After taking the medicine and eating some liquid food, Wei Pingxi couldn't hold on any longer and fell into a deep sleep again.
The night at Jingzhe Courtyard was quiet, or rather, all the noise in the entire Wei Mansion subsided as night fell.
Yu Zhi sat on the edge of the bed, holding a handkerchief, wiping the sweat from the forehead and nose of the person on the bed from time to time.
The fourth young lady had a face like that of an immortal. Her gentle and pure nature was hidden in her narrow phoenix eyes. When her eyes were closed, her unparalleled beauty was concealed. Judging from her appearance alone, she did not seem like someone with bones harder than knives.
Noble families have very strict rules, and she never dared to imagine that the fourth young lady would stand against Old Master Wei for her sake.
Actually, upon closer reflection, it wasn't entirely for her sake.
Upon first entering the Wei family's residence, I didn't see much, but everything seemed strange.
The strained relationship between grandfather and granddaughter was evident in the old man's undisguised disgust and the fourth young lady's palpable sarcasm.
The siblings have an odd relationship, with nine parts disdain and indifference, and only occasionally can one see a hint of awkward, unspoken concern.
When a daughter-in-law stands up to her father-in-law, the head of the family, let alone a noble family, which ordinary family would have the courage to be a daughter-in-law?
Similarly... the way this mother and daughter interact in daily life is also strange.
Madam Wei's outrageous and boundless love is alarming. Yu Zhi, being sensitive, intuitively senses that the better Madam treats the Fourth Miss, the more difficult the Fourth Miss's situation will become in the Wei family.
It's not that she, as an outsider, has any right to criticize a mother's love for her daughter; it's just that everything she sees and feels tells her that because of this favoritism, the fourth young lady will suffer more grievances.
Yu Zhi sighed, her fingertips brushing across the Fourth Miss's quiet brows and eyes. She couldn't see through this person; just one more glance would disturb her heart. Deep within her heart, she was filled with amazement and gratitude. The Fourth Miss was like a spark of fire that brushed past her heart in the dead of winter, illuminating her small space and leaving her speechless with shock.
She was clearly five years younger than her, and her behavior was unpredictable and eccentric. She had a face that seemed capable of turning things around, yet she was cold and hard, unlike the gentle women commonly seen in the world.
Unwilling to soften their stance and abuse their beauty, they are willing to spit blood at others even if it means breaking their teeth, all for the sake of this unruly nature.
As the surroundings quieted down, Yu Zhi couldn't help but let her mind wander. She recalled how the Fourth Miss had led her into the Wei family's gate, how she had reprimanded Madam Wei's confidants on her behalf, and how she had pushed her away before she could be beaten. Even kneeling there, she seemed more composed than many people who were standing.
It's as if there's too much resentment hidden in my chest and abdomen, too much injustice seen in my eyes, and I've been holding back for far too long. If I don't let it out soon, I'll suffocate.
I have to annoy the old man a little to feel like I'm truly alive.
Yuzhi had never seen a woman like this before.
When I first met her in my past life, the first thing I noticed about her was her gentleness and kindness, and I simply assumed that the Fourth Miss was a naturally gentle person.
However, after hearing the rumors circulating throughout the city, she belatedly realized that it was the Fourth Miss who had suddenly shown kindness that day.
I was fortunate enough to witness her gentle kindness, and on the day of the passing of the Fourth Miss, I witnessed the mourning of men and women in this world for her.
A woman who is incredibly popular is unlikely to be an absolute bad person.
Reborn, she met him again at the secluded courtyard, and saw his dashing figure once more.
With a slight lift of her eyebrows, she exuded a natural charm, her jade-colored fingertips tracing the portrait of a beauty, unlike any other woman Yuzhi had ever seen.
All the women in the world were suddenly divided into two categories—other women and Miss Wei.
Yu Zhi lightly licked her teeth with the tip of her tongue, her willow-leaf eyes slightly curved.
She stared blankly at the fourth young lady, whose face was flushed with a beautiful blush, even in her dreams. She closed her eyes, and her mother's earnest words of advice echoed in her mind. She suddenly came to her senses and felt a sense of lingering fear for the heart that had almost been out of control.
Yuzhi turned her back and looked out the window at the indistinct darkness, sighing quietly, feeling timidly lonely.
Wake up, sleep, wake up. In the middle of the night, the fourth young lady opened her eyes, and Yu Zhi fed her a small half bowl of rice porridge.
For seven days, they took care of Wei Pingxi without taking off their clothes, changing his medicine several times. Wei Pingxi was injured, and apart from taking the medicine being a bit troublesome, he was very well-behaved at other times.
Once the word "well-behaved" came to Yu Zhi's mind, she smiled gently, holding the medicine bowl.
The fourth young lady lay on the bed, leisurely watching her. Seeing the beauty's lips slightly swollen from being kissed, a strange sense of satisfaction welled up in her chest.
There was still a little more medicine left in the blue and white porcelain bowl; the medicine had to be drunk while it was still hot.
Yu Zhi lowered her head, drank a mouthful of bitter medicine, her eyes sparkling with an unspeakable shyness.
The trouble with getting the fourth young lady to drink her medicine was that you had to feed her by kissing her.
The first time Yu Zhi was fed the medicine, she almost choked. But after being fed it many times, she would at most feel weak, her tongue would go numb, and her face would turn as red as a peach blossom.
Wei Pingxi liked her like this; since she couldn't move around much, she wanted to do whatever she could in the places where she could move.
The courtyard of Jingzhe is located on the sunny side, and the sunlight shines into the courtyard, making the whole place radiant.
Madam Wei ordered the craftsmen to make a wooden chair with wheels so that her daughter could go outside to bask in the sun when she felt bored.
Yao Chenzi truly lives up to his reputation as a divine physician. An ordinary person injured like the Fourth Miss would have been a dead dog long ago, but with all sorts of precious elixirs and medicines, he was only left half-crippled, and his broken bones would take at least two months to heal.
Half a month passed quickly.
The old man beat his granddaughter so badly she was nearly killed, but he couldn't bring himself to kill her for her rebellious behavior. News of the fourth young lady's intention to take a concubine spread throughout the Wei family.
With Madam Wei blocking the way, the marriage between the Wei and Song families has been delayed for a long time.
A storm is brewing.
Wei Pingxi stretched out her hand, and the sunlight fell on her fair palm. She sighed, "The sunlight is so nice."
Jade arrived in haste.
"Miss, someone from the Yan family has arrived."
The fourth young lady, sitting gracefully in her wheelchair, was slender and her every smile and frown exuded a captivating fragility.
Yu Zhi followed her lead and extended her hand. Wei Pingxi played with the beauty's slender fingers, and after a while, she hummed in agreement, unable to express either joy or displeasure.
There is always a sense of melancholy that others cannot understand.
In her past life, she was mindful of keeping her family's shameful secrets hidden, and even in the most difficult circumstances, she always had her mother's protection and never sought outside help.
Despite being 800 miles away, her maternal grandparents were unaware of her awkward situation in the Wei family. Adhering to the idea of comforting the elderly, she endured as much as she could.
If you endure it to the end, you'll lose your life.
I just sent a letter to test it out, and the Yan family really did send someone over.
Wei Pingxi smiled, both at his inability to see through people's hearts and at his foolish insistence in the past.
She lowered her gaze and kissed Yu Zhi's fingertips, gently stroking them against her lips: "Who doesn't bully others when they have power?"
Yu Zhi blushed, but when she thought about the medicine she had been feeding for days, she stood there helplessly, meeting the Fourth Miss's ambiguous and dangerous smile, her heart pounding wildly.
I can't tell if I'm afraid of her or infatuated with her.
They didn't even have the courage to back down.
...
The Yan family sent two women this time, Yan Ruqing and Yan Ruyu, who are known as the "Twin Jewels of the Yan Family".
Upon receiving the letter from Lingnan Prefecture to the capital, Grand Tutor Yan flew into a rage at home.
The two arrived weary from their journey, carrying the mission of "supporting their aunt and cousin," with swords at their waists and cold, stern faces.
When guests arrived, Old Master Wei was listening to music in the opera house and no one dared to disturb him. It just so happened that Marquis Yiyang and Young Master Wei were not at home. The servants went to invite Madam Wei on one side and the two young masters on the other.
Wei San was a step behind his brother.
When he bathed, burned incense, and went out to meet his guests, the first thing he saw was not the guests, but the golden birdcage lying on the ground.
The birds frantically darted about in the cage. The second brother, who always paid attention to his appearance in front of outsiders, had his jade crown shattered and his brocade robe torn by the sword energy.
His face darkened.
The visitor is not friendly.
Yan Ruqing sheathed her sword, adopting the arrogance of the Grand Tutor's mansion, and looked down at Wei Er: "Young Master Wei, you're nothing special."
Second Brother was humiliated by someone who came to his door, and the dignity of the Wei family was trampled underfoot. No matter who the person was, Third Young Master Wei drew his sword.
As the sword energy dispersed, the Fourth Miss, who was in the Jingzhe Courtyard, began to laugh for some unknown reason.
"I was so stupid."
Yu Zhi's legs trembled, and the strange reaction in her body became more and more intense. A little dampness flowed from between her legs. She looked at the Fourth Miss pleadingly, hoping that the Fourth Miss would spare her because she was inexperienced in such matters.
The sunlight was warm, the courtyard was deep, and jade and agate stood bowing on either side, making Yu Zhi feel uneasy.
After lamenting her own foolishness, Miss Wei released the beauty's fingers meaningfully and said softly, "How can she be so tender?"
Yu Zhi took a deep breath, feeling so ashamed she wanted to disappear.
Jade and Agate gasped: Is this something they can hear?!
Wei Pingxi looked down at her badly injured leg. If her legs were intact, she would want to hold her in her arms.
...
Compared to the Second Young Master Wei who was defeated in three moves, the Third Young Master Wei lasted five more rounds under Yan Ruqing's sword.
The Yan family's twins received renowned teachers from a young age, possessing exceptional intelligence and excelling in both literary and martial arts. Ordinary imperial guards were no match for them.
Wei San retreated step by step, until he was bullied to the point of having nowhere left to retreat. He drew his sword and used the "Eternal Life" technique, passed down through generations of the Wei family, which was used to perish together with the enemy.
Yan Ruyu, who hadn't moved, raised an eyebrow in surprise: Of the three sons of the Wei family, two were good-for-nothings, the second was a useless embroidered pillow, and the third was strong-willed and could not tolerate humiliation or provocation. He valued face more than life. He was ready to fight to the death after being defeated in a few moves. He was deeply puzzled: Had his aunt been raising his two cousins in a laissez-faire manner all these years?
"Qing'er! Stop!"
Madam Wei let out a sharp shout.
With a flick of his finger, Old Master Wei sent a silver bean the size of a soybean flying out of his grandson's hand, causing the sword to fall to the ground. In the blink of an eye, another silver bean darted past everyone's eyes and shot toward Yan Ruqing.
If this hits, Yan Ruqing's right hand, which is holding the sword, will need at least three months to recover.
"Second brother!" Yan Ruyu drew her sword.
A gust of wind swept by, and Yan Ruqing staggered back three steps, intending to use her sword to block the 'hidden weapon'. Just then, a golden leaf quietly swept past, and the strong airflow it stirred up momentarily blocked the silver bean.
Old Master Wei gave a cold snort without any politeness.
Wei Pingxi sat lazily in his wheelchair, appearing at some unknown time and having been there for an unknown amount of time. He held a gold leaf between his fingers and casually stuffed it into Yu Zhi's sleeve pocket: "This is a reward for you."
Yu Zhi was deeply moved when she witnessed her use a leaf as a vessel to save the young man in the moon-white robe.
"Grandfather!" The Third Young Master Wei and the Second Young Master Wei spoke at the same time. The old man was angry that they were outmatched by the Yan family and their skills were inferior. His face was as cold as ice: "You two young masters have quite the spirit."
Yan Ruqing and Yan Ruyu straightened their clothes, clasped their fists, and gathered their energy in their dantian: "Ruqing/Ruyu greet the old master!"
After they finished speaking, they raised their heads, their eyebrows slightly lifted, and their voices became more cheerful: "We've also met our aunt, cousin, and younger cousin."
Madam Wei exchanged a few pleasantries with her nephew, while Wei Er sulked, and the maid beside him busied herself tidying up his appearance.
Wei San, who had almost perished with someone, calmed down and his face turned slightly pale. He secretly glanced at his mother, whose expression was calm, and his sister, whose face was no more rosy than his, in the wheelchair. His eyes were filled with gloom.