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

At this moment, Tingyue excitedly brought the latest news from the manor: "Wei Ding is framing Wei En and trying to get the old lady to show leniency to the second branch of the family."

Qi Yunli calmly took a sip of tea: "I also want to take the third branch of the family out with me."

"That's exactly the kind of malicious intent they're after!" Tingyue said angrily, hands on her hips.

The two of them were in the courtyard under the eaves. Tingyue squatted in the mud under the eaves, pinching the soil under the courtyard wall with her fingertips, gently loosening the soil around the courtyard, and watering it a little.

"The third daughter even gave us flower seeds; how wicked could she be! The second wife is always plotting against others!"

Qi Yunli smiled and shook her head. Tingyue was a genuine person. She would get angry when she encountered injustice, acted on her impulses, and once she decided that someone was a good person, it was difficult for her to change her mind about them.

That's why she kept her by her side. Having a carefree maid, full of vitality, wandering around the courtyard was quite adorable.

Tingyue grinned mischievously, "Miss, guess what the old lady did in the end?"

Knowing the old lady's temperament, Qi Yunli could guess the general idea, but to play along, she pretended not to know and asked:

"What's wrong?"

"The old lady ordered that Wei Ding's mouth be gagged, saying that if he went out and made false accusations, she would take him to court!"

Tingyue exclaimed with satisfaction, "The young lady who bullied you and Young Master Wei Ding who bullied the young master have both been driven away. What a fitting end!"

The result seemed good, but Qi Yunli wasn't as happy as she had imagined.

She always felt that Wei Jun had set a trap, just waiting for everyone to fall into it, and that it was only a matter of time before the second wife's family got into trouble.

What about the third wife? Do they have a chance to escape from Wei Jun's clutches?

A maidservant came to the courtyard. She looked familiar, but we didn't see her often. She said she was from the room of the fourth young lady, Wei Ruochun.

Tingyue wanted to stop them, not wanting to get involved with the second wife's family.

Qi Yunli sighed softly, but still let the person in. The maid gave her a letter and then left.

The handwriting in the letter wasn't delicate, but it looked quite neat; it was Wei Ruochun's handwriting.

"What did the Fourth Miss say?" Tingyue wanted to go closer, but was worried that her mistress would be angry.

"She wants to marry into a good family and wants me to help her by introducing her to the third son of the Duke of Wen when she goes to the Cibei Temple to pray for blessings at the Marquis's residence."

Tingyue was puzzled: "The third son of the Duke of Wen is already married and has two or three concubines. Besides, the two of them have only met once or twice at banquets. How did they come to have any connection?"

Qi Yunli: "I don't know either."

"You want to help her, young lady?"

Qi Yunli clenched her slender fingers in her palm, bringing the corner of the letter close to the candle flame, watching it slowly burn away bit by bit.

"I can barely take care of myself, how can I help her? Everyone has ambition, and it's not wrong for her to want to marry into a higher family. However, my path and the Marquis's mansion are ultimately different."

She didn't want to have any more dealings with the people from the Marquis's mansion.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, she will be able to get married after the day she visits the Compassionate Temple and pays respects to Guanyin.

On the last day of the month's holiday, Qi Yunli took Qi Yunsi out for a stroll.

Qi Yunsi was very happy, and the scar on her forehead had faded to a faint mark. The two siblings were both good-looking, and they frequently attracted attention as they walked down the street.

After the two ate, Qi Yunli rented a carriage and headed towards the southern part of the city, an area where commoners lived. They occasionally passed through, but since they lived in the Marquis's residence for a long time, they rarely came here.

Many ordinary people also want their children to study in schools, so there are many good private schools in the southern part of the city. Unlike the clan schools of large families, these schools have many rules and are less influenced by social status.

"Asi, what do you think of this private school?"

The carriage stopped at the entrance of a small alley, from which came the sound of students reading aloud. The sound was not loud, but it was orderly enough. In the houses, the courtyard walls were not high, and some green loofah vines had grown loofahs the size of sweet potatoes, which looked quite elegant from the outside.

The two looked into the courtyard from outside the gate. Inside, there were a dozen or so schoolchildren reciting their lessons at a few old wooden tables. The facilities were simple, but the children were studying very diligently.

"The number of people is rather small. There are only two hundred people in the clan school, but the students in this small private school are very respectful to their teachers. Sister, why did you bring me here?" Qi Yunsi asked.

"After much thought, your elder sister still feels that the clan school has too many rules and the students there are too restless, which is not conducive to your studies."

"But we're living in the Marquis's mansion, yet we've moved out of the clan school. Won't the old lady and the others have something to say about that?"

Qi Yunsi was somewhat worried: "Besides, if I study here, wouldn't I be far away from my sister? In the clan school, my classmates only bully me occasionally, they don't usually fight back. With the teacher around, I can endure it. Sister, I don't want to be too far away from you."

He understood many principles, but his mind was still that of a child. The thought of being separated from his only relative in the world brought tears to his eyes.

Qi Yunli smiled and wiped his tears with her handkerchief: "Asi, I heard from your sister that she will be able to move out of the Marquis's mansion soon. We can't keep living like this, dependent on others."

Qi Yunsi nodded emphatically. He trusted his sister. She hadn't abandoned him during difficult times, and she wouldn't now either.

"If you like this private school, we can transfer here after a while, but you must keep it a secret until then and not tell anyone else." Qi Yunli raised her hand and patted her younger brother's head.

Her younger brother has grown taller; in just one year, he has become a head taller than her, whereas he used to be the same height as her.

Qi Yunsi agreed, already looking forward to starting a new life.

Although I had no worries about food and clothing while living in the Marquis's mansion, I was still inferior to others.

As time went by, he almost forgot that when his parents were still alive, he and his sister also had servants and were pampered in every way.

Before the day of Guanyin's birthday arrived, Qi Yunli followed the rules and did what she always did: playing the zither, watering flowers, and reading books.

Wei Jun left early and returned late, rarely seeing her, only occasionally glancing at her once or twice when he visited the old lady to pay his respects.

Once the two-week practice period was up, I stopped practicing and never did it again.

Outside the capital, there was a great commotion. After the Imperial Guard raided the Gunlifang gambling den, the people were in uproar. Some scions of prominent families were also in the gambling den, and the people were furious and resentful. Even the emperor heard about it.

Not long after, in an attempt to quell public anger, the Emperor removed Su Fengran, the eldest son of the Rong Prince's family, from his position as a Hanlin Academy reader, dismissing him from his post.

No matter how much Prince Rong pleaded in the palace, the emperor remained unmoved, only saying that the emperor was subject to the same laws as the common people.

With the fall of the eldest son of the Rong Prince's family, a civil official, the power struggle between the two princes has shifted significantly in favor of the Sheng Prince.

The Duke of Qi's mansion is now aligned with Prince Sheng, while the Duke of Wen's mansion is aligned with Prince Rong.

Qi Yunli listened to the commotion outside, but her heart remained calm. She was happier each day, because tomorrow was the day to go to Cibei Temple to worship Guanyin.

Shen Junshan, will you be my future husband?