu Zhi took a deep breath: "I don't care how many women she's seen over the years."
Jin Shi shook his head: "I am saying this to remind Aunt to be mindful of potential dangers even in times of peace. Allowing the Fourth Miss to associate with Yan Ji is probably not a good idea."
How long has she been gone?
Yin Ding hesitated for a moment and then said, "Reporting to Aunt, the Fourth Miss has been gone for almost half an hour."
Finding a seal shouldn't take half an hour.
Yu Zhi stood up: "Lead the way!"
She finally looked like a proper concubine, and Jinshi and Yinding were delighted: "You are the only concubine in Jingzhe Courtyard. If you are willing to improve yourself, why worry about not being promoted to the position of principal wife?"
The legal wife?!
Yu Zhi's initial bravado was quickly extinguished: she hadn't even dared to dream of becoming the fourth young lady's legal wife, yet the people around her were truly audacious...
"How will we know if we don't try?" Yin Ding said confidently, "My sister and I both have high hopes for Auntie!"
"You have faith in me?"
"good!"
Yu Zhi immediately looked at them with newfound respect, thinking to herself: How could they be so audacious as to be willing to be slaves and servants? It would be a waste of their talents to keep them by her side.
Why do you have such high hopes for me?
"My aunt is beautiful."
"My aunt has a good figure."
"The concubine has a delicate nature, which the fourth young lady likes."
"That's right, Fourth Miss not only likes Aunt's spoiled nature, but also likes Aunt to cry."
The two sisters chatted back and forth, making Yu Zhi blush.
Without them saying anything, she noticed it herself: whenever she cried in bed, Xi Xi would treat her with extra gentleness, teasing her as a "crybaby" while her hands lingered tenderly.
"The most important point: the concubine was the fourth young lady's first woman."
"If we can endure this for half a year, given Miss's disregard for etiquette, she'd even dare to take a concubine, and elevate her to the status of wife—that's a piece of cake!"
Seeing the two maids' fierce and aggressive demeanor, Yu Zhi's throat bobbed slightly: "Why must we endure for half a year?"
Jin Shi sighed: "Because the Fourth Miss will never be obsessed with anything for more than half a year. Usually it will be two or three months, and at most five or six months before she gets tired of it and gives it up. So many years have passed and she has only been able to persist in painting."
Half a year.
Yu Zhi's heart sank.
"Then, what about learning martial arts?"
“Martial arts training doesn’t count. The Fourth Miss said that martial arts training is the foundation of one’s character and cannot be compared with worldly things.”
vulgarian.
Yu Zhi stopped there, no longer daring to move forward.
...
After waiting and waiting without anyone coming to urge him, Wei Pingxi said coldly, "Alright, everyone disperse!"
The courtesans swayed their hips and walked away reluctantly.
This fourth young lady, who has been with a woman, should be enjoying the pleasures of it, so why is she still acting like a dog?
They couldn't understand it and speculated that the concubine hadn't won the fourth young lady's heart and would get tired of her sooner or later.
"Where is Zhizhi? Where is she?"
Seeing her pale face, Agate guessed that her aunt's long absence had dashed her hopes of showing off her beauty, and that's why she was annoyed.
She said cautiously, "My aunt... she's wiping away tears in front of the flowerbed."
"What?"
Agate touched her nose: "She cried terribly."
"..."
She hadn't bullied her, so why was she crying? Wei Pingxi was utterly baffled: "Go and see!"
...
"Please, Aunt, stop crying!"
Jin Shi and Yin Ding knelt on either side, their faces filled with fear.
"I...I don't want to cry either..." Yu Zhi's eyes reddened, and tears streamed down her face.
She didn't know why, but she felt scared and felt that she needed to cry to feel better.
Half a year.
Six months is too short.
She had just given herself to the Fourth Miss, and the novelty hadn't worn off yet. In half a year, she didn't know if Yao Chenzi could cure her mother. If he couldn't, they would have to stay in Lingnan Prefecture.
If she were in Lingnan Prefecture, even if the Fourth Miss didn't come looking for her, what would she do if she happened to run into her one day?
Half a year was enough for the Fourth Miss to get tired of her, but it wasn't enough for her to get tired of the Fourth Miss.
Yu Zhi cried until her handkerchief was soaked, and her willow-leaf eyes turned red.
Tears fell on the outstretched petals, and when the wind blew, the teardrops seeped into the soil along their veins.
"Please don't cry, Aunt! Consider this a life-saving gesture! I kowtow to you, Aunt!"
The two sisters were filled with regret. They were too eager to win favor with their aunt. If they had known that their aunt was a crybaby, they would have been too talkative and made alarming claims. Now, they had shot themselves in the foot.
If the Fourth Miss were to see this, she would definitely think that they had made the Aunt cry!
The beauty fought back tears: "I...I won't cry anymore, please get up."
She still couldn't get used to being the master; she felt immense pressure when people knelt down and begged for forgiveness from her.
Upon hearing this, Jinshi and Yinding rose shakily.
Wei Pingxi strode over, and upon approaching, he saw a maidservant with a pale face and a favored concubine who was holding back tears and looking aggrieved.
She gasped, then kicked Jin Shi over: "You think you can get away with this? Bring me the whip!"
Yu Zhi was about to hold back her tears, but when she saw her kick someone without warning, she trembled in fright and tears streamed down her face: "It's not their fault, I just wanted to cry."
She tugged at Wei Pingxi's sleeve, winking at him for a chance to slip away with gold and silver ingots.
If the Fourth Miss wanted to hit someone, how could Jinshi and Yinding dare to run away?
They said some things they shouldn't have, so they deserved to be beaten; it was a lesson learned.
The two sisters knelt there obediently, waiting to be whipped. How could Yuzhi, who was there, just stand by and watch them get beaten?
She sobbed, clinging tightly to the fourth young lady's slender waist, her voice trembling with barely suppressed tears: "Why did you only come now? Did the seal fall into the crack between the bricks? Are you not going to want me anymore?"
Wei Pingxi was suppressing his anger and hadn't yet vented it when she was filled with her complaining and coquettish words.
After a moment's thought, her anger subsided: "So that's why I'm crying."
She turned her anger into joy and smiled as she wiped away Yu Zhi's tears, oblivious to everyone else: "Why wouldn't I want you? I'll want you once we're out the door and in the carriage."
Chapter 24 Let's Dance
The carriage swayed and rocked all the way, bumping and rattling, making countless noises.