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

"Master, would you like to go to the hunting banquet as well?" Tingyue asked.

"If I have the chance to show my face in front of outsiders, I will naturally go. Besides, so much time has passed, it's time to see Shen Junshan."

Qi Yunli had just finished sewing the boots. "Take these with you. We'll go to the private school together to give them to Yunsi. He'll be very happy."

This hunting feast allows participants to bring their personal servants. Young women, in particular, are concerned about getting lost in the hunting woods, as it's inconvenient for them to walk alone.

The forest is so big, it'll be more lively with more people around.

Wei family private school students could not return home every day; they could only return home on holidays, and only three or four times a month.

The private school provided relatively simple accommodations for the Wei family's children, with four or five people crammed into a large room. It wasn't luxurious, but it was comfortable enough.

As spring transitioned into summer, the sky was high and the clouds were light, making it the perfect time for hunting. The Duke of Qi's mansion booked ten thousand acres of royal hunting grounds outside the capital and hosted a hunting banquet.

Wei Ruolan was very happy to have her confinement lifted, but she also remembered her previous lesson and toned down her arrogant demeanor considerably.

The hunt was scheduled for noon so that the officials who had attended court would have time to come over after their court session.

However, Wei Jun declined, citing busy official business. Today, the emperor did indeed have something to do and kept him in the imperial study.

Qi Yunli had not seen the scenery of the suburbs for a long time, and she traveled by carriage from the capital to the hunting grounds.

Outside the curtain was a vast plain with distant mountains rising one after another. Occasionally, one could hear the calls of deer in spring, and one or two wild rabbits darted among the grass. The scenery was beautiful.

Tingyue came along too, and found it all very novel.

Upon arriving at the hunting grounds, the men stood on the left and the women on the right. At the entrance, Qin Wenchang, the eldest son of the Duke of Qi, personally greeted the guests. Banners fluttered on both sides, and guards from the Duke of Qi's mansion stood in rows, creating a truly impressive spectacle.

The rules of the hunting grounds are simple: within the time limit of three incense sticks, the sons of each family form their own teams of two to hunt, and the team with the most prey wins.

The prize, prepared personally by the Duke of Qi's mansion, consisted of a curved sword presented as tribute and a fine horse purchased for one hundred taels of gold.

The Duke of Qi's mansion made thorough preparations, providing horses for those who wanted to go hunting, while the ladies and young women had melon seeds, snacks, and desserts on the table, so they could sit down and slowly watch the warriors on horseback hunt.

As soon as the people from the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence arrived, Qin Xue, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Qi, heard the servant's report and personally went to the door to greet them.

This time, Wei Ruolan's brother Wei Chu and Ruowei's brother Wei En also came.

After greeting them, Qin Xue tiptoed and peeked out the door.

Wei Ruolan very familiarly took her future sister-in-law's arm: "Sister, don't wait any longer. His Majesty specially kept my eldest brother in the Imperial Study today, so he probably can't make it."

The third wife immediately smoothed things over, saying, "Yes, Miss Qin, why don't you have a good chat with my young ladies? Nian'an is tied up with official duties and probably can't come today."

Qin Xue looked at her future younger brothers and sisters, each with their own unique personality, and became interested.

They would be spending every day together from now on. She asked for their names one by one, and luckily, she had a good memory and remembered them all.

Qi Yunli was the last to be introduced, and her voice was very soft, just enough for the other person to hear clearly.

The future mistress of the Dingyuan Marquis's mansion was born graceful and elegant, gentle yet possessing a refined air.

However, just a while ago Wei Jun was having a pleasant chat with Su Shuran from the Rong Prince's Mansion, but in the blink of an eye he got engaged to Miss Qin. Truly, life is unpredictable.

After welcoming most of the guests and collecting most of the invitations, Qin Wenchang instructed his servants to stand guard at the door to ensure his safety. He then went in and greeted his sisters from the Dingyuan Marquis's residence.

Especially when he saw Wei Ruolan, he remained calm and composed, maintaining the demeanor of a gentleman without the slightest embarrassment; on the contrary, they seemed quite familiar with each other.

This made Wei Ruolan forget her previous embarrassment and instead gave rise to other thoughts.

Qin Xue didn't know which younger sister to be close to, so she held the arm of the eldest sister, Wei Ruolan, and acted very affectionately towards her.

She wanted to know more about the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion, but the maids and servants who went out to inquire only heard old stories passed around by others, and they couldn't hear any key information at all.

In a short while, Wei Ruolan and Qin Xue were chatting happily, and Wei Ruolan even opened up to Qin Xue completely.

Naturally, Wei Ruolan also had her own selfish motives and was also inquiring about the Duke of Qi's mansion.

As a member of the Wei family, Qi Yunli could only follow behind them before the hunt began.

Wei Ruolan said, "My eldest brother is a man of integrity. I have never seen him be intimate with other women since we were young. Sister Xue, you can rest assured."

Qin Xue's cheeks flushed, and she clutched her handkerchief, remaining silent. However, the curve of her lips revealed her satisfaction.

The hunt has officially begun.

Qin Xue knew many people, and she introduced them to the younger sisters of the Wei family one by one.

"The one dressed in a close-fitting outfit, with a jade belt around his waist, and riding a jet-black steed, is the most likely to win first place this time. He is none other than Su Jingran, the second young master of the Rong Prince's Mansion."

Wei Ruowei tilted her head: "Why? He doesn't look very burly."

Wei Ruolan looked at her with disdain: "Hunting isn't about who's the strongest, it's about who's more agile and has the best archery accuracy."

Qin Xue continued, "The second son of Prince Rong has been fighting on the border for two years, so he is naturally more capable than others. He has practical combat experience, and besides, the battlefield is much more difficult than hunting."

The title "a man who fights for his country" adds several layers of aura to the second son of Prince Rong, making people feel that although his features are ordinary, the temperament he exudes is admirable.

The women's viewing platform was covered with an apricot-yellow brocade curtain, on which were laid out exquisite tea, snacks, and fruits.

After the men returned from their hunt on horseback, the women also had a chance to participate. However, they mostly just tried out the thrill of riding horses and didn't actually participate in the hunt.

Before the three incense sticks had even burned out, some people had already returned in teams.

Some young men didn't want to be the first to return; instead, they hoped to leave an impression on the ladies by being the first to come back.

Taking advantage of the chaos in the crowd, Qi Yunli secretly bypassed the women's viewing platform and went to the other side.

"Young Master Shen," Qi Yunli called softly.

"Miss Qi," Shen Junshan said with delight, "I was originally planning to go and look for you."

Qi Yunli lowered her eyes: "I just happened to be passing by and saw you, so I greeted you. Is there something you need from me?"

The two walked and talked, quietly retreating to a place where they were alone.

The others were too busy cheering for the people at the hunting grounds or chatting and laughing to notice that they had quietly gone into a small bamboo grove.

"Here's your veil back... I accidentally found your personal belongings that day, and it wasn't appropriate to return them in front of everyone, so I waited until today. It wasn't intentional."

Upon seeing the veil, Qi Yunli felt no joy, but her smile remained unchanged: "Young Master, what is this...?"

Is he... not interested in her?