Sure enough, First Madam then began asking Madam Li why the Princess Consort of Yanbei had invited Rong Shi to serve as the principal officiant at the Commandery Princess's coming-of-age ceremony.
Madam Li did not know much about the internal affairs between Xianwang Residence and Yanbei Prince's Mansion. It had been a long time since she had returned to her maiden home, and the last time she saw Rong Shi, she had not mentioned much about it.
Thus, after questioning for a long time, First Madam could not get any substantial information from Madam Li.
Finally, First Madam smiled and said, "A few days ago, I heard Old Madam Ren mention that it seems Third Sister-in-law has not returned to her maiden home for quite some time?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Li smiled faintly.
First Madam continued, "Although Third Sister-in-law has married into our Ren Family and is now a member of our Ren Family, you should not neglect your ties with your maiden home. Otherwise, outsiders might think our Ren Family is unreasonable and forbids daughters-in-law from visiting their families."
Madam Li lowered her head and said, "Eldest Sister-in-law is right. I was not thoughtful enough before."
Although Madam Li was unassertive, she was not foolish. The reason she had not returned to her maiden home before was that the Ren Family disliked her going there. In previous years, she would make time to visit Treasure Vase Alley once a year to see her parents, but each time she returned, Old Madam Ren would be displeased. After this happened several times, she understood and tried to avoid returning to her maiden home as much as possible.
Now, however, First Madam was implying that it was Madam Li who was unwilling to return to her maiden home, rather than acknowledging that the Ren Family disliked her doing so.
Nevertheless, Madam Li was accustomed to compliance and did not refute First Madam's words.
First Madam was satisfied with this response. In truth, she was well aware that the Ren Family had neglected Madam Li over the years. However, now that Old Master Ren and Old Madam Ren saw that Xianwang Residence seemed to be regaining influence, they wanted to rebuild this marital alliance, with Madam Li serving as the bridge between the two families.
Earlier, First Madam had tested Madam Li's attitude and was relieved to see that she remained as compliant as ever, without putting on airs just because her maiden family had recently gained some prominence. She felt that the task assigned to her by the Ren Family elders could likely be accomplished today.
Thus, First Madam spoke even more intimately to Madam Li, "Then take some time to bring the two children back for a visit. Also, convey our Old Master and Old Madam's regards to Master Li and Madam Li. Old Madam Ren mentioned earlier that if not for Old Master Ren's poor health, which keeps her occupied, she would also like to visit her in-laws."
Madam Li agreed and inquired about Old Master Ren's condition.
First Madam sighed, saying that Old Master Ren's health was no longer as robust as before. Although he had not coughed up blood recently, he often felt fatigued. Most of the family affairs had now been handed over to Master Ren the Elder and Ren Yiyan.
Madam Li then instructed Nanny Zhou to prepare some high-quality medicinal herbs for First Madam to take back to Old Master Ren. Though the gift was modest, it represented the Third Branch's goodwill.
Afterward, First Madam stayed for lunch.
Following the meal, before leaving, First Madam pulled Madam Li aside to speak privately, this time avoiding Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua.
After seeing First Madam off, the mother and her two daughters returned to the main room. Ren Yaohua asked, "Mother, what did Auntie just say to you?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Li sighed and took out a large red brocade pouch with gold embroidery from her sleeve. "Eldest Sister-in-law said Old Madam Ren asked her to deliver this."Ren Yaohua took the pouch from Madam Li's hand, weighing it in her palm. Though the pouch looked sizable, it was surprisingly light. Opening it, she pulled out the contents and let out a soft exclamation of surprise.
Ren Yaoqi, sitting beside her, turned to look and saw that Ren Yaohua had retrieved a stack of banknotes, each with a face value of one thousand taels.
Ren Yaohua counted them and looked up, saying, "Twenty thousand taels? What is this?"
Madam Li replied, "Old Master Ren said that your maternal grandfather's household has had many social engagements lately, and there must have been considerable expenses for gifts and favors. So, he had Old Madam Ren take out some silver for me to send to your grandfather, lest they find themselves in a tight spot. He also said that if they run short on funds in the future, they should go to your eldest uncle."
As she spoke of this, Madam Li's expression showed no joy. The Ren Family had neglected her and her maternal family for so many years, and now they were suddenly allowing her to return to her maiden home and even providing silver. She knew all too well what their intentions were.
Ren Yaoqi spoke up, "Did Auntie say anything else? Does Grandmother have some task for you to do?"
Madam Li neatly folded the twenty banknotes and returned them to the pouch, sighing softly. "There's nothing specific, just that I should take you both to visit your maternal grandfather's home when I have the chance..."
"And incidentally inquire about matters concerning Xianwang Residence and Yanbei Prince's Mansion?" Ren Yaoqi said with a faint smile.
No one understood Old Master Ren's calculations better than Ren Yaoqi.
If the Ren Family could leverage Fang Yacun to gain connections at the palace, they could naturally also cozy up to Xianwang Residence again. If Prince Xian's family truly had a chance to regain prominence, the Ren Family, as in-laws, would naturally benefit as well.
Ren Yaoqi glanced at the pouch in Madam Li's hand, thinking to herself with silent scorn that the Ren Family's silver was not so easily taken.
Ren Yaohua frowned and said, "Then this silver... Mother, are you really going to send it over there?"
Ren Yaohua did not like her maternal grandfather's family. Whether they regained prominence or not, her feelings would not change.
Madam Li thought for a moment and said, "I'll ask your father's opinion when he returns. If he thinks it's inappropriate, we won't send it."
Whether Xianwang Residence currently had money or not, Madam Li was uncertain. Even if they did have funds, they would not dare to spend them openly. This was why Madam Li had been supporting her maternal family all these years—even if Prince Xian still had some hidden assets, they had to maintain the appearance of being utterly destitute in the eyes of the court.
But this time, with the Ren Family actively giving her silver to support her maternal family, she felt uneasy about accepting it. Even a three-year-old child knows that nothing good comes without a price.
As for whether the silver should be sent to Xianwang Residence, Ren Yaoqi felt it was not a matter of whether the Ren Family wanted to send it, but whether Xianwang Residence was willing to accept it.
By now, Ren Yaoqi had realized that Xianwang Residence would never be content to remain hidden away in Yanbei for the rest of their lives. There would surely be significant moves in the future. As for in-laws like the Ren Family, even if Xianwang Residence no longer wished to acknowledge them, there was nothing to criticize. It was simply a matter of tit for tat.
So, when Madam Li said she would seek Third Master Ren's opinion, Ren Yaoqi said nothing further.In the evening, after Ren Shimin returned, Madam Li told him about First Madam’s visit earlier that day. Ren Shimin did not like his in-laws either, though it had nothing to do with whether the Xianwang Residence was in power or not. He simply disliked the character of his father-in-law and brother-in-law, feeling that their ways were incompatible with his own.
However, Ren Shimin was not particularly concerned about money. Although he had known over the years that Madam Li had secretly been supporting her family, he had never said anything about it. He continued to let her manage the household expenses and never treated her harshly. It was precisely because of this that Nanny Zhou had nothing but praise for Ren Shimin as a son-in-law.
So when he heard that Old Madam Ren had given Madam Li money to send to her father, he offered no opinion, simply telling Madam Li to decide for herself.
After some thought, Madam Li finally decided to take her two daughters back to her family home for a visit.
The next day, Madam Li had a carriage prepared and brought along some gifts, then took Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoqi back to her family home.
Seeing Madam Li return, Prince Xian and Rong Shi were both delighted. Prince Xian even canceled an invitation to go fishing, deciding instead to stay home and see his long-absent daughter. Li Tianyou, who had gone out, was also called back.
"Father, Mother..." Madam Li called out to Prince Xian and his wife after she and her two daughters had paid their respects, but before she could say anything more, tears began to fall.
Although Madam Li had seen Rong Shi not long before, it had been many years since she had returned to her family home, and she couldn’t quite control her emotions.
Seeing her like this, Rong Shi felt a pang of heartache. She pulled Madam Li to sit on the kang and chided gently, "Coming home is a happy occasion. What are you crying for? Don’t you see the children watching? Aren’t you embarrassed?" Even as she said this, her own eyes grew red.
Prince Xian, however, sighed and stood up to leave.
"Father..." Madam Li was flustered, thinking Li Qian was angry with her and was leaving.
Li Qian stopped and turned back to her with a smile. "You talk. I’ll go ask if they have your favorite dishes today."
Madam Li smiled through her tears. "Father still remembers what I like to eat?"
"Of course I remember. You loved tanghulu the most. When you were little, I used to sneak you out past the guards to buy it several times, hiding it from your mother. Later, when your grandmother found out, she forbade us from eating tanghulu for three years. Your brother held a grudge against you for a long time because of it." Li Qian rarely joked like this.
Being teased in front of her daughters, Madam Li felt a little embarrassed.
Ren Yaoqi thought to herself that she had never noticed before—behind closed doors, the Xianwang family was just like any ordinary family, filled with ordinary warmth.
After Li Qian left, Rong Shi took Madam Li’s hand and led her to the kang to talk.
After chatting for a while, Rong Shi asked Madam Li the purpose of her visit today.
In front of her own mother, Madam Li had nothing to hide. She told Rong Shi about how the elders of the Ren Family had sent First Madam to see her.
After hearing this, Rong Shi was not surprised. Instead, she smiled and said, "Your in-laws are quite generous."
Just then, Li Qian’s voice sounded from the doorway. "Return the silver to them first."
Everyone turned to look toward the door.
There stood Li Qian and Li Tianyou, each holding three or four sticks of tanghulu. Li Tianyou’s mouth was stuffed full of hawthorns, and he was smacking his lips as he looked around for a place to spit out the seeds.I've caught a cold and my nose keeps running. I wonder if it's bird flu...〒_〒
The author is worried—if it really is bird flu, would you all still dare to vote for me...
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