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

Wei Jun did not reply, but waved his hand to dismiss the servants.

He picked up the warm tea from the table beside him and brought it to her lips.

"Have some hot tea, it's a bit chilly in autumn."

His voice still betrayed no emotion, but carried a hint of weakness and ingratiation.

The surrounding area was filled with the deafening sounds of gongs, drums, and cheers.

The outside world was too lively, which made Qi Yunli feel uneasy and out of place in the lively atmosphere.

"Looking at the worried look in your eyes, I might misunderstand and think you've already fallen for me?" Wei Jun smiled.

Qi Yunli looked away, her face cold: "Who would worry about you? It's just a bit sudden."

Wei Jun lowered his eyes and grasped her hand firmly.

Qi Yunli stared wide-eyed, wanting to denounce his unreasonable offense, struggling against his grasp, but unable to escape his clutches.

She could only let him hold her hand, the warm temperature seeping from his palm.

Qi Yunli glanced around, her body tense.

This was somewhat different from the tension I felt when we were intimate in private at Jingchen Courtyard.

During intimacy, there is more fear, but now there is more panic and not knowing how to deal with it.

The Marquis's family held a grand ceremony for the marriage proposal, and the room was soon filled with guests.

"Young Master Xie, what brings you here?"

Qi Yunli was surprised and asked, "Why is he, a civil official, participating in the martial arts examination?"

Xie Dongpo, dressed in a silver-white robe, stood by the platform leading a horse, smoothing back the stray hairs from his forehead and temples.

In stark contrast to his usual carefree and irresponsible image as a young nobleman, he displayed a composed and steady demeanor.

"He also wanted to marry my third sister, so naturally he did." Wei Jun smiled smugly.

Qi Yunli thought she was seeing things, and the smug look on her face was more like that of a child.

"Why didn't he try to find a back door through you? If he comes to the martial arts arena, he'll get beaten up. When his pretty face is all bruised and swollen, no one will want him."

How do you know he didn't use connections?

Wei Jun paused for a moment, then added, "Furthermore, I disagree with the last sentence. There isn't a single part of him that can be described as beautiful as a flower."

Even praising his good brother won't work.

Qi Yunli sighed and shook her head.

The young men from prominent families were all full of vigor and ambition. In order to win Wei Ruowei's favor, they tried their best to show off from the moment they entered.

As Qi Yunli watched from the observation deck, her initial tension and panic vanished.

After everything was ready, the gongs and drums suddenly sounded three times.

On the martial arts stage, the steward shouted a loud announcement, and all the young masters from noble families began a chaotic battle. The one who could stand to the end would be the first place winner.

The top five are selected in order of their elimination, and points are awarded according to their ranking.

The rankings and scores in the martial arts examination were combined to select a son-in-law for the Marquis's household who was skilled in both literature and martial arts.

For a moment, the unarmed men on the martial arts testing platform were in complete chaos. This martial arts test was a real mess.

It tests not only physical strength, but also intellect.

The young men no longer cared about decorum; they were fighting bare-handed, some grabbing and tearing at each other's clothes, others kicking with bent legs.

Laughter filled the stage.

Someone laughed and said, "It's always been women vying for favor, this is the first time I've ever seen men fighting each other."

"This is hardly a martial arts contest to find a husband; it's more like a street brawl."

Qi Yunli found it intriguing and watched with great interest.

Those ministers who were merely displaying their ferocity and ruthlessness quickly exhausted themselves, inadvertently fell into someone else's trap, and tumbled off the competition platform.

Those with a little bit of scheming will form a temporary alliance to pick on the weak first.

"Ruowei is lively and doesn't care about empty formalities. This kind of chaotic mix is ​​perfect for letting the smart ones stand out," Qi Yunli said thoughtfully.

However, it would be extremely difficult for Xie Dongpo to live to the end.

"He's very shrewd. If he can't even handle this many people, he can only hope to be my brother-in-law in his next life." Wei Jun raised an eyebrow.

Their hands were still clasped together, and their eyes were both on Xie Dongpo.

He dodged a fierce punch and casually picked up a wooden stick from the side of the table, holding it horizontally in front of him.

The chaotic battle on stage intensified, and the remaining dozen or so young masters were slightly better in both skill and cunning.

Xie Dongpo remained hidden in the corner, discarding the wooden stick and choosing to defend rather than attack.

"What kind of skill is it to hide like that!" one of them said, and then led the other two to surround and attack him.

The three men formed a triangle, closing in on Xie Dongpo step by step.

"Don't worry, he knows what he's doing."

Wei Jun felt that her palms were a little sweaty, so he squeezed her hand a little tighter and comforted her.

Xie Dongpo on the stage moved.

Everyone initially thought he was just a weak scholar who couldn't even kill a chicken, so they didn't attack him and let him hide in the corner.

Xie Dongpo swayed and deftly slipped through the gap between the three men, precisely grabbing one of their wrists.

With a little force, the other person let out a muffled groan as their wrist was twisted and lost its grip.

Then, with a shove, the man crashed straight into his companion on the right, and the two collided.

The remaining people immediately became alert and surrounded Xie Dongpo.

Xie Dongpo straightened his face and quickly moved among the seven people.

One person fighting seven people is bound to be a significant disparity in strength.

All seven men had some martial arts training, and after a series of attacks, Xie Dongpo's robes were wrinkled and his shoulders were covered in sweat and dust.

He dodged a punch from the front, but didn't expect a hard impact on his back.

He groaned and staggered, then steadied himself by grabbing a pillar by the edge of the platform.

"He's too impatient," Wei Jun said.

The cheers from the stage had long since stopped, and everyone became tense.

After finishing off four men, Xie Dongpo was panting heavily and looked extremely disheveled.

Seeing this, the other three exchanged glances and joined forces to rush over, wanting to make a final stand against Xie Dongpo.

Xie Dongpo dodged to the side, grabbed one person's wrist, and used the force to slam the two people together, pushing them towards a third person.

The martial arts testing platform fell silent.

Xie Dongpo stood alone in the center, his robes dirty and disheveled, his hair messy, and his face slightly cut and bleeding.

He looked disheveled, yet his expression revealed extreme joy.

"It's me! Wei Ruowei! It's me! I'm the last one standing!"

Xie Dongpo raised his hands, as if to embrace Wei Ruowei from afar.

Wei Ruowei's eyes reddened, and unwilling to look at him, she actually got up, clutching her handkerchief, and prepared to leave.

But as soon as he turned around, Xie Dongpo fell straight to the ground.

"Thank you, young master!"

Hearing their shouts, Wei Ruowei rushed over to see Xie Dongpo.

"I only consider Young Master Xie a friend; there's no need for me to risk my life to win this contest..."

Seeing his weak state, she couldn't bear it and said...

Xie Dongpo slightly opened his eyes and said weakly, "It's alright. I like you, and that's enough."

Tears welled up in Wei Ruowei's eyes and finally fell.

"Once we get married, you will be free to do what you want and think what you want."

Xie Dongpo's hand froze in mid-air, as if he wanted to touch her, but he lowered it instead.

"My hands are too dirty. I can talk about it after I finish the Japanese exam tomorrow... It's not too late."

Wei Ruowei held his hand:

"If you don't pass the exam tomorrow, you're doomed. Everyone sees how much we love each other. If you don't get first place, I'll become the laughingstock of the entire capital."