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

Qi Yunli returned to the courtyard, holding the piece of mutton-fat jade, and a different kind of thought arose in her mind.

Without announcing himself, the guard Rufeng went straight to the front gate and said, "Miss, the young master requests your presence at Jingchen Courtyard."

Jingchen Courtyard is located in a relatively remote corner of the Dingyuan Marquis's residence. Just hearing the name of the courtyard evokes a sense of coldness and aloofness.

Wei Jun preferred quiet and did not want to be disturbed, so he chose this secluded place.

Although the courtyard was in a remote location, it was extremely large, the largest courtyard in the Marquis's mansion, even more spacious than the old lady's residence.

The courtyard where Qi Yunli lived didn't even have a name, and it was equally remote.

Because she was not valued in the household, the second madam probably did not want to see her often, so she placed her in this corner.

In this way, the two secluded courtyards were originally far apart, but the path connecting them was rarely used. In addition, Ru Feng was highly skilled in martial arts and his whereabouts were hard to find. He could travel between the two courtyards without being noticed by anyone.

"What does the young master want with my young lady?" Tingyue asked.

Ru Feng bowed expressionlessly: "I am merely conveying the eldest young master's instructions. As for the specifics, Miss, you will find out when you arrive."

Qi Yunli was exhausted, both physically and mentally, thinking about everything that had happened the night before. She sent Rufeng back to report first, saying that she would arrive shortly after.

But she was thinking of delaying for a while, letting Tingyue help her change her clothes and redo her makeup before going.

She had been playing the zither incessantly since last night to appease Lord Zhou, and then there was the passionate lovemaking in the middle of the night; she was completely exhausted. Early this morning, she rushed to the front yard to greet Wei Jun's return with the others.

At this moment, Qi Yunli's eyelids were drooping, and she only relaxed her limbs, letting Tingyue help her change her clothes.

Tingyue looked at the ambiguous red marks of varying depths on her master's body, which spread from his collarbone all the way down, as well as the light blue marks rubbed on his back, and was shocked by what she saw.

She frowned, her heart pounding as she thought of the young lady's absence last night: "Miss, this... are you...?"

Last night, it was the second master who summoned the young lady...

This morning I overheard the other maids talking about how Vice Minister Zhou of the Ministry of Revenue was very satisfied with the Second Master's hospitality...

Tingyue's eyes instantly reddened, and large tears rolled down her cheeks, unable to hold back for a moment:

"Girl, they're bullying us!"

Qi Yunli slowly opened her eyes and gently grasped Tingyue's wrist with one hand: "Don't cry yet."

"It's my fault for being useless and failing to protect you, Miss..." Tingyue's eyes were bloodshot, but her hands kept moving as she continued to do her mistress's makeup.

Thinking about what would happen later, she couldn't help but remind him, "Miss, can this matter... still be kept from the young master?"

The eldest son was exceptionally intelligent and became the top scholar in the imperial examination at the age of seventeen.

I fear that if he knew that the girl had lost her virginity to someone else, her situation would become even more difficult.

Qi Yunli felt an overwhelming sadness welling up inside her. She pulled Tingyue back, trying to stop her from thinking any further.

"Tingyue, that person last night... was the eldest young master. He returned last night."

Tingyue's tears were still on her face, but the corners of her mouth had already turned up, almost as if she was crying tears of joy.

"That's good, that's good... But the eldest young master really is something, couldn't he have been a little gentler? If others saw this, how would the young lady face anyone in the manor afterward?"

"If he knew how to consider these things, he wouldn't have attacked me a year ago, when I had just entered the manor and had no relatives or friends."

Qi Yunli straightened her clothes, looked at herself in the bronze mirror, and gave a very faint smile.

Her smile is extremely beautiful.

When she smiles gently, she is like a red plum blossom in the snow, delicate and endearing; when she is truly happy, when she is with her younger brother, she is like a peach blossom in full bloom in spring, a riot of color that seems to gather all the spring scenery around her.

"When Yunsi comes back later, let him have dinner first. Tell him I went to the study to find books for him," she instructed Tingyue.

"Yes."

Qi Yunli walked alone towards Jingchen Courtyard. A stream murmured along the way, artificial hills dotted the paths, and flowers and plants bloomed in vibrant springtime. As she walked, she could see one or two cherry blossom trees peeking out from the other ladies' courtyards, their blossoms in full bloom, a breathtaking sight.

Her courtyard didn't have such tall cherry blossom trees, but it had roses that she had planted herself, spreading along the wall, one after another, creating a unique scene when you looked back.

She had walked this road many times; she knew it all too well. Yet, every time she walked it, her heart was equally heavy.

There were no servants guarding the courtyard, so she walked straight in.

Normally, Wei Jun only kept one attendant, Ru Feng, by his side. The other maids would only come to clean and sweep during mealtimes or in the early morning, and dared not show themselves in front of the young master at other times.

"Master, as you instructed, Lord Zhou does indeed harbor resentment towards the Second Master. Last night, I managed to divert all of Lord Zhou's anger towards the Second Master, without affecting you," Ru Feng reported.

Wei Jun's voice came from the other side of the screen, calmly: "Second Uncle is still too impatient. He wants to use his position as Vice Minister of Revenue to gain some prestige in the clan so that he can get a share of the Marquis's power... He is too eager for quick success and instant benefits. Second Uncle is too lacking in self-awareness."

As the eldest son of the first branch of the family, Wei Jun has always maintained a power balance with the second and third branches of the family.

Currently, the eldest branch holds the most power, and the title of Marquis of Dingyuan was earned by Wei Jun's father through military merit. The other two branches only benefited from this, so their voice in the clan is naturally much weaker.

They were resentful, but could only secretly compete with their nephew.

The second wife, in particular, has ambitions that are sky-high.

"How dare the Second Master have designs on Miss Biao? Master, you killed two birds with one stone, protecting Miss Biao while causing the Second Master to fail and lose face." Ru Feng said.

Wei Jun paused, his tone devoid of emotion: "It was merely going with the flow. It has nothing to do with her. Even if it were any other maid, I would have done the same."

"Cousin." Qi Yunli walked slowly in from outside the door.

"Why are you so late?" Wei Jun asked, his voice tinged with dissatisfaction.

He was painting, having changed out of the cloak he wore on his journey and into a moon-white robe.

He held the pen between his fingertips, carefully sketching lines, his gaze sweeping lightly over Qi Yunli.

He was exceptionally talented and skilled in painting. Moreover, he disliked using mixed colors and preferred to paint with ink, capturing the nuances of ink density and shade.

"I just changed into clean clothes before coming to see my cousin," Qi Yunli said, stepping forward. "Let me grind the ink for you."

Seeing her meek and submissive demeanor, unchanged from usual, Wei Jun felt slightly reassured, but his tone remained cold:

"From now on, no matter which master calls you at night, just say you are sick and refuse. Say you have caught a cold."

"How can a junior like me refuse an invitation from my uncle? Besides, it would be too clumsy to refuse with a lie, and people would find out in a couple of days."

"Just keep lying. Just stall until I get back." Wei Jun glanced at her sideways, a hint of anger hidden in his clear black and white eyes.

"I will follow my cousin's instructions."

Qi Yunli did not want to argue with him.

He was in a high position, born to be the center of attention, so how could he understand the feeling of being dependent on others? Sometimes it's not that you did something wrong, but that people's opinions are terrifying.