Ren Shimin frowned and glanced at Ren Yaoying. "Do you truly think this way?"
Ren Yaoying quickly nodded, tears welling in her eyes. "Yes, Father. I would rather become a nun than marry into the He family and bring shame upon you. Father..."
Ren Shimin remained silent for a moment, then sighed. "Go back for now. I will discuss this further with your mother." No matter how much he disliked this daughter, he could not bear to see Ren Yaoying marry a man older than himself. Even though he had left the Ren Family, Ren Yaoying was still part of his household.
Ren Yaoying’s eyes lit up with joy. "Thank you, Father! Thank you!" She then turned an expectant gaze toward Ren Yaoqi. "Fifth Sister..."
Ren Yaoying understood clearly that if she wanted to annul the engagement, relying solely on her father would not be enough. She needed Ren Yaoqi to leverage the influence of the Yanbei Prince's Mansion.
Ren Yaoqi smiled faintly, neither angry nor anxious. "Since Father has agreed to discuss it with Mother, that means he intends to find a way to annul the engagement. You need not worry."
Ren Yaoying quickly replied, "Thank you, Fifth Sister. I will repay you in the future."
Ren Yaoqi merely smiled again, saying nothing.
At that moment, Lei Ting was led in from outside. Glancing up and seeing Ren Shimin, Xiao Jingxi, and the others standing in the courtyard, he looked somewhat surprised. He strode over, first bowing to Master Ren, then greeting Xiao Jingxi and Ren Yaoqi.
Master Ren had a decent impression of his eldest son-in-law and nodded in acknowledgment. Xiao Jingxi was also familiar with Lei Ting, especially after Ren Yaoqi had helped the Lei Family. The two had interacted several times since then. However, today both were visiting the Ren Family as sons-in-law, so Xiao Jingxi carried none of the airs of a young master from the Yanbei Prince's Mansion. His attitude toward Lei Ting was that of an ordinary brother-in-law.
Ren Yaoying, still standing to the side, had not yet left. Her gaze shifted repeatedly between Xiao Jingxi and Lei Ting. At that moment, only she could comprehend the complexity of her emotions.
Since childhood, Ren Yaoying had envied and resented her two elder legitimate sisters, believing she was in no way inferior to them—her only shortcoming was her birth. How unjust fate was! Now, to avoid marrying an old man, she had to humble herself and beg for help. Yet why were Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoqi so fortunate? Ren Yaoqi’s marriage to Xiao Jingxi, a member of the Yanbei Prince's Mansion, was almost too good to be true. And why did Ren Yaohua, as a second wife, also encounter a man like Lei Ting?
Ren Yaoying secretly clenched her fists, a thousand waves of resentment surging from the depths of her heart.
However, no one present paid her any attention. Madam Li had already sent someone to welcome them into the main hall.
Before leaving, Master Ren noticed Ren Yaoying still standing there and instructed her to return first.
This time, Ren Yaoying obediently lowered her head, performed a bow, and complied.
As Ren Yaoqi approached the steps of the main hall, she inadvertently glanced back and saw Ren Yaoying still standing in place, watching them. With the light behind her, the emotions in her eyes were impossible to discern.With Lei Ting's company, the meal that followed became much livelier. The three men sat at one table, eating, drinking, and chatting about various topics, creating a harmonious and joyful atmosphere. Master Ren completely let go of his prejudice toward his son-in-law, though he still felt somewhat uneasy about the man who had married his youngest daughter.
After the meal, Lei Ting and Xiao Jingxi continued their conversation, while Master Ren returned to the main room to discuss some matters with Madam Li. Ren Yaoqi, who had been keeping Madam Li company, said, "Father, you came just in time. I was just discussing with Mother the matter of Ninth Sister's broken engagement."
Master Ren sighed. "This matter is indeed quite difficult to handle. In a few days, I'll send someone to the He family to gauge their stance..."
Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi smiled. "If Father trusts me, why not leave this matter to me?"
Master Ren was taken aback. "You?"
Ren Yaoqi nodded. "Yes, I’ll go and ask the Princess Consort for help. No matter what, the He family will have to show some respect to the Yanbei Prince's Mansion, won’t they?"
Before Ren Shimin could agree, Nanny Zhou grew anxious. "Miss, you’ve only been married into the Yanbei Prince's Mansion for a few days. This is a time when you should be keeping a low profile in front of your in-laws. This doesn’t seem appropriate." In truth, it wasn’t just a matter of appropriateness but also of worth. Asking the Princess Consort for help on behalf of someone else wouldn’t be a big issue, given how much the Princess Consort liked her young mistress, but if that someone was Ren Yaoying, it simply wasn’t worth it.
Upon hearing this, Ren Shimin also shook his head. "Forget it, don’t trouble yourself with this. I’ll ask your Fifth Uncle for help. He has broader connections than I do and does business with many families in Zhuozhou. Perhaps he can help me get in touch with the He family. When the time comes, we’ll just return more of the betrothal gifts to the He family."
Ren Yaoqi, however, pouted and chided, "Why is Father so eager to treat me like an outsider now? Since I’ve agreed to help, I naturally have a way." As she spoke, she winked at Nanny Zhou, signaling her not to worry.
Ren Shimin was neither particularly concerned nor skilled in such matters. Seeing Ren Yaoqi so confident, he thought for a moment and didn’t insist further, only saying, "Then give it a try, but don’t force yourself."
Ren Yaoqi agreed with a smile and then added, "But just now, Ninth Sister said that if her engagement is broken off, she’ll become a nun. That won’t do either. A young lady of marriageable age becoming a nun right after a broken engagement—what will people think of our family?"
Ren Shimin nodded. "You’re right."
Ren Yaoqi continued, "So, I think if Ninth Sister’s engagement is broken off, we should immediately arrange another marriage for her to avoid further complications."
Madam Li couldn’t help but frown. "Arranging a marriage isn’t that simple. It’s hard to find a suitable match..."
Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi smiled at Madam Li and Master Ren. "Who says there’s no suitable match? Didn’t Father have someone in mind before? That outstanding student of yours, Young Master Meng."
Ren Shimin’s eyes lit up at this, but after a moment’s thought, he hesitated. "But if Yaoying’s engagement is broken off, will the Meng family be willing?"Nanny Zhou's eyes shifted, and she suddenly chimed in, "Master, look at what you're saying. How could the Meng family possibly be unwilling? Although Ninth Miss isn't born of the principal wife, her two elder sisters now hold different statuses. As long as the engagement with the He family is broken off, I'm afraid many would want to become brothers-in-law with Young Master Xiao and Master Lei. Besides, Young Master Meng is your student. If he marries your daughter, it would be considered a beautiful story."
Ren Shimin nodded, pondering, "That makes sense too. Then I'll send someone in a few days to sound out the Meng family's intentions."
Ren Shimin wanted to return to continue discussing his favorite topics with his two sons-in-law. Seeing that this matter had been discussed enough, he left.
As soon as Master Ren left, Nanny Zhou couldn't help but ask quietly, "Second Miss, do you really want to help Ninth Miss break off the engagement?"
Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment and smiled, "I saw that Father really doesn't think much of that match with the He family, so I thought I'd help if I can. It's not a big deal anyway. But whether it can be achieved in the end doesn't depend on me."
"Then who does it depend on?" Nanny Zhou frowned and asked.
Ren Yaoqi sighed softly and said calmly, "It depends on Ren Yaoying herself."
Even though she herself didn't have much familial affection for Ren Yaoying, Ren Yaoying was after all her father's daughter. Although Master Ren might not value this concubine-born daughter much, judging from today's situation, he ultimately wasn't happy about Ren Yaoying marrying into the He family. Ren Yaoying was still his daughter.
Because of this, Ren Yaoqi was willing to give Ren Yaoying one last chance, even though she knew that given Ren Yaoying's temperament, she was most likely to waste this opportunity. Ren Yaoqi did this not because she was kind-hearted, but only for her father's sake.
Nanny Zhou was also shrewd. After Ren Yaoqi said this, she thought carefully and immediately understood: "If Ninth Miss truly doesn't want to marry into the He family, and if what she said to Master about preferring to become a nun was sincere, then she definitely wouldn't refuse this match with the Meng family. After all, Young Master Meng wouldn't 'disgrace' Master—he's Master's prized student. If she's unwilling..."
Nanny Zhou couldn't help but sneer at this point. She knew very well what kind of people Madam Fang and her daughter were. How could Ren Yaoying be willing to marry into the declining Meng family? She'd probably rather become Master He's second wife.
Ren Yaoqi said calmly, "If everything she said just now was true, then I'll give her a generous dowry, so that even if she marries into the Meng family, she'll be well-provided for her whole life." Otherwise, Ren Yaoying could go wherever she pleased.
Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jingxi didn't stay for dinner at the Ren Family. When it was about time in the afternoon, they headed home. Madam Li was somewhat reluctant to part with her daughter. Now that both her daughters were married, she suddenly felt the entire courtyard had become much emptier. Master Ren was also reluctant to part with Ren Yaoqi, but he didn't show it too much on his face.
Since the day Ren Yaoqi returned home after marriage, when Ren Yaoying got what she wanted, she had become well-behaved, no longer going out easily to make herself disliked. Every day she stayed in her own room reading, writing, and cultivating her character.
Then, not many days later, Ren Yaoying learned that the He family had agreed to break off the engagement. This made her both overjoyed and secretly proud. Ren Yaoying felt her performance that day had been excellent, not only making her father agree to help her break off the engagement but even making Ren Yaoqi believe her.However, her joy did not last long, for on that very same day, word spread through the Ren Family that Master Ren had already decided to betroth her to Meng Shilin.
Naturally, Ren Yaoying had inquired about Meng Shilin. When she discovered that he was merely a distant branch of the Meng family and lived in utter poverty, she could hardly believe it.
As fate would have it, that day when Ren Yaoying went to pay her respects to Madam Li, she encountered Meng Shilin in the courtyard—he had been summoned to the Ren residence by Master Ren.
Meng Shilin’s appearance was unremarkable. At the time, he wore a robe made of decent fabric, yet it was clearly old and had been washed many times. The moment Ren Yaoying saw his attire, her face instantly turned pale.
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