When Li Shi married into the Ren family, she only had one Nanny Zhou by her side.

Although Xian Prince didn’t lack people around him, under those circumstances, with swords at their throats, the only person suitable to accompany Li Shi to the Ren family was Nanny Zhou, who had originally served the Xian Prince Consort. Now, the people serving Li Shi’s mother were not properly trained maids and nannies from respectable backgrounds.

Fortunately, none of the old retainers from Xian Prince’s Manor who could follow them to Yanbei were mere decorative pillows. Nanny Zhou could be counted as someone worth ten others. Just from the maids and servants she had trained for Li Shi over these years, one could tell that not having trusted confidants in her dowry didn’t matter—Nanny Zhou could create something from nothing.

This was why Li Shi trusted the people Nanny Zhou selected so much. Even Ren Yaoqi had never doubted Nanny Zhou’s ability to choose people.

The Nanny Xu now standing before Ren Yaoqi with lowered head and clasped hands was someone Nanny Zhou highly recommended. And today, Ren Yaoqi had further experienced her methods.

Ren Yaoqi slowly extended her hand and pulled out a butterfly-and-flower patterned filigree gold hairpin from her hair bun, gently stirring through the medicine dregs on the kang table until she found the medicinal ingredient she had expected. Only then did Ren Yaoqi’s hand pause.

“Where did this come from?” Ren Yaoqi looked toward Nanny Xu, asking with a smile.

Nanny Xu didn’t raise her head: “The manor arranges for people to clear out these filthy things daily.”

Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but be slightly stunned, glancing at Nanny Xu: “You found this from where the filthy things are dumped?”

Nanny Xu quickly said, “This servant had already bathed and changed clothes when she came.” After thinking, she explained further, “The filthy things from our manor are placed to one side, and only disposed of after being picked through one by one.”

Baihe Town had a special place for handling this daily refuse. Things transported from wealthy households like the Ren family would be carefully picked through, even if they were discarded items, to see if anything valuable could be found. After all, to poor people, things flowing out from the gaps between rich families’ teeth might all be good stuff, so many people made a living by scavenging through these things.

Although she had never been to such a place herself, Ren Yaoqi could imagine from her imagination alone how much effort Nanny Xu had spent to find these medicine dregs from among all the refuse from the Ren family.

Ren Yaoqi looked at Nanny Xu, who had cleaned herself up and restored her neat appearance, and remained speechless for a long while.

Seeing that Ren Yaoqi didn’t speak, Nanny Xu pondered and spoke with some caution: “Miss, this servant… this servant accidentally overheard what you and Nanny Zhou said yesterday. Although you were magnanimous in the end and didn’t pursue this servant’s fault, this servant still feels uneasy.”

Nanny Xu glanced at Ren Yaoqi, seeing that she was only looking at her without speaking. Unable to gauge this young mistress, who seemed gentle and easy-going on the surface, she paused and continued: “This servant heard that you wanted to find the medicine dregs used by Eighth Miss, so she took it upon herself to look for them. Please don’t blame this servant for acting presumptuously and doing unnecessary things.”

Yesterday, when Ren Yaoqi and Nanny Zhou were talking, they weren’t certain how much Nanny Xu had heard. Logically, it would have been best for her to pretend she had just entered when Nanny Zhou discovered her, otherwise, she would inevitably be suspected of eavesdropping, which would displease her master.

So what Nanny Xu did today was quite risky.

At this moment, Nanny Xu was indeed somewhat uneasy.

She wasn’t a stupid person—how could she not know that doing this could easily make her master dislike her if she wasn’t careful? So she was gambling.

Nanny Xu had been in the manor for some time now. She felt that Ren Yaoqi had a very gentle temperament and was easy to serve. But if one thought this young mistress was easy to fool because of this, that would be a grave mistake.

On the contrary, after careful observation, Nanny Xu concluded that Ren Yaoqi was someone with strong opinions, as could be seen from how Nanny Zhou, the head nanny of Ziwei Courtyard, obeyed her every word.

But she also sensed that although Ren Yaoqi treated her very well on the surface and had handed over all the affairs of the room to her, never interfering when she dealt with maids and room matters, she always felt that Ren Yaoqi didn’t truly trust her.

Before entering the manor, Nanny Zhou had used many methods on her. She was well aware of this but cooperated earnestly, because she sensed that Nanny Zhou, or rather Third Madam, was looking for a confidant for the young miss.

Although the first half of Nanny Xu’s life hadn’t been particularly satisfactory due to various reasons, she was a clever person with some ambition. Being able to enter the Ren family’s main residence to assist the young miss and follow her to her future husband’s family in the future—this was a rare opportunity for her, one she wanted to grasp, perhaps the only opportunity of her lifetime.

In the end, Nanny Xu indeed stood out from a group of candidate servants through her efforts and intelligence. Originally, she was to serve Third Miss, but later Fifth Miss requested her services. To be fair, initially Nanny Xu had higher hopes for Ren Yaohua than for Ren Yaoqi, so it would be false to say she wasn’t disappointed when her master changed. However, she quickly suppressed this disappointment herself, understanding that there were some things she couldn’t decide, but how she walked her future path was still something she could fight for.

Now, facing her young mistress’s ambiguous attitude, Nanny Xu felt it was worth taking a risk. She could see that, given Ziwei Courtyard’s current situation, Ren Yaoqi indeed needed a capable confidant nanny. Rather than choosing to play dumb, she decided to directly prove her abilities to her master.

Although Ren Yaoqi didn’t speak, Nanny Xu’s changing expressions were constantly observed by her, including the determination to give it her all and the eager desire for recognition in her eyes at this moment.

At this point, Ren Yaoqi could already judge that the Nanny Xu standing before her was still just an ordinary nanny with ambition who wanted to perform well in front of her master and hoped to be valued for her abilities. She wasn’t someone sent by any faction, at least not currently.

As for whether Nanny Xu would be bought off in the future or turn traitor at a critical moment, that was still hard to say. After all, ambition could often become not only the driving force for people to strive upward, but also the fuse leading people down crooked paths.

During this brief period of silence, both the master’s and the servant’s thoughts had turned several times.

Just when the uneasiness in Nanny Xu’s heart was gradually overtaking her confidence, Ren Yaoqi finally spoke.

“Thank you for your hard work in making this trip, Nanny.”

Seeing Ren Yaoqi speak, for some reason, Nanny Xu felt relieved and quickly said: “Sharing the master’s worries is what this servant should do.” Glancing at Ren Yaoqi, Nanny Xu still tentatively asked: “Miss, what do you plan to do next? If there’s anywhere this servant can be of use, please just say the word.”

Ren Yaoqi used the gold hairpin in her hand to lift the four corners of the coarse cloth on the kang table, covering up those medicine dregs: “There’s no need to do anything for now. Take these and dispose of them.”

Nanny Xu quickly stepped forward and collected the package of medicine dregs.

Watching Nanny Xu’s actions, Ren Yaoqi suddenly said: “Nanny Xu, I’m docking three months of your monthly allowance. Do you have any objections?”

Nanny Xu was first shocked upon hearing this. But after she came to her senses, her face showed undisguised joy: “This servant has no objections. This servant thanks Miss.”

Yesterday she had overheard her master and Nanny Zhou talking. Although it wasn’t intentional eavesdropping, she had inexplicably failed to immediately withdraw and had even quietly found what her master wanted.

From yesterday until today, Ren Yaoqi had remained composed and showed no intention of punishing her, which made her very uneasy. Because this indicated that Ren Yaoqi didn’t consider her one of her own people, this seemingly effortless attitude was a form of wariness.

Now, after she had acted presumptuously, not only did Ren Yaoqi not reward her, but he punished her instead. This not only didn’t make her feel wronged, but also made her think that her master would likely value her in the future.

Because only dispensable pawns needed to be appeased, while useful people needed timely reminders.

So Nanny Xu felt at ease.

After Nanny Xu left with a relaxed expression, Ren Yaoqi supported her cheek with her hand, leaning against the kang table and thinking for a while, finally smiling slightly.

“People from the Lin family have come. This time, it’s the Lin family’s eldest madam who came personally. Old Madam wants Madam and all the young misses to go meet her,” Li Shi sent Xi’er to tell Ren Yaoqi.

The Lin family’s eldest madam was Fifth Madam’s mother. This visit to the Ren family was definitely about Ren Yaoyu’s matter.

Ren Yaoqi changed into formal visiting clothes and went to Ronghua Garden with Li Shi and Ren Yaohua.

This wasn’t Ren Yaoqi’s first time meeting Eldest Madam Lin. The Lin and Ren families had close relations, with frequent exchanges during holidays and festivals, and they would visit each other for happy or sad occasions.

By generation, Eldest Madam Lin was of the same generation as Old Madam Ren, though she was much younger. She looked about fifty percent similar to Lin Shi, just more rounded. Ren Yaoyu resembled her more, which explained why Eldest Madam Lin had always been very fond of her granddaughter Ren Yaoyu.

When Ren Yaoqi arrived, Eldest Madam and Ren Yaoting were already there.

Seeing Li Shi arrive with the Ren Yaoqi sisters, Eldest Madam Lin stopped talking and looked at Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua with an affectionate smile tinged with playfulness: “Oh my, these sister flowers truly change every year. Third Madam is truly blessed.”

Eldest Madam Lin was now the head madam of the Lin family, but compared to Eldest Madam of the Ren family, she had more warmth and less airs, always greeting everyone with a three-point smile and seeming familiar with everyone. She was extremely popular in Yunyang City’s circle of madams.

Li Shi brought Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua forward to pay their respects. She took hold of both sisters’ hands, and even after they rose, she continued holding their hands, looking very pleased: “I always say the young ladies from the Ren family are just lovable, unlike those little monkeys in our Lin family who are almost ready to climb on roofs and remove tiles like the boys.”

Everyone loved to hear good words. Old Madam Ren’s expression became more pleasant, and Li Shi modestly said a few words.

Eldest Madam Lin asked the sisters many questions before letting them sit down.

Ren Yaoqi listened as Eldest Madam Lin resumed chatting with Old Madam Ren, talking about everything from the Li and Zhang families’ marriage arrangements to how the price of old ginseng from the northeast had risen by twenty percent since spring. She spoke wittily with a clear, crisp voice. Ordinary matters became more interesting when spoken by her, and even Old Madam Ren couldn’t help but listen attentively.

In short, Eldest Madam Lin was a very talkative person. However, her conversation consisted entirely of recent interesting events in Yunyang City, and she never once mentioned her daughter or granddaughter from beginning to end, as if she had truly come to the Ren family just for a social visit.

Finally, after three rounds of tea when the atmosphere in the room was harmonious and Old Madam Ren was also smiling broadly, Eldest Madam Lin brought up the purpose of today’s visit.

“I know my daughter’s temperament. Fortunately, she married into the Ren family—if she had married into any other family… Ai! In-law, I’m truly sorry for all these years!”

She began by apologizing, causing Old Madam Ren’s tone to soften as she felt compelled to speak up for Lin Shi: “I watched Fifth Daughter-in-law grow up, treating her like my own daughter. She just has a straightforward nature—I don’t believe she has any bad intentions.”

Eldest Madam Lin sighed with both lament and gratitude: “In-law, you’ve been put in a difficult position.”

It must be said that Eldest Madam Lin was a master at managing conversational atmosphere—both sides remained harmonious. Before Eldest Madam Lin could even ask, Old Madam Ren agreed to let her visit Lin Shi and Ren Yaoyu.

But Eldest Madam Lin said with a smile, “Let’s skip Huijun’s place for now. With her temperament, it’s better to let her cool down and learn a lesson. I think the punishment from in-laws is already quite light. I’ll go see Yu’er and then return to report to the old madam.”

Since Eldest Madam Lin had received news and rushed over, she naturally knew that Fifth Master Lin was staying with Fifth Madam Lin. Being a smart person, she naturally wouldn’t disturb the couple’s reconciliation at this time. But she was truly worried about her granddaughter and wanted to see her and ask some questions.

Old Madam Ren nodded and instructed Eldest Madam: “You accompany your in-law to go see Yu’er.”

Eldest Madam Lin quickly said: “Eldest Madam is busy—how could we trouble her to accompany me?” Looking at the young ladies of the Ren family, she smiled: “Why don’t the in-laws send one of the young ladies with me? I find all these girls delightful. Don’t be stingy now.”

Old Madam Ren laughed heartily and looked at her granddaughters: “Then shall Hua’er and Qi’er accompany you?”

Eldest Madam Lin said happily, “That would be wonderful.”

So Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua accompanied Eldest Madam Lin out.

Today was another bright sunny day with perfectly gentle sunshine. Ren Yaohua led the group toward the shaded areas.

The Ren family couldn’t compare to old-established families like the Yun or Qiu families, having shallow roots. The Ren family’s main ancestral hall was located in the northwest of the Ren manor.

Ren Yaoqi wasn’t unfamiliar with this place. In her previous life, after she and Ren Yijun had caused a great disturbance in the ancestral hall, that scene often appeared in her dreams. Ren Yaoqi thought it was probably because her hatred for the Ren family was too deep, with nowhere to vent—the moment she smashed the ancestral tablets was the most unrestrained and satisfying time during all her years in the Ren family.

Eldest Madam Lin chatted with the sisters all along the way, very amiably. She talked a lot, but could never make people dislike her.

When the south-facing two-courtyard complex appeared in everyone’s sight, Eldest Madam Lin suddenly said with a smile: “By the way, you sisters will also go to Yunyang City to watch the dragon boat races this year, right?”

Ren Yaohua nodded: “Yes, we’ll go with Grandmother.”

But Eldest Madam Lin said with a smile, “Yesterday I heard that your maternal grandfather’s family also received invitation cards, and they were sent from Prince Li’s manor.”

Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but be slightly stunned upon hearing this.

The Xian Prince’s family was a very special existence in Yanbei, with status more noble than any aristocratic family. But in daily social occasions in Yunyang City, the Xian Prince’s family was always overlooked.

Most of the time, they weren’t even thought of.

Xian Prince had been in Yanbei for over ten years but had never participated in Yunyang City’s dragon boat races. This year, they received an invitation, and it was sent from Yanbei Prince’s manor—no wonder the Ren Yaoqi sisters would overthink upon hearing this news.

After Eldest Madam Lin mentioned this news, she turned to other topics. It was Ren Yaohua who couldn’t help but ask: “Why would Yanbei Prince’s manor send invitation cards to our maternal grandfather’s family? Didn’t they ever receive them in previous years?”

Eldest Madam Lin smiled upon hearing this, not minding that Ren Yaohua interrupted her conversation, and said good-naturedly: “I heard that a few days ago, when Yanbei Princess Consort was out, she happened to meet your maternal grandmother, and they chatted briefly. The county princess was also there and casually asked whether your maternal grandmother would go watch this year’s dragon boat race. After Yanbei Princess Consort returned, she had someone send the invitation.”

Saying this, Eldest Madam Lin glanced at Ren Yaoqi with a meaningful smile: “Although the county princess rarely returns to Yunyang City, since the Princess Consort only has this one daughter, it’s natural that she would dote on her.”

Every move of Yanbei Prince’s manor had always been the focus of public attention, so the matter of the county princess coming to Baihe Town to find Fifth Miss of the Ren family for an outing was also known to everyone in Yunyang City. Eldest Madam Lin also believed it was because Ren Yaoqi was on good terms with the county princess that the county princess would deliberately mention it when meeting the Xian Prince Consort. Since the county princess had already brought up the people, Yanbei Princess Consort could only send the invitation.

Ren Yaohua was happy, feeling it was good for her maternal grandfather’s family to integrate into Yunyang City’s aristocratic circles.

But Ren Yaoqi thought more deeply about it.

She wondered whether the Xian Prince’s family receiving dragon boat race invitations was just because of the county princess’s casual remark.

For some reason, the face of a certain person who always seemed to carry an ethereal quality suddenly appeared before her, from appearance to bearing, so perfect that not a single flaw could be found. Even with Mount Tai pressing down or swords and blades threatening, nothing could make him change in the slightest.

Every word describing beauty in this world could be applied to him, except that such a person always lacked some human warmth—he was more suited to be worshipped on an altar.

Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but complain inwardly.

Because this person’s thoughts were too difficult to guess, Ren Yaoqi wasn’t certain whether this matter was related to him or what his purpose might be.

Contrary to Ren Yaohua, Ren Yaoqi didn’t want to see Xian Prince’s manor being dragged out to be implicated by all sides when the situation was unclear. Compared to integrating into Yanbei’s aristocratic circles, Ren Yaoqi would rather have Xian Prince’s manor remain safely and peacefully forgotten by everyone.

If Xian Prince’s manor became too active in Yanbei, getting too close to aristocratic families, certain people in the court would lose sleep.

The Ren family’s ancestral hall foundation was much higher than other courtyards, requiring climbing a dozen-step staircase to enter. The ancestral hall was divided into front and rear courtyards. The front courtyard wasn’t much different from ordinary courtyards—both men and women could enter. The rear courtyard only opened during festivals and only male members of the Ren family were qualified to enter.

The place where Ren Yaoyu was confined for reflection was the west wing of the front courtyard—a small Buddhist hall.

Several people climbed the steps, and a maid stepped forward to gently push open the closed door. A spacious bluestone courtyard appeared before everyone.

This ancestral hall wasn’t original to the old residence but was rebuilt by the previous Ren family head, Ren Baoming, after the family moved in, making it much newer than other Ren family buildings. The site selection was said to be extremely particular.

The main hall facing north in the front courtyard had five bays with a hanging mountain-style roof, currently closed. The entire courtyard was cold and quiet—not a single person could be seen at a glance.

Ren Yaoqi heard Eldest Madam Lin sigh and turned to see her reddened eyes.

“Eighth Sister is in the west wing here. Should we accompany Eldest Madam inside?” Ren Yaohua pointed to the west wing and asked.

Eldest Madam Lin, coming to find Ren Yaoyu, would certainly have some private words to say. Ren Yaohua had a good impression of Eldest Madam Lin, so she was doing her a favor by not going in to interfere.

Eldest Madam Lin quickly said, “I’ll go in by myself. You sisters—”

Ren Yaoqi smiled: “We’ll sit in the east wing for a while. When you come out, just have someone call us.”

Eldest Madam Lin thanked both of them and went toward the west wing.

Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua walked toward the east wing. At this time, several servants staying at the ancestral hall came out from the corner room beside the west wing.

Ren Yaohua didn’t need their service and dismissed them, only having them open the door to the east wing.

The front courtyard of the ancestral hall rarely had visitors on ordinary days. The east wing was a hall containing only tables and chairs. Standing at the door, Ren Yaoqi seemed to smell the damp, decaying odor inside—she didn’t like it.

“Let’s wait outside,” Ren Yaoqi said to Ren Yaohua.

Ren Yaohua didn’t mind—they could sit in the corridor.

So the two sisters sat in the corridor waiting for Eldest Madam Lin to come out.

Having nothing to do, the sisters chatted idly. Ren Yaohua asked Ren Yaoqi: “Did you mention this year’s dragon boat race to the county princess?” Ren Yaohua was asking about the Xian Prince’s manor receiving invitations.

Ren Yaoqi shook her head: “I never mentioned it.”

Ren Yaohua couldn’t help but look thoughtful.

Ren Yaoqi had no immediate clues about this matter either and didn’t mention it further.

At this time, crying sounds came from the west wing—Ren Yaoyu’s voice. Though the east and west wings were separated by a large courtyard, Ren Yaoyu’s heart-wrenching sobs still carried over clearly.

The sisters glanced toward the west wing, and both remained silent.

Eldest Madam Lin stayed in the west wing for about half an hour before coming out. When Ren Yaoqi saw her, she noticed her eyes were even redder than when she went in, and though her expression was calm, she couldn’t hide the worry within.

Compared to Old Madam Ren, the grandmother, Eldest Madam Lin had deeper feelings for her granddaughter Ren Yaoyu.

Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua didn’t ask many questions and simply led Eldest Madam Lin out.

On the return journey, Eldest Madam Lin spoke noticeably less.

After returning to Ronghua Garden, Eldest Madam Lin requested to visit Liuli Courtyard. However, she wasn’t going to see her daughter Lin Shi—she wanted to see Concubine Kang.

Old Madam Ren also agreed. This time, it was Eldest Madam who accompanied her, since Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua weren’t convenient to visit Concubine Kang’s quarters.