"Fertile land yields thriving crops, an auspicious home brings prosperity to its dwellers. My great-grandfather was a firm believer in the art of geomancy during his lifetime," Ren Yaoqi replied softly.
"Oh? Does Fifth Miss also believe in such things?" Han Yunqian smiled slightly, turning his face to the side.
"Young Master Han does not believe?"
Han Yunqian fell silent for a moment, as if deep in thought.
Ren Yaoqi observed his back from behind. Han Yunqian stood tall and straight like a slender bamboo, his posture upright. When silent, he carried a heavy, somber air about him.
After a long pause, he slowly said, "My grandfather, however, did not believe in such things. I recall a few years ago when our ancestral home in Ji Prefecture needed renovation. The uncles in the clan all insisted on hiring a geomancer to inspect it, hoping to bring prosperity to future generations, but my grandfather refused."
"I don’t quite believe in it either," Ren Yaoqi smiled faintly. "This residence is not the ancestral home of the Ren Family. It was bought by my great-grandfather from a wealthy family at the time. The original owners had moved south to escape the Liao people. If geomancy truly worked, shouldn’t they have been safe and sound staying at home? Why would they need to relocate their entire family southward?"
Han Yunqian looked at Ren Yaoqi. With his face turned away from the light, Ren Yaoqi could not see his expression.
A moment later, he chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Fifth Miss makes a valid point."
"I’ve heard the Han Family has resided in Ji Prefecture for generations?" Ren Yaoqi asked casually.
"That is what our family records indicate," Han Yunqian replied gently.
"I’ve never been to Ji Prefecture, so I don’t know how different the lifestyle there is from ours in Yan Prefecture. But you and You Jie’er don’t seem very different from us Yan Prefecture people. Is there anyone in your family born in Yan Prefecture?"
Upon hearing this, Han Yunqian lowered his head in thought before smiling and replying, "No. However, my grandfather’s maternal family originally hailed from somewhere near Yan Prefecture. But after several decades, the relatives from Yan Prefecture have long been lost. They might have moved south as well. I’ve heard that during the chaos in Yanbei, Yan Prefecture was nearly emptied out."
Ren Yaoqi thought to herself that Han Yunqian’s answer was flawless. It even explained why his grandfather occasionally slipped into a Yan Prefecture accent when speaking.
"Fifth Miss came to stroll in the garden?" Han Yunqian asked with a smile, looking at Ren Yaoqi.
Ren Yaoqi replied casually, "I was passing through the covered walkway when I saw someone in the garden. From the back, they looked a bit like my second cousin from the East Mansion. I originally intended to greet him, but it turned out to be you."
Ren Yilin, the illegitimate son of the Second Master of the East Mansion, was about the same height as Han Yunqian, and from behind, they did bear some resemblance.
Han Yunqian chuckled, looking at Ren Yaoqi. "So that’s how it is. I must have been presumptuous. Please forgive me, Fifth Miss."
Just then, footsteps seemed to approach from behind. Ren Yaoqi turned and saw Ren Yiyan and Ren Yihong heading their way, followed by Ren Yaohua, Ren Yaoting, and Han You.
"Fifth Sister, when did you arrive? I was just about to send someone to fetch you and Eighth Sister," Ren Yiyan said with a smile upon seeing Ren Yaoqi and Han Yunqian, though he seemed slightly taken aback.
Ren Yaohua, Ren Yaoting, and Han You also noticed Ren Yaoqi. Ren Yaoting’s gaze lingered on Ren Yaoqi and Han Yunqian for a long while before she remarked with a faint, ambiguous smile, "Fifth Sister came out to stroll in the garden? What a coincidence."
Ren Yaohua said to Ren Yaoqi coolly, "Didn’t I have the maid tell you to wait in the pavilion ahead?"
Her words implied that she had sent someone to summon Ren Yaoqi.Ren Yaoting glanced at Ren Yaohua with a puzzled look, then turned to Ren Yaoqi, whose expression was open and sincere, and her expression softened slightly.
Han Yunqian smiled and said, "I heard someone coming and thought it was Brother Yiyan, so I came over to greet them. I didn’t expect to run into the Fifth Young Lady. My apologies for the intrusion."
Ren Yaohua glanced at Ren Yaoqi, then turned her head away slightly, lost in thought.
Ren Yaoqi walked over to them and asked Ren Yaoting with a smile, "When did Seventh Sister arrive?"
"I heard that You Jie'er had come, and since my mother went to Jizhou for my second brother’s wedding, I also came to take a look." Ren Yaoting turned and smiled at Han You.
"Second Aunt went to Jizhou?" Ren Yaoqi asked in surprise.
"Yes, she left early this morning and probably won’t be back for a couple of days," Ren Yaoting replied casually.
Ren Yaoting said that Second Madame had gone to Jizhou for the wedding of her stepson Ren Yilin, but Ren Yaoqi knew that Second Madame had actually gone to break off the engagement.
In the eyes of outsiders, Second Madame Su Shi was a perfect and virtuous lady of the house. She managed the household well, was gentle and humble, and showed no jealousy. The concubines of Second Master of the East Mansion were all well-behaved and rarely caused trouble, and the two stepbrothers, Ren Yilin and Ren Yixin, also respected their stepmother greatly.
So it was no surprise that she would go to such lengths for her stepson’s wedding.
However, Ren Yaoqi wondered whether, in this lifetime, the daughter of the Liu family would still be so distraught over the broken engagement that she would take her own life.
"The spring scenery is lovely now. Why don’t we go sit in the pavilion?" Ren Yiyan suggested.
"Sister Ting said she would play the qin for us, so the pavilion is perfect," Han You said happily.
Ren Yaoting smiled faintly. "I’m here to embarrass myself. Why must you announce it to everyone?"
Han You blinked. "Well, everyone will hear it soon enough anyway."
"That’s perfect. I’ll have someone fetch the qin," Ren Yiyan said with a smile.
"I already had my maid go back to get it," Ren Yaoting quickly added.
It seemed she had come prepared.
The group walked together to the pavilion and took their seats.
Ren Yaoqi noticed that Ren Yaoyin, who should have been there, was absent and asked about it.
Ren Yiyan replied, "Fourth Sister caught a cold and her throat is a bit hoarse. She said she’ll apologize to Young Master Han and Miss Han another time."
Ren Yaoting’s qin was quickly brought over. She lit incense, washed her hands, and sat in the courtyard, her delicate fingers plucking the strings.
To be fair, Ren Yaoting played the qin quite well, which was why she dared to "embarrass herself." Everyone sat or stood quietly, listening intently.
Han Yunqian had originally been standing facing the lotus pond. Suddenly, with a sharp "zheng zheng zheng—" sound, he frowned and turned around, his gaze meeting the affectionate eyes of Ren Yaoting, who was playing the qin.
Han You suddenly giggled. Seeing everyone look at her, she said somewhat sheepishly, "I told Sister Ting that my brother has an excellent ear for music and can detect even the slightest mistake in the qin’s melody. Sister Ting didn’t believe me and just tested it. See, I was right! If you play well, he won’t notice, but if you make a mistake, he’ll frown and look over."
Those present who were well-versed in music recalled that Ren Yaoting had indeed played a wrong note just then. Although it wasn’t obvious, Han Yunqian had noticed it immediately.
This couldn’t help but bring to mind a saying: "When a melody is off, Zhou Yu turns his head."Legend has it that this Zhou Lang, much like Han Yunqian, was highly skilled in music. Even when heavily intoxicated, he could immediately detect if someone played a wrong note on the qin and would then turn to look at the person who made the mistake, offering them a gentle smile. Many women who admired him would intentionally play wrong notes just to catch a glimpse of Zhou Lang’s attention.
Was Ren Yaoting openly hinting at her interest in Han Yunqian?
Han You, being simple-minded, hadn’t initially thought much of it. However, noticing the strange expressions on everyone’s faces, she thought it over carefully and soon understood, her face flushing with embarrassment.
It was Ren Yiyan who kindly stepped in to ease the tension: “So Brother Han has this quirk too? My third brother also enjoys music. Next time he’s listening to the qin, I’ll have to test him. If he fails to notice any mistakes, I’ll tease him for being a mere pretender to elegance.”
As the eldest brother, Ren Yiyan often carried himself with the dignity befitting his role and was well-liked among his siblings, so everyone graciously laughed along.
Han Yunqian seemed completely unaware of the undercurrents. He smiled faintly, polite and gentle, yet his eyes remained calm and unreadable.
Just as the conversation continued, a maid hurried over. After bowing, she addressed Ren Yaoqi: “Fifth Miss, Third Master asks you to come to the warm pavilion.”
The warm pavilion the maid referred to was the same place where Han Yunqian had played chess with Ren Shimin and Ren Yijun before. Located in the northwest corner of the garden, it wasn’t too far from the lakeside pavilion.
“When did Third Uncle return?” Ren Yiyan asked in surprise.
The maid replied, “Third Master arrived at the warm pavilion not long ago. Upon hearing that the young masters and misses were here, he sent me to invite Fifth Miss.”
Ren Yaoqi stood up, excused herself to the others, and followed the maid toward the warm pavilion in the northwest.
As soon as she entered, Ren Yaoqi saw Ren Shimin standing by the window with his hands behind his back. He turned to look at her as she came in and said, “Come, keep your father company for a few rounds of chess.”
Ren Yaoqi sat down at the chessboard behind Ren Shimin before raising an eyebrow and asking, “Did you call me here just to play chess?”
Ren Shimin glanced at her and sighed, a hint of helplessness in his voice. “I just returned from the outer courtyard. Your grandfather is discussing a marriage alliance between the Ren and Han families with Han Yunqian’s father.”
Ren Yaoqi was startled. How could it be so soon?
Seeing her expression, Ren Shimin shook his head. “I heard the negotiations over the salt well are going smoothly. Both the Ren and Han families have invested heavily, so…”
So they needed a marriage to solidify the alliance?
Ren Yaoqi frowned.
Perhaps it was her bias against the Han family, but she couldn’t help feeling that it was the Han family who urgently needed this marriage to gain the Ren family’s trust.
“Your grandfather called me over earlier. From the way he spoke, it seems the chosen candidate is your sister, Yao Hua.”
Ren Yaoqi’s expression grew even darker.
This engagement had come too quickly. She hadn’t had time to think of a way to stop it. She had assumed that without the interference of Ren Shimin and Ren Yijun in this lifetime, even if the Han and Ren families wanted to form an alliance, it would take some time.
After all, the Han family had only just visited today for the first time regarding this matter.
Could this be what they called fate?
“No one can change your grandfather’s decision. I tried asking subtly if another Ren daughter might be suitable. He said he had already made arrangements and then dismissed me.”
Arrangements? Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but sneer.
If they truly followed his arrangements, none of them would come to a good end."Since things have come to this, you should stay away from Han Yunqian from now on." Ren Shimin suddenly said seriously.
I've been returning late these past few days, and updates have been delayed as well.
My apologies!
(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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