In two hours, he had seen the woman's body naked.
The women of the Northern Region were warm and open; it was a beautiful encounter.
Before leaving, the woman handed her a token, a curved knife about three inches long, which was one of the few things Wei Pingxi liked.
The Fourth Miss spent nearly half an hour writing the letter to the Holy Maiden of the Northern Region, and Yu Zhi was so jealous that she kept turning the vinegar jar upside down.
Wei Pingxi finally put down her pen. She wanted someone to massage her wrists but couldn't find the figure. She frowned: "Zhizhi?"
"Dead!"
Yu Zhi said defiantly from outside the door.
"How can a dead person still talk?" Wei Pingxi got up and walked out the door, sitting with her on the stone steps in front of the door: "My wrist hurts, let me rub it."
Yu Zhi grabbed her hand, and the Fourth Miss clicked her tongue: "Be gentle, if you twist your hand with such force, how will you get through the night?"
"..."
After spending so much time together, Yu Zhi finally understood that this person was exactly what was described in storybooks as "abusing his beauty to commit crimes," relying on his good looks to act recklessly.
Resigned to her fate, she softened her pressure and carefully massaged her.
In the twelfth lunar month, the wind is cold, but blowing on your face brings an unexpected sense of clarity.
Wei Pingxi was still thinking about the men and women who died for her in her past life. In truth, she wasn't close to them; some were just casual acquaintances, yet they had caused others to sacrifice their lives.
She always acted in a carefree manner, never caring about the future. Knowing what happened after her death in her previous life, one can imagine the emotional impact she had.
"I like your body, but you'd better guard your heart. If you love me and I can't reciprocate, I'll have no choice but to lose you and never see you again."
Yu Zhi's face was pale, whether from the cold wind or because it was naturally pale, she smiled and said, "Who...who loves you?"
She simply stopped making a sound and continued to act like a saw-mouthed gourd.
"It's best if there isn't." Wei Pingxi smiled again: "The New Year is almost here."
...
With the New Year approaching, Her Highness the Princess has been giving much more generous gifts to everyone in the household.
It's never wrong to be overly polite, especially when the gift comes from the noble and beautiful Princess of the Imperial Family, whom His Majesty dotes on and grants almost every request.
Madam Wei watched Wei Pingxi and Yu Zhi being chilled by the cold wind from under the eaves. After watching for an unknown amount of time, she turned around and went to the kitchen to make a bowl of ginger soup.
Ning You, the head palace maid serving the Empress, was also busy in the kitchen.
"How is the princess?" she asked, not wanting to be bothered.
"He caught a cold and now he has a fever. He's delirious and keeps calling for His Majesty."
Madam Wei nodded without further reaction, and casually said, "With Your Highness here, the princess will surely be safe and sound."
"I hope so," Ning You sighed.
After preparing the ginger soup, Madam Wei returned to Qinghui Courtyard and watched her daughter drink a large bowlful before leaving with peace of mind.
Back in her room, Yan Qing stared at the gift box on the table. Instead of opening it, she sat on a futon and began to meditate, turning her prayer beads.
After reciting a long passage of scripture, she opened the box with a sense of relief. Inside was a jade Buddha statue, a gift that truly suited her tastes and touched her heart.
Yan Qing smiled faintly, took the jade Buddha statue, and then saw that the box had a hidden compartment.
She pulled a letter from the inner compartment.
The letter was very thin.
Yan Qing stared blankly at the unsigned letter, her smile froze slightly.
The letter was opened; the contents were extremely short.
Just one word.
mother.
Outside the window, the wind and snow were fierce. Wei Pingxi patted his sleeves, took Yu Zhi's hand, and went back to the room to warm up.
"My mother is really something, making me drink such a big bowl of ginger soup. The ginger soup is so strong that my tongue is numb."
"And you're the one who's talking! You're out enjoying the snow and wind, and you're dragging me down with you..." Yu Zhi sniffed and sneezed, tilting her head.
Such a delicate body.
Wei Pingxi sent Emerald to fetch the doctor from the manor. After taking the medicine, he took Yuzhi to bed to rest.
Yu Zhi buried herself in her arms and cried uncontrollably, pretending to be sick.
...
mother.
Who are they calling for their mother?
Who's calling for their mother?
Madam Wei's hands trembled, her eyes filled with madness: Who is your mother?! Your mother is Yan Xiu, not me, Yan Qing!
She paced back and forth in the room more than a dozen times, panting heavily, her clothes soaked with cold sweat.
This letter is certainly not some silly joke.
She calmed down and tore the letter to shreds.
It was at this moment that she finally understood why the princess had jumped into the lake.
Jumping into the lake was for fishing.
Using herself as bait, everyone in the Grand Tutor's mansion became her fish.
Because of her royal lineage, Xi Xi's mother was forced to confine her to Qinghui Courtyard after this incident.
This leap, too, is hindered by the deep bond between mother and daughter. To prevent her daughter from making the same foolish mistake and seeking death again, Yan Xiu will inevitably make many concessions.
This jump, despite his frail health, gave her the opportunity to visit him.
The princess wanted to see her.
He must need something from her.
So meticulous, killing three birds with one stone—who taught such cunning?
Who knows about the 'switching of babies' back then?
Is Ji Qingyao representing Empress Dowager Yan?
Yan Qing's expression shifted, and she chuckled foolishly.
...
"Mother...Mother..."
The Empress stayed by her bedside, wiping away her daughter's sweat.
She hadn't had a proper rest all night.
"Mother..." Ji Qingyao's fever subsided, and she looked extremely vulnerable: "Mother, my throat hurts..."
"You've been burning up for most of the night, how could you not be in pain?" Yan Xiu held a spoon and fed her medicine: "Drink the medicine first, and then your mother will feed you locust honey later."
"Hmm..." She nestled in the Empress's arms, her voice weak and feeble after her illness: "Mother, can you please show more love to your son? Your son, your son is your own flesh and blood, that Wei Pingxi is just a nephew..."
She seemed determined not to drink her medicine unless she agreed, and the Empress's eyes showed signs of exhaustion: "Alright, drink your medicine quickly."
Ji Qingyao smiled through her pale face: "Thank you, Mother..."
Even the strictest mothers will choose to back down and compromise when faced with matters of life and death for their daughters. To outsiders, this might seem like a conspiracy, but to Yan Xiu, it is a perfectly legitimate scheme.
A mother's heart is not to be trifled with.
If you lose the bet, you lose your daughter's life.
Yan Xiu dared not gamble.
She hadn't slept all night and was exhausted. After watching her daughter take the medicine, she couldn't hold on any longer, and the head palace maid, Ning You, helped her back to her room to rest.
The princess woke up, and many people came to visit her.
After the two wives of the Yan family left, Madam Wei stepped through that door.
Ji Qingyao sat weakly on the bed, waiting quietly.
The Empress Dowager had already gone back to her room to rest, and no one was allowed to enter the room until the conversation was over.
"mother."
Her voice was filled with sorrow.
Madam Wei remained unmoved: "The Empress Dowager sent you? She knows? When did she find out? Is she trying to threaten me?"
A barrage of questions interrupted Ji Qingyao's carefully crafted expression of filial piety. She looked weary: "I'm your daughter, don't you care whether I live or die?"
"My daughter is only Xixi, who are you to me?"
"To see my mother one last time, I didn't hesitate to jump into the lake and hurt myself, catching a cold in the process..."
"That's what you deserve. Stay away from me, so you don't pass on your illness to me."
"..."
The mother and daughter clashed, and Ji Qingyao was no match for her heartless nature. Her head drooped as she said, "You and Mother are really different. She is compassionate, you are heartless."
"How dare you say that? Come to think of it, isn't your current status and prestige a gift from me?"
"My grandmother needs your help."
"That's because she doesn't understand me. I have my own things to do, and I'm never controlled by anyone."
You will say yes.
Yan Qing's patience was running out: "Stop dreaming. At worst, we'll all go down together. I'll quit being Madam Wei, and the Empress Dowager will step down from her position. Perfect, I've disliked her for many years."
Ji Qingyao had foreseen everything, but she never imagined that behind Madam Wei's virtuous and loving nature lay an absolute madwoman.
Indeed, if he weren't insane, how could he have done something like switching his elder sister's child?
"Aren't you afraid that your secret will be exposed, and that the Empress Dowager and the Yan family will find out what you've done?"
"Once you've done it, there's nothing to be afraid of."