The Ren Shijia couple and Ren Yaoqi first went to the Ren family together to pay their respects to Old Master Ren and Old Madam Ren, then went to the Han family to offer condolences.

Ren Yaoqi had been away from home for some time and wanted to quickly return to Ziwei Courtyard to see her parents. However, Old Madam Ren kept her talking for quite a while. If not for her previous life’s experiences, Ren Yaoqi would have truly felt flattered beyond measure.

Old Madam Ren remembered her earlier promise to give Ren Yaoqi jewelry and had Nanny Gui fetch a small carved red wooden box inlaid with mother-of-pearl from the inner room. When opened, the brilliant jewels inside almost dazzled Ren Yaoqi’s eyes.

“I noticed you don’t have many decent pieces of jewelry. These few items here, though they can’t compare to the headpieces you received from the Princess Consort in terms of craftsmanship and value, are still presentable enough to wear out. Take them all to match with your clothes,” Old Madam Ren personally handed the box to Ren Yaoqi, looking at her with loving kindness.

Ren Yaoqi glanced briefly at the contents. Just the pair of Hetian jade-linked pearl bracelets and red gold-set jade collar visible on top were quite valuable, and there were some earrings and hand ornaments underneath. Ren Yaoqi didn’t examine them closely, but they were not items brought out to fool her.

Ren Yaoqi lowered her head to thank Old Madam Ren, then withdrew.

After returning to Ziwei Courtyard, Ren Yaoqi first went to the main room. Li Shi had already received news of Ren Yaoqi’s return and sent Que’er to watch at the door. As soon as Ren Yaoqi reached the entrance, she was welcomed inside.

Ren Yaohua was also in the main room, sitting on the kang in the east side room with Li Shi, talking. When Ren Yaoqi entered, she heard Ren Yaohua seemingly discussing matters about the previous feast.

“Oh, look who’s back—our family’s female scholar laureate! Come here quickly and let me have a look at you,” Li Shi was clearly in a cheerful mood, smiling and teasing when she saw Ren Yaoqi.

Nanny Zhou, Xi’er, Que’er, and the other maids all laughed.

Ren Yaoqi smiled and came forward to kowtow and pay respects to Li Shi. Li Shi bent down to pull her up and had her sit beside her, one on each side, with Ren Yaohua.

She examined Ren Yaoqi carefully several times: “Why do you look thinner?”

Ren Yaoqi smiled: “How could I be thinner? When I was in Yunyang City, my aunt’s cook made dishes very much to my taste. I ate an extra half bowl of rice each meal. If you don’t believe me, ask Pingguo and the others.”

Ren Yaohua glanced at her and said to Li Shi, “The clothes we sent last time are getting tight on her. If she gets any fatter, we won’t be able to see her waist.”

Ren Yaohua’s words were teasing, and Li Shi was amused to the point of constant laughter. Ren Yaoqi didn’t mind either and laughed along with them.

Afterward, the three mother and daughters chatted about Madam Han’s affairs. Li Shi mentioned Madam Han with a face full of sighs and regret—she had also gone to the Han family yesterday to offer condolences.

“Miss Han is pitifully thin, almost skin and bones, and her eyes are swollen like peaches from crying. I heard that ever since Madam Han fell ill, she stayed by her side constantly to tend to her—she’s a filial good child. When you see her in the future, comfort and encourage her more.”

Although Li Shi had heard about Old Master Han’s affairs from her mother’s letter, she felt that children were innocent and shouldn’t be involved in the grudges of previous generations. Being a mother herself, though she no longer fancied Han Yunqian as a son-in-law, she deeply sympathized with Han You, who was experiencing the pain of losing her mother.

Ren Yaoqi stayed with Li Shi for a while longer, then asked: “Where is Father? He doesn’t seem to be in the study either.”

The smile on Li Shi’s face paused, then she continued smiling: “He’s probably at the concubine’s Fangfei Courtyard right now.”

Ren Yaoqi raised an eyebrow.

Nanny Zhou said, “The concubine had Master Fang obtain two ancient paintings. I heard they’re underground artifacts, so somewhat damaged. Master has been at Fangfei Courtyard these past few days helping to restore those two ancient paintings.”

Ren Yaohua sneered: “Always creating trouble.”

Ren Yaoqi smiled: “Fang Yacun still has the leisure to fiddle with these things now?”

Nanny Zhou understood the subtext: “Fifth Miss, is that person truly confirmed not to be coming to Yanbei?”

Ren Yaoqi shook her head: “The transfer order has been issued. The next opportunity won’t come until three years later.”

Nanny Zhou breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned: “Since Master Fang has no time, these ancient paintings must have been found by Concubine Fang herself—she probably put in considerable effort. But using painting restoration as an excuse to keep Master around ultimately won’t last long. Why is she going to such lengths?”

Nanny Zhou didn’t believe someone like Concubine Fang would spend effort on such futile endeavors.

Ren Yaoqi asked: “What’s the attitude from the grandfather and grandmother’s side?”

Nanny Zhou said, “You saw for yourself when Madam Fang first arrived in Yanbei. Old Madam called Concubine Fang to attend her daily and even took her to Yunyang City once, bestowing rewards every other day. Once, when our Madam’s complexion looked poor during morning greetings, Old Madam even said that if Madam felt overwhelmed, she could let Concubine Fang help share some of the third branch’s affairs. Fortunately, our Madam’s poor appearance was only because she used some ice the previous day when it was slightly hot and had an upset stomach that night, so she didn’t sleep well. Otherwise, it’s easy to invite gods but hard to send them away!”

Although these were past events and Ren Yaohua had already been angry about them, hearing about them again still made her grit her teeth in anger. Li Shi instead turned to comfort Ren Yaohua.

“However, some time ago, news gradually came from Yunyang City saying that Master Fang was disliked by some important person in the Prince’s residence for certain reasons, so he couldn’t come to Yanbei as an official. The Ren family even specifically sent people to Yunyang City to inquire. After that, Old Madam’s attitude toward Concubine Fang gradually became less enthusiastic than before. Though she occasionally summoned her to attend, the rewards became fewer, and she never again mentioned letting her share responsibilities for our Madam.”

Ren Yaoqi listened from the side and nodded: “That’s right.”

Ren Yaoqi wasn’t surprised by Old Madam Ren’s attitude. If Fang Yacun could come to Yanbei, the Ren family would need to rely on him for many things, which was why Old Madam Ren had elevated a mere concubine so highly. Now that she learned Fang Yacun couldn’t come to Yanbei, Old Madam Ren’s enthusiasm naturally cooled.

This was also why Ren Yaoqi had spared no effort in scheming to prevent Fang Yacun from coming to Yanbei.

However, Concubine Fang had been in the Ren family for years and understood Old Madam Ren’s character thoroughly.

With Fang Yacun’s failure in officialdom while Ren Yaoqi had connected with Prince Yanbei’s residence, Concubine Fang had already anticipated from Old Madam Ren’s gradually changing attitude that her future days wouldn’t be so comfortable. And with Fang Yacun previously single-mindedly wanting to come to Yanbei, now with problems arising here, he was busy seeking retreat routes in Jiangnan and could spare much less attention for Concubine Fang. So the concubine was now desperately trying to save herself.

Ren Yaoqi was quite curious about what Concubine Fang wanted to do.

So she stood up: “I haven’t seen Father for a long time. I’ll go to Fangfei Courtyard to find him and also look at the paintings Concubine Fang found.”

With that, Ren Yaoqi smiled and asked Ren Yaohua, “Third Sister, do you want to come along?”

Ren Yaohua sneered as she stood: “Yes, I’ll go broaden my horizons too.”

So the two sisters left the main room. Li Shi quickly called after them: “Don’t contradict the concubine in front of your father. Speak nicely, especially you, Hua’er…”

“I know, Mother,” Ren Yaohua replied impatiently.

As soon as Ren Yaoqi left Li Shi’s place, she encountered Nanny Xu, the steward nanny from her quarters.

Ren Yaoqi hadn’t brought Nanny Xu with her to Yunyang City this time, but she had entrusted all the major and minor authority in her quarters, including finances, to Nanny Xu, leaving all household matters to her discretion. This showed considerable trust and reliance, which made Nanny Xu very satisfied, and she strived to do everything perfectly.

“Miss, you’re back? This servant has some matters to discuss with you,” Nanny Xu efficiently bowed to Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua, saying with a smile.

Ren Yaoqi nodded and said gently, “You’ve worked hard managing the household during this time, Nanny. I’m about to go to Fangfei Courtyard. If the matter isn’t urgent, let’s discuss it when I return.”

Nanny Xu quickly said, “Oh, this servant has come at an inconvenient time. You go ahead with your business, Miss. This servant only wanted to report on various trivial matters from these past days. I’ll wait until you return.”

Ren Yaoqi smiled and nodded, then left with Ren Yaohua.

Although Concubine Fang’s Fangfei Courtyard wasn’t as large as Ziwei Courtyard, it was still a complete courtyard. For someone of Concubine Fang’s status, the Ren family treated her quite specially.

When Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua arrived, they were stopped by the old woman guarding the gate, who said she needed to go in and report first.

Ren Yaohua looked down at her condescendingly and said coldly: “I didn’t hear clearly. Say your name again.”

The old woman was so frightened she broke into a cold sweat, nearly kneeling to Ren Yaohua on the spot.

There wasn’t a single maid or old woman in the Ren family who wasn’t afraid of Third Miss Ren. The Third Miss was particularly impatient with people from Fangfei Courtyard—one wrong response would bring punishment. Even Chun’er, the chief maid beside Fourth Miss, had been beaten with boards and sold away on Third Miss’s orders. When Old Madam returned, she didn’t even ask a single question. Chun’er had been betrothed by the concubine, and they said the wedding gifts had been exchanged and she was just waiting to marry next month, but Third Miss could still drive her away with one moment of displeasure.

Who would dare offend such a master?

The old woman looked toward the other gatekeeper, but that one was sly and had already slipped inside to report.

The gatekeeper didn’t dare respond further and obediently lowered her head and stepped aside.

Ren Yaohua snorted coldly and entered with Ren Yaoqi.

Ren Yaoqi secretly smiled: she had been right to bring Ren Yaohua along. If she had come alone, she might not even have been able to enter the courtyard gate.

Fangfei Courtyard wasn’t large. As soon as Ren Yaoqi entered, she saw that the east wing’s door was open, and the old woman who had just slipped in was tumbling and crawling, crying and wailing as she collapsed in the corridor of the east wing to report to them.

As if they were bandits and robbers coming to kill, burn, pillage, and plunder.

Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but laugh, while Ren Yaohua’s expression was very ugly.

A gentle, magnetic male voice said displeasedly: “If you’re going to speak, then speak! Why are you howling? You scared me so much that my brush slipped! Who did you say came?”

Concubine Fang’s soft voice also responded timely manner: “Didn’t I specifically instruct that Master was restoring ancient paintings at a crucial moment and couldn’t be disturbed?”