"Don't put it so harshly, this is called knowing yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated."
Miss Wei put down her zither, took her hand, and asked her to sit on her lap.
Yu Zhi hesitated for a moment, but before she knew it, her waist was softened by his touch, and she shyly wrapped her slender legs around the fourth young lady's waist.
“My older brother is no good, and he’s no good either. He’s made my sister-in-law live like a widow every night. I’m so glad I could send her a man.”
These words were full of hidden meaning. Yu Zhi was stunned when she heard the secret of the Xun Gui family for the first time. Her face turned red with embarrassment: "You, you are so shameless!"
"I don't care to look at her."
The fourth young lady chuckled, "Not even one of your fingernails is pretty."
"..."
Yu Zhi's breathing was unsteady, and she pretended to be dead with a flushed face.
"As for my second brother, he's a good-for-nothing. He's good for nothing, neither for literature nor martial arts. If you ask me, none of the three sons of the Wei family are any good. But somehow, they have a good reputation outside, a thousand times better than me."
Wei Pingxi's eyes flickered slightly: "By the way, Second Brother always follows Eldest Brother's lead, but that's all a lie. Second Brother and Eldest Sister-in-law have an affair. Unfortunately, I also witnessed it. It was quite intense."
"Not only did I witness it, but I also gave them a big gift. It's a pity that my older brother wasn't around at the time, otherwise, there would have been quite a show to watch."
"So messy? Your house..."
"Don't talk about your family or mine. I'm a respectable person, and I'm sworn enemies with those scheming and despicable people!"
"Yeah?"
A respectable man would prefer his concubine to be naked in the house. Yu Zhi hesitated, then grabbed her collar and pricked up her ears: "What about your third brother?"
“My third brother is alright, but he’s a bit extreme. He values his reputation above all else. If anyone embarrasses him, it’s worse than taking his life.”
"Your third brother won't be with your second sister-in-law..."
Wei Pingxi laughed loudly: "What are you thinking? Third Brother is a womanizer, always chasing after women, never touching a decent girl. I even doubt he'll ever be able to find a wife."
"These are all secrets of the Wei family. You've told me all this, what do you want from me?"
"I'm telling you this so you can be smarter and use someone else's strength against them, which is the most effortless way. Second sister-in-law and eldest sister-in-law don't get along, and every time they meet they have to fight each other openly and secretly, so you can just watch the show."
"If you have the capacity, help me stir up the waters of this mansion even more, so that the eldest and second sons fight like dogs, and life in Jingzhe Courtyard will be more comfortable."
"Oh, okay."
Wei Pingxi couldn't even imagine what it would be like for her to face her two sisters-in-law, given her obedient, gentle, and weak appearance.
"And my mother, who usually takes care of me on my behalf. When I'm not at home, she's your support."
"You're leaving?" Yu Zhi looked up in surprise.
"I'm not leaving." She smiled. "Let's dance."
...
"Dream of My Lover" is a dance that every woman in the Great Yan Dynasty must learn upon reaching marriageable age, and it is known for its tenderness and graceful movements.
A girl could discuss marriage when she reached the age of fifteen, so the dance contained a young girl's beautiful expectations for her lover.
Different people dancing the same dance will produce different aesthetic effects.
Some people dance the "Dream Lover" dance with gentleness and restraint, to show their dignified and virtuous nature.
Some people dance the "Dream Lover" dance with great enthusiasm and boldness, showing that they have a fiery personality and want a true hero who can tame them.
This dance is named "Dreaming of My Lover," which, as the name suggests, is a young girl's beautiful dream of falling in love, and also a sincere prayer to the heavens.
Jumping for your sweetheart carries the implication of expressing love.
When Yuzhi was fifteen, her mother demonstrated it to her once, only once, and she remembered it clearly.
But having not danced for many years, her movements were inevitably rusty, and she was afraid of making a fool of herself and was also very shy.
Wei Pingxi, resting his chin on his hand, grew increasingly interested: "Jump! I'll play the zither for you."
The strings were plucked, and the music began.
The lingering, poignant sound of the zither from the Jingzhe Courtyard echoed in the air.
In Liulan Courtyard, Madam Wei, dressed in a robe, stood by the window, quietly listening to the song "Dancing Beauty".
Halfway through the song, she smiled gently and said, "It seems that Pingxi really dotes on this concubine, as he still has such interest in her at night."
Lord Wei's inner robe was wide open, revealing his strong chest. He was annoyed by the music, but dared not show it, for his daughter was his wife's darling.
His good deed was interrupted, and he pleaded, "Aren't we going to do it?"
"I'm not doing it anymore, it's annoying."
Madam Wei gazed affectionately at the life-size painting hanging on the wall opposite the bed.
The painting depicts a person.
A man.
A man dressed in Confucian robes, whose beauty was unparalleled.
"lady……"
"Kneel down and don't bother me."
Marquis Yiyang looked somber, his handsome face filled with sorrow.
He straightened his clothes, got out of bed, and knelt upright on the thick wool blanket, gazing intently at the back of the person in front of him.
All she left him with was her back view.
...
"Bounce, bounce, bounce! There's never a moment of peace!"
Xingning Courtyard, the residence of Young Master Wei and Young Madam Wei.
That night, the eldest son stayed in the study and did not go into the young mistress's room.
The feeling of being alone in an empty room is unbearable, which makes the sound of music from outside seem even more disturbing.
The young woman, her face full of resentment, covered herself with the blanket and angrily cursed Wei Pingxi for being so inhuman, playing such a terrible tune so late at night!
...
"This is not a bad tune."
The Second Young Master Wei poured himself a drink, with his concubine, her heart brimming with spring passion, lying in his arms: "This is a tune that Mother taught Fourth Sister by hand. I used to hear Mother play it, and now I hear Fourth Sister play it. Do you know who composed this tune?"
The woman was very alluring, with full breasts and a plump bottom, but her face wasn't particularly pretty. Unfortunately, the second young master had a particular fondness for her, and he would indulge in her every few days.
"Guess?"
"Could it be some exceptionally talented woman? I've never heard such a tender melody before in Lingnan Prefecture."
"A talented woman?" Wei Erxiao bent down and slapped her across the face without hesitation: "You've got some nerve, you're tired of living!"
...
The music stopped abruptly.
Yu Zhi collapsed into the arms of the Fourth Miss.
He was covered in sweat, and his temples were slightly damp.
"Beautiful dance," Wei Ping said with a smile. "Beautiful figure."
"Fourth Miss..."
"Go wash up." She released the beauty.
Yu Zhi steadied her breathing and kissed her cheek, her expression quite alluring.
Every kiss is a bonus. Miss Fourth is such a rare beauty that if Yu Zhi were to leave her, she feared she would never find someone she could be compatible with in her entire life.
She went to the bathroom next door, her legs feeling weak.
Wei Pingxi watched her graceful figure until she disappeared from sight. Then, she casually plucked a string of strings, and the music lingered: "Sleep my ass! If I don't sleep, let's see who dares to!"
It would be incongruous for an elegant and exquisite fairy to utter vulgarities, but when it comes to the Fourth Miss, it creates a subtle balance.
She was eccentric; anyone who saw her would be amazed by her beauty at first glance, but no one would covet her if they spent a long time with her.
They were all afraid.
The fourth young lady, with the soft, warm beauty in her arms, drifted off to sleep, and only then did the entire Marquis's mansion truly quiet down.
...
In Liulan Courtyard, Marquis Yiyang knelt on the ground until his legs ached.
Madam Wei lovingly put away the painting, then turned around, her gentle expression suddenly turning cold: "Get out!"
This wasn't the first time Wei Hanqing had experienced her ruthlessness and fickleness. He rolled on the spot, just like a ball rolling out of the inner room.
"The dancing beauty, the dancing beauty, the beauty's dance steals the colors of heaven and earth..." Madam Wei murmured to herself, "It's a pity that the beauty is not by my side. I am left alone in this doghouse, feeling sorry for myself. It's so hard."
...
"My lord!"
His attendants helped the Marquis to his feet.
Marquis Yiyang flicked his sleeve, demonstrating remarkable flexibility and adaptability.
Looking back at the silent Liulan Courtyard, he felt a pang of sadness: "Let's go."
...
In the dead of night, the mysterious Wei family revealed only the tip of the iceberg, truly living up to Miss Wei's words: a family of scheming and despicable people.
Yu Zhi couldn't sleep in the latter half of the night, which meant she should have been exhausted.
She moved closer to Wei Pingxi, as if getting closer would protect her from the unseen dangers, but she forgot that the Fourth Miss herself was a symbol of danger.
Wei Pingxi slept peacefully, unaware of the thoughts and feelings of the beauty in his arms.
The Wei family is a behemoth; any revelation about them reveals shocking secrets of a wealthy and powerful family.
Isn't the Fourth Miss afraid that her shameful secrets will be exposed when she tells her all this?
She worried that the Fourth Miss would get tired of her and kick her aside in less than six months, and that she would never be able to leave this Jingzhe Courtyard for the rest of her life.