The Ren Family began by leasing coal mines and operating coal pits, with generations settling in Youzhou, Yanbei.
During the decades when the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyan were trampled by the iron hooves of the Liao people, despite losing all their property and the dwindling of their clan members, the Ren Family did not leave this land to migrate south with the imperial court.
Later, the fourth Prince of Yanbei, Xiao Qishan, upholding the prestige of his ancestors, led his followers to recapture the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyan, intercepting the Liao people outside Jiajing Pass and restoring Yanbei to the rule of Great Zhou.
Amidst this period of rebuilding from ruins, the then head of the Ren Family, Ren Baoming, took three gold bars his wife had hidden in a secret compartment of a chamber pot and, disregarding his family’s objections, gambled everything to purchase several unclaimed barren mountain peaks in the Western Hills outside Yunyang City in Youzhou.
Perhaps it truly was the Ren Family’s turn of fortune—the Western Hills turned out to be a treasure trove of coal. The coal excavated from the four or five peaks the Ren Family bought was of exceptionally high quality, with annual production sufficient to supply the entire Youzhou region and even be transported to surrounding prefectures and cities.
Coupled with the family head’s adeptness at maneuvering, within just a few years, the Ren Family’s coal depots spread throughout Yanbei.
With wealth came boldness, and from then on, the Ren Family proclaimed themselves as one of Yanbei’s prominent clans.
After Yanbei was initially stabilized, numerous prominent clans sprouted overnight like bamboo shoots after rain.
Apart from the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion, which had guarded Yanbei for generations and was effectively its uncrowned king, there were also some old northern aristocratic families that migrated back north after the war, such as the Yun Family; the Su Family, which rose to prominence during the Northern Expedition under the Prince of Yanbei; and clans like the Ren Family, which amassed great wealth through various strokes of luck and means.
The old and new aristocrats were mutually disdainful. The new nobles looked down on the old aristocratic families for being impoverished yet arrogant, while the old families scorned the new nobles for their shallow roots and lack of aristocratic bearing. The two factions engaged in covert and overt struggles, scheming and tripping each other up.
It was only after the Prince of Yanbei mediated and the leaders of the two factions—the Yun Family and the Su Family—first reconciled that the situation in Yanbei truly stabilized.
Over the decades, although occasional disputes still arose between the new and old aristocratic families, most had learned to coexist peacefully under the strong pressure of the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion, with many even forming marital alliances.
The wife of the current head of the Ren Family, Ren Yonghe, was born into the Qiu Family, an aristocratic clan from Jizhou. Although her father’s branch was not the main lineage of the Qiu Family, because the Qiu Family’s patriarch had no sons, her brother was adopted as his heir. Thus, the current head of the Qiu Family is actually the biological elder brother of Old Madam Ren, Madam Qiu. Because of this connection, Madam Qiu held her head even higher in the Ren Family. After all, although the Ren Family had, through a twist of fate, barely managed to join the ranks of Yanbei’s prominent clans, compared to old aristocratic families like the Yun Family and the Qiu Family, they still lacked some confidence and standing.
The Ren Family’s main residence is located in White Crane Town at the southern foot of the Western Hills, over ninety li outside Yunyang City. Although White Crane Town cannot compare to the prosperity of Yunyang City, Yanbei’s foremost city, it thrives due to its location at a crucial north-south transportation hub and has historically been a strategic military stronghold.
The Ren Family’s mansion covers an extensive area, with carved beams and painted rafters, pavilions, and towers whose beauty rivals that of southern capital gardens.
It is said that this place was once the ancestral home of a renowned aristocratic family, which was sold cheaply when the entire clan migrated south. It was later purchased by the head of the Ren Family, renovated, and moved into.
Ren Yaoqi has lived here since birth. Before leaving the Ren Family at sixteen, she rarely stepped outside this place—a place that, though aged, decaying, and infested with insects, had been lavishly maintained with added tiles, painted walls, and ornate repairs.After recovering from her illness, Ren Yaoqi stepped out of Purple Magnolia Courtyard for the first time. As she walked beneath the winding corridor and gazed upon the mansion once more, her feelings were entirely different.
To be fair, the previous head of the Ren Family, her great-grandfather, had shown some discernment when purchasing this estate. Setting aside the exquisite and refined buildings, the feng shui and positioning of the entire mansion were exceptionally favorable.
It stood high in the southeast and low in the northwest, backed by the Western Hills and facing the Little White River—a layout known as the "Heaven and Earth Formation" in feng shui studies. Moreover, the Western Hills, with their distant origins and undulating, winding terrain, served as the source of "vital energy" for the estate, making the entire mansion a place that retained wind and gathered qi.
The pavilions and towers rose like clouds, with buildings arranged at varying heights in an orderly yet staggered fashion, where main paths and small trails echoed one another from all directions. The Glory and Splendor Courtyard, where the family head resided, was situated at the very center, its layout resembling the Taiji Yin-Yang Fish Diagram. The inner and outer courtyards together formed eight compounds, arranged in the pattern of the Eight Trigrams.
Fertile soil nurtures thriving seedlings; an auspicious home brings prosperity to its inhabitants.
The person who originally built this mansion must have been a feng shui master of unparalleled skill.
Yet, such an estate was fit even for descendants of dragons and phoenixes. Although the Ren Family could temporarily borrow its fortune, over time, they would ultimately be unable to suppress its noble aura and might even be overwhelmed by its own momentum.
No wonder she had heard, years after leaving the Ren Family, that the family had declined and the mansion had changed hands.
As for where the others who once lived in this mansion had gone, she no longer had any interest in inquiring.
Passing through the tall wall gate of Glory and Splendor Courtyard, adorned with glazed tiles and wall piers, the first thing that caught her eye was the massive Lingbi stone placed in the shallow pool at the center of the courtyard. Named "Majestic Cangshan" for its striking resemblance to mountain peaks, it was said to have been transported at great expense from Anhui by the former family head, Ren Baoming, and was considered one of the estate's marvels.
Circling around the Lingbi stone led to the three spacious reception halls of Glory and Splendor Courtyard. These were usually kept closed, opening fully only during festivals or when hosting guests. When there were many visitors, the two side courtyards to the east and west could also be used.
Passing through the halls, she arrived at the front courtyard of the main residence in Glory and Splendor Courtyard.
Old Madam Ren, Madam Qiu, had an unusual quirk: she disliked flowers and plants, finding their vibrant colors and greenery prone to attracting insects and pests. Thus, the entire courtyard was paved with neatly joined bluestone slabs, with no greenery in sight. Only in spring and summer, when a stray blade of grass occasionally sprouted by the wall, could a hint of green be seen—though it was promptly uprooted by the Coarse-Working Matrons tasked with sweeping the courtyard.
After two consecutive days of heavy snowfall, the skies had cleared. The accumulated snow had not yet melted but had been hardened into ice by the north wind. Ren Yaoqi walked carefully along the corridors or on paths covered with cotton floor coverings.
The courtyard of Glory and Splendor Courtyard, however, was spotlessly clean, with no trace of snow or ice. It had been swept so thoroughly that only the unchanging expanse of bluestone pavement remained visible.
At that moment, two young maids, around twelve or thirteen years old, were kneeling on the bluestone ground in the front courtyard of the main residence.
Dressed in the indigo-blue winter uniforms of second-rank maids in the Ren household, they knelt with their foreheads pressed to the ground in a posture of devout reverence. Yet their bodies trembled like the few withered leaves clinging to branches, whether from cold or fear, it was hard to tell.
As Ren Yaoqi walked past them and stepped onto the stone stairs leading to the main residence’s platform, she could still hear the sound of them sniffing back their runny noses."It's Fang'er and Hui'er, who serve Eighth Miss." Qingmei, who had been a step behind, glanced at the two and hurried forward. She half-covered her mouth with a hand, feigning secrecy as she reported to Ren Yaoqi, unable to hide the excitement in her voice at the prospect of some drama.
Ren Yaoqi paid no heed, standing outside the curtain to wait for the maids to announce her inside.
The Ren Family had strict rules, especially in Old Master Ren and Old Madam Ren's Glory and Splendor Courtyard. One could not enter the main room without permission. On the day Madam Li returned, she had knelt in the corridor for over an hour because Old Madam Ren had not allowed her inside.
Fortunately, Old Madam Ren did not intend to make things difficult for Ren Yaoqi today. The maid at the door quickly lifted the curtain for her: "Fifth Miss, please come in."
Warm air from inside greeted her as Ren Yaoqi stepped in.
The main hall of Glory and Splendor Courtyard faced south with five bays. The central bay was the main hall, but it was empty now, with only two maids standing by the carved moon gate leading to the right side chamber.
Seeing Ren Yaoqi enter, the two maids curtsied and lifted the brocade curtain embroidered with the character for "fortune." Faint sounds drifted out from the right side chamber, along with the aroma of baked pastries.
It was almost time for Old Master Ren and Old Madam Ren to have breakfast.
Younger members of the Ren Family had to come to pay their respects on an empty stomach, only returning to their own courtyards to eat after serving their elders their evening meal.
When Ren Yaoqi entered, she saw First Madam Wang Shi directing her eldest daughter-in-law, Zhao Shi, in setting up the kang table.
On the large kang against the north wall were already laid out over a dozen breakfast dishes of various sizes, with several maids holding unopened food boxes standing nearby.
Eldest Master Ren Shizhong sat with his sons and nephews on rosewood armchairs on the east and west sides. Third Miss Ren Yaohua, Fourth Miss Ren Yaoyin, and Ninth Miss Ren Yaoying stood beneath the south window.
Though Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoqi lived in the same courtyard, they never came to or left Glory and Splendor Courtyard together. Previously, when Ren Yaohua was in the Ren Family, she spent half of each month living in the warm chamber of the east side room of Glory and Splendor Courtyard. Even when staying in Purple Magnolia Courtyard, she always arrived earlier than Ren Yaoqi.
Ren Yaoqi glanced around the room, then bowed to greet her elders.
First Madam turned to her with a smile. "Is Fifth Young Miss fully recovered? Old Madam said yesterday that you should rest a few more days and not rush over for morning and evening greetings."
Ren Yaoqi lowered her head. "I am fully recovered now. It wouldn't be right to stay away any longer out of laziness."
First Madam nodded with a smile. "Good child. You mustn't forget your Concubine Fang's efforts in your quick recovery. Although I manage the household, it was your concubine who arranged for the doctor and medicine this time."
Ren Yaoqi glanced at First Madam, smiled slightly, and bowed in acknowledgment.
First Madam Wang Shi had a good reputation in the Ren Family for being fair and impartial in handling affairs, rewarding and punishing clearly.
She managed what needed managing and turned a blind eye to what didn't.
She didn't claim credit for others' work, nor did she shoulder responsibility unnecessarily.
After exchanging pleasantries with First Madam, Ren Yaoqi walked to the south window to stand with Ren Yaohua and the others. She curtsied to Third Miss Ren Yaohua and Fourth Miss Ren Yaoyin, who were older than her.Ren Yaohua, as usual, paid her no attention, while Fourth Miss Ren Yaoyin gave her a friendly smile and returned the greeting. Ninth Miss Ren Yaoying, who was younger than her, curled her lip and reluctantly offered a perfunctory bow. Ren Yaoqi merely nodded before standing beside Ren Yaoyin.
Completed works by Meinan: [bookid=2288861,bookname=《The Scheming Belle》]
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