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

"Take you with me?"

"What makes you think I would agree?"

After hearing Qi Yunli's request to attend the Princess Rong's flower-viewing banquet, the Second Madam covered her mouth with a handkerchief, chuckled twice, and asked her a question with a hint of sarcasm in her eyes.

"The old lady kindly instructed that Yunli should be more outgoing. However, Yunli is of humble status and her voice carries little weight, so she relies entirely on her aunt's help. If Yunli finds a good match, she will never forget her aunt's kindness in helping her today."

Qi Yunli bowed slightly, neither humble nor arrogant, with a gentle smile always on her lips, remaining calm and composed in the face of ridicule.

Hearing this, Wei Ruolan, who was standing to the side, still had sunflower seeds in her mouth, stretched out her hand and said arrogantly:

"You took Grandmother's casual remark seriously? Do you really think you're Miss Wei?"

The second wife raised her hand to stop her daughter, carefully examining her niece, with whom she shared some blood relation. Her face and figure were truly outstanding.

She wore an ordinary ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) made of the most common silk, but the tailoring was perfect and the design had some clever details, which made her figure look slender and her waist as graceful as a willow.

Standing there with a slight bow and her back straight, she exuded an air of refined elegance, befitting a lady from a noble family, even in her simple attire.

The niece stood there quietly, like a perfectly rendered ink painting, pleasing to the eye at first glance and becoming more and more charming the more you looked at her.

I remember when I first met her, the second wife only thought she was reasonably good-looking.

Now, standing next to her own daughter, Wei Ruolan, her beauty is immediately made even more striking.

Wei Ruolan was wearing a pink brocade dress embroidered with lotus blossoms, but now it became the backdrop for her plain-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).

Looking at the two people before her, the second wife felt a mix of emotions. After thinking for a moment, she sighed and said:

"Very well, she is, after all, my own niece. Let's go together in a few days. But she must first learn the proper etiquette, lest she disgrace the Marquis's mansion."

"Mother?" Wei Ruolan stood there, stunned, looking at her mother.

Qi Yunli bowed and said, "Thank you, Aunt. I will always remember that I belong to the second branch of the family."

The second wife hadn't expected her niece to be so clever, able to discern that her implied marriage would bring benefits to the second branch of the family. She waved her sleeve, dismissing Qi Yunli.

As soon as Qi Yunli left, Wei Ruolan immediately stamped her foot: "Mother! What did you make her do? She just caused me trouble for no reason!"

The second wife had a son and a daughter, and she doted on her daughter.

Just moments ago, her niece had been so gentle and demure in front of her, but now, looking at her own daughter, her eyes and brows revealed sharp teeth and a haughty demeanor.

Their features, which weren't bad to begin with, were now tinged with a sharp, mean, and arrogant demeanor, making the difference between the two quite significant.

"Why are you panicking?" The second madam slowly sipped her tea. "You are a legitimate daughter, while she is an orphan staying here. The difference between you is like heaven and earth. The dignitaries at the banquet are very discerning."

Wei Ruolan felt a little relieved. She did indeed have a favorite man. Thinking of Qi Yunli's gentle and graceful features, she said softly:

"But she... she was born like that!"

The second wife covered her mouth with her handkerchief and chuckled softly, "Beautiful? Beautiful is wonderful. Wealthy families have no shortage of beautiful concubines. If she catches the eye of some nobleman at the banquet... I'll go with the flow and send her off. That way, I'll both satisfy the social obligation and get rid of the eyesore. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Ruolan's face lit up with smugness.

Having received the Second Madam's approval, Qi Yunli was overjoyed these past few days and began to plan ahead, instructing Tingyue to go to the Second Madam's place to collect the clothes.

The clothes of the young ladies in the Dingyuan Marquis's mansion are categorized and made according to the season, with one set for each season.

For special occasions or festivals, there are different seasonal clothes, or formal attire can be specially requested for attending important banquets. The fabric and style are more particular than everyday clothes.

Qi Yunli only received two sets of clothes a year, and they were both old and worn, clothes that Wei Ruolan had worn.

All her clothes were distributed by the second wife, so she didn't know how many sets were missing, nor would she ask.

Qi Yunli had Tingyue use the excuse of "not being impolite at a banquet" to subtly persuade the second wife to give her a decent Hangzhou silk spring dress and a few pieces of agate jewelry that, while not top-of-the-line, were still appropriate.

However, none of them can compare to exquisite gold jewelry; they are all ordinary emerald green agates of varying colors, requiring you to mix and match them yourself.

The things in the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence are indeed fine.

Qi Yunli looked at the tray of new jewelry and thought, "The second wife's family has really gone all out this time to get something out of me."

The gold, silver and valuables she brought into the mansion a year ago have all been sold into banknotes, which she carries with her at all times in case of emergency.

She wasn't unfamiliar with expensive jewelry; she just wanted to take advantage of the Second Madam's willingness to agree to make a quick buck.

Tingyue covered her mouth and laughed: "The Second Madam is so good at pretending to be magnanimous, but in reality, her face is green with envy."

On the day of the flower viewing banquet, Qi Yunli got up very early.

Tingyue carefully helped her put on her clothes, her face showing caution and solemnity.

This formal spring dress is a pale yellow Hangzhou silk robe, the soft fabric making the mistress's complexion appear radiant.

"My lord, which pieces of jewelry would you like to wear?"

Qi Yunli glanced indifferently at the plate of agate and jade. Although the quality was good, the workmanship was not exquisite; it was a rather old-fashioned style.

She picked up a delicate thumb ring and a jade hairpin. Both were made from the piece of mutton-fat jade that the old lady had bestowed upon her.

Tingyue praised again, "Your Highness has a wonderful mind. The hairpin and thumb ring are designed to be extremely beautiful."

Both items were sketched by Qi Yunli herself, and then crafted by skilled jade craftsmen outside the mansion.

That jade hairpin was made from the most lustrous section of jade and carved into a white plum blossom in bud, with layers upon layers of petals.

The mutton fat jade itself has a warm and smooth texture, and when paired with plum blossoms, it creates a sense of perfect harmony.

The new thumb ring was on her index finger. Only upon closer inspection would one notice its presence; without careful observation, one might mistake it for the natural jade color of her fingertip.

When Qi Yunli walked out of the courtyard and into the front hall, she stood at the very end, graceful and elegant.

Ahead were five or six young ladies from the Wei family, dressed in scarlet cotton skirts and adorned with pearls and jade.

She stood silently behind him, a solitary figure amidst the myriad reds, graceful and elegant, possessing a captivating charm.

Wei Ruolan glanced back at her with a complicated look in her eyes, but in the end she just snorted softly and turned back.

Just then, a clever-looking maidservant, whom no one knew, quietly walked up to the Second Madam and whispered a few words in her ear.

The second wife's smile remained unchanged, but her eyes subtly glanced at Qi Yunli.

The more beautifully Qi Yunli dressed up, the more attention she would attract. The show is about to begin.