For several days after returning from White Dragon Temple, the skies were clear and boundless.

On this day, after paying their morning respects, Old Master Ren and Old Madam Ren kept all their sons and daughters-in-law behind, dismissing all the grandchildren.

Ren Yaohua normally took her morning meal in Old Madam’s courtyard, so now she returned to Ziwei Courtyard together with Ren Yaoqi.

“I wonder what grandfather and grandmother want to discuss with father and the uncles today?” Ren Yaohua said casually along the way.

Ren Yaoqi tilted her head and thought: “What was discussed the last time everyone was kept behind?”

Ren Yaohua said, “At the end of last year, great-uncle sent a letter saying he wanted to open four more coal shops around the capital.”

“Has the family had any major business recently?”

Ren Yaohua thought for a moment: “The day before yesterday, grandmother mentioned to an eldest aunt that the Han family seems to have obtained several good salt wells and wants to partner with our Ren family.”

“The Han family?” Upon hearing about the Han family, Ren Yaoqi frowned. She always felt there was something strange about the Han family.

“What’s wrong with the Han family?” Ren Yaohua raised an eyebrow, looking at Ren Yaoqi.

Ren Yaoqi shook her head: “I just didn’t expect the Han family would also want to open a salt field. I’ve only heard that while this business brings enormous profits, it’s not something just anyone can successfully undertake.”

“That’s exactly why the Han family wants to partner with our Ren family,” Ren Yaohua said indifferently.

Ren Yaoqi was wondering whether this had happened in her previous life. But she couldn’t remember if she had forgotten or if she simply hadn’t paid attention to such matters before. Having no clear recollection, she could only let the matter drop.

The two sisters waited for Ren Shimin and Li Shi to return so they could take breakfast together, but they waited for more than half an hour before Ren Shimin and Li Shi came back.

Ren Yaoqi noticed that while Ren Shimin showed no particular expression, Li Shi’s face was suffused with faint joy, though sometimes she would suddenly frown for a while, seemingly thinking about something.

After the family finished breakfast, Ren Yaoqi asked casually: “What important matter did grandfather and grandmother discuss today?”

Ren Shimin leisurely finished rinsing his mouth and said casually, “It was about the Ren family and Han family jointly opening salt wells.”

Ren Yaoqi glanced at Li Shi and smiled: “Just for this matter? Then why were mother and the aunts also kept behind?”

Seeing Ren Yaoqi getting to the bottom of things, Li Shi scolded fondly: “Why are you asking so much? You should properly do your needlework on ordinary days and learn household management and accounting from Nanny Zhou – that’s what’s proper. Especially you, Yaohua – your needlework is barely passable, but you need to learn more about accounting. Starting tomorrow, spend half an hour after morning meals learning from Nanny Zhou.”

Hearing Li Shi suddenly bring this up, Ren Yaoqi’s heart stirred. Could it be that Old Master Ren and Old Madam Ren had mentioned Ren Yaohua’s marriage today?

Ren Shimin was about to go out, and Li Shi was pulling Ren Yaohua aside to whisper instructions. Ren Yaoqi told Li Shi something and hurriedly followed Ren Shimin out.

After walking a few steps, Ren Shimin noticed Ren Yaoqi had followed and turned back: “Why aren’t you staying with your mother to receive instruction? What are you doing following me out?”

Ren Yaoqi smiled and quickened her pace to walk beside Ren Shimin’s right side: “I came to see Father off.”

Ren Shimin couldn’t help but laugh, glancing sideways at Ren Yaoqi: “What’s going on? Speak up – father is in a hurry to go out.”

Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment and said quietly: “Besides the salt well matter, did grandfather and grandmother mention anything else today?”

“Why are you asking about these things?” Ren Shimin raised an eyebrow.

Ren Yaoqi smiled ingratiatingly: “Father, just tell me? Otherwise, I’ll be thinking about it all day and won’t be in the mood to do anything.”

Ren Shimin looked at her once, then turned back to walk on his own.

Ren Yaoqi moved closer and said even more quietly: “Father, did grandfather and grandmother mention Third Sister’s marriage?”

Upon hearing this, Ren Shimin suddenly choked on his saliva and began coughing lightly. Ren Yaoqi hurriedly went up to pat his back.

“Yaoqi, how dare you ask about everything? Where is it your place to manage such matters?” Ren Shimin glared at Ren Yaoqi reproachfully.

Ren Yaoqi said quietly, “I just saw Mother mention having Third Sister learn household management, and suddenly thought of it, so I asked. Father, did grandfather and grandmother mention this?”

Ren Shimin felt somewhat helpless. Seeing Ren Yaoqi’s expression that suggested she would persist until he answered, he could only say vaguely: “It was mentioned in passing.”

“Which family?” Ren Yaoqi asked hurriedly.

Ren Shimin frowned, somewhat displeased: “Yaoqi! Don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask.”

Ren Yaoqi lowered her head but still shamelessly continued following Ren Shimin.

Just as they were about to reach the second gate, Ren Shimin sighed softly: “The Han family.”

His voice wasn’t loud, but those two words left Ren Yaoqi stunned in place.

The Han family?

The Han family again?

Could it be that in this life, there was still no way to escape the outcome of the previous life?

Seeing that Ren Yaoqi had stopped walking but was standing there in a daze, Ren Shimin also stopped and frowned: “What’s wrong with you today?”

Ren Yaoqi pressed her lips together and suddenly said: “Third Sister cannot become engaged to Han Yunqian!”

Ren Shimin was startled, then frowned even more deeply. He studied Ren Yaoqi for a while, suddenly seeming to think of something.

He sighed softly and said with a stern face: “Come with me to the study.”

With that, Ren Shimin turned around and headed toward the study in the west, crossing the courtyard.

Ren Yaoqi silently followed him to the study.

Once in the study with only the father and daughter present, Ren Shimin asked Ren Yaoqi seriously: “Yaoqi, your asking so many inappropriate questions today – is it because of Han Yunqian?”

Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi looked up, seeing that Ren Shimin’s expression suggested he had misunderstood something.

But Ren Yaoqi had no way to explain to Ren Shimin. Could she say that Han Yunqian would call off the engagement before the wedding date after becoming engaged to Ren Yaohua? Since it hadn’t happened yet, no one would believe her even if she said it.

And from every perspective, the Han family and Han Yunqian could be considered an excellent match.

So Ren Yaoqi pressed her lips together and said nothing.

Ren Shimin thought she was tacitly agreeing and couldn’t help but sigh heavily again: “Yaoqi, you’re still young… Although the Han family has proposed a marriage alliance with our Ren family, and your grandfather, grandmother, and eldest uncle are all pleased to see it happen, according to age, they favor Yaohua and Yaoyin.”

Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi realized the final decision hadn’t been made yet. They were only choosing between Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoyin?

Both Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoyin had originally been Old Madam’s candidates for marrying into the Qiu family. Now with the addition of the Han family, the most likely scenario was that one would ally with the Han family while the other would become Qiu Yun’s fiancée.

Seeing his daughter’s poor complexion, Ren Shimin could only awkwardly console her: “Although Han Yunqian appears excellent in all respects, didn’t you dislike his poor chess character? And… and you beat him twice in a row – any man would feel uncomfortable about that!”

Ren Yaoqi had been racking her brains when she heard Ren Shimin’s unexpected comment and couldn’t help but laugh despite her troubles.

“Father! Don’t think such nonsense – that’s not what I meant!”

Ren Shimin looked at his daughter, somewhat disbelieving.

Who hadn’t been young once? He remembered that in his youth, he had silently hoped to find a beauty who could frequently appear in his paintings.

Back then, Old Madam Ren had been intent on forming a marriage alliance with the Fang family where his aunt resided, wanting to arrange his marriage with the Fang family’s legitimate daughter, Fang Yahui.

He had seen that cousin several times and felt her profile was suitable for painting, but her front view – with that somewhat broad nose – wasn’t attractive enough.

At the time, he had been quite troubled, thinking he couldn’t possibly only paint her profile forever. That had been his greatest concern during his youth.

Ren Shimin felt his past feelings should be similar to his younger daughter’s current state of mind.

However, Third Master Ren had forgotten that later, when the marriage arrangement between the Ren and Fang families fell through and Old Master Ren arranged his marriage to the daughter of the Prince献 who had been demoted to Yan Bei, he hadn’t felt much about the resolution of the nose problem that had troubled him for years regarding Fang Yahui. Although Li Shi was strikingly beautiful with hardly any flaws to find, excellent material for painting.

Because by then, Ren Shimin had lost interest in figure painting and had become fascinated with landscape painting, remaining devoted to it ever since.

So his so-called youthful sentiments were quite different from his daughter’s.

Seeing Ren Shimin’s inexplicably sentimental expression, Ren Yaoqi hurriedly interrupted: “Father, don’t they say chess character reflects personal character? If Han Yunqian has poor chess character, his character certainly can’t be much better! This marriage alliance would be better left unmade!”

Ren Shimin came back to his senses and shook his head: “These are your grandfather and grandmother’s intentions – I cannot make the decision.”

Although the Ren family’s major matters involved all adult male family members, the final decisions were always made by Old Master Ren, not them. The same applied to the children’s marriages.

Ren Yaoqi also realized this point.

In her previous life, the marriage alliance between the Ren and Han families, besides Ren Shimin’s agreement, was most important because the Ren family wanted to ally with the Han family – Ren Shimin had just happened to coincide with their wishes. If he had randomly taken a fancy to some ordinary scholar, the Ren family would never have agreed.

Ren Yaoqi sighed.

Ren Shimin consoled his daughter in his way, then went out.

When Ren Yaoqi emerged from the west crossing courtyard, she had only one thought in mind: how to prevent the engagement between Ren Yaohua and Han Yunqian.