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

"Don't worry, I'll think of a way."

Qi Yunli looked at him holding the new boots and said, "These boots aren't even worth fifteen taels of silver. It would be good if they could fetch a few hundred copper coins."

Qi Yunsi put down the new boots with shame: "These were a gift from my sister. I don't want to sell them, but fifteen taels is too much for me. I know my sister is struggling financially and I have to pay her back this month."

"The valuables left by our parents have already been pawned, so you can still come up with fifteen taels," Qi Yunli said gently. "Go to sleep early and don't think about this anymore."

There are still two weeks left until the end of this month; there's still time.

Wei Ding was the son of the third wife, and he and the fifth daughter, Wei Ruochun, were siblings.

Judging from current prices, although Jiangnan brocade is very precious, plus the cost of embroidery, the brocade clothes worn in private schools on a daily basis would probably only lose five taels of silver at most. How could it lose fifteen taels?

This amount is clearly incorrect; it's likely that Wei Ding is trying to extort money from him.

Qi Yunli thought about it all night. If she asked Wei Ruowei for help, Ruowei would definitely be willing to help her. However, Yun Si had dirtied the other party's clothes, and it was indeed her younger brother's fault. If she asked her for help, it would seem like she wanted to complain.

The next day, Qi Yunli pretended to bump into Wei Ding's older sister, Wei Wu Guniang.

It was rare for Wei Ruochun to see Qi Yunli greet her. Qi Yunli was close to Wei Ruowei in private, but at other times she seemed to be invisible. This was the first time the two had walked on the same path, and it seemed like they were close friends.

"I wasn't very close to Ruochun before because the relationship between my second aunt and the third aunt wasn't very good, and I didn't want to cause you any trouble," Qi Yunli said.

As a concubine's daughter, Wei Ruochun naturally understood the subtle relationships and influences within the Marquis's household.

"I understand. You haven't had an easy time at home either." Wei Ruochun remembered that at the flower viewing banquet, on the same bridge, Qi Yunli had protected the Wei sisters.

Living under someone else's roof, you inevitably develop some feelings for them.

"Actually, the reason I'm looking for my sister today is because something I feel guilty about happened."

"What is it?"

"My younger brother was careless and accidentally spilled ink on the Fourth Young Master's clothes. The clothes were made of Jiangnan brocade with beautiful patterns, and they cost fifteen taels. I wanted to apologize to the Fourth Young Master, but how easy is it for a young lady from a noble family to meet young masters?" Qi Yunli said shamefully.

Upon hearing this, Wei Ruochun became furious: "Fifteen taels? Why doesn't he just rob us? My brother talks nonsense and is spoiled rotten by my mother. My mother always says that a mother's status depends on her son, but look what my brother has become—a bunch of bad habits!"

Wei Ruochun looked at her with disappointment, so Qi Yunli didn't press further. This was a family matter, and family scandals shouldn't be aired in public. She doubted that Wei Ruochun would confide in her anyway.

"Perhaps my sister can persuade him, and I can gradually repay the fifteen taels of silver?"

"I'm afraid that won't work."

Wei Ruochun looked helpless. "Even my mother can't do anything to him, let alone me. Now I have to lock up anything of value in my room, otherwise, given his temper, he would have secretly taken all my valuable jewelry and the gifts from the old lady and pawned them for money long ago."

Qi Yunli was shocked. Was he that short of money?

Although Wei Ruochun couldn't help her, their conversation made them acquaintances in the Marquis's residence.

When Qi Yunli and Wei Ruochun parted, Qi Yunli gave her a handkerchief embroidered with peonies. Peonies are extremely beautiful and are loved by young ladies, and Wei Ruochun naturally loved them too. The handkerchief also had a faint floral fragrance.

As Qi Yunli walked back alone, she unexpectedly ran into Wei Jun, who was returning from court.

"Is your wound any better?" Wei Jun asked.

"Thank you for your concern, cousin. The wound is healed." Qi Yunli was certain of the answer; Wei Jun himself had come to deliver the medicine that night.

"Can I play the piano now?"

Qi Yunli felt displeased. Her arm had just healed, and he wanted her to play the piano for him?

"It still hurts a bit."

"If your wound doesn't hurt anymore, come and teach me to play the zither. Of all the arts, the zither is the one I'm terrible at."

Qi Yunli's eyes flashed with doubt. It was normal for a man not to play the zither. Nowadays, there were many brothels and plenty of musicians who could play the zither. Some men with even a modicum of integrity were unwilling to learn.

Wei Jun then said, "Teach me to play the zither and be my teacher. One hour at a time, one tael of silver."

One tael of silver per hour, that's a high price.

"I will teach you," Qi Yunli quickly agreed. "When will we start?"

If you start teaching today, you will start collecting money from today.

Wei Jun casually glanced at her arm: "Tomorrow, okay? Didn't you say your arm hurt?"

Qi Yunli truly regretted it: "It's up to my cousin."

Another day passed, and with Qi Yunli's reassurance, Qi Yunsi obediently calmed down and went back to the private school.

She was wearing brand new shoes, boots embroidered with bamboo.

Summer is almost here, and the wall where the rose bushes were removed just a few days ago is slowly sprouting green weeds, but only a few buds have emerged, and they look very vibrant.

"Tingyue, I'm going to see the young master. If anyone asks, please help me find an excuse to brush them off," Qi Yunli said before leaving.

Tingyue: "Young Master wouldn't..."

"It's alright, he wanted to learn the piano this time, so I'll teach him," Qi Yunli said with a reassuring smile.

She used to hide in Jingchen Courtyard. The thought of going there would make her feel cold and her steps heavy. But today, as she walked there step by step, she felt that even the wind carried a different kind of charm.

Ru Feng saw that it was her and said, "Miss, the young master is waiting in the courtyard."

Wei Jun was standing with his back to her, plucking the strings under the eaves in the courtyard. He was dressed in casual clothes, and his fingertips plucked the strings casually, producing a few off-key sounds. He seemed not to hear the footsteps behind him.

When he saw a shadow approaching from the ground, he suddenly turned around.

"You've arrived."

Qi Yunli sensed a strange emotion in his eyes.

Since he was a beginner, he had to learn the strings from the very beginning, starting with the five notes of the pentatonic scale.

"This is the Gong string. When you press it, you need to apply even pressure. Don't press too hard. The sound produced should be soft."

Qi Yunli acted as a dutiful teacher, sitting next to Wei Jun. The two of them faced the same zither, one teaching and the other learning.

Wei Jun was tall and straight, with broad, calloused hands. His hands touched the strings, but the sound was clumsy; the sound was muffled as soon as his fingertips touched them.

"Be gentler, even gentler, like you're twirling a feather."

After that, there was another muffled thud, the string being pulled intermittently, making one's heart clench.

Qi Yunli reached out and stroked the back of his hand, adjusting its position little by little.

Her fingertips were beautiful; all five fingers had rounded nails with a pinkish natural color and a slight curve, making them very pretty. Each nail was white, like a crescent moon.

Wei Jun was distracted again.

In the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, I went over the sheet music and fingering techniques several times. My memory is very fast, but when I play, there are always harsh noises.

"Cousin, don't pull the strings so hard." Qi Yunli's voice rose slightly. "Come on, learn these strings again."

Wei Jun recognized them very quickly. He could recognize the different positions of the strings perfectly, but when they were played together, the timbre completely changed.

"How many times have I told you? You have to pluck the lute with your fingertips, like you're plucking a feather!"

Wei Jun abruptly stopped, looked up at her, his dark eyes deepening: "Are you yelling at me?"