As for how she measured it, she deliberately didn't say.
"..."
Yu Zhi's pretty face showed a hint of anger: "Who gave you permission to measure it? And what did you use to measure it?"
"Get a ruler," she retorted. "What do you think I should get?"
"Hmph, the older she gets, the more disobedient she becomes." Yu Zhi muttered to herself, annoyed that her emotions were being led by her. Her gaze fell back on the dress that suited her perfectly, and her heart softened, her last bit of anger vanishing.
Ji Pingxi's gaze swept over her, then he leaned limply against her shoulder: "So beautiful."
The clothes are beautiful, but the person is even more stunning.
Yu Zhi chuckled at her, "You just know how to say nice things to me and then take advantage of me."
Having known each other for many years, they knew each other's personalities very well. Ji Pingxi looked at her with a smile, then suddenly turned around and buried her face in her neck, nuzzling her like a cat: "So, do you like it? Are you happy?"
That's a ridiculous question.
Yu Zhi naturally enjoyed being close to her and was very willing to indulge her. As she spoke, the skin on her neck flushed pink from the heat, and her whole body went limp in an instant.
"Don't……"
Hearing her refusal, Ji Pingxi stopped moving, slowly withdrew, and asked knowingly, "Zhizhi, are you hot? Why is your face so red?"
Don't you really know why it's hot?
It's all your fault!
Yu Zhi's glare had no offensive power; instead, it exuded a hint of coy charm.
Princess Changyang looked away with difficulty. Her young face was porcelain white and delicate. When she didn't speak, she had an ethereal air about her, with the aloofness and elegance of someone born into nobility.
The ambiguity veiled by a thin veil dissipated quietly before it could reveal its true nature. Yu Zhi's expression returned to normal, and when it came to business, Ji Pingxi sat up straight: "Actually, the Imperial Aunt has loved Aunt Yu for many years."
"Many years?"
"Hmm." She slowly recounted the past that her mother had mentioned to her.
Yu Zhi was captivated by the beautiful voice accompanied by the sounds of wind and rain outside.
As for Ji Rong and Liu Boyan, one fell in love too early, and the other realized she fell in love too late. They were separated by a missed opportunity, but when they met again in the future, their passion was unstoppable.
Yuzhi and her mother have relied on each other for many years and have a very good relationship. She feels guilty for not being able to see her mother's true feelings as a daughter.
She leaned on the princess's shoulder and sighed, "Father left us too soon. I always thought Father and Mother were the perfect couple in the world, but I never imagined..."
"Fate is a very mysterious thing. When fate arises, life begins; when fate disperses, life ends. Aunt Yu must not regret meeting your father because she has such a good daughter like you. However... she had no choice in the past because of her parents' wishes and the matchmaker's words. Zhizhi, are you willing to give her a chance to choose again?"
Does it really matter whether I want to or not?
"How can it not be important?" Ji Pingxi said seriously, "Aunt Yu and the Imperial Aunt are keeping it from you precisely because they care about your feelings. Otherwise, why wouldn't Aunt Yu dare to tell you directly that she is going to have a secret rendezvous with someone?"
Auntie wasn't the only one troubled by this relationship.
It's been over a year and my aunt still hasn't received a proper title. As her good niece, how could I not lend a hand?
She continued, "Loving someone in secret is exhausting. If you don't believe me, why don't you just ask Aunt Yu directly and hear how she feels?"
"You're here as a lobbyist."
"Half and half."
"What benefits did the Princess promise you?"
Ji Pingxi had no intention of hiding it from her, and said frankly, "I've taken a liking to my aunt's Jiao Wei Qin (a type of zither), and I'd like to ask for it to give to you."
The obvious good news was laid out before Yu Zhi. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something angry, but couldn't. In the end, her eyes reddened: "Why do you have to do this? As long as Mother is happy, that's all that matters. I want her to be happy more than anyone else."
"I know."
“The princess has been very good to me. I didn’t understand before, but today… I understand completely.”
"My aunt is a very nice person."
Yu Zhi retorted, "She's your aunt, of course you're siding with her."
"I was wrong." The young Princess Changyang said solemnly, "From now on, I will only speak for you."
Her cool eyes seemed to ignite suddenly. When she met her gaze, the fire burned straight into Yu Zhi's heart. She hurriedly looked away, flustered and confused, and stammered, "Why, why are you on my side?"
Ji Pingxi tilted her head and looked at her, smiling without saying a word.
That dizzying ambiguity enveloped Yu Zhi once again. In that instant, she seemed to understand, yet her doubts only grew. A secret joy welled up within her, rising and falling in waves.
She remembered that kiss that lasted only a moment.
Also coming to mind was that fleeting moment of restless, wandering thoughts.
--------------------
Author's Note:
At midnight, the "if" storyline revolves around Xi Xi's relentless pursuit.
Chapter 108 Green Plum 7
Princess Yunzhang arrived at the Yu family's gate with an umbrella. The heavy rain poured down from all sides, and through the silvery rain curtain, she could see the awkwardness and guilt on the faces of the people opposite her. She smiled and said, "It's alright, I don't mind."
Liu Boyan looked at her intently. Her frail figure didn't quite match the rainy day, but it was the image that Ji Rong had always loved.
To avoid his daughter finding out about their affair, and to avoid hurting the relationship between mother and daughter, they couldn't even openly have a cup of tea at home.
How can one truly not care?
Ten years ago, the two met again at Gan Ning Palace. Ji Rong spent several years patiently trying to win him over. She pretended to be generous and smiled beautifully: "Go back quickly, I'll watch you go in."
Liu Boyan gazed at her again, her thoughts swirling in her mind for what seemed like an eternity, before softly saying, "You should go back too, and be careful on your journey."
Ji Rong looked at her and smiled.
As always, they doted on me.
Her gaze was so intense that even the July rain couldn't wash it away. Liu Boyan panicked and quickly turned around.
Stepping through the vermilion gate of the Yu family home, she couldn't resist the urge to turn back.
Seeing her turn around, Ji Rong smiled even more gently and tenderly.
When she left, Liu Boyan was clearly lost in thought and preoccupied.
Sister Rong is the brightest light in the world, and I am willing to be the hidden shadow for her sake.
Holding the hem of her skirt in one hand and a large umbrella with seventy-two joints in the other, she entered the manor and asked the loyal and good steward, "Where is Miss?"
The butler was taken aback by the question and glanced at the wind and rain outside: "After Madam left, Miss also followed Her Highness the Princess."
"Changyang?"
Liu Boyan's mind sank: "I understand."
The butler obediently withdrew.
When the mistress returned, the maids in the main courtyard busied themselves preparing bathwater.
After removing her clothes, which were damp with dust and drizzle, Liu Boyan stepped into the white jade bath, her mind wandering with unspoken thoughts.
In the blink of an eye, my daughter has grown up.
Yu Wen has been gone for many years, and she and Sister Rong have rekindled their friendship—no, they are even closer than before. She knows what she is doing, and it is precisely because she knows this that she feels endless guilt towards Ji Rong.
We can't keep it a secret any longer.
Keeping it a secret is bad for everyone.
Just branches...
Zhizhi knows that she and the eldest princess have a secret affair. What should she think of her?
She was, after all, Yu Wen's daughter, whom he loved more than his own life.
Liu Boyan closed her eyes. She was no longer young, almost forty, and it was rare for her to be able to love someone from the bottom of her heart. She didn't want to lose Sister Rong.
But her daughter was born after ten months of pregnancy, filled with love. Her opinion is very important. So important that saying "I disagree" could tear her heart apart.
She also didn't forget that beneath her daughter's dignified and calm exterior lay a hidden crybaby.
If Zhizhi cries and begs her not to remarry, what should she do?
How can a mother resist her daughter's tears?
With her mind filled with thoughts of her daughter, Liu Boyan slowly opened her eyes, staring at the rising steam from the water and unconsciously frowning: Zhizhi and Her Highness the Princess are too close.
Rainy days couldn't dampen their enthusiasm for getting together.
Thinking of herself, she frowned—she was willing to brave the rain to go out and meet Sister Rong, but what about Zhizhi?
The twenty-year-old girl refused to talk about marriage, and at the matchmaking banquet seven days ago, she was even more polite to the eldest son of the Zhao family than cold.
Who has she taken a fancy to?
As the image of the ethereal princess flashed before her eyes, a sense of understanding gradually rose in Liu Boyan's heart.
The maidservant said through the screen, "Madam, Miss is back."
Yu Zhi returned in Princess Changyang's private carriage.
She changed her clothes after going out, but luckily everyone knew she was playing with the young prince, otherwise it would have caused a lot of gossip.
"Mother."
Liu Boyan, dressed in a newly changed hibiscus-colored daffodil dress, with a bare face, sat on a pear wood chair and looked up at you, displaying the typical demeanor of a noblewoman.
"You're back?"
"Um."
The mother and daughter, bound by blood, fell silent at this point. Liu Boyan looked at her, admiring her well-tailored Liuxian dress, an elegant pear blossom white embroidered with subtle silver patterns, a pale gold begonia painted on the chest, and the hem of the dress adorned with vast and prosperous mountains and rivers and starlight.
The workmanship is excellent; with her discerning eye, she could tell at a glance that it was made by the best embroiderers in the imperial clothing workshop.
From this perspective, His Highness has indeed treated Zhizhi very well.
The mother and daughter shared similar thoughts. Liu Boyan was watching her daughter, while Yuzhi was secretly observing her mother.