Ji Rongchao winked at his niece.
Ji Pingxi persisted, "Mother-in-law, feel free to vent your anger. Hit me, scold me, but please don't upset yourself. I know my past foolishness was heinous, and I'm here to appease you—"
A cup of tea was spilled on her embroidered clothes. Liu Boyan said coldly, "Your Highness doesn't understand me? I'm telling you to get out, get out!"
She was so angry that she was trembling all over.
Ji Rong found a broom somewhere and shoved it at her, instigating, "Yan'er, hit her!"
"..."
Upon seeing the broom, Ji Pingxi was speechless for a moment, a strange expression flashing across his face: Could this be considered a dream come true?
With the princess backing her up, Liu Boyan got angry and grabbed a broom to beat the bastard who had bullied her daughter.
When Ji Pingxi arrived, he had a pretty good idea of what Yu's mother might do. He had already told Yu Zhi beforehand that as long as her mother-in-law didn't beat her to death and was still willing to let her breathe, then let her beat her, and don't stop her.
Otherwise, the mother-in-law will not only beat the son-in-law, but when she gets angry, she will also beat her daughter.
Yu Zhi knelt there, holding back her tears, watching helplessly as her mother swept Xi Xi out the door, one broom after another.
"Good job, mother-in-law!"
When the broom fell, Ji Pingxi dared not dodge, much less use his internal energy to injure anyone; he simply took the blow.
With each blow from the broom, she had to shout "Well done!" in a clear and loud voice. Liu Boyan was both angry and annoyed by her shamelessness, and said with a stern face, "Who is your mother-in-law?!"
“You are Zhizhi’s mother, so naturally you are the mother-in-law I need to be filial to. You are my second mother!”
"Clever words and a flattering appearance."
With her last broom sweep, Yu's mother swept the people out and ordered the servants to close the gate tightly.
Ji Pingxi had a few broom stalks fall from his hair and looked disheveled.
The long street was bustling with people.
Passersby looked at the beautiful and charming princess with surprised expressions—what was going on?
Princess Changyang remained calm and composed, saying, "I've angered my mother-in-law."
Everyone suddenly realized, and the men instantly cast sympathetic and understanding glances at her—but what did Your Highness do wrong to make your mother-in-law so angry that she hit someone with a broom?
Some people slowly opened their eyes wide: Is the daughter of the Marquis of Loyalty and Valor really that bold?
If I remember correctly, Lady Liu's daughter was a concubine of the princess. How dare a concubine's mother be so violent towards the princess? Does that concubine think she's some kind of ancestor?
Ji Pingxi touched his nose and explained to everyone: "My mother-in-law always thought that Zhizhi was my wife."
She explained in a few words that she had concealed the fact that she had been using a concubine as a wife from her mother-in-law, and a collective gasp rippled through the crowd: No wonder Madam Liu was furious; the difference in status between a wife and a concubine is more than just two mountains!
She was very easy to talk to, which emboldened the people of the capital. They were genuinely curious and asked, "Your Highness, has something happened?"
"How could that be?" she pouted. "I admitted it myself."
"Why did you admit it again?"
She sighed, "My mother-in-law's eyes have recovered, it's not good to keep it a secret, besides..."
With a radiant smile, she said earnestly, "I'm interested."
"Oh my!" The old women's eyes lit up: "No wonder His Highness was willing to take the beating!"
Ji Pingxi's pretty face flushed slightly.
The outspoken old woman only realized after speaking that this was Princess Changyang, the most esteemed princess of the Great Yan Dynasty, and the emperor and empress's beloved daughter.
I thought that revealing the truth would make people angry and embarrassed, but when I looked again, the person was still smiling and directly ordered the maids to set up a stall in front of the Yu family's door.
I can't help but admire His Highness's good temperament.
He can still laugh even after being kicked out of the house.
Ji Pingxi came prepared, intending to stay here and not leave.
Separated by a vermilion gate, Princess Changyang was drinking tea and basking in the sun outside, while inside, Yuzhi looked at her mother's disappointed expression and turned pale.
Liu Boyan stared at her silently for a long time, so long that her mind raced through all the events that had happened over the past twenty years.
“How did I teach you?” she asked.
Yu Zhi lowered her head: "Please punish me, Mother."
"I won't hit you." The beautiful woman's eyes were filled with sorrow: "I will hit her because she lied to me, making me think she was a son-in-law that you couldn't find even with a lantern."
"What right do I have to punish you? In the end, it's your mother who's dragging you down."
If she hadn't gone blind, she could have made a living with her various skills, instead of having her daughter bear the pressure of survival from a young age, or being unable to marry into a good family in her twenties, or becoming someone's concubine.
Being a concubine is difficult.
Liu Boyan dared not imagine how much suffering her daughter had endured.
Even though she once thought highly of her daughter, now shrouded in the shadow of deception, she couldn't help but begin to doubt how Ji Pingxi had abused her.
She used to think that the noises she heard through the door were proof of the good relationship between the younger generation.
Unexpectedly, it was their daughter who was being bullied.
What was she doing at that time?
She was marveling at how well her daughter had married and how loving her son-in-law was.
Liu Boyan's expression darkened: "Get up. From now on, break off all ties with her and never have anything to do with her again."
“Mother!” Yu Zhi knelt down and crawled to her side: “Mother, I want to spend my whole life with her.”
"You actually enjoy it when she humiliates you?!"
Yu's mother was exasperated: "If she can humiliate you once, she'll do it again and again!"
"Now you're listening to her flowery words. With her status, that of a noblewoman, her temperament changes every day. If you recklessly fall for her, it will be too late to regret it later."
"No, Mother." Yu Zhi looked up into her eyes. "No, Mother, she has me in her heart."
"Which abandoned woman didn't initially believe she had met a good man? She has a terrible past, and I forbid you from seeing her again, otherwise... you can disown me as your mother!"
She was determined to protect her daughter from harm and from being deceived again. Yu Zhi knelt there motionless, her eyes reddening: "But I love her."
Liu Boyan's head ached from her crying, and she said hard, "Even if you cry yourself blind, I won't allow you to fall into the same trap again."
Unable to bear her daughter's tears any longer, she hurried away.
She left, and Yu Zhi stopped crying, feeling a sense of unease—crying was no use anymore; it seemed her mother was serious this time.
She felt guilty for making her mother sad and blamed herself. She was sad for a while, and then suddenly thought: Xi Xi... I hope Xi Xi won't be scared away by her mother.
I wonder if her mother hurt her...
While she was preoccupied with her beloved, Ji Rong saw the woman walk in and proactively made tea for her, asking, "Are you calmed down?"
Liu Boyan, unusually assertive in front of her daughter and son-in-law, seemed to lose all her strength when she came before the Princess, her brows furrowed with worry, and she let out a long sigh: "How could they... how could they lie to me?"
If she had known that Zhizhi was to become a concubine, she would never have agreed to it, even if it meant death.
"Zhizhi has her own difficulties, don't blame her."
Ji Rong didn't plead for her niece; instead, she chose to say things that were pleasant to hear and easy for people to accept.
Liu Boyan took these words to heart: "I know, I know those days were very difficult, but no matter how difficult it was, how could she..."
"There must be no other way. Zhizhi is a good girl. Life has forced people to their wits' end. Like a vine, she can only survive by clinging to other living things. All she wants is to live well."
Upon hearing this, Yu's mother gasped in distress.
...
Within half a day, the news that Princess Changyang had been kicked out of the house by her mother-in-law spread throughout the capital.
In the palace, the chief eunuch Yang Ruo reported the latest developments to the Emperor and Empress: "His Highness was beaten, but he is not angry and has stayed at the entrance of the Yu family's residence."
Despite her daughter being so disliked, the Empress not only held no grudge but also laughed and said, "This beating won't be for nothing. At least next time, Lady Liu will definitely listen to her properly."
Ji Ying pictured her daughter sleeping pitifully at the front door and couldn't bear it: "Liu looks like a very weak person, but I didn't expect her to have such a temper."
He was biased; he only cared about his own daughter and didn't think about other people's daughters.
Yan Xiu scolded him, "If Your Majesty were in the same situation as Lady Liu, you would surely have handled it better than Lady Liu."
"..."
Ji Yingjun blushed when she teased him.
That's not necessarily true. If someone were to make his little princess a concubine, he would surely confiscate their property, exterminate their entire family, and even lift the lid off their coffin when they die.
Thinking about it this way, I can't help but admire Liu's good temper—hitting someone with a broom is just too mild.
Luckily, she has a good temper.
"Draft an imperial edict! I will reward the Liu family handsomely!"
He acts on a whim, and he goes to great lengths to ensure his daughter's lifelong happiness.
...
The eunuch carrying the imperial edict went to the Yu family and met the princess at the gate.
"This servant greets Your Highness."
Ji Pingxi lifted his eyelids, seemingly oblivious to his awkward situation, and asked, "What is this?"
"His Majesty has issued a decree."
"For me?"
The eunuch smiled and gestured with his chin, "Your Highness, it's for the one inside."
She stepped aside: "Please."
...
In less than half an hour, the people of the capital received the latest news: His Majesty had richly rewarded Liu and her daughter!
The Emperor was magnanimous. Despite Liu's disrespect towards the princess, he was not displeased but instead helped to make amends, sending a steady stream of rewards to the mansion. However, Liu Boyan was not overwhelmed by the generous rewards.
She was still angry.
Or perhaps they simply didn't believe that Princess Changyang was a good match for their daughter.