"May my mother-in-law rest in peace."
Even at the very end, someone didn't forget to be courteous and humble.
Ji Rong raised her lips, her voice rising and falling in a dramatic tone: "I really miss the arrogant and unruly Ji Pingxi of the past, who dared to curse the heavens and the earth." Look at him now, so pathetic! Shameful!
Ji Pingxi, thick-skinned as ever, watched his mother-in-law walk away, patted his sleeves, and scoffed, "Who was that? How come she shares the same name as this princess?"
That's you!
"I don't acknowledge it!"
Princess Changyang turned her back on her youthful arrogance.
Even though they shared the same surname, Ji Rong felt ashamed for her: "You, with your many bad deeds, if you want Yan'er to forgive you and trust you, why don't you think of asking your aunt for help?"
She had been waiting for three days and the little rascal hadn't come to plead for her. A few days ago, Yan'er was so angry that no amount of pleading could make a difference, but after a few days, even if she was furious, she should have calmed down by now. This was a good time to plead for her and whisper sweet nothings in her ear.
Ji Rong dreamed of seeing her niece cry like a little kitten, so she held back and bluntly pointed it out.
You can use your imperial aunt's connections.
The prerequisite is to appease this princess.
Because I, the princess, am not only your blood-related aunt, but I will also become your dear mother-in-law soon.
A single word jolted Ji Pingxi awake, and his eyelids twitched: "Whispering through the pillow?"
Ji Yunzhang dusted off his sleeves, his face calm and composed: "It's not necessarily a bad thing."
"..."
You can do that?!
"Good auntie..."
"That's so perfunctory." Ji Rong pushed her face away with one hand: "It's so fake, she's probably cursing me for not helping you in your time of need."
hateful!
Having lived two lives, Ji Pingxi had hardly ever bowed her head to anyone. It was one thing to please her mother-in-law, but to try and please her imperial aunt made her start to have wild thoughts—did she dig up her aunt's grave in her past life or trip her up on the road?
This is her own aunt!
She only speaks to people in a way that she can coax.
Circumstances dictate her actions, so she humbled herself and said, "I will immediately order someone to deliver the Duan inkstone that the Imperial Aunt liked to the Princess's residence."
Ji Rong lovingly patted the top of her head.
"And there's the jade piece that my aunt took a liking to half a month ago, the whole set, it all belongs to my aunt."
The emperor and empress doted on her, what good things couldn't she have? Ji Ying opened a private treasury to bolster her image, and the dazzling array of items made even the eldest princess envious.
During the conversation, he devoted himself entirely to showing filial piety to his aunt.
Ji Rong was just teasing her; how could she really take her niece's things?
"Just a few gifts will suffice as a token of my appreciation."
"Hey! I'll listen to my royal aunt."
"Should I call out to my mother-in-law?"
"..."
Ji Pingxi closed his eyes and said, "Mother-in-law."
"Hmph, little guy, why are you closing your eyes?" Ji Rongzhi was smug, enjoying the feeling of bullying others.
"Shout again?"
"mother in law."
"Good boy."
"Shout it again?"
Ji Pingxi looked at her suspiciously, then calmly said, "Mother-in-law!"
What a brat.
Why are you shouting so loudly?
Ji Rong rubbed her ears: "I heard you. If you shout again, my ears will go deaf."
Princess Changyang curled her lips: "Princess talk?"
"blow!"
The eldest princess had been around for many years longer than the younger generation, and she was full of wicked thoughts. She mischievously wondered: if she told her good niece now that the "bragging" she was talking about was just boasting and not whispering in her ear, would that person jump up and down on the spot?
Thinking this, she burst out laughing.
Ah Xiu and Ah Ying's child is so cute!
She used to be so tough and ruthless, but now she's reaping what she sowed. It's really... I just want to laugh at her.
Ji Pingxi's eyes deepened with doubt. Ji Rong, addicted to teasing her, suppressed her smile and parroted, "Unless there's a day when I can't live, can't sleep, and can't eat without her, I won't change my mind!"
"..."
That's enough!
She's already shameless, what more do you want from her? Your Majesty, do you have such a good memory?!
Her brows furrowed, while Ji Rong laughed until tears streamed down her face, leaning half her body on her niece's shoulder: "You deserve it, don't you?"
Why didn't you do this sooner?
Hindsight is always 20/20.
If I had known... I should have just gotten married.
Ji Pingxi sighed deeply, looking listless, like a wilted eggplant in autumn. She raised an eyebrow and said, "Auntie, are you sure you'll never need your niece? If you keep smiling, you'll get crow's feet."
"..."
Age is a woman's deepest secret; no longer being young is a topic that should not be easily discussed.
Ji Rong's smile vanished. The aura of a princess emanated from her as she scrutinized her beloved niece from head to toe, her words dripping with venom: "You seem to have been a source of amusement all your life."
Born to be switched at birth by Yan Qing, the Wei family suffered eighteen years of misery. In the end, relatives were no longer relatives, and enemies were no longer enemies. Finally, heaven took pity on you and placed your destined love in front of you, but you couldn't see it and treated her like a concubine to be manipulated.
If one were to fall in love and confess their feelings at this point, wouldn't it be impossible to achieve a happy ending for everyone by compromising one's dignity?
Strike a snake at its vital spot; to hit a person, hit them in the face.
Ji Pingxi clutched her chest and took a half step back, her face pale: "Aunt, you live like a stone waiting for its wife."
Separated in his youth, he waited for over twenty years before finally reuniting with his childhood sweetheart. Isn't that what you call the "Waiting-for-Wife Stone"?
Both of them share a sharp tongue.
On one side, Princess Changyang was beaten by Princess Yunzhang for speaking carelessly, while on the other side, Yuzhi and others were eagerly waiting for dinner.
It's not that I'm hungry.
It is because there is expectation in one's heart.
The plum juice we had at noon was made by Xi Xi herself. What if she can make dinner for herself too?
Liu Boyan lifted the curtain and entered, followed by a maid carrying exquisite dishes to serve her meal.
Two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and a soup. The mother and daughter were used to being simple and frugal. Yu Zhi looked at the food on the table and saw that it looked quite good, but suddenly felt disappointed.
Xi Xi isn't a good cook; she probably couldn't make dishes like this.
"Want to try some?"
"Yes, Mother, please go first."
Liu Boyan started eating first, while Yu Zhi was a few breaths behind her.
This stir-fried shrimp and chicken dish is my mother's cooking, as is the sweet and sour meatballs. Her gaze fell on the braised mandarin fish on the plate, and the moment she tasted it, the light in her eyes changed.
This... was made by Xi Xi?
Liu Boyan calmly picked up a piece of fish to taste—it was rather unpalatable.
Seeing her daughter suppressing her joy and only picking at the mediocrely cooked braised mandarin fish, she suspected that the princess had given her daughter a love potion.
In front of her mother, Yu Zhi didn't dare to go too far. This meal was the largest she had ever had.
It's not very tasty, but it won't kill you.
Seeing her determined to hang from a tree, Liu Boyan resolved to give her clumsy son-in-law a good lesson. The thought of her superb cooking skills being defeated by a novice made her slightly jealous.
“Mother eats too.”
Yuzhi served her some food.
...
Ji Pingxi learned to cook from Yu's mother in the kitchen of the mansion, and the finished products gradually became more delicious than tasteless.
Half a month later, Yuzhi grew white and moist, and her complexion became even more radiant.
On the other hand, Ji Pingxi hadn't eaten meat for half a month, and his dreams were filled with "fairies fighting." Gradually, he lost his appetite and couldn't sleep, and he actually felt a sense of desolation, as if "heaven wanted to destroy me."
Her mother-in-law still wouldn't allow her to see Zhizhi.
They kept a close watch on her day and night.
She sat listlessly on the steps, arms crossed: she missed Zhizhi so much.
Liu Boyan watched her silently from a flowerbed not far away, tears streaming down her face. She abruptly pulled back the leg she was about to step out of.
After observing for half a month, His Highness still hadn't given up. With her working hard in the kitchen to prepare three meals a day, Zhizhi had a great appetite.
The two seemed to have feelings for each other. Thinking of what Sister Rong had said to her last night, Yu's mother wavered and left quietly.
After crying her fill, Ji Pingxi slowly realized how embarrassing she had been. Fortunately, no one had seen her. She took a deep breath and got up to prepare lunch.
Yuzhi practiced embroidery in her room, intending to make a beautiful belt for Xixi who was suffering.
"Zhizhi."
"Mother, come in."