The young lady is delicate and soft, yet she criticizes the powerful minister for bowing and scrapin

Zhou Wenbin felt a little uneasy. The second wife of the Marquis of Dingyuan insisted that this girl was clever and intelligent, and that they would have to threaten her with her reputation for innocence, otherwise they wouldn't be able to control her.

Qi Yunli, whose features were usually demure and quiet, was now beaming with joy, her beauty dazzling: "Really?"

She was scared, but at that moment, the barefoot weren't afraid of the ones wearing shoes.

"You are just a young lady from a secluded family; you have no idea how close I am to Prince Rong. Even if someone finds out, they can't do anything to me."

At this point, Zhou Wenbin calmed down a bit.

The woman in front of him was just bluffing. He failed last month entirely because Wei Zhongde was so muddle-headed.

Why not just carry him to the west courtyard? Why insist on going to Songyin Courtyard, which caused him to get drunk and fall asleep, ending up spending the whole night in the woodshed?

Look at this girl, her arrogant expression just a moment ago has now returned to her usual weak, helpless, and pitiful appearance. Just like when he first met her.

She's nothing but a paper tiger, all bluster and no substance! What intelligence could a merchant's daughter possibly possess? She only managed to escape that night by sheer luck!

The thought of having something happen between him and such a beautiful young woman from the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion in the Rong Prince's mansion filled Zhou Wenbin with immense excitement.

As I've gotten older, I've grown tired of the usual novelties, so seeing a young girl who can play the piano is quite a novelty for me.

"Alright, don't be sad. As long as you serve me well, I will definitely let you into the Zhou family." Zhou Wenbin said smugly, reaching out to unbutton his inner garment.

The delicate, white-flower-like Qi Yunli suddenly rushed out of the room and shouted:

"Sister Ruolan is missing! She's been kidnapped by this man! Help! Help! There's a flower thief!"

Wei Ruowei was walking slowly with a heavy heart when she suddenly heard a familiar voice calling from behind. She immediately turned back, grabbed a plank, and rushed inside, shouting to the servants behind her:

"Quickly, go find the people from Prince Rong's mansion! Tell the servants to grab their weapons and catch the flower thief!"

Seeing that Qi Yunli's clothes were neat and there were no signs of tampering, she breathed a sigh of relief and walked over quickly. Ignoring the second madam and her maid's attempts to stop her, she swung the wooden board and hit Zhou Wenbin with it.

How could a middle-aged man who indulges in delicacies every day and lacks physical exercise withstand such a beating? One blow to the nose and blood appeared.

"You! How dare you..." Zhou Wenbin pointed at Wei Ruowei's bleeding nose, about to curse.

The servants from the third branch of the Rong Prince's mansion, brought by Wei Ruowei, arrived. They put a burlap sack over the person struggling inside and began punching and kicking them.

The maids in the third house were all strong and healthy, originally prepared to protect the third young lady and prevent her from being bullied outside.

This person dared to point his finger at the Third Miss and curse her; he must be no good!

Fearing their master's wrath, the servants of the Rong Prince's mansion were only eager to deal with the "thief" in front of them. They dragged the sack and gave the man a good beating until he stopped struggling and fainted. Only then did they leave with the sack, thanking Qi Yunli profusely for helping them capture the thief.

Qi Yunli waved her hand, her eyes seemingly brimming with tears:

"It's nothing. I was just startled by that thief, which is why I screamed. I'm glad I didn't disturb the other guests. But my eldest sister was in this room, and now she's nowhere to be found. I'm really worried."

The second madam's maid tried to interrupt again, but Wei Ruowei glared at her: "Why are you interrupting when your mistress is speaking?"

Upon hearing the news, a nanny from the Rong Prince's residence rushed over and anxiously inquired about the situation.

"Our eldest sister is the daughter of the second wife of the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion, and her name is Wei Ruolan." Qi Yunli wiped away her tears and used a handkerchief to wipe the corners of her eyes.

The old woman, relieved, patted her chest and said, "Oh, the girl who fell into the water, right? She's resting in the next room."

After saying that, the old woman looked at the maid with a strange expression: "You are quite strange. You don't even know which room your master is resting in, and you even led the wrong way."

The second wife's maidservant repeatedly apologized.

"Nian'an, why are you so sullen? I know you dislike the Rong Prince's mansion's style, but since you've come to the banquet, at least put on an act, right?"

Xie Dongpo waved his fan, the fan surface not embroidered with the landscapes favored by refined gentlemen, but with clusters of flowers, brightly colored and very eye-catching.

Today, I noticed that Wei Jun had a furrowed brow all day, as if he had something on his mind. He usually seemed aloof, but today I sensed a hidden murderous aura emanating from him.

This is a grafting nursery. Their childhood friend Su Jingran said that this is where Princess Rong cultivated precious flowers and plants.

Xie Dongpo joked, "You certainly know how to pick a spot. You even found this grafting garden. Su Jingran only mentioned casually that it was Princess Rong's favorite place, yet you dare to openly seek peace and quiet here and even invited me to keep you company."

Wei Jun picked up his teacup: "There are some people I can't invite, so I can only ask you to come with me and enjoy the beauty of this garden."

"Oh, there's someone you can't get to come?" Xie Dongpo pondered for a moment and immediately guessed, "Could it be that old Zhou, the Vice Minister of Revenue? He's about to retire, occupying the position without doing any work, just a figurehead. And he's your nominal superior, yet he still tries to put on airs in front of you. How foolish!"

Wei Jun served as the principal officer of the Ministry of Revenue. Although nominally a sixth-rank official, he already wielded the power of a fourth-rank official.

The emperor valued him highly; otherwise, he would not have entrusted him with such an important task as escorting military funds.

"He only climbed to this position by currying favor with Prince Rong in his early years and getting some benefits," Xie Dongpo comforted him. "At his age, he should be retiring to his hometown in a couple of years. There's no need to hold it against him."

Wei Jun: "But he had promoted countless colleagues in the Ministry of Revenue, and many officials had benefited from his favors. Prince Rong's friendship with this soon-to-retire Vice Minister was not just for immediate gain, but also to show everyone in the Ministry of Revenue that the Vice Minister had pledged allegiance to him."

Wei Jun's gaze swept over the precious flowers and plants in the garden. Several green plum trees on the east side were a variety unique to Jiangnan, several pots of golden-edged daphne hung in the middle, crabapple blossoms climbed up the wooden frame, and in the far corner there was a pot of pure white gladiolus.

He was determined to bring down the Rong Prince's mansion. The Rong Prince was sending his illegitimate son, Su Jingran, to train in the border army to prepare for the future.

Prince Sheng has no troops at his disposal, but according to Wei Jun, Prince Rong has raised quite a few private soldiers. However, the hiding place of these private soldiers has not yet been found.

He said coldly, "If we want to sow discord among the Rong Prince's forces, we must create a rift between him and the Zhou family. At that time, the Sheng Prince's people will also come to win him over. The Rong Prince is ruthless; if he can't have something, he'd rather destroy it. Then, I can take up the position of Vice Minister of Revenue ahead of schedule."

Xie Dongpo clapped his hands: "Nian'an's plan is brilliant! But how should we sow discord between the two of them?"

At this moment, the guard Rufeng entered from the outer room. Seeing that only Xie Dongpo was there, he reported directly: "Master, Lord Zhou Wenbin has been wrapped in burlap and thrown into the ditch by the servants of Prince Rong's mansion."

Xie Dongpo slammed his fist on the table and stood up in surprise, asking, "Who did this?"

"Yes... it's the young lady from your household who's shouting 'Catch the flower thief!'"