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

Wei Jun's expression softened slightly: "Ah Li, you must listen to me."

Qi Yunli gave a faint "hmm" without looking up at him.

From the moment she entered the manor, she was incredibly obedient; she had never been disobedient.

Wei Jun's painting is a scene of a courtyard at night.

The moon hung in the upper right corner, its gentle light casting a soft glow over the entire painting. A lamp hung under the eaves beside the stone path, its shadow flickering.

On the left side of the picture, there is a person leaning against a chair under the eaves, with an upright posture and a touch of laziness.

The painter did not depict the figure directly, but only left a slender profile. The person was supporting themselves with one hand and holding a half-empty celadon wine cup in the other.

The wine in the bottle gleamed faintly under the lamplight; about a third of it remained.

His movements froze in mid-air, and the man's gaze was fixed on the waning moon in the sky. A hint of loneliness was revealed in the faint strokes of his brush.

However, what is out of place in this scene is that directly opposite the man's back, there is a wall with petal outlines drawn layer by layer with fine pen tips.

The flowers bloomed all the way from the base of the wall to the eaves, one after another, crowding together, adding a touch of spring warmth and blossoming flowers to the serene courtyard of this "Drinking Alone Under the Moon" painting.

However, the flowers covering the wall were also depicted with black and white ink, so it was impossible to tell what colors they were.

Wei Jun seemed dissatisfied with her staring at the painting, so he put down his brush and turned his gaze to her:

"What are your thoughts on your grandmother mentioning my marriage today?"

Qi Yunli smiled, glanced up at him, but didn't stop grinding ink in her hands:

"My cousin is the eldest son of the Marquis of Dingyuan's family. The woman he is to marry must be a beautiful woman who is as bright as the moon, incomparably wealthy, knowledgeable and reasonable, and proficient in all the arts, such as music, chess, calligraphy and painting, so that she can stand shoulder to shoulder with my cousin and become the mistress of the Marquis's family."

He felt a sense of pleasure upon hearing such descriptions. The better his future wife was described, the better he seemed to appear.

Wei Jun smiled and pulled Qi Yunli over, making her sit on his lap. The two were very close, his breath brushing against the outline of her ear.

"You can pray too," he whispered. "Grandmother's judgment has never been bad."

Qi Yunli's heart skipped a beat: "What should I pray for?"

"Pray that the new mistress will be kind and generous, so that your days in the manor will be easier," Wei Jun said thoughtfully.

A spring breeze blew outside the window, stirring up the fallen leaves on the ground in the yard. The leaves spun in the wind and then returned to their original positions.

Wei Jun continued, "Be good and don't cause trouble in the manor. After I marry a wife, I'll ask my grandmother for permission to take you as a concubine. That way, you can stay by my side for the rest of your life."

A chill ran through Qi Yunli, but she still forced a smile.

"Ah Li only hopes to stay by her cousin's side for life and never be separated from him."

She's leaving.

She was determined to leave.

It's better not to give her a title than to make her a concubine. Without a title, outsiders won't know about their affair, she'll remain innocent, and she can marry someone else with a clean conscience.

Even if the other party is neither rich nor noble, she can still be a proper wife, instead of a concubine who has to serve the mistress like a servant.

She would never become a concubine.

Looking at the obedient "little white rabbit" in his arms, Wei Jun felt very pleased to see her cheeks flushed and her lowered eyebrows smiling.

"I'm not going to draw anymore. Just a few more strokes to complete the outline. Help me get dressed."

He said that, while tightening his arms around her.

The word "serve" carries a deeper meaning. Qi Yunli had heard it many times and knew what he meant; she was experienced.

At this moment, you can clearly feel his temperature rising continuously.

"it is good."

Qi Yunli responded obediently, reaching out to gently hug his back.

Ru Feng had already left sometime earlier. Only the two of them remained in the courtyard.

The sun was blazing outside, and Wei Jun truly had no intention of showing her any pity.

We had been intimate last night, and now, in broad daylight, I want to be intimate with her again.

He truly only saw her as someone he could summon and dismiss at will.

Through countless late nights, Qi Yunli had come to know him inside and out.

In this deserted courtyard, she was terrified of the temperature.

Burn through her clothes that she has put on neatly in the daytime, burn through her dignity.

"Yun Si will be back from school soon... please don't tear your clothes," Qi Yunli gently reminded her.

But he didn't reply to her, pretending not to hear.

He didn't know how to express himself; in his usual style, he couldn't express himself.

Wei Jun recalled the first night two months ago when he set off to escort military supplies, and he regretted it. He regretted not bringing Qi Yunli along.

The thought of not seeing her for four months made him inexplicably anxious. He was fine when he was busy during the day, but when the night was quiet, the image of her standing in front of him would always flash through his mind, intentionally or unintentionally.

It made him feel inexplicably lost, and only then did he realize how much he missed him.

He missed her fragrance, her face, her voice, her every smile and frown...

Therefore, the original four-month escort schedule was compressed into half, and he returned in just two months.

Wei Jun's forehead was pressed against hers, his eyes as dark as ink.

As the spring waters rippled, she transformed into a leaping stream, aimlessly following the boatman.

When the clouds dispersed and the rain stopped, the sun was already setting in the west.

Qi Yunli nestled in his arms, her eyes half-closed, her breathing calm and even. Fine beads of sweat dampened his stray hairs, which clung to his face, making him look like a little white rabbit sweating profusely.

"I have to go."

Qi Yunli propped herself up. They had been facing each other, and the force had been a bit too much, causing her to lose her balance and momentarily lose her footing.

"Would you like to rest a little longer?" Wei Jun asked considerately.

His tone was so sincere, as if her condition had nothing to do with him.

"Thank you, cousin, but I have to rush back to have dinner with my brother." Qi Yunli carefully put on her clothes, wiped the sweaty hair from her forehead with a handkerchief, and simply tidied her hair.

There wasn't a single bronze mirror in Jingchen Courtyard. This exceptionally handsome young master didn't seem to care much about his appearance. After each night of passion, Qi Yunli would simply rearrange his hair based on instinct.

Before leaving, Qi Yunli took a book from Wei Jun.

The books here at Wei Jun's place have all been carefully selected by the scholars and are quite valuable for reference; most of them are classic texts. It would be excellent to show them to Yun Si.

Thinking about it this way, she seemed to have gained a tiny, insignificant advantage in this extremely unwilling relationship.

It's better than nothing.

The rose wall not far away, bathed in the glow of the sunset, made the red roses seem to be tinged with pink.

At the very top of the entire wall, pink roses bloomed quietly, as if welcoming her back.

"Sister, you're back."

Qi Yunsi sat upright at the table, with two bowls of dishes and two bowls of rice in front of her, her chopsticks neatly placed beside the bowls, untouched. Her younger brother had clearly been waiting for his sister to come home for dinner.