Yan Ningshuang’s words carried a sarcastic undertone, as if Ren Yaoqi had deliberately chosen her wedding day to announce her pregnancy.
Ren Yaoqi was too lazy to argue with her, and with Li Shi and Ren Yaohua still present, she didn’t want to say more to her, only wanting to dismiss them with a few casual words.
However, just because she was easy-going didn’t mean Ren Yaohua would be, especially since Yan Ningshuang’s provocative tone made her very displeased.
“I heard that Third Young Madam, as the eldest daughter of the Yan family, is Lord Yan’s precious pearl?” Ren Yaohua said leisurely.
Yan Ningshuang glanced at her, not knowing what she wanted to say, and didn’t respond for a moment.
Ren Yaohua smiled: “If that’s the case, then your family education must be quite strict, right? In your Capital customs, during kinship recognition ceremonies, don’t you need to serve tea to your elder brother and sister-in-law?” As she spoke, Ren Yaohua looked at Yan Ningshuang meaningfully, as if mocking the Yan family’s upbringing.
Upon hearing this, Yan Ningshuang’s expression turned slightly cold. She naturally knew that the kinship recognition ceremony required her to serve tea to Ren Yaohua and Xiao Jingxi, then address them as Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law. But Yan Ningshuang really couldn’t bring herself to say it. Although she thought about Xiao Jingxi constantly, if Xiao Jingyue hadn’t dragged her here today, she wouldn’t have wanted to see Ren Yaoqi. Now, Ren Yaoqi was pregnant with the child of the man she loved, while she had somehow become someone else’s wife. If it weren’t for…
In any case, the smile on Ren Yaoqi’s face made her feel it was particularly glaring.
Yan Ningshuang turned her face away, pretending not to have heard Ren Yaohua’s mockery. But Xiao Jingyue smiled and said, “Madam Lei is right. Isn’t that exactly why we came to serve tea?” He glanced at Sangshen standing to the side: “Could we trouble you, young lady, to bring us two cups of tea?”
Sangshen looked at Ren Yaoqi, who nodded, so Sangshen went to prepare tea.
Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but glance at Xiao Jingyue.
This man had decent looks, but his eyes carried a wicked arrogance that made it impossible to feel favorable toward him. Looking at the couple Xiao Jingyue and Yan Ningshuang, Ren Yaoqi somehow always felt there was something strange between them, though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was odd.
Sangshen quickly brought the tea. Xiao Jingyue picked up a bowl and handed it to Yan Ningshuang. Yan Ningshuang frowned but finally accepted it. He smiled and picked up a bowl himself.
Since they were of the same generation, they didn’t need to kneel when serving tea. Xiao Jingyue watched Yan Ningshuang while saying to Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jingxi, “Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law, please drink tea.”
Yan Ningshuang bit her lip and, under Xiao Jingyue’s smiling gaze, finally mumbled: “Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law, please drink tea.” Her voice was barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz.
Having completed the ceremony, Xiao Jingyue didn’t stay to be a nuisance and proactively took Yan Ningshuang to bid farewell.
Ren Yaohua thought for a moment, then also stood to take her leave.
Li Shi had originally wanted to say more to Ren Yaoqi, but given today’s circumstances, it wasn’t appropriate to stay and say anything more. So when Ren Yaohua proposed leaving, she didn’t think much of it.
Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jingxi personally escorted Li Shi and Ren Yaohua out of Zhaoning Palace.
Only when their figures had completely disappeared from view did Xiao Jingxi seem to breathe a sigh of relief. He came over and smiled at Ren Yaoqi: “Your sister’s temperament should get along well with Jinglin, right?”
Ren Yaoqi remembered Xiao Jinglin once mentioning wanting to take Ren Yaohua to the army and couldn’t help but laugh.
Seeing her smiling face, Xiao Jingxi suddenly sighed again, his tone carrying some grievance: “Madam, you’re not being fair.”
Ren Yaoqi was baffled by his accusation: “What did I do?”
Xiao Jingxi pulled her toward the house while turning his head to glance at her, saying teasingly: “If there’s something you don’t want me to do, just tell me directly. As a man who fears his wife, naturally, whatever you say goes. But how could you silently find reinforcements?”
Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi knew Xiao Jingxi was referring to Ren Yaohua’s earlier mention of chamber maids. She felt somewhat embarrassed and quickened her pace forward.
Xiao Jingxi followed closely, then deliberately leaned close to her ear and laughed softly: “Madam, rest assured. My health is poor, so having you as my legitimate wife is enough.”
Ren Yaoqi’s face reddened, and she couldn’t help but glare fiercely at someone. Thinking of his previously sickly image in front of others, wasn’t this playing the pig to eat the tiger?
The couple played and teased each other sweetly, enjoying their flirtation immensely, naturally having no mind for other idle people.
After leaving, Ren Yaohua and Li Shi had to travel the same considerable distance as Xiao Jingyue and Yan Ningshuang. Yan Ningshuang kept her head down the entire way, her face bearing traces of melancholy, completely different from the spirited Yan Ningshuang that Ren Yaohua had first met.
Ren Yaohua asked casually, “What’s wrong with Miss Yan? You look so listless.”
Yan Ningshuang was in no mood to deal with idle people. Instead, Xiao Jingyue grabbed Yan Ningshuang’s wrist and pulled her toward him. Caught off guard, Yan Ningshuang nearly fell and ended up bumping into Xiao Jingyue.
Xiao Jingyue smiled with pursed lips: “Madam Lei has keen eyes. Ningshuang probably didn’t sleep well last night, which is why she’s absent-minded. Darling, can you tell me what you were tossing and turning thinking about last night? I even saw you secretly wiping tears early this morning. Are you homesick?”
Ren Yaohua had only asked casually, but after asking realized her question was somewhat inappropriate. After all, Yan Ningshuang and Xiao Jingyue were newlyweds as of yesterday, and young couples inevitably…
She had originally wanted to change the subject, but Xiao Jingyue’s subsequent words made her even more embarrassed. She didn’t want to hear this couple’s private talk, and this Third Young Master Xiao was something.
Fortunately, seeing that Yan Ningshuang didn’t respond, Xiao Jingyue didn’t pursue the matter further. He nodded to Li Shi and Ren Yaohua before pulling Yan Ningshuang away.
Watching the strange atmosphere between the two, Li Shi frowned: “What’s wrong with these two? They feel odd. According to the Third Young Master Xiao, the Yan family girl was crying on the morning after her wedding. How inauspicious! And why would she cry on such a joyous day?”
Li Shi’s words reminded Ren Yaohua of Yan Ningshuang’s strange look when staring at Xiao Jingxi earlier, as well as the mockery Xiao Jingyue had just concealed.
Ren Yaohua had heard some gossip, but she didn’t say anything in front of Li Shi, only thoughtfully watching the two figures depart.
After returning, Ren Yaohua couldn’t help but ask Lei Ting about Yan Ningshuang and Xiao Jingyue’s marriage.
Lei Ting wasn’t someone who liked gossip, but seeing his wife frowning with a determined expression, Lei Ting reluctantly told Ren Yaohua what he knew about the beginning and end of Xiao Jingyue and Yan Ningshuang’s marriage.
Upon hearing this, Ren Yaohua narrowed her eyes: “No wonder she seemed so strange. So her marriage into Yanbei Prince’s Manor was like the drunkard’s interest isn’t in wine! Hmph, the Empress Dowager really can mess up matchmaking. Remarkably, Third Young Master Xiao can swallow this insult.”
Upon hearing this, Lei Ting shook his head and advised Ren Yaohua: “These are just surface matters. Who knows what’s happening underneath? This matter isn’t simple. Don’t get involved—after all, this is Yanbei Prince’s Manor’s family business.”
Ren Yaohua frowned: “Yaoqi is pregnant. If that woman has any malicious intentions…”
Hearing this, Lei Ting couldn’t help but look at Ren Yaohua and sigh: “Even if that were the case, you couldn’t help much. Besides… is the Xiao family’s young madam someone who can be easily harmed?”
Ren Yaohua thought about it. Although she still felt somewhat uneasy, Lei Ting made sense. Presumably, Xiao Jingxi had many skilled people around him, and her sister Ren Yaoqi also had Leshan and Leshui by her side.
However, Ren Yaohua misunderstood Lei Ting’s meaning. When Lei Ting said the Xiao family’s young madam wasn’t easily harmed, he wasn’t just referring to Ren Yaoqi having Yanbei Prince’s Manor’s protection, but rather, he felt that with Ren Yaoqi’s abilities, someone like Yan Ningshuang couldn’t even be considered a threat.
Lei Ting was so certain because he had discovered something.
Since Lei Pan’er needed to practice calligraphy, Ren Yaohua remembered that when she married, her father had given her a famous calligrapher’s copybook. Although Lei Pan’er couldn’t practice from it yet, it would be good for enlightenment. So Ren Yaohua searched through her dowry in the storehouse and found that copybook, along with a copybook written by Ren Yaoqi that she somehow had brought along. Thinking Ren Yaoqi’s calligraphy was excellent, Ren Yaohua placed both Ren Yaoqi’s copybook and the famous calligrapher’s copybook in the study.
Ren Yaohua hadn’t noticed that in Ren Yaoqi’s copybook were two pages she had casually written with her left hand when practicing calligraphy, but this copybook happened to be seen by Lei Ting.
When Lei Ting saw those two pages of left-handed writing, he was stunned for quite some time. The unremarkable handwriting seemed very familiar to him. Although Lei Ting didn’t dare boast of having a photographic memory, his memory and discernment were somewhat better than ordinary people. He was certain that the handwriting in this copybook was definitely from the same person who had written the mysterious note he once received.
Lei Ting initially thought it was Ren Yaohua’s, but almost immediately realized it was impossible. He had been married to Ren Yaohua for some time now and knew exactly what kind of person she was. She could never have hidden such a thing from him and then acted as if nothing had happened. So Lei Ting asked his daughter, who was practicing calligraphy nearby, where this copybook came from.
Lei Pan’er blinked her innocent big eyes and told him, “This is Sister Yaoqi’s writing! Sister Yaoqi’s calligraphy is so beautiful—I want to learn from her!”
Upon hearing this, Lei Ting’s expression couldn’t help but change dramatically. Finally, he smiled bitterly and placed the copybook back where it was.
So what if it was her? Although she knew the Lei family’s secret, she hadn’t revealed it or used it to threaten the Lei family. If it hadn’t been for her secret guidance back then, the Lei family wouldn’t have reached where they are today.