When Ren Yaoqi saw the qin sent by Mr. Pei, she was utterly astonished—even more so than when she had seen the nine large carriages from the Prince of Yanbei's mansion. In this lifetime, she had only met Mr. Pei three or four times and had barely exchanged a few words with him. She never expected Pei Zhiyan would give her such a grand gift.
While others might not know, Ren Yaoqi understood the significance of this qin to Pei Zhiyan and his wife. At the same time, she was deeply moved. On the back of this simple, almost crude qin, Madam Pei had personally carved the phrase: "Bound as husband and wife, loving and never doubting." Nothing could better express Mr. Pei's blessings for her and Xiao Jingxi. To receive such sincere blessings from Pei Zhiyan was something Ren Yaoqi had never even dared to imagine in this lifetime.
Days passed one after another, and before long, it was already the ninth month.
Three days before the wedding, Xiao Jingxi went to the ancestral tombs of the Xiao Family. In the ancestral temple, he performed a series of rituals to inform the ancestors of the Xiao Family of his impending marriage and to ask for their blessings.
However, even this journey was not entirely peaceful. On his way back from the ancestral temple to Yunyang City, Xiao Jingxi was attacked by a group of unidentified assailants. Each of them possessed exceptional martial arts skills, and their every move was a lethal strike, aimed at taking Xiao Jingxi's life.
Fortunately, Xiao Jingxi had always been cautious. In addition to his visible entourage, Xiao Hua had also arranged for numerous skilled fighters to protect him in secret. In the end, Xiao Jingxi returned safely to Yunyang City, albeit with a scare.
Upon learning of this, Ren Yaoqi was both frightened and relieved. However, she and Xiao Jingxi were not even allowed to meet at this point. The etiquette officials of the Yanbei Prince's Mansion had sent five or six matrons to the Ren Family, and these women had been accompanying Ren Yaoqi day and night without leaving her side. Thus, Ren Yaoqi could not even send a message or secretly inquire about his well-being.
The day before the wedding, the Ren Family began sending the dowry to the Yanbei Prince's Mansion.
On this day, the streets were packed with onlookers. The teahouses, taverns, and restaurants lining both sides of Zhengyang Street were all filled to capacity, with everyone vying for a good vantage point to watch the spectacle. Those who had missed the excitement when the Prince of Yanbei's mansion had sent additional gifts to Ren Yaoqi were all present this time.
And the spectacle did not disappoint.
Setting aside the dowry provided by the Ren Family and the additional gifts from others, the dowry given by the Prince of Yanbei's mansion alone was enough to astonish the world. Never before in Yanbei had any family arranged such a grand display for a daughter's marriage—not even when the Old Princess Consort's only daughter, Xiao Wei, had married. Ren Yaoqi's wedding was even more magnificent.
From the sheer scale of the dowry, the world could see that the young lady of the Ren Family was not marrying too far above her station into the Xiao Family. At the very least, no other aristocratic family in Yanbei could match such a grand display for a daughter's marriage. Some of the dowry items from the Prince of Yanbei's mansion were treasures that even wealthy commoner families could not obtain, no matter how much money they had. In that moment, no one remembered that Ren Yaoqi was a young lady born into the Ren Family of White Crane Town. In the eyes of the world, she was simply the granddaughter of the Prince of Yanbei, the legitimate daughter of a Commandery Princess, about to be married.
After the Ren Family had grandly delivered the dowry, the Yanbei Prince's Mansion hosted a banquet for them as per custom. However, the task of preparing the bridal chamber and arranging the dowry was handled by specialized personnel. The Ren Family only sent two of Ren Yaoqi's maidservants to remain at the Yanbei Prince's Mansion.According to custom, Ren Yaoqi was supposed to have her sisters accompany her on this night. However, Ren Yaohua had already married and was still in confinement after childbirth. The Ren Family offered to send Ren Yaoying and Ren Yaoyin to keep Ren Yaoqi company, but she firmly refused. She did not want any unexpected complications at this time—it was better to keep certain people at a distance.
Ren Yaoyin’s marriage had not yet been settled, but Ren Yaoying’s wedding date was already set for March of the following year. After failing to prevent it, Third Master Ren had completely washed his hands of the matter. He was never a particularly responsible father to begin with, so he simply chose to turn a blind eye.
However, some people cannot be avoided simply because you wish to.
On the evening of this day, after the Ren Family and the officials sent by the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion had finalized all the arrangements for the following day, someone knocked on the gate of the Ren residence.
The visitor was Ren Yaoying, who had not returned to Yunyang City for a long time.
The gatekeepers were all Nanny Zhou’s people, and they had been carefully instructed. Therefore, when Ren Yaoying arrived, the gatekeepers pretended not to recognize her and refused to let her enter. Ren Yaoying immediately burst into tears.
At this time, besides members of the Ren Family, there were also many officials and matrons sent by the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion to assist with the wedding preparations. The gatekeepers knew that trouble was brewing as soon as Ren Yaoying started crying—after all, losing face at any other time might not matter, but it absolutely could not happen on these two days.
So the gatekeepers went inside to report the matter to Nanny Zhou.
Nanny Zhou had returned from the Lei residence two days earlier specifically for Ren Yaoqi’s wedding. When she heard that Ren Yaoying had come crying to the gate to cause trouble at such a time, she was so furious she nearly cursed aloud. However, no matter what, such family matters could not be exposed in front of the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion’s people, as it would only disgrace Ren Yaoqi.
After reporting to Madam Li, Nanny Zhou allowed Ren Yaoying to enter but refused to let her appear in public and cause a scene. Instead, she confined Ren Yaoying to the inner courtyard, placing four matrons to guard her. As for Ren Yaoying’s maids, not a single one was allowed into the residence—they were sent back to wherever they came from. Ren Yaoying might dare to make a fuss, but would her maids?
After confining Ren Yaoying alone, Nanny Zhou still felt uneasy. She went so far as to add a dose of sedative strong enough to knock out an ox into Ren Yaoying’s meal, rendering her unconscious. She then ordered the four matrons to keep watch without leaving her side for a moment. Nanny Zhou did not even inform Ren Shimin about Ren Yaoying’s return, fearing that he might soften and ask to see his daughter, giving Ren Yaoying an opportunity to cause trouble.
Though not exactly a bad person, Nanny Zhou was never a soft-hearted pushover—otherwise, she could not have protected Madam Li and ensured her safety within the Ren Family for so many years. Therefore, she had no qualms about drugging Ren Yaoying and did not care whether the dosage, which would keep her asleep for three full days, might harm her health. Such considerations were beyond her concern. If circumstances had allowed, Nanny Zhou could have been even more ruthless.
For someone like Nanny Zhou, who had been trained from a young age to serve her master for life, whether she was good or evil depended entirely on the character of her master. If Madam Li had been a scheming, hard-hearted woman, Nanny Zhou might well have had numerous lives on her conscience.Ren Yaoying herself had not anticipated that although she had smoothly returned home, she was drugged before even seeing Ren Shimin and Madam Li, and all the people she brought were stopped outside and did not follow her in.
Now, no matter what Ren Yaoying intended to do upon her return, she was unable to accomplish anything.
Nanny Zhou did inform Ren Yaoqi about Ren Yaoying's sudden return. After hearing this, Ren Yaoqi merely nodded and left the matter entirely in Nanny Zhou's hands. She had no spare time to deal with the likes of Ren Yaoying.
Tomorrow, she would leave home, and from then on, this place would be her maiden home. Ren Yaoqi was getting married for the first time in two lifetimes, and to be honest, it was impossible for her not to feel some nervousness and anxiety. She was just an ordinary woman, after all.
In the evening, Madam Li brought a box to Ren Yaoqi. As soon as Ren Yaoqi saw the box, she knew what it was—she had seen it before when Ren Yaohua got married. She knew the box contained a volume of erotic art.
Although this was the second time Madam Li had done such a thing, she was still somewhat hesitant and vague when explaining her purpose. In the end, she only instructed Ren Yaoqi to take a good look at it herself that night.
After Madam Li left, Ren Yaoqi blushed slightly as she opened the box. However, when she saw the erotic art volume, she was momentarily taken aback because it looked very familiar to her.
Ren Yaoqi took out the volume and casually flipped through it. Inside were indeed images of men and women in intimate poses, partially revealed and partially concealed. But Ren Yaoqi immediately recognized it—this was the volume of erotic art that Ren Shimin kept in his study. Unlike the vulgar erotic art commonly circulated in the market, this volume was painted in a very subtle and aesthetically pleasing style, the work of a renowned artist, and a cherished possession of Master Ren.
When Ren Yaoqi was young, she had accidentally stumbled upon this volume, though at the time, she understood nothing of its contents. She never expected that this volume would become part of her dowry. Her father was truly generous.
Ren Yaoqi carefully flipped through the volume with the same attitude she had when studying the books Pei Zhiyan had assigned her. Throughout the process, aside from her face flushing slightly, she did not feel particularly uncomfortable.
However, when she returned to bed and lay down, she found it difficult to fall asleep. Images from what she had just seen kept involuntarily surfacing in her mind, with the figures replaced by...
Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but feel extremely embarrassed.
That night, many others were also unable to sleep, just like Ren Yaoqi.
One of them was Concubine Fang, who was still secretly confined in a certain residence.
Concubine Fang had been imprisoned all this time, but she had not lacked food. On this day, the person who brought her meal told her before leaving that Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jingxi's wedding would take place the next day. They also objectively and systematically informed Concubine Fang about the dowry and grandeur the Hezhong Prince's residence had prepared for Ren Yaoqi.
After being confined for so long, Concubine Fang had long lost her former charm. Her hair was dry and yellowish, her eyes were swollen with dark circles, and fine lines had appeared on her forehead and the corners of her eyes. Although she was still alive, she was not living well.
Xiao Jingxi had not ordered anyone to persecute her; Concubine Fang had been tormented into this state by the demons in her own mind. It must be said that Second Young Master Xiao was very skilled at attacking people's hearts."Where is Yao Ying? How is my Yao Ying? She's also reached the age to marry." Concubine Fang asked with a somewhat vacant expression, even though she had asked this question many times and knew she wouldn't receive any good answer.
"Fifth Miss Ren has been betrothed by Old Madam Ren to Master He of Zhuozhou. The wedding is scheduled for March next year."
SSS********
Next comes the wedding~ Congratulations~ o(∩_∩)o
Regarding some readers feeling that the maternal grandparents' family was unfair in the dowry given to their two granddaughters...
Actually, at the level of Yanbei Prince's Mansion and Xianwang Residence, every word and action carries intention. They must precisely gauge when to keep a low profile and when to make a grand display.
Readers think the author and maternal grandparents favor Yaoqi, but where in this world is there truly a free lunch? No one gets anything without reason.
The maternal grandparents' family utilized Yaoqi's marriage to Xiao Jingxi for their own gain (with Yaoqi's knowledge and tacit consent). Even when giving Yaoqi her dowry, a large part of the reason was to publicly demonstrate the strength of the Prince of Hezhong's household, using this occasion to loudly announce the Prince of Hezhong's return to the power arena of Great Zhou. Giving Ren Yaoqi some compensation isn't unreasonable.
The chapter mentions that the dowry the Prince of Hezhong gave Ren Yaoqi was nearly comparable to that of a princess married by the imperial family, and Madam Li also mentioned the dowry Consort Wan once promised her... Personally, I believe this was Consort Wan and the Prince of Hezhong subtly expressing their political ambitions through this. They aren't just grandparents; they are politicians.
However... the maternal grandparents never owed Yao Hua anything. They gave her everything they should have at the time, fully fulfilling their role as grandparents. On the contrary, it was Yao Hua who was unwilling to be close to them (from Yao Hua's perspective, this isn't wrong either).
If they had given Yao Hua as much as they gave Yaoqi, would that have been fair to Yaoqi?
As for favoritism, this is something no ordinary person can completely avoid. Doesn't Madam Li show favoritism? Doesn't Father Ren? Even biological parents can't treat all their children exactly equally, let alone others.
(The author loves Yao Hua no less than you readers do. What is hers remains hers, and what isn't hers won't be arbitrarily granted through plot convenience. Everything must follow the story's logic.)
PS: Sometimes when writing, the author prefers to express certain things subtly and implicitly... 〒_〒... If this caused misunderstandings, it's my fault! I didn't make it clear enough.
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