Regardless of whether Little Qiao Shi was willing to leave the Lei family or not, under Ren Yaohua’s orders, the servants below worked swiftly. Before noon, Steward Liu’s wife came to the main courtyard to report that Little Qiao Shi’s belongings had all been packed. When Little Qiao Shi had originally come seeking refuge, she had brought nothing with her, so apart from packing up everything in her room, there wasn’t much else to specially prepare.

Ren Yaohua merely nodded and replied indifferently, “If everything is packed, then set off. I won’t come out to see her off.”

At the time, Ren Yaohua was in the study, accompanying Lei Pan’er with calligraphy practice. When Steward Liu’s wife was reporting to Ren Yaohua, Lei Pan’er had been sneaking glances from behind the desk not far away, but until Ren Yaohua finished responding to Steward Liu’s wife, Lei Pan’er never interrupted to speak.

After Steward Liu’s wife left, Ren Yaohua turned back to the desk and lowered her head to carefully examine Lei Pan’er’s writing. “Mm, there’s improvement. Rest for a bit and have some snacks before continuing to write.”

Lei Pan’er, having received praise, immediately beamed at her, put down her brush, and obediently let the little maid serving nearby bring water to wash her hands.

Ren Yaohua took her hand and had her sit at the table, picking a piece of honey cake from the several plates of small pastries and placing it on the dish in front of her.

“Thank you, Mother.” Lei Pan’er picked up the small spoon herself to eat the pastry.

Although Lei Pan’er appeared very well-behaved, Ren Yaohua noticed she was quieter than usual today. Normally, even when having snacks, she liked to chatter nonstop. Ren Yaohua didn’t point this out and simply watched her eat the pastries.

After a few bites, Lei Pan’er put down the small spoon in her hand and sat there with her head lowered, fidgeting with her fingers.

“Not eating anymore? Would you like to go play in the garden?” Ren Yaohua wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and asked while looking at her.

Lei Pan’er shook her head, looking at Ren Yaohua as if she wanted to speak but hesitated.

Ren Yaohua looked at her, neither asking nor urging.

Lei Pan’er finally couldn’t help but ask, “Mother, is Auntie leaving?”

“No, she’s going to live at the estate. Does Pan’er feel reluctant to have Auntie leave the mansion?”

Lei Pan’er thought for a moment and asked with a serious expression, “Is the food good at the estate? Are there people to serve her? If she gets sick, will someone take care of her?”

Ren Yaohua nodded. “Mm. The several maids and matrons who previously served Auntie will all go on to continue serving her. Her food, clothing, and expenses will be the same as when she lived in the mansion. If she falls ill, the steward will call for a physician. If Pan’er is worried…” Ren Yaohua pondered for a moment, “why not send your maid to escort Auntie there, let the maid go see for herself, and report back to you when she returns?” Lei Pan’er had two personal maids who had been serving her for several years, and Ren Yaohua hadn’t replaced them after arriving.

After listening, Lei Pan’er thought again, then nodded. “Good, and also to check on Wet Nurse.”

Lei Pan’er had a good memory and still remembered that her wet nurse had also been sent to the estate.

“Does Pan’er want to see Auntie one last time?” Ren Yaohua asked carefully.

Lei Pan’er shook her head. “I heard that Auntie didn’t live well before coming to our house. As long as I know she can live well in the future, that’s enough.”

Lei Pan’er was precocious. She understood many principles without others having to constantly remind her, and what was rare was that she was also reasonable and wouldn’t make unreasonable scenes.

Ren Yaohua patted her head, called over her maid to give some instructions, then sent her off.

Afterward, Lei Pan’er seemed to have put Little Qiao Shi’s matter aside, no longer mentioning her, playing when it was time to play, and eating when it was time to eat.

When Little Qiao Shi saw Lei Pan’er’s maid Huadie and learned that Lei Pan’er didn’t intend to come bid her farewell, her face immediately turned pale. She didn’t even remember to struggle when being helped onto the carriage.

Little Qiao Shi’s departure seemed like only a small matter for the Lei family. However, the day after Little Qiao Shi left, a major event occurred.

Prince Xian, who had disappeared without a trace after leaving Yanbei, finally appeared before the world again. Prince Xian had surfaced in Hezhong Prefecture, and on the very day of his appearance, moved into the Hezhong Prince’s residence.

The next day, Prince Xian announced to the world a posthumous edict from the late emperor.

This edict was dated after the original imperial decree that had stripped him of his princely status. In the posthumous edict, the late emperor stated that he pardoned Prince Xian’s family of their crimes and enfeoffed Prince Xian as Prince of Hezhong, with Hezhong Prefecture as Prince Xian’s fief. Moreover, after Prince Xian formally accepted the title of Prince of Hezhong, for five years, Prince Xian and his direct descendants would not be permitted to leave Hezhong.

When this posthumous edict was announced, the entire Great Zhou Dynasty was shocked.

Naturally, some would doubt the authenticity of this posthumous edict in Prince Xian’s possession. If the edict were genuine, why hadn’t Prince Xian produced it earlier?

After announcing the posthumous edict, Prince Xian had a rubbing made and posted it on the notice board beside Hezhong’s city gate. Before long, many people had copies of this edict’s rubbing in their hands. After examination by countless people, this posthumous edict’s calligraphy was confirmed to be from the hand of the deceased Grand Secretary Pei Xun, and the “Fengtian Treasure” seal on the edict was undoubtedly the emperor’s imperial seal.

Although Pei Xun had passed away, he had left behind numerous calligraphy works, so authenticating the handwriting wasn’t difficult. The Pei family was the leader of today’s scholarly circles. Many Pei family descendants served as officials in the court. The Great Zhou Dynasty had several ministers and cabinet advisors surnamed Pei from the Six Ministries. The Pei family could be called the “evergreen tree” among the Great Zhou Dynasty’s bureaucratic aristocratic families. No one would believe that Pei Xun would collude with Noble Consort Wan and Prince Xian to create forgeries.

So when this edict was announced, those who had doubted its authenticity fell silent.

As for what was most talked about in the posthumous edict, it was that mysterious and thought-provoking decree stating “for five years, Prince Xian and his direct descendants are not permitted to leave Hezhong.”

Historically, feudal princes were never allowed to leave their fiefs without imperial decree, much less enter the capital without permission. But as long as the emperor issued a command summoning them, the princes, no matter how far away, still had to go to the capital to present themselves to the emperor. This posthumous edict from the late emperor was interesting – for five years, Prince Xian’s direct line couldn’t leave Hezhong, which meant that even if the emperor issued an edict summoning Prince Xian or the heir apparent to the capital, they could ignore it as if the emperor had merely passed gas. An emperor might be great, but he couldn’t be greater than the emperor’s father – of course, this father had to be dead, as a living one might not have such a face.

What Empress Dowager Yan and the Yan family felt upon learning this – their anger and frustration – was unknown. On the Yanbei side, Li Shi wept with joy again upon hearing the news, while Ren Yaoqi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Five years wasn’t long or short, but it was the most suitable development period for Prince Xian’s residence. With the foundation left by Prince Xian’s residence, as long as they successfully passed these five years, it wouldn’t be so easy for the court to move against Prince Xian’s residence in the future. It had to be said that Noble Consort Wan’s methods were truly beyond comparison with ordinary people.

However, Ren Yaoqi was still very surprised that the posthumous edict was connected to the Pei family. When she had been by Teacher Pei’s side, although Teacher Pei had mentioned Noble Consort Wan, it was only in passing – merely a man’s appreciation and regret for a peerless beauty.

Ren Yaoqi had never heard of any connection between the Pei family and Noble Consort Wan and Prince Xian’s faction. Pei Zhiyan had never mentioned Prince Xian in front of Ren Yaoqi either. Of course, if there were connections between the two sides, this posthumous edict’s credibility would be considerably lower.

But Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help worrying about Pei Zhiyan’s current situation. Although with the Pei family’s foundation, it would be somewhat difficult for the court to move against the Pei family in the short term, and they would need to consider public opinion, it was still easy to make things difficult for the Pei family. Among the Pei family members currently serving as officials in the court, the highest-ranking was Pei Zhiyan’s uncle Pei Ji, who held the rank of second-grade Minister of Rites and served as a cabinet advisor, ranking third in the cabinet. Pei Zhiyan was currently a Hanlin Academy Scholar with only a fifth-grade official rank, but he was the imperial tutor and would succeed Pei Ji in the future. Compared to moving against Pei Ji, the court would probably prefer to move against Pei Zhiyan.

Regarding court affairs, even though Ren Yaoqi was worried, there was nothing she could do.

Although more people believed in the late emperor’s posthumous edict than doubted it, those taking a wait-and-see attitude comprised the vast majority. After all, no one was clear about Prince Xian’s residence’s true strength. No one was foolish enough to offend the court for a newly minted feudal prince with an unstable foundation and unclear prospects.

Under these circumstances, Prince Yanbei’s residence was the first to extend an olive branch to the Prince of Hezhong. Although they only sent some gifts to Hezhong, it represented Yanbei’s willingness to acknowledge the Prince of Hezhong.

With Prince Yanbei’s residence making a move, various other factions also began to stir due to different interest considerations. With Prince Xian’s residence rising, the entire Great Zhou Dynasty’s political landscape would change, and many people had already sensed the unusual political winds between Prince Xian’s residence and Prince Yanbei’s residence.

In this atmosphere, Second Young Master Xiao Jingxi of Prince Yanbei’s residence proposed marriage to Fifth Miss Ren Yaoqi of the Ren family.

When this news came out, people outside Yanzhou might not have understood who this Fifth Miss of the Ren family was. But soon everyone knew that Fifth Miss Ren Yaoqi of the Ren family was the direct granddaughter of the former Prince Xian, now Prince of Hezhong, and the second daughter of Prince Xian’s legitimate daughter, Princess Jiayi.

When Prince Xian had been demoted to commoner status and exiled to Yanbei, all titles from Prince Xian to the heir apparent and princesses had been stripped, forcing Princess Jiayi to marry a merchant under pressure. Now, the late emperor’s posthumous edict had pardoned Prince Xian, Prince Xian’s residence’s titles had been restored, and Princess Jiayi’s title had returned.

Some might think that a merchant’s daughter’s status wasn’t worthy of Prince Yanbei’s residence’s second young master. After all, although Xiao Jingxi’s health wasn’t good, after Xiao Jingkang’s death, he was most likely to inherit the position of Yanbei heir apparent. Having Prince of Hezhong marry off a granddaughter would be more appropriate; marrying off a great-granddaughter was still one degree removed.

But Prince of Hezhong only had one legitimate son and one legitimate daughter. Prince of Hezhong’s heir apparent had been married for less than a year and had no children. Under Prince of Hezhong’s knee, the only one suitable for a marriage alliance was his legitimate daughter’s younger daughter. Fortunately, Princess Jiayi’s title had been restored, so no matter what, Li Shi was a proper golden branch and jade leaf of imperial bloodline.