"I recall you once told me about the history of the Yanbei Prince's Mansion?" Ren Yaoqi asked in return.
That was several years ago, during one of their meetings, when Xiao Jingxi had mentioned to her the tangled accounts between the court and the Yanbei Prince's Mansion.
Xiao Jingxi looked at Ren Yaoqi, a smile in his eyes.
"Whether the Yanbei Prince's Mansion is a sinner in the eyes of the court, I cannot say. But for the common people, the significance of the Yanbei Prince's Mansion was proven decades ago during that war. The question is not whether the Yanbei Prince's Mansion should retreat, but whether it can retreat."
The court and the people of Jiangnan have never experienced it, and perhaps can never imagine the hell on earth of opening their doors and allowing the iron hooves of the Liao people to trample over them. But the people of Yanbei remember clearly, and even after decades, they have not forgotten.
It is precisely because of this painful memory that the people of Yanbei know only of the Yanbei Prince's Mansion and not of the court. The Xiao Family's prestige in Yanbei far surpasses that of the Li Family in the comfortable lands of Jiangnan.
The people of Yanbei are well aware that if another disaster like the Liao invasion of decades ago were to occur, they would once again be abandoned by the court. The only ones who can and will protect their lives and property are the Yanbei Prince's Mansion.
The thoughts of the common people are simple: they do not care who is in charge; they only care about who can ensure their safety, peace, and sustenance.
"Then, are you afraid or not?" Xiao Jingxi asked, still looking at Ren Yaoqi, his voice soft and low in his characteristic manner.
Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but give Xiao Jingxi a somewhat helpless look. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she felt that today, Second Young Master Xiao was particularly "unreasonable"!
Ren Yaoqi ultimately lacked experience. If her sister Ren Yaohua had been present, she might have understood that Second Young Master Xiao's outrageous behavior today bore a striking resemblance—seven or eight parts out of ten—to Lei Pan'er when she acted spoiled.
However, due to his nature, Second Young Master Xiao expressed it with great subtlety.
Though Ren Yaoqi did not understand, she was, after all, an intelligent woman. So she replied softly, "If you are not afraid, then naturally I am not afraid either." Her words carried a comforting tone that she herself was unaware of.
Yet this single sentence was enough to greatly please Second Young Master Xiao.
In his joyful mood, he became much more normal during their subsequent conversation.
Ren Yaoqi agreed to Zhu Ruomei's request to advance the wedding date. As long as Xueli was willing, she naturally had nothing to say.
Seeing that it was getting late, Ren Yaoqi felt it inappropriate to linger outside for too long and rose to take her leave.
At this point, Ren Yaoqi did not realize why, when she should have been angry about Xiao Jingxi and Yan Ningshuang's private meeting, it had instead ended with her comforting Xiao Jingxi.
The two stood up together, and as their eyes met, a silent understanding flowed between them.
"Yaoyao..." Xiao Jingxi suddenly called out softly.
Ren Yaoqi glanced at Xiao Jingxi, her face slightly flushed.
This was the first time Xiao Jingxi had used her childhood name. His voice was tender and lingering, carrying a special meaning to Ren Yaoqi's ears.
"Hmm," she murmured vaguely, lowering her head.
Xiao Jingxi curved the corners of his mouth, stepped forward, took Ren Yaoqi's hand, and escorted her out.This time, until Ren Yaoqi left the teahouse, Xiao Jingxi said nothing more. Yet even after boarding the carriage, Ren Yaoqi could still feel the lingering warmth of Xiao Jingxi's touch on her palm.
After Ren Yaoqi departed, Xiao Jingxi was in no hurry to leave. About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea after her departure, Xiao Hua entered.
Standing alone by the window, lost in thought, Xiao Jingxi had already resumed his usual demeanor by the time Xiao Hua came in. Dressed in dark robes with jet-black hair, his unparalleled handsomeness and the peerless grace in his every movement were impossible for anyone to imitate.
However, when subordinates stood before Xiao Jingxi, they often overlooked his appearance, sensing only the imposing pressure emanating from a superior—just as he could always make those beneath him disregard his frail health and focus solely on his strength.
This authoritative presence that compelled obedience and caution, inherent to Xiao Jingxi as a leader, was something Ren Yaoqi had never witnessed.
"How did it go?" Xiao Jingxi glanced at Xiao Hua and asked softly.
Although Xiao Jingxi's face still revealed no discernible emotion, Xiao Hua, who had followed him since childhood, keenly sensed that his master seemed to be in a rather good mood. This eased Xiao Hua's previously tense state somewhat.
Yet Xiao Hua couldn't help but mutter inwardly: they say a woman's heart changes as quickly as a child's face, so why has his master developed this same flaw? This isn't good at all!
But Xiao Hua had one admirable trait: no matter how wildly his thoughts raced, he maintained an expressionless, deep, and steady demeanor, making him appear reliable—extremely reliable!
"Reporting to you, Young Master, after some investigation, the reason Miss Ren's carriage stopped for so long earlier might be due to Lord Pei Zhiyan."
Xiao Jingxi fell silent for a moment, then slightly furrowed his brows. "Pei Zhiyan? Are you certain?"
"It is indeed Lord Pei Zhiyan! Lord Pei arrived in Yunyang City yesterday evening. He did not alert his colleagues from the capital but instead stayed at the Baiyun Inn in the city. Last night and early this morning, Lord Pei took a stroll around Yunyang City. It was only a short while ago that he went to the villa to meet up with the others."
Xiao Jingxi raised an eyebrow, remaining silent for a time.
Xiao Hua stole a glance at Xiao Jingxi, awaiting his next instructions.
Xiao Hua thought that, given his master's temperament, he would surely be sent to investigate in detail the relationship between Miss Ren and Lord Pei, to determine whether they had any prior interactions and, if so, the reasons behind them.
His master might even become suspicious of Miss Ren's identity. After all, logically, Miss Ren had grown up in Yanbei and had never left Yan Prefecture, so it was unlikely she would know Pei Zhiyan. As the saying goes, anything unusual is bound to be suspicious.
Choosing a wife is a major matter, one that cannot afford the slightest carelessness. There aren't many people in this world as foolish as Mu Hu, who could mistake the object of their affection.
Xiao Hua pondered that he might be sent by his master to the capital? But if he went to the capital, the round trip would take at least a month or more. His original plan to ask Nanny Xin, who served the Princess Consort, to find a gentle and lovely wife for Xiao Shun would have to be postponed. However, would this also delay his master's marriage?Xiao Hua's thoughts were galloping wildly when he suddenly heard Xiao Jingxi say, "As for Pei Zhiyan's words..."
But Xiao Hua's reaction was slightly delayed, so the moment Xiao Jingxi spoke, he instinctively lowered his head respectfully and said, "This subordinate obeys the command!"
Xiao Jingxi glanced at Xiao Hua: "..."
Xiao Hua stiffened upon realizing his mistake.
His master hadn't actually said anything yet—what command was he obeying? Xiao Hua silently gave himself ten hard slaps in his mind.
"There's nothing more for you. You may leave." Xiao Jingxi was relatively lenient with his subordinates and didn't rebuke him over such a minor matter.
This time, Xiao Hua dared not let his mind wander or speak out of turn. He quickly lowered his head in acknowledgment.
Just before Xiao Hua left, however, Xiao Jingxi called him back and said calmly, "I ordered you to send people to protect her discreetly, not to have them monitor her. You'd do well to remember this to avoid making mistakes in the future."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Hua felt a chill in his heart. This time, he very solemnly knelt and performed a formal bow to Xiao Jingxi. "This subordinate understands." Only then did he rise and withdraw.
Earlier, when Xiao Jingxi had caught up with Ren Yaoqi, he saw her carriage stopped inexplicably in the distance. At first, he thought Ren Yaoqi knew he would follow and was waiting for him there, but he later realized that wasn't the case.
When Xiao Jingxi reached Ren Yaoqi's carriage and knocked on its side, she didn't even remember the secret signal they used for knocking on carriage walls. At that moment, Xiao Jingxi felt somewhat wronged.
But when he heard the unfathomable emotion in Ren Yaoqi's voice from behind the carriage curtain, his sense of wrong was tinged with unease.
In that instant, Xiao Jingxi suddenly realized there was something about Ren Yaoqi that was beyond his control.
For someone accustomed to being in a position of authority, especially someone like Xiao Jingxi, this was difficult to adapt to at first.
So he had Xiao Hua investigate what had happened to Ren Yaoqi during her time away from the Yanbei Prince's Mansion and whom she had encountered. Fortunately, there were always people sent by Xiao Jingxi to protect her around Ren Yaoqi, so it wasn't difficult to investigate.
Xiao Jingxi was actually worried that Ren Yaoqi had encountered some trouble she couldn't bring herself to tell him or Xiao Jinglin about.
Regardless of the reason, Xiao Jingxi still felt somewhat concerned.
That's why, when he saw Ren Yaoqi today, he displayed some childish behavior, as if he couldn't help but seek confirmation from her—wanting the person he cared about to care for him as much as he cared for her.
Naturally, Xiao Jingxi had some of the unavoidable flaws of those in positions of authority and the intelligent. Meeting Ren Yaoqi was the first time he had truly placed someone in his heart, and the art of interacting with someone close to him was something he still needed to slowly explore and understand.
Fortunately, Xiao Jingxi genuinely held Ren Yaoqi in his heart. When Ren Yaoqi allowed him to hold her gently, Xiao Jingxi's emotions gradually settled.
Second Young Master Xiao was the type of person who, once he realized he had made a mistake, would earnestly strive to correct it.
So, although he still felt some confusion and doubt about Ren Yaoqi's unusual behavior today, he also knew he had to give her his trust.
If there were things she didn't say, he wouldn't ask.She will have a day when she is willing to tell him.
I wanted to post this at 12:58, but the network suddenly glitched, the browser crashed, and then it was past midnight... 〒_〒.
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