It's good that they all jumped out now, so we can catch them all and teach them a profound lesson.
Let them know that so what if she's a woman? A woman can still crack open their heads.
She should thank her cousin, the princess, who lived deep within the Moon Palace.
Miss Wei poured a spoonful of water down his throat, and the man in the floral dress fainted from head injury as blood flowed from his head.
In the capital, where powerful and wealthy people are as common as dogs, a single plaque thrown down could hit several纨绔 (spoiled brats) and 名遠 (famous figures from prominent families). Now, this single spoonful of plaque could hit quite a few hypocritical beasts in human clothing.
Wei Pingxi gave her soup spoon a name: Destroyer of Clothes and Manners.
Every spoonful is perfect, powerful and imposing, carrying the aroma of hot pot. With a spoon in hand, you can annihilate all hypocrites in the world.
The ideal is wonderful, but it's no fun if people actually get killed.
Of the twenty-odd people who came looking for trouble, the big fish and shrimp hid in the back, while the ones who showed themselves were all small fish and shrimp—let's just say Princess Jiaorong was the number one big fish.
"Those who act justly will find many supporters, while those who act unjustly will find few. Miss Wei, without the Empress as your backer, let's see who will come to your rescue!"
Their purpose in causing this scene was to embarrass Wei Pingxi, as they themselves knew that they couldn't cause a death in public in the capital.
But this kind of show is enough to annoy people.
She wants everyone to know that times have changed, and that the current fourth young lady is nothing more than a pitiful creature who is unloved by her own father and aunt and has no one to rely on.
It is difficult to take a person's life, but easy to destroy their freedom in the world.
Bringing shame wherever you go is far more insidious than simply and brutally taking lives.
Wei Pingxi shoved a spoonful of water onto his flat, round head—and another one of them fainted.
"Under the clear sky, right under the emperor's nose, have you all forgotten the sage's profound teachings?"
Scholars dressed in Confucian robes arrived breathlessly, wringing their hands and cursing bitterly.
"Get out of my way, you poor, pedantic scholar!"
It's acceptable to tell someone to "get lost," since that's what people in the capital say when they're angry. But to call someone "poor and shabby" is a different story.
Scholars study diligently for years in the hope of "one day entering the emperor's court, wearing official robes and proclaiming their principles"—but how can someone who is poor and pedantic ever enter the emperor's court?
The powerful and influential stepped on each other's sore spots, and a fight broke out between them.
Wei Pingxi was happy to watch the spectacle; the capital was truly fascinating.
Everyone seems fearless, and everyone inevitably flatters the powerful and belittles the weak. The world is full of all sorts of people, so why not sit down and watch a show in your spare time?
"Are you alright?" Yu Zhi asked, tugging at her sleeve.
"It's alright, you should ask them if they've lost their minds. If I were to throw this spoon at them, it might just make them even dumber."
Yu Zhi, who had seen much of the world following her, laughed upon hearing this and said, "Then wouldn't your spoon become a 'stupid and dull' spoon?"
The fourth young lady smiled faintly and held a spoon, gesturing towards her head.
Before she could get close, Yuzhi skillfully dodged her.
The beautiful woman looked at her with a smile, not without smugness: "I was prepared for this."
Those who do things that the world cannot tolerate will inevitably face a barrage of harsh criticism.
What the world cannot tolerate can be good or bad; good or bad is determined by one's heart and by one's actions.
Wei Pingxi didn't hide his love for women; instead, he openly took concubines, which violated a taboo for men everywhere.
It is also unacceptable to the world.
With everyone criticizing and mocking her, and no one coming to her aid, it seemed that the Fourth Miss was not in the right.
That would make her seem wrong.
The verbal battle between the scholars and the powerful came to an end, but some people were looking to shift the focus of the conflict. Wei Pingxi raised an eyebrow and tightened his grip on the soup spoon in his hand.
"By order of the Eldest Princess, anyone who dares to disrespect the Fourth Miss shall be arrested!"
The female official arrived on orders, holding up the token of the Princess's residence.
...
"Royal Aunt?! Why would Royal Aunt help her?"
"This... I don't know either."
Ji Qingyao frowned in thought: "Where did the Imperial Aunt go?"
"Your Highness... The Empress Dowager said that Your Highness is not allowed to inquire about the whereabouts of the Eldest Princess."
"I'm just asking, tell me quickly!"
The palace maid hesitated for a moment, then moved forward and whispered in her ear, "The Princess has set off for Lingnan Prefecture."
"Lingnan Prefecture? Isn't that the Wei family's territory? What's she doing there?"
Ji Qingyao had a gut feeling that there was something she had overlooked, and it was something extremely important that could give Ji Yunzhang a handle on his weakness.
She paced back and forth in the Bright Moon Palace, when a daring thought suddenly popped into her head: Her imperial aunt was still unmarried, could it be that she also liked women? And that she and Wei Pingxi were kindred spirits?
Thinking this to myself, I blurted it out without realizing it.
The palace maid was stunned for a moment, then suddenly knelt down, her face as white as paper.
Unintentionally speaking her true feelings, Princess Jiaorong was startled by her own bold words. Suddenly, her limbs turned cold, and she slowly turned around.
Empress Dowager Yan looked at her with a smile: "Yao'er, what are you saying?"
The palace servants bowed and withdrew from the hall.
Ji Qingyao trembled: "Grandmother...Grandmother?"
Inside the vast Jiaoyue Palace, only the Empress Dowager and the princess remained; even the nannies who served the Empress Dowager had retreated to the palace gates.
Yan Hui was old, but her hearing was still sharp. She beckoned with her hand: "Good boy, come to me."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I was wrong! I shouldn't have spoken ill of my Imperial Aunt! I was wrong!"
She knelt down and knelt down, making a gesture of kowtowing and admitting her mistake.
With her chin lifted by a hand, the Empress Dowager's smile faltered slightly, and she slapped her granddaughter's delicate left cheek hard: "After raising you all these years, have you grown too big for your britches? Don't forget who you are!"
"Yes, yes... This servant was wrong, please have mercy, Your Majesty... please have mercy, Your Majesty..."
She hurriedly kowtowed and confessed her sins, and blood quickly seeped from her forehead.
As her anger subsided, Yan Hui said coldly, "Get up. Don't let me hear you say anything you shouldn't."
"This servant will remember this, and will never dare to overstep my bounds again!"
"Why are you calling me 'servant'?" The Empress Dowager smiled and helped her up. "You are the Emperor and Empress's only daughter, the most precious princess of our Great Yan Dynasty. Have you forgotten your status again? Your mother mustn't hear this. She's very shrewd."
Ji Qingyao smiled obsequiously: "No matter how shrewd she is, didn't she still lose to the Empress Dowager?"
"Does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt."
"Take good care of yourself, and don't see anyone until you're fully recovered, understand?"
"Grandson knows...Grandson will not be discovered by Father and Mother, and will not cause trouble for Grandmother."
Seeing her so discreet, Empress Dowager Yan stroked her red and swollen face and said, "You, you'll suffer the consequences of your loose tongue sooner or later. Others may not know you, but do you think I don't?"
"You've been playing dumb all these years, don't actually think you're a fool. Not only the Empress, but His Majesty is watching you too."
"You must treat them as your own parents. Only by treating them as your own flesh and blood can you secure your position as a princess and avoid revealing your true colors when you act willfully."
“Learn from Wei Pingxi, learn how she pleases the Empress. Occasionally, you should also show weakness and question her why she treats you, her ‘own child,’ far less well than outsiders. Make her struggle with guilt and feel guilty, as if she has let you down.”
"Yes, Grandmother, Yao'er will be obedient."
“Good children are obedient, and good children get candy.” She said seriously, “Just remember, Ji Rong is my Achilles’ heel, remember that well.”
"Grandson...I dare not forget."
Yan Hui reached out and tidied her messy hair: "No mother doesn't love her child. What's the fun in making trouble for others? Go find Yan Qing, she can help you."
Chapter 46 Patience Makes Steel
Will she help me?
Yes, it will.
"Your grandson respectfully sees off your imperial grandmother."
Empress Dowager Yan left, touching Princess Jiaorong's face before departing.
This face was well-maintained, but unfortunately it was slapped, ruining its original whiteness. It was not only swollen but also red.
It looks like a monkey's butt. It's natural for a monkey's butt to grow on a monkey's body, but it's inevitably ridiculous when it grows on a human face.
That's hilarious.
Ji Qingyao touched her burning left cheek, not daring to laugh, yet also not daring not to laugh.
Her Moon Palace is teeming with spies from countless old hags; it's definitely time to seek outside help.
She gave a strange smile.
In this life, who would willingly be a puppet on someone else's strings?
She was unwilling to accept it.
So she's going to turn the world upside down!
Ji Qingyao sighed, pondering how to meet with Madam Wei.
The palace maids who had left earlier returned to their respective positions as if they had never left at all, keeping their eyes down and acting like blind men, unable to see the handprint on the princess's face.
Her personal maid knelt before her, holding a fine ointment. Ji Qingyao closed her eyes and continued to act like a willful and foolish woman.
"Prepare some rouge and face powder; I will give them away another day."
"Yes, Your Highness."
...