"As a result of misfortune, my inner strength has become much more profound."
Yao Chenzi withdrew his hand from taking your pulse: "Now you know how powerful she is, right? Just a fraction of her internal energy is enough to elevate your skill to a higher level..."
His words betrayed his worry.
Wei Pingxi didn't care about these things. If he wanted to kill someone, how could he draw his sword if he was afraid?
She said, "Now that we've made an enemy of her, if she doesn't cause me trouble, I'll have to cause her trouble. Has His Majesty taken action against the Xuanyin Sect?"
At this point, Yao Chenzi perked up and laughed loudly: "It's more than just taking action! The Xuan Yin Sect's stronghold in the capital has been wiped out. His Majesty's move was brilliant, using the opponent's strength against them with minimal effort. The Xuan Yin Sect's days are numbered."
"His Majesty has issued the 'Demon Extermination Order,' so the Old Ancestor of Suspended Yin will inevitably resort to desperate measures..."
What are you trying to say?
Wei Pingxi leaned forward: "Tell me the method your master left behind to restrain his wicked disciple."
Yao Chenzi was startled, nearly tearing out a hair from his beard: "You've just recovered, are you out of your mind?! Forget about it, I'm not giving it to you!"
He turned and left. Princess Yunzhang pretended to pass by and asked knowingly, "Why did he run away? Is he angry with you? You, who have just recovered, why can't you stay idle?"
"Yesterday, the Old Ancestor of Suspended Yin issued a challenge to the martial arts world, fighting forty-eight masters in succession. After this battle, all forty-eight men had their meridians severed and their martial arts completely destroyed. It is easy to destroy the Suspended Yin Sect, but difficult to eliminate the Old Ancestor of Suspended Yin. Why take such a risk?"
The fourth young lady sat back down in the pavilion, poured herself a drink, and said, "Are we just going to wait for someone to come and kill us?"
Ji Rong glanced at her, then changed the subject and revealed the truth: "His Majesty is injured; the capital is about to be in turmoil."
"The capital is not peaceful, so whose side are you on?"
The Empress Dowager and His Majesty are irreconcilable enemies and a battle is bound to end sooner or later. As their children, which side do you support?
"Stand on the right path and justice. If the sky falls, just don't let it hit me."
She seemed nonchalant and indifferent to her mother's life or death, but Wei Pingxi saw unspeakable hardship and helplessness in her smile, which made him think of himself.
Two people, each burdened with their own thoughts, drank together. Ji Rong looked around and suddenly asked in a low voice, "Who exactly are you?"
Wei Pingxi drank the contents of his cup and boasted, "The most romantic man in the world."
The eldest princess simply laughed it off.
To prevent the return of the Old Ancestor of Suspended Yin, the ten swordsmen around Ji Rong became Yu Zhi's guards, and Wei Pingxi led his favorite concubine back to the Jingzhe Courtyard of the Marquis's Mansion.
Every day, I could see them so deeply in love in the courtyard, and Yan Qing felt a lump in her throat.
"Everyone says your darling has fallen for that concubine, and you still don't believe it?"
Gu Chenzi added fuel to the fire: "Second Miss, do you believe it or not, if you told your precious darling to throw away that concubine right now, would she agree or turn against you?"
"Shut up!"
"Why should I shut up? I underestimated Wei Pingxi. He was able to convert my internal energy into his own. Such talent is too much to ask. Keeping him around will only bring trouble."
"You dare!"
"I wouldn't dare."
She grinned, the faint scar on her left eye giving her an unusually sinister look: "Second Miss, you know I always obey your orders."
Understanding her unspoken meaning, Yan Qing remained silent.
Inside the courtyard of Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects).
Wei Pingxi embraced his concubine and kissed her deeply. He looked up and saw Madam Wei standing not far away, but she ignored him.
The moment their eyes met, Yan Qing's heart skipped a beat, but the warmth that had been building suddenly turned cold, and she took a step away.
Reluctantly releasing the beauty in his arms, Wei Ping chuckled and asked, "Mother, what brings you here?"
"Can't I come?"
Her tone was reproachful, with a hint of jealousy.
"Of course I'll come." Wei Pingxi affectionately hugged her arm and invited her into the house. Yu Zhi's legs went weak, and her face turned red with embarrassment. Jin Shi and Yin Ding helped her to rest.
It remains to be seen whether their commotion will force Madam Wei to reveal her true colors.
Xi Xi was willing to cooperate with her, and even took the initiative to test her, so it seems that she had taken those words to heart.
Was the deep affection in her eyes also an act?
"You guys are being too ridiculous."
In the main hall, Madam Wei, fiddling with her prayer beads, said calmly, "She's only just recovered, and she's already causing trouble again. Zhizhi is really outrageous!"
Wei Pingxi's eyes were filled with laughter: "Mother, don't you know what kind of person I am? I'm just playing around."
"Just playing around?" Yan Qing's throat went dry. "What if your mother wanted you to abandon her? Would you be willing to do that?"
"Zhizhi, she—"
"Your mother only asks you, are you willing to part with it?"
A long silence.
Wei Pingxi's furrowed brows relaxed, and he spoke softly, "Willing to part with it."
--------------------
Author's Note:
They finally slipped up, waaaaah! Don't panic, Xi Xi is a smart person, she's just getting started.
Chapter 66 Disappointment
In this world, you have to give up something to gain something; no one can have all the good things.
Wei Pingxi understood the principle of moderation. In front of Madam Wei, she was always a thoughtful and good daughter. She lowered her head, picked up the Biluochun tea on the table, and the steaming tea covered the most complicated dark look in her eyes.
Another long, silent sigh.
Along with the unspeakable, even embarrassing, trembling in my heart, silence descended into deathly stillness.
Madam Wei was clearly satisfied with her reaction, so satisfied that her eyes lit up with a smile. She leaned closer and gently stroked the sleeve of her daughter's brocade dress, speaking earnestly: "A-Si, your mother is the one who loves you the most in the world. You have just recovered from your serious injuries, and this is the time when you should be cultivating your mind and character. How can you disregard your own health for a moment of pleasure?"
“Mother is right, I understand.” She raised her eyebrows and suddenly smiled brightly, like a child pouting at their closest mother: “If you get rid of this one, Mother, you have to give me an even better one.”
Better...
Yan Qing's heart softened: "Okay."
Wei Pingxi rested his chin on his hand and immediately brought up another sensitive topic: "Mother, if you don't love Father, who do you love?"
"..."
When her children casually asked about this, Yan Qing should have been annoyed. However, after a moment of hesitation, she finally saw the charm she had once admired in her daughter's eyes. She lowered her guard, losing her usual sharpness and domineering nature, and her gentleness became more genuine than usual.
Her lips parted slightly, and Wei Pingxi smiled again, a smile so malicious it could be described as wicked. Yan Qing's heart skipped a beat at the sight of that smile, her throat felt hot, and her waist involuntarily went weak.
The fourth young lady glanced in the direction of the door, then looked away and whispered, "I have seen my mother and father Xinghuan."
She bit the word "Xing Huan" between her teeth, and with her flirtatious face, Yan Qing not only felt weak in the waist and legs, but her face also flushed red with embarrassment. She gently looked over, and a thought that was both absurd and real arose in her mind—
Ah Si is... flirting with her?
Wei Pingxi casually crossed his legs, his long, straight, slender legs catching the eye.
She seemed oblivious to the unease on her 'mother's' face, and smiled, "I also believe from the bottom of my heart that the Marquis of Yiyang is not worthy of you. Wei Hanqing looks like a lovesick fool, but he doesn't have much pride in his heart. Mother would look down on someone like that."
She spoke frankly and openly, showing no mercy to her nominal 'father,' which pleased Yan Qing: 'It's kind of you to think this way.'
"Am I not his daughter?"
"You are indeed not his daughter."
Madam Wei put down her teacup: "A-Si, there are some things you should know yourself."
“Yes.” Wei Pingxi’s shoulders slumped. “I understand.”
"What's there to be upset about? Can't bear to part with that concubine?"
"I can't bear to part with it."
"You just said you were willing to spend, were you lying to me?"
"How dare I lie to Mother?" She raised her head. "Although I am reluctant to part with Zhizhi, Mother has spoken. I know whether you want a concubine or Mother."
These words struck a chord with Yan Qing, who then decided that her mother should not take the concubine.
Although it was improper for her to be placed with a concubine of low status, Yan Qing couldn't bear to be harsh on her.
"Father, is it the person in the painting?"
"yes."
"Does your mother love him?" Wei Pingxi stood up and sat down in the same chair as his mother. "Tell me about it."
Just like when she was a child, she pestered Yan Qing to tell her stories. Yan Qing stopped fiddling with her prayer beads and affectionately took her daughter's arm: "He is a very good person. You have met him and know how beautiful he is. But what is even more captivating than his looks is his magnanimity and his tenderness in bowing down to the one he loves."
"He is genuinely gentle, genuinely assertive, genuinely intelligent, and genuinely ruthless. Having seen someone like him, how could anyone else possibly win his heart?"
"Speaking of which, I knew him even before your aunt..."
"Known each other earlier?"
"That's right, I knew him from his childhood even earlier."
She deeply regretted recognizing the rough jade earlier, and regretted not seeing its flawless beauty sooner.
If only we could have done it sooner...
If she had been able to befriend the down-on-his-luck fourth prince earlier and naturally enter his heart, there would have been no need for Yan Xiu.
“I gave him a peach blossom, and he said the flower was beautiful.”
This was our childhood encounter at the corner of the cold palace.
It became a persistent obsession for Yan Qing.
He said the flowers were beautiful, so why didn't you stop and listen to him say a few more words?
The fourth prince, who lacked the most affection and care in his childhood, and the second daughter of the Grand Tutor, who was pampered and spoiled in her childhood, were like two people going in opposite directions. They met by chance and parted ways in an instant.
She truly regretted it when she saw Ji Ying, dressed in women's clothing, dancing gracefully in front of her elder sister.