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

Qi Yunsi's forehead was covered in bruises and red marks, with a swollen patch near her brow bone. Red marks from fingernails were still visible, indicating that she had been beaten, and beaten quite severely, as the red marks had turned blue.

Qi Yunli took a deep breath, but her younger brother didn't dare to meet her eyes at all, looking away like a child who had done something wrong.

"Speak." She spoke to her brother in a tone she had never used before.

Qi Yunsi lowered her head slightly, using the hair at her temples to try and cover the scar, forcing a stiff smile:

"Yes, I fell myself..."

"You think you can get scratches from falling, huh?"

Qi Yunli glared at him angrily with her almond-shaped eyes. "Then try breaking another one for me. If you don't tell me the truth, don't call me 'sister' anymore."

She was both angry and heartbroken, and with a resolute look, she turned around and walked back.

Qi Yunsi panicked and pulled her sister's hand back: "I was wrong, I was wrong, sister, I was wrong. It was Wei Ding and a few other people who hit me."

"Why did I hit you? Didn't I return the fifteen taels of silver to him?"

Qi Yunli's eyes reddened as she looked at her younger brother's wound.

"Sister, don't cry, don't cry. It's my fault. I didn't protect myself. I know you're angry. I promise I'll never lie to you again. Please don't be angry with me anymore."

Qi Yunsi was at a loss. In his eyes, his sister had always been strong. Even after their parents passed away, it was his sister who held up the sky for him and found ways to help him continue his studies.

He wants to protect his older sister in the future, and he wants to grow up quickly.

"I'm not angry with you, I'm angry with myself for not protecting you and letting you suffer outside."

Qi Yunli finally couldn't hold back and wiped away two tears.

She was constantly hampered in the Marquis's mansion, and that was one thing; her younger brother faced the same situation outside. She should have expected this sooner.

"Sister, it's alright. The money has been returned, and I haven't done anything to wrong Wei Ding."

He wanted more money from me today, but I refused. Today I went to a secluded place, which gave him the opportunity. Starting tomorrow, I'll only walk under the teacher's watchful eye, then he can't do anything to me.

Qi Yunsi broke into a big smile.

His face was covered in red and blue marks, and there were scratches, yet he could still laugh so happily; it was heartbreaking to see.

"No, this matter cannot be left like this." Qi Yunli had regained her composure.

My brother's wound isn't deep today, but what if they outnumber us tomorrow and accidentally kill someone?

They're all members of the Wei family, so they'll definitely protect each other. Who would really stand up for someone from another family?

The three sat at a roadside tea stall, bandaging their wounds and applying medicine.

"Do you know what Wei Ding needs so much money for?" Qi Yunli asked.

Tingyue interjected at this moment: "I've also heard in the manor that the Fourth Young Master has quite a lot of pocket money. The Second Master is in charge of the manor's meals and can make a lot of money off them. The Second Young Master is, of course, the Second Master's darling, but he is also very good to the Fourth Young Master, who is an illegitimate son. But the Fourth Young Master spends it all very quickly and keeps asking for money every day."

"I don't know where they spent the money, but they've mentioned 'Gunlifang' several times in private. I don't know exactly where it is. On my days off, I only go back to the mansion to be with my sister." Qi Yunsi's forehead was bandaged, and a smile returned to her face.

Tingyue opened her mouth wide: "I know where it is, but... it's a gambling den..."

bet?

Qi Yunli instantly remembered what Wei Ruowei had told her. Could it be that someone in the Wei family had really gotten involved in gambling?

"Let's go over there first, find a shop, and disguise ourselves."

"Sister, you shouldn't go. It's a dangerous place, and I'm worried you'll be in danger." Qi Yunsi only regretted that she wasn't strong enough and had to rely on her sister for everything.

"Those who bully you will do it again if they do it once. If you don't teach them a lesson, they will never know they are wrong."

She hated it! The Marquis of Dingyuan's family had been kind to her, but that didn't mean that all the other collateral relatives could bully her and her brother.

Tingyue said firmly, "I'm going. I would never let Miss go into danger alone."

"Asi, you don't need to go in. Stay outside and meet us," Qi Yunli said.

They deliberately walked into secluded alleys, their eyes scanning the shops on both sides, looking for a place where they could discreetly disguise themselves and that the shopkeepers knew the ins and outs of men's clothing.

A year ago, the three of them escaped from their home. Worried that the two women would be harmed, they found a shop to disguise themselves and escaped. They successfully arrived in the capital and sought refuge with the Marquis of Dingyuan.

Finally, they stopped in front of a shop with a worn-out blue cloth curtain.

"This is it," Tingyue said confidently.

Tingyue greatly admired her mistress's foresight. When she first arrived in the capital, she had her gather a lot of information, including the relationships between various factions in the court, as well as the locations of blacksmith shops, disguise shops, and black markets.

At first, I didn't understand why the young lady shouldn't have settled down in the capital and lived a peaceful and comfortable life. Now, only a year has passed, and all the information I had gathered before has come in handy.

When they came out again, Qi Yunli had lost all her gentle demeanor. She wore a dark gray straight robe, her figure was upright, her eyebrows were thickly drawn, and her long hair was covered with a turban, revealing only her smooth forehead and a little bit of her chin. In the darkness, without careful observation, she looked like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy.

Tingyue, dressed as a man, stood on tiptoe to make herself appear much taller.

Since Qi Yunsi was already injured, the shop owner simply dressed him up as a one-eyed dragon, missing one eye.

He watched from afar in a dark corner where no one could see him, and went to find the officials if there was any movement.

The three of them stopped at the entrance of an alleyway adorned with red lanterns. There were no words on the lanterns, only the clamor emanating from the cracks in the doors, a noisy and chaotic din.

The two men, some distance apart, entered the gambling den one after the other. The men who stopped them at the entrance, seeing the money and their attire, allowed them in without a word.

After passing through a narrow passageway, the gambling den opens up into a spacious area.

The main hall was about two zhang high before one could see the top of their head. There were a few dim yellow lights on the roof, making it difficult to see the faces of the people inside. The lighting was dim, but there were some brighter horn lamps above each gambling table, which made the copper coins and silver coins on the table very bright, tempting people's eyes.

Inside, some people were laughing, some were cursing, and in a corner, a few gamblers who had lost everything were sighing and lamenting, their eyes bloodshot with resentment.

Among them were several women dressed in flamboyant attire, with brightly colored rouge, serving tea and water to the crowd.

As they approached, Qi Yunli indeed spotted Wei Ding, but standing next to him was another familiar face—Wei En.

How come he's here too!

Qi Yunli hesitated. What if Wei En was arrested? Wouldn't his future be ruined? He was Wei Ruowei's younger brother.