Xiao Jinglin said, "And what about the person keeping an eye on Ren Yaoyin? Did Ren Yaoyin just meet with Wu Yiyu, get threatened, and then go back?"
Xiao Jingxi looked at Ren Yaoqi. "She didn’t send anyone to take you to Autumn Swan Courtyard?"
Thinking of Wu Yiyu’s intentions, Xiao Jingxi frowned slightly, feeling somewhat uneasy. He had not been without opportunities to stop what Yun Wenfang had done, yet he had done nothing.
Ren Yaoqi shook her head with a bitter smile. "She didn’t send anyone herself. Just now, it was my Third Sister’s maid who came to invite me to Wutong Courtyard." Wutong Courtyard was where the Ren Family resided.
Xiao Jinglin frowned. "She’s quite meticulous, having your own sister invite you so you wouldn’t be suspicious. There are many courtyards in the Western Garden, and you’ve never been to Wutong Courtyard. As long as Wu Yiyu had someone waiting for you on the way, deliberately leading you astray to Autumn Swan Courtyard, she could report back to Wu Yiyu and keep herself clean in the end. Fortunately, you were prepared, or you might have fallen into the trap."
Xiao Jinglin suddenly felt a pang of sadness for Ren Yaoqi. Who would want to be so guarded against their own flesh and blood? But if Ren Yaoqi hadn’t been so cautious step by step, she might have long been devoured without a trace left.
Seeing the expression on Xiao Jinglin’s face, Ren Yaoqi naturally knew what she was thinking and instead gave her a reassuring smile.
"It’s just that Miss Jiang is innocent, suffering such an unjust misfortune," Ren Yaoqi thought, hoping only that the Yun Family would handle the matter properly, at least not implicating Jiang Yuan Niang too deeply.
Just as she was about to ask Xiao Jingxi something, she looked up and found him gazing at her, his dark, ink-like eyes focused and gentle. Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but feel momentarily dazed. She thought, there probably wasn’t a woman in this world who could be looked at like this by Xiao Jingxi without blushing or her heart racing. At the very least, even she, who had lived two lifetimes, was momentarily captivated.
Xiao Jinglin glanced at Xiao Jingxi and then at Ren Yaoqi, wondering if she should cough to break this inexplicable atmosphere. But someone—or something—beat her to it.
Silly Girl: "Awoo—"
Xiao Jingxi calmly withdrew his gaze and smiled as he looked at Silly Girl, who was being held by Hongying. He walked over slowly and patted Silly Girl’s head. "There aren’t that many truly innocent people in this world. You don’t need to overthink it. Many things are destined from the moment they make certain decisions. Your decisions can’t change anyone’s outcome. These matters actually have little to do with you."
Ren Yaoqi was taken aback. Did Xiao Jingxi’s words carry a deeper meaning? However, Xiao Jingxi didn’t seem inclined to say more, so Ren Yaoqi didn’t press further. Still, she felt somewhat relieved.
Thinking about it this way, Ren Yaoqi felt that her concern for Jiang Yuan Niang was merely hypocritical, fearing that she had been implicated because of her own actions. Xiao Jingxi’s words, however, implied that they had "brought it upon themselves," absolving her of responsibility.
Xiao Jinglin said, "Since this has nothing to do with us, let’s go back and let them make as much of a fuss as they want." Although Xiao Jinglin disliked Wu Yiyu, she had no intention of watching the spectacle. She would settle the score with Wu Yiyu for plotting against her in her own way, but she wouldn’t take pleasure in others’ misfortune or kick someone when they were down.
Xiao Jingxi, however, asked Ren Yaoqi, "Don’t you want to see what she plans to do next?"Since Xiao Jingxi said that Wu Yiyu and Yun Wenfang's matters had nothing to do with her, the "her" he referred to naturally meant Ren Yaoyin. Compared to Yun Wenfang and Wu Yiyu, Ren Yaoyin was the truly dangerous one.
He could help handle Yun Wenfang and Wu Yiyu, and after today's events, those two wouldn't be able to stir up trouble for much longer. However, Ren Yaoyin hadn't actually done anything overt, and she lived under the same roof as Ren Yaoqi, making her nearly impossible to guard against. It would be better to bring her out of the shadows and into the open.
Xiao Jinglin frowned. "How do you plan to do that? Have Yaoqi go as she suggested?"
Xiao Jingxi smiled faintly. "That won't be necessary. Given her cautious nature, she likely won't show up in person. This is the Yanbei Prince's Mansion's villa—it won't be difficult to make her believe that Fifth Miss Ren has gone to the meeting as she intended."
Xiao Jinglin suddenly understood, then gave Xiao Jingxi a disdainful look. "Actually, having you around does have one advantage."
Judging by Xiao Jinglin's expression, Xiao Jingxi felt he probably didn't want to hear her upcoming "praise." Ren Yaoqi, however, looked at Xiao Jinglin with interest.
Xiao Jinglin said expressionlessly, "Those scheming villains plot and scheme, but in the end, they can't out-scheme you!"
What kind of person is even more cunning than a scheming villain?
Xiao Jingxi maintained his composure and returned a gentle smile to Xiao Jinglin. "If everyone in the world were like you, how wonderful it would be. Whenever there's a conflict, just settle it with fists—whoever wins gets their way."
Xiao Jinglin rolled her eyes. Did he think she couldn't tell he was mocking her for being all brawn and no brains? But wasn't Xiao Jingxi usually the type to never talk back, with a temper so mild it was almost nonexistent? What was with this flustered and angry act?
Seeing that the siblings were about to start bickering again, Ren Yaoqi felt both amused and exasperated and quickly intervened. "Then Jinglin and I will head back first and wait. We'll leave the rest to you, Second Young Master."
Xiao Jingxi looked at Ren Yaoqi and nodded. "Go ahead."
Ren Yaoqi took Xiao Jinglin's hand and headed back to the Moon Embracing Pavilion. After a moment's thought, she turned back and said softly to Xiao Jingxi, "Thank you."
Xiao Jingxi didn't have to do all this for her. When she asked him to repay his gambling debt, she only meant for him to keep an eye on Ren Yaoyin and Wu Yiyu. She vaguely sensed that Xiao Jingxi's willingness to help her wasn't solely because she was his sister's close friend, but Ren Yaoqi didn't want to delve deeper into it.
Xiao Jingxi didn't say anything, only smiled back at her.
That smile couldn't help but bring to mind the line: "Beauty captivates the soul, and joy stirs the heart."
Not long after Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jinglin returned to the Moon Embracing Pavilion, someone came in to report to Xiao Jinglin that Third Miss and Fourth Miss of the Ren Family had arrived and requested an audience with the Commandery Princess.
Xiao Jinglin pondered and looked at Ren Yaoqi. "Are they here to see me?"
Ren Yaoyin still hadn't forgotten to drag Ren Yaohua into this. Ren Yaoqi shook her head. "You should meet them. I'll wait inside."
Xiao Jinglin nodded and waited until Ren Yaoqi had entered the inner chamber before having Hongying bring Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoyin in.
As soon as Ren Yaohua entered, she asked, "Commandery Princess, may I ask if my fifth sister has returned yet?"
Seeing the light sweat on their faces, Xiao Jinglin looked puzzled. "What's wrong with Yaoqi?"Ren Yaohua had just run over. She looked at Ren Yaoyin and frowned, saying, "I previously sent someone to invite her to Wutong Courtyard. Later, Fourth Sister said someone saw my Fifth Sister not going to Wutong Courtyard but being led by an unfamiliar maid to the Autumn Swan Courtyard in the northwest corner. We were just about to go to Autumn Swan Courtyard to check but were stopped by someone."
Ren Yaohua was also somewhat anxious at the time. If anything happened to Ren Yaoqi, she would have no way to explain it to her father and mother when she returned. So when two matrons stopped her, she wanted to force her way through, but in the end, Ren Yaoyin pulled her back. Ren Yaoyin reminded her to seek help from the Commandery Princess, so they ran over here.
Ren Yaohua said, "Commandery Princess, could you go and take a look?" When she was stopped, she already sensed something was wrong. Now she was feeling anxious and impatient, wishing she could drag Xiao Jinglin along. Unfortunately, their statuses differed, and Xiao Jinglin knew martial arts, so she couldn’t possibly drag her away.
Xiao Jinglin remained silent, deep in thought.
Ren Yaoyin, however, looked as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Ren Yaohua noticed this and sensed something was off: "Fourth Sister, what do you want to say?"
Xiao Jinglin also looked at Ren Yaoyin.
Ren Yaoyin was silent for a moment before saying, "Third Sister, I’ve been thinking just now—this matter might be related to Miss Wu?"
Ren Yaohua was taken aback: "What? Miss Wu? Wu Yiyu?"
Xiao Jinglin was also surprised, though what surprised her was how quickly Ren Yaoyin had exposed Wu Yiyu. She couldn’t help but glance toward the inner chamber.
Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoyin didn’t notice Xiao Jinglin’s expression. Under Ren Yaohua’s pressing questions, Ren Yaoyin began to explain: "Actually, this afternoon on my way to the washroom, I accidentally overheard a conversation between Miss Wu and one of her maids named Shuangxi. Miss Wu seemed to harbor resentment over how this morning, the Commandery Princess and Fifth Sister stole her spotlight. She said she wanted to secretly cause trouble for Fifth Sister to see if she would dare to help the Commandery Princess oppose her in the future."
Ren Yaohua said angrily, "Why didn’t you say so earlier!"
Ren Yaoyin smiled bitterly: "I originally planned to remind Fifth Sister when she went over later today, and I didn’t expect Miss Wu would actually act against Fifth Sister at this time. If I had told you earlier, Third Sister, you would likely have gone directly to confront Miss Wu, and you would surely have suffered for it. So I could only remind you to seek the Commandery Princess’s help. Commandery Princess, my Fifth Sister has always been close to you. I hope you can mediate with Miss Wu."
Xiao Jinglin thought to herself that if she didn’t know the twists and turns in this matter, given her temperament, she would definitely rush out to save someone now. After all, according to Ren Yaoyin’s meaning, the reason Wu Yiyu wanted to cause trouble for Ren Yaoqi was entirely because Ren Yaoqi had helped her. This would only deepen her dissatisfaction with Wu Yiyu.
So what would her reaction be when she rushed over and saw Yaoqi being bullied and humiliated by Wu Yiyu? She would definitely fight Wu Yiyu on the spot, perhaps even injure her.
Listening to Ren Yaoyin’s words from the inner chamber, Ren Yaoqi instantly understood Ren Yaoyin’s scheme.
Ren Yaoyin wanted to marry Yun Wenting, and the biggest obstacle was actually Xiao Jinglin. So Ren Yaoyin’s real target was Xiao Jinglin, and she, her younger sister, was merely a pawn in her plan to achieve her goal.In front of so many noble ladies and young misses, Xiao Jinglin injured Wu Yiyu in a fit of anger. Would the Old Princess Consort and Madam Wu let this go easily? Even with the Princess Consort’s protection, Xiao Jinglin would not escape unscathed. In the end, she might even be sent back to the border by the Princess Consort to avoid trouble.
The diligent but flawed author continues to seek pink votes～pink votes～
Wagging tail for praise…｀（∩_∩）′.
OpenNovel