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

Returning to her hometown, Qi Yunli was filled with emotion. Along the way, she met many familiar neighbors. They looked at her strangely for a moment, and then all smiled ingratiatingly.

Just as Wei Jun had guessed.

The neighbors hadn't done anything wrong, so Qi Yunli didn't bother to hate them. Back when her parents were still alive, the neighbors helped each other and gradually made a living.

"I haven't been back for several years. This time I brought some Yun brocade produced in the capital for the neighbors. I don't know what kind of clothing styles you like, so I picked out some pictures of popular styles in the capital. If you like them, you can go to the tailor shop and have the shopkeepers make them for you."

Qi Yunli had her guards carry large and small brocade chests and boxes, and deliver them to each person they encountered on their way to pay respects to her parents.

The neighbors had never seen such a fine thing as Yun brocade before, and they touched it with great joy. Many people were curious about the man standing next to Qi Yunli.

He was heroic and majestic, and had an extraordinary appearance.

"Did you manage to snag a good family in the capital?"

A woman asked quietly, lowering her voice so that Wei Jun wouldn't hear.

Wei Jun stood guard not far away, motionless, like a vulture guarding its food.

That's my husband.

"Husband?" the woman exclaimed in surprise. "You've become a nobleman's concubine?"

Shocked, she murmured, "So, I can send my daughter to the capital to make a living. Look how successful you are."

With just a few words, she could conjure up a whole and incredibly rich story. Qi Yunli was truly in awe of her.

But it's useless to say anything to deny or refute. Once a person has accepted a certain viewpoint, it's very difficult to change it unless they are taught by experience.

"You can go to the capital and take a look. It's dazzling and confusing, but seeing more might not be a bad thing. Just stay true to yourself."

The woman couldn't understand the deeper meaning behind the words; she simply took it as Qi Yunli encouraging her.

"Hey! Ah Li is so kind, she still thinks of us after all this time. Yun Jin is beautiful, I'll make her a dress later and dress her up nicely."

Although her little girl can't compare to Qi Yunli's stunning beauty, there are plenty of opportunities in the capital. If she's not lucky, she might just snag one.

When we arrived at the cemetery, there were two graves standing there, with a simple wooden sign that read "Qi Shi-Zhang Shi".

"They were framed and forced to leave. Merchants can never win against officials. It would be easy for them to fabricate a crime against my parents."

"What exactly happened?"

Qi Yunli knelt before the tombstones and poured two bottles of wine for each of them.

"This is Nian An. If your spirits in heaven are watching over me, you should recognize him."

Wei Jun also knelt down and kowtowed three times with utmost sincerity.

"Father-in-law and mother-in-law, I should have brought Ah Li to meet you sooner."

Qi Yunli's eyes reddened.

"My parents were hardworking merchants. In Jiangnan, goods were transported by boat, and so were my parents. But one time, the prefect asked my parents to use their boats to transport goods, saying he could pay them a lot of money."

Qi Yunli will never forget this incident. "My parents knew that the huge profits must be a trap, so they checked the goods they were transporting and found that they were smuggled salt."

The sale of smuggled salt was prohibited under the laws of the time. If someone was caught buying or selling it, they would be punished as an accomplice, and those who transported the salt by ship would also be considered accomplices.

"My parents refused, and to prevent them from being killed, I deliberately sent them a lot of gifts."

As Qi Yunli spoke, she gritted her teeth, "But little did they know that the reason why the smugglers dare to do so openly and repeatedly, despite being banned, is because they are not short of profits and have found local officials to act as their protectors."

"Now that my father-in-law and mother-in-law know about this, they will surely suffer a terrible fate if they refuse to help," Wei Jun sighed.

Those who know the truth will die.

"Yes, they tried to escape overnight, but the prefect had already sealed off the city. The guards with knives rushed straight to our house and executed my parents on the spot. The charge they used was that they were involved in the sale of smuggled salt. They were caught red-handed and in the blink of an eye, they became accomplices in the sale."

Qi Yunli later witnessed the methods used by the powerful figures in the capital to frame each other, and realized that these fabricated charges would not only not put the officials in danger, but would also promote them.

As long as there are prisoners, everything is negotiable, and the emperor in the capital will unconditionally reward them.

"I slowly grew disheartened, thinking that there would never be a day when justice would prevail."

Qi Yunli didn't say anything more, but Wei Jun guessed that there must be a reason why Qi Yunsi was so determined to go to the Ministry of Revenue.

Although the Ministry of Revenue could not leave the capital at will, it was still possible to convict the prefect of Jiangnan through the intricate network of connections in the capital.

No wonder Qi Yunsi was so diligent in his official career; with hatred in his heart, he certainly wouldn't dare to slack off easily.

However, many things cannot be explained too clearly, otherwise one might be accused of abusing public resources for private gain.

Qi Yunli knew how to speak appropriately, which is why she stopped at the right time.

"Even if justice is not served, I will uphold the law and find a way to avenge my father-in-law and mother-in-law."

Wei Jun put his arm around her waist, and her head rested against him, making him feel especially at ease.

After paying respects to her parents, Qi Yunli planned to return to her small courtyard, spend two more days exploring her hometown, and then head back home.

I don't know which gossipy neighbor spread the news of Qi Yunli's return to the Qi clan.

The Qi clan members, in a menacing manner, blocked their way.

The eldest uncle, who was leading the group, said, "Ah Li, it really is you!"

His tone was filled with hatred, surprise, and a clear expression of disappointment.

Qi Yunli looked back at the dozen or so people making a commotion and stopped in her tracks.

On their way down the mountain, they took narrow paths that could only accommodate two people at a time, but by this time, the Qi clan members had completely blocked the way.

"Why have you come? I've come back to pay respects to my parents."

"They are criminals of the imperial court. If you go to worship them, aren't you just taking the blame upon yourself?" Second Aunt shouted.

No wonder the grass in front of my parents' graves is overgrown and no one has ever tended to it; they're all afraid of getting it dirty.

As darkness approached, Qi Yunli, having spent the entire day shopping and hiking up the mountain, was utterly exhausted and didn't want to waste her breath arguing with these clansmen.

"Please make way, I need to go back."

"No."

They were all very proud and arrogant, and they just wouldn't let them go.

If they hadn't been dressed decently and didn't look particularly sleazy, Wei Jun would have genuinely thought they were a group of bandits for a moment.

To be precise, what they wanted to do was no different from that of robbers.

"You just gave the brocade to the neighbors."

This clearly shows that they also want to gain some benefits.

Qi Yunli rubbed her temples: "I still have some Yun brocade that I haven't finished delivering. If you want it, I'll send someone over tomorrow. There's no need for so many people to make such a fuss."

"You give your neighbors brocade, so you must expect us to give you something even more expensive, right?"