After finishing breakfast at the Lin family, Ren Yaoqi went out. Today, she was going to Baoping Alley to visit her maternal grandmother’s family.

The Lei family matter had already caused an uproar by this time. When Ren Yaoqi’s carriage was halfway there, she could hear even ordinary peddlers and laborers outside discussing this affair.

She wasn’t surprised by the decision the Lei family head had made, because the Lei family had no other choice now.

If Old Madam Lei’s identity problem couldn’t be resolved promptly at this time, the Lei family’s troubles would only grow greater in the future.

“Miss, Baoping Alley is just ahead. Old Madam has sent Aunt Yihong to wait at the alley entrance,” Xiangqin put down the carriage curtain in her hand and turned to report to Ren Yaoqi.

When Prince Xian came from the Capital to Yanbei years ago, because Yanbei was a place even the imperial court couldn’t supervise, and with Noble Consort Wan’s arrangements before her death, the court had no way to send people to watch over him. Under such circumstances, Empress Dowager Yan naturally wouldn’t arrange lodging for Prince Xian, so when Prince Xian’s family first arrived in Yanbei, they had even lived in a ruined, abandoned temple for some time.

Fortunately, later Eunuch Zheng from Noble Consort Wan’s retinue brought people to find them, also bringing the silver Noble Consort Wan had prepared early on. Adding to that the substantial betrothal gifts the Ren family had given when seeking Prince Xian’s daughter in marriage, Princess Consort Xian had bought a five-courtyard mansion in Baoping Alley so Li Shi could marry respectably.

Though it was a five-courtyard residence, Baoping Alley wasn’t where famous families and wealthy merchants gathered. The surrounding area housed only ordinary families with somewhat substantial means. Moreover, this residence was an old mansion that hadn’t been renovated for a long time and had fallen into disrepair, so the price wasn’t high.

Ren Yaoqi lifted the curtain to look around. The alley the carriage entered wasn’t very wide, but it could accommodate two or three carriages side by side. On both sides of the alley were mostly closed barbican gates and ruyi gates, none of them very large. Some doorways even had hitching posts or stone lions placed in front.

Ren Yaoqi somewhat understood why Prince Xian’s family had chosen to locate their residence here. Many people followed Prince Xian, and all these people needed places to settle, so the residence had to be large. But given Prince Xian’s circumstances, where he lived couldn’t be too ostentatious.

Guixi Ward, which included Baoping Alley, was a network of interconnected alleys. Though the alleys appeared orderly, they were quite complex and maze-like. If they encountered an emergency and needed to flee, it would be convenient.

Along the way, Ren Yaoqi found the alleys very quiet. Many courtyards had pomegranate trees, peach trees, and gardenia trees planted against the walls, even extending beyond the walls. This place wasn’t noisy and dirty like those mixed residential areas, but instead revealed a tranquil, peaceful atmosphere everywhere.

Though the residents here were all ordinary families, because it was near Yunyang Academy, the largest academy in Yanbei, most who lived here were family members of teachers at Yunyang Academy, students’ families, or merchants who ran calligraphy and painting shops or writing supply stores in the vicinity.

The carriage stopped in front of a grand gate with front eaves and golden pillars. This gate was more impressive than those seen earlier, if one ignored the stone lion missing half an ear and the mottled red paint on the gate.

Generally, carriages entered and exited through side gates or corner gates, but the side alleys on both sides of this residence were very narrow, making carriage passage inconvenient. So Ren Yaoqi could only alight at the main gate, then have someone drive the carriage to the back gate to enter the courtyard. As for herself, there was no reason for her to use the back door.

The mottled red-painted gate opened halfway, and Yihong was already waiting respectfully at the bottom of the steps.

As soon as Ren Yaoqi alighted from the carriage, she came forward and curtsied.

“Aunt Yihong,” Ren Yaoqi returned her half-bow and called out with a smile.

“Knowing that Young Miss would come today, the mistress has been waiting. Please follow this servant,” Yihong personally supported Ren Yaoqi as she entered.

After going around the spirit screen, there was a large courtyard. Ren Yaoqi deliberately looked around and found the courtyard clean and empty, without a single person in sight.

“It seems very quiet today?” Ren Yaoqi said in surprise.

She remembered that Prince Xian’s opera troupe usually practiced their basic skills here—some practicing vocal exercises, some practicing horse stance, some wielding sabers—creating quite a lively scene.

Yihong smiled, “Knowing you were coming today, the mistress had them go to the back courtyard.”

Ren Yaoqi remembered that the last time Li Shi had brought her and Ren Yaohua back to her maternal family together, they had entered to see a courtyard full of activity. A horse whip with tassels had flown straight toward Ren Yaohua’s face, but fortunately, Yihong had reacted quickly and caught it. Though it was a false alarm, Ren Yaohua had flown into a rage, making a scene at their maternal grandmother’s house and insisting that their maternal grandfather sell off all the “actors” in the courtyard. It had ended unpleasantly.

After that, Ren Yaohua had refused to enter the door no matter what. This time coming to Yunyang City, Ren Yaoqi had originally planned to come with Ren Yaohua, but Ren Yaohua kept finding excuses to avoid it, so in the end she had come alone.

After entering the hanging flower gate, though the courtyard was still somewhat old, it was fairly neat. Occasional tufts of green grass sprouted from cracks in the blue stone slabs, which didn’t appear messy but added some lively spirit.

In Prince Xian’s residence, one couldn’t see artificial mountains, rare stones, or carved beams and painted rafters. There was no garden, only ordinary rooms. However, each courtyard was planted with flowers and plants—nothing precious, just common varieties found in Yanbei: banana plants, crabapple, pomegranate, and even clusters of randomly growing morning glory flowers.

Prince Xian and Princess Consort Xian lived in the main hall of the third courtyard. When Ren Yaoqi arrived, Princess Consort Rong was holding small scissors, trimming a jasmine plant whose blooms had faded in the courtyard.

“You’ve come,” Rong looked up with a gentle smile, handing the scissors to Chuchu behind her.

Ren Yaoqi stepped forward to pay respects to Rong, “Aren’t maternal grandfather and uncle at home?”

Rong took Ren Yaoqi’s hand as they walked toward the main hall, “Never mind them—they’ll be back when it’s time for lunch.” Rong smiled.

Though Ren Yaoqi hadn’t visited her maternal family many times, she knew what kind of temperaments her maternal grandfather and uncle had. At this moment, they were probably either somewhere drinking tea and listening to small tunes, or outside with others watching cricket fights.

Rong’s main hall also had no particular furnishings. The only valuable items were the pear wood canopy bed, the Eight Immortals table, and four grand master chairs, all of which were old. A pair of knee-high beauty vases with flowers looked quite exquisite, but they were just ordinary products from common kilns.

Rong led Ren Yaoqi to sit on the kang, and Chuchu brought up tea.

“Where’s Yihong?” Rong asked Chuchu.

Ren Yaoqi took the tea and smelled the bamboo leaf green fragrance. Hearing Rong ask about Yihong, she said, “When I came, Aunt prepared some things. I had Aunt Yihong go to the back courtyard to organize them.”

Because Ren Yaoqi had saved Lin Cen, Ren Shijia had become increasingly close to Ren Yaoqi. When Ren Yaoqi went out today, Ren Shijia had instructed the nannies to prepare a cartload of gifts—all top-quality ginseng, bird’s nest, deer antler and other tonics, plus some fabrics and easily stored food ingredients. She said that going to see her maternal grandmother on behalf of her mother couldn’t be too casual. Ren Yaoqi really couldn’t refuse and had accepted them.

Though Rong was somewhat surprised to hear this, she still smiled and said, “When you go back, thank her for me.”

Ren Yaoqi agreed. Rong then said to Chuchu, “Go to Xiasheng and bring those two children over.”

Hearing that Xiasheng had helped find those two little maids, Ren Yaoqi became interested and asked Rong, “Grandmother, what do you think of them? I haven’t seen them yet.”

Rong said gently, “I called them to question them. Those two have proper appearances and are clever. Since you want them as maids, knowing some martial skills isn’t enough, so I have Yihong teach them the rules of great households daily. They’re still young—with good training for a few years, they can be of great use later.”

With Rong saying this, Ren Yaoqi finally felt at ease.

Soon, Chuchu led in two little girls of six or seven years old. Probably because they had just been practicing martial arts with Xiasheng, they wore gray, dusty clothes and pants with sleeves and cuffs bound up with ties.

Both had sweat on their faces, rosy-cheeked, and their bodies looked more robust than girls their age. Xiasheng had said they came from performing backgrounds, so they had probably practiced before.

When they entered, they seemed somewhat timid. After paying respects, they knelt on the ground, not daring to move, not daring to raise their heads.

“Oh? Raise your heads,” Ren Yaoqi looked at their faces with some surprise.

The two little girls didn’t dare disobey when they heard this, slowly raising their heads higher. They had identical faces.

“They’re twin sisters?” Ren Yaoqi was somewhat surprised.

Rong had them stand up to speak, “That’s right. Because they’re twin sisters and have been intimate since childhood, eating and living together, they can not only impersonate each other perfectly but also communicate telepathically. This is also why Xiasheng took a fancy to them.” Otherwise, with these sisters’ backgrounds, Dongsheng wouldn’t have chosen them.

Though she had long known of Xiasheng and the others’ abilities, seeing these two sisters today, Ren Yaoqi was still very pleased.

“What are your names?” Ren Yaoqi asked kindly.

The little girl on the right spoke first, “We servants have no names. Before, people just called us Big Ya and Second Ya. We beg Miss to grant us names.”

Indeed, clever girls.

Though Ren Yaoqi chose maids primarily for loyalty, being somewhat clever wasn’t a bad thing either.

Rong smiled, “You give them names.”

The two little girls finally raised their heads slightly. Though they didn’t dare look at Ren Yaoqi, both pairs of bright eyes were full of hope, even looking somewhat excited.

Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment, “Which of you is the elder sister and which is the younger?”

This time it was the girl on the left who answered, “We servants don’t know who’s older or younger. We were sold by our parents before we could remember anything. The master who first adopted us always mixed us up, so who’s the elder and who’s the younger is unknown.”

“Then you’re called Leshan,” Ren Yaoqi pointed to the one on the left, then pointed to the one on the right, “And you’re called Leshui.”

The sisters who had received new names happily knelt again to express their gratitude.

Rong smiled and teased, “The wise find joy in water, the benevolent find joy in mountains. The names you’ve chosen are too grand—hardly like maid names.”

Ren Yaoqi propped up her chin with a brilliant smile, “Names are for people to use. As long as one likes them, that’s good.”

Ren Yaoqi asked the two sisters several more questions and found they were not only clever but also had steady, unimpetuous temperaments, making her increasingly satisfied.

While they were talking, Ren Yaoqi saw Xiangqin standing at the doorway give her a meaningful look.

Ren Yaoqi said to Rong, “Grandmother, may I stroll around the courtyard?”

Rong didn’t know if she had seen the interaction between master and servant, but she smiled warmly, “Go ahead if you want to stroll. Let Chuchu accompany you.”

Ren Yaoqi looked at the two little girls and smiled, “Let them accompany me instead. I’ll go and come back quickly. You can’t be without someone by your side.”

Yihong was Uncle Li Tianyou’s concubine. Usually, only Chuchu personally attended to Rong.

There were several other little maids bought later, but they all served outside and weren’t close attendants. Prince Xian and Rong only used old servants as personal attendants.

After Ren Yaoqi came out of Rong’s room, Xiangqin looked at the two little maids with some curiosity. Seeing that Ren Yaoqi didn’t dismiss them, she continued, “…Miss, Pingguo brought people and came through the back door. They’re in the back courtyard now.”

Ren Yaoqi nodded and silently led several maids toward the back courtyard.

Actually, Ren Yaoqi had other business to attend to when she went out today. For instance, after leaving, she had sent Pingguo away to find Zhu Ruomei.

Though Zhu Ruomei spent most of his time at White Dragon Temple, he worked for Xiao Jingxi and had now bought a small courtyard in Yunyang City, bringing his mother and sister there. Ren Yaoqi had previously learned the address from Dongsheng and knew he had happened to be in Yunyang City these past few days, so she had Pingguo go invite him for a meeting.

Meeting Zhu Ruomei at the Lin family would be inconvenient, but on Prince Xian’s territory, it was much more convenient.

The two little maids followed closely behind. Xiangqin looked back while asking quietly, “Miss, who are they?”

Ren Yaoqi said, “They’re maids. I asked my maternal grandmother to help me find. I’m keeping them here for now.”

Xiangqin didn’t understand why Fifth Miss would find maids through her maternal family without bringing them back to the Ren family, but as a maid herself, it wasn’t appropriate to ask too many questions about such matters, so she wisely didn’t ask further.

However, while Ren Yaoqi was left in peace, Leshan and Leshui weren’t so fortunate. Xiangqin, relying on her status as a favored senior maid, began showing off her authority in front of the two little maids.

“Your steps are too wide when walking. If Nanny Zhou sees this, she’ll hit your calves!”

“Tsk, I told you to take smaller steps, not to walk slowly. You can’t even walk properly—Nanny Zhou definitely won’t be satisfied.”

“How can you be so stupid? You need to learn the rules properly in the future, or Nanny Zhou won’t allow you to follow Fifth Miss! Being a maid by Miss’s side isn’t something anyone can do!”

So before even following Ren Yaoqi, Leshan and Leshui understood one thing: the senior maid by Miss’s side was very impressive, and there was a Nanny Zhou who was very, very scary. If they did anything even slightly wrong, they wouldn’t be allowed to follow Miss.

Xiangqin successfully showed off her authority in front of the juniors and made Nanny Zhou take the blame for her harsh reputation.

When Ren Yaoqi reached the back courtyard, Pingguo had already led Zhu Ruomei to sit in the west wing of the back courtyard for tea. When Ren Yaoqi arrived, though only Pingguo and Zhu Ruomei were in the open-doored west wing, Chunsheng was in the courtyard with two monkey-like children, sweeping the courtyard while doing somersaults.

Ren Yaoqi knew the special nature of Prince Xian’s residence. She could only bring people to the back courtyard. If Zhu Ruomei wanted to go further in, he couldn’t. Though Chunsheng was sweeping in the courtyard, he had been watching the movements in the back west wing the entire time.

Only when he saw Ren Yaoqi approaching did Chunsheng lead the two children to bow to Ren Yaoqi from afar, then stand farther away, though he remained in the back courtyard.

Someone was practicing opera, singing a passage from “Life and Death Hatred.” Only the voice could be heard, not the person. The continuous yi-yi-ya-ya sounds mixed with erhu and yaoqin created an ethereal, unreal liveliness.

Zhu Ruomei was tapping his finger on the tea table, listening intently. Looking up to see Ren Yaoqi enter, he quickly rose and bowed.

Ren Yaoqi smiled and nodded, indicating Zhu Ruomei needn’t be overly formal, then sat in the main seat.

Leshan and Leshui consciously remained outside the door, one on each side like door gods. Xiangqin thought for a moment but didn’t follow in either—after all, she was Third Miss’s maid, not Fifth Miss’s.

Ren Yaoqi knew that speaking at her maternal grandmother’s house was safest, with no need to worry about anyone with ill intentions eavesdropping. The people Prince Xian’s residence supported weren’t kept for nothing. Even the people she had brought from the Lin family, except for those who personally attended her, had all been led away by Yihong to who knows where for tea and refreshments.

“This singing is no less impressive than the star performers of Dexin Troupe,” Zhu Ruomei couldn’t help but praise. He had just been listening intently. His mother loved opera, so Zhu Ruomei had also grown to love it.

“My maternal grandfather loves these things extremely, so he keeps an opera troupe.” This was something all of Yanbei knew.

Prince Xian’s opera troupe was more famous than Prince Xian himself. However, this troupe only performed at Prince Xian’s residence—others didn’t have the fortune to hear them.

Zhu Ruomei also knew this, so he just offered a few compliments without probing deeper.

“Did Fifth Miss call me here today for some matter?” Zhu Ruomei asked.

Ren Yaoqi nodded, “I have something I need your help with.”

Zhu Ruomei quickly said, “Miss, please just give your instructions.”

Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment, “I want you to help me find two people—a woman of about seventy and a little girl of eight or nine. They disappeared after leaving the Ren family residence in Baihe Town a few days ago.”

“Disappeared?” Zhu Ruomei was stunned.

Indeed disappeared. I’ve already had people search all of Baihe Town. They had only intended to go out for a stroll, but unexpectedly never returned after leaving.” Seeing Zhu Ruomei about to ask, Ren Yaoqi volunteered, “That old woman originally wanted to ask about Han Yunshan’s background. She should know something, so help me investigate whether their disappearance is related to the Han family. If it wasn’t the Han family’s doing, then they’re probably hiding out of fear.”

Zhu Ruomei knew Ren Yaoqi had some grievances with the Han family. He had handled Han family matters before, so hearing this, he wasn’t that surprised. He just nodded, “I’ll immediately go find them. Please rest assured, Miss—as long as they’re still in Yanzhou, I’ll find them.”

Zhu Ruomei spoke with great confidence, and hearing this made Ren Yaoqi’s heart stir.

If it were before, Zhu Ruomei would never have had such confidence. Now that he could make such guarantees, the temple affairs must be going very smoothly, and Zhu Ruomei might be controlling the military forces in the temples of Yanzhou or part of Yanzhou.

Though she knew the person before her was no ordinary man, she was still somewhat surprised that he could gain Xiao Jingxi’s trust and establish a firm foothold in such a short time.

Surprised and pleased. Because this meant she could have more conveniences in the future.

Ren Yaoqi had previously considered bringing Zhu Ruomei’s mother and sister to her side to care for them, but later thought that if she did so, regardless of her good intentions, it would ultimately be petty in the eyes of someone like Zhu Ruomei, a man of true character who repaid kindness and sought revenge straightforwardly. Moreover, if Zhu Ruomei’s relatives were by her side, his true master’s trust in him might be affected.

So Yaoqi ultimately maintained their gentleman’s agreement.

“If Miss has no other instructions, I’ll go find them first. Otherwise, when the city gets lively later, leaving the city will be troublesome too.” Zhu Ruomei took his leave decisively.

Ren Yaoqi nodded and also stood up, asking casually, “What excitement is there in the city?”

Zhu Ruomei sighed, “Miss probably knows that Old Madam Lei has passed away. They want to hold the funeral after lying in state for only a short time, but coincidentally, this morning, a section of the mountain road below Qiongji Mountain collapsed. Now people outside are saying all sorts of things. I just heard that people from Old Madam Lei’s natal Liu family are on the road. After hearing about this, they’re frantically rushing toward Yunyang City. There’s bound to be a scene when they arrive.”

Ren Yaoqi also knew what the current excitement outside was about. Upon hearing that the mountain road was blocked, she sneered inwardly—the Han family had indeed made their move.

After having Pingguo see Zhu Ruomei out, Ren Yaoqi led the maids back to Rong’s place.

She heard news about the Lei family again when it was nearly lunchtime.

Rong had instructed the kitchen to prepare many dishes, all things Ren Yaoqi loved to eat—she didn’t know where Rong had learned about her preferences. However, her maternal grandfather and uncle hadn’t returned yet. Rong calmly said they grandmother and granddaughter should eat first and leave portions for them, but Ren Yaoqi insisted on waiting a bit longer.

At this time, Yihong came in to speak quietly with Rong. Ren Yaoqi heard her mention the Lei family and couldn’t help asking, “What’s happened with the Lei family now?”

Yihong glanced at Rong, and seeing her nod, spoke slightly louder, “The Liu family people have entered the city and are now heading to the Lei family.”

At this very moment, the Liu family had just arrived at the Lei residence. After alighting from their carriage, they headed straight for the mourning hall.

Leading them was an old lady about the same age as Old Madam Lei. She walked while gasping for breath, her face looking somewhat pale as if suffering from acclimatization. When entering, she was almost carried in by two sturdy daughters-in-law, one supporting each arm.

As soon as Old Lady Liu entered, she seemed to suddenly awaken. Before she could stand steady, she began crying, sobbing so hard she couldn’t catch her breath, making people worry whether she could draw her next breath: “Sixth Sister… my poor Sixth Sister… you died so miserably…”

Those behind her who looked like nephews and grand-nephews also began crying along. For a time, the Lei family ancestral hall became quite lively.

Upon hearing the news, the Lei Ting and Lei Zhen brothers immediately rushed over. When Liu saw them, she cried even harder: “Sixth Sister… you’ve been wronged… look what kind of beasts you’ve raised…”

Lei Zhen couldn’t help but frown and shout, “Silence! Who are you people? What nonsense are you spouting!”