After returning, Xiao Jinglin saw Hongying but ultimately decided not to inform her about Mu Hu's situation. It wasn't that Princess Xiao was bored and wanted to play matchmaker or couldn't bear to see her capable subordinate being taken away by a man. On the contrary, she was a considerate and reasonable master who cared for her subordinates.
The reason she suggested Nan Xing teach Mu Hu a lesson wasn't because Xiao Jinglin looked down on Mu Hu or wanted to tease him intentionally. Rather, she knew Hongying probably didn't even know who Mu Hu was, as Hongying's heart belonged to someone else.
As for Nan Xing, having previously worked as a spy, her temperament was too aloof. Xiao Jinglin sensed from Xiao Jingxi's intentions that he wanted to keep Nan Xing by his side, likely for Ren Yaoqi's future use. Xiao Jinglin thought that if Nan Xing were to work in the inner courtyard, it would be better for her to become more approachable. Thus, Princess Xiao entrusted this important task to Mu Hu, who appeared simple and honest but was actually quite stubborn.
Additionally, Xiao Jinglin had another small consideration. She knew Nan Xing had served Xiao Jingxi for many years with unwavering loyalty and was one of his trusted confidants. She worried that Nan Xing might harbor improper feelings for Xiao Jingxi. If that were the case, Nan Xing could potentially become a useless pawn in the future, which would be a great pity.
If Nan Xing could find a home before Xiao Jingxi married, it would not only soften her overly cold demeanor but also make her more useful to Ren Yaoqi in the future. After all, Leshan and Leshui were still young, and a married woman would have more freedom to move about than a young maid.
Unaware of Xiao Jinglin's subtle considerations on her behalf, Ren Yaoqi, the day after returning from Xianwang Residence, specifically sent Pingguo out to gather information several times. The conclusion was that the security in Yunyang City had tightened somewhat compared to usual, though ordinary citizens didn't notice much difference. Meanwhile, Madam Li, perhaps having received a reminder from Rong Shi, rarely left home with Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoqi after returning from Xianwang Residence. Coincidentally, Ren Yaohua was to marry this year, providing a convenient excuse to stay indoors.
Over the following month, Yunyang City experienced two midnight fires and two burglaries, but no other major disturbances occurred. However, Ren Yaoqi learned from a letter written by Xiao Jinglin that, three days after Li Tianyou's wedding, the southern court issued an official decree ordering Yanbei to arrest the entire Xianwang Residence family and escort them to the capital. Although the interactions between Yanbei Prince's Mansion and Xianwang Residence hadn't been overly publicized, they also hadn't been carefully concealed, and the court could no longer sit idly by.
In her letter, Xiao Jinglin only hinted at a few points without elaborating, as correspondence wasn't entirely safe at that time, and she feared it might fall into the wrong hands. No news came from Xianwang Residence either, as the entire family kept a low profile and rarely ventured out.
Meanwhile, the Ren Family stirred up trouble again before the end of March.
Ren Yaoqi had always kept an eye on matters in White Crane Town. Although her attention to the Ren Family had diminished somewhat due to the affairs of Xianwang Residence, she remained fully aware of their situation.The Ren Family had sent congratulatory gifts when Li Tianyou got married, and the eldest master of the Ren Family even attended the wedding banquet. However, the relationship between the two families had been rather strained over the years, and Prince Xian had no time to pay attention to the Ren Family, so neither side was particularly enthusiastic. Ren Yaoqi had anticipated that the Han Family might take action soon, so when Yuan Dayong brought news that members of the second branch of the Ren Family had been in contact with the Han Family, she wasn’t too surprised. Instead, she admired the Han Family’s tactic of letting the fire burn from within the Ren Family itself. From the perspective of seeking revenge, it was indeed satisfying.
The Second Old Master Ren made an outrageous demand to Old Master Ren, asking for a coal mine owned by the Ren Family. Naturally, Old Master Ren ignored such an unreasonable request. However, Ren Yongxiang sought out Ren Yonghe for private negotiations, presenting evidence of the Ren Family’s past misconduct, such as disregarding the lives of miners in their mines, bribing officials in Yanbei, and falsifying accounts to evade taxes. Ren Yongxiang was clearly prepared to break ties with Ren Yonghe. Old Master Ren was so enraged by his ungrateful younger brother that he vomited blood and fainted on the spot.
After causing someone to faint, the negotiations naturally couldn’t proceed. Ren Yongxiang felt somewhat guilty—he hadn’t actually intended to disclose the evidence but merely wanted to threaten Ren Yonghe for benefits.
Unexpectedly, the day after Old Master Ren was angered into unconsciousness, the Ren Family’s coal depot encountered operational issues.
Two bodies were carried to the Ren Family’s coal depot in Jizhou, with claims that the Ren Family’s coal was poisonous and had killed a grandmother and her grandchild. Soon after, several other households who had purchased coal from the Ren Family came forward. Although no further deaths occurred, they exhibited symptoms of poisoning, and some even reported the matter to the authorities in anger.
After Old Master Ren collapsed this time, the doctor explicitly stated that he must not be subjected to further stress. Therefore, when the coal depot faced a major crisis, the eldest master of the Ren Family dared not bring the matter to Old Master Ren’s attention and was kept busy running around.
Before the poisonous coal incident could be resolved, another scandal emerged: the Ren Family’s coal depot had been substituting lower-grade coal for higher-grade coal, such as third-grade coal for second-grade and second-grade for first-grade. This inside information was exposed by a “conscientious” employee of the Ren Family. The Ren Family now faced an unprecedented crisis.
Although everyone in the Ren Family unanimously kept the matter from Old Master Ren, the truth could not be concealed forever. Old Master Ren eventually found out. Though he was nearly driven to the brink of death by anger, he managed to endure it with extraordinary willpower. Ignoring the objections of Old Madam Ren and Old Master Ren, he dragged his sick body out to clean up the mess.
Old Madam Ren sent someone to ask Fifth Master Ren Shimiao to return and help. Ren Shimiao had been thriving in his own business lately and had lost interest in returning to the Ren Family. Under normal circumstances, he would have refused, but this time, with such a major crisis in the Ren Family and Old Master Ren falling ill, Ren Shimiao, as a descendant of the Ren Family, made the decisive choice to return after receiving Old Madam Ren’s letter. Old Master Ren no longer had the energy to dwell on Ren Shimiao’s past defiance, and with the Ren Family in desperate need of manpower, father and son tacitly agreed to set aside their previous grievances for the time being.However, even with Fifth Master Ren returning to the Ren Family to assist, the family's situation continued to deteriorate day by day. Half of the Ren Family's coal depots in Yanbei were forced to close. Particularly in Jizhou, several coal depots were pelted daily with stones, rotten eggs, and spoiled vegetables, making it impossible to operate.
Faced with this worsening situation, Old Master Ren felt somewhat powerless. The Ren Family realized that the matter had escalated beyond their ability to extricate themselves unscathed. They sought assistance from other families, and the Lei Family, which had just formed a marriage alliance with the Ren Family, became their most hopeful source of aid.
Among the prominent families of Yanbei, the Lei Family's status was second only to the Yun Family. Lei Ting, the head of the Lei Family, was highly capable, and after several years of management, the family's reputation in Yanbei had become well-established, far surpassing their initial standing when they first arrived. Moreover, the Lei Family had always maintained good relations with the Yanbei Prince's Mansion. If the Lei Family were willing to lend a hand, the Ren Family might still have a chance to turn things around.
With this hope in mind, Old Master Ren sent Master Ren the Elder to personally visit the Lei Family and seek out Lei Ting.
Lei Ting personally received Master Ren the Elder and did not outright reject his request. He even promised to intervene with the authorities to give the Ren Family some breathing room. However, he did not guarantee that the Ren Family would emerge completely unscathed.
Lei Ting genuinely had no intention of standing by and doing nothing. After all, he was set to marry Ren Yaohua, and the Ren Family was her maternal home. He understood well the challenges a woman without the protection of her family would face in the future. Within his capabilities, he was willing to lend the Ren Family a hand.
However, Lei Ting was also well aware that the Ren Family's troubles were not as simple as they appeared on the surface. No matter how impressive others might view the Lei Family, he knew they were not yet powerful enough to dominate Yanbei. After all, the Lei Family was not the Yanbei Prince's Mansion. Moreover, in Lei Ting's view, the Ren Family indeed needed to learn a lesson; otherwise, they would face even greater troubles in the future.
With the Lei Family's intervention, the pressure from the authorities on the Ren Family noticeably eased. Competitors who had taken advantage of the Ren Family's plight were also suppressed by the Lei Family. With no one stabbing them in the back, the Ren Family finally caught a breath.
Old Master Ren could not help but rejoice.
However, after taking these steps, the Lei Family showed no intention of further involvement. Old Master Ren, on the other hand, hoped the Lei Family would continue their efforts and use their connections to suppress the "poisonous coal" incident. After all, the Ren Family still needed to conduct business in the future, and this incident had severely damaged the reputation of their coal depots. Since the Lei Family had handled the situation with ease, helping a bit more would not be too much to ask.
Although the Lei Family did not openly engage in commerce, they owned numerous enterprises, so Lei Ting understood the rules.
The Ren Family's coal depots had caused fatalities this time. While it was highly likely they had been framed, the depots' own issues were also the root cause of the tragedy. Moreover, Lei Ting's investigation revealed that the Ren Family's coal depots indeed engaged in substituting inferior goods for quality ones. It was impossible for the Ren Family to completely clear their name. They could only seek ways to make amends and gradually rebuild their reputation. He could not recklessly undermine the rules of an entire industry.However, Old Master Ren had a disagreement with Lei Ting on this matter. Old Master Ren hoped that the Lei Family would help the Ren Family completely suppress the incident, shifting all of the Ren Family's faults onto the plaintiff to restore the Ren Family's "innocence." The Ren Family could even offer up a few individuals to take the blame.
Lei Ting had the ability to accomplish this, but it went against the principles of his Lei Family. Therefore, after receiving Old Master Ren's personal letter, Lei Ting frowned and did not express his stance.
Old Master Ren then sent Master Ren the Elder to the Lei residence to meet with Lei Ting in person. Lei Ting did not avoid the meeting; instead, he openly shared his views with Master Ren the Elder and tactfully declined the Ren Family's request.
After returning, Master Ren the Elder relayed his conversation with Lei Ting to Old Master Ren, who was naturally dissatisfied.
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