“Fifth Miss.”

Ren Yaoqi stopped and turned around.

Nanny Zhou stood at the doorway between the main room and the left side chamber, calling out to her softly.

After glancing at the inner room of the left side chamber, Ren Yaoqi gestured to Nanny Zhou, who understood and quietly followed Ren Yaoqi to the west side chamber.

“Mother has always been a light sleeper. Once awakened, she finds it difficult to fall asleep again. If Nanny has something to say, you might as well speak here,” Ren Yaoqi said.

Looking at Ren Yaoqi, Nanny Zhou smiled with emotion: “Fifth Miss, you… have truly changed a great deal. Madam is very pleased, and this servant is also very pleased.”

Ren Yaoqi smiled. From this, one could see just how troublesome she must have been as a child. Her childhood memories were already very vague, as they carried too much pain and she always avoided recalling them.

“Does Nanny have something you wish to tell me?” Ren Yaohua had already left first, and Ren Yaoqi thought Nanny Zhou might have something she wanted to discuss privately. This was truly unprecedented.

After thinking for a moment, Nanny Zhou said, “Earlier, when this servant went to investigate the lavatory, I discovered several sets of footprints in the snow outside.”

“Can Nanny distinguish whose footprints they were? I remember Mother requested hot water twice at noon,” Ren Yaoqi asked.

Nanny Zhou nodded: “Originally, it would be difficult to tell. The rough servants in the back courtyard all wear thick-soled cotton shoes for warmth, and they’re quite large. The maids mostly prefer appearance over those clumsy, thick-soled cotton shoes, and since they often serve indoors, they’d rather endure some cold wearing embroidered cotton shoes. However, among those footprints, this servant saw the imprint of boots.”

Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi smiled with interest: “Nanny observed quite carefully. Do you know who owns those boots?”

Nanny Zhou nodded with certainty: “Granny Guan, who manages the firewood, wore a pair of small deerskin boots today. Because the boots were too small and didn’t fit her feet properly, she walked somewhat awkwardly… this servant overheard the maids mocking her privately.”

“Granny Guan?” Ren Yaoqi tilted her head in thought, vaguely remembering a tall, sturdy woman who had some dealings with Nanny Zhu from her room.

“Her daughter is a second-rank maid in Ninth Miss’s room,” Nanny Zhou explained. After returning and being reminded by Ren Yaoqi, she had quickly investigated the backgrounds of all the various factions in the courtyard.

“Ninth Sister?” Ren Yaoqi mused.

She had originally suspected that today’s eavesdropper must be connected to Concubine Fang’s side, since people from other quarters wouldn’t be interested in the idle chatter between her and her mother. However, based on her understanding of Concubine Fang, she shouldn’t have sent such a careless woman to eavesdrop so brazenly. Most likely, this woman had acted on her initiative, wanting to curry favor.

“Why didn’t Nanny mention this earlier?” Ren Yaoqi asked.

Upon hearing this, Nanny Zhou hesitated, then sighed: “Fifth Miss, you know Third Miss’s temperament. If she knew who the eavesdropper was, she would certainly make a scene. This servant… this servant was still afraid she might fall into someone else’s trap. So I thought it best to keep quiet for now. Though you’re young, Fifth Miss, you understand priorities and urgency. Since you just said you’d handle those people, this servant thought I should tell you, to make it easier for you to act in the future.”

Ren Yaoqi nodded: “I understand. Let’s not mention it for now.” Then she asked, “Does Nanny know who this Granny Guan usually doesn’t get along with?”

Nanny Zhou looked at Ren Yaoqi with some surprise. Seeing her just smile faintly without any other apparent meaning, she didn’t rush to ask more questions. After thinking, she nodded: “There is one—Granny Liu, who manages hot water in the back courtyard.”

Ren Yaoqi had only asked casually, since Nanny Zhou had only been back with Li Shi for a few days and might not know such details. It seemed she had underestimated Nanny Zhou.

“The Granny Liu whose niece manages accounts for the Fifth Madam?”

“Exactly. This woman who manages hot water can usually exchange hot water for some money from generous maids. But the woman who manages firewood and charcoal can’t gain much benefit because the mansion supplies ordinary firewood and charcoal adequately, while the finest silver charcoal is strictly controlled, and servants’ quarters are forbidden from using open flames. Granny Guan is extremely dissatisfied that Granny Liu, an outsider transferred from the outer courtyard, got a better position than her. She often makes things difficult when Granny Liu asks her for firewood. The two can’t stand each other. Though they’ve never had a major confrontation, everyone in the courtyard knows they don’t get along.”

After pondering for a moment, Ren Yaoqi nodded to Nanny Zhou: “I understand. Thank you for telling me all this.”

Since she had ‘awakened,’ the time had been short. Though she had secretly investigated the people in the courtyard, she couldn’t possibly have gathered information as clearly and thoroughly as Nanny Zhou.

Seeing Ren Yaoqi already standing to leave, Nanny Zhou couldn’t help asking: “Fifth Miss, with the New Year approaching, have you thought of a solution? If Third Miss makes a scene, then I’m afraid our Ziwei Courtyard will suffer greatly.” Nanny Zhou still remembered Ren Yaoqi’s previous analysis, otherwise, she wouldn’t have allowed those people to remain planted in Ziwei Courtyard.

Ren Yaoqi smiled at Nanny Zhou: “Don’t worry, Nanny. Perhaps I’ll need your help very soon.”

Nanny Zhou quickly said: “What are you saying, Miss? Whatever you need this servant to do, just give the word.”

When Ren Yaoqi emerged from Li Shi’s main room, passing by the west side courtyard, she heard the sound of sword practice cutting through the wind from within, along with rhythmic light shouts.

Ren Yaoqi’s body involuntarily paused. She stood outside the west side courtyard gate for a long while, until a maid behind her sneezed loudly from the cold, bringing her back to her senses.

“I’ll go see Father,” she said softly, as if talking to herself.

Upon entering the west side courtyard, Ren Yaoqi saw Ren Shimin in the snowy courtyard wielding a three-foot long sword, the blade singing like a crane, graceful as a dragon. His pure white wide-sleeved robe fluttered with his sword movements, the blade occasionally reflecting a blinding flash of snow-light. It looked quite impressive indeed.

Seeing Ren Yaoqi enter, Ren Shimin executed a sword flourish and sheathed his stance, saying to Ren Yaoqi with some pride: “Yaoyao, has Father’s swordsmanship improved again?”

In the past, Ren Yaoqi would certainly have praised him as he wished.

However, Ren Yaoqi merely looked expressionlessly at the sword in his hand and said softly: “It looks very good, but unfortunately, it’s all show.”

Ren Shimin was unconcerned: “What does a child understand? On this trip to the capital, even the escort masters praised my swordsmanship after seeing it. I sparred with them several times and defeated them all.”

Looking at her father, Ren Yaoqi closed her eyes briefly and said with certainty: “Father, your daughter isn’t deceiving you. Your swordsmanship is merely for show. Before someone truly skilled in martial arts, it would crumble at first contact.”