It was originally expected that the ten young ladies selected by the Empress Dowager would arrive in Yunyang City no earlier than late April. Unexpectedly, less than two months after Ren Yaoqi received the invitation to the Yun Family's Thousand Gold Banquet, several of the young ladies had already reached Cangzhou.
Cangzhou bordered Yingzhou in Yanbei. Ships traveling north to Yan by waterway typically chose to dock at Cangzhou to replenish supplies and decide whether to continue by land or water.
The young ladies, all delicately raised and unable to endure further turbulence on the water, refused to continue by boat. Thus, they traveled from Cangzhou to Yunyang City in Yan Prefecture by land.
It was only mid-April, and even at the slowest pace, the journey from Cangzhou to Yunyang City would take no more than two or three days. It was estimated that the young ladies from the capital would arrive by April 18 at the latest.
Since the Qingming Festival, Yanbei had grown warmer day by day. Even Ren Yaoqi, who was usually sensitive to the cold, had shed her winter clothes for spring attire, though she still added a slightly thicker cloak when going out due to the persistent wind.
On April 17, Ren Yaoqi was in Madam Li’s room, embroidering her red bridal veil stitch by stitch under the watchful eyes of Madam Li and Nanny Zhou. Suddenly, she heard the hushed but lively chatter of several younger second and third-class maids beneath the eaves outside. Though they deliberately lowered their voices, their excitement was palpable.
The senior maid Que'er glanced at Nanny Zhou and quietly slipped out. Que'er had a gentler disposition than Xier and often looked after the younger maids. Worried they might overstep and provoke Nanny Zhou’s wrath, she intended to remind them to behave.
Before long, Que'er returned with Xier.
"Madam, Miss, I heard the young ladies from the capital have arrived outside the city. Many people have flocked to the city gates to see the commotion, and everyone outside is talking about it," Que'er reported as soon as she entered.
Xier added, "I specifically sent someone to inquire, and it’s true—the young ladies are expected to enter the city today. The Yanbei Prince's Mansion has arranged a large estate not far from the mansion to accommodate them."
Nanny Zhou, who harbored deep disdain for anyone associated with Empress Dowager Yan, said coldly, "Warn everyone below to stay properly within the estate. If anyone sneaks out to join the spectacle, they’ll face the cane!"
At this, Xier and Que'er exchanged glances, looking as if they had something to say but were unsure whether to speak up.
Nanny Zhou frowned. "What? Has someone already gone out?"
Que'er hesitated. "The maids and older servants haven’t, but it seems the young master went…"
Nanny Zhou was taken aback and instinctively looked at Madam Li. The "young master" Que'er referred to was Ren Shimin’s illegitimate son, Ren Yihong. While Nanny Zhou could discipline the maids and servants, Ren Yihong was beyond her authority.
Surprised, Ren Yaoqi looked up. "Sixth Brother went to the city gates to see the commotion?" Ren Yihong was typically devoted to his studies, indifferent to worldly affairs, and never frivolous. He would even avoid young ladies from other families from a distance. How could he have gone to the city gates to watch the girls?
Madam Li also expressed doubt. "Yihong went too? He’s never been one for such excitement."Xier said, "The young master didn't go by himself. A classmate from Yunyang Academy came to invite him to go together. Young Master Meng was also there. But I heard they weren't going for those young ladies. This time, along with the young ladies from the capital, there are also several court officials. Among them is a Lord Pei who is greatly admired by those talented scholars. They went together to welcome Lord Pei."
Ren Yaoqi had been holding an embroidery needle in her hand. Upon hearing Xier's words, her heart skipped a beat and her hand trembled, causing the needle to prick her finger. Startled, she quickly moved her hand away to avoid staining the unfinished bridal veil with blood, which would be inauspicious.
Madam Li had been watching her embroider and immediately said, "How could you be so careless? Come, let me see your hand."
Ren Yaoqi asked Xier to come over and tidy up the embroidery basket and take it away. She looked at her finger and said to Madam Li, "It's nothing, just a slight prick. It didn't even draw blood."
Madam Li took her hand and examined it. Perhaps because the embroidery needle was too fine and the prick wasn't deep, there really was no blood. She felt relieved but couldn't help gently chiding Ren Yaoqi, "Look at you, so grown up yet you can't even hold an embroidery needle steady. Earlier, when I asked you to come to my room to embroider, you weren't willing."
Ren Yaoqi promptly and earnestly admitted her mistake. Madam Li was no longer as withdrawn as she had been in the old Ren Family residence. She talked more now, but she also enjoyed nagging her daughter. Ren Yaoqi wasn't sure whether this change was for better or worse, but whenever Madam Li started lecturing her, she felt a headache coming on.
After Madam Li finally stopped, Ren Yaoqi asked Xier, "Which Lord Pei is it from the capital?"
Xier wasn't familiar with the southern court officials. After thinking for a moment, she replied, "I'm not sure either, but earlier I heard the young master's servant say that this Lord Pei is quite influential—he's the emperor's teacher."
Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but feel stunned. Could it really be that her teacher had come?
In her previous life, Pei Zhiyan had indeed come to Yanbei, but Ren Yaoqi didn't know exactly when. However, it definitely wasn't for the same reason as this time, because in her previous life, the Empress Dowager hadn't sent anyone to attend the Thousand Gold Banquet.
Pei Zhiyan was an extremely important person to Ren Yaoqi.
In her previous life, Ren Yaoqi was nominally his concubine. Although they were never truly husband and wife, they had spent many years together and shared a deep bond. She had no intention of marrying and had thought she would spend the rest of her years by his side. But one day, after falling slightly ill and drifting in and out of consciousness, she woke up to find herself back at the age of ten. The events of her previous life now seemed like a distant dream.
Seeing Ren Yaoqi distracted, Madam Li thought she was tired and told her to go back and rest, then return for lunch.
Ren Yaoqi indeed had something on her mind, so she withdrew as suggested.
After returning to the west wing, Ren Yaoqi thought it over and decided to send Pingguo to ask Yuan Dayong for news from outside.
Ren Yaoqi was to marry in September. She had scheduled Pingguo and Yuan Dayong's wedding for June, so that when she married, Yuan Dayong and Pingguo would accompany her as her attendants to the Yanbei Prince's Mansion. The Yuan family was naturally overjoyed with this arrangement. It must be said that Sister-in-law Yuan's foresight was truly remarkable.Xueli and Zhu Ruomei's marriage had also been agreed upon, with the wedding date left for the Zhu family to decide. Zhu Ruomei had now been promoted to Deputy Commandant. Though the rank was not high, he was a proper military officer, and Xueli's status would naturally differ upon marrying him. It was then that Xueli understood why Ren Yaoqi had asked her to postpone her marriage by a year, and she felt increasingly grateful. In the end, Xueli and Zhu Ruomei’s wedding was also set for June.
Among Ren Yaoqi’s senior maids, the newly promoted Pingxia and Qianlan were still young and in no hurry to marry, while Sangshen was only fifteen and could stay for another two years. If Pingguo hadn’t been favored by the Yuan family early on, Ren Yaoqi would have been reluctant to let her marry so soon.
On this day, Yunyang City was bustling. The residents were extremely curious about the young ladies who had traveled from afar to Yanbei for the Thousand Gold Banquet. Although these ladies remained inside their carriages upon entering the city, preventing the crowds from catching a glimpse of their beauty, people still gathered at the city gates to watch the excitement.
However, there were many guards in Yunyang City, especially on a day like this, and those assigned to duty were particularly diligent. Thus, despite the massive crowds, no incidents occurred. Still, it was said that a few of the young ladies were frightened by the enthusiastic hospitality of the Yanbei people and, exhausted from the long journey and unaccustomed to the climate, fell ill.
While it was lively outside, the Ren Family in Yunyang City remained as quiet as usual. Under Nanny Zhou’s early instructions, no one dared sneak out to join the excitement, and everyone stayed obediently indoors.
As evening approached, there was still no news from Yuan Dayong, but Ren Yihong returned first.
When Ren Yihong came to the inner courtyard to see Ren Shimin, Ren Yaoqi also went to the main hall.
By the time Ren Yaoqi arrived, Ren Yihong was already discussing the day’s events with Ren Shimin.
"...There were too many people, and I almost got separated from my classmates. Unfortunately, I still didn’t get to see Mr. Pei," Ren Yihong said, his tone tinged with disappointment.
Ren Yaoqi interjected, "Which Mr. Pei?"
Ren Yihong looked up at Ren Yaoqi, greeted her as "Second Sister," and replied, "It’s Lord Pei Zhiyan. I heard he was recently demoted for some reason, and this time he volunteered to accompany the young ladies to Yanbei. Many at the academy have read his book Annotations of Hanmo and greatly admire him, so when we heard he was coming to Yunyang City, we wanted to meet him."
Ren Yaoqi naturally knew of Pei Zhiyan’s Annotations of Hanmo. "Hanmo" was Mr. Pei’s courtesy name. Even before becoming a top scholar, Mr. Pei had already read thousands of books. In those years, he enjoyed jotting down insights and annotations for each book he read. Over time, these accumulated into over a dozen volumes. Initially, only a few friends borrowed them to read, but after he became the Emperor’s tutor, these volumes somehow circulated widely and became known among scholars as Annotations of Hanmo, even reaching scholars in Yanbei who sought them out to study.
So it really was Mr. Pei who had come.
Even though Ren Yaoqi had somewhat prepared herself beforehand, hearing Ren Yihong say this still stirred her emotions.
Ren Shimin also knew of Pei Zhiyan. He said, "I’ve heard that Mr. Pei is on very good terms with Dean Xu. When he arrives, he’s sure to visit Yunyang Academy. You’ll have a chance to see him then, so there’s no need to be so impatient.""Why didn't Mr. Pei arrive today?" Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but ask upon hearing Ren Shimin's words.
Ren Yihong shook his head: "I heard that an official fell ill on the journey. After disembarking, Mr. Pei suggested parting ways with these young ladies, while he stayed behind to look after the ailing official. So he will likely arrive in Yunyang City a few days later."
OpenNovel