Wei Pingxi chuckled, picked up the cat, and pushed open the door.
Inside the room, Yuzhi lay on the bed, fast asleep.
The kitten hesitantly jumped from the fourth young lady's palm to the pillow, its voice soft and sweet.
The sound of a cat's meow drifted into her dream. Yu Zhi was half asleep and half awake, her face pressed against the clean, soft fur of a kitten.
The texture feels off.
"Still sleeping? Wake up."
Yu Zhi looked around sleepily and saw only a cat the size of her palm. She wondered in her daze: When did the Fourth Miss turn into a cat?
The 'cat' was still talking:
"Whose concubine complains of being tired after only a few rounds like you? I told you to rest, but you refuse to get up. Wake up and get up to play chess with me."
What kind of chess game should we play?
Do cats play chess?
She smiled and snuggled close to the cat as she slept.
Wei Pingxi's face visibly darkened, and he let out a cold snort—whoosh! The brocade quilt was lifted!
A cool breeze swept by, and Yu Zhi shivered.
"Are you awake? Get up and play chess with me."
The fourth young lady put down her emotionless command and instead held the kitten contentedly, talking to herself.
"..."
Yu Zhi breathed a sigh of relief: So a cat is still a cat, and the Fourth Miss is still the Fourth Miss.
She hugged her frail body, got up, and resignedly put on her coat.
The floor heating in the room was burning brightly, and the sound of the pieces being placed was crisp and clear.
"No, how could you land here? Isn't that courting death?"
Yu Zhi wasn't very interested in chess, but upon hearing this, she humbly asked, "Then where should I place my piece?"
"Here," Wei Pingxi pointed out the correct move for her.
The chess piece fell to the ground with a thud.
A while later.
Wei Pingxi frowned and said quietly, "You've placed your piece here; are you trying to hasten your demise?"
Having learned from his experience of seeking advice, Yu Zhi was truly humble: "Then where should I place my weapon to die slowly?"
This question stumped even the most skilled among the most skilled.
The fourth young lady pondered intently, then gently moved her jade-white fingers: "Here."
Thud.
The chess piece landed steadily once again.
Yu Zhi looked at her with adoration.
After playing a few rounds and winning a few times, Wei Pingxi finally realized that her concubine was a terrible chess player.
But she refused to accept her fate and, with the thought that "how could my concubine be so useless," dragged Yuzhi along to start another round.
With gold and silver ingots serving by her side, she couldn't understand why the Fourth Miss was creating trouble for herself. The concubine's pleasure wasn't in playing chess, but in watching the Fourth Miss frown and try to solve the predicament she had set for herself.
"No, no, you're trying to drive me crazy!"
Yu Zhi said guiltily, "Did I...did I court death again?"
Wei Pingxi didn't want to talk to anyone.
But in the beginning, she was the one who dragged people to play chess.
She sighed, "Come here, I'll teach you."
Yuzhi sat down beside her, lifting the hem of her skirt.
The Fourth Miss's extensive knowledge was not just empty talk.
If she had followed the path of marriage and childbirth properly, she would surely have become a talented woman praised by everyone in the Great Yan Dynasty. Now, however, her reputation is tarnished, and she has been branded with a stigma of having a strange and wicked personality.
The closer Yuzhi got, the more she liked her.
As the sun sets in the west, the gold, stone, and silver ingots all seem to be looking out the window.
Wei Pingxi, oblivious to everyone else, embraced the beauty and kissed her.
The scene was beautiful, giving the sunset a sense of warmth.
...
Lingnan Prefecture, No. 3 Baihu Street.
Upon learning that her daughter was doing well in the capital, she was overjoyed. Even though she knew the letter by heart, she still liked her maid to read it to her.
The grandeur of the Yan residence, the warmth of the Yan family, the thrill of leaping across the ice, the fun and novelty of dog sledding, and the fact that Yu's mother was left with only one or two coins after losing at 'Flaming Mountain'—all these made her beam with joy.
As she recounted each word carefully, she seemed to "see" the bustling scene of the capital city today, and her heart couldn't help but yearn for it.
"With Xi Xi protecting me, I have nothing to worry about."
The fourth young lady treated Zhizhi with utmost care, and Yu's mother felt much relieved after receiving the letter.
"Madam, it's time to take your medicine."
The maid brought over the medicine.
"good."
The herbal decoction is warm, so now is the perfect time to drink it.
Yu's mother's greatest wish in this life was for her daughter to find a good husband. Now that her daughter and her "son-in-law" are deeply in love, she also wants to live a few more decades to accompany them.
Having good health means not becoming a burden to the younger generation. With this thought in mind, she tilted her head back and drank the bitter soup without changing her expression.
Things have truly changed.
There was a time when she was most afraid of taking medicine. Yu's mother smiled, her every move exuding the elegance of a noble lady from a prominent family.
The maidservant beside her had witnessed her amazing transformation from a blind old woman in Liushui Lane to a noble lady, and regarded her as her mistress from the bottom of her heart.
With a mother like that, it's no wonder that the aunt was favored by the fourth young lady.
Upon arriving at this residence on White Tiger Street, they kept the same secret out of filial piety towards Aunt Yu, but now, they kept this secret purely out of compassion.
I couldn't bear to see a mother suffer such a painful breakdown after learning the truth.
"Thank you so much, Dr. Yao. Please thank him for me."
"Yes, madam."
The maidservant took the medicine bowl and retreated, while another maidservant massaged Yu's mother's sore shoulders.
Agate spurred his horse into Lingnan Prefecture and headed familiarly toward White Tiger Street.
If the eldest princess wanted to cause trouble for her young lady, she'd have to be faster than her.
"This servant, Agate, greets Madam!"
"Agate?" Mother Yu exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be that Zhizhi and Xixi have returned?"
"Reporting to Madam, the young mistress and young lady are still in the capital. The young lady has sent me to deliver a letter to you."
"Deliver a message?"
"I will read it to you, Madam."
Yu's mother suppressed her joy: "Alright, alright, you read it, I'll listen."
Agate cleared her throat: "To my dear mother-in-law..."
This is a thoroughly scathing complaint.
It uses subtle and euphemistic language to describe how a pair of mandarin ducks were bullied by the Empress Dowager and her daughter in the capital.
"I just doted on Zhizhi a little, but I never expected that Princess Yunzhang would threaten me that I wouldn't live to see tomorrow. If I don't live to see tomorrow, wouldn't Zhizhi become a widow?"
"Even if she is royalty, her words are still too much. An outsider, meddling in the affairs of my and Zhizhi's room. My mother-in-law has never interfered with our affection..."
Agate blushed slightly, thinking to herself that the young lady's letter was indeed very straightforward.
She secretly glanced at the woman sitting in the superior position, only to find that Madam Yu's demeanor was quite different from usual, very calm.
"I've heard that my mother-in-law and the Princess are old acquaintances. If you ask me, it's better to get rid of these old acquaintances!"
"I don't care if she's an old acquaintance or not. If she bullies me, she's bullying Zhizhi. If she bullies Zhizhi, she's bullying my mother-in-law. She's heartless, and I'll be ruthless too. They're royalty; they love to use their power to oppress people and they're always threatening to kill themselves."
"Of course, this only refers to the Empress Dowager and her beloved daughter, and has absolutely nothing to do with my aunt."
“Mother-in-law, you must stand up for your son-in-law! I was bullied terribly in the capital. I'll probably lose three to five pounds when I get back to Lingnan. I miss the food here, and I miss you, Mother-in-law.”
"Zhizhi and I send our greetings to you, and hope that you, Mother-in-law, will take good care of yourself and recover soon."
Ping Xi bows in respect.
After making his recitation, Agate stood respectfully to the side, not wanting to disturb Madam Yu's reverie of old friends and memories.
Liu Boyan never dared to imagine that her 'son-in-law' would send her such a letter.
Her face was solemn.
Thinking back to how the Liu family was torn apart and wiped out by the Empress Dowager's attacks, the hatred buried deep in my heart slowly resurfaced.
Lingering without ceasing.
The Empress Dowager was an enemy of the Liu family. When Pingxi and Zhizhi went to the capital, they were also harassed by the mother and daughter. Liu Boyan gritted her teeth, not knowing how to feel sorry for the two weak people.
"lady……"
"It's alright. Tell me in detail how the Empress Dowager made things difficult for Zhizhi?"
"yes."
Agate then recited the prepared draft in detail.