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

"Last night, the second young master of the Rong Prince's Mansion asked me to marry you and make you his concubine." The old lady's orange-yellow eyes brightened a bit.

"I don't want you to suffer after marrying into that family, but it's the Rong Prince's Mansion, and I can't easily refuse. I've asked for your opinion, and if you're unwilling, I will refuse him."

Qi Yunli curtsied, thinking to herself that the old lady's plan was too obvious. Her marriage would be of no benefit to the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion and would also indirectly win over the Prince Rong's mansion.

Seeing that she did not answer, the old lady reached out her hand, and Qi Yunli came over to take it.

"I know you're hesitant. I secretly sent servants to inquire. Su Jingran is a man of excellent character. Apart from marrying early, he has no other faults." The old lady earnestly advised, "If you marry him, you can be closer to your grandmother and visit her often. If you marry someone else and leave the capital, you won't be able to see her again in the future."

As she spoke, the old lady burst into tears.

Qi Yunli remained unmoved. Women in this world are merely objects to be exchanged. Even Wei Ruolan and Wei Ruowei had to follow their maternal families' wishes and marry into wealthy and powerful families.

She simply wanted the old lady to take the initiative and make herself appear more passive, so that the old lady would pretend to be more kind and prepare some dowry for her as a sign of her affection.

"Grandmother is absolutely right. I don't want to leave the capital either. But the Rong Prince's Mansion is such a prestigious place. If I go there, I'm afraid I'll be laughed at. Even among the concubines, the servants will look down on me."

"It's admirable that you've thought this far ahead. The fact that you're staying at the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence is a matter of fate. I certainly won't let you go so easily. I'll prepare your dowry and have the servants of the Prince of Rong's residence take a good look at it. Even if you're just a cousin, you're still a distinguished guest of the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence, and the Prince of Rong's residence cannot afford to be negligent."

"Then thank you very much, Grandmother." Qi Yunli lowered her head and smiled shyly, her smile extremely bright, her eyes full of expectations for the future.

What's there to expect from being a concubine? My only goal is to get rid of Wei Jun.

Ever since she made her promise to the old lady that day, Qi Yunli has been looking forward to her wedding day every day.

Becoming a concubine doesn't usually require a lot of fuss. Although the old lady said she wanted to prepare a full dowry to make a good impression, she still followed the rules. She only selected some expensive fabrics and jewelry and placed them in a few red lacquered wooden boxes, and also prepared two boxes of gold. It wasn't ostentatious, but it was enough to let the Rong Prince's Mansion see the Marquis's intentions.

Qi Yunli finally put on a happy smile again. She hadn't told Qi Yunsi the news yet, for fear of worrying him, and because she didn't know how to bring it up.

"Once you arrive at the Rong Prince's Mansion, the young master can study at a nearby private school," Tingyue said while folding new clothes.

"Yes, things will be more stable from now on, with no one threatening us."

It's stable, but probably not comfortable. Being a concubine means constantly having to watch the master's mood, but it's still better than living under Wei Jun's rule.

Even the insignificant concubines were chosen by her own hand, which was better than having others arbitrarily control her.

The days passed peacefully in anticipation. The flower seeds that Wei Ruowei had given them in the yard grew to knee-high and were growing very fast.

Seven days later, Jingchen Courtyard didn't call her over even once, seemingly having completely given up.

The Marquis's mansion's attempt to snatch her away from the Rong Prince's mansion is tantamount to going against them. Besides, what value does she possess that would make Wei Jun risk turning against the Rong Prince's mansion?

According to the customs of the capital, a concubine is carried in a sedan chair in the evening. There is no need for a wedding ceremony or a formal marriage. As long as there is a small sedan chair, one can enter the mansion through the side gate.

On the night of the ninth day, a commotion broke out, and servants rushed over with hurried footsteps to deliver a message.

Qi Yunli thought the sedan chair had arrived, but Tingyue went out to check and ran back with a pale face, saying, "Miss, something terrible has happened! Rumors are circulating that the Rong Prince's Mansion is involved in embezzlement of military funds, and the Rong Prince and his eldest son, the eldest son of the emperor, have both been imprisoned by His Majesty!"

With a crash, Qi Yunli's comb fell onto the dressing table, breaking off a corner.

"Who said that?"

"The old lady's people told Miss Tingyue not to mention going to Prince Rong's mansion to be a concubine, otherwise she would get into trouble," Tingyue said, stumbling along.

Qi Yunli remembered what Wei Jun had said; it turned out that he hadn't been lying to her that day.

That night, Qi Yunli couldn't fall asleep for a long time, and the candle by her bed was left lit.

As night deepened and weariness finally crept in, Qi Yunli's consciousness gradually blurred. Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, a face appeared beside her bed.

Qi Yunli was so frightened that she tried to scream, but he covered her mouth.

"Shh." Wei Jun looked very haggard. "Ah Li, it's been so long. I've come to see you."

Qi Yunli turned ashen with fright and whimpered, trying to call for help.

"If you keep calling, I've had Rufeng prepare a sedan chair so I can carry you into my courtyard anytime. Grandmother will never hold a grudge against me because of you."

Qi Yunli immediately stopped making a sound, and slowly released the hand from her mouth.

"What do you want to do?"

"Did you hear about what happened at Su Jingran's residence? I did it."

Wei Jun hadn't slept for a long time. His head was dizzy but he wasn't sleepy at all. The first thing he wanted to do when he got back to the mansion was to look at the familiar face in his mind.

But she didn't like him.

"Are you crazy? Why?"

Wei Jun felt a sudden, inexplicable pain in his chest: "He coveted my things; I have to teach him a lesson quickly."

"Are you crazy?" Qi Yunli glared at him fiercely. "When did I become yours?"

"That night, when you gave me the twin orchid handkerchief, wasn't it a sign that you wanted to offer yourself to me?" Wei Jun's expression was calm, but his voice was piercing. "What, you've changed your mind?"

"It's just wishful thinking on your part. I was only thinking of my gratitude to my cousin and thought that orchids suited your temperament better. Besides, I never knew that there was such a custom in the capital that giving someone orchids meant that it was a token of love. My cousin never asked me if I was willing."

Qi Yunli sat up, and the two sat side by side. She looked directly into Wei Jun's eyes without fear.

"No matter how much you want to escape, you'd better end up in my hands, Ah Li. Try it if you dare. Whichever man you seduce will end up in jail because of you."

Wei Jun, like a bloodthirsty demon, repeated himself over and over.

"Stop mocking me, Wei Jun." Qi Yunli's eyes lost their light. "In your men's world, no matter how much I struggle, it's just a matter of moving from one bed to another, boring and tedious."

She seemed to have run out of tears, her long hair hanging down her back. She had lost a lot of weight.

Wasn't she eagerly anticipating becoming Su Jingran's concubine? Why is she still thin?

"I'm tired, I don't want to struggle anymore," Qi Yunli said softly in a docile tone. "Pour me a glass of water."

"Okay." Wei Jun's hope was rekindled.

He misunderstood Ah Li; he was forcing Ah Li. He needed to ask her why she didn't want to be with him.

When she returned with the water, Qi Yunli lay back down, covering herself completely with the blanket, and looked at him with gentle eyes.

"Drink water." Wei Jun softened his tone as well. This was the Ah Li he had in mind, the little rabbit who didn't resist.

Qi Yunli kept smiling, then shook her head, "I'm not drinking anymore."

The two stared at each other for a long time, until the smell of blood filled the air and Qi Yunli's lips grew paler and paler. Wei Jun lifted the blanket, and the silver hairpin was stuck straight into Qi Yunli's chest, with large pools of blood flowing out.