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

Stepping out of the old lady's courtyard, the sun was shining brightly, its warmth bathing me.

Qi Yunli was in a great mood. Every time she paid her respects to the old lady, she would bring her some embroidered needlework. It would be either a purse or a handkerchief.

The last time she paid her respects, she brought the old lady a padded jacket.

Her skills are excellent; she is no less skilled than the embroiderers outside the workshop.

She traded favors for favors; the old lady treated her well, so she reciprocated with material things. In return, the old lady would treat her even better.

The Marquis's family's reputation for kindness also stemmed from her. She was well-behaved and didn't cause any trouble, so the old lady had no reason to dislike her.

Tingyue did not want her mistress to return to her room immediately, so she took the young lady's hand and walked slowly along the covered walkway.

The two people walked very lightly. There were many wisteria vines planted on the veranda, and sparrows chirped on the branches.

Although the old lady was advanced in years, she was still a woman who loved beauty, and there were many flowers and trees in the house. There was no plan; she simply planted suitable flowers in suitable places.

Qi Yunli planted roses in the courtyard, and the old lady praised her highly when she heard about it.

Not far away, two maids who were cleaning early in the morning were chatting in hushed tones.

"Rumor has it that the painting the eldest young master drew had an extra woman added, turning it into a scene of a man and woman drinking together. Now I've heard it outside too; people say the young master has someone he's fond of, someone who came before Miss Qin Xue."

"How could that be? The young master has never had any contact with any woman. Even we cleaning maids have to come out after we finish cleaning and can't linger. He has always been indifferent to women."

"I didn't believe it at first either, but when the maids from the old lady's courtyard went over to sweep, they tried to take the young master's painting away, but Ru Feng discovered them. Ru Feng kicked them out, very angry, saying that this was the young master's beloved possession."

"The fact that the old lady disagrees with the existence of that painting means there is indeed something fishy about it. Besides, the eldest young master only mentioned having dealings with Miss Su, the legitimate daughter of Prince Rong, but he didn't mention having dealings with Miss Qin before."

"That's right, this painting was done before the two got engaged!"

These words, whispered and murmured, reached Qi Yunli's ears on the wind.

Qi Yunli quickened her pace, and her right hand, hanging by her side, began to ache.

She was careless. When she first saw the painting "Drinking Alone Under the Moon," she didn't recognize what the flowers covering the face were.

Even last night, she only noticed the outline of a woman in the painting and didn't pay any attention to the flowers covering her face.

"Let's go back quickly." Qi Yunli felt anxious and uneasy.

Seeing that the girl's face had turned even paler, Tingyue wanted to slow down, but her master grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward at a very fast pace.

When we returned to the courtyard, the wind carried the sweet scent of roses.

Tingyue was breathing heavily, but Qi Yunli beside her spoke calmly:

"Cut down these rose bushes."

"Huh?" Tingyue exclaimed incredulously, as if she had misheard.

These roses were planted by the girl herself during her spare time, and it took a year for them to grow so lush.

"I said cut down these rose bushes, quick, quick!"

Qi Yunli strode forward to the edge of the yard to find a hoe or sickle, wanting to make it herself.

Tingyue was very worried about her mistress's arm and quickly stopped her: "Don't worry, young lady, I'll do it, you sit down. I'm very quick and efficient. Your right hand is already injured, so don't use the sickle anymore."

The wall was covered in roses, not a single petal remained. The bare top of the wall looked quite unusual, but it made Qi Yunli feel much more at ease. She took a deep breath.

When the private school closed for the day, Qi Yunli eagerly awaited her younger brother's return.

Qi Yunsi returned home very late. The book box behind her was messy and crooked, quite different from the usual neat book box and cage. She also walked very slowly and it took her a long time to enter the house for dinner.

Qi Yunli sat on the veranda reading, her elbow much better after several days of rest. Now, she stopped practicing the piano whenever she got tired, afraid of injuring her arm again. But seeing her younger brother's appearance made her put down her book and ask:

"What's wrong? Why are you unhappy even on your day off?"

Qi Yunsi shook her head. "It's nothing. I just didn't answer the teacher's questions during today's quiz."

"That's a good thing. It's better to make a mistake in front of the teacher than in the exam hall, right? Come in and eat."

Qi Yunli has a gentle, smiling eye and always speaks softly to her younger brother, never scolding him.

The two ate in silence, which was quite unusual.

Normally, her younger brother would chatter on about things at the private school to reassure his older sister, but today he seemed preoccupied and preoccupied.

However, Qi Yunli hadn't thought about it too deeply. When men reach a certain age, they also have their own worries.

After they finished their meal, Tingyue said, "Young master, these are shoes that the young lady embroidered for you. She just finished them a few days ago but didn't have time to give them to you. It's perfect that you're back today; why don't you try them on and see if they fit?"

The shoes looked brand new, with lush, vibrant bamboo embroidery that seemed almost lifelike. The pale green bamboo embroidered on the white boots added a touch of carefree elegance.

"I won't try them on now, I'll wait until later. My sister always knows my shoe size very well. I really liked the previous pair, so there's no need to embroider new boots so soon. I'll keep them for now, and I can wear these later when my old boots get dirty and worn out," Qi Yunsi said sensibly.

Qi Yunli: "Alright, go ahead and study if you want. You should definitely try on these shoes; if they don't fit, I can get them altered as soon as possible."

That night, Qi Yunli couldn't sleep, so she got up to get a drink of water.

Through the paper window of the room door, one could vaguely sense and clearly see that the candlelight was still on in the side room not far away.

Qi Yunli got up to check. It was Qi Yunsi's room. Although it was small, all the necessary desks and tables were there. However, her younger brother was not sleeping at night and was sighing. The movement in the shadows seemed to be wiping away tears.

She knocked on the door anxiously: "Yun Si, why aren't you asleep so late?"

"Sister, I...I'm practicing calligraphy..."

Qi Yunli heard the voice choked with emotion, and her heart sank slightly.

"Don't lie to your sister. Tell me what's wrong, and I'll help you solve it."

The person inside remained seated at the table, but the shadow wiped the corners of its eyes even faster.

"If you don't tell your sister, she'll assume you've drifted apart from me. It's only been a year, and for some reason, you don't even tell me about your troubles." Qi Yunli felt an indescribable surge of emotions.

She endured grievances time and time again, partly for herself and partly for her younger brother.

If it weren't for her younger brother needing to attend a good private school, she could have escaped much earlier, or even married a poor but genuinely kind man, which would have been better than what she is now.

"Sister, sister, don't be sad. I...I...I did something bad yesterday, but I haven't dared to tell you..."

"When I was practicing calligraphy, I accidentally knocked over the inkstone in the private school, and the ink spilled on Brother Wei Ding's clothes. He said it was brocade that his mother had sent from Jiangnan, embroidered with many flowers, and that he would have to pay a lot of money to replace it, but I didn't want my sister to worry. My sister has done enough for me..."

Qi Yunli: "How much?"

"They said they wanted fifteen taels."

For ordinary people, the monthly expenses for food, clothing and other necessities are about one or two taels of silver. Fifteen taels is not something she can come up with all at once.