"Get out of my way!"
For the first time in over twenty years, Wei Hanqing finally stood up for himself at Liulan Academy. Li Le stared wide-eyed in disbelief, wondering if there was something wrong with his ears.
There's nothing wrong with her ears; it's the Marquis's brain that's malfunctioning.
The mentally unstable Marquis of Yiyang dismissed the servants who blocked his way and stormed into the room.
Yan Qing knelt in the small Buddhist shrine, turning her prayer beads. The door to the shrine was kicked open, and ironically, Wei Hanqing, a seven-foot-tall man, was startled by the sound of the door being kicked open.
Kicking down the door in front of the goddess in his heart, Marquis Yiyang's expression was strange, and he stood there dumbfounded, his heart full of questions silenced.
Yan Qing was known for her good temper; even after the door was kicked open, she didn't turn around: "Lord Marquis, did you barge in with such majesty to kill your wife, or to demolish my Buddhist shrine?"
Wei Hanqing was horrified, cold sweat breaking out on his brow: "I wouldn't dare! Ah Qing, how could you have such a terrible thought? Even if I were to die, I would never harm you in the slightest!"
He was eager to express his feelings, but Yan Qing didn't reciprocate.
She turned around: "What do you intend to do?"
"I want to get to the bottom of this, and think about how I can protect you and the Wei family."
Madam Wei's eyelids twitched, and she looked at him intently for a long time before saying, "Come with me."
It was on this day that Wei Hanqing learned that there was a secret room hidden in his wife's room.
Entering the secret room where they could talk, Yan Qing said coldly, "You knew? Who told you?"
"Ji Qingyao is indeed our daughter?" Marquis Yiyang could not hide his excitement.
"No. He is your daughter. My only daughter is Xixi."
Wei Hanqing's joy suddenly froze: "How could you be so heartless? Where did you get the audacity? That's the imperial bloodline; confusing the imperial bloodline is a capital offense punishable by the extermination of the entire family!"
"Are you blaming me? Fine, if things are exposed, just pretend you're confused. The Wei family has an imperial edict that can save your life if necessary."
“I underestimated her. Since she was willing to come to you, she must be acting on the Empress Dowager’s orders. The Empress Dowager wants to use the Wei family and wants to live. You should forget that she is your daughter.”
“I’m not as heartless as you, refusing to acknowledge your own daughter.”
"Then you're courting death."
Marquis Yiyang's voice trembled: "Aqing, that's our daughter, the flesh of your own flesh and blood that you carried for ten months. How can you be so heartless? She is a princess, yet she doesn't covet wealth and glory. She just wants to call you 'Mother' and me 'Father.' Do you really have to go this far?"
"What kind of good person do you think she is?!"
Yan Qing angrily said, "She was raised by Yan Hui. You couldn't outwit Empress Dowager Yan even if you were ten times her age. She pretended to be deaf and dumb for eighteen years. Why would she raise a daughter for you for nothing? Who knows if she'll raise a wolf or a tiger? Your fatherly heart is so overflowing and foolish."
“I know you look down on me.” He took a deep breath. “But my daughter has half my blood in her veins. No matter what the Empress Dowager wants to do, I will protect her. Protecting her identity from being exposed is protecting her, and it is also protecting you.”
"Go ahead and do whatever you want, as long as you don't ruin my plans."
What do you want now?
You don't deserve to know.
"..."
The atmosphere in the secret room was oppressive. Wei Hanqing endured it for a long time before pleading, "Aqing, it's been more than twenty years. Even a stone would have warmed up by now. Don't you have a heart? Or is your heart only thinking about His Majesty?"
Upon mentioning Ji Ying, Madam Wei's expression changed instantly: "Get out!"
She flew into a rage. The Marquis of Yiyang had been a slave to her for many years, loving her, fearing her, and longing for her. The pure feelings he had when he was young had long since turned sour, as if he had fallen into a madness.
He strode forward and pinned the woman down, wanting to teach her a lesson.
Yan Qing's eyes narrowed sharply, and she slapped him across the face without hesitation, her voice icy: "Are you awake?"
A slap sent Lord Wei back to being a complete 'simp'. Lord Yiyang knelt at her feet in a panic and bent down to kiss her boots.
He was kicked away.
"roll."
...
The secret room was dimly lit by candlelight, and the walls were covered with portraits of His Majesty.
Ji Ying dressed in women's clothing, Ji Ying dressed in Confucian robes, Ji Ying dressed in dragon robes, smiling, angry, and expressionless—there were countless Ji Yings everywhere.
Yan Qing took off her clothes, stepped barefoot on the blanket, and danced to her heart's content.
As the daughter of the Yan family and the Empress's younger sister, she was undoubtedly beautiful; otherwise, how could Wei Hanqing have fallen in love at first sight, determined to marry no one else and become so infatuated?
She possesses beauty and a graceful, voluptuous figure. Even after having several children, she maintains a remarkably good figure, exuding a mature charm in every move.
"Ah Si, did I dance well?"
"It's beautiful."
In the dimly lit, secret room, a female Taoist priest in white appeared silently, holding a whisk.
Yan Qing saw her, her infatuation lessened slightly, and she said with disdain, "You've worn white for over ten years, but you still can't pull off Ah Si's glamorous and innocent charm."
The female Taoist had a faint scar about half an inch long on her left eye. Although she was a Taoist, she was clearly practicing an evil path. Looking at the naked Miss Yan, her eyes gleamed with blatant greed.
"There's nothing I can do about it. His Majesty's majestic bearing is something I can't fake. I may not be as good as him, but I'm not as good as that good-for-nothing surnamed Wei. Wei Hanqing is nothing but a bit too fat and will only ruin your plans."
"What do I care about his life or death, or the life or death of the Wei family?" Yan Qing remained as ruthless as ever.
The female Taoist priest loved her ruthlessness the most. She flicked her whisk and said, "You are ruthless, and I am wicked. Logically speaking, you and I should be a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, since heaven gave birth to Ji Ying, why did it give birth to me, Gu Chenzi?"
She pinched Yan Qing's waist, which was completely free of any fat, with one hand: "After all these years, have you ever felt even the slightest bit of attraction towards me?"
“You are a woman. And you are not Ah Si.”
Gu Chenzi felt uncomfortable listening to this: "What if your A-Si is a woman?"
Yan Qing smiled and said, "Then she must be the most powerful woman in the world."
"Am I not powerful?" The female Taoist priest smiled wickedly.
Yan Qing's body went limp.
Gu Chenzi served her with utmost devotion.
She was bolder than Wei Hanqing, saying whatever came to mind: "When I first met you at sixteen, I knew you weren't a docile person. Sure enough, you're indiscriminate in your desires, just my type. Does that good-for-nothing know? I've played with women he wouldn't dare to, and he's done it all to me. Has he ever licked your boots like this?"
As Madam Wei looked at the portrait of a beautiful woman on the wall, she murmured "A-Si" while thinking of the high and mighty emperor.
"You're pathetic too. You love someone so much that you're as humble as mud, yet you don't dare let him know. That's where you fall short of Yan Xiu. Yan Xiu is an immortal, pure and radiant, a match made in heaven with the emperor. You're a demon, a monster, utterly filthy."
Gu Chenzi leisurely savored the fine wine, letting out a low chuckle: "The dirtier you are, the more I like it. I'm even more despicable than you."
"What do you think your good daughter will think if she sees you like this? She secretly watched you and Lord Wei making love, and with her intelligence, she might guess that there's something wrong with your identity when she sees the painting hanging on the wall."
"She is a good child. You ruined her life. She still sincerely calls you mother, unaware that her mother harbors abnormal feelings for her."
"This is really interesting. I consider myself quite eccentric, but you're even more so." The female Taoist priest leaned close to her ear: "Want to be played with by the 'daughter' you raised?"
Yan Qing, with her arm limp, slapped her across the face.
Gu Chenzi was not offended: "Alright, I know what you mean, but unfortunately you still have to play the role of a gentle and kind mother."
"This is absolutely hilarious! What a good mother! Does everyone treat you like this just because you have a face like Ah Si or a picture of Ah Si?"
“I’m much better than that good-for-nothing surnamed Wei. Wei is your lackey, while I am the knife in your hand. A knife can kill, but a lackey can be kicked away.”
Gu Chenzi looked down at her infatuated expression and said, "You don't like that old hag? Do you want me to kill her for you?"
"Need not……"
When it came to business, Yan Qing sat up and lay in her arms: "It's still early, there's no need to be enemies with Yan Hui."
"But she knows what you did back then."
"So what if she knows? Do you think I'm afraid of her finding out?"
The female Taoist was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "I almost forgot, when it comes to being crazy, you're number one in the world."
Unable to have 'Ah Si', he forcibly took 'Ah Si's' daughter.
If the events of eighteen years ago are not exposed, we can live in peace. But if they are, Yan Qing narrowed her eyes: Then let the blades shine and pierce into everyone's hearts!
"Go and kill someone."
"who?"
Madam Wei picked up the clothes that had fallen to the ground, her voice cold: "A concubine from Jingzhe Courtyard."
"Oh, you're jealous. You're jealous of her. Jealous that she's favored by your daughter, jealous that she can be by her side day and night."
"Indeed, even if I were dressed in white, and Wei Hanqing were a man, how could he compare to A Si's biological daughter? Tsk tsk tsk, Miss Yan has truly broadened my horizons; the poison in her heart is as venomous as the water flowing from that place."
Gu Chenzi helped her tie her sash, his smile turning cold: "How about I cripple her for you, and then you two serve each other day and night?"
"You dare?"
"Alright, I wouldn't dare."
The female Taoist priest embraced her waist without ceremony, a feeling of affection welling up in her heart: "Who told me to like you, Miss? You are truly guilty of a grave sin."
Chapter 60 Insider
"lady."
"Greetings, Madam."
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the weather was cold and windy, and the snow continued to fall.
The servants of Jingzhe Courtyard curtsied to Madam Wei. The courtyard was covered with a layer of snow, and their footsteps left clear imprints on the ground.
Li Le held an umbrella for his master, a large umbrella with seventy-two bamboo sections covering his head, preventing snowflakes from falling on Yan Qing.
Madam Wei changed into a simple yet elegant embroidered dress, over which she wore a snow-white fur coat. Thinking that it was still the first month of the lunar calendar and a festive day, she wore a pair of light blue earrings and sandalwood prayer beads on her wrist.
Although she didn't possess the ethereal beauty of the Empress, she was still so stunning that all the young women and wives felt inferior. Standing before her, even the eighteen- or nineteen-year-old girls in the backyard paled in comparison.
Yan Qing is well-maintained and has a kind personality. Her daily Buddhist practice has cultivated a gentle and refined demeanor. Upon seeing her, Jade and Agate immediately greeted her as "Madam" and happily welcomed her in.
Where is Xi Xi?
"Reporting to Madam, Miss is still sleeping."
Still sleeping?