Ren Shijia was very happy to see the Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua sisters visiting her together, even though they had just met at Ren Yaoqi’s coming-of-age ceremony a few days ago.

Little Lin Cen could already walk and talk, growing plump and fair, smiling at everyone he met—very endearing indeed. Seeing familiar people arrive, he quickly scrambled onto the kang table, grabbed two honey cakes, stuffed one each into Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua’s hands, and looked at them eagerly: “Sisters, eat cake-cake.”

This made everyone in the room laugh continuously.

Ren Shijia now had everything she could want with her son, her only wish being to protect her child and see him grow up safely. However, having suffered too many losses before, seeing her son growing day by day, she became increasingly wary of people from other branches of the Lin family, fearing that little Cen might be harmed someday.

Ren Shijia had several times suggested to Lin Kun that they move out of the Lin family’s old residence to establish their household, but Lin Kun had other plans in mind and didn’t agree to her wishes. Ren Shijia had a gentle temperament, and the couple had never quarreled in their years of marriage, yet over this matter, Ren Shijia had argued with Lin Kun several times.

Being strong for her child’s sake, Ren Shijia didn’t care about completely breaking with the Lin family for her son’s welfare, but Lin Kun’s obsession with the Lin family ran too deep.

When Ren Shijia spoke with the Ren Yaoqi sisters about the Ren family’s affairs, she naturally understood her natal family’s current predicament. After the incident, Lin Kun had also gone with Fifth Master Ren Shimao to help, but the Lin family itself had many matters to attend to, so Lin Kun couldn’t stay in Baihezhen permanently. Moreover, no matter what, Lin Kun was just a son-in-law, and Old Master Ren might not fully trust him. So Lin Kun simply returned, only lending a hand when the Ren family needed his help.

Ren Shijia naturally worried about her natal family, but she had never involved herself in outside affairs, so even her worry was powerless to help.

Ren Yaoqi took Lin Cen into her arms, peeling pine nuts for him while asking Ren Shijia, “Is brother-in-law out?”

Ren Shijia used a handkerchief to wipe Lin Cen’s mouth: “It’s nearly the end of the month, isn’t it? He’s meeting with the shopkeeper in the outer courtyard. He’ll return to the inner courtyard for lunch. You should stay for lunch today, too. Fifth Brother recently had someone bring back some mountain delicacies from the northeast and sent some to me. It’s perfect timing to have the kitchen prepare some new dishes to try.”

Since Fifth Master Ren Shimao had left the Ren family to establish his household, his business had become quite extensive. Besides the stationery shop, he had also opened a store specializing in mountain delicacies and seafood, constantly dealing in local specialties from various places, and business was surprisingly good. Her kitchen frequently received various mountain delicacies and seafood delivered by workers from Ren Shimao’s shop. With Fifth Master Lin’s finances now comfortable, he was very generous to his siblings.

Lin Kun indeed returned before lunch was served in the inner courtyard. Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua rose to greet him, and he warmly exchanged a few pleasantries.

Lin Cen quickly crawled down from the kang, ran to Lin Kun’s side, hugged his leg tightly, and smiled so widely his eyes disappeared: “Daddy, hug.”

Lin Kun didn’t follow the old saying about preferring grandsons over sons. He bent down to pick up his son, sat him on his arm, and gently pinched his chubby little round face with a smile: “Was little Cen good today? Did you make Mother angry?”

Lin Cen bit his finger and giggled. Ren Shijia couldn’t stand it anymore and stepped forward to take Lin Cen, scolding: “Hurry inside to change clothes and wash your hands before holding your son.”

Lin Kun didn’t mind and smiled as he went into the inner room.

Lin Cen struggled out of Ren Shijia’s embrace, got down, and chased after his father on his short little legs: “Daddy, Daddy…”

Ren Shijia looked at her son’s retreating figure and complained half-seriously to Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua: “Little heartless one, only knows how to cling to his father.” Though she said this, Ren Shijia’s eyes sparkled with laughter.

Watching this family of three interact, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but smile too.

After lunch in Ren Shijia’s courtyard, little Cen had a habit of afternoon naps, so Ren Shijia carried her son to the inner room to coax him to sleep. Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua took the opportunity to bid farewell.

Lin Kun was also about to go to the outer courtyard, so he conveniently accompanied the two sisters out.

Lin Kun said a few comforting words about the Ren family’s situation, then mentioned his wife and son. Because of the guests’ visit, both Ren Shijia and little Cen were in very good spirits today. Lin Kun invited them to visit the Lin family more often.

Ren Yaoqi smiled: “Earlier, I heard Aunt asking my mother about houses in Baobing Alley. I was thinking that if Aunt and little Cen lived closer to us, it would be more convenient to visit each other.”

Hearing this, Lin Kun paused, then said: “Your aunt did mention wanting to buy a house in Baobing Alley before. I also had people inquire about it, but we haven’t found anything suitable.”

Ren Yaoqi nodded and spoke directly: “Ever since having little Cen, Aunt has always wanted to move out. Though the Lin family’s old residence is large, it’s inevitable that with many people comes much gossip, making things inconvenient.”

Actually, though the Lin family had many members, because the residence was large enough, it was far from reaching the point of too many people causing too much gossip. But Lin Kun didn’t refute Ren Yaoqi’s words. They all understood clearly why Ren Shijia disliked living in the Lin family residence.

However, Lin Kun was somewhat surprised. Though Ren Yaoqi was young, she had always been sensible, reasonable, and knew when to advance and retreat. She never made things difficult for others or caused embarrassment face-to-face. Why was she repeatedly bringing up Lin family domestic affairs in front of him today?

After a moment of silence, Lin Kun sighed and smiled bitterly: “Things aren’t that easy.”

How could Lin Kun not want to give his wife peace of mind? But he carried too many burdens, had been obsessed for so many years—some things couldn’t be let go just because one wanted to.

Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment, then smiled: “I think that whether anything can be accomplished depends on timing. When the timing is right, things become easier.”

Ren Yaoqi’s words stirred something in Lin Kun’s heart. He couldn’t help but look at Ren Yaoqi with surprise. Lin Kun lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then tentatively said: “I recently acquired a jar of excellent Longjing tea. I’m a rough person who doesn’t understand tea appreciation. I heard your father knows this best—why don’t you help me taste it? If you think the tea is acceptable, could you take it back to Third Brother for me?”

Ren Yaoqi didn’t refuse and agreed with a smile.

Ren Yaohua glanced at Ren Yaoqi. Though she didn’t understand what performance Ren Yaoqi was putting on, she still asked for nothing. Seeing that Ren Yaoqi had no intention of sending her away, she continued following beside Ren Yaoqi.

Lin Kun led them to a pavilion with open views in all four directions in the courtyard, then instructed someone to bring tea leaves and tea implements from his study.

Though Lin Kun was Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua’s brother-in-law, he was still a man of a different surname. It wouldn’t be proper to close doors and talk privately, but sitting openly together in the pavilion drinking tea, even if someone saw them, nothing inappropriate could be said.

So the three of them spent half an hour tasting tea in the pavilion before Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua bid farewell and left.

Lin Kun watched their carriage slowly drive out of the Lin residence. Though his face still wore a peaceful smile, his heart hadn’t yet recovered from the tumultuous excitement.

After Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua got into the carriage, neither spoke. Ren Yaoqi leaned against the cushions with slightly lowered eyes, lost in thought about something, while Ren Yaohua absently turned the teacup in her hands.

It wasn’t until the carriage was about to turn into Baobing Alley that Ren Yaohua finally spoke: “Can you make the Lin family successfully divide their property?”

Ren Yaoqi looked up with a smile and shook her head: “I naturally don’t have that ability.”

Ren Yaohua frowned.

Ren Yaoqi continued: “This is originally Lin family domestic affairs, so in the end it still depends on the brother-in-law himself. No one else can take the lead for him. Having endured in silence for years, he must have accumulated many chips in his hand. He’s kept them hidden only because the timing wasn’t right and he didn’t dare risk everything on one gamble.”

Moreover, if Lin Kun were truly the type who needed others to take the lead in everything, Ren Yaoqi wouldn’t have chosen him, though part of her choice of the Lin family was also for Ren Shijia and Lin Cen’s sake.

Ren Yaoqi wouldn’t forget the kindness others had shown her during difficult times—reciprocating favors was only natural. Otherwise, Ren Yaoqi’s choices wouldn’t be limited to just the Lin family.

Lin Kun was an extremely patient person with sufficient cunning and excellent ability. From the perspective of Ren Shijia’s niece, though Ren Yaoqi didn’t particularly like him, if they were to work together, such a person was still worth appreciating. Because he had clear goals, was cautious, and wouldn’t easily waver in his stance.

“So is the timing right now?” Ren Yaohua still frowned.

Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment and smiled: “With someone’s assistance, the timing naturally arrives. Hasn’t Lin Kun been working hard to curry favor with the Ren family all these years to gain the Ren family’s support? But now the Ren family probably can’t fulfill his wishes. The other family I’ve found for him is much better than the Ren family.”

What schemes Old Master Ren had regarding the Lin family over the years, others might not know, but Ren Yaoqi was very clear. The Ren family never made losing deals. If Old Master Ren hadn’t planned to get a share of the profits through his son-in-law after the Lin family divided their property, even if Ren Yaoqi believed it, Lin Kun himself wouldn’t.

Ren Yaohua fell silent for even longer.

Seeing her not speaking, Ren Yaoqi looked at her with a smile: “Is Third Sister worried the Lei family won’t agree?”

Hearing her mention the Lei family, Ren Yaohua finally looked up.

Ren Yaoqi had brought Ren Yaohua along today and hadn’t avoided her when speaking with Lin Kun, to guide and teach her. She turned her head and asked: “The Lei and Han families have fought for so many years. After the Yanbei Prince’s manor’s scales tipped toward the Lei family, the Han family’s momentum still hasn’t diminished much, and they still can compete with the Lei family. Do you know why?”

Ren Yaohua frowned and thought: “Is it because the Lei family only recently moved back and hasn’t yet established firm footing in Yanbei, plus the Lei clan has few members, making it difficult to quickly cultivate connections?”

Ren Yaoqi nodded: “That’s part of the reason. Let me ask you another question—if someday the Yanbei Prince’s manor needs to suppress a certain merchant family for some reason, since the Prince’s manor couldn’t act directly, who do you think they would entrust this matter to?”

What Ren Yaoqi was implicitly referring to was the Ren family’s situation. Recently, she would sometimes chat with Ren Yaohua about the various family situations in Yanbei during their conversations, but Ren Yaoqi hadn’t told Ren Yaohua the inside story of the Ren family’s misfortune.

Ren Yaohua thought and answered: “The Han family?”

Ren Yaoqi smiled: “Looking throughout history, even wise rulers have one or two treacherous ministers by their side. It’s not necessarily that wise rulers can’t distinguish between loyal and treacherous subjects, but some things loyal ministers can’t do—someone must take the blame for the wise ruler. Though this analogy isn’t quite appropriate and the Han family isn’t treacherous, it perfectly explains the relationship between the Yanbei Prince’s manor and both the Lei and Han families. The Lei family is aristocratic, and aristocratic children don’t engage in commerce directly. Though the Lei family controls considerable property, it’s all managed by stewards. As the Lei family, Lei Ting himself can’t handle everything personally, so some things aren’t easy for the Lei family to take on. The Yun and Su families originally had a similar relationship.”

Ren Yaohua listened with growing understanding.

“So what the Lei family needs most now is a right-hand man. Originally, with the Lei family’s marriage alliance with the Ren family, having the Ren family fill this role would have been most appropriate. Unfortunately…”

Unfortunately, Old Master Ren was too short-sighted and couldn’t handle such responsibility. Even if the Lei family had truly taken a liking to the Ren family, Ren Yaoqi wouldn’t agree to cooperation between the Lei and Ren families. One should wear a hat that fits one’s head size—otherwise, the Lei family would gain not assistance but disaster.

“However, the Lin family is now a good choice. After you marry into the Lei family, the Lin and Lei families could be considered in-laws. Though his brother-in-law’s personality is somewhat deep, his abilities are excellent. If the Lei family can lend him a hand at this time and help him successfully reclaim what rightfully belongs to him, he’ll be eternally grateful to Lei Ting, and the Lei family will thus gain a right-hand man. This would be a win-win situation for both the Lei and Lin families.”

After hearing this, Ren Yaohua was somewhat stunned. Though under Ren Yaoqi’s guidance these days, she was no longer as impulsive as before and would think before acting rather than acting before thinking, hearing Ren Yaoqi’s explanation still made her feel the gap between them. These complicated machinations, though she could understand them after Ren Yaoqi’s explanation, she could only understand them and nothing more.

Ren Yaoqi paid no attention to Ren Yaohua’s bewilderment and continued with a sigh: “The Ren family can barely protect itself, Prince Xian’s manor has no foundation in Yanbei, and the Lei family is at the center of the storm. Third Sister, this future path won’t be easy, so we inevitably need to calculate more.”

Ren Yaoqi couldn’t quickly establish a natal family that could shelter the sisters from wind and rain, but she could bind the Lei family’s interests with their “natal family.” When the Lin family played their proper role, the Lei family naturally wouldn’t dare look down on Ren Yaohua as the family matriarch.

This was the countermeasure Ren Yaoqi had devised. Though not perfect, it was all she could accomplish for now.

Ren Yaohua naturally knew that all of Ren Yaoqi’s careful planning was so she could have an easier time after marrying into the Lei family. For a moment, she was speechless. All these years, she had always felt she needed to protect her mother and sister, but deep down, she understood that it had always been Ren Yaoqi, her younger sister, protecting her.

“When will you meet with the Lei family?” After a long silence, Ren Yaohua asked.

But Ren Yaoqi hesitated. She didn’t want to personally meet with Lei Ting to negotiate because it wouldn’t be appropriate.

After thinking, Ren Yaoqi shook her head: “I don’t plan to appear personally. Let brother-in-law approach Lei Ting instead.”

Seeing Ren Yaohua frown silently, Ren Yaoqi thought she was worried the two families couldn’t reach an agreement, so she smiled and changed the subject: “I heard the Han family has been getting closer to the Yun family recently?”

Though Ren Yaoqi rarely went out these days, that didn’t mean she knew nothing about outside affairs. On the contrary, she paid close attention to those several families.

Han Yunqian had performed outstandingly in the recent autumn examinations, earning first place as provincial graduate and gaining the appreciation of a Yanbei official named Sheng Shihong. Though Sheng Shihong wasn’t from an aristocratic family, he had assisted the Yanbei Prince’s side for many years and was the Prince’s manor’s chief strategist. If the Yanbei Prince’s manor were compared to the imperial court, this Master Sheng would be equivalent to Yanbei’s cabinet chief minister.

So though Han Yunqian hadn’t yet obtained any official position in Yanbei, being accepted as Sheng Shihong’s student meant bright prospects ahead. Though the Han family was far inferior to the Yun family, Han Yunqian was a rare talent.

Now, with the Su family declining and the Lei family rising, showing signs of rivaling the Yun family, no matter how composed the Yun family remained, having failed to marry into the Yanbei Prince’s manor, they had to find alternative paths.

Ren Yaohua didn’t know about these matters and couldn’t help asking: “Could the Yun family marry into the Han family?”

Ren Yaohua thought it unlikely, given the gap in their family standings, but Ren Yaoqi knew that in a previous life, the Han and Yun families had indeed formed a marriage alliance. With aligned interests, nothing was impossible.

“I remember the Yun family’s eldest daughter is one or two years older than Third Sister and must marry within these two years.” Ren Yaoqi shook her head: “If the Han family wants to ally with the Yun family and succeeds, the Lei family will be at a disadvantage in this struggle, so the Lei family needs to make decisions quickly. The Lin family’s approach to them at this time perfectly suits their needs.”

“What about the Su family?”

Ren Yaoqi sipped her tea and smiled without speaking directly, but Ren Yaohua understood her meaning.

The Su family had probably long since become sacrificial pawns.

These power struggles and machinations Ren Yaohua had originally thought were far from her, but now it seemed she had already stepped into the center of this whirlpool. It was impossible not to feel alarmed, but she looked up at Ren Yaoqi’s calm and composed expression and found she wasn’t afraid. Instead, a surge of determination rose in her heart.

She thought of Lei Ting—that man who always maintained a calm and confident appearance, never panicking when handling affairs. Ren Yaohua knew Ren Yaoqi and Lei Ting belonged to the same type of people, as if there were no problems in the world they couldn’t solve, remaining calm even if Mount Tai collapsed before them. At this moment, Ren Yaohua also wanted to become like them, not for any other reason, but to stand with them when they needed it, to share their burdens rather than hide behind them, accepting protection.

Ren Yaoqi didn’t know that after her lesson, Ren Yaohua’s mindset had undergone another transformation.

What Ren Yaoqi was thinking was that, setting aside the Han and Ren families’ personal grudges, keeping the Han family actually wasn’t bad for Yanbei. With the Han and Yun families allied and the Lei and Lin families united, plus the steady Yanbei Prince’s manor, Yanbei’s various forces could achieve balance, which would benefit Yanbei’s long-term stability.

If the Han family were completely suppressed and the Yun family also retreated, then over time the Lei and Lin families would become unrivaled in Yanbei, which actually wouldn’t be good for the Lei family. Sometimes having a competitor constantly pressing close could promote family development and reassure those in power.

Ren Yaoqi wasn’t an ordinary inner-quarters woman, and with her connection to Xiao Jingxi, she naturally wouldn’t limit her perspective to narrow family grudges and interests.

So Ren Yaoqi didn’t plan to interfere with the Han and Yun families’ affairs. As long as Old Master Han didn’t go too far and harm people important to her, she didn’t mind peaceful coexistence.

Not long after returning from the Lin family, Ren Yaoqi received a message from Lin Kun—Lei Ting had indeed agreed to cooperate with him.

Lei Ting had many more choices than the Lin family, but his quick decision must have been influenced by his relationship with Ren Yaohua.

Not long after this matter, rumors spread that the Lin family was about to divide their property.

The Lin family’s main branch naturally refused to split half their property with Lin Kun, but this time Lin Kun was obviously prepared. He invited several clan elders and spread before everyone the documents left by his great-grandfather when the family had divided property years ago—clear as black words on white paper.

Old Madam Lin refused to acknowledge this. Lin Kun spoke privately with the old madam for half an hour. No one knew what Lin Kun said to her, but the old madam, who had previously refused to divide the family, came out and changed her tune, agreeing to divide the Lin family property according to Lin Kun’s great-grandfather’s will. The old residence would belong to the main branch, while Lin Kun would leave the Lin family to establish his household. However, Old Madam Lin looked terrible when making this decision and fell ill immediately after returning to her room.

Throughout this entire affair, the Lei family never appeared publicly, but Ren Yaoqi knew better than anyone that the Lei family had exerted effort behind the scenes. Otherwise, Lin Kun alone couldn’t have convinced those respected Lei family elders to intervene.

And what finally forced Old Madam Lin to compromise was nothing more than evidence of the main branch’s murder for property and their years of harming Lin Kun’s offspring.

The grudge between Lin Kun and the main branch was no longer just about property disputes, so Lin Kun wasn’t afraid of breaking with the main branch and taking them to court. All these years, Lin Kun had remained silent, not out of consideration for the Lin family’s overall situation, but waiting for an opportunity to strike a fatal blow.

With the Lei family’s help, Lin Kun had finally gotten his chance.