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

Two mythical beasts guarded the gate of the Rong Prince's Mansion. Qi Yunli walked at the back of the procession, with Wei Ruowei standing beside her at some point.

The third wife's daughter, Wei Ruowei, would occasionally speak with her during the year.

She was lively and cheerful, and despite everyone in this prestigious family harboring their own secrets, she grew up to be an innocent and simple-minded person.

Wei Ruowei quietly took her hand: "There are so many people at today's banquet, the Rong Prince's mansion is so big. Are you nervous, sister?"

Qi Yunli smiled and said, "Yes, to some extent. But my younger sister has attended more banquets than her older sister, so she's seen a lot of the world."

Wei Ruowei smiled happily: "Not at all, but you look really beautiful today."

"Really? Perhaps it's because the younger sister likes her older sister too much that she has such feelings," Qi Yunli teased with a smile.

Wei Ruowei: "You can't talk nonsense, I'm telling the truth."

The second and third wives, who were walking ahead, were chatting side by side when, for some reason, they turned around and glanced at them.

Wei Ruowei quickly released her hand, shrank back, and dared not look ahead again.

"Sister, keep your voice down, don't let my mother know. She seems to get along well with Second Aunt on the surface, but they're actually at odds. You're from the second branch of the family after all, if I get too close to you, my mother will definitely pinch my ear behind my back."

As Wei Ruowei spoke, she pinched her ears with both hands, looking like a pitiful little dog.

Once inside the Rong Prince's residence, Wei Ruowei's tone shifted again. She surveyed the surrounding scenery of towering rocks and flowing streams, muttering to herself:

"This is not much different from our Dingyuan Marquis's residence, and our residence is even more beautiful."

Qi Yunli placed her slender fingers in front of her lips, which were lightly rouged: "Keep your voice down."

It seems that the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion is indeed one of the most prestigious residences in the capital.

When the late emperor founded the country, he conferred titles on two dukes and one marquis, and established a rule: if the descendants of a prominent family wish to inherit a hereditary title, they must pass the imperial examination and achieve academic success along with other children from humble backgrounds before they are eligible to inherit the title.

As time passed, the titles of those two dukes fell into the hands of mediocre descendants of the clan. Instead of bringing glory to the family, they began to decline.

When Marquis Dingyuan was alive, he still had 100,000 troops under his command. When the current emperor ascended the throne, Marquis Dingyuan was the one who made the greatest contribution to the emperor's ascension.

The emperor intended to give them a warning, so he enfeoffed two other civil officials without military power as dukes, while Wei Jun's father was only a marquis.

The banquet at the Rong Prince's Mansion was extremely grand. After the guests entered, men and women were seated separately in two waterside pavilions.

The men were in the Fengyue Pavilion, and the women were in the Huaxue Pavilion, separated by several quiet paths and a small fenced bridge.

The Second Madam was exceptionally warm towards Qi Yunli today. After entering the mansion, she greeted everyone warmly, accompanied by Wei Ruolan and Qi Yunli.

The first people the Second Madam met were two other duchesses who were on par with the Marquis of Dingyuan's family.

People exchanged pleasantries and moved between the two pavilions. The banquet had not yet begun, and guests were free to move around.

Lady Wenguo looked at the daughters behind the second wife and nodded slightly.

"The young ladies in the manor are becoming more and more beautiful, especially the youngest one, who is truly as lovely as a lotus emerging from clear water."

The second wife smiled awkwardly: "That's my niece. She loves appreciating flowers, and when she heard about the flower appreciation banquet, she thought she'd bring her along to broaden her horizons."

Lady Qi nodded in satisfaction. The poise of the young ladies from the Dingyuan Marquis's family was not as refined as that of the last relative from the maternal family; it was truly remarkable that she had developed such a generous and dignified demeanor.

She pointed to the pavilion where several young men were talking not far away: "Your brother Chang is over there, go over and say hello to him!"

The Duchess of Qi said with a smile.

The second wife was overjoyed and hurriedly beckoned Wei Ruowei and her several concubine daughters over, but on the surface she pretended to be reserved and said:

"The banquet will start soon, don't go too far."

"Yes," the four women from the second wives replied, bowing their heads.

Qi Yunli walked slowly, at the very back, and quietly fell behind the group. Now that she had entered the Rong Prince's Mansion, all the young masters and noble ladies were busy looking for their favorites, and this was the perfect opportunity for her to secretly search for that ninth-rank registrar.

She secretly looked up at the young men gathered in Fengyue Pavilion, talking amongst themselves. Her expression changed slightly as she noticed several high-ranking officials and their wives sitting in the main hall, including Zhou Wenbin, the Vice Minister of Revenue.

Her hair was half-white, her eyes were slightly squinted... her steps gradually came to a halt. What had happened that night was like a nightmare, popping up from time to time to disturb her.

"Oh dear, that's strange. Where is my eldest brother? I haven't seen him since we entered the manor," said the fourth sister, a concubine's daughter from the second branch of the family.

The fifth sister, another concubine's daughter, whispered, "My eldest brother has always been at odds with the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so he probably doesn't want to stand with him."

Qi Yunli was somewhat confused and didn't hear the conversation between her two younger sisters. Wei Ruolan had also walked up to her from the front without her noticing.

"Sister A-Li, do you have a suitor in mind?" Wei Ruolan asked her, her heart filled with the unique feelings of a young girl.

Qi Yunli maintained her gentle expression: "Someone of my status has no choice. It's simply a matter of which young master takes a liking to me; that would be my good fortune."

Wei Ruolan suddenly asked, "What do you think of Brother Chang from the Duke of Qi's mansion?"

Qin Wenchang was the eldest son of the Duke of Qi, and the second son in his family.

Qi Yunli: "Brother Chang's literary talent is outstanding; how could I possibly even dream of him?"

They were walking on the Jade Belt Bridge connecting Huaxue Pavilion and Fengyue Pavilion. The bridge was exquisite, the lake water beneath it was clear, and the willows on both banks were sprouting tender green buds in the spring sunshine.

Wei Ruolan was furious when she thought about how the Duchess of Qi had just nodded in approval at this little slut.

She suddenly raised her voice: "Sister, you're being too polite. Brother Chang is outstanding, and you, sister, are no less beautiful or talented than others. Why can't I even have feelings for him?"

As they approached Fengyue Pavilion, the young men inside cast curious glances at Qi Yunli.

How dare a complete stranger, with no reputation or reputation, covet the eldest son of the Duke of Qi's family?

Wei Ruolan was still not satisfied with what she said, so she deliberately turned to face the crowd, making her profile face the young masters of Fengyue Pavilion, and slowly raised her hand as if to pat Qi Yunli's shoulder, her tone intimate and gentle:

"Don't be shy, little sister. In my opinion, you and Brother Chang are a perfect match!"

Before she finished speaking, Wei Ruolan secretly pushed with her other hand, which was hidden in her sleeve, where no one could see.

If Qi Yunli falls into the water, everyone will assume she lost her footing. Even if she keeps explaining herself after falling in, no one will believe she pushed her.

Getting her clothes wet in front of everyone would be a loss of face, and who would still like her then? Besides, whoever went into the water to save her would have to take responsibility for her, and in the prestigious Rong Prince's Mansion, who would do something so disgraceful?

I'm afraid that even if Qi Yunli were to struggle and scream in the water, no one would dare to save her.

"Sister, in my opinion, you should have just given in to Lord Zhou that night!" Wei Ruowei whispered with a smile.