"The Yanbei Prince's Mansion has existed since the founding of the Great Zhou dynasty. The first Prince of Yanbei, Xiao Mingzhan, fought alongside Emperor Taizu to establish the empire, his military achievements so illustrious they threatened Emperor Taizu's throne. At that time, Xiao Mingzhan and Emperor Taizu each commanded armies in the north and south, forming rival factions. As another chaotic conflict seemed imminent, Emperor Taizu persuaded the Pei family and Xia Weiming to side with him. In the end, the first Prince of Yanbei had no choice but to accept his enfeoffment and retreat to Yanbei as a regional prince." Xiao Jingxi's gentle voice always had a calming effect.
However, Ren Yaoqi was somewhat surprised—why was Xiao Jingxi telling her all this?
Historical records depicted the first Prince of Yanbei and Emperor Taizu as a wise ruler and a renowned general, their relationship harmonious and hailed as a model of sovereign-subordinate rapport. She hadn't expected Xiao Jingxi's account to be so fraught with tension.
"The Yanbei Prince's Mansion has always been a thorn in the imperial court's throat—painful when remembered, yet impossible to remove. By the time the third Prince of Yanbei succeeded to the title, it was already Emperor Gaozu's reign. Emperor Gaozu was a ruler of great vision and ambition. Coincidentally, the third Prince of Yanbei had numerous sons, with five legitimate heirs alone. The entire brood fought tooth and nail over the heir position. Emperor Gaozu secretly sowed discord, resulting in over a dozen young masters turning on each other. Half perished in the internal strife, throwing the Yanbei Army into chaos. Seizing the opportunity, the imperial court launched an attack. Nearly all members of the Yanbei Prince's Mansion, including the third Prince of Yanbei, were slaughtered by Emperor Gaozong. Only the youngest son managed to escape. Unfortunately, Emperor Gaozu was already old by then, and his successor, Emperor Gaozong, was mediocre in ability and weak in character. With the Yanbei Army no longer guarding Yanbei, it eventually fell into the hands of the Liao people. It wasn't until that fortunate escapee, Xiao Qishan, declared himself king and staged a comeback, driving the Liao people beyond the passes. By then, Emperor Zhongzong had been thoroughly frightened, constantly worrying that the Liao would march south. The capital was moved southward again and again. As soon as the fourth Prince of Yanbei, Xiao Qishan, took control of Yanbei, an imperial edict was issued, and the Yanbei Prince's Mansion was once again legitimized."
Xiao Jingxi smiled, his expression serene, neither agitated nor sarcastic. It was as if he were merely recounting a story, not his own family's history.
Ren Yaoqi still didn't quite understand why Xiao Jingxi had suddenly brought this up with her.
Moreover... Xiao Jingxi casually discussing the grievances between the imperial court and the Yanbei Prince's Mansion with her made her feel somewhat pressured. After all, some of these matters were secrets not even recorded in historical texts.
Xiao Jingxi looked at Ren Yaoqi and smiled leisurely. "Well, now we're even?"
"What?"
"You now know my family's secrets," Xiao Jingxi said unhurriedly.
Ren Yaoqi: "..."
She finally understood why Xiao Jinglin couldn't resist wanting to scratch Xiao Jingxi whenever she saw him.
Xiao the Immortal truly deserved a beating at times.
"Actually, what I wanted to tell you is..." Xiao Jingxi paused, the warmth in his eyes gentle, "The grudges of our ancestors belong to them. Once people die, it's like a lamp extinguished—all enmities vanish. Look, the Li family once exterminated my Xiao family, yet my grandfather still married a daughter of the Li family. And I still have to address a woman from an enemy family as grandmother, don't I?"
Ren Yaoqi: "..."
"Take you, for example..." Xiao Jingxi's gaze held a hint of teasing as he looked Ren Yaoqi over. "Don't you also have Li family blood? Haven't Jinglin and I treated you just fine?"
Ren Yaoqi: "..."Ren Yaoqi finally understood what it meant to be torn between laughter and tears. At the same time, she felt that no matter how good-looking a person was, it was useless—when they were annoying, it did nothing to increase one’s favor.
However, it was undeniable that after being stirred up by Xiao Jingxi, the frustration in Ren Yaoqi’s heart had already dissipated for the most part.
“Thank you, Young Master Xiao, for the consolation,” Ren Yaoqi said with a faint smile, her tone utterly insincere.
Xiao Jingxi accepted the thanks with a light laugh. “Mm.”
“What did you go to my maternal grandfather’s residence for today?” For some reason, when she spoke again, Ren Yaoqi felt her tone had become much more casual.
Xiao Jingxi pretended to think for a moment. “What will you give me in exchange?”
Ren Yaoqi: “...”
Xiao Jingxi looked at Ren Yaoqi with a leisurely smile. “You see, I learned your family’s secret history and exchanged it with my family’s secret history. Now you want to know my private matters—shouldn’t you offer something in return?”
Ren Yaoqi once again felt that this fox, Xiao Jingxi, was not to be provoked! She had only momentarily failed to restrain herself and jabbed at him, and now he was waiting right here for her.
Ren Yaoqi shot Xiao Jingxi a sidelong glance. “Actually, I’m not that interested in knowing. Young Master Xiao need not say it.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingxi showed a look of regret.
Ren Yaoqi intended to rise and take her leave, but Xiao Jingxi smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I haven’t schemed against your maternal grandfather’s family.”
Ren Yaoqi glanced at him and said nothing more.
At that moment, the door to the west wing opened, and Shui Ai walked out.
The young girl didn’t know what her grandmother had just said to her—her eyes were red, and her tears were not yet dry. When she saw Ren Yaoqi, she walked over and knelt down properly, kowtowing to her. “Fifth Miss.”
Ren Yaoqi nodded and told her to rise.
“It’s getting late. I should head back. Thank you again, Young Master Xiao,” Ren Yaoqi said to Xiao Jingxi, this time with much more sincerity.
Xiao Jingxi nodded. “Jinglin asked when you’ll go see her. She’ll send someone to fetch you.”
Ren Yaoqi remembered that she had made plans with Xiao Jinglin to accompany her to study the qin at the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion.
“The day after tomorrow. I’ll return to the Lin Family tomorrow.”
“The waters in the Lin Family aren’t shallow either. Be careful,” Xiao Jingxi said gently.
Ren Yaoqi was taken aback for a moment and glanced at Xiao Jingxi, who was looking down at his teacup as if he had spoken casually.
Ren Yaoqi was not ungrateful. Knowing that he had intentionally reminded her, she curtsied in thanks and then called over Pingguo and Xiangqin, who were standing at a distance.
After bidding farewell to the Zhu family, Ren Yaoqi made her way back.
In the carriage, Xiangqin wore a conflicted expression, occasionally glancing at Ren Yaoqi. She remembered her mistress’s instructions to keep an eye on Fifth Miss, so she was worried that she hadn’t fulfilled her duty properly when Fifth Miss spoke alone with that Young Master Xiao.
But looking at the composed Fifth Miss and the expressionless personal maid Pingguo, Xiangqin felt that asking about it would put her under a lot of pressure.
Finally, just as they were about to get off the carriage, Xiangqin remembered: Hadn’t Third Miss only told her to keep Fifth Miss from having contact with Second Young Master Yun? Third Miss never said Fifth Miss couldn’t speak with others!
As a maid who served two mistresses and had little free time, meddling in others’ affairs didn’t seem like a good quality. So, Xiangqin became as composed as Pingguo.
The next day, when they returned from Treasure Vase Alley, Rong Shi was quite reluctant to part, holding Ren Yaoqi’s hand and talking with her for a long while.Ren Yaoqi actually didn't want to return either—staying at her maternal grandparents' home was far more convenient than living with the Lin Family. However, it was Ren Shijia who had spoken up for her to remain in Yunyang City, and though Ren Shijia always deferred to her wishes, she couldn't overstep.
Even though she disliked her grandmother, she had no choice but to remain under Madam Qiu's control. The weight of filial piety was crushing.
Yet the moment she returned to the Lin Family, Ren Yaoqi immediately sensed something was off.
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