When Madam Liao came out, Ren Yaoting was still standing quietly under the corridor, lost in thought.
Turning her head and seeing Madam Liao’s face full of satisfaction, Ren Yaoting’s eyes lit up. She hurried forward to attentively support Madam Liao. “Grandmother, how did it go? Did Granduncle agree to what you discussed with him?”
Seeing it was her only legitimate granddaughter, Madam Liao’s smile widened even more. She patted Ren Yaoting’s hand, which was supporting her, and said, “Of course he agreed.”
Ren Yaoting was overjoyed and began to speak incoherently. “Then Third Sister and Young Master Han’s marriage… won’t happen?”
Hearing this, Madam Liao looked at Ren Yaoting strangely. “How did you know I came to discuss this matter?”
Ren Yaoting stammered, “This morning, when I saw you were in a bad mood, I asked the people in your courtyard.”
Madam Liao wasn’t offended by this; instead, she was pleased that her granddaughter cared about her.
“What about Third Sister…” Ren Yaoting was eager to know the exact news.
Madam Liao said indifferently, “A marriage alliance between two families is no child’s play. How could it be called off so easily? From what I heard, it won’t be long before the Han Family sends a matchmaker to propose.”
Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoting felt as if struck by lightning. “What did you say? Young Master Han is still going to be engaged to Third Sister?”
Madam Liao gave Ren Yaoting a puzzled look. “Why are you speaking so loudly?”
Ren Yaoting’s face turned pale, and she followed Madam Liao in a daze.
A few days later, just as Ren Yaoqi had stepped out of the study in the western courtyard, her maid Sangshen reported to her, “Miss, someone from your maternal grandmother’s family has come. Madam is speaking with them in the main room.”
Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi immediately turned and headed toward the main room, asking as she walked, “When did they arrive? Why wasn’t I informed?”
“They arrived less than a quarter of an hour ago. You were in the study at the time, and the master forbids us maids from entering the study casually, so I didn’t dare go in,” Sangshen replied hastily as she hurried to keep up with Ren Yaoqi’s pace.
Ren Yaoqi said nothing more and went straight to the main room.
Madam Li’s two senior maids, Xier and Que’er, were guarding the entrance, with no other maids or servants nearby. Ren Yaoqi knew at a glance that Nanny Zhou had ordered no outsiders to approach.
When Xier and Que’er saw Ren Yaoqi approaching, they exchanged glances. Xier was about to go inside to announce her arrival, but Ren Yaoqi had already waved her hand and lifted the curtain to enter on her own.
Xier and Que’er looked at each other again but ultimately stood obediently without moving.
When Ren Yaoqi entered, the main hall was empty, but faint voices could be heard from the eastern chamber on the right. She walked to the curtain and heard a woman’s voice inside saying, “…Xia Sheng also found out that the old madam of the Han Family was originally quite capable. Because Han Jianping only had her as a daughter, and his wife died early, she took charge of all matters, big and small, in the household. However, after marrying Han Dongshan, she rarely went out and spent her days managing the household, supporting her husband, and raising her children…”
Ren Yaoqi stood there listening for a moment but did not enter. Instead, she turned and walked back out.
Signaling for Xier to follow her aside, Ren Yaoqi asked, “Is it Miss Yihong who came? She didn’t come alone, did she?”Xier was somewhat surprised that Ren Yaoqi had come out so quickly, and it seemed she hadn’t even gone inside. Nevertheless, she quickly replied in a soft voice, “It’s Miss Yihong who came, and with her is that martial arts student named Xia Sheng. However, as he is a man, he cannot enter the inner courtyard, so Nanny Zhou arranged for someone to take him to the outer courtyard for tea.”
Ren Yaoqi nodded. “They’re talking inside, so I won’t go in.” With that, she turned and left.
When she reached the gate of Purple Magnolia Courtyard, Ren Yaoqi beckoned to a matron. “Go to the outer courtyard and bring the man named Xia Sheng, who came from my maternal grandfather’s residence, to the Yiran Pavilion outside the Inner Gate.”
Although Yiran Pavilion was not within the inner courtyard, it was very close to the Inner Gate. Usually, when matrons or maids needed to meet people from the outer courtyard, they would do so there. Because the pavilion offered excellent visibility and there were always people moving nearby, there was no fear of any improper conduct. When the masters needed to go out, if their sedan chairs or carriages hadn’t arrived yet, they would also wait in the pavilion for a while. Therefore, Ren Yaoqi going there wouldn’t be seen as inappropriate.
Ren Yaoqi returned to her room, changed into outdoor clothes, and then headed toward the Inner Gate with two maids and two matrons.
Xia Sheng had already been led to Yiran Pavilion and was waiting there.
Seeing Ren Yaoqi come out, Xia Sheng was somewhat surprised, as he had thought it was Nanny Zhou who had summoned him.
“Young Mistress,” Xia Sheng bowed respectfully.
Ren Yaoqi nodded. “Was it you who went to Jizhou this time?”
Xia Sheng cupped his hands in reply. “Yes, Young Mistress, it was me.”
“I have a few questions I’d like to ask you. I’m afraid Yihong’s account might not be as clear as yours,” Ren Yaoqi said, smiling at Xia Sheng.
“Please ask, Young Mistress.”
“The former clan head of the Han Family, Ren Jianping, only had one daughter. Since Han Dongshan couldn’t succeed as clan head, who is the current clan head?”
“The current clan head of the Han Family is Han Jianxin, a distant cousin of Han Jianping. He is nearly twenty years younger than Han Jianping and about the same age as Han Dongshan, but his seniority is higher, so Han Dongshan recommended him as clan head. Although Han Jianxin is the clan head, he relies heavily on Han Dongshan. All matters, big or small, in the clan are discussed with Han Dongshan before decisions are made. A few years ago, when the Han Family wanted to establish a clan school, it was also Han Dongshan who proposed it. The expenses for the school were all covered by Han Dongshan, so his prestige within the clan is even higher than that of Han Jianxin, the clan head.”
“Oh? Then no one in the clan speaks ill of him?” Ren Yaoqi raised an eyebrow slightly.
Xia Sheng thought for a moment and replied, “No, there isn’t. Han Jianping actually had one or two closer cousins, but their attitude toward Han Dongshan was even less favorable than those who were more distant. There’s one named Han Jianmin, who is Han Jianping’s cousin. I heard that Han Jianping once considered adopting his youngest son to inherit the family business. Later, for some unknown reason, Han Jianping abandoned this idea. Not only did he entrust all the family’s assets to his son-in-law, Han Dongshan, allowing him to enter the Han Family ancestral hall, but he also meticulously planned to build Han Dongshan’s prestige within the clan.”"After Han Jianping passed away, Han Jianmin originally planned to join forces with several clan brothers to drive out Han Dongshan, but Han Dongshan preemptively punished them. A few years later, Han Jianmin died, and no one among the Han Family clansmen took the lead to stir up trouble anymore, as Han Dongshan had been quite considerate toward those clansmen. During my recent trip to Jizhou, almost everyone in the Han clan spoke highly of Han Dongshan. Even those from close branches dared not openly criticize him. Only Han Jianmin's youngest son, Han Zuwang, seemed deeply dissatisfied with Han Dongshan and said many unpleasant things. However, I investigated his claims, and most turned out to be slander."
Xia Sheng spoke with a hint of disdain, clearly looking down on Han Zuwang.
Ren Yaoqi, however, fell into thoughtful silence. Han Zuwang's character was irrelevant to her; she only wanted to disrupt the marriage alliance between the Han and Ren Families.
"What is Han Zuwang's family situation like?"
Since Han Zuwang was one of the few in the Han Family willing to speak ill of Han Dongshan, Xia Sheng had indeed investigated him thoroughly. Upon hearing the question, he replied, "Han Zuwang's father, Han Jianmin, had three sons. He had originally intended to have his youngest son adopted by Han Jianping, so after Han Jianmin's death, Han Zuwang—once the most favored son—ended up inheriting very little family property. After the three brothers divided the estate, he stubbornly stayed in the ancestral house allocated to the eldest brother, refusing to leave, and relied on occasional support from his two older brothers. Whenever drunk, he would tell anyone who would listen that everything Han Dongshan now possessed should have been his, and that an outsider had no right to the Han Family's wealth. His resentment toward Han Dongshan likely stems from this."
"Oh? And Han Dongshan just lets him spout such nonsense?" Ren Yaoqi asked with a smile.
Given Han Dongshan's capabilities—able to pacify the entire Han clan—how could he fail to handle a single Han Zuwang?
Xia Sheng shook his head. "Han Zuwang is convinced that Han Dongshan's property rightfully belongs to him, and he has no shame to lose. He is impervious to both soft and hard tactics, and even his two brothers find him a headache. He is a troublemaker. He once publicly claimed that his father died under suspicious circumstances for opposing Han Dongshan, and if anything ever happened to him, it would surely be Han Dongshan's doing. Because of this, no one dares to touch him."
Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi grew somewhat interested in the man. He didn’t seem entirely witless.
"In my last letter, besides asking you to investigate the Han Family’s relatives, I also asked you to look into Han Dongshan’s background. Did you find out anything?" Ren Yaoqi inquired further.
She had been quite satisfied with Xia Sheng’s earlier answers. In her previous life, she had interacted with him for a period and understood his working style—though he appeared rough, he was meticulous by nature. That was why she had specifically requested Xia Sheng to go to Jizhou in her last letter."I asked an old man who used to work for the Han Family. Han Dongshan indeed came fleeing from the south. In the thirty-second year of Qinglong, a drought struck the south, followed by a locust plague. Many people starved to death, and quite a few fled to Yanbei, which was relatively less affected. It was during this time that Han Dongshan fled to Jizhou with a group of people. Once, when Han Jianping was out, he encountered some desperate refugees who, on the brink of starvation, had resorted to robbery. Han Dongshan saved him, and afterward, Han Jianping brought him back to the Han Family. According to Han Dongshan, his family had all died, and he had some distant relatives on his mother’s side in Yanbei, so he came to seek refuge. However, due to the long passage of time and the Liao people’s invasion, he could no longer find those distant relatives, so he stayed with the Han Family. Later, he won Han Jianping’s admiration and was taken in as a son-in-law."
"Besides this, nothing else could be found?" Ren Yaoqi frowned. "He never mentioned his previous family?"
Everyone has a background and origins. She refused to believe that Han Dongshan had sprung from a rock or that he had left no traces of his past over all these years. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come to Qidian to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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