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Nanny Zhou went to arrange matters for Mai Dong's wife according to Ren Yaoqi's instructions. When she returned, she said to Ren Yaoqi, "This servant told her she would be assigned to manage the storeroom, and she didn't say anything about it."
Ren Yaohua said with satisfaction, "It seems she knows what's good for her!"
Ren Yaoqi, however, waited for Nanny Zhou's next words. Sometimes, those who know what's good for them are not necessarily easier to deal with than those who don't.
Sure enough, Nanny Zhou continued, "It's just that she isn't very satisfied with her living quarters."
Ren Yaohua frowned. "Wasn't she arranged to live in the rear courtyard? Apart from the stewards, only a few favored senior maids live there. If she's still not satisfied, does she expect us to vacate the main rooms for her?"
Nanny Zhou shook her head. "It's not that she dislikes the rear courtyard's quarters. She said that before she came to Yunyang City, Old Madam Ren instructed her to attend to Fifth Miss's writing and ink. If she lives too far from Fifth Miss, she's afraid it will be inconvenient for Fifth Miss to summon her."
Ren Yaoqi asked, "Then where does she want to live? There is a small side room next to the west wing where I live, but two senior maids are already staying there."
Nanny Zhou replied, "This servant said the same. Mai Dong's wife said she's willing to squeeze in with the two maids."
"Is she really willing to squeeze in with the two maids, or is she trying to force them to give up the room for her? The tactic of retreating to advance is quite well executed!" Ren Yaohua sneered.
Ren Yaoqi agreed readily, "Since she's willing to squeeze in, let her do so. Have her move in."
Nanny Zhou frowned. "Miss, is this really all right?"
Ren Yaoqi smiled. "What could possibly be wrong?"
Ren Yaohua complained, "I really don't know what Grandmother is thinking."
Ren Yaoqi, however, could guess what Old Madam Ren was thinking. Judging from Mai Dong's wife's reaction, for now, Old Madam Ren's primary task in sending her here was to monitor her interactions with the Commandery Princess and the Yanbei Prince's Mansion, and to report back to Old Madam Ren at any time.
Nanny Zhou went down again to arrange living quarters for Mai Dong's wife. From that day on, Mai Dong's wife lived together with Pingguo and Sangshen.
The next day, Ren Yaoqi went to her small study as usual to practice calligraphy according to her daily routine. Before long, Mai Dong's wife arrived.
Ren Yaoqi said nothing, and Mai Dong's wife took over from Sangshen, grinding ink for Ren Yaoqi.
"Fifth Miss, are you writing a letter to the Commandery Princess?" Mai Dong's wife asked when she saw Ren Yaoqi spread paper on the table.
Ren Yaoqi shook her head.
Sangshen said softly from the side, "Fifth Miss is practicing calligraphy. Moreover, Fifth Miss doesn't like to be disturbed by noise when she's writing or reading. Since you're here to attend to Miss's writing and ink, Sister Mai, it would be best to remember that in the future."
Sister Mai nodded, but she still spoke up. "Fifth Miss, Old Madam Ren instructed you to write to the Commandery Princess as soon as you returned."
Ren Yaoqi continued writing with her wrist suspended, saying nothing.
Sister Mai glanced at the characters Ren Yaoqi was writing and couldn't help but silently admire them. She had long heard that Fifth Miss's calligraphy and painting were personally taught by Third Master, and her handwriting was even better than that of the young masters in the mansion.
However, Ren Yaoqi was writing the Diamond Sutra, not a letter to the Commandery Princess.
Sister Mai frowned and glanced at Ren Yaoqi again.Old Madam Ren had instructed her to urge the Fifth Miss to write to the Commandery Princess as soon as possible, reminding her to request in the letter that the Commandery Princess intercede for the Ren Family before the Princess Consort, and to report the contents of the letter back to her.
By the time Ren Yaoqi finished transcribing the entire Diamond Sutra, it was already time for lunch.
Mai’s wife waited anxiously on the side, just beginning to suspect that Ren Yaoqi was deliberately stalling and unwilling to write, when she saw Ren Yaoqi instruct Pingguo to move aside the sutra she had just transcribed. Then, Ren Yaoqi pulled out a stack of letter paper from a drawer.
Ren Yaoqi remained silent, burying her head in writing.
Mai’s wife leaned over to look and immediately spotted the words "Commandery Princess, I trust this letter finds you well." She finally breathed a sigh of relief.
From then on, there was hardly any need for Mai’s wife to prompt her. Ren Yaoqi first explained why she had not written to Princess Xiao recently, detailing her family affairs in the letter for the princess to know. Only then did she ask the princess to intercede for the Ren Family before the Princess Consort, hoping the Princess Consort would agree to meet with her.
The content Ren Yaoqi wrote was exactly what Old Madam Ren had instructed Mai’s wife to have Ren Yaoqi include in the letter. Her obedience and compliance left Mai’s wife with almost no role to play.
After finishing the letter, Ren Yaoqi waited for the ink to dry completely. Then, in front of Mai’s wife, she personally placed it in an envelope, sealed it, and drew a small flower on the envelope. Finally, she handed it to Pingguo and said, "Take this to Yanbei Prince's Mansion and give it to Granny Duan. Ask someone from the mansion to deliver it to the Commandery Princess for me."
Mai’s wife hurriedly said, "Fifth Miss, aren’t you going to write your name on it? How will the Commandery Princess know it’s from you?"
Ren Yaoqi finally deigned to speak to Mai’s wife, and in a very calm tone: "I already signed my name in the letter. Didn’t you see it? As an unmarried young lady, how could I write my name on the envelope? This letter will pass through many hands before reaching the Commandery Princess. So, the princess and I agreed to draw a small flower on the letter. When she sees it, she’ll know it’s from me."
Mai’s wife had never seen the letters exchanged between Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jinglin, so naturally, she was unaware of this arrangement. However, she remained cautious and immediately smiled, saying, "Why not let this servant deliver the letter? I’ve never been to Yanbei Prince's Mansion before. It would be good for me to see the world a bit. Fifth Miss mentioned giving the letter to a granny surnamed Duan? How should I find her?"
Ren Yaoqi frowned slightly. "Since you want to go, go ahead. Let Pingguo accompany you. She has always delivered letters for me in the past. Just follow her, and you’ll know."
Mai’s wife quickly agreed with a smile and politely said to Pingguo, "Then I’ll trouble Miss Pingguo to lead the way."
Pingguo nodded without saying a word, bowed, and withdrew.
Mai’s wife hurriedly followed her.
Pingguo and Mai’s wife took a carriage together to Yanbei Prince's Mansion.
In the carriage, Mai’s wife asked, "Miss Pingguo, where is the young lady’s letter?"
Pingguo glanced at Mai’s wife and took out the letter. "It’s here."
Mai’s wife reached out to take it, smiling as she said, "Let me hold it. Young girls like you often wear perfumes and scents. It wouldn’t be good if the letter got stained."
Pingguo frowned slightly but allowed Mai’s wife to take the letter.After receiving the letter, Mai Dong's wife carefully examined it a few more times. Only after confirming it was the same one Ren Yaoqi had sealed in her presence did she feel reassured and tucked it into her bosom.
"Has Miss Pingguo been serving Fifth Miss for a long time?" Mai Dong's wife asked.
Pingguo nodded.
Mai Dong's wife smiled. "Miss Pingguo has such a steady temperament, not very talkative."
Pingguo tugged at the corner of her mouth and smiled.
Mai Dong's wife asked again, "Do you always accompany Fifth Miss when she goes to Yanbei Prince's Mansion? That means you must be quite familiar with it? I’ve never been to Yanbei Prince's Mansion myself—are the grannies and maids there easy to get along with?"
Pingguo replied briefly, "Yes. Not very familiar. Don’t know, haven’t interacted."
Faced with someone as tight-lipped as Pingguo, Mai Dong's wife felt helpless. She had probed with many questions along the way, but the answers she received were all vague and uninformative. Soon, Yanbei Prince's Mansion came into view.
Pingguo led Mai Dong's wife into the mansion with familiarity, then had someone announce that they were looking for Granny Duan.
Granny Duan emerged shortly after. Seeing it was the chief maid from Ren Yaoqi’s side and a woman she had never met before, she remained expressionless, nodding slightly in greeting, her attitude not particularly warm.
Pingguo curtsied and said, "Greetings, Granny Duan. Our miss asked us to deliver the letter she wrote for the Commandery Princess to you." Pingguo glanced at Mai Dong's wife.
Mai Dong's wife quickly took out the letter and handed it to Granny Duan with both hands, smiling as she said, "Greetings, Granny Duan."
Granny Duan glanced at her, nodded, then said to Pingguo, "I understand. The letter will be delivered to the Commandery Princess. You may return now."
Mai Dong's wife hurriedly added, "Granny Duan, our Fifth Miss returned to White Crane Town a few days ago and only came back yesterday, which is why she hasn’t yet paid her respects to the Princess Consort. In a few days, our Fifth Miss will come to greet the Princess Consort."
Granny Duan frowned and said, "The Princess Consort has been busy lately. Come to pay your respects another time." Without waiting for Mai Dong's wife to say anything more, Granny Duan took the letter and left.
Pingguo said, "The letter has been delivered. Let’s go."
Mai Dong's wife had no choice. After all, the prince’s mansion was heavily guarded, and they couldn’t enter without permission. She could only hope to build a better relationship with Granny Duan the next time an opportunity arose.
After leaving, Granny Duan immediately went to Xiao Jingxi’s courtyard and handed him the letter.
"Fifth Miss sent her maid to deliver this, saying it’s to be passed on to the Commandery Princess."
Xiao Jingxi took the letter and glanced at the envelope, which bore no name. He couldn’t help but smile, gently stroking the letter as he said, "Hmm, besides her maid, who else came today?"
Granny Duan replied, "There was also a woman around forty years old, who looked unfamiliar. She told this servant that Fifth Miss Ren wished to come and pay her respects to the Princess Consort. She likely isn’t someone from Fifth Miss Ren’s side."
This was because the Princess Consort had never said she wouldn’t see Fifth Miss Ren.
Xiao Jingxi nodded. "Give the order: from now on, anyone from the Ren Family who comes should first be brought to you. You may leave now."
Granny Duan bowed and withdrew.
Once the room was empty, Xiao Jingxi opened Ren Yaoqi’s letter. When he saw the words "Commandery Princess, reading this letter is like seeing you in person," he was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile.Although he knew this letter was a smokescreen Ren Yaoqi had set up to deceive the Ren Family, Xiao Jingxi still read it word by word with great care.
However, when he reached the end, he suddenly sensed something amiss. So he read the letter again from start to finish and discovered that from the second paragraph onward, the first character of each line formed a sentence: "All of the Ren Family's Jiangnan enterprises can be taken into your possession."
Xiao Jingxi couldn't help but be taken aback.
After a long pause, he shook his head and sighed softly, "I thought I was ruthless enough, but you are even more ruthless than I am."
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