Wei Pingxi coldly observed the tense situation: "What's going on? Didn't the Empress Dowager come to question my concubine? It's been so long, shouldn't she have finished her questions by now?"
She quickly approached Yu Zhi and helped her up.
Yu Zhi's limbs went weak, and she leaned half her body against her, her face as white as paper: "You... how did you get here?"
“I said I wouldn’t let anyone bully you, so of course I have to keep my word.”
Empress Dowager Yan clicked her tongue twice: "A hero saves a beauty."
"Your Majesty flatters me. I am no hero, but merely a rare beauty in this world."
"You shameless bastard!" Ji Qingyao cursed.
Wei Pingxi looked at her coldly, then suddenly rebuked, "Where are the rules! Is this how you behave as a member of the royal family? This is not how your aunt taught you!"
"How dare you tell me what to do, Mother?"
"I wouldn't dare. I just want to say that Your Highness is very well-mannered, unlike a dog barking in the roadside."
"you--"
"You're really making a big show of yourself." Empress Dowager Yan said in surprise, "To my face, you scold my beloved granddaughter. Do you have no respect for imperial authority and etiquette? Or are you really not afraid of being punished here? What if I send you away and you never return?"
"Then there will be no return!"
"Good, good, such a rebellious and upright nature reminds me of someone from the past, someone who has passed away." Her breath turned cold: "You shouldn't be like her!"
"What the Empress Dowager said is interesting. It's not up to me to decide who I resemble or not. It's just my innate nature, there's nothing I can do about it, I can't change it."
"What a natural temperament." Yan Hui calmed down: "I won't hurt you, you may leave."
Wei Pingxi took Yu Zhi's hand and walked outside.
"Wait!"
"Her Majesty's words are law; could it be that she has gone back on her word?"
Yan Hui laughed at her quick wit and lightly pointed at the beauty beside her: "You can leave, but she can't."
"No, that won't do. I came here to take her away."
"You can't protect her."
Wei Pingxi laughed: "If I can't even protect one concubine, what else can I do?"
"You dare to talk back to me? What else do you want? Don't think that just because the Empress favors you, you can disregard me."
"Your Majesty is joking. As His Majesty's mother, how could Pingxi dare to disrespect you? But I promised her that I would never let anyone bully her before I was tired of her. It would be unacceptable for Your Majesty to kill my beloved concubine with just a word."
"What's wrong with that? Kill this one, and I'll give you ten or eight more."
"But I only want this."
"You only want this?"
Empress Dowager Yan suddenly realized: "You've been captivated by her."
"What do you mean by being bewitched? I only want her body."
"You were so greedy for your body that you lost your life. You are both dishonest and honest."
Ji Qingyao listened to the two exchanging barbs while cracking melon seeds: "Grandmother, if we don't hurry, Mother will be back soon."
"Let's do it!"
Imperial guards swarmed over, but Wei Pingxi, with a flick of his wrist, snatched the sword from the nearest guard.
Empress Dowager Yan was shocked: "You dare to raise your sword against me? How dare you!"
"I'm quite daring."
Princess Jiaorong was so startled that she dropped her melon seeds: "You're not just brave, you're incredibly bold. Your mother can't protect you right now. Aren't you afraid of being hacked to death the moment you step out of this palace gate?"
“That’s all in the next moment. Life is unpredictable, and you never know when you might die. I can’t wait for the next moment; I only want this moment. In this moment, I want her to live. If the Empress Dowager wants to kill her, then don’t blame Pingxi for drawing his sword.”
Her inner shirt was soaked with cold sweat, but her hand holding the sword remained steady.
"Good, good! As expected of the monster from the Liu family of Jinghe, he doesn't even spare women. Kill her!"
The Empress Dowager pointed to Yuzhi.
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Chapter 40 The Eldest Princess
"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"
"Princess Yunzhang has arrived!"
If we were to say that in this vast harem, the only one who could rival the Empress Dowager was the Empress.
Looking at the vast and magnificent Great Yan Dynasty, besides the fully-fledged Emperor who could make the Empress Dowager back down, there was another person, namely Princess Yunzhang.
Princess Yunzhang, Ji Rong, is His Majesty's elder sister and the Empress Dowager's truly beloved daughter.
Two deities arrived side by side at Fushou Palace, and the imposing guards with swords at Fushou Palace were so frightened that their legs went weak and they knelt down.
With the Empress Dowager arriving, we definitely won't be able to watch the play.
Ji Qingyao tossed aside the sunflower seeds in her hand and slowly wiped her knuckles.
In the deep and mysterious imperial city, the two people she feared most were her beloved imperial grandmother and her imperial aunt.
Princess Yunzhang was the Empress Dowager's darling. Everyone else could die, but the princess was the only one who would be spared. Anyone who dared to lay a finger on Ji Rong would face the tragedy of having their family's property confiscated and being exterminated.
The Empress Dowager and the Emperor had many disagreements and conflicts due to their differing political views, but the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager got along well.
One lived a secluded life as Empress in the Gan Ning Palace, while the other lived a secluded life in the residence of the Princess.
My imperial aunt had a fight with my imperial grandmother many years ago and hadn't visited the palace on her own initiative for a long time. This time...
"Greetings, Empress Dowager."
"Greetings, Mother."
A gentle and languid voice rang out simultaneously. Empress Dowager Yan glanced past the Empress in her phoenix robe and looked at her daughter, whom she hadn't seen for several years. Her hand, hidden in her sleeve, trembled slightly: "Why have you come?"
"Come and save them."
"Who to save?"
Princess Yunzhang's usually quiet eyes brightened as she looked around at everyone present. Her gaze lingered on Wei Pingxi's face before finally settling on the beauty she was protecting.
She raised one finger and said succinctly, "Save her."
Yu Zhi clutched the fourth young lady's sleeve, looking bewildered and confused.
The Empress glanced at her daughter, who was hiding behind the Empress Dowager, unable to hide her disappointment, then looked back at her daughter and said, "Why are you still carrying a sword? Put it down."
Wei Pingxi's tense nerves relaxed, and his sword fell to the ground.
She breathed a sigh of relief, then heard the princess declare that she wanted her people. The sword that had fallen was raised again, and she narrowed her phoenix eyes: "Zhizhi is my person."
Yuzhi nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
Princess Yunzhang's expression immediately turned ugly.
The Empress patted her hand with amusement, and she softened her expression: "I didn't mean to take her away from you, I just asked her a few questions in my spare time."
Wei Pingxi was quick-witted; she knew that the people who came with her aunt were unlikely to be enemies, but probably there to help her out of a predicament. So she relented and said, "You can ask questions, but I want to listen in."
Given her heightened vigilance, Ji Rong gave a faint smile: "Okay."
The matter was settled in a few words; they didn't take the Empress Dowager seriously at all.
Empress Dowager Yan was filled with hatred, regretting that she hadn't acted sooner to eliminate the threat completely.
She chuckled lightly, "The Empress's nephew has trespassed into my palace with a sword. What should be done?"
“If any transgression occurs within the harem under my jurisdiction, I shall personally take them away and punish them; there is no need for the Empress Dowager to trouble herself.” Yan Xiu’s bright eyes held a hint of reproach: “Aren’t you coming over?”
Wei Pingxi threw down his longsword, grabbed Yu Zhi's hand, and ran to her side, his sweet words winning him over: "Good aunt, have you come to save your nephew?"
save.
Where there is salvation, there is also death.
The Empress came to save her, which means that the Empress Dowager intended to kill her.
This was the first time Empress Dowager Yan had encountered such a bold and cunning person. She was so angry that her breathing became labored. Ji Qingyao was busy patting her chest to help her catch her breath, ignoring the look the Empress was giving her.
She was feigning ignorance, and a faint sadness welled up in Yan Xiu's heart: "You're not coming with me?"
Ji Qingyao struggled in his eyes but finally made up his mind: "Mother, I will stay here and keep Grandmother company. I am worried about leaving Grandmother here alone."
She is a filial son and virtuous grandson.
The Empress stopped looking at her and said, "Whatever you wish."
As she was about to leave, Wei Pingxi quickly followed, afraid of being left behind.
A string of little tails followed the Empress out of the Fushou Palace. Princess Yunzhang turned around and stared blankly at Yuzhi's departing figure.
After regaining her composure, she said to Ji Qingyao, "You can leave now."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The old nanny who served the Empress Dowager led a group of palace servants out in single file.
The once bustling and murderous palace suddenly became quiet. After many years, the mother and daughter were finally able to get along peacefully.
Empress Dowager Yan had a son and a daughter. Her eldest son was the third son of the late emperor and was the most advantageous heir in the chaotic struggle for the throne. Unfortunately, he was short-lived and had little fortune.
Then there was the princess Yunzhang. This girl was extraordinary from birth, with outstanding appearance, and was her favorite. Before she was six years old, she loved to hold her in her arms and almost spoiled her.
The mother and daughter had a close relationship. Ji Rong was extremely filial to her mother, and she never forgot to bring back gifts for her mother whenever she went out of the palace.
The blissful time suddenly came to an abrupt end one day.
The rift between mother and daughter is like a crack appearing in the ice, never to be restored to its original state.
Unless the ice melts.
But the ice will never melt again.