The speaking maid looked up and saw Ren Yaoqi entering, quickly stopping her words and stepping forward to bow.
"Young Mistress."
Ren Yaoqi nodded with a smile.
A clever maid said, "Are you looking for a book, Young Mistress? I'll find it for you."
The maids responsible for cleaning the study were somewhat literate, more than capable of recognizing book titles.
Ren Yaoqi did not refuse her kindness, casually mentioning a book title, and the maid hurried to search the shelves.
Supported by a maid as she sat down, Ren Yaoqi asked, "What were you talking about just now? Who was seriously injured?"
The maids exchanged glances, thinking that even if they didn’t speak of it, the Young Mistress would hear it from others anyway, so there was no harm in telling her. The maid who had been speaking earlier said, "Today, Second Young Master Yun was seriously injured while going out of the city to face the enemy. The Princess Consort sent several doctors skilled in treating external injuries to Yun Mansion."
Ren Yaoqi frowned. "Seriously injured? How serious?"
Hearing this, the maid hesitated for a moment before replying, "I heard that when Second Young Master Yun was brought back, he wasn’t breathing. The Dowager Lady Yun had someone force a bowl of aged ginseng soup down his throat to barely revive him. He’s now clinging to life, but they say the situation is extremely critical."
The maids grew bolder, and another couldn’t help but add, "I heard that Second Young Master Yun led about a hundred men, not only wiping out the rebel army but also holding back the imperial forces. In the end, all the men he brought with him died in battle, and only he was left with a breath of life when our young master sent someone to pull him out of the pile of corpses."
"Second Young Master Yun is truly a hero of our Yanbei."
"Yes, I hope the doctors can save him."
Ren Yaoqi listened as the maids chattered, their words inevitably somewhat exaggerated, but it didn’t hinder her from piecing together roughly ninety percent of what had happened.
Although she had expected Yun Wenfang to have grown over the years, she was still somewhat surprised. She hadn’t imagined he could achieve this much. Even though Xiao Jinglin had mentioned Yun Wenfang’s changes to her before, Ren Yaoqi hadn’t paid it much mind.
Thinking of Yun Wenfang now hovering between life and death, Ren Yaoqi felt a complex mix of emotions. Setting aside her personal grievances with Yun Wenfang, he could be considered a qualified soldier of Yanbei. That domineering and arrogant youth had finally grown up and could stand on his own.
Afterward, although Ren Yaoqi did not deliberately inquire about Yun Wenfang’s condition, she still heard updates from various people. Many were concerned about Yun Wenfang’s injuries, especially unmarried young ladies. They even knew how many times he opened his eyes in a day or how many bowls of medicine he drank.
Yun Wenfang had already attracted many admirers due to his good looks, and this incident drew even more young ladies who worried over his injuries.
It was also thanks to Yun Wenfang’s robust physique and strong willpower. If an ordinary person had suffered such severe injuries, how could they possibly survive? Yet Yun Wenfang ultimately pulled through. However, because his injuries were so severe, he would need to rest in bed for a long time to come.
After Yun Wenfang was saved, people began gossiping about him again.On the day before Yun Wenfang helped his elder brother welcome the bride, his wife Miss Meng returned to her maiden home. It was said that Miss Meng clamored to divorce Yun Wenfang. After hearing their daughter's tearful complaints, the Meng family initially intended to agree. However, after Yun Wenfang suffered such a severe injury, the situation changed again.
The day after Yun Wenfang was sent back to the Yun Family, the Meng family proactively sent their daughter Miss Meng back to the Yun Family. In front of the Yun family members, they reprimanded Miss Meng, instructing her to serve her husband diligently and show filial piety to the elders from then on. They warned that if she dared to sneak back to her maiden home again without the Yun family's permission, the Yun Family would sever ties with her and disown her as a daughter.
When Miss Meng returned to the Yun Family, she looked haggard, her eyes swollen like steamed buns. It was unclear whether she had cried for Yun Wenfang or for herself. Regardless of her inner thoughts, she obediently attended to Yun Wenfang at his bedside, serving him medicine. However, the youthful sparkle in Miss Meng's eyes had vanished completely.
The Meng family had already made their stance clear to Miss Meng: if Yun Wenfang recovered, she was to live a proper life with him; if Yun Wenfang could not be saved, she was to remain in the Yun Family to observe widowhood for him. In any case, they would absolutely not indulge her whims by allowing her to return to her maiden home or remarry.
Yun Wenfang's deeds had already spread throughout Yanbei. Regardless of his private life, he had proven with his life that he was an outstanding soldier of the Yanbei Army. If the Meng family took their daughter back at this time, regardless of whether they were justified, they would ultimately be seen as in the wrong. The world always shows more leniency toward heroes, and the Meng family still needed to establish themselves in Yanbei.
Ren Yaoqi did not deliberately avoid hearing about Yun Wenfang's affairs. Regarding Yun Wenfang, Ren Yaoqi's only reaction was a sigh. By now, she no longer harbored hatred toward him. Instead, she was willing to regard him as a distant acquaintance, hoping his injuries would heal.
Xiao Jinglin rushed back to Yunyang City the day before the Old Princess Consort's funeral. Yun family's eldest young master Yun Wenting returned with her. Xiao Jinglin arrived during the day, and many people recognized her as she entered the city gate. Although Yun Wenting entered the city an hour after Xiao Jinglin, many still linked his departure with Xiao Jinglin's return. Neither the parties involved, the Yun Family, nor the Yanbei Prince's Mansion responded to this.
Xiao Jinglin returned to the Yanbei Prince's Mansion, while Yun Wenting hurried back to the Yun Family to visit his severely injured younger brother.
Since Yun Wenfang's injury, many had turned their attention to the Yun Family. However, with the return of Yun family's eldest young master, much of that attention shifted to him. Having mysteriously disappeared, even missing his own wedding, and finally returning to Yunyang City almost simultaneously with Princess Xiao, Yun family's eldest young master also became a topic of much discussion.
Before people could discern anything substantial about Yun family's eldest young master, the Yun Family announced that Yun Wenting's engagement to the Miss Zhao sent by the imperial court was void. Although the Yun Family did not openly state the reason for breaking off the engagement, vague rumors emerged that Miss Zhao was a spy sent by the imperial court to Yanbei. It was said that the recent turmoil in Yanbei was caused by this Miss Zhao colluding with the Liao people and some traitors. Once this news spread, the people of Yanbei deeply resented Miss Zhao, and no one found anything wrong with Yun family's eldest young master breaking off the engagement.Strangely, the imperial court did not comment much on this matter this time, nor did it express any opinion regarding the Yun Family's broken engagement. To outsiders, this appeared as if the court had a guilty conscience, further solidifying the rumors.
Most of the imperial troops withdrew, leaving only a small detachment to negotiate with the Yanbei Prince's Mansion. Coincidentally, the Yun Family intended to have Zhao Yingqiu return to the capital with this small detachment.
Once the Yun Family made their move, the other families followed suit. Those who had been betrothed by the Empress Dowager quickly followed the Yun Family's lead in dissolving their engagements with the young ladies. These carefully selected girls were ultimately sent back to the imperial court.
As for Yan Ningshuang, who had already married into the Yanbei Prince's Mansion, she remained.
Following the rebellion of Xiao Heng and his son, Xiao Heng was executed. However, the Yanbei Prince's Mansion did not kill Xiao Jingyue or the wives and daughters of Xiao Heng. They were all confined together in a villa in the western suburbs. As Xiao Jingyue's legitimate wife, Yan Ningshuang naturally stayed by his side, sharing both joy and hardship.
In the end, Zhao Yingqiu never managed to leave Yanbei. On the very night she was to return to the capital with the small detachment, she and several other young ladies were found hanged in the post station. Whether they took their own lives or fell victim to someone's scheme remains unknown.
No one cared about the fate of these young ladies. Their performances at the Thousand Gold Banquet were gradually forgotten by all. Although that edition of the banquet was the last hosted by the Yun Family, later generations only remembered the names Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jinglin when mentioning it. In later folk tales and legends, the other participants were either misattributed or given entirely fabricated names.
After the imperial troops withdrew, the Liao Kingdom also quietly retracted its claws. Under the management of the Di Family, Ningxia gradually stabilized, and on the surface, the Great Zhou Dynasty regained its balance.
The Yanbei Prince's Mansion publicly announced that the Liao princess, Yelü Sage, had escaped from the mansion. In reality, given the current security of the Yanbei Prince's Mansion, her escape was nothing short of a fantasy. Thus, the princess was deliberately released.
Ren Yaoqi quietly asked Xiao Jingxi, "During breakfast this morning, was what Father said true?"
Xiao Jingxi raised an eyebrow. "Which part does my lady refer to?"
Ren Yaoqi coughed lightly, her expression odd. "The part where Father said he was moved by the princess's devotion to him and couldn't bear to see her become a prisoner, so he deliberately let her go, hoping she would find a good man to marry upon her return."
Xiao Jingxi: "..."
The couple stared at each other for a moment before both burst into laughter.
Ren Yaoqi realized it was improper to jest about her father-in-law's words and struggled to suppress her laughter.
Xiao Jingxi looked at Ren Yaoqi with a smile. "Don't you know why Yelü Sage was allowed to return?"
Ren Yaoqi also smiled. "I truly don't know."
Xiao Jingxi gave a half-smile. "'The princess is in no way inferior to her brothers, yet why is it not the princess who became the Liao king? I wonder if the princess is content with this?' Wasn't that what you said?"
Ren Yaoqi blinked, smiling without a word.
Xiao Jingxi continued, "Although this princess is a woman, her ambition is no less than that of any man. When she initially came for the marriage alliance, it was her own initiative, but it was also to avoid Yelü Moqi's schemes and bide her time."
"You speak so highly of her. Do you truly believe she can overthrow Yelü Moqi's faction?"Xiao Jingxi tapped Ren Yaoqi's forehead. "Do you think I would let her go back if she could easily overthrow the current Liao King? What benefit would changing the Liao King bring us? The only reason I let her return is because her power is inferior to Yelü Moqi, yet she remains unwilling to accept it."
Ren Yaoqi tilted her head to avoid Xiao Jingxi's finger. "And then, when she shows signs of defeat, give her a little boost so she can see hope of seizing the throne?"
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