Ren Yaoqi instructed Pingguo and Sangshen: “You two wait outside.”

Pingguo and Sangshen didn’t dare say anything and both lowered their heads in acknowledgment.

Ren Yaoqi raised her hand to push open the door and walked into the private room.

This private room had inner and outer sections. The space wasn’t too large, but the decor was quite exquisite and refined. From the furnishings and small details, one could see a certain elegance.

Ren Yaoqi went straight into the inner room.

Xiao Jingxi sat at the table with his head lowered, quietly fiddling with something. The light streaming in from the window cast a warm, golden glow on the hand closer to the window. Even just looking at his profile was quite pleasing.

Only when Ren Yaoqi approached did she discover that what Xiao Jingxi was tinkering with in his hands was a jade nine-ring puzzle. Just as Ren Yaoqi looked over, Xiao Jingxi happened to solve the nine-ring puzzle.

Xiao Jingxi looked up and smiled at Ren Yaoqi, then raised the nine-ring puzzle in his hand: “Want to try?”

Ren Yaoqi reached out to take it, but Xiao Jingxi slightly raised his hand to avoid her, then lowered his head to restore the nine-ring puzzle he had just solved back to its original state.

Ren Yaoqi sat down in the seat beside him and watched quietly.

Only after Xiao Jingxi had finished did he hand the nine-ring puzzle to Ren Yaoqi.

“Shall I time you?” After saying this, Xiao Jingxi somehow produced a small hourglass from nowhere, placed it on the table, and looked at Ren Yaoqi with a smile.

Ren Yaoqi glanced at the hourglass, then lowered her head to work on the puzzle at an unhurried pace. She had played with this thing when she was young, but she had somewhat forgotten how to solve it and could only explore slowly while working on it.

Xiao Jingxi sat beside her, watching. He didn’t speak or offer guidance.

As a result, when most of the sand in the hourglass had fallen through, Ren Yaoqi still hadn’t solved it. She looked at the hourglass, then at Xiao Jingxi, who was just smiling without saying anything, and placed the nine-ring puzzle back on the table.

Xiao Jingxi raised an eyebrow: “What’s wrong?”

Ren Yaoqi said, “It’s not my strong suit. I won’t waste any more time on it.”

Xiao Jingxi asked teasingly with amusement: “Giving up so easily?”

Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi shook her head, then picked up the nine-ring puzzle again to examine it: “If it’s just about solving it, there’s a very simple method—smashing it open. However, I noticed that this nine-ring puzzle seems to be Young Master Xiao’s beloved possession, so I’ll refrain.” This nine-ring puzzle looked as though it was frequently handled and had a lustrous sheen.

Xiao Jingxi chuckled softly: “Mm, Tonghe found it a few days ago while organizing my trunks. Before I turned ten, it was my beloved possession.”

Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi looked curiously at the nine-ring puzzle: “It’s preserved so well. It seems Young Master Xiao is someone who cherishes old things.”

Xiao Jingxi just smiled without speaking and poured Ren Yaoqi a cup of hot tea.

“Zeng Pu seems to be quite successful lately?” Ren Yaoqi watched Xiao Jingxi’s tea-pouring movements and asked softly.

Xiao Jingxi set down the teapot and smiled slightly: “Even before the Wu family came, Ningxia was never a monolithic block. Although Zeng Pu, this Ningxia General, is more in name than reality, the title is still there. For the sake of profit, there will certainly be people who want to align themselves with him.”

Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment and frowned: “But if we let him pick them off one by one like this, won’t Yanbei also have a headache?” The Yanbei Prince’s Manor wanted to stabilize the situation in Yanbei, and Ningxia played a crucial role, which was why the court decided to move against the Wu family this time.

Xiao Jingxi looked at Ren Yaoqi thoughtfully: “You seem very concerned about Ningxia’s affairs. Is there a particular reason?”

Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi was silent for a moment, then said: “The Zeng family came to the Ren family to propose marriage a few days ago.”

The marriage arrangement between the Zeng and Ren families was still at the private negotiation stage and hadn’t been made public. Since Xiao Jingxi hadn’t been in Yunyang City much recently, he hadn’t paid attention to such small matters.

Hearing Ren Yaoqi’s statement, Xiao Jingxi misunderstood, and his expression changed: “To whom did they propose?”

Only then did Ren Yaoqi realize she hadn’t been clear and quickly said: “It’s my third sister. Zeng Pu proposed marriage for Zeng Kui to my third sister.”

Xiao Jingxi breathed a sigh of relief and coughed lightly: “Oh, I thought…”

Xiao Jingxi didn’t finish his sentence, and Ren Yaoqi wasn’t foolish enough to ask. The two fell silent for a while.

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Jingxi continued: “Zeng Kui? This person is probably not a good match.”

When Ren Yaoqi heard Xiao Jingxi say this, she knew he must have investigated the Zeng family himself before Zeng Pu came to Yanbei and was aware of the things Zeng Kui had done when he was in the capital.

Ren Yaoqi nodded: “I’ve also heard some rumors about Zeng Kui, so I don’t approve of Third Sister marrying into the Zeng family. However, the old master of the Ren family, that is, my grandfather, has intentions of forming a marriage alliance with the Zeng family.”

Xiao Jingxi couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows, but considering that Old Master Ren was Ren Yaoqi’s grandfather, Xiao Jingxi still said nothing.

Though Xiao Jingxi didn’t speak, Ren Yaoqi was not polite: “I only have one elder sister. I don’t want to see her sacrificed by the family in exchange for those ridiculous benefits.”

Xiao Jingxi nodded: “What do you want to do?” He paused, then said gently, “I’ll help you.”

Ren Yaoqi had come to find Xiao Jingxi today precisely to ask for his help, but hearing this statement from him still made her feel a flutter of emotion.

Ren Yaoqi lowered her head and said softly, “I do indeed need your help with this matter. The Ren family has reached a point where they should receive some lessons.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingxi was somewhat surprised: “What kind of lesson?”

Ren Yaoqi said slowly: “To try to hedge one’s bets and play both sides, one must see if they have the weight to do so. The Ren family made their fortune in Yanbei, yet my grandfather wants to open Ren family coal yards throughout the entire Great Zhou. Now it’s time for him to make a choice. Between Yanbei and the capital, he can only choose one. If the Ren family chooses the capital, then they should give up these coal mines and coal yards in Yanbei.”

Xiao Jingxi paused: “If the Yanbei Prince’s Manor seals the Ren family’s coal mines, the lives of everyone in the Ren family will probably be affected, including you.”

Ren Yaoqi smiled: “It doesn’t matter. My grandfather is a smart man. He knows how to choose.”

Xiao Jingxi liked to see Ren Yaoqi smile, but at this moment, seeing her smile made him feel somewhat heartbroken.

Ren Yaoqi looked at Xiao Jingxi and blinked: “Of course, I can’t let you work for nothing. Isn’t the Yanbei army currently short of silver? The Ren family’s silver should be enough to solve your urgent needs for a while. You can keep it in hand for some time.”

Xiao Jingxi shook his head with a laugh: “How can you be like this?”

Ren Yaoqi smiled without speaking.

How the Ren family had made their fortune—she knew, and Xiao Jingxi knew as well.

“By the way, is there any news about Fang Yacun?” Ren Yaoqi hadn’t seen Xiao Jingxi for a while, and knowing he was busy with Ningxia affairs, she hadn’t asked him about the Fang family matters.

Xiao Jingxi said, “Fang Yacun can also be considered a capable official. Do you know where his foundation lies?”

Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment, then said with certainty: “The Fang family!”

Xiao Jingxi nodded: “So if you want Fang Yacun to have no chance of fighting back completely, you should start with the Fang family. As for officialdom matters, they change rapidly. The reason why Chuzhou Prefect Feng Mian initially favored Fang Yacun was simply because the Fang family had money to manage affairs for him. The Fang family contributed significantly to Feng Mian’s promotion, so naturally, he would in turn support Fang Yacun. If Fang Yacun loses the backing of the Fang family, then no matter how capable he is, he will find it difficult to move an inch in Jiangnan’s officialdom.”

Xiao Jingxi’s words made Ren Yaoqi’s eyes light up.

It was fortunate that Xiao Jingxi told her about these intricacies; otherwise, with her in Yanbei and Fang Yacun in Jiangnan, it wouldn’t be easy to know one’s enemy and oneself.

“Thank you. I know what to do now,” Ren Yaoqi said sincerely.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingxi smiled and said softly: “You don’t need to thank me.”

Just then, Pingguo reported through the door: “Miss, the two nannies have finished buying the pastries.”

Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi knew it was time for her to leave.

Although she trusted that Xiao Jingxi had certainly arranged everything here properly so that no one would know they had met privately, it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to disappear from public view for too long.

Ren Yaoqi glanced at Xiao Jingxi and stood up: “I need to leave first.”

Xiao Jingxi looked at her and nodded: “Alright.”

Ren Yaoqi curtsied and was about to turn and leave when Xiao Jingxi spoke again: “By the way, if you have any business to handle in Jiangning, you can send someone to find Ninth Master Chu of the Chu family in Jiangning. Just say you’re from the Yan family. I remember that the Fang family’s eldest daughter, Fang Yahui, married into the Qin family, and Ninth Master Chu’s legitimate wife is from the Qin family.”

Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but stop in her tracks and said hesitantly: “I don’t know if this Ninth Master Chu can be trusted? What I need to do might be…”

Ren Yaoqi was thinking about this very matter. She had a way to bring down Fang Yacun, but finding the right person to facilitate this was a problem. If necessary, she could only turn to the Prince’s Manor for people or ask Zhu Ruomei for help. However, whether it was the Prince’s Manor or Zhu Ruomei, extending their reach to Jiangning would require some time.

Xiao Jingxi understood Ren Yaoqi’s concerns and said gently, “You can entrust him with whatever business you have. He won’t say a word about it.”

When Xiao Jingxi said this, Ren Yaoqi somewhat understood. This Ninth Master Chu was probably someone the Yanbei Prince’s Manor had placed in Jiangning.

But this made Ren Yaoqi feel even more apologetic.

Seeing that Ren Yaoqi was contemplating silently without speaking, Xiao Jingxi thought for a moment, then looked at Ren Yaoqi with a smile: “Well, you can use my people, and I’ll collect silver from the Ren family afterward.”

Ren Yaoqi remembered their earlier conversation and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Alright, thank you.”

Ren Yaoqi bid farewell to Xiao Jingxi and walked out of the private room.

Seeing Ren Yaoqi emerge, Tongxi immediately led her downstairs, saying as they went: “I’ve already had the teahouse staff arrange for Fifth Miss’s people to drink tea in front. After you get in your carriage, I’ll have them go wait for you at the front entrance.”

When Ren Yaoqi had entered through the side door, she had only brought Pingguo and Sangshen, leaving the others outside.

Ren Yaoqi nodded and said Thanks.

After Ren Yaoqi got in her carriage, Tongxi arranged for someone to drive the carriage out, and sure enough, the other women servants and maids she had brought emerged from the front entrance of the teahouse.