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

After burning incense at the Cibei Temple and the Marquis's residence, Qi Yunli remained uneasy.

Who knows what will happen on the day Shen Junshan attends the birthday banquet? Wei Jun is such a cruel and suspicious person that he could probably convict someone with just a glance.

Moreover, whenever Qi Yunli closed her eyes in the dead of night, fear would sweep over her. She had nightmares every night, dreaming that Wei Jun held a sword in his palm, the sword hanging down, the tip of the sword touching the ground. As he walked with Wei Jun, the tip of the sword made a sharp, crisp sound as it scraped against the ground, which sent chills down her spine.

"Ah Li, you shouldn't have lied to me." Wei Jun only said this one sentence.

Qi Yunli tried desperately to explain, but her throat felt blocked, and she couldn't make a sound.

Without hesitation, he flipped his wrist, and the sword's edge pierced straight into her chest.

She watched helplessly as blood flowed from her chest, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face. A sharp pain spread through her chest, and Qi Yunli awoke with a start, clutching her chest.

Why is her heart aching?

Didn't she realize his true nature a year ago? Why is she so heartbroken?

"Why..." Qi Yunli turned over, tears streaming down her face, warmly wetting the stray hairs at her temples.

With the birthday banquet fast approaching, the mansion is decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and the atmosphere is filled with joy.

Wei Jun had previously been very busy with official duties, often staying overnight at the Ministry of Personnel to handle cases. However, the days leading up to his birthday banquet were suddenly quiet, and after returning from court, he had nothing else to do.

"Miss, the young master wants you to come over." Ru Feng had been calling Qi Yunli to Jingchen Courtyard every morning for six consecutive days.

Tingyue whispered, "Why don't we find an excuse to get out of this? We're seeing our master every day, and he's even more clingy than before."

That's right. Before, we could sneak over at night and no one would know, but now we have to look for her during the day.

The servants of the Marquis's mansion were coming and going, decorating the residence. He deliberately exposed her to everyone so that he could take her as his concubine.

But Qi Yunli thought for a moment, "Let's go, lest he become paranoid and overthink things and do something inappropriate to Shen Junshan."

Fortunately, Wei Jun had agreed to her request last time, and the two practiced the piano in the courtyard, occasionally kissing her, but nothing else went wrong.

"How did I play?" Wei Jun asked, turning his head to the side.

Compared to when I first started learning, my piano playing was clumsy and sometimes out of tune, sometimes stuttering, but now it's much smoother.

Qi Yunli had always heard people say that Wei Jun was exceptionally intelligent, and now she was starting to believe it. Once he grasped the knack, he could learn half a piece of music in a very short time, and even understand eight or nine tenths of the emotions in the music. The tone he played was even quite moving.

"It's getting better every day." Qi Yunli pulled herself out of her thoughts and lowered her eyes. "The young master has extremely high comprehension. After practicing for a few more days, he will be able to play the whole piece."

"It's all thanks to Ah Li's excellent teaching." Wei Jun's smile spread across his face, his expression gentle and warm.

After practicing the zither for an hour, it was time for the two to rest.

Qi Yunli withdrew her fingertips, her gaze fixed elsewhere, and asked somewhat abruptly, "My cousin doesn't like playing the zither, so why does he want me to teach you?"

"Since you enjoy playing the piano, I'd like to learn more about it." Wei Jun's fingertips carefully plucked the strings, producing a melodious, flowing sound. "In the future, when we're together day and night, we can play for each other every day, okay?"

With just a glance, one could see the tenderness in his eyes.

This gentleness made her heart tighten, and she looked away, her neck stiffening. She repeatedly told herself that this was fake.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Don't you want to play the piano with me?"

"I do," Qi Yunli said. "Cousin, do you love me?"

"Why are you suddenly asking this?" Wei Jun looked at the little white rabbit in front of him with hazy eyes, and he couldn't help but have the urge to pull her into his arms.

"Sometimes I feel you love me, sometimes I feel you are too far away," she said. "So many noble ladies in the capital are fond of you, and you are about to get married. I don't know what my place is in your heart, and I'm even less sure how much love I will receive from you in the future."

As Wei Jun listened to her recount her feelings, he felt an inexplicable surge of joy.

But he couldn't give her a definite answer. From beginning to end, he had only one belief in his world: "Love is the most useless thing. All you need to know is that if you're with me, I won't let you suffer."

Qi Yunli mocked herself inwardly: Don't hold any hope anymore, she's nothing more than a plaything he wants to lock up in the mansion.

Wei Jun's birthday banquet arrived as scheduled, and this year it was much grander than in previous years, with a much larger number of guests than last year.

From early morning, the mansion was bustling with activity. The vermilion gates were wide open, and carriages and horses lined the entrance. Young men from various mansions in the capital were participating.

Maids and servants bustled about carrying tea, fruit, and snacks, their faces beaming with smiles. The festive atmosphere in the Marquis's mansion reached its peak on this day.

From the pavilions and towers, the scene below can be seen in its entirety from the air.

Xie Dongpo exclaimed, "Nian'an, this birthday celebration is quite grand. You'll be twenty-one today."

Wei Jun didn't feel much about it; for him, the grand birthday celebration was just something to show off to others.

"You're ignoring me again." Xie Dongpo shook his head. "I don't know how Miss Qin can stand facing you every day from now on, like a silent gourd."

"Of course some people like it," Wei Jun said instinctively.

Xie Dongpo sensed something was amiss in that instant. "Who? Who likes it?"

Wei Jun recalled the words she had spoken to him a few days ago when she revealed her feelings for him, and a hint of pleasure appeared in his eyes. He did not reply to her.

Fu Chong, who had been sitting idly by drinking tea, raised an eyebrow. "I've seen him before."

There was no one else around, and it was convenient for the three of them to discuss matters in the pavilion.

Xie Dongpo's eyes widened: "Why has he seen it but I haven't? Nian'an, this isn't fair!"

Wei Jun said, "That's how I met her; the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard arrested her."

Xie Dongpo, who had just been pretending to be very angry, burst into laughter upon hearing this: "Lord Fu, didn't you see that Nian'an is angry? If it's someone he loves, you'd better watch out, or your head might shift."

Fu Chong said sarcastically, "I was just doing my job and never did anything inappropriate to that woman. Nian An took her away as soon as she arrived, and I don't even know what she looks like."

Hearing this, Xie Dongpo felt a little more at ease: "It seems the rumors outside are true. You really do have a woman in your heart. No wonder Qin Xue is targeting Su Shuran at every turn; you've probably aroused her jealousy. But you're about to get married, and she hasn't even entered the family yet. Won't she cause trouble for you? Can you manage to appease her?"

Xie Dongpo's words carried a hint of doubt about Wei Jun's ability to deceive people.

"Troublesome? She's not troublesome at all. She's well-behaved, sensible, and very understanding of me." Wei Jun felt that this wasn't complete enough, so he added, "She gets angry occasionally, but she's very cute."

Fu Chong stared in disbelief: "That woman is truly formidable; she actually drugged you! Making you so delusional that you couldn't even see her true colors! Who would have thought that even the ruthless Nian An could be so mistaken!"

This piqued Xie Dongpo's curiosity even more: "Tell me in detail!"

"Based on my years of experience in arrests, that woman was quite shrewd and had a temper that was not to be trifled with. When I arrested her, she actually tried to pretend to surrender to me." Fu Chong drank several cups of tea but couldn't dampen his excitement.

Hearing his friend say this, Wei Jun didn't want to explain further. At least in his eyes, A-Li was smart, sensible, and gentle.

Leaning against the railing of the attic, Wei Jun saw Shen Junshan, Wei Ruowei, and Qi Yunli chatting happily.

A sense of unease rose within him, and a gloomy aura emanated from him. He summoned Rufeng and said, "When we play the tune for the dancers later, let Miss Biao play it."