Ren Yaoqi appeared to be just an eleven or twelve-year-old girl on the surface, but she was not.
After their few interactions, if she claimed to have noticed nothing unusual about Yun Wenfang's attitude toward her, she would be deceiving herself. Yet, she still found it somewhat incomprehensible.
Without the grudge sparked by that slap in her previous life, she thought it would be normal for the two of them to remain strangers in this lifetime. She didn’t want to provoke someone like Yun Wenfang because she truly couldn’t afford to.
Seeing that Ren Yaoqi didn’t answer his question, Yun Wenfang frowned and looked toward the carriage. Due to the angle, he could only see half of her profile illuminated by the sunlight, which made him feel somewhat irritable. "I’m asking you, were you hurt or not?"
Ren Yaoqi sighed softly and replied calmly, "I’ve been with the Commandery Princess the whole time and wasn’t injured. Thank you for your concern, Second Young Master Yun." There was no need to conceal Yun Wenfang’s identity now, so Ren Yaoqi no longer addressed him as Young Master Wen.
Yun Wenfang’s expression softened slightly, and a hint of a smile touched the corners of his mouth. However, his words remained sharp: "It’s good that you know it’s concern. But you should be more careful in the future. Don’t just go wherever others drag you. You lack discernment and end up suffering for no reason."
Yun Wenfang was likely referring to the incident earlier that day when she and Xiao Jinglin were stopped by Wu Yiyu under the bridge. Ren Yaoqi listened without responding.
Thinking she hadn’t taken his words to heart, Yun Wenfang raised his eyebrows but lowered his voice slightly. "I’ve been meaning to remind you—the waters of the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion run deep. Don’t get involved in Xiao Jinglin and Wu Yiyu’s messy affairs. It’s best to stay as far away as possible."
Just then, someone called out for Young Master Yun from the other side. It seemed Old Madam Ren had noticed his arrival and sent someone to invite him over for a chat.
Yun Wenfang couldn’t help but click his tongue in annoyance before asking Ren Yaoqi, "Did you understand what I said?"
Ren Yaoqi complied perfunctorily, "Yes, thank you for the reminder, Young Master Yun."
Yun Wenfang was satisfied. "I’ll take my leave now. In a few days, when Xiao Jinglin visits the Yun Family, you should come along. There will naturally be benefits." Without waiting for Ren Yaoqi to respond, he turned and left.
Ren Yaoqi frowned slightly, sensing that Second Young Master Yun had spoken more than usual today. Although they had exchanged a few words whenever they met before, her attitude had never given him the chance to say so much at once—and with such obvious concern.
What Ren Yaoqi didn’t know was that Yun Wenfang’s sudden disappearance from the Ren Family lately was due to news he had heard: the Yun Family intended to arrange a marriage for him. His grandmother and mother had been busy meeting with potential matches for him recently.
But was Second Young Master Yun the type to let others control him? Upon hearing this news, he returned to stir up trouble. It must be said that Yun Wenfang was sly in his own way. He didn’t openly express his unwillingness to his elders. When his grandmother tentatively asked him a few questions, he obediently replied that he would follow his elders’ arrangements and had no objections, delighting his grandmother.Yet strangely enough, no matter which young lady his grandmother and mother took a liking to, they would always uncover some hidden flaw about her, as if cursed. Finally, they managed to select one whose family background, appearance, temperament, and talents were all impeccable. The elders of the Yun Family also met the young lady and found her truly flawless in every way. His grandmother even secretly arranged for him to see her, and Yun Wenfang expressed that he had no objections.
Unexpectedly, before the marriage proposal could be formally put on the agenda, rumors suddenly emerged from that family that the young lady had developed an ambiguous relationship with her cousin.
Yun Wenfang, who learned of this from somewhere, immediately flew into a rage. His grandmother and mother felt somewhat guilty toward him over this matter. Faced with her grandson’s gloomy expression, Old Madam Yun somehow ended up promising him a degree of autonomy in his future marriage arrangements. However, for the time being, no one in the Yun Family dared to bring up the matter of the second young master’s marriage again.
Yun Wenfang had indeed been scheming meticulously, laying the groundwork step by step. All that remained now was to proceed slowly.
It should be noted that the Yun Family and the Ren Family were somewhat distantly related. However, as an old-established aristocratic family, the Yun Family harbored a sense of superiority in their bones and somewhat looked down on upstarts like the Ren Family, who lacked proper decorum. Thus, no matter how much the Ren Family wished to form a marriage alliance with the Yun Family, the elders of the Yun Family never considered the Ren Family when selecting a wife for the second young master. Since the Yun Family did not make a big fuss about it, the Ren Family remained unaware of the situation.
Therefore, Ren Yaoqi did not understand Yun Wenfang’s sudden and peculiar attitude, though she did not dwell on it much. She understood the intricacies of these ancient aristocratic families better than anyone else in the Ren Family. She never believed that the Ren Family could form a marriage alliance with the Yun Family; it was merely the wishful thinking of Old Master Ren and Old Madam Ren.
Ren Yaohua, who had been listening silently all along, was inwardly astonished. How did she not know that Ren Yaoqi and this second young master of the Yun Family were already on such good terms?
“What’s going on between you two?” Ren Yaohua could no longer hold back and whispered.
Although in recent days, during their interactions as sisters, Ren Yaoqi had unconsciously taken the lead, Ren Yaohua was still the elder sister, and there were some matters she could not simply ignore.
Ren Yaoqi felt somewhat helpless, but she could not explain it to Ren Yaohua. She could only say, “I truly have no close relationship with him. He probably mentioned this to me out of gratitude for our family taking him in last time. As for inviting me to the Yun Family, he actually extended the invitation to the Commandery Princess while we were together today and just happened to mention it to me as well.”
Ren Yaohua clearly did not believe this, but Ren Yaoqi hesitated and asked, “Third Sister, was this time at our home the first time I met him? Have we ever met before?”
Ren Yaohua thought Ren Yaoqi was trying to change the subject and felt displeased, but she restrained her temper and said, “Of course you’ve never met before. What are you thinking about?”
Ren Yaoqi smiled and said, “It’s nothing. I was just asking casually.” Yet inwardly, she felt somewhat suspicious.
After returning to the Ren Family Villa, everyone was exhausted from the fright they had experienced and retired to their respective courtyards to rest.As evening approached, the men of the Ren Family finally returned, bringing with them a surprising piece of news. The dragon heads from the several dragon boats destroyed earlier that day had been salvaged and were to be repaired by craftsmen. However, while being transported into the city, the cart carrying them was inexplicably stopped and surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. The people had heard that during the dragon boat race, one of the dragon boats had suddenly come to life, transforming into a real dragon, only to be struck dead by a bolt of lightning as it attempted to ascend to the heavens. These onlookers had come to see the dead dragon.
By the time the crowd was finally dispersed, much to everyone’s amusement and exasperation, the cart carrying the dragon heads was empty.
The cart had been lightly guarded, as no one had imagined anyone would steal such things. Yet, they had vanished all the same.
The crowd grew even more excited, further convinced that it had been a living dragon. Some even swore they had seen a flash of golden light from the cart, claiming it must have been the dragon ascending to the heavens.
Such an implausible tale found a surprisingly receptive audience among the idle and well-fed populace, and now the entire Yunyang City was abuzz with excitement.
The masters and madams who had witnessed the entire event naturally dismissed such rumors with disdain. However, they too speculated on why the dragon heads had suddenly disappeared—whether it was related to the earlier explosion of the dragon boats, or perhaps because one of the dragon heads concealed a treasure left behind by an ancestor, sparking envy and leading to the day’s events. Some even suggested that the Lei Family’s dragon head contained a treasure map left behind by their ancestors when they traveled south to Yanbei.
The Ren Family was also caught up in the excitement of this bizarre incident. However, when Ren Yaohua heard the news, she offered no opinion, only giving Ren Yaoqi a thoughtful glance.
No matter how much of a stir this incident caused, it had nothing to do with Ren Yaoqi. She knew it was likely the work of the Lei Family themselves, aiming to avoid leaving such a significant piece of evidence in the hands of their enemies.
That night, Ren Yaoqi slept poorly. The unfamiliar environment and sharing a bed with Ren Yaohua left her feeling unsettled.
The next day, when they went to pay their respects to Old Madam Ren, Ren Yaoqi was considering discussing with Ren Yaohua the possibility of visiting their maternal grandparents during their free time. However, just then, someone arrived from the old residence in White Crane Town, sent by First Madam.
Concubine Kang had fled.
Upon hearing this news, everyone was astonished, and Old Madam Ren flew into a rage, exclaiming that this was an intolerable insult.
Originally, when Old Madam Ren had led most of the Ren Family away, she had instructed First Madam to take the opportunity to deal with Concubine Kang. With fewer people at home, it would be easier to handle the matter discreetly. By the time the Ren Family returned, they could simply announce that Concubine Kang had fallen ill and gone to the manor to recuperate.
However, Concubine Kang had managed to escape from the Ren Family before they could act, and she had done so without anyone noticing.
First Madam had ordered a thorough search of every courtyard in the Ren Family residence and even the entire White Crane Town, but no trace of Concubine Kang was found. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.
“Investigate! Investigate this thoroughly! I refuse to believe she grew wings and flew away!” Old Madam Ren could not tolerate such a situation. Being outwitted and losing face was bad enough, but to have someone escape right under their noses was nothing short of a direct challenge to the Ren Family.The old nanny sent by First Madam to deliver the secret message was also suffering greatly, her head bowed extremely low. Not only her, but even First Madam was struggling to contain the situation. If this Concubine Kang went out and started shouting nonsense, the Ren Family would lose all face and dignity.
First Madam Ren had been managing the Ren Family’s affairs for years. Although she couldn’t be said to have never made mistakes, she had never committed any major errors. In daily matters, big or small, she always followed Old Madam Ren’s wishes, never daring to act on her own authority. Therefore, Old Madam Ren was generally satisfied with this eldest daughter-in-law, which was why she entrusted such matters to her with confidence.
Yet this time, First Madam was unable to give Old Madam Ren a satisfactory answer.
However, Old Madam Ren would not change her plans at this moment and return to White Crane Town to handle the matter. She could only instruct First Madam to continue searching for the person and send someone to the Kang family. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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