Xiao Jinglin looked at Xiao Jingxi for a long moment, pursed her lips, then shifted her gaze away.
The smile on Xiao Jingxi’s face deepened slightly.
Ren Yaoqi glanced at Xiao Jingxi, then at Xiao Jinglin. Though she found the situation somewhat odd, she followed Xiao Jingxi’s lead and asked, “So, does that mean we’ll have to wait until the Thousand Gold Banquet to meet again?”
Xiao Jinglin sighed, thought for a moment, then looked up and said, “No, my brother will help me. I was able to come out today because he helped me.”
Then, Princess Xiao looked earnestly at her brother, with a sincere and trusting expression, and asked, “Isn’t that right, Brother?”
Xiao Jingxi couldn’t help but smile. “Of course. Lin’er has always been obedient and well-behaved. Naturally, I wouldn’t refuse such a small request.”
The siblings exchanged a smile, the meaning behind it known only to the two of them.
Ren Yaoqi, however, sensed that the atmosphere had suddenly grown tense.
She glanced back and forth between the siblings a few times and, in the end, wisely decided to pretend she hadn’t noticed anything. To her, the so-called tension between them seemed somewhat childish and rather absurd.
Fortunately, the tense atmosphere didn’t last long. With Ren Yaoqi deliberately steering the conversation, the three of them sat together, drinking tea and chatting.
However, it was mostly Ren Yaoqi speaking with Xiao Jingxi or Ren Yaoqi speaking with Xiao Jinglin.
Ren Yaoqi discussed chess, calligraphy, and painting with Xiao Jingxi, while with Xiao Jinglin, she talked about famous dishes and pastries in the capital. As they chatted, the atmosphere gradually became harmonious.
“How did you come to practice writing with your left hand?” Xiao Jingxi asked.
Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment. In truth, she had initially started practicing left-handed writing purely out of curiosity. Her father had collected a piece of calligraphy by the left-handed master Gao Fengxiang and praised it endlessly in front of her, which sparked her interest. However, she truly began practicing after arriving in the capital, when she accidentally injured her right hand and had to write with her left. Even after recovering, she would practice a few strokes whenever she had free time.
“My father admires Gao Fengxiang’s calligraphy,” Ren Yaoqi replied vaguely.
Xiao Jingxi nodded and didn’t press further.
Dongsheng returned nearly an hour later to report.
“I have delivered the letter to the head of the Lei Family.”
Xiao Jingxi’s gaze swept over him, and he asked, “Did he notice?”
“Lei Ting was very alert this time. As soon as I threw the letter to him, he immediately gave chase. I led him through the city’s alleyways for a few rounds before finally shaking him off. Please rest assured, Master, he did not see me.”
Dongsheng spoke with great confidence. Though his martial skills were not particularly outstanding—perhaps even inferior to Lei Ting’s—few could match him when it came to escaping.
Xiao Jingxi nodded and dismissed him.
With the matter settled, Ren Yaoqi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After sitting for a little while longer, Ren Yaoqi prepared to take her leave.
Xiao Jinglin suddenly asked, “Yaoqi, do you play the qin?”
Ren Yaoqi was taken aback. “A little.”
“You’re skilled in the qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting?”
After a moment’s thought, Ren Yaoqi nodded. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be modest—she truly was proficient in all these arts and could rightfully claim to “know” them.
Xiao Jinglin immediately said, “Good. Then, from now on, you can come to the prince’s residence to teach me.”
She paused before adding, “The qin teacher my mother hired for me—I can understand every word she says, but unfortunately, when they’re all put together, I can’t quite make sense of it.”Xiao Jinglin inevitably felt a bit restless when discussing these matters. Her hands were deft with swords and spears, yet those refined pursuits simply weren’t her forte.
Seeing her frustration, Xiao Jingxi, who had brought up the topic earlier, comforted her, "You’ve just spent less time on it. Last time I heard you play a piece, it was... ahem... not entirely without talent."
Xiao Jinglin frowned. "I don’t have that much time to waste on such feminine pursuits."
Xiao Jingxi: "..."
As it happened, the second young master Xiao was quite skilled in these "feminine pursuits." Moreover, these were essential for scions of noble families, not just for women.
To make matters worse, Xiao Jinglin added expressionlessly, "I even overheard Mother complaining to Nanny Xin how much better it would be if her son and daughter could swap places!"
"Ahem..." Ren Yaoqi suddenly choked on her water. She set down her teacup and pulled out a handkerchief.
Ren Yaoqi didn’t dare look up, afraid she might laugh and be seen by Xiao Jingxi. For some reason, she felt Xiao Jinglin was doing this on purpose.
She wasn’t the only one with this impression. Xiao Jingxi glanced leisurely at Xiao Jinglin, then very sensibly pretended not to have heard anything and lowered his head to drink tea.
However, his noncommittal attitude made Xiao Jinglin pause briefly before quickly following her instincts and adding another expressionless remark: "I also think it’s quite inappropriate for Xiao Jingkang, as the heir of our Yanbei Prince’s Mansion, to be so absorbed in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting that he’s even neglected his horsemanship and archery!"
Ren Yaoqi: "..."
Xiao Jingxi gave Xiao Jinglin a look that was half-smile, half-mockery.
Xiao Jinglin turned back to continue speaking with Ren Yaoqi. "Do you have time to teach me?" Xiao Jinglin felt she got along well with Ren Yaoqi. If she were to learn from her, perhaps studying the things she disliked wouldn’t be so tedious.
Ren Yaoqi didn’t have much to do in Yunyang City either, but she didn’t agree immediately. The person invited by the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion to teach the Commandery Princess was certainly no ordinary talent. If Xiao Jinglin dismissed that person and replaced them with her, it might leave an impression of arrogance.
Xiao Jingxi spoke up at the right moment. "In my opinion, it would be best to keep the qin master as well. After all, Miss Ren may not be free every day. On days when she can go, why not learn together with the qin master? The qin master may be a bit rigid in personality, but she has her unique insights in qin artistry. As the saying goes, there is no definitive first in literature, nor second in martial arts. In fact, skills are similar to literature—appropriate exchange can actually refine one’s abilities further."
Ren Yaoqi agreed with this point and couldn’t help nodding. "What Young Master Xiao says is quite right."
Thus, it was settled. When Ren Yaoqi had free time, Xiao Jinglin would send someone to fetch her. However, Ren Yaoqi admitted frankly that she would be visiting her maternal grandfather the next day and couldn’t go.
Seeing that it was getting late, Ren Yaoqi finally rose to return home.
Lei Ting stood in a narrow alley, carefully surveying his surroundings, and finally had to admit that he had lost track of the person he was following.
When he had rushed out, he was still wearing mourning clothes, which inevitably drew a glance or two from passersby. Fortunately, the person he was following had been sticking to narrow alleys, so he hadn’t encountered too many people along the way.Lei Zhen took out the object that had been thrown to him, his eyes shifting unpredictably. It was a folded piece of paper, appearing before him in the same manner as the last time. Similarly, he still did not know who had delivered the letter to him twice or what their purpose was.
After a moment of silence, Lei Zhen calmly unfolded the letter in his hand. As expected, it was the same handwriting as the previous one.
But as he read on, Lei Zhen’s expression changed. Even after finishing, he remained standing in place, unmoving.
The young head of the Lei Family was now in a complex state of mind—surprised, bewildered, and even somewhat guarded.
After a long while, he finally put away the letter, folded it, and tucked it into his sleeve before turning back without a second glance.
Not far along, Liu Gui arrived with several guards.
Lei Ting stopped Liu Gui’s inquiries and dismissed the guards.
On the way back, Lei Ting remained silent until they were almost at the doorstep, when he suddenly halted.
"Give the order to prepare for the funeral tomorrow morning," Lei Ting said, his tone still calm, but Liu Gui felt as though the words were being forced through gritted teeth.
However, Liu Gui was more shocked than anything else. "Master, if we hold the funeral tomorrow, won’t the coffin have only been kept for three days? That’s not appropriate, is it?… And the Fang family should arrive tomorrow afternoon. If we hold the funeral in the morning, I’m afraid it will only fuel more rumors."
What Liu Gui didn’t say aloud was that rumors were already spreading outside—some saying Madam Lei had taken her own life out of guilt, others claiming she had been murdered. It was clear someone was stirring up trouble behind the scenes.
That was why, even though Lei Ting deeply resented the Fang family for forcing Madam Lei to take her own life, he had still planned to wait for their arrival before holding the funeral, as Madam Lei had instructed.
If the Lei Family hurriedly buried Madam Lei before the Fang family arrived, the rumors outside would become even harder to suppress. The Lei Family could lose many things, but they could not afford to lose face, for if even their dignity was gone, nothing would remain.
Lei Ting narrowed his eyes and said firmly, "I know. Do as I say!"
Though he didn’t know the purpose of the person who had delivered the letter, he had no other choice.
He recalled the stubborn, almost maddened look in his grandmother’s eyes before her death—that strong-willed old woman who had lived a life of unyielding resolve, gripping his hand tightly and saying word by word, "The Lei Family must not be destroyed in our hands. It must not, even if it means death."
Seeing Lei Ting’s determination, Liu Gui lowered his head in agreement but asked, "What if someone tries to interfere?"
The more they tried to settle things quietly, the more certain people would try to prevent it.
A cold smile tugged at the corner of Lei Ting’s mouth. "I’m afraid they won’t come."
"Master?" Even the steady Liu Gui was somewhat startled.
Lei Ting closed his eyes, unable to hide the exhaustion on his face. "It’s not really a funeral tomorrow—just to make them believe we’re rushing to bury her to cover up the so-called truth. It’s just that my incompetence has once again caused suffering for my grandmother, not even allowing her peace in death."
Liu Gui shook his head. "Master, you should understand Madam. As long as the Lei Family is preserved, she wouldn’t mind these things."
"Yes, she doesn’t care. But as her descendants, how can we not care? In the end, it’s my incompetence," Lei Ting said, his voice hoarse.He agreed to the plan in the letter precisely because he understood his grandmother. In her mind, nothing was more important than their branch of the family reclaiming the glory of their ancestors. She believed that for this purpose, anything could be sacrificed.
The next day, Madam Lei's sudden burial stirred up quite a commotion in Yunyang City.
Despite the Lei Family's deliberate efforts to keep a low profile, it still drew considerable attention.
The head of the Lei Family explained that his grandmother had appeared to him in a dream at night, prompting him to consult a highly accomplished monk for a divination. The conclusion was that a three-day wake was more auspicious than a seven-day one.
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