"Twelve years old..." Ouyang Shi looked thoughtfully at Ren Yaoqi.
"If I were to listen to you play with my eyes closed, I truly wouldn't be able to tell. Child, you must have spent a great deal of time diligently practicing your qin skills, haven't you? Skill can be honed through practice, but the essence of the qin cannot. I feel that the essence in your playing is even more moving than your skill."
The Princess Consort, standing nearby, smiled and said to Ren Yaoqi, "Hurry and thank Lady Xu? Not many receive such praise from her."
Ren Yaoqi quickly expressed her gratitude to Ouyang Shi.
Seeing Ren Yaoqi being praised, Xiao Jinglin, who had been admonished earlier, didn't mind at all and winked at Ren Yaoqi.
Ouyang Shi seemed to have more to say, but the words remained on the tip of her tongue. In the end, she simply picked up her teacup and took a sip.
Ouyang Shi chatted a while longer with the Princess Consort, stayed at the Yanbei Prince's Mansion for nearly half an hour, and then took her leave. Seeing that she appeared somewhat fatigued, the Princess Consort of Yanbei did not press her to stay. However, as soon as Ouyang Shi left the Jiuyang Hall, the Old Princess Consort summoned her.
Nanny Xin returned to report this to the Princess Consort. After a moment's thought, the Princess Consort understood that the Old Princess Consort had likely called for Lady Xu regarding the Thousand Gold Banquet. This year, the Yanbei Prince's Mansion had three young ladies participating: Xiao Jinglin, Xiao Jingyuan, and Wu Yiyu. In principle, Commandery Princess Xiao Jinglin should take the top honor, but the Old Princess Consort probably hoped her own niece would claim the laurels.
The Princess Consort had no desire to compete with the Old Princess Consort over such matters. As long as Xiao Jinglin's results placed her among the top few, it wouldn't bring disgrace to the Yanbei Prince's Mansion. Xiao Jinglin herself cared nothing for such empty fame.
Thus, the Princess Consort of Yanbei let the Old Princess Consort have her way. She simply instructed Nanny Xin to fetch medicinal herbs from the storeroom. Once Lady Xu left the Old Princess Consort's quarters, Nanny Xin was to personally accompany Lady Xu's carriage to the Xu residence to see her home.
Ren Yaoqi, who was chatting with Xiao Jinglin nearby, happened to overhear Nanny Xin whispering to the Princess Consort: "...already prepared... Notoginseng, seaweed, lingzhi, kudzu root, musk, bezoar, cinnamon, borneol—the mansion has excellent stocks of these... It's just that the toad venom is insufficient. Also, those few ginseng roots you specifically had procured, the ones with just the right age for the prescription—Madam Wu took two to give as rewards. I've already sent others to search for more. It won't be too late to deliver them to Lady Xu in a few days."
The Princess Consort nodded without further comment.
However, from this list of medicinal names, Ren Yaoqi discerned something significant. Combined, these herbs reminded her of "Heart-Protecting Pills," a medicine used in the palace to treat heart ailments.
The herbs mentioned by Nanny Xin weren't all rare or precious, yet the Princess Consort had prepared them so meticulously. This clearly wasn't mere social courtesy; the Xu family genuinely needed them.
Considering Lady Xu's complexion and lip color, Ren Yaoqi surmised that Lady Xu likely suffered from a heart condition.
This line of thought led Ren Yaoqi to recall Madame Pei, Pei Zhiyan's wife, who had passed away from a heart ailment. Lady Xu and Madame Pei were sisters. Ren Yaoqi wondered if their illnesses were the same. Lost in these speculations, she became pensive.
Seeing Nanny Xin depart, Ren Yaoqi sat a little longer before rising to take her leave.
Xiao Jinglin personally escorted Ren Yaoqi to the gate.Ever since Ren Yaoqi encountered the Yun Family brothers during her last outing, Xiao Jinglin, who later found out about it, never said anything, but she personally escorted Ren Yaoqi out each time she visited the residence. Although Princess Xiao usually appeared cold and aloof, keeping others at a distance, and rarely displayed girlish traits, deep down she was an exceptionally considerate person.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the two of them emerged from the Jiuyang Hall, they ran into Xiao Jingxi.
Xiao Jinglin glanced at her brother and frowned, "When did you arrive?"
Xiao Jingxi didn’t mind her tone, "I was originally going to see Mother, but when I heard you playing the qin, I didn’t go in."
With a soft laugh, Xiao Jingxi added, "The playing was quite good."
Xiao Jinglin raised an eyebrow, "Whose playing was quite good?"
Xiao Jingxi looked at her, then at Ren Yaoqi, furrowed his brow in thought, and said seriously, "Do you want the truth or polite words?"
Xiao Jinglin: "..."
After a long silence, just as Xiao Jinglin was about to retort, Xiao Jingxi suddenly dropped his teasing expression, "I have something to discuss with you." With that, his demeanor shifted, and even Xiao Jinglin had to hold her tongue, turning serious as she looked at him.
Seeing this, Ren Yaoqi was about to excuse herself, but before she could speak, Xiao Jingxi said, "The Su Family’s horse ranch has been attacked. A group of Tangut people infiltrated deep into Great Zhou territory and raided the Su Family’s ranch. Most of the warhorses were stolen, and the Su Family suffered heavy losses."
Xiao Jinglin was startled, "The Su Family’s ranch isn’t near the border. How could the garrison troops have received no news at all, allowing the Tangut people to enter..." As she thought about it, something felt off. Even if Xiao Jingxi wanted to discuss this with her, he wouldn’t have waited here to tell her.
Xiao Jinglin couldn’t help but give Xiao Jingxi a suspicious glance, only to catch him looking at Ren Yaoqi.
Although Princess Xiao was usually cold and aloof, that didn’t mean she was foolish. On the contrary, she was very clever. So, in an instant, she understood—Xiao Jingxi likely wasn’t the one he truly wanted to speak to.
Realizing this, Xiao Jinglin couldn’t help but look at Xiao Jingxi with a half-smile, and, imitating the cryptic and irrelevant manner of the inner court women she most despised, she said, "If it happens too often, even I will be displeased."
Xiao Jingxi seemed not to understand Xiao Jinglin’s words at all.
However, although Second Young Master Xiao’s outwardly serene and immortal-like demeanor was thick, it hadn’t yet reached the point of being truly impervious. Though very subtle, the redness at the tips of his ears spoke volumes. Even though his expression remained gentle, humble, and composed.
Xiao Jinglin felt even more disdainful.
Ren Yaoqi didn’t notice the silent exchange between the siblings. When she first heard Xiao Jingxi mention the Su Family’s attack, she was quite shocked.
Could her judgment have been wrong? Did the Su Family have no connection with the Tangut people?
But upon further reflection, she realized something was off.Unlike the Liao people, the Tangut people are composed of scattered tribes, each governing themselves without a unified leader. Although there have been conflicts with the Tanguts since the founding of Great Zhou, they were mostly minor skirmishes, and the Northwest Army's deterrent effect on the Tangut tribes has been quite significant. Even when the Liao people occupied Yanbei and the Tanguts took advantage of the chaos to seize large pastures in the northwest, they were quickly driven back after Xiao Qishan reclaimed the northern territories and coordinated with the Wu Family of Ningxia.
Why would a small Tangut force venture deep into Ningxia? Just to raid the Su Family's pastures?
After some thought, Ren Yaoqi spoke up, "Young Master Xiao..."
But the moment she looked at Xiao Jingxi, a sudden realization dawned on her, and her voice dropped abruptly. "The Su Family's pastures... was it really the Tanguts?"
Xiao Jingxi's dark, bright eyes fixed on Ren Yaoqi as he chuckled and sighed, "As expected, I couldn't hide it from you."
So, the raid on the Su Family's pastures was indeed related to the Yanbei Prince's Mansion.
But the Yanbei Prince's Mansion acted rather quickly, didn't it? She had only mentioned to Xiao Jingxi a few days ago that the Su Family, the Wu Family, and the Tanguts might be connected. Moreover, neither the Lei Family nor the Han Family could rival the Su Family at this point. Was it wise to break ties now?
As if understanding Ren Yaoqi's thoughts, Xiao Jingxi said, "I didn't order anyone to do this."
If it wasn't Xiao Jingxi, then it must have been the Prince of Yanbei. If so, the Yanbei Prince's Mansion might have already noticed the Su Family's unusual activities and seized this opportunity to issue a warning.
Xiao Jinglin chimed in, "I suspect it was done by General Min's deputy, Yang Peng, right?"
Xiao Jingxi raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How did you guess?"
When it came to military matters, Xiao Jinglin showed no hesitation. She curled her lips slightly. "Among the generals under Father, aside from Min Wenqing and Xia Baichuan, most are veterans left by Grandfather. Those old generals wouldn't stoop to such tasks. Xia Baichuan was called back by you earlier and is still in Yan Prefecture, so it couldn't be him. As for Min Wenqing, he fancies himself a cultured general. Even when eating roasted lamb legs, he insists on slicing the meat and arranging it on a plate before eating. He drinks wine in a rather effeminate and indecisive manner."
Xiao Jingxi laughed. "Then why do you still suspect Min Wenqing? Would he stoop to such crude banditry?"
Xiao Jinglin slowly glanced at Xiao Jingxi with a meaningful look. "I haven't finished. Despite Min Wenqing's usual saintly facade, he's actually a black-hearted sesame bun—dark to the core! He cares about his reputation but also wants the benefits. So, he wouldn't do it himself but would send his deputy, Yang Peng. By the way... Min Wenqing once told my master that he aspires to be like Jing Ke in this lifetime, willing to die for a true friend. Do you know who his true friend is?"
Ren Yaoqi blinked curiously. "Who?"
Xiao Jinglin gave Xiao Jingxi a pointed look, her implication unmistakable.
Xiao Jingxi: "..."
Ren Yaoqi suppressed a laugh, knowing the two were engaging in their usual sibling banter. To avoid getting caught in the crossfire, she wisely chose to remain silent.
"Speaking of Yang Peng, his fate truly isn't great," Princess Xiao shook her head and continued."If you were to ask who the most cold-blooded, ruthless, shameless, and despicable person in the Yanbei Army is, eight out of ten would tell you it's Yang Peng. But what fault does Yang Peng have? His only mistake was joining Min Wenqing's command. His general wants to be a refined gentleman, so the dirty work falls to him to handle."
It was rare for Xiao Jinglin to speak so much, and all of it was criticism.
Xiao Jingxi couldn't help but ask curiously, "Has General Min offended you?"
"No," Xiao Jinglin flatly denied, glancing at Xiao Jingxi before slowly adding, "But I can't stand people who are full of malice yet love to pretend to be saints, so I curse them every time I see them."
It turned out that Princess Xiao was not someone to be easily bullied. If someone displeased her, she would retaliate—not only retaliate, but the commandery princess would also make veiled criticisms.
Thanks to 59511973, Hua Juzi, hyesung2006, shuyouwill, Lieutenant Angel, Yang Ahua, Purple Bamboo Feifei, Mei Zaifei~, and Youyou Yueya'er for the pink votes～|(￣3￣) and to ke for the fan gift^^~
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