Although the marriage alliance between the Qiu Family and the Ren Family was handled discreetly, known only to a few key figures within the Ren Family, Ren Yaoqi remained closely attentive to the matter. Unable to inquire directly herself, she approached Ren Shimin under the pretense of gathering information for her mother, urging Third Master Ren to relay any news he heard from Old Master Ren.
The Qiu Family’s marriage proposal concerned Ren Yaohua, who was Ren Shimin’s own daughter. Thus, despite Third Master Ren’s constant preoccupation with his unfinished antique paintings, he made sure to attend every meeting when representatives from the Qiu Family visited. He also paid close attention during the twice-daily serious discussions Old Master Ren held with his sons each morning and evening.
Third Master Ren had little choice but to stay engaged, as Ren Yaoqi pestered him daily for updates. If he failed to provide answers, she would threaten to take an axe to a sandalwood box hidden in a secret compartment in his study—the only item in his study he forbade her from touching. Unbeknownst to him, in her previous life, Ren Yaoqi had already secretly opened the box and discovered inside a lavishly illustrated spring palace painting by Jiang Yuanyi, acquired during his youthful days in the capital when he was deeply fascinated by figure painting. This scroll held significant sentimental value for Third Master Ren.
Third Master Ren found it all quite a headache. Even the servants attending him were instructed to cautiously remind him whenever he tried to slip away: "Master, the Fifth Young Miss is waiting…"
Fearing both trouble and his daughter’s tantrums, Third Master Ren had no choice but to resign himself to the situation.
Old Master Qiu and Old Madam Ren were siblings from the same mother, sharing some familial affection. Therefore, Old Master Qiu did not oppose the marriage alliance with the Ren Family and even sent representatives to negotiate after receiving correspondence from the Ren Family.
In contrast to Old Master Qiu’s attitude, Old Madam Qiu and First Madam Qiu were less enthusiastic. Old Madam Qiu favored the eldest daughter of the Guo Family in Weizhou, Guo Yujiao, who had also been crowned as a top candidate at the Thousand Gold Banquet. Old Madam Qiu’s maternal family was also from Weizhou, and she and Old Madam Guo were childhood friends. Meanwhile, First Madam Qiu, Qiu Yun’s mother, wished for her son to marry her own niece, who was said to have grown up with Qiu Yun as childhood sweethearts.
Nevertheless, in any family, the final authority rested with the men. Although Old Master Qiu had been somewhat timid in his youth under the former Qiu Family patriarch, his temper had grown fiercer with age, especially when it came to family matters, and he brooked no defiance.
Old Madam Qiu and First Madam Qiu’s disdain for his own sister’s granddaughter angered him, making him feel that his wife and daughter-in-law looked down on his origins. This only strengthened his resolve to proceed with the marriage alliance with the Ren Family.
On the Ren Family’s side, discussions centered on the choice of bride. Despite Old Master Ren’s favoritism toward the eldest branch, the scandal involving Ren Yaoyin had become too significant. Moreover, with Old Madam Qiu and First Madam Qiu eager to find reasons to reject a Ren Family daughter, Old Master Ren had little choice but to settle on Ren Yaohua as the candidate, much to Old Madam Ren’s satisfaction. Although Eldest Master Ren and First Madam Ren worried for their daughter, they dared not bring up Ren Yaoyin at this time. The fact that Old Master Ren had not forced Ren Yaoyin to become a nun was already a concession to preserve the eldest branch’s dignity.All of this was deduced by Ren Yaoqi from the information she had gathered from Ren Shimin. It must be said that Third Master Ren was not entirely useless; at the very least, when he put his mind to it, he could handle tasks like gathering information with meticulous care.
Compared to Ren Yaoqi's concern, Ren Yaohua, the person directly involved, did not pay much attention to this matter. When the Qiu Family sent someone, Old Madam Ren instructed her to dress up nicely to meet them, and she complied obediently, but she did not show much enthusiasm. At most, she displayed obedience to her elders' wishes.
Ren Yaoqi sometimes reflected on whether she had become overly cautious due to the influence of her past life. After all, where in this world could one find a perfect marriage? In her previous life, Ren Yaoyin and Qiu Yun were either ill-fated or Ren Yaoyin brought misfortune upon herself, but that did not mean Ren Yaohua would not have a good outcome if she married into the Qiu Family. After all, everyone had their own destiny.
Although Ren Yaoqi occasionally comforted herself in this way, she could not help but keep an eye on the Qiu Family.
Early one morning, Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua were in Glory and Splendor Courtyard accompanying Old Madam Ren and Ren Shijia in conversation. Old Madam Ren was asking Ren Shijia when she planned to return to Yunyang City when a servant woman came in to report that the third young master of the Qiu Family had arrived.
The third young master of the Qiu Family was none other than Qiu Yun. His father was the eldest legitimate son, and among his generation, he ranked third.
What was Qiu Yun doing at the Ren Family at this time? Logically, since the Ren Family was currently discussing a marriage alliance with the Qiu Family, he should have avoided coming to maintain propriety. However, as the marriage discussions were conducted privately between the two families and had not been publicly announced, and since Qiu Yun was a frequent visitor to the Ren Family, his arrival did not attract too much attention.
At the very least, Old Madam Ren was quite pleased with the arrival of her grandnephew. She could not be more satisfied that her future grandson-in-law was close to her.
As they were close relatives, Old Madam Ren did not ask Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua to avoid meeting him. After Qiu Yun entered, he first paid his respects. He was still as smooth-tongued as ever, using just a few words to bring smiles to the faces of Old Madam Ren and Ren Shijia.
Ren Yaohua showed no signs of shyness and spoke very little, her attitude no different from when Qiu Yun had visited the Ren Family in the past. Old Madam Ren was extremely pleased to see this, feeling that Yaohua was becoming increasingly composed—perfect for the role of a household matriarch.
The group chatted with Old Madam Ren for a long time until she began to show signs of fatigue. It was then that Qiu Yun took the initiative to bid farewell, saying he was going to the outer courtyard to meet with his male cousins from the Ren Family.
After Qiu Yun left, Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua also rose to take their leave and return to Purple Magnolia Courtyard.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the two of them stepped out of Glory and Splendor Courtyard, they saw Qiu Yun, who should have already left the inner courtyard, standing under a dragon-claw locust tree along the path from Glory and Splendor Courtyard to Purple Magnolia Courtyard.
Seeing them approach, Qiu Yun, who had been leisurely fanning himself with a folding fan, paused. He closed the fan and gracefully bowed to them, a broad smile on his face as he said, "Greetings, cousins."
Judging by his posture, was he here to intercept them?
Ren Yaoqi had no favorable impression of Qiu Yun. She returned his greeting and said nothing further.
Ren Yaohua frowned and glanced around. Qiu Yun was accompanied only by a young pageboy, with no other attendants in sight. "Cousin, weren’t you heading to the outer courtyard? Have you lost your way? I can have a servant woman escort you out."Qiu Yun walked over slowly, and upon seeing Ren Yaohua's stern expression, he smiled. "Third Cousin is always so cold towards me, it truly hurts my heart." As he spoke, he even shook his head in a feigned manner.
His words carried a hint of flirtation, which annoyed Ren Yaohua. However, considering the reputation of both families, she held back her anger and only said coldly, "Cousin, don’t speak nonsense! It would be embarrassing for everyone if word got out."
Qiu Yun chuckled and was about to say more when Ren Yaoqi interrupted him with a smile. "Cousin Qiu, if you have something to say, please speak plainly. You didn’t wait here today just to have us call the maids to carry you out of the inner courtyard, did you?"
Qiu Yun’s charming and elegant smile froze, and he looked at Ren Yaoqi in disbelief.
Ren Yaohua had already turned her thoughtful gaze toward several stout maids not far away.
Qiu Yun cleared his throat and forced a stiff smile. "Fifth Cousin really knows how to joke."
Ren Yaohua said coldly, "My fifth sister never jokes."
Seeing Ren Yaohua’s expression, Qiu Yun realized he couldn’t afford the embarrassment of being carried out of the inner courtyard by maids in front of everyone. So, he finally adopted a serious tone. "I do have something to discuss today."
His gaze lingered on Ren Yaoqi as he spoke sincerely, "Actually, I have something I’d like to say to Fifth Cousin. Could we speak in private?"
Ren Yaohua frowned and looked at Ren Yaoqi.
Ren Yaoqi’s expression remained indifferent. "No. There’s nothing that can’t be said openly. If you have something to say, Cousin, say it here. Otherwise, if the elders find out, I’ll surely be reprimanded."
She didn’t trust Qiu Yun’s character, and they weren’t familiar enough to warrant a private meeting.
Ren Yaohua stood still, her gaze toward Qiu Yun still tinged with scrutiny.
Qiu Yun shook his head with a bitter smile and could only settle for a compromise. "Then could you ask the servants around you to step aside for a moment?"
Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment and had Pingguo send the maids and second-tier maids a bit farther away, though they could still clearly see their movements. However, they wouldn’t be able to hear the specifics of the conversation. She kept Pingguo, Sangshen, Xiangqin, and Wujing, her and her sister’s personal maids, by her side.
"Rules must be followed, so please understand, Cousin. However, these maids are our personal attendants and would never gossip. So, if you have something to say, please speak plainly," Ren Yaoqi said in a gentle and sincere tone.
Though somewhat dissatisfied, Qiu Yun couldn’t say much more. When someone insisted on following the rules, there was little room for argument.
So, Qiu Yun nodded and looked meaningfully at Ren Yaoqi. "Actually, I came to White Crane Town today on someone’s behalf."
Ren Yaoqi’s heart stirred, and she immediately thought of Yun Wenfang. It was no surprise she thought of him, as in her previous life, it wasn’t uncommon for Yun Wenfang to bully her while Qiu Yun kept watch.
Ren Yaohua, however, narrowed her eyes and asked warily, "On whose behalf?"
Qiu Yun smiled without answering and instead said, "By the way, Zishu is leaving for Jiajing Pass the day after tomorrow."
Ren Yaoqi was taken aback. She knew Zishu was Yun Wenfang’s courtesy name. She had also learned from the Commandery Princess that the Old Princess Consort and Xiao Wei had been looking for Yun Wenfang these past few days but couldn’t find him. So, Yun Wenfang was planning to go to Jiajing Pass.
But why was Qiu Yun telling her this?Qiu Yun glanced around, then used the two maidservants as cover to take a letter from her sleeve and hand it to Ren Yaoqi. "You’ll understand once you read it."
Making up for last night’s extra update~
If the next chapter is updated before 11 p.m. tonight, there will be two chapters in the evening. If the update is around midnight, the extra chapter will have to wait until tomorrow morning^^~
Lastly, a quiet plea for pink votes~.
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