Xiao Jingxi finished speaking and walked into the room, with Tongde and Tong He following behind him with bowed heads.
Tong He had someone bring water for Xiao Jingxi to wash his hands and helped him change out of his outer garments. Tongde stood to the side, hands clasped, but his mind was preoccupied: Could it be that his master intended to let those people off the hook this time as well?
Just as he was thinking this, Tongde heard Xiao Jingxi say calmly, "Send someone to inform Di Hao that the Wu family may now have an heir."
Tongde was taken aback and couldn’t help but say, "Young Master, but Commander Wu hasn’t fathered a son all these years. I’m afraid..." If Wu Xiaohe couldn’t produce a son, it wouldn’t matter even if the Di family sent him ten or a hundred women.
Xiao Jingxi glanced at Tongde with a faint, amused smile and said leisurely, "That’s something for the Di family to worry about." With that, Xiao Jingxi headed to his study.
Tongde stood where he was, pondering for a moment, and his expression suddenly turned peculiar.
Tong He was about to follow Xiao Jingxi to attend to him but paused beside Tongde and whispered, "Fool! If Commander Wu can’t father a son, there are plenty of others who can do it for him. As long as the child bears the Wu surname, that’s all that matters. Why are you worrying about the Di family’s affairs?"
After saying this, Tong He left Tongde behind and hurried toward the study.
Tongde watched Tong He’s retreating figure, wiped his face with his hand, and thought to himself: Did Wu Xiaohe have the worst luck in eight lifetimes to marry Xiao Wei and become the Old Princess Consort’s son-in-law?
It seems one must be cautious when choosing a wife! Tongde shook his head and left as well.
After Ren Yaoqi returned to the Ren Family, Old Madam Ren only called her over to ask a few questions about her interactions with the Commandery Princess. Since Ren Yaoqi had tidied herself up before going to the Glory and Splendor Courtyard, leaving no trace of anything amiss, Old Madam Ren didn’t pursue the matter of her late return.
Two days later, Ren Shimin returned from Yunyang City.
Ren Yaoqi took the opportunity while Ren Shimin was in Madam Li’s room to ask him about his time at Yunyang Academy. Ren Shimin’s trip to Yunyang City had been quite fruitful. Not only had his painting skills earned Xu Wanli’s admiration, but Xu Wanli had also invited several renowned masters of the painting world to discuss calligraphy and painting together. Ren Shimin had gained a great deal from these exchanges.
Ren Yaoqi listened as Ren Shimin animatedly recounted the events of the past few days, a smile appearing on her face.
Finally, Ren Shimin said somewhat sheepishly, "Your father also received an invitation from Master Xu. He invited me to teach at Yunyang Academy."
Ren Yaoqi’s face showed just the right amount of surprise and delight. "Really, Father?"
Ren Shimin nodded. "But at the time, I declined, citing my own lack of talent and fearing I might mislead the students. Later, Master Xu said he would invite me to participate in next year’s Literary Competition in the capital. If I could bring honor to Yanbei, I would have no reason to refuse his invitation."
Ren Yaoqi asked with a smile, "So, Father, did you agree to go to the capital?"
Ren Shimin gave Ren Yaoqi a strange look. "Of course. Master Xu trusts me enough to invite me. How could I disappoint him?" A scholar is willing to die for one who appreciates him, just as a woman adorns herself for one who delights in her—this was a principle Ren Shimin understood.
Ren Yaoqi blinked teasingly and said, "But I remember, Father, you went to the capital last year, saying you were going to participate in some painting gathering. In the end, you returned without painting anything, claiming there were too many talented people in the capital and you didn’t dare embarrass yourself."Seeing her daughter mention this, Ren Shimin felt a bit embarrassed. He cleared his throat lightly and said, "Last time, I was too shallow. This time, I will do my best."
Ren Yaoqi nodded and smiled, "That's good. Otherwise, if you drop your brush at the last moment again, it would be troublesome."
Ren Shimin said seriously, "Am I someone who doesn’t know what’s important? Don’t worry. Starting tomorrow, I will seclude myself at home and focus on honing my painting skills."
"Then we’ll wait for Father to bring glory back to Yanbei?"
Hearing this, Ren Shimin laughed heartily, his eyes shining with a light that had been absent before.
Seeing Ren Shimin like this warmed Ren Yaoqi’s heart. At this moment, she felt especially grateful to Xiao Jingxi, because she knew who had given Ren Shimin this opportunity.
From that day on, Ren Shimin indeed began to decline all unnecessary social engagements, devoting himself wholeheartedly to refining his painting skills in his study every day. He even resumed painting portraits, which he had long lost interest in.
In early autumn, Xiao Jinglin left Yunyang City for Jiajing Pass. Originally, she had planned to personally bid farewell to Ren Yaoqi in White Crane Town before leaving. However, the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion suddenly received an urgent military dispatch from the border, reporting traces of Liao people’s cavalry sixty li north of Wuzhou. In the end, Xiao Jinglin didn’t have the chance to visit Ren Yaoqi. Instead, she wrote a letter and had it delivered, then hurried back to Jiajing Pass with her people.
After Xiao Jinglin went to Jiajing Pass, there was a period when no letters arrived from her. Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but worry, thinking that before Xiao Jinglin left, she had said to send any letters for her to Xiao Jingxi at the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion. However, even after winter arrived and Ren Yaoqi had written two letters, she still hadn’t received a reply from Xiao Jinglin.
Ren Yaoqi wanted to write another letter but was afraid of disturbing Xiao Jinglin’s important duties. Yet, not writing left her feeling uneasy.
Just then, a letter arrived from the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion. Ren Yaoqi thought it was from Xiao Jinglin, but there was no signature on the envelope. When she opened it, there was no letter inside. Instead, an orange flower fell out of the envelope and landed on the table.
Ren Yaoqi was taken aback and picked up the flower to examine it.
Sangshen exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? How can there be daylilies at this time of year?" Daylilies usually bloom in May or June, but it was already early winter.
Ren Yaoqi remembered that the hot spring estate of the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion was like a large greenhouse, where many flowers and plants were cultivated.
Sangshen was puzzled, "Isn’t this a letter from the Commandery Princess? Why would she send you a daylily without writing anything?"
Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but smile. She lowered her head and gently stroked the delicate petals, saying, "Daylilies are also known as ‘forget-me-nots’ or ‘carefree grass.’ This is to report that she is safe." The person who would report safety in this way was definitely not Xiao Jinglin. If Xiao Jinglin knew about it, she would only scold it as "pretentious."
Thinking of how Xiao Jinglin always quietly undermined Xiao Jingxi, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile.
But as she smiled, she couldn’t help but sigh. Xiao Jingxi always knew what she was thinking and could always reassure her when she needed it. At this moment, she couldn’t tell whether she felt more melancholy or more joy.
Recalling his probing and frankness that day, Ren Yaoqi felt she was still a little unsettled.She did not doubt Xiao Jingxi's sincerity and earnestness; it was just that sometimes she felt an uncontrollable uncertainty about her own future fate. This uncertainty led her to exclude her own future when planning the paths and outcomes for Ren Yaohua and Ren Shimin.
Yet some matters could not be avoided simply by not thinking about them. At most, within two more years, her own direction would likely be settled as well.
As for Xiao Jingxi...
Someone like Xiao Jingxi was ultimately too perfect. A marriage alliance with the Ren Family would not only offer him no assistance but would instead become a stain he could never erase in his lifetime.
Ren Yaoqi placed the daylily in her hand back into the envelope, intending to have Pingguo dispose of it. But as soon as she raised her hand, she paused and still took out that single daylily.
She stood up and walked to her study, wrapped the flower in a handkerchief, and placed it deep inside a drawer of her desk.
When Xiao Jingxi heard that Ren Yaoqi had sent another letter, he was somewhat surprised, thinking it was still addressed to Xiao Jinglin.
But when he took the letter and noticed that the envelope was the very one he had sent, and that it bore no signature, he couldn't help but feel a stir in his heart.
He waved his hand, dismissing Tong He and the others, then opened the letter. As expected, there were no words inside, only a few dried medicinal "carpetweeds."
Xiao Jingxi placed the withered carpetweeds in his palm, examining them for a moment before a bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He murmured softly, "Carpetweeds... 'Where are there no fragrant grasses?'"
When Ren Yaoqi received another unsigned letter from the Yanbei Prince's Mansion, she wasn't particularly surprised. However, she held the letter in her hand for a long time without opening it.
Both maids, Pingguo and Sangshen, found this strange. Hadn't their young lady always been eagerly awaiting letters from the Commandery Princess? Why wasn't she in a hurry to open it now that it had arrived?
In the end, Ren Yaoqi still opened the letter. As before, there were no words, only medicinal herbs inside the envelope—this time, a handful of "Andrographis paniculata."
Ren Yaoqi stared blankly at the Andrographis paniculata in her hand for a long while without speaking.
Andrographis paniculata had another name: "Joy at First Sight."
In the end, that handful of Andrographis paniculata was also stored away by Ren Yaoqi in her drawer, but she did not send any more unsigned letters to the Yanbei Prince's Mansion.
As the year-end approached, Ren Yaoqi finally received a letter from Xiao Jinglin. It turned out that Xiao Jinglin had not been at Jiajing Pass for some time but had gone to Wuzhou instead. Thus, although Ren Yaoqi's letters had arrived, Xiao Jinglin had not seen them.
Xiao Jinglin told Ren Yaoqi that she was well and had not been injured. Moreover, after returning from Wuzhou, Xiao Jinglin had encountered Yun Wenfang, who was using the alias Wen Shu. Remembering her earlier promise to help Ren Yaoqi seek revenge, Xiao Jinglin pondered deeply and, seizing an opportunity when no one was around, knocked Yun Wenfang unconscious and drew over a dozen small turtles on his face.
However, while doing this, she was unexpectedly seen by Min Wenqing. Min Wenqing took advantage of the situation, stole Yun Wenfang's money pouch, stripped off his outer robe, gave the silver and clothes to beggars, and then left Yun Wenfang lying on the roadside.What was even more insidious was that when Yun Wenfang woke up moments later and was being pointed at by everyone, Min Wenqing dared to appear as a savior. He found Yun Wenfang a new set of clothes and told him that the person who knocked him out had a Ningxia accent. If he hadn’t arrived in time, Yun Wenfang would have already been a corpse—it was just a pity that those Ningxia people had escaped.
After hearing this, Yun Wenfang thought it was the Wu family coming to take revenge on him.
After reading the letter, Ren Yaoqi felt both helpless and amused.
She picked up her brush and wrote a reply to Xiao Jinglin, urging her to be careful and asking her not to clash with Yun Wenfang on her behalf again.
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