The Lin family’s carriage arrived before Old Madam Ren’s party departed, bringing some farewell gifts for their relatives.

After seeing off the Ren family carriages, Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoyin were brought to the Lin residence.

Ren Shijia was delighted by her two nieces’ arrival and personally showed them to their living quarters.

Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoyin were housed in the west wing of Ren Shijia’s courtyard. The three wing rooms served as their separate bedrooms on either side, with the middle room as a shared reception hall.

Though Ren Shijia also bore the surname Ren, she had a very agreeable temperament, sometimes displaying a childishness quite inconsistent with her age.

The other masters of the Lin family all expressed their welcome to Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoyin. Old Madam Lin invited the sisters to dine with her that evening. Eldest Madam Lin made a special trip to inquire if they needed anything, and Lin Baoling, along with another concubine-born sister from the Lin family, took Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoyin on two separate tours of the entire Lin mansion.

However, after settling them in the courtyard, Ren Shijia specifically came to find them once more, instructing them to stay in the courtyard when they had nothing to do and not to interact too much with the Lin family members. If they had to go somewhere, they must inform her beforehand and report back immediately upon return.

When Ren Shijia said these things, her face bore worry and unease that she tried hard to conceal.

Seeing Ren Shijia like this, both Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoyin obediently agreed. Seeing their compliance, Ren Shijia smiled as if to comfort them: “It’s nothing—Aunt knows you’ve always been well-behaved. I’m just afraid you might be unfamiliar with people and places and suffer some loss, nothing more. When I have free time in a few days, Aunt will take you around Yunyang City.”

After Ren Shijia left, Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoyin sat in the reception hall for a while longer. Both remained silent, each drinking tea, lost in their thoughts. Only when a maid came to say the hot water was ready for bathing did the sisters politely and amicably bid each other goodnight and retire to their respective rooms.

Though Yunyang City was also situated by a river, it wasn’t like White Crane Town with its mountains and waters. Here was a major Yanbei stronghold, equivalent to a prefectural capital, with a very dense population. So after nightfall, Yunyang City wasn’t as cool as White Crane Town.

In White Crane Town, even during midsummer, the Ren family rarely used ice, and thin quilts were still needed at night. But in Yunyang City, Ren Yaoqi was awakened by the heat in the middle of the night. It wasn’t so hot as to prevent sleep—she barely perspired—but she would wake once or twice during the night. It had been the same when staying at the Ren family’s separate residence.

The Dragon Boat Festival had only just passed; the truly hot time of year hadn’t yet arrived.

Ren Yaoqi sat with her eyes closed, leaning against the headboard. The embroidered gauze bed curtains were pulled back and hung on the curtain hooks. Sangqi, who was keeping night watch, sat on the bed’s edge, gently fanning Ren Yaoqi.

Just as Ren Yaoqi was gradually becoming drowsy again, rustling sounds came from outside. While fanning, Sangqi glanced toward the window. Seeing Ren Yaoqi open her eyes, she whispered: “Miss, it seems to be raining.”

As soon as she finished speaking, lightning flashed across the white gauze-covered window, and the sound of rain grew louder.

After a while, Ren Yaoqi heard sounds from the reception hall outside, apparently coming from Ren Yaoyin’s room. Soon, footsteps approached.

“Fifth Sister, are you asleep?” Ren Yaoyin’s gentle voice came from outside the curtain.

Their two bedrooms and the middle reception hall were connected, making it convenient for Ren Yaoyin to come over.

“No,” Ren Yaoqi replied.

The curtain lifted, and Ren Yaoyin entered. She had also awakened in the middle of the night, wearing a thin bright red cloak. The maid following her carried a candlestick.

The candlelight in the room had been rather dim. Ren Yaoyin’s face was backlit, leaving only a vague, shadowy silhouette that was hard to discern. Ren Yaoqi felt that such a face seemed more fitting for Ren Yaoyin, completely without discord, just like the feeling she gave her.

“This weather is… it rains whenever it wants to. Fifth Sister, can’t you sleep?” Ren Yaoyin walked toward Ren Yaoqi’s bedside. Her maid placed the candlestick on the Eight Immortals table in the center of the room.

“Did I wake you?” Ren Yaoqi smiled apologetically.

Ren Yaoyin shifted her body so her shadow wouldn’t block Ren Yaoqi’s face. Due to the angle, Ren Yaoqi was exposed to the light, allowing Ren Yaoyin to see her clearly while Ren Yaoqi couldn’t see Ren Yaoyin herself. Ren Yaoqi seemed unconcerned that Ren Yaoyin could see her clearly while she couldn’t see Ren Yaoyin.

“No, it was stuffy before the rain, so I woke up. I’ve had a problem since childhood—once I wake up in the middle of the night, I can’t fall asleep again. Hearing some sounds from your side, I came to check.”

Ren Yaoyin turned to look at the window lattice. Outside was pitch black, so the gauze-covered window was also dark. The rain was getting heavier, as if separated by a light gauze with small holes into two different worlds.

Ren Yaoqi couldn’t determine Ren Yaoyin’s purpose for coming over in the middle of the night, so she didn’t say much, only responding to her conversation with a few words.

Ren Yaoyin possessed a quiet, gentle temperament. This quality differed from Concubine Fang’s southern woman’s soft weakness—when speaking with others, she always made people feel she was reliable and trustworthy. This was why Ren Yaoyin was so well-liked.

“How did Fifth Sister meet the Princess? I heard the Princess doesn’t like socializing and isn’t close to people.” Ren Yaoyin blinked, asking quite casually with appropriate curiosity.

Ren Yaoqi smiled: “We met by chance when I went with Mother to burn incense at White Dragon Temple.”

Ren Yaoyin smiled thoughtfully, then said: “It seems this is the fate between people. Speaking of which, my friendship with the Yun family’s eldest miss was also fate. That was several years ago—I accompanied Grandmother to a birthday banquet for an elderly lady in Yunyang City. She and I wore clothing of extremely similar fabric and style. Standing together, others thought we were sisters. I was still young then, while Miss Yun already had a reputation for virtue. Facing everyone’s gaze, I was somewhat at a loss, but Miss Yun seemed delighted, openly taking my hand and saying she wanted to recognize me as her sworn sister. Another time, at a Lantern Festival, we each got the other’s lantern and correctly guessed each other’s riddles.”

When Ren Yaoyin spoke of this, her voice carried laughter, warm and soft with some nostalgia.

Ren Yaoqi felt Ren Yaoyin’s expression was somewhat strange. She didn’t know that Ren Yaoyin had only told half the story. Though the lantern Ren Yaoyin had obtained that year was nominally Yun Qiuchen’s, the riddle on it was written by Second Young Master Yun Wenting. Ren Yaoyin discovered this later when she had a chance encounter with Yun Wenting’s handwriting. She had kept that lantern and its riddle.

“What about you, Fifth Sister? Have any interesting things happened between you and the Princess?” At this point, Ren Yaoyin tilted her head with a smiling expression.

“Interesting things?” Ren Yaoqi thought. “That day at White Dragon Temple, the Princess was using copper coins to ring the blessing bell. I very much admired her accuracy, so I stood nearby watching foolishly for a long time. I suppose my dazed appearance caught the Princess’s attention.”

Ren Yaoyin laughed: “Is this what they call fool’s luck?”

Ren Yaoqi also smiled and lowered her head without speaking.

“What about… Second Young Master Yun? How did you meet him?” Ren Yaoyin asked.

This question made Ren Yaoqi pause and look at Ren Yaoyin. But she was still backlit, making her expression indiscernible.

Ren Yaoqi thought: Had Ren Yaoyin spoken of her friendship with Yun Qiuchen just to get her to reveal her entanglements with Xiao Jinglin and Yun Wenfang? Quite a calculated move.

Ren Yaoqi said with some surprise, “Wasn’t it just when he came to stay at the Ren residence in White Crane Town that we met? Oh, at that time, I thought he was some Young Master Wen.”

Ren Yaoyin smiled gracefully, whether believing or not, but didn’t continue asking. She looked toward the window: “The rain is really heavy today. I wonder if it will stop tomorrow.”

Ren Yaoqi replied casually: “Didn’t Aunt tell us to go out less? Let it rain—we can just stay in the courtyard.”

Ren Yaoyin glanced at Ren Yaoqi. After a moment, she smiled: “Do you know why Aunt instructed us two guests to the Lin family not to get too close to the Lin family members?”

“Could it be that Aunt’s position in the Lin family isn’t as good as it appears?” Ren Yaoqi said without a change of expression.

Ren Yaoyin sighed: “Because Uncle is the only heir of the Lin family’s second branch and should inherit half the Lin family’s property. But the first branch disagrees with Uncle’s line separating from the Lin family. Due to this property dispute, who knows what troubles might arise. Aunt fears we might be used by those with ulterior motives, so she gave us such instructions.”

Ren Yaoyin didn’t stint on guidance for Ren Yaoqi, just as when sisters at home asked her about needlework, she never kept secrets.

“I see. I had heard some rumors before, but not as much as Fourth Sister knows. Thank you for the guidance, Fourth Sister.” Ren Yaoqi thought, then said sincerely.

Ren Yaoyin smiled slightly: “We’re family sisters—honor and disgrace are shared. Why thank me?”

Ren Yaoyin sat in Ren Yaoqi’s room a while longer, sometimes giving her guidance on conducting herself, sometimes casually asking questions. Whatever she asked, Ren Yaoqi’s answers were watertight.

Seeing Ren Yaoqi yawn, Ren Yaoyin smiled and took her leave: “It’s getting late, and I’m getting sleepy too. Let’s chat again next time.”

Ren Yaoqi made to rise and see her off, but Ren Yaoyin pressed her arm and refused, so Ren Yaoqi didn’t insist. When Ren Yaoyin lifted the curtain to leave, she couldn’t help turning to glance at Ren Yaoqi, who was being helped to lie down by her maid. Her brow furrowed, and her smile faded. But she only looked once before turning and leaving.

Ren Yaoqi glanced at the swaying bead curtain, making soft sounds, then closed her eyes.

Ren Yaoqi slept well in the latter half of the night, despite the rain continuing outside.

The next day, the rain indeed hadn’t stopped, but it was just a gentle drizzle, much lighter than the night before.

After Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoyin prepared themselves, they went together to Ren Shijia’s room for breakfast.

Uncle Lin Hun wasn’t in the room—he seemed to have left early, whether because of their presence or because he never took breakfast in the inner courtyard.

Since Ren Shijia wasn’t Old Madam Lin’s proper daughter-in-law and had just given birth, Old Madam Lin exempted her from morning and evening attendance. So Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoyin didn’t need to pay morning respects to Old Madam Lin like the Lin family members.

In a sense, Ren Shijia’s position in the Lin family was transcendent. However, this transcendence was more like compensation from the Lin family.

Previously, Ren Shijia had felt uneasy about her special position in the Lin family, but since learning that her long childlessness might be related to the Lin family’s first branch, she had thought through many things.

That morning, Ren Shijia was having the maid Qingliu take silver to the Lin family kitchen to add several dishes that Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua liked when news reached the Lin family’s inner courtyard: Grand Madam Lei was dead.

At the time, Ren Yaoqi was also in Ren Shijia’s room, playing with Ren Yaoyin and little Lin Cen, who had just finished nursing and was in good spirits.

This news startled Ren Yaoqi, and her hand holding the rattle froze in mid-air.

“How could it be so sudden… wasn’t she fine just the day before yesterday?” Ren Shijia was also shocked, asking the maid who had come with the news.

When the Lin family held Lin Cen’s full-moon celebration the day before yesterday, Grand Madam Lei had attended and seemed perfectly fine.

“It’s unclear—they say she suddenly fell ill in the middle of the night yesterday and passed away.” The maid had also heard it from outside. The Lei family had sent people out to buy white cloth at dawn, and then, Yunyang City families began receiving death notices from the Lei family. The Lin family had just received theirs.

Ren Shijia sighed with emotion, but thinking that Grand Madam Lei was nearly seventy years old, though she didn’t look very aged, her advanced years made it understandable.

Ren Yaoqi thought more deeply. She wondered if Grand Madam Lei’s sudden death was related to her identity, and if the cause of death truly wasn’t simple, who had acted? After all, the timing of Grand Madam Lei’s death was quite coincidental—right when others wanted to use her identity to attack the Lei family.

Would her death take the secret of her identity to the grave, or would it push the Lei family into an even more difficult position?

Soon after, Eldest Madam Lin sent a matron over. The Lin family would go to the Lei residence that afternoon to pay condolences, and Old Madam Lin wanted Ren Shijia to accompany Eldest Madam Lin.

This matron was trusted by Eldest Madam Lin. Ren Shijia was very polite to her and chatted for a while.

Ren Shijia had very good relations with the Lin family servants because she was generous with rewards and put on no airs. Speaking of Grand Madam Lei, the matron also looked regretful: “She was perfectly fine the day before yesterday. When she left our place, this servant even accompanied Eldest Madam to see her to the second gate. Now to say she’s gone, she’s gone—really…”

Ren Shijia sighed: “After all, she was advanced in years. I heard that when Grand Madam Lei was in the south, the Lei family faced difficulties and her natal family had fallen, so she suffered much hardship. Who knows what ailments she might have developed then?”

The matron fell silent for a moment, then lowered her voice: “There are some rumors outside now…”

Ren Shijia was surprised: “What rumors?”

“I heard Grand Madam Lei’s death was suspicious—she didn’t die of sudden illness but was murdered!”

Ren Shijia was stunned, her face paling: “That’s impossible! Who would want to harm her? The Lei family has only been in Yanbei for how long? Where would enemies come from?”

“That’s unclear—this servant also heard it as rumors. Think about it—this Grand Madam was said to pay great attention to health maintenance, never having even minor illnesses throughout the year. What ailments have we ever heard of? When didn’t she appear with a rosy complexion and imposing bearing? As for enemies… that’s hard to say. Perhaps targeting the Lei family, perhaps targeting Grand Madam Lei herself—could be outsiders or people from their household.”

“Where did you hear these rumors?” Ren Shijia asked weakly, her voice showing she hadn’t recovered from the shock.

“This servant heard it from matrons of other households, though some say these words came from Lei family maids. As they say, there’s no smoke without fire—this servant thinks there must be something suspicious!”

At this point, someone from Eldest Madam’s side came looking for the matron, so she rose and took leave of Ren Shijia.

Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoyin, sitting next door, heard most of the conversation between Ren Shijia and the matron. Ren Yaoyin wasn’t much interested in the Lei family affairs—she was helping Ren Shijia embroider a pair of tiger shoes for little Lin Ben, carefully threading the needle.

Ren Yaoqi peeled pine nuts with small tongs while watching Ren Yaoyin work, but her thoughts had long flown far away.

The rumors from that matron’s mouth reminded Ren Yaoqi of the deliberately spread gossip from little Ben’s full-moon celebration.

Someone was secretly orchestrating the spread of rumors unfavorable to the Lei family.

But why spread the theory that Grand Madam Lei was murdered? What was the purpose behind it?

As for why Ren Yaoqi considered Grand Madam Lei being murdered by others as a rumor, she knew that in families like the Lei family, in such circumstances, the people in the inner courtyard, especially those serving closely beside the masters, were reliable.

Moreover, if it were enemies like the Han family who acted, Grand Madam Lei being alive would benefit them more than her dying like this, because her identity itself was a vulnerability.

The sky outside remained somewhat overcast. The rain that had started the previous night continued intermittently, making one’s mood equally gloomy.

Ren Yaoqi felt somewhat oppressed—this oppression made her feel that even breathing required effort.

Placing the peeled pine nuts in a dish and pushing them toward Ren Yaoyin, Ren Yaoqi stood: “I’ve been sitting too long—let me get up and walk around.”

Ren Yaoyin looked up at the pine nuts Ren Yaoqi had peeled, bit off the thread in her hand, and smiled: “You’ve been working so hard—I’m benefiting from your efforts.”

Ren Yaoqi also smiled: “Fourth Sister has always cared for me, so I’m caring for Fourth Sister in return.”

Ren Yaoyin paused, then smiled gently.

Ren Yaoqi only planned to walk under the covered walkway. Ren Shijia didn’t stop her, only cautioning her to be careful of slipping and not to get wet in the rain.

The air outside was indeed much better, carrying the fresh scent of earth and plants.

Ren Yaoqi had originally planned to walk around the courtyard’s covered walkway to get some air and sort out her thoughts, but before reaching her wing room door, she saw Xiangqin coming from outside, holding a square little box.

“How could you go out in the rain without an umbrella?” Seeing fine droplets on Xiangqin’s hair and wet shoulders, Ren Yaoqi scolded.

Seeing Ren Yaoqi, Xiangqin immediately ran over. Hearing the scolding, she stuck out her tongue: “I was anxious and forgot.”

Ren Yaoqi raised an eyebrow: “What was so urgent?”

Xiangqin pointed to the box in her hand with a brilliant smile: “Someone wanted to deliver something to Miss. This servant went to check and discovered it was sent by the Princess!”

Xiangqin had been given strict orders by Ren Yaohua not to let Ren Yaoqi approach certain dubious people. So, hearing someone outside wanted to deliver something to Ren Yaoqi, the loyal little maid immediately ran out to check. The visitor wasn’t from the Yun family she was guarding against, but a maid from Prince Yanbei’s residence sent by the Princess to deliver something to Ren Yaoqi. Fearing Ren Yaoqi might blame her for acting on her initiative, Xiangqin smiled ingratiatingly while carefully watching Ren Yaoqi’s expression.

She wondered what to do if Fifth Miss got angry on the spot.

The little maid was actually crying inside—earning one person’s wages while doing two people’s work, she’d gotten used to it. But the master couldn’t assign her all the difficult tasks just because she was clever, capable, obedient, and smart! Making her offend people… this was too much bullying of a maid!

Ren Yaoqi calmly appreciated Xiangqin’s rich and colorful facial expressions, then smiled and took the palm-sized little box: “Well, thank you for making the trip. Go inside quickly and change your clothes.”

Xiangqin’s face immediately cleared up, her eyes bright with laughter. If she had a tail, she’d probably wag it: “Yes, this servant will go right away.”

Watching Xiangqin’s cheerful departure, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help smiling, and her previous stuffy feeling dissipated considerably. Though Xiangqin seemed carefree, she understood propriety and never disappointed her master at crucial moments.

Moreover, Ren Yaohua’s instructions were well-intentioned, so naturally, she wouldn’t be angry about such things. Ren Yaoqi looked at the box in her hand and decided to return to her room first.

The palm-sized box was made of red sandalwood, carved with “Fortune as Vast as the Eastern Sea” patterns—very exquisite. Opening it, Ren Yaoqi was surprised to find a walnut carving of the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea.

Ren Yaoqi took out the small, delicate walnut carving and examined it carefully in her palm. She discovered the walnut’s center had been hollowed out—it was an openwork carving of excellent craftsmanship.

But why would Xiao Jinglin send this to her for no reason? A gift?

Just as she was thinking this, Ren Yaoqi held the walnut up to the light, and her heart stirred—there was something inside the hollow center of the walnut.