After Xiao Jingxi made that statement, the rumors outside about the Yanbei Prince's Mansion's young master being "destined for supreme nobility" indeed subsided. Of course, some still spread, but now they spoke of the young master being "blessed with great fortune" or "the reincarnation of the Literary Star." Over time, the people of Yanbei came to know that Young Master Xiao was a child blessed with good fortune, and no one associated him with so-called "imperial bearing" anymore.
Ren Yaoqi naturally breathed a sigh of relief.
After giving birth, Ren Yaoqi followed Mother Gong's instructions and properly completed her confinement period. During this time, she did nothing but eat and sleep. Even when she occasionally wanted to fetch a few books from the study to relieve boredom, her maids would stop her, saying that mental exertion was most taboo during confinement.
She could see the child every day. The little one was well cared for, growing more delicate and fair-skinned with each passing day. Ren Yaoqi often couldn't resist the urge to pinch that adorable little face. Because of this, she didn't find the confinement period dull at all. With her husband and child by her side, what more could she ask for?
Since the child had already attracted enough attention at birth, the full-month celebration was not grandly held. Only close relatives were invited verbally, without even sending out formal invitations. This was the Princess Consort's idea—Yanbei had just experienced a war, the Old Princess Consort had passed away less than a year ago, and most importantly, they did not want to diminish the child's blessings. Ren Yaoqi agreed with this.
On the full-month day, the Prince of Yanbei named the child Xiao Weizhuo, with the pet name "Azhuo." "The greatest straightness seems bent; the greatest skill seems clumsy; the greatest eloquence seems inarticulate." Perhaps the Prince of Yanbei chose this name because the child had attracted too much attention at birth.
Several female relatives from her maiden family came to Ren Yaoqi's quarters to chat and laugh. Third sister-in-law Madam Qi also came. From the Ren Family, only Madam Qi and Ren Yijun and his wife attended. Since Madam Qi and Ren Yijun held more favor in Ren Yaoqi's eyes than other members of the Ren Family, they now had significant influence within the family. However, neither Ren Yijun nor Madam Qi had ever come to Ren Yaoqi to make any requests on behalf of the Ren Family.
The Ren Family was now far from what it used to be. When others mentioned the Ren Family, they said it had declined. Indeed, the Ren Family had declined—its former assets were completely gone, even the ancestral home had been mortgaged to pay debts. The money they had was only enough to feed the entire family, and nearly seventy to eighty percent of the maids and servants had been dismissed. Yet Ren Yaoqi felt that the Ren Family was better now than ever before.
Master Ren the Elder, having suffered this blow, was somewhat disheartened. However, the younger generation—Ren Yiyan and Ren Yijun—stepped forward. They were now trying to learn business from their fifth uncle, Ren Shimiao, not seeking to restore the family's former glory, but only hoping to maintain the basic livelihood of the entire family.
Ren Yiyan was understandable, but Ren Yijun surprised Ren Yaoqi. This young master's temperament somewhat resembled his third uncle, Ren Shimin—he viewed commerce as a lowly profession and was rather aloof.
Ren Yaoqi once asked Ren Yijun about this. The young master glanced at her from the corner of his eye and said, "If the whole family is about to starve, what's left to indulge in refined pursuits? Can I, a grown man, rely on a woman to support me? That would only disgrace myself! A true man knows when to yield and when to stand firm. Once I've provided for my mother and wife, I'll return to listening to the sages' teachings!"
This made Ren Yaoqi and Madam Qi laugh uncontrollably.Ren Yijun and Ren Yiyan supported the family from outside, while First Madam taught her daughters-in-law, Zhao Shi and Madam Qi, how to manage the household. The family lived in harmony, but unfortunately, neither Zhao Shi nor Madam Qi had children, which worried First Madam to the point of graying hair. If Old Master Ren and Old Madam Ren were still in charge, the two daughters-in-law would have suffered greatly for the eldest branch having no heirs. Although First Madam was also dissatisfied and considered arranging concubines for her sons, Ren Yijun dismissed the idea with a single sentence: "We have no money to support idle people!"
First Madam knew the Ren Family could no longer withstand any turmoil, so she let the matter drop and did not bring it up again.
Ren Yaoyin was still staying at the nunnery. First Madam had thought about bringing her back, especially since Ren Yaoyin was getting older. Neither Madam Qi nor Zhao Shi objected to First Madam bringing her back.
Madam Qi said, "Fourth Sister has been at the nunnery for so long; it's time to bring her back. However, bringing her back abruptly might invite gossip from those with loose tongues. Fourth Sister is no longer young. Why don’t you, Mother, first find a good match for her? When the time comes, we can bring her back and announce that she is returning to prepare for her marriage."
Zhao Shi quickly agreed.
First Madam thought this made sense. She was well aware that Ren Yaoyin’s brothers were now effectively in charge of the family, and the opinions of her sisters-in-law were important, especially since Ren Yaoyin’s dowry would come from the family’s shared funds. Privately, she could only supplement it with some of her old jewelry.
But when it came time to actually arrange a marriage, First Madam grew worried. The Ren Family had fallen so low that families who once associated with them would naturally not consider Ren Yaoyin. The only ones willing to marry her were local gentry, ordinary merchants, or even widowers. The stark contrast was too much for First Madam to accept, and she couldn’t help but blame herself for not marrying Ren Yaoyin off earlier, while also resenting Ren Yaoyin for ruining her own prospects with her reckless behavior. The plan to bring Ren Yaoyin back was put on hold again, as First Madam feared that upon returning and seeing the situation, Ren Yaoyin would become even more resistant to marriage. It was through this incident with Ren Yaoyin that Ren Yaoqi realized her third sister-in-law, Madam Qi, was quite shrewd and would not hesitate to be ruthless when necessary.
Madam Qi casually remarked while holding Azhuo and playing with her, "Ninth Sister’s wedding date is approaching."
Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow and glance at Madam Qi. Madam Qi had always known that neither Ren Yaoqi nor Ren Yaohua had any regard for Ren Yaoying, so she rarely mentioned her in their presence. In fact, if Madam Qi hadn’t brought it up, Ren Yaoqi would have almost forgotten about Ren Yaoying.
Sure enough, Ren Yaohua’s expression turned cold. "Why bring her up on such a fine day? Whether she marries or not has nothing to do with us. Father has already said we won’t acknowledge this marriage."
Ren Yaoying’s wedding had been delayed for various reasons. Originally, the He family wanted to break off the engagement, but after the head of the He family went to White Crane Town on business and met Ren Yaoying once, he changed his mind.
Ren Yaohua sneered, "In the inner courtyard of a secluded residence, meeting her so easily—she certainly has some skills!"
Madam Qi couldn’t help but feel somewhat awkward. "First Madam originally ordered people to keep an eye on her, but with the Ren Family short on hands, she slipped away unnoticed..."Ren Yaohua said, "Third Sister-in-law, there's no need to say more. I don't blame you at all. Originally, disciplining Ren Yaoying wasn't the responsibility of First Madam or you sisters-in-law. If anything, it's our fault. If not for Grandmother... We know exactly what kind of person Ren Yaoying is. Even if you had someone watching her every step of the way, she would still find a way to sneak out and meet men if she wanted to."
Madam Qi was amused by Ren Yaohua's blunt and straightforward disdain. "Speaking of which, I still don't quite understand what Ninth Sister is thinking. Wasn't she making a fuss about refusing to marry before? Now she's rushing into it."
Enemies understand each other best. Ren Yaohua immediately scoffed, "What's so hard to understand? Back then, she refused to marry because she thought she could find someone better. Now that Father has disowned her and the Ren Family has declined, who else could she possibly climb higher than the He Family?"
Madam Qi smiled. "But if Ninth Sister wants to marry herself, it actually saves a lot of trouble. She's determined to become the mistress of the He Family, so naturally she'll focus on preparing for the wedding these days and cause less trouble. First Madam is already overwhelmed with Fourth Sister's marriage arrangements and probably doesn't have the time to find a suitable husband that meets her expectations."
Ren Yaohua frowned. "Hearing you say that, why do I feel this matter isn't so easily settled?"
Ren Yaoqi took her sleeping son from Madam Qi's arms and, upon hearing this, rolled her eyes helplessly at Ren Yaohua. "Jinx!"
Just as Ren Yaohua was about to retort, her expression suddenly changed. She turned away, covering her mouth as she began to dry heave.
Seeing her face suddenly turn pale, Madam Qi was startled and quickly stepped forward to support her. "What's wrong?"
Ren Yaohua continued to dry heave, unable to speak.
Ren Yaoqi was also worried at first and wanted to send a maid to fetch a doctor. But then, as if remembering something, her eyes lit up with anticipation, and she asked softly, "Sister, did your monthly cycle come last month?"
Madam Qi was taken aback for a moment, then also realized what Ren Yaoqi meant and glanced at Ren Yaohua's abdomen.
Ren Yaohua's face was still pale, but she had finally stopped heaving for the moment. She said uncertainly, "No, but sometimes my cycle is irregular."
Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi was overjoyed and immediately instructed Sangshen, "Go fetch Matron Gong." After a pause, she added, "Also, bring a doctor."
The commotion inside had alerted those outside. Madam Li and the others hurried in, thinking something had happened to Ren Yaoqi.
Matron Gong arrived quickly. After taking Ren Yaohua's pulse twice, she smiled and nodded. "It's a slippery pulse—she's with child!"
Her words put everyone at ease. The doctor who had been summoned was no longer needed. Ren Yaohua gently stroked her abdomen, overjoyed and surprised.
Lei Pan'er clapped her hands happily beside them. "Another little brother is coming! Another little brother is coming!"
Madam Li, who had been worried about her daughter, immediately wanted to offer incense to the Bodhisattva. However, she firmly believed that Ren Yaohua's pregnancy was thanks to Azhuo—because Ren Yaohua had been holding Azhuo frequently lately.
With Ren Yaohua diagnosed as pregnant, Xiao Weizhuo's full-month celebration became even more lively. More people became convinced that Azhuo was a blessed child. Madam Qi even refused to let go of Azhuo, not minding the good-natured teasing from everyone.The birth of Xiao Weizhuo also brought to mind another child of the same generation—the young heir of Yanbei Prince's Mansion, Xiao Weiyong, who was far away in the capital.
Many believed that when the Prince of Yanbei had designated Xiao Weiyong as the heir, it was merely a temporary measure, and that the position of heir would ultimately fall to Xiao Jingxi. Now, with the birth of the young master Xiao Weizhuo, it seemed like a perfect opportunity.
However, regardless of the speculation from the outside world, Yanbei Prince's Mansion showed no intention of changing the heir. Whenever someone tried to probe indirectly, the Prince of Yanbei would sincerely express his affection for his eldest grandson, who was far away in the capital, leaving others uncertain of his true stance.
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