Besides being baffled by the Prince of Yanbei’s decision, people were also secretly observing Second Master Xiao Jingxi’s attitude. It was well known that although Second Master Xiao’s health wasn’t good, he presided over all of Yanbei’s affairs, large and small, whenever the Prince of Yanbei wasn’t in Yunyang City. Now that the Prince of Yanbei had quietly given the position of heir to his legitimate eldest grandson far away in the Capital, could this second master who held real power accept it? Many people in Yanbei began to worry that father and son might develop a rift over this matter.

Some people also began to suspect that the Prince of Yanbei’s decision was a helpless move – Second Master Xiao’s health condition might be deteriorating. To avoid a passive situation, the Prince of Yanbei could only use his legitimate eldest grandson as leverage first. Otherwise, if something happened to Second Master Xiao, the Prince of Yanbei’s younger brother, Xiao Heng’s faction might seize this opportunity to rise. Rather than let Xiao Heng’s faction exploit the situation, establishing his grandson as heir early naturally better served his interests.

And indeed, in the following period, Second Master Xiao appeared even less frequently in public. Although Xiao Jingxi was rarely seen by the public anyway, he generally participated in important political affairs in Yanbei. Even if he didn’t appear personally, relevant documents would pass through his hands. However, since the Prince of Yanbei petitioned to establish Xiao Weiyong as heir, Xiao Jingxi almost vanished completely from Yanbei. Even the trusted ministers of the Prince’s Manor had no opportunity to see him anymore.

Thus, more and more people believed that Second Master Xiao had fallen seriously ill.

However, regarding Xiao Jingxi’s condition, the Prince’s Manor remained tight-lipped. The Prince of Yanbei’s expression had also been very poor lately, so ordinary people didn’t dare inquire with him. As for the Prince’s Manor internally, nothing could be learned either, except that Xiao Jingxi seemed to stay in his courtyard without going out much. Although physicians did come and go from Zhaoning Hall, Second Master Xiao normally had his pulse checked every two or three days anyway, and there was always the smell of medicine in the courtyard.

Outside, speculation about the Prince’s Manor and Xiao Jingxi ran rampant. Second Master Xiao himself had been living quite relaxed and leisurely these past few days. At this moment, he was in the study with Ren Yaoqi, appreciating the calligraphy and paintings he had collected over the years.

Second Master Xiao was a man of wide interests. Although calligraphy and painting weren’t his greatest passion among his many hobbies, his collection was substantial. At least compared to Master Ren, who was obsessed with calligraphy and painting, the treasures in his possession were no less impressive.

Ren Yaoqi took out Xiao Jingxi’s collection of calligraphy and paintings one by one to appreciate, occasionally gasping in admiration.

Xiao Jingxi sat beside Ren Yaoqi, watching her with a smile. Ren Yaoqi looked at the paintings; he looked at her.

Since their marriage, because Yanbei was in troubled times, Xiao Jingxi was busy every day. This was the first time since they became husband and wife that they had so much leisure time together.

Ren Yaoqi pulled out a painting and exclaimed, “You have a collection of Tang Miao’s lady paintings! When my father was young, his two favorite figure painters were Jiang Yuanyi and Tang Miao.”

Compared to Jiang Yuanyi’s, Tang Miao’s paintings were even harder to obtain. First, because Tang Miao lived in an era far from theirs, and second, this master left behind very few works. Ren Shimin had once spent several years sparing no expense to have people search for Tang Miao’s paintings, but unfortunately, in the end, he only found one damaged piece with only half remaining, making even restoration problematic.

Xiao Jingxi embraced Ren Yaoqi’s waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder, and smiled: “That’s perfect then. I’ve been wondering what gift to give my father-in-law for his birthday. I’ll give him this painting.”

Ren Yaoqi’s shoulder felt somewhat sore and itchy, so she couldn’t help but dodge slightly, while turning her head and smiling: “Mm, he’ll love it.”

Seeing her turn her head, Xiao Jingxi couldn’t help but lightly kiss her lips. Ren Yaoqi leaned in his embrace, slightly turning her head to face his perfect profile. With their breaths mingling, neither spoke for a moment, but the atmosphere in the study was very sweet.

“If father-in-law likes it, what about me?” Xiao Jingxi nuzzled Ren Yaoqi’s nose tip and said in a low voice.

“Hmm?” Ren Yaoqi blinked.

While kissing her, Xiao Jingxi complained pitifully: “I didn’t receive a gift from you on my birthday. How will you compensate me?”

Ren Yaoqi was stunned: “Didn’t your birthday already pass?” Before they were married.

Xiao Jingxi said nothing, just looked at Ren Yaoqi like that.

Ren Yaoqi couldn’t stand this kind of look from him. Although she knew Xiao Jingxi was very likely putting on an act deliberately, she still compromised: “Then what do you want?”

Xiao Jingxi’s face broke into a smile, dazzling Ren Yaoqi’s eyes. He thought for a moment, then whispered a few words in Ren Yaoqi’s ear.

After hearing this, Ren Yaoqi’s face turned uncontrollably red. She glared at Xiao Jingxi with embarrassed anger and turned away, ignoring him.

Seeing Ren Yaoqi’s attention drawn back to the paintings, Xiao Jingxi used his nose tip to nuzzle her neck while persistently asking: “Will you? Will you?”

Ren Yaoqi was annoyed beyond measure by his pestering. She raised her hand to push him away, saying with a red face and anger: “No! What nonsense are you thinking about all day!”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingxi wasn’t annoyed but just smiled at her, making Ren Yaoqi involuntarily turn her head away.

Finally, Xiao Jingxi sighed: “Alright, if not, then forget it. Can I ask for something else instead?”

Ren Yaoqi glanced at him sideways: “What?” If Xiao Jingxi continued being inappropriate, Ren Yaoqi decided to get up and leave.

Xiao Jingxi seemed to see through Ren Yaoqi’s thoughts. He encircled her waist with his hands and smiled: “Don’t you know how to paint? Paint one for me.”

Ren Yaoqi thought this was easy enough to handle, so she nodded: “Alright, what should I paint?”

Xiao Jingxi blinked, then said: “Paint me.”

Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi was stunned and said hesitantly: “I rarely paint people.” And… although she had always been confident in her painting skills, she wasn’t confident she could capture Xiao Jingxi’s spirit.

But Xiao Jingxi said: “It doesn’t matter. I just want to see how I look in your eyes.”

Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi felt somewhat embarrassed and thought Xiao Jingxi was definitely teasing her again. Just as she was about to get angry, she noticed that Xiao Jingxi’s ears were also somewhat red, even though he still maintained his calm, joking demeanor. For some reason, Ren Yaoqi found this version of Xiao Jingxi very adorable, so she swallowed the refusal that had reached her lips and nodded in agreement.

Xiao Jingxi smiled at her, then pulled her up. Just as Xiao Jingxi was about to grind ink for Ren Yaoqi, Tongxi entered: “Young Master, Lord Zhu has returned.”

Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi’s face lit up with joy. Zhu Ruomei had returned? She looked at Xiao Jingxi.

Xiao Jingxi raised his eyebrows: “He’s here?”

Tongxi looked at both Xiao Jingxi and Ren Yaoqi, his eyes rolling, then volunteered: “He’s here, but he’s currently talking with Lord Mu and the others outside. Should this servant tell him to come back in an hour?”

Just as Xiao Jingxi was about to agree, Ren Yaoqi gently tugged at his sleeve and volunteered: “I’m a bit tired. I’ll go back and rest first.” Zhu Ruomei had been away for several months, and now that he was back, he definitely had important matters to report to Xiao Jingxi. Ren Yaoqi didn’t want to delay Xiao Jingxi’s serious business.

Xiao Jingxi glanced at Ren Yaoqi, thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded: “Alright, I’ll come accompany you for dinner after I see him.”

Ren Yaoqi nodded and left the study.

After leaving the study, Ren Yaoqi went to Jiuyang Hall.

In Jiuyang Hall, the Princess Consort was receiving several unfamiliar ladies. When Ren Yaoqi entered, those ladies quickly stood and paid their respects.

The Princess Consort beckoned Ren Yaoqi to her side and asked softly: “Have you taken your medicine?”

Ren Yaoqi noticed that although those ladies weren’t deliberately looking this way, their attention was on her conversation with the Princess Consort.

Ren Yaoqi nodded gently and gave a vague “mm.”

The Princess Consort sighed softly, had her sit beside her, then continued talking with those ladies.

After listening for a while, Ren Yaoqi discovered that although those ladies weren’t blatantly inquiring about the Prince of Yanbei establishing an heir, they still tried to gather information through indirect probing during their conversation. The Princess Consort deflected them all.

After those ladies took their leave, Ren Yaoqi asked: “Are these ladies from Shunzhou?” She had detected the Shunzhou accent in their speech.

The Princess Consort nodded and pressed her brow wearily: “Yes, quite a few people have come to Yunyang City lately.”

Ren Yaoqi knew that while Xiao Jingxi had leisure time now, the Princess Consort had been quite busy lately. She stood up and moved to the Princess Consort’s side: “Mother, let me massage your temples.”

Seeing that the Princess Consort didn’t object, Ren Yaoqi massaged several acupoints on her head that could relieve fatigue.

When the Princess Consort felt more comfortable, she gently patted Ren Yaoqi’s hand: “That’s enough. Don’t let your hands get sore. Come sit down.”

Ren Yaoqi massaged a bit more before sitting down beside the Princess Consort.

The Princess Consort smiled at her: “Who did you learn this from? It’s quite effective.”

Ren Yaoqi smiled: “I learned from my mother when I was at home.”

The Princess Consort seemed somewhat surprised, as if she hadn’t expected Li Shi to know such things about serving people.

Ren Yaoqi smiled without explaining. Her mother had a gentle nature but still carried some pride from the Li imperial family. She naturally disdained learning things about serving people, but there was one exception – as long as her father needed it, she would learn everything, and learn it well.

The Princess Consort didn’t inquire further. She sipped her tea and thought before saying, “Most of the people who’ve entered the manor these past few days came because of the newly appointed heir.”

Ren Yaoqi wasn’t surprised to hear this.

Every time there was a power transition, it was time for people below to choose sides. Although Yanbei’s situation was relatively good in comparison, some people still couldn’t sit. However, those who couldn’t sit still were families relatively distant from the power center. At least the major families in Yunyang City and some top-tier families from other states had been very quiet lately, making no moves whatsoever.