Yan Xiu thought of her beloved's good looks, and a smile appeared in her cold eyes, like a crack in an iceberg—How could His Majesty's daughter be of average appearance?
If that's the case, then God is being unfair.
Now that the Ji family has become the masters of the land, how can Heaven be unjust?
Take your time.
Yan Xiu comforted herself in her heart.
Whether it's black or white, true or false, the schemes lurking beneath the deep pool will one day surface.
We've waited eighteen years, so a few more months won't hurt.
She stepped into the Zhehua Palace.
Jade and agate figures kneel in worship.
Madam Wei stayed up all night by her daughter's bedside, her eyes brimming with emotions that threatened to overwhelm her.
"Madam, Her Majesty has arrived."
Yan Qing snapped out of her reverie, a flicker of alertness crossing her eyes.
The person on the bed was asleep, and only one lamp was lit in the inner room. The Empress walked in with slow, deliberate steps: "How is she?"
"No disfigurement. No need for Your Majesty to worry."
Having met with a rebuff, Yan Xiu silently observed her expression, ignoring the mother's anger at her daughter's injury. She stepped forward and used her delicate hand to lift the bed curtains.
He saw Wei Pingxi wearing an embroidered cloud-patterned inner garment, embracing his concubine as they slept peacefully.
She looks so well-behaved when she's asleep, just like when she was little.
The Empress couldn't help but glance at her a few more times, her gaze lingering on her forehead, which was covered by a white cloth.
In his sleep, Wei Pingxi frowned as he held his favorite concubine, then turned over and buried himself in the woman's arms.
Yan Xiu laughed at her for not forgetting to take advantage of the girl even when she was asleep. She resisted the urge to touch her face, took two steps back, and lowered the curtain.
"I have already disciplined Yao'er, and she has received the punishment she deserved. You don't need to take it to heart."
"How dare I, your humble servant?" Lady Wei remained unmoved, clearly showing her lack of appreciation.
The Empress waved her sleeve and left.
Not long after, Madam Wei also left with a sigh.
The candlelight flickered dimly. Lying on the bed, the fourth young lady reluctantly opened her eyes, her gaze clear and lucid.
It seems that the relationship between my mother and aunt is not as close as my maternal grandmother said. Ordinary sisters would not talk to each other like that, but these two are quite interesting.
Unable to fall asleep, she hugged the beauty and adjusted herself into a comfortable sleeping position, then took the opportunity to undress Yu Zhi.
Wearing clothes always feels a bit less comfortable, and since no one will push the door open at night, she can act more recklessly.
Over the years, what she has never forgotten is the painting her mother hung on the wall: a scholar in white robes, whose beauty is unparalleled.
She used to suffer from insomnia at night when she lived in the Wei family. When she couldn't sleep, she would go to the roof of her mother's bedroom and over time she saw a lot of live sex scenes.
Whenever my mother and father made love, she would kneel before that portrait.
The marriage between the mother and father existed in name only.
Who would have thought that the dignified Marquis of Yiyang was nothing more than a woman's pastime?
Wei Pingxi had wondered many times if she was a daughter of the Wei family. If not, who was her real father?
She suspected that His Majesty was her biological father.
However, she noticed her mother's interactions with His Majesty during the day.
His Majesty is a diligent and good ruler of the Great Yan Dynasty, and also a devoted husband of the Empress. Throughout the entire process, he only had one chance to look at his mother, and his eyes were open and honest, showing no signs of lingering affection.
Mother, on the other hand, dared not reveal her feelings, but she could see them, and so could the Empress.
As the eldest daughter of the Yan family, the Empress married His Majesty and became Empress in the same year that her mother became Wei Hanqing's principal wife.
If you don't love her, why marry her?
Now that she's married, isn't it absurd to still have a portrait of His Majesty in his youth hanging in her room?
Wei Pingxi couldn't sleep.
The complex and taboo entanglements of the previous generation stirred her heart. She was unaware of her own origins and felt deep guilt towards the Empress and the Emperor for what her mother had done.
...
When I woke up, the world in the harem seemed to have changed.
To stand up for her niece, the Empress beat a servant girl from the Jiaoyue Palace to death, showing no respect whatsoever to the princess.
Princess Jiaorong was reprimanded and confined to the palace. She would not step out without permission and spent her days copying Buddhist scriptures in her chambers to pray for the Empress Dowager.
With the winds shifting, Wei Pingxi became an untouchable figure in the palace, and wherever she went, she was met with flattery and sycophancy.
Along with her concubine, she was fawned over by many people. Yu Zhi couldn't stand the sight and gradually stopped going out.
She had been wandering around the Imperial Garden when she was caught up in this unexpected disaster. Having learned her lesson, she was no longer fooled by Wei Pingxi's attempts to deceive her.
Besides, it's unsightly to go out with a bag on your forehead.
She refused to move no matter what, so Wei Pingxi simply stayed with her in the Zhehua Palace.
Jinshi left the palace to deliver a message, while Yinding cleared his throat and continued reading the story to his aunt.
Bored, Yuzhi became fascinated with listening to storybooks. She found reading too hard on her eyes. One day, she learned that Yinding was a ventriloquist and began to ask her to use different voices to perform the exciting stories.
Yin Ding's throat felt like it was on fire. After finishing the whole story, she took a bitter sip of water and said, "Auntie, why don't we take a break?"
The storybook was snatched from his hand, and Wei Pingxi waved his hand, saying, "Go."
"Thank you, Fourth Miss!" Yin Ding ran off as fast as she could.
Yu Zhi opened her eyes: "You chased the people away and then read it to me?"
"I'll read it then." Miss Wei Si began the next story, just about to share some fun with her concubine, when Emerald rushed over: "Miss, His Highness the Crown Prince has come to visit."
Your Highness the Crown Prince?
With Princess Jiaorong being such a troublemaker, Yuzhi assumed that the Crown Prince had come to avenge his elder sister.
"Don't panic." Wei Pingxi closed the storybook. "Since it's the Crown Prince coming to greet us, shall we go together to welcome him?"
Yu Zhi got up and straightened her clothes.
The current Crown Prince is sixteen years old. He was established as the heir apparent at birth. He was missing yesterday because he went to the northern frontier to supervise the army on His Majesty's orders. He came to Zhehua Palace not long after returning.
Wei Pingxi hadn't seen him for several years.
Her cousin, who used to be a head shorter than her, has transformed into a handsome young man. He has grown quite a bit taller, with a slim waist and long legs, and is quite similar to Her Majesty in appearance.
She was looking at Ji Qingyou, and Ji Qingyou was looking at her too.
In a daze, the sunlight shone on the woman, and His Highness the Crown Prince thought he had seen his mother.
Putting everything else aside, her ethereal aura upon entering the world is something that ordinary people can hardly match. But upon closer inspection, one can see that she only inherited her mother's temperament, while her eyebrows and eyes have the charm of her father. Ji Qingyou suppressed her excitement and smiled, "Cousin!"
The young man's voice was clear and bright, full of vitality, and his smile was as radiant as a rainbow after the rain.
Wei Pingxi stepped forward with a smile: "How are you, cousin?"
"She's doing great!" Ji Qingyou's eyebrows beamed with joy: "My cousin is full of vigor, even more beautiful than she was a few years ago, and her imposing presence is no less than ever."
Sensing his teasing tone, Wei Pingxi chuckled, "She was the one who provoked me first. If you're not happy about that, then I'm afraid I won't entertain you."
"Of course I'm convinced. My elder sister has indeed acted inappropriately these past few years. I'm just happy that you're not holding it against her."
"We've already considered it, so let's not dwell on it anymore."
Seeing the white bandage on her forehead, Ji Qingyou guessed that her injury had not yet healed. She took out a bottle of medicine from her sleeve and said, "This is external injury medicine that I obtained from Senior Yao Chenzi two years ago. I'm giving it to my cousin."
"Keep it for yourself. I have plenty of his medicine. If you want it, I'll give it to you."
Unable to deliver the medicine, His Highness the Crown Prince regretfully withdrew it, then changed the subject: "This must be my cousin's concubine."
Yu Zhi curtsied and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."
"No need for formalities." His smile was sincere, his eyes carrying the fresh and clean look of a young man: "I heard that the Empress Dowager gave you another jade bracelet? You must keep it safe, it was hard-won."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Wei Pingxi cleared his throat twice, pressing his fist to his lips, and said reproachfully, "Don't listen to his nonsense. Now that he's grown up, he's starting to meddle in my affairs?"
"No, no, I wouldn't dare."
The current Crown Prince is just like His Majesty in temperament, kind and gentle. In terms of governing the country, he is also a successor and should not be underestimated.
Some people may seem easy to bully, but they are actually tigers hiding their sharpness. Tigers don't come down from the mountain easily, but when they do, they're meant to devour people.
In the inner palace, besides the Empress who holds the Phoenix Seal, there is another aging tiger.
Ji Qingyou revealed her intention: "To be honest, when I came back I happened to see the Empress Dowager summon my elder sister to Fushou Palace. The Empress Dowager has always doted on my elder sister, so I'm afraid this matter is not over yet. Cousin, why don't you go and avoid the Empress Dowager?"
“I will not hide. I can hide for a while, but I can’t hide forever. If the Empress Dowager wants to punish me for disrespecting the royal family, she will have to talk about the facts and reason. You’ve come at the right time. Take me to see His Majesty. I have something to ask of you.”
Chapter 39 Just This
In the Imperial Study, the Grand Eunuch Yang Ruogong announced, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince and the Fourth Miss request an audience."
Ji Ying looked up: "Oh? Announce it quickly."
"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, this humble woman pays her respects!"
The two of them entered one after the other. Ji Ying was very curious and put down the imperial brush in her hand on the brush mountain: "Get up, what is it? Speak."
Ji Qingyou, with his youthful spirit, scratched his head and said, "Your subject has just returned from the northern frontier. I miss Father Emperor and want to see him more often to relieve the suffering caused by the northern winds and sands."
The emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty was exceptionally gentle and kind. He possessed both divine grace and a way of treating people with pleasure and enjoyment. He could be considered the most beloved emperor in the history of the Great Yan Dynasty.
This emperor, who ruled over the nine provinces, was approachable in private. Faced with the crown prince's sycophancy, he smiled gently and asked, "So, you saw it?"
The Crown Prince, feigning respect and admiration, said, "I see, Father Emperor looks so young again."