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

Qi Yunli's blood seemed to freeze for a moment. She forced a smile and said, "If fate allows, we'll meet again next time, young master."

Shen Junshan smiled calmly, without saying much, but his eyes held a hint of complexity.

Ru Feng led the way, but halfway there, she suddenly stopped and said, "Miss, there are some things that would hurt the young master, so it's best not to do them anymore."

These words were harsh, and Qi Yunli was too lazy to pay attention to them. She didn't want to explain herself to someone who couldn't empathize with her or understand her situation, especially since the other party was a man.

There's no question of empathy anymore.

But Yue was furious when she heard this. Seeing that there was no one else around, she slapped him on the head.

"What are you saying! We are all servants, when have we ever been allowed to meddle in our masters' affairs? It's none of your business."

When it comes to arguing, Ru Feng is no match for Ting Yue. Ru Feng hurriedly said, "I also want Miss Ting Yue to have a good life."

"Then you absolutely cannot talk like that. You haven't experienced other people's suffering, so what right do you have to say such things? If you say it again, I'll hit you again." This made Yue angry.

Qi Yunli pulled Tingyue back at the right moment and said coldly, "You have your stance, and I have mine. I have never done anything to wrong the young master. He just saved me, so I should just greet him when we meet. You don't need to be sarcastic."

Upon hearing this, Ru Feng lowered his head in remorse, "It was I who overstepped the bounds."

Tingyue stood with her hands on her hips, making faces behind her.

Hmph, they're all servants, what's there to be proud of?

However, considering that Ru Feng admitted his mistake quickly, we will let it go for now.

After passing two halls, Ru Feng stopped in the elegant Zen courtyard. Several meditation rooms were scattered in a pleasing manner, and three or four servants stood outside one of them.

This must be the Zen temple where Qin Wenchang rested.

"The young master is here. If you don't want to go in, I'll wait outside with you," Ru Feng said respectfully.

His respect this time was genuine. The maidservant beside the young lady spoke with integrity, and the young lady herself was well-educated and set a good example. She must be a woman with very upright values.

Before Qi Yunli could hesitate any longer, a sharp scream came from Qin Xue inside the meditation room.

"Ah—! Wei, Wei Ruolan… what are you doing here!"

Qin Xue's tone was one of disbelief, shock, and anger, but the meditation room quickly returned to silence.

Wei Jun walked out of the meditation room and gave a few instructions to the servant beside him. His face was filled with an unyielding gloom, which made the servant shrink back involuntarily.

After receiving the order, three or four servants quickly went to check if any other worshippers were resting in the surrounding meditation rooms and asked the worshippers and monks to move to other places.

They moved very quickly, and a servant went to the main hall to fetch more servants from the Marquis's mansion, who then surrounded the Zen temple.

Wei Jun stood with his arms crossed, his long sleeves gleaming in the light, and Qi Yunli felt a chill run down her spine just looking at him.

He saw the three of them and beckoned them with his finger.

Tingyue nudged Rufeng beside her: "The young master wants to see you."

Ru Feng, with his keen eyesight, lowered his head and said, "The young master wants the three of us to go together."

Qi Yunli's heart tightened. She could guess that something terrible must have happened in the meditation room, since the second branch of the family only knew how to drug people.

They naively believed that by drugging the eldest son of the Duke of Qi's family, they could secure a marriage alliance.

When they reached Wei Jun, Wei Jun asked Ru Feng to invite the old lady over.

Lin Yue brushed past Qi Yunli, his expression grave. He only said to Wei Jun, "Don't worry, I will not reveal a single thing about what happened today."

After saying that, he left. Wei Ruochun watched Lin Yue's retreating figure from inside the room, too anxious to speak, but she could only stay in the meditation room and watch helplessly as her beloved left.

Qi Yunli stood at the doorway, and could vaguely glimpse the mess inside. She turned slightly to the side, not wanting to see any more unsightly scenes.

"Why did my cousin call me over?" she asked softly. "This scene is not something I can bear to watch."

Wei Jun wanted to get closer to her, but restrained himself and said, "I feel more at ease keeping you under my watchful eye. These days are dangerous. Look at the situation; even the eldest son of the Duke of Qi's family was killed while burning incense."

His words had a hidden meaning; the implication was that she should stay obediently by his side and not make any rash moves.

Qi Yunli said obediently, "I don't have a family background as illustrious as Young Master Qin's."

"That would be even more dangerous," Wei Jun said.

The old lady arrived late, supported by servants. Her face was full of anxiety as she rushed over. After seeing that the meditation room was full of people from her own Marquis's mansion, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was relieved a little.

"What happened that you had to call me here personally? Nian'an can handle it on her own..."

Before she could finish speaking, her gaze swept across the scene inside the room, and the old lady almost fainted.

"You..." The old lady's fingers trembled with anger, "You, you wretched child! You've utterly disgraced the Marquis's mansion!"

Wei Ruolan was disheveled, and Qin Wenchang was still unconscious. She knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Grandmother, I didn't mean it! Someone framed me! That tea... was given to Brother Wenchang by Wei Ruochun. It has nothing to do with me!"

Qin Xue then got a good look at Wei Ruochun's face and immediately recognized her. "It's her! She's been bringing tea repeatedly. So there was something wrong with the tea!"

"Whether it was a frame-up or not is no longer important; what's done is done." Wei Jun stepped forward, his face calm. "How can such a shameless and disgraceful act be simply dismissed with a word of 'frame-up'? Grandmother, what do you suggest we do?"

Wei Ruolan knelt down and walked up to Qin Xue: "I... I can marry Brother Wenchang as a concubine. He didn't do this to me on purpose, Sister Xue, please, please."

Qin Xue was in a dilemma. If she could become a concubine in this way, wouldn't that be fulfilling the wishes of a villain?

And since her brother was unconscious, she couldn't make decisions for him.

"Grandmother, what do you think?" Wei Jun asked again.

The room was a mess. The old lady took a deep breath, and the last trace of warmth on her face slowly disappeared.

Wei Jun is forcing her.

"Take your own life," the old lady said coldly and without hesitation. She drew the sword that Ru Feng always carried and threw it on the ground. "Things have come to this point. Only death can preserve the reputation of the Marquis's Mansion and the Duke of Qi's Mansion."

Wei Ruochun was so frightened that she huddled up in a ball on the side, completely unaware that things would develop to this point.

"On what grounds!" Wei Ruolan shouted sharply, "Grandmother has already expelled the second branch of the family from the manor, so I am no longer under the jurisdiction of the Marquis's manor!"

She was too lazy to kneel anymore. Her knees went numb from kneeling, and her forehead was red and swollen from kowtowing. In the end, no one on the field felt sorry for her.

"When we left, didn't Grandmother say that we would have nothing to do with the Marquis's mansion anymore?" Wei Ruolan cried out in a mournful voice, trying to attract other worshippers.

She was completely unaware that the area outside was swarming with servants from the Marquis's residence, and the worshippers were ushered to another path before they could even pass by.

"You think you can escape this time?" Wei Jun's gaze didn't fall on her. "If you commit suicide, I'll give you some dignity and let you die gracefully. Otherwise..."

Wei Ruolan's face showed fear, "Big brother..."

"Let's get started," Wei Jun said impatiently after waiting for so long.

Wei Ruolan remained silent.

Qi Yunli only saw Ru Feng behind Wei Jun rush forward without hesitation, pick up the sword on the ground, and as the blade fell, blood splattered on the ground.

Wei Ruolan looked at her respected elder brother in disbelief, and uttered her last words on her deathbed:

"I curse you, that you will never be able to have the one you love in this lifetime."