Fortunately, drunk Xiao Jinglin only talked slightly more than usual and appeared no different outwardly. Otherwise, Xiao Jingxi might have had to worry about how to get her home.

But even the slightly more talkative Xiao Jinglin still gave Xiao Jingxi a headache.

For instance, when Xiao Jingxi was about to take her away, she stubbornly stared into his eyes and said: “Second Brother, you won’t disappoint me, will you?”

Xiao Jingxi signaled Hongying to help Xiao Jinglin downstairs, deflecting the question: “Let’s go. Shall I pack a box of bean curd rolls for you to take back as snacks?”

Xiao Jinglin waved away Hongying’s hand and stood up steadily on her own. As she walked out with perfectly normal steps, she said expressionlessly to Xiao Jingxi: “I want two boxes of bean curd rolls, plus a box of pineapple cakes, and ten jars of peach blossom wine.”

Xiao Jingxi smiled and instructed Tonghe: “Have them pack two boxes of bean curd rolls and one box of pineapple cakes.”

Xiao Jinglin turned back dissatisfiedly to add: “And the peach blossom wine!”

Xiao Jingxi ignored her.

As Xiao Jinglin walked, she earnestly bargained: “Nine jars?”

…

Xiao Jingxi watched Xiao Jinglin get into the carriage, but she persisted through the curtain: “Two jars!”

Xiao Jingxi smiled helplessly but said, “Not disappointing you doesn’t include indulging your drinking.”

Xiao Jinglin fell silent inside the carriage.

Ren Yaoqi still knew nothing of what was happening in Yunyang City, and the Ren family wasn’t particularly peaceful either.

First, Ren Yaohua and Concubine Fang’s mother and daughter clashed again.

The cause was still the maid Chun’er, who had been sold off by Ren Yaohua after splashing wine on Ren Yaoqi at the Young Ladies’ Banquet.

Chun’er had been sent back to Bailu Town by Ren Yaohua, then beaten and sold off by Nanny Zhou. By rights, Ren Yaohua had overstepped – after all, Chun’er was her sister’s maid, not hers, so it wasn’t her place to punish her. Moreover, there had been an elder who could make decisions – First Madam – present in Yunyang City at the time.

However, because Ren Yaoqi had greatly honored the Ren family at the Young Ladies’ Banquet and Ren Yaohua’s performance had been commendable, and because Old Master Ren and Old Madam Ren wanted to arrange Ren Yaohua’s engagement at this time, they turned a blind eye to the matter. As for First Madam, due to Ren Yaoyin’s schemes against Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua, she hadn’t brought up the matter with Old Madam Ren after returning.

Now that Ren Yaoying was missing a head maid, naturally one of the second-rank maids by her side needed to be promoted, and a new third-rank maid brought in.

If following previous customs, Concubine Fang had significant face, and she and her daughter chose their maids and servants according to their wishes – no one would deliberately contradict them.

However, this time, Ren Yaohua had Nanny Zhou select Ren Yaoying’s maid candidates early on and sent them directly to Ren Yaoying. Since Concubine Fang’s mother and daughter were also part of the third branch, having their servant arrangements decided by the legitimate wife’s side was not unreasonable. But Ren Yaoying couldn’t swallow this slight. If not for Concubine Fang deciding to accept the maid for Ren Yaoying, she would have had someone drive the maid out of the courtyard.

But even with Concubine Fang’s intervention, Ren Yaoying was so angry she couldn’t sleep well all night. The next day, after the new maid had served Ren Yaoying, she was reported to the inner courtyard management by Ping’er, Ren Yaoying’s newly promoted head maid. The accusation was that the new third-rank maid was light-fingered and had stolen a gold hairpin belonging to the Ninth Miss. Another maid had seen her secretly tampering with Ninth Miss’s dressing case.

The new maid was terrified and cried piteously, swearing she hadn’t stolen anything and didn’t know how the young miss’s hairpin had ended up in her bundle. But with solid evidence, the new maid couldn’t deny it.

The inner courtyard manager had seen such things often and was about to have the maid beaten and sold off according to custom when she happened to encounter Third Miss Ren Yaohua.

Ren Yaohua looked at the maid a few times and casually interceded: “Making such a fuss over just a hairpin – if outsiders knew, they’d think everyone in the Ren family was petty. Besides, I can see this maid is honest and loyal – she was probably set up by someone she offended. Just send her back to the estate. Consider it accumulating some merit.”

Now Ren Yaohua had increasing favor with Old Madam, and given her temperament, few maids or servants in the Ren family dared offend her. Even the inner courtyard manager, after hearing Ren Yaohua’s words, could only smile apologetically and say she needed to ask First Madam first.

First Madam was currently busy preparing luggage for Ren Yaoyin and had no time to deal with the grievances between Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoying. Upon hearing the manager’s words, she agreed without thinking.

Thus, Ren Yaohua successfully saved the little maid.

When Ren Yaoying learned of this, she became even more angry and resentful, running to Concubine Fang: “Mother! Will there be any place for us in this family in the future? She can punish my maids as she pleases, but when I want to dismiss my maid, I can’t?”

Concubine Fang was sitting behind the desk in the study, writing with a brush. Ren Yaoying’s agitated voice didn’t affect her in the slightest. Only after she finished writing and put down her brush did she look up at Ren Yaoying, saying calmly: “Didn’t I tell you not to act against that maid yet?”

Ren Yaoying was somewhat defiant: “Should I let her plant eyes and ears around me?”

Concubine Fang frowned but patiently said, “Once someone comes to our side, she may not be able to control them. Ying’er, your temperament is too impetuous.”

Ren Yaoying felt somewhat wronged: “Mother, we never had to watch her moods like this before. She doesn’t take us seriously anymore! Is it because Uncle can’t come to Yanbei? And because Grandmother wants her to marry into the Qiu family – I heard the Qiu family will eventually be passed to Cousin Qiu, so she’ll become the clan leader’s wife of the Qiu clan. Now all the maids and servants in the family are trying to curry favor with her.”

Concubine Fang sighed, rose from behind the desk, walked slowly to Ren Yaoying, and gently touched her cheek: “Since you know the reasons, why can’t you endure the anger for now? I’ve taught you before – don’t clash head-on with those whose position is stronger than yours.”

Ren Yaoying bit her lip and placed her hand over Concubine Fang’s hand on her face: “Mother, I just can’t swallow this humiliation! She’s treating us like this now – when she really marries into the Qiu family, Grandfather and Grandmother will surely value her even more. Where will we have good days then? Grandmother favors her, and Father only has Ren Yaoqi in his eyes as a daughter… Mother, can we prevent her from marrying into the Qiu family? If we could just delay her marriage a few years… by then, Uncle might have come to Yanbei, and our days might be much better…”

Concubine Fang held Ren Yaoying in her arms and gently patted her back, not speaking for a long time. Her gaze lingered on the shadows of mother and daughter cast on the window lattice, as if lost in thought.

After an unknown period, Concubine Fang’s gentle voice finally rang out in the study: “You are my daughter. I will do everything in my power to give you the best. You will certainly live more contentedly than all of them.”

When Ren Yaoqi learned of the conflict between Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoying, she asked her, “Third Sister, did you deliberately provoke Ren Yaoying this time?”

Ren Yaoying’s temperament might not be as proud as Ren Yaohua’s, but perhaps because she was born of a concubine, she couldn’t stand her two legitimate older sisters being better than her. This time at the Young Ladies’ Banquet, Ren Yaoqi had greatly distinguished herself while Ren Yaoying, despite great effort, hadn’t attracted any attention and had even lost a maid – this had already greatly stimulated her. Then she returned to encounter Ren Yaohua’s engagement discussions.

For Ren Yaohua to humiliate her through the maid selection matter at this time would surely be something Ren Yaoying couldn’t endure.

Ren Yaohua sneered mockingly: “Don’t they all think I’m impulsive and don’t leave people any face? What’s wrong with me taking advantage of my position to bully them once or twice? I can’t always be the one being schemed against by them.”

Ren Yaoqi sighed: “Third Sister, by provoking them at this time, aren’t you forcing them to sabotage the marriage alliance between the Ren and Qiu families? We both know Concubine Fang’s methods – what if she uses underhanded tricks?”

But Ren Yaohua snorted coldly: “The Qiu family may not want this marriage either, so why should I offer myself up to be despised? It would be better if it were ruined! Let’s see what Concubine Fang is capable of.”

Although Ren Yaohua’s idea of using Concubine Fang to sabotage her marriage with Qiu Yun wasn’t wrong, Ren Yaoqi was still worried about Concubine Fang’s methods. She was truly afraid that Ren Yaohua’s tragedy from her previous life would repeat itself.

Just as Ren Yaoqi was about to speak, Ren Yaohua said: “We’ve already confronted each other – it’s too late to back down now. I know you’re cleverer than me, but… I can’t rely on you to solve everything for me. You can help me once, but can you help me for a lifetime?”

Ren Yaohua’s words weren’t unreasonable. She could protect Ren Yaohua now, but could she still go to her in-laws’ house to protect her after Ren Yaohua married? Then Ren Yaohua would have to face things herself. Moreover, Ren Yaoqi knew Ren Yaohua had her pride, which made her swallow back her objections.

Ren Yaoqi thought that teaching someone to fish was better than giving them fish. Letting Ren Yaohua try to face these inner courtyard schemes wasn’t impossible – she would just watch carefully from the side.

Two days later, a family named Li from a neighboring town came to their door.

Ren Yaoying’s former head maid, Chun’er, had already been betrothed before going to Yunyang City. Her fiancé was the son of a small merchant family in the neighboring town. While not wealthy, they were comfortable, which was a good match for a maid serving a concubine’s daughter.

The Li family had given betrothal gifts and was waiting for the bride to enter their door. But now with the wedding date approaching and Chun’er nowhere to be found, the Li family naturally came to the Ren family to demand their person.