Yun Wenfang's words left Yun Wenting momentarily stunned, after which he could only offer a bitter smile and sigh.
Yun Qiuchen led Xiao Jinglin and Ren Yaoqi to bid farewell to Old Madam Yun. Naturally, Old Madam Yun tried her utmost to persuade them to stay, but Xiao Jinglin insisted on leaving. The Yun Family could not press too hard, and in the end, they had to let Xiao Jinglin and Ren Yaoqi depart.
Just as First Madam of the Yun Family and Yun Qiuchen were about to escort the two out through the Inner Gate, a servant from the gatehouse came in to report that the Eldest Young Madam had returned.
Ren Yaoqi wondered who this Eldest Young Madam might be, then recalled that Old Madam Yun's eldest legitimate daughter, Yun Shuhe, had married Su Keqin, the Eldest Master of the Su Family. This Eldest Young Madam should be the wife of the Su Family's eldest son.
In recent years, the Yun and Su families had been embroiled in constant covert disputes over various interests. However, during the lifetime of the Old Yanbei Prince, the two families had once made compromises for the sake of stabilizing the situation in Yanbei. The marriage alliance between the Su and Yun families was a signal of their reconciliation.
Ren Yaoqi instinctively glanced toward First Madam Yun. Upon hearing the news of the Eldest Young Madam's arrival, First Madam Yun was momentarily taken aback, her brows slightly furrowed. But she quickly composed herself and turned to instruct a maid to report the matter to Old Madam Yun promptly.
Xiao Jinglin said, "We're not far from the Inner Gate now. If First Madam has matters to attend to, please go ahead."
First Madam Yun smiled kindly. "What matters could there be? It's only a few steps more. Old Madam instructed me to see the Commandery Princess off. By the way, has the Commandery Princess met our Eldest Young Madam?"
Yun Qiuchen interjected with a smile, "Mother, the Commandery Princess rarely visits, and Eldest Aunt seldom returns home throughout the year. I doubt they've met."
Xiao Jinglin thought for a moment. "The wife of the Su Family's eldest son? I've encountered her a few times on other occasions, but I haven't met her at the Yun Family."
As they were speaking, several people emerged from the moon gate leading to the front courtyard. At the forefront was a middle-aged woman around the same age as First Madam Yun, with a fair appearance. However, compared to First Madam Yun, who hailed from the Jiangnan region, this woman's features carried a more authoritative air. Even as she smiled and tilted her head slightly to speak with a woman half a step behind her, there was a subtle sense of authority hidden in her eyes.
The woman clearly noticed them, her smile growing more pronounced as she quickened her pace to approach.
"Sister-in-law... Oh? The Commandery Princess is here too?"
With that, the woman promptly and cheerfully bowed to Xiao Jinglin and First Madam Yun. The petite woman behind her also lowered her head and followed suit in paying her respects.
"The Eldest Young Madam has returned?" First Madam Yun greeted her warmly. "The Commandery Princess is about to leave. Mother asked me to see her off. Oh, is this the Su Family's Eldest Young Madam?" First Madam Yun shifted her gaze to the young woman.
"Yes, this is Sister Yu's wife. This child has been suffering from acclimatization issues recently, causing quite a stir, so she hasn't made many appearances. Now that she's recovered, I brought her to pay respects to the elders of her maiden family." Lady Su glanced at her daughter-in-law behind her, her face filled with satisfaction.
Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi looked up and also turned her gaze toward the woman.
The Su Family's Eldest Young Madam? She had never met the Su Family's Eldest Young Madam, but she knew this woman, who had married into the Su Family from the capital, was surnamed Zeng and was Zeng Kui's niece. Later, when Zeng Kui secretly colluded with the Su Family, this Lady Zeng played a significant role.Lady Zeng had not been married into the Su family for long. Though dressed as a married woman, her face still carried a hint of youthful innocence. She was more delicate than the women of Yanbei, and perhaps due to her young age, her features had yet to fully mature, giving her a merely pleasant appearance. Now, under her mother-in-law's prompting, she stepped forward with downcast eyes, shy and timid, to greet others—an image of utter obedience.
Ren Yaoqi watched Lady Zeng, her hands clenched into fists beneath her sleeves, so tightly that her nails dug into her palms without her even noticing.
Lady Zeng seemed to sense Ren Yaoqi's gaze and glanced over with slight confusion. Upon realizing it was a young girl staring at her, she paused briefly before offering Ren Yaoqi a shy smile.
First Madam Su exchanged a few pleasantries with First Madam Yun and Xiao Jinglin, then also noticed Ren Yaoqi and couldn't help but ask, "And who is this?"
First Madam Yun quickly replied, "This is the fifth young lady of the Ren Family. She came today as a guest with the Commandery Princess."
First Madam Su reacted swiftly, immediately understanding Ren Yaoqi's identity. She nodded and smiled, saying, "So it's a young lady from the Ren Family."
Lady Zeng looked at Ren Yaoqi, her face flushing as she asked shyly, "Have you met me before, Miss Ren? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Lady Zeng's words drew everyone's attention to Ren Yaoqi.
Ren Yaoqi naturally wouldn't let anyone detect her inner turmoil. She merely smiled and replied, "I haven't met you before. However, I once heard from my seventh younger sister that she has an exceptionally clever and skillful elder sister-in-law, so I couldn't help but be curious. Please don't take offense, Sister Zeng."
First Madam Su caught on and laughed, "So it was Ting'er gossiping when she returned home."
Seeing Lady Zeng still looking puzzled, First Madam Su realized her daughter-in-law hadn't made the connection and reminded her, "Our Ting'er is a cousin of this Miss Ren Yaoqi. Ting'er must have mentioned you, her elder sister-in-law, to her sisters at home."
Lady Zeng's face flushed even redder at this.
First Madam Su, however, laughed heartily, clearly delighted.
Ren Yaoqi also smiled as she looked at Lady Zeng.
First Madam Su seemed quite satisfied with this newly married eldest daughter-in-law. A shy, blushing, and delicate-looking eldest daughter-in-law? Ren Yaoqi sneered inwardly. The Su family's standards for selecting a daughter-in-law were truly peculiar.
She truly didn't believe this Lady Zeng was a gentle, harmless little rabbit.
The group stood chatting under the eaves, enjoying a pleasant conversation. Just then, two elderly maidservants emerged from the inner courtyard—they were from Old Madam Yun's side.
First Madam Yun immediately understood that Old Madam Yun had sent them to fetch her eldest daughter. She smiled and said, "Mother already knows you've returned and is likely impatient to see you. Let's go inside first."
First Madam Su had brought her daughter-in-law today specifically to see the old madam, so she readily agreed. She bid farewell with her daughter-in-law and Xiao Jinglin.
The two groups passed each other. Yun Qiuchen led First Madam Su and her daughter-in-law to see Old Madam Yun, while First Madam Yun escorted Xiao Jinglin and Ren Yaoqi out through the Inner Gate.
Once the two were seated in the carriage, Xiao Jinglin suddenly let out a sigh of relief, as if instantly relaxing.
Ren Yaoqi, who had been lost in her own thoughts, was amused by Xiao Jinglin's demeanor and couldn't resist teasing, "Commandery Princess, I feel as though you weren't here as a guest but rather as if you were enduring some kind of punishment."Xiao Jinglin did not shy away from the topic: "I find dealing with these inner courtyard women most tiresome. Even a simple sentence must be spoken in such a roundabout way—it's truly a waste of time."
Ren Yaoqi replied with genuine sincerity, "But I think you handled it very well, Commandery Princess."
Xiao Jinglin shook her head and asked instead, "Do you know that Eldest Young Madam of the Su family?"
Ren Yaoqi was taken aback. She thought she had already explained this earlier.
As if understanding her thoughts, Xiao Jinglin looked at her with a slight smile. "Then, did your cousin speak ill of this Lady Zeng in front of you? Otherwise, why did your gaze toward her carry... a hint of murderous intent?"
Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but frown. Murderous intent? She thought she had concealed it well enough—at least well enough to fool those present earlier. Could her hostility really be that obvious again? This was not a good sign.
Seeing Ren Yaoqi's frown, Xiao Jinglin's lips curved upward. "Don't worry, only I sensed it. Others wouldn't notice." She paused briefly before continuing, "But Lady Zeng married here from Jiangnan. You shouldn't have met her before, so how could you..."
Ren Yaoqi lowered her head in silence, as if considering how to answer the question. Xiao Jinglin was in no hurry; she had only asked casually and wouldn't press if Ren Yaoqi preferred not to reply.
After a long moment, Ren Yaoqi said softly, "This Eldest Young Madam of the Su family—her appearance and temperament don't quite match her status. I simply dislike people who are two-faced. Such individuals remind me of unpleasant things."
Xiao Jinglin seemed surprised to hear such words from Ren Yaoqi. She had never heard Ren Yaoqi speak negatively of anyone before, yet toward this Lady Zeng, whom she should have been meeting for the first time, Ren Yaoqi made no effort to hide her aversion. Xiao Jinglin couldn't help but recall Lady Zeng's every move, and as she thought about it, she too began to sense something amiss.
Resting her chin on one hand, Ren Yaoqi gazed at the curtain fluttering in the breeze. "Just as you sensed my so-called 'murderous intent' earlier, I simply feel this woman is not a good person." Rarely did Ren Yaoqi make such an unsubstantiated and somewhat willful judgment about someone.
Xiao Jinglin, however, took no offense. Instead, she nodded. "I understand. Though such feelings lack evidence, they can be remarkably accurate. On the battlefield, this instinct has saved my life more than once. So, you need not doubt your judgment—this Lady Zeng may truly be no good."
Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but chuckle softly. Most of the unpleasant emotions stirred by seeing Lady Zeng were dispelled by Xiao Jinglin's words.
She thought to herself, perhaps this was why she felt such a connection with Xiao Jinglin. Anyone else would likely have considered her slanderous and uncharitable for speaking ill of a woman she had just met for the first time.******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come to Qidian () to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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