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

Several names flashed through Qi Yunli's mind. She felt a little worried and wanted to go with them.

Wei Jun wanted to object, but knowing he couldn't persuade her otherwise, he could only let her watch from behind.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the group were indeed members of the Wei family, but they were members of the second branch of the former Marquis of Dingyuan's household who had been expelled.

When Emperor Wei Enxin took office, in order to eliminate any potential threats, Wei Jun, before abdicating, exposed all of Wei Zhongde's past misdeeds and had the Ministry of Justice investigate. In the end, they found evidence of Wei Zhongde bribing court officials.

Therefore, Wei Zhongde had already been imprisoned before they went to the border. Logically, his family members should have been reduced to slaves and sent to the servants' market, or made servants in the government office.

Why are you here?

"Li, are you trying to scam me out of food and drink from my Dingyuan Army? Besides, where do you think you're going with Wei Chu?"

The second wife knelt on the ground and kowtowed vigorously.

"My lord, my lord, I cannot understand why Wei En was able to ascend the throne, while you did not give Wei Chu a chance."

"How dare you! How dare you utter the Emperor's name!"

"I was wrong, I was wrong, sir. I just don't understand why you are so biased towards the Wei family, even though we are all family members. Why do you only think about giving benefits to the third branch of the family, and never think about giving them to the second branch, even though we are both cousins?"

Wei Jun sneered, "I never intended to compete with the second and third wives for benefits. It's just that the second wife's people are envious of the honor my parents earned with their own hands and want a share. How could I let them have their way? That was something my parents risked their lives to earn."

"As for your claim that I am biased, I have never shown favoritism to anyone. The benefits are there, and whoever is tempted is guilty. The third branch of the family never fights or grabs; they enjoy the honor that comes with the title of Marquis of Dingyuan and have never tried to compete with me, so I am willing to hand it over. That is their character."

Li was still unwilling to give up and clung to Wei Jun's leg, refusing to let go.

"Mrs. Li, you are just a woman and cannot interfere with my plans, but you have committed the biggest taboo—jealousy, and have repeatedly put my wife in dire straits."

Only then did Li raise her head and see Qi Yunli behind Wei Jun.

She couldn't believe it; after all the twists and turns, Wei Jun had actually married Qi Yunli.

"General, you've been deceived by this woman! She's the one who harmed my daughter, Ruolan. She pushed my daughter into the water. She's your blood cousin! Why are you siding with an outsider?"

Qi Yunli stopped and said, "That's right, I pushed Wei Ruolan. But she tried to push me first that day. I was prepared, so I pushed her into the water. Besides, you can't blame me for her death. She committed suicide because she wanted to climb up to the Duke of Qi's heir. It was all her own doing."

Li wanted to speak again.

Wei Jun, unable to bear it any longer, said: "Enough! You are slandering my wife. Besides, my wife is intelligent and resourceful, which are virtues, not the scheming you claim. In your eyes, she has no power or influence, but I have said it before, I will marry no one but her in this life."

Before Li was taken away, Qi Yunli chased after her, asking where Wei Ruochun was.

"That little bitch! My own daughter is gone, and she still wants to live? I'll make her suffer a fate worse than death. I'm selling her to a brothel!"

Qi Yunli clenched her fists, staring at Li Shi, who was still putting on a smug look even as she was about to die.

"Do you want to go and save Wei Ruochun?" Wei Jun asked.

"I can't save too many people. But Wei Ruochun is an illegitimate daughter. She grew up in that kind of environment and became... cautious and timid. But her crime doesn't warrant ending up in a brothel to be bullied by others."

"She's my cousin, so it's only right that I help her out. Besides, it's not a good look for a member of the Wei family to end up in a brothel. Once I find her, I'll find her a respectable household where she can live a peaceful life as a servant or nanny."

Qi Yunli's heart was in turmoil.

Three years have passed, and everything has changed. The vivid faces of those who used to bully her and envy her are now just memories, and it's hard to see them again.

After they returned to the capital, good news came from the capital: Qin Xue, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Qi, was getting married.

She married the illegitimate son of the Duke of Wen.

Tingyue, holding the child, asked, "So, Miss Qin Xue is marrying down?"

Qi Yunli sighed: "It's hard to say whether it's a marriage of convenience or a marriage of unequal status. I've heard that the Duke of Wen's illegitimate son is exceptionally talented and may shine in the court in the future. Besides, His Majesty has now relaxed the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate sons in the imperial examinations, so illegitimate sons will have more and more opportunities in the court."

Ru Feng came in and took an invitation.

When Qi Yunli opened it, she was surprised to find that Qin Xue had invited them to her wedding banquet.

"Master, are you going or not?"

"Go ahead. The past is all just a passing cloud. Relationships in the court are complicated. I don't befriend noble ladies, but I don't mind if they invite me to banquets and I can freeload a meal. Besides, Qin Xue only broke off her engagement because of me, and she's only getting married now. It's been so long, there might be some reason for that."

Tingyue nodded.

"I have always admired my master's thoughts. Sometimes I don't understand why my master can say such enlightened and righteous things."

"Books hold a wealth of knowledge and beauty. You should read books diligently and set a good example for your children."

On the day of Qin Xue's wedding, Qi Yunli and Wei Jun came together and presented her with a gift of one hundred taels of gold.

One hundred taels of gold might not seem like much to the two dukes' mansions, but it was an extremely valuable congratulatory gift to the guests.

They didn't want to steal the limelight from the betrothal gifts and dowries of the two dukes' families, but they also wanted to express their apologies and show their respect.

"Do you intend to win my favor with a hundred taels of gold?"

Qin Xue said in a teasing tone that at this moment, there were only the three of them in the room.

Qin Xue was dressed in a wedding gown, and the gold jewelry on her head was dazzling; she looked very beautiful.

"If I could use a hundred taels of gold to please Miss Qin, that would be an immense honor," Qi Yunli said.

Qin Xue grabbed Qi Yunli's hand.

"I've never forgotten you. You stole my fiancé, but I also thank you."

"Thank me?" Qi Yunli asked, somewhat puzzled.

Qin Xue glanced meaningfully at Wei Jun, who was guarding outside the door.

"It seems he didn't tell you. After I stabbed his right hand, he not only didn't blame me, but also helped the Duke's mansion eliminate some potential threats."

Qi Yunli was somewhat surprised.

"I've never heard of it."

"He clearly had a chance to stop me then, but he still let the hairpin pierce his hand. It was... his own atonement. I think at that moment, he must have thought of you."

As Qin Xue spoke, she almost cried.

"I did a lot of things out of jealousy, both good and bad. For a while, I couldn't understand why Wei Jun was always cold to me, even though we looked almost the same and I was more gentle and kind. Later I realized that there weren't so many whys; the feelings between people are just uncontrollable."

When Qi Yunli left, she took Wei Jun's hand, intertwined their fingers, and led him back.

Wei Jun was somewhat surprised: "What, did you do something to betray me?"

"No. How old were you when the old Marquis passed away?"

"Ten years old."

Wei Jun was smiling when he said this number.

Qi Yunli sensed his sorrow. He was only ten years old, and at such a young age, he had to face the death of his parents. Moreover, the old Marquis and his wife had left the capital to guard the border when he was five or six years old, and even though they knew there was a trap, they had no choice but to go.

"I suddenly understand you a little."

Wei Jun: "Understand what?"

"I understand that you can't easily trust others, I understand that you don't know how to deal with liking someone, and I understand that you only want to grab what you want in a crude way."

"I feel like you're criticizing me."

"No, I'm looking at you directly."