Ren Yaoqi received the invitation from the Yun Family despite already being betrothed because the Empress Dowager had personally named several young ladies, and those named could not miss this year's Thousand Gold Banquet. Ren Yaoqi’s name was clearly among them.
Having received the invitation from the Yun Family months in advance, Ren Yaoqi glanced at it and set it aside. At this point, there was no turning back—she could only face whatever came her way.
She heard that the Yun Family had been bustling with activity lately, but no matter how lively they were, it had nothing to do with her.
In mid-February, however, Ren Yaoqi received a letter from Xiao Jinglin, saying that Silly Girl had suddenly fallen ill and asking if Ren Yaoqi would like to accompany her to visit the animal.
It had been a long time since Ren Yaoqi last saw Silly Girl. In fact, from the beginning until now, she hadn’t met the creature many times, but Silly Girl had always been friendly toward her. This just went to show that whether between people or between humans and animals, fate played a role.
Hearing that Silly Girl was ill, Ren Yaoqi grew concerned and replied to Xiao Jinglin, agreeing to accompany her to the hot spring villa.
Ren Yaoqi hadn’t seen Xiao Jinglin for some time either. In fact, since her betrothal to Xiao Jingxi, she hadn’t seen either Xiao Jinglin or Xiao Jingxi, only exchanging occasional letters with Xiao Jinglin.
By mid-February, although the temperature had begun to warm, and the south was said to be filled with birdsong, fragrant flowers, and vibrant spring scenery, Yanbei remained rather cold, especially in the early mornings and evenings when the biting wind was at its worst. Thus, when Ren Yaoqi went out, she wore a white fox-fur cloak with exposed trim, suitable for winter.
Xiao Jinglin, waiting in the carriage for Ren Yaoqi to board, couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her attire.
Ren Yaoqi knew what Xiao Jinglin was smiling about. Commandery Princess Xiao had gone out wearing only a thin, long jacket in lake green, embroidered with golden phoenixes and peonies, without even a cloak. Standing next to Ren Yaoqi, the contrast between them was striking.
Ren Yaoqi didn’t think being sensitive to the cold was anything to be ashamed of, so she calmly took her seat beside Xiao Jinglin.
“What illness does Silly Girl have?” Ren Yaoqi asked.
“She’s lost a lot of fur and has been listless lately. I’m not sure what’s wrong with her.”
Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment. Although she had read many medical books, they were all about treating humans, not animals. Hearing Xiao Jinglin’s description, she couldn’t pinpoint the exact ailment.
The carriage left the city and headed toward the hot spring villa.
As she stepped out of the carriage, Ren Yaoqi looked up and saw a familiar figure standing not far away.
Xiao Jingxi stood there in dark clothes, his black hair framing his face, a faint smile on his lips as he looked at Ren Yaoqi. His gaze was gentle and calm, yet Ren Yaoqi felt as though she had been scorched by it and couldn’t help but avert her eyes.
Although Xiao Jinglin hadn’t mentioned that Xiao Jingxi would be there, Ren Yaoqi wasn’t surprised to see him.
Xiao Jingxi waited until they had both alighted from the carriage before approaching.
“Where is she now?” Xiao Jinglin asked, glancing at Xiao Jingxi.
“In the room behind the Rare Treasures Garden.”
Xiao Jinglin then led the way toward the Rare Treasures Garden.
Just as Ren Yaoqi was about to follow Xiao Jinglin, Xiao Jingxi suddenly stepped closer, raised his hand, and paused it briefly above Ren Yaoqi’s head—like a dragonfly skimming the water—before quickly withdrawing and stepping back.
Startled, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but glare at Xiao Jingxi.Xiao Jingxi looked at Ren Yaoqi, smiling as he spread his palm open before her, innocently saying, "A willow catkin got stuck."
Ren Yaoqi glanced at his palm, where indeed a light, delicate willow catkin lay. She thought it must have blown in through the carriage window earlier and landed on her head.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Jingxi, walking beside her, clenched his hand again and whispered, "It doesn’t seem to be a willow catkin. Guess what it is?"
Hearing the teasing tone in Xiao Jingxi’s pleasant voice, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t quite figure out what he was up to. However, staying calm and composed was the best approach. So, after giving him a glance, she ignored him.
Xiao Jingxi, however, opened his palm again, revealing a small silk flower that Ren Yaoqi had earlier tucked into her hair.
Seeing no one else around, Ren Yaoqi quickly reached out to retrieve her silk flower. But Xiao Jingxi had already taken half a step back, closed his hand, and swiftly shook it. When he opened his palm again, there was nothing in it.
Ren Yaoqi was momentarily stunned. She glanced at Xiao Jingxi, who was smiling at her, and was about to say something when Xiao Jingxi opened his hand once more. This time, what appeared in his palm was not the small silk flower but a tiny pink beaded flower from Ren Yaoqi’s hair.
Ren Yaoqi’s face flushed red with anger. Just then, Xiao Jinglin, who was walking ahead, stopped and looked back at them, asking suspiciously, "Aren’t you coming?"
Ren Yaoqi was furious at Xiao Jingxi for teasing her, but she felt too embarrassed to tell Xiao Jinglin. She only glared fiercely at Xiao Jingxi before walking past him to catch up with Xiao Jinglin, resolving in her heart not to speak to Xiao Jingxi for the rest of the day.
"What’s wrong?" Xiao Jinglin asked, glancing at Ren Yaoqi’s flushed face before looking back at Xiao Jingxi, who hadn’t followed.
Ren Yaoqi felt a bit embarrassed and shook her head, mumbling vaguely, "One of the beaded flowers from my hair fell off."
Ren Yaohua, hearing this, looked at Ren Yaoqi’s hair and frowned, "Aren’t both pink beaded flowers still there?"
Surprised, Ren Yaoqi reached up to touch her hair and indeed felt both beaded flowers. Further up, she discovered the small silk flower was also still securely in place.
Ren Yaoqi was genuinely astonished and couldn’t help but glance back at Xiao Jingxi, meeting his smiling gaze. For some reason, her face flushed again, and she immediately turned away, refusing to look at him any longer.
Xiao Jinglin led Ren Yaoqi to a row of rooms in the Rare Treasures Garden. Following a maid, they entered one of the rooms, where a large cage stood in the center. Inside the cage, a massive white figure was curled up into a ball. At the sound of their entrance, the large ball seemed to stir slightly before falling still again.
Xiao Jinglin ordered the cage to be dismantled and removed. Finally, Silly Girl, curled up in a ball, was exposed to everyone. In most households, fierce beasts were kept in cages. As Silly Girl grew larger, she often had to stay in the cage when Xiao Jinglin and Xiao Jingxi were away. After all, there were other rare animals and ordinary servants in the garden, and Silly Girl was too mischievous, with most people fearing her.At this moment, Silly Girl finally moved its head again, revealing two large round eyes. Seeing the newcomer, its eyes seemed to brighten slightly. It then wrinkled its nose and gently sniffed Xiao Jinglin’s hand, which was scratching its neck. Normally, it would have become so comfortable that it would forget itself, rolling over onto its back and presenting its belly to you.
However, Silly Girl clearly had little energy today. Although it poked its head out to play with Xiao Jinglin, its body remained curled into a ball and did not move. Even when Xiao Jinglin signaled for it to stand up, it stayed curled up, pretending to be dead.
“Has it not gone out today?” Xiao Jinglin turned to ask the servant responsible for caring for Silly Girl.
The servant replied, “I opened the cage earlier, but the white tiger didn’t seem willing to move. It only ate half of the fresh meat prepared for it compared to usual.”
Xiao Jinglin frowned. “What exactly is wrong with it?”
Just then, Xiao Jingxi also arrived. He walked over to Silly Girl, bent down, and gently patted its head, seemingly gesturing for it to stand up. Silly Girl, who had been unwilling to move all along, glanced at Xiao Jingxi. Then, under Xiao Jinglin’s expressionless gaze, it slowly stood up, though the movement seemed reluctant and unwilling.
Xiao Jinglin: “...”
With a cold snort, Xiao Jinglin pushed away Silly Girl’s large tiger head, which was attempting to please her again, and stood up.
“What exactly is going on? It was fine the last time I came to see it. Why did it suddenly fall ill?” Xiao Jinglin asked Xiao Jingxi.
Xiao Jingxi was instructing the servant to bring back the fresh meat that Silly Girl had not finished earlier. Hearing her question, he replied, “‘Snow White’ passed away recently, and Silly Girl has been reluctant to go out since then. Perhaps because it moves less and has become picky with food, it has started shedding fur. The more it sheds, the less willing it is to go out.”
In response to Xiao Jingxi’s words, Silly Girl let out a weak “Aowu—”
Xiao Jinglin was somewhat surprised. “‘Snow White’ is the white Persian cat that Nanny Xin used to raise?”
Xiao Jingxi nodded. “Yes. Sometimes, I would have someone bring ‘Snow White’ over to play with it.”
Xiao Jinglin then lowered her head to look at the areas where Silly Girl was reportedly shedding fur. However, Silly Girl refused to reveal the bald spots, no matter how much Xiao Jinglin tried to force it. Frustrated, she could only shoot an unwilling glance at Xiao Jingxi.
Xiao Jingxi walked over and stroked Silly Girl. It was unclear how the two communicated, but Silly Girl eventually shyly revealed the areas where it was shedding fur. If it were human and had human expressions, its face at that moment could only be described with one word: “mortified and indignant.”
Ren Yaoqi glanced at the bald spots on Silly Girl and indeed saw several small patches where fur was missing. It was far from attractive, and she seemed to understand why Silly Girl was unwilling to let others see it. She couldn’t help but find it quite amusing.
“Is that all? Is it otherwise healthy?” Xiao Jinglin asked, still somewhat concerned.
Xiao Jingxi patted Silly Girl’s tiger head again, and it immediately lay back down. Just then, the servant brought in fresh meat mixed with some medicine and placed it in front of Silly Girl. Silly Girl sniffed the meat with its nose, then lay back down again, seemingly disdainful of it.Xiao Jingxi nudged the plate of meat toward Silly Girl, patted its head, and said softly, "Choose one: eat or take a bath."
Under the strange gazes of everyone present, the big white tiger, which bullied the weak but feared the strong, slowly stood up, lay down in front of the plate, and began eating with little enjoyment.
Xiao Jinglin held back for a moment but couldn’t resist. She looked expressionlessly at Xiao Jingxi and asked, "Why does it only understand what you say?"
Ren Yaoqi also looked at Xiao Jingxi curiously.
Noticing Ren Yaoqi’s gaze, Xiao Jingxi curved his lips slightly and replied seriously, "It’s not that it only listens to me. I learned about its habits from the animal trainer and picked up some training techniques."
Xiao Jinglin suddenly understood, glanced at Xiao Jingxi, and said with a pout, "That sounds just like your usual way of doing things." For anything he liked, he would rather spend more effort and patience to keep it under his control.
Thinking this, Xiao Jinglin glanced at Ren Yaoqi with some concern. She worried that if Ren Yaoqi married Xiao Jingxi in the future, she might end up completely under his control, just like Silly Girl. Because if Xiao Jingxi wanted something, there was nothing in this world he couldn’t achieve.
Xiao Jinglin didn’t yet understand that relationships between men and women weren’t about one winning and the other losing. More often, it was about mutual willingness—in simpler terms, "one is willing to hit, and the other is willing to be hit." As for who was the one willing to hit and who was the one willing to be hit between Xiao Jingxi and Ren Yaoqi, only time would tell.
After Silly Girl finished the entire plate of medicated meat, the group patted it and left the side room.
"Don’t worry, everything will be fine," Xiao Jingxi reassured Xiao Jinglin and Ren Yaoqi.
Xiao Jinglin nodded absentmindedly. Xiao Jingxi wanted to say something to Ren Yaoqi, but she remembered how he had teased her earlier. Without even glancing at him, she walked past him without acknowledging him.
Xiao Jingxi was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and followed the two of them.
It wasn’t until the three of them sat in the pavilion drinking tea and Xiao Jinglin got up alone to freshen up that Xiao Jingxi finally found a chance to speak with Ren Yaoqi.
While pouring tea for Ren Yaoqi, Xiao Jingxi leaned slightly closer and whispered, "Still angry?"
Ren Yaoqi ignored him.
Xiao Jingxi set down the teapot and said softly, "Don’t be angry. I apologize. I didn’t mean to tease you on purpose. That trick earlier was something I specifically learned from someone… and I’ve only shown it to you."
Ren Yaoqi’s face flushed. Xiao Jingxi’s words, "I’ve only shown it to you," made her heart race uncontrollably. Deep down, she knew Xiao Jingxi had done all this just to make her happy, and she wasn’t truly angry with him.
So, Ren Yaoqi glanced at Xiao Jingxi, her face still red, picked up the teacup in front of her, and took a sip, accepting his apology.
Seeing this, the gentle smile in Xiao Jingxi’s eyes made him look incredibly charming. Even a young maid standing outside the pavilion accidentally glanced over and immediately blushed, her heart racing as she lowered her head, not daring to look again.
Ren Yaoqi looked at him for a while before silently turning her gaze away.
The two sat quietly in the pavilion for a moment until Xiao Jingxi spoke up, "Don’t worry about the Empress Dowager’s arranged marriage. I’ll handle it."Ren Yaoqi lowered her head and gave a soft "Mm."
Xiao Jingxi looked at Ren Yaoqi, whose face was flushed and who remained silent, and couldn't resist teasing her: "If in the end I can't refuse..." He deliberately paused, intending to gauge Ren Yaoqi's reaction before adding, "I'll still only marry you."
However, he had overlooked someone's presence.
Thus, a cool voice interjected from behind them: "Didn't Father help you refuse? If you don't have the skill, don't take on the task. With your health condition, you'd better give up the idea of enjoying the company of multiple beauties sooner rather than later."
The smile on Xiao Jingxi's face stiffened. Sure enough, Xiao Jinglin emerged from behind them, glanced at Xiao Jingxi, and calmly took her seat.
Ren Yaoqi looked at Xiao Jinglin, then at Xiao Jingxi, whose expression had faltered, and couldn't help but let out a chuckle. This time, her laughter was filled with schadenfreude, and she felt not an ounce of sympathy for Xiao Jingxi.
Ignoring Xiao Jingxi, Xiao Jinglin began discussing the Thousand Gold Banquet with Ren Yaoqi, sharing what she had learned about the reason behind the Empress Dowager's sudden interest in participating.
Upon hearing it was due to Consort Wan, Ren Yaoqi was taken aback and furrowed her brows.
She sensed that this matter was aimed at her.
Many people said she resembled the late Consort Wan, while Miss Yan resembled Empress Dowager Yan. Given Empress Dowager Yan's lingering resentment toward Consort Wan, she would certainly not tolerate Ren Yaoqi outshining Miss Yan, especially since Xiao Jingxi had rejected the Yan family's marriage proposal because of her.
Empress Dowager Yan had gone to great lengths to send people to Yanbei for the Thousand Gold Banquet. Although ten young ladies were officially sent, Miss Yan was sure to appear. This was clearly meant to pit Ren Yaoqi against Miss Yan.
Yet, whether she won or lost, it would be troublesome.
Winning would be a slap in the face to the court and Empress Dowager Yan, while losing would disgrace Consort Wan and the Prince of Hezhong, and also embarrass the Yanbei Prince's Mansion, which had chosen her over the Yan family's marriage proposal. It was truly a dilemma.
As if reading her thoughts, Xiao Jingxi remarked casually, "If you win, you win. I've only heard of sore losers, never of those afraid to win."
Though his tone was ordinary, his words carried a hint of confidence and pride. If the Prince of Yanbei were here, he would surely clap Xiao Jingxi on the shoulder and laugh heartily, saying, "Good son! You haven't let your father down!"
Ren Yaoqi looked at Xiao Jingxi and asked curiously, "What if I lose?" Even if the Yanbei Prince's Mansion wasn't afraid of offending Empress Dowager Yan, was Xiao Jingxi so confident she would win?
Xiao Jingxi smiled at her question and replied with just two words: "You won't." He seemed even more confident than Ren Yaoqi herself.
Yet, Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but recall her impression of Miss Yan.
In her previous life, she had never met Miss Yan in person, but she had heard of her title as the "Number One Beauty of the Capital." While this title might have been somewhat inflated due to Empress Dowager Yan's influence, there was no doubt Miss Yan was a beauty; otherwise, the title would have been a joke.She had also heard that the young ladies of the Yan family were talented and accomplished. The Yan family was an aristocratic lineage with deep heritage, so raising their daughters to excel in every aspect was not particularly difficult. In the first few decades after the founding of the Great Zhou dynasty, many aristocratic families were still unwilling to intermarry with the imperial clan. It was only after several generations of accumulation that the Li family gained the confidence to stand among the great aristocratic families today.
Thinking of this, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but recall the events of her past life, when the eldest daughter of the Yan family had followed Xiao Jingxi to Yanbei with her dowry in tow. She gently set her teacup down on the stone table in the pavilion, which was draped with a brocade tablecloth, producing a muffled thud.
In her past life, the eldest daughter of the Yan family had come to Yanbei several years later. The current Miss Yan should only be thirteen or fourteen years old. Whether it was because she admired Xiao Jingxi or for some other reason, Miss Yan had never married in her previous life.
“What’s wrong?” Xiao Jingxi, sitting beside her, suddenly asked, looking at Ren Yaoqi.
Ren Yaoqi snapped out of her thoughts, carefully examined him for a moment, then slowly turned away, took a sip of tea, and remained silent.
Xiao Jingxi frowned, feeling a bit unsettled, and couldn’t help but glance at Xiao Jinglin.
Xiao Jinglin promptly responded with an elegant roll of her eyes, a gesture that inexplicably reminded one of the Prince of Yanbei speaking in his refined tone, using his uniquely magnetic voice to utter profanities.
“As they say, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles. We just need to find out what this Miss Yan is good at and then defeat her on stage,” Xiao Jinglin said, carrying the same dashing and roguish air that was typical of Princess Xiao.
Ren Yaoqi was amused by Xiao Jinglin’s words. “How exactly do we ‘know ourselves and know our enemy’?”
Xiao Jingxi was about to say, “I’ll send someone to investigate for you,” but Xiao Jinglin, ever eager to stir up trouble, spoke first: “Isn’t it simple? There’s someone right here who has met Miss Yan a few times. I heard he even listened to her play the qin once. Just ask him.”
Ren Yaoqi turned to look at Xiao Jingxi.
Ren Yaoqi’s gaze was as calm and indifferent as usual, but for some reason, Xiao Jingxi broke out in a cold sweat. He cleared his throat and said, “I only happened to meet her twice when I went to the capital. Once, when I arrived at the Empress Dowager’s palace, she happened to be playing the qin.” He paused, then quickly added, “There were quite a few people present at the time.”
Xiao Jinglin snorted lightly, clearly disapproving of Xiao Jingxi’s tendency to attract attention.
Ren Yaoqi then asked, “How well does Miss Yan play the qin?”
Xiao Jingxi paused, weighing his words carefully. “Her technique is quite proficient, not bad at all. However, in terms of artistic depth, she still falls short of you.”
Xiao Jingxi had originally intended to say she didn’t play well, but at the last moment, he decided to tell the truth. Although he wanted to please Ren Yaoqi, he didn’t want to deceive her over someone insignificant. He had no interest in Miss Yan to begin with, and being evasive would only make things worse.
It must be said that Xiao Jingxi understood Ren Yaoqi quite well—better than most people in this world. If he had said Miss Yan played poorly to please Ren Yaoqi, she would have thought he was being glib. Now that Xiao Jingxi said Miss Yan played the qin quite well, Ren Yaoqi actually believed him, and the slight frown on her brow relaxed a little."Why did the Empress Dowager suddenly take notice of the Thousand Gold Banquet?" Ren Yaoqi steered the conversation back on track.
Although Xiao Jinglin had just told her it was because Empress Dowager Yan wanted to compete with Consort Wan, what Ren Yaoqi was really asking was how these rumors had reached Empress Dowager Yan's ears.
Since Xiao Jinglin had been in charge of investigating this matter earlier, she replied, "I also found it somewhat strange at first. On the surface, it seemed that because this year's Thousand Gold Banquet was held on a much larger scale than previous years and was highly praised, word spread to some noblewomen in the capital. Then, through their accounts, it reached the Empress Dowager, which sparked her interest."
Ren Yaoqi frowned. "Empress Dowager Yan has always been wary of Consort Wan. Few dare mention Consort Wan in her presence." Especially words praising Consort Wan's beauty—that would be akin to courting death.
"It's said that a lady who doesn't often reside in the capital accidentally let it slip." Those familiar with Empress Dowager Yan naturally wouldn't dare mention Consort Wan.
Ren Yaoqi still had doubts, as she had a suspect in mind and felt the incident was too coincidental.
Xiao Jinglin said, "If someone is truly scheming behind the scenes, traces will eventually be uncovered. Don't worry, I'll continue investigating." While looking into the matter, Xiao Jinglin also harbored suspicions. If someone was indeed pulling strings behind the scenes, that person must be quite capable—at least skilled enough in appearances to avoid leaving any obvious evidence.
Since Xiao Jinglin had taken the initiative to investigate, Xiao Jingxi merely listened without interrupting.
The three of them sat in the pavilion and chatted for a while longer before leaving the hot spring villa. Before departing, they visited Silly Girl once more.
As before, Xiao Jingxi first escorted Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jinglin to their carriage. Though he said nothing, his smiling gaze lingered on Ren Yaoqi, his gentle eyes as tangible as ever.
Xiao Jingxi's attention always made Ren Yaoqi feel that no matter when she turned around, she would see his focus solely on her.
Her heart fluttered.
Xiao Jinglin, as usual, used her own carriage to take Ren Yaoqi back to the Ren residence. When the carriage reached Zhengyang Avenue, they heard the sounds of firecrackers and gongs and drums outside. The coachman inquired through the curtain, "Commandery Princess, it seems a family is delivering betrothal gifts. Should we pull over and wait or take a detour?" Delivering betrothal gifts was part of the wedding customs, where the groom's family sent gifts to the bride's home.
Xiao Jinglin lifted the curtain to look outside and saw they had already traveled most of Zhengyang Avenue. Taking a detour would mean a long roundabout route, and with many people gathering to watch the spectacle, turning the carriage around would be difficult.
"Pull over for now and wait for them to pass," Xiao Jinglin said, lowering the curtain without a hint of impatience.
Ren Yaoqi glanced at Xiao Jinglin and teased, "You're quite the restrained Commandery Princess."
Given the Xiao family's status in Yanbei, wherever Princess Xiao wished to go, others would willingly and without complaint make way for her, no matter how important their affairs. Yet, when Xiao Jinglin's coachman saw the betrothal procession blocking the road, his first instinct was to ask whether to detour or wait.
As the saying goes, servants reflect their masters. This showed that although Xiao Jinglin often maintained a stern, aloof demeanor to keep others at a distance, she was actually approachable and unpretentious.
Xiao Jinglin understood Ren Yaoqi was teasing her but didn't mind. "They're celebrating joyfully. Why spoil their fun? It's just a short wait—it doesn't matter."The most difficult person to serve in their prince's mansion is Xiao Jingxi. Wherever he goes, he puts on a grand display, and his pickiness about food, clothing, and daily necessities is simply outrageous. When Xiao Jinglin was young, driven by a certain unspeakable jealousy toward Xiao Jingxi, she often complained about her brother to the Prince of Yanbei. This was because the Prince of Yanbei himself was not so particular. Having campaigned abroad for years, he often ate from the same pot as his subordinates, and there were plenty of times when he huddled with others to eat roasted sweet potatoes and drink wild vegetable soup.
During those times, the Prince of Yanbei would comfort Xiao Jinglin: "Daughter, let's not stoop to your brother's level. He was frail and sickly since childhood, and your mother, afraid he wouldn't survive, raised him like a girl. We, father and daughter, are out here doing great things and standing tall. Isn't all this hardship precisely so they can enjoy peace and comfort behind our backs? Be a good girl and give in to him, alright?"
When Xiao Jinglin was still young, this was how the Prince of Yanbei resolved conflicts between his children, and he always prided himself on his cleverness.
Princess Xiao was truly naive in her childhood. After being coaxed by her father a few times, she believed him and never noticed anything amiss in his words. So, although she disliked Xiao Jingxi's pickiness and fastidiousness, she was always willing to protect him.
Thus, a child's personality is greatly influenced by their parents' upbringing. By the time the Princess Consort realized her daughter was growing increasingly "wayward," her temperament resembling her father's rather than her own, it was already too late to correct it.
While Xiao Jinglin was still reminiscing about the unavoidable conflicts she had with Xiao Jingxi in her childhood, Ren Yaoqi was listening to the conversation outside the carriage.
"These past few days have been auspicious ones, quite lively indeed. Yesterday, two bridal sedans even collided, and the two grooms nearly took the wrong brides. What a hilarious scene it caused!"
"Indeed. Although today's family is only presenting betrothal gifts, the display looks quite grand. I wonder which family's young master it is?"
"It's the Zhou family. The Zhou family's young master studies at Yunyang Academy and is said to be immensely talented with a bright future! Oh, and I heard this young master Zhou's father is an official at the Yanbei Prince's Mansion."
"Oh, no wonder then..."
By then, the procession delivering the betrothal gifts had passed, and the coachman drove the carriage back onto the street, making the two people's conversation inaudible.
"What's wrong? Is something the matter?" Xiao Jinglin noticed Ren Yaoqi seemed lost in thought and asked.
Ren Yaoqi looked up with a smile. "It's nothing. I just think I might know the family that just delivered the betrothal gifts." From the conversation she overheard, Ren Yaoqi thought the Zhou family young master they mentioned might be Zhou Wen.
Xiao Jinglin nodded without further inquiry, as she had little interest in such matters.
Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but wonder: Was Zhou Wen about to get married?
But then again, considering how Ren Yaoying and the Zhou siblings had parted on bad terms, and how Ren Yaoying had shown Zhou Wen no mercy in her efforts to shake him off, it wasn't surprising that Zhou Wen was now marrying someone else.
Xiao Jinglin still escorted Ren Yaoqi to the entrance, watching her enter the mansion before leaving.
In the evening, when Ren Yaoqi went to bid Madam Li goodnight, she unusually asked, "Has Ninth Sister's marriage been settled?"
Madam Li replied, "It should have been settled long ago—the He family from Zhuozhou that your grandmother mentioned before."Back when the Ren Family expelled Ren Shimin from the clan, they kept his illegitimate daughter Ren Yaoying within the family, all because they had secretly arranged a marriage for her without Ren Shimin's knowledge. Ren Shimin had never liked Ren Yaoying to begin with, so in the end, he simply acted as though he had no such daughter. As for that son-in-law who was even older than him, he had no intention of acknowledging him at all.
The Ren Family must now be bitterly regretting their decision. If they hadn’t sold Ren Yaoying off so early, with Madam Li’s status as a Commandery Princess now in play, Ren Yaoying might have been able to marry into a higher position, and the conflict between the Ren Family and Ren Shimin could have been eased somewhat.
But alas, hindsight is always twenty-twenty.
Apologies for not finishing earlier due to the word count.
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