Feeling guilty, Yu Zhi thought carefully that if she didn't lie, she would be abandoned. She turned her face away and asked weakly, "Then how do you want to punish me?"
After an awkward exchange and some coaxing, she was in a good mood and didn't think too much about it: "Who knows, maybe I'll make you unable to get out of bed for seven days and seven nights, or maybe I'll make you play some unique little tricks with me. In short, I'll punish you."
She keeps bringing up that topic, so she must really like her body.
Yu Zhi blushed. She didn't know if she could endure seven days and seven nights, let alone think about this person's tricks. She had suffered a lot from the white jade seal last time.
The fourth young lady, who is unconventional and loves to challenge the bottom line of worldly norms, is seen by the Empress Dowager as a crazy person who is not afraid of death, by Princess Jiaorong as an absolute freak, and by those moral guardians as a weirdo who is both lovable and hateful.
No one in this world can please everyone.
Being disliked is the norm.
It is an honor to be liked.
For Xi Xi, being deeply loved is a burden.
Yu Zhi understood this person in a very short time. If she were to speak now and say those words of sudden enlightenment, it might surprise Wei Pingxi and make him wonder how he would view her.
She didn't say anything, and Wei Pingxi didn't know either.
Perhaps because she understood this person, Yu Zhi liked her a little more and complained about her a little less.
If being disliked is the norm, being liked is an honor, and being deeply loved is a burden, then how miserable must a person's two lifetimes have been to be so careful in their interactions with others?
She was heartbroken but forced herself to endure it. But how could she possibly bear to love someone, sharing their joys and sorrows?
She burst into tears without saying a word, and Wei Pingxi stood there stunned. He bent down to wipe her tears and asked helplessly, "Why are you crying again?"
Yu Zhi simply hugged her and cried her heart out.
"..."
Firecrackers went off outside, making the New Year atmosphere even stronger. Wei Pingxi was caught in a dilemma while holding the person in her arms, looking just like a new mother comforting her child.
"Why are you crying?"
Her brows furrowed again, her beautiful face clouded with an indescribable sorrow.
At this moment, Wei Pingxi had a profound realization: This concubine of hers is such a troublesome crybaby, she just keeps crying!
She was at her wit's end.
She's not good at comforting people, but...
Yu Zhi cried until her head was spinning. After finally stopping her tears, the pain in her heart slowly subsided, and she realized her predicament.
He sat on the table, his clothes half-undone.
Wei Pingxi lifted his head from her chest and grinned, "Not crying anymore?"
"..."
She endured it all, but finally couldn't take it anymore. Yu Zhi slapped away her rather intimidating fairy-like face, put her knees together, and crossed her arms: "You, you scoundrel!"
"good!"
"..."
Yu Zhi wasn't as thick-skinned as her, and she laughed through her tears: "Why do you always get scolded when you're in a hurry?"
She burst into laughter through her tears, and Wei Pingxi took out a handkerchief to wipe the fine sweat from his forehead, slowly mimicking her tone: "Why do you cry like a flood?"
"I don't!"
"Yes, there is!"
Yu Zhi glanced at her twice, then covered her face in embarrassment: "You're so childish."
"You cry so easily."
The fourth young lady looked melancholy.
"..."
As they remained silent, a large cluster of fireworks exploded in the sky. On this day of national celebration, the two smiled at each other, and Wei Pingxi lifted her off the table and helped her get dressed.
After a round of laughter and playful banter, the uncompromising Fourth Miss gave her favorite concubine a chance to spend her life together. In return, Yu Zhi not only had to entice her to give her something new, but also dared not openly express her passionate heart.
It's good enough that we can stay together and not separate.
On New Year's Eve, Wei Pingxi spent the night with the mother and daughter at the Yu family home.
This was an unexpected surprise.
Originally, she thought her good son-in-law would bring his daughter back to the Wei family for the New Year. But the surprise was unexpected. Liu Boyan's smile never faded, making the princess so jealous that even honey tasted sour.
Ji Rong only saw Wei Pingxi's ruthlessness and heartlessness in her previous words, and did not understand how the two of them could be so close again after not seeing each other for a while.
Wei Pingxi stayed at the Yu family home for the New Year, and Ji Rong also declined several invitations from the palace, choosing instead to spend the New Year with her long-lost sweetheart in the small courtyard.
As the food was served, Liu Boyan raised her glass, the eldest princess raised her glass, and Yu Zhi and the fourth young lady happily raised their glasses as well.
The clinking of glasses filled the air with the warmth of a family.
...
North of Xuanwu Street, the Wei family.
New Year's lights, representing blessings and hope, adorned the sky above the capital. Yan Qing usually wouldn't sleep on this night.
At a time when families are reunited, Lady Hou, as the wife of a marquis, grew weary of the whole family sitting around a table, toasting and exchanging blessings.
Because she disliked it, the Marquis of Yiyang did not force her.
We've gotten through so many years.
Yan Qing knelt on the prayer mat, incense smoke curling from the burner, the inner room quiet and lonely.
Normally, her daughter would be by her side on this day, but tonight Ah Si went to the south side of the street to accompany that mother and daughter. Yan Qing suppressed her concern and annoyance and slowly turned her prayer beads.
She didn't understand.
Why would a concubine drive Ah Si to such lengths?
A concubine was able to fill her daughter's heart, teaching her gentleness and accommodation.
Love is a magical thing, both real and elusive.
If you think it's ethereal, then it is ethereal; if you think it's real, then it's within reach.
Yan Qing has worked hard, struggled, and plotted for many years, but she still cannot grasp what she wants.
She couldn't catch the big one, nor could she catch the small one.
The clearly separated prayer beads were suddenly torn apart.
It made a series of crisp, crackling sounds as it fell to the ground.
Her face looked terrible.
The Fourth Miss said she has something to attend to tonight and will come to keep vigil with Madam later.
Li Le's reply echoed in her ears. Yan Qing picked up the scattered Buddhist beads and let out a low, ambiguous laugh.
How could a woman have captured her daughter's heart?
Her years of love and care, her years of nurturing, couldn't compare to a delicate, alluring woman?
Even if that woman is 'Jinghe Liu'.
She closed her eyes, and time flowed inch by inch through the hourglass in the inner room.
The sky was dim, with stars but no moon.
The painting hanging on the wall has a unique and captivating beauty, and the white-robed scholar is more graceful than the moonlight.
The person in the painting is gentle and refined, with a pair of long, captivating phoenix eyes and an exceptionally handsome face, possessing the radiance of the moon and the vibrancy of a peony.
Even with her eyes closed, Yan Qing could recall the beautiful woman's dance from that day. That dance, that single glance, had shaken her for over a decade of innocent years and given her extravagant fantasies for the next few decades.
"You're not here, and she doesn't come to keep me company either. Is Jinghe Liu really that good?"
Madam Wei opened her eyes, a hint of cruelty flashing in them: "Since it's so good, then break it! How can a broken willow tree flaunt itself?"
She stood up, gently stroking the eyebrows of the person in the painting, her voice tender and gentle: "A-Si, what do you say?"
...
After a few rounds of drinks, Yu Zhi put down her small wine cup, a sudden pang of heart palpitation startling her and causing her to break free from her drunkenness.
Winter days are short and dark, so the Yu family ate their New Year's Eve dinner early as well.
Unable to hold her liquor, Yu's mother was helped to the inner room by her maids, with the eldest princess trailing behind like a little tail. Wei Pingxi pretended not to see her persistent pestering and whispered, "What's wrong?"
Yu Zhi touched her forehead: "It's nothing."
"Bring me a bowl of hangover soup."
The hangover soup was prepared early in the morning. Jinshi brought the soup over, and Wei Pingxi used a spoon to feed it to his concubine.
Beautiful people, beautiful flowers, and bursts of fireworks.
Yu Zhi was captivated by her rare tender care, which softened her heart and softened her eyes. The more she drank the hangover soup, the more intoxicated she became.
She was so drunk she was like a soft, fluffy kitten. Oblivious to everyone else, she snuggled into the Fourth Miss's arms and asked for a kiss, while gold, silver, jade, and agate all retreated in fear.
With a beautiful woman in his arms, exuding a captivating charm, Wei Pingxi restrained himself and kissed her lips with restraint: "Let's go home?"
After all that fuss, Yuzhi obediently lay on her back.
The starlight is beautiful.
People are even more beautiful when they walk under the starlight.
He carried her from the south side of the street to the north side, and when he got home, Yuzhi was fast asleep.
Li Yue walked through a series of hanging flower gates and entered Liulan Courtyard. Behind one of the gates, she respectfully said, "Madam, Miss and Aunt Yu have returned."
Chapter 56 New Year's Eve
The atmosphere at the Wei family's New Year celebration was nowhere near as good as that at the Yu family's. The huge Marquis's mansion, though seemingly crowded, was actually deserted and quiet.
Not many people came out to set off fireworks, and not many people watched them either. Wei Pingxi carried Yu Zhi into the room.