The Ren family made their fortune by leasing coal mines and operating coal pits, settling in Yanwei, Youzhou, for generations.

During those decades when the Sixteen Prefectures of You and Yan were trampled by Liao cavalry, despite losing all their family wealth and seeing their clan members dwindle, the Ren family never left this land to migrate south with the court.

Later, the fourth Prince of Yan Bei, Xiao Qishan, lived up to his ancestors’ prestigious reputation and led his subordinates to recapture the Sixteen Prefectures of You and Yan, blocking the Liao forces beyond Jiajing Pass, bringing the Yan Bei region back under Great Zhou rule.

During this time of reconstruction, the then family head Ren Baoming took out three gold bars his wife had hidden beneath the interlayer of a chamber pot and, despite his family’s opposition, gambled everything to purchase several ownerless barren hilltops in the western mountains outside Yunyang City in Youzhou.

Perhaps it truly was the Ren family’s turn for fortune – these western mountains proved to be a treasure trove of coal. The four or five hilltops the Ren family purchased yielded especially high-quality coal, with annual production not only supplying the entire Youzhou region but also being transported to surrounding prefectures.

Combined with the family head’s skill at networking, within just a few years the Ren family’s coal depots spread throughout Yan Bei.

With great wealth came great boldness, and from then on, the Ren family styled themselves as Yan Bei nobility.

After Yan Bei was initially stabilized, countless noble families sprouted overnight in the Yan Bei region like bamboo shoots after rain.

Besides the Prince of Yan Bei’s residence that had guarded Yan Bei for generations and was truly the uncrowned king of Yan Bei, there were some old-established northern aristocratic families like the Yun family who had migrated back north after the war, the Su family who had distinguished themselves while following the Prince of Yan Bei in the northern campaign and entered high society, and families like the Ren who had struck it rich through various strokes of luck and schemes.

The new and old nobility were mutually disdainful – the nouveau riche looked down on the old aristocratic families for being clearly impoverished yet maintaining their arrogance, while the old families despised the new rich for their shallow foundations and lack of aristocratic bearing. Both sides engaged in open and covert struggles, scheming and undermining each other.

It wasn’t until the Prince of Yan Bei mediated between them, and the leaders of both factions – the Yun and Ren families – first shook hands in reconciliation, that the Yan Bei situation truly stabilized.

Over the decades that followed, though there were still occasional disputes between the new and old faction families, most had learned to coexist peacefully under the strong pressure from the Prince of Yan Bei’s residence, with many even becoming in-laws.

The current Ren family head, Ren Yonghe’s wife, was born to the Qiu family, an aristocratic house from Jizhou. Though Qiu Shi’s paternal line wasn’t the main branch of the Qiu family, because the Qiu clan head had no sons, Qiu Shi’s brother was adopted as heir. Thus, the current Qiu clan head was Old Madam Qiu Shi’s legitimate elder brother, and through this connection, Qiu Shi’s position in the Ren family became increasingly secure. After all, though the Ren family had barely managed to join the ranks of Yan Bei nobility through fortunate circumstances, compared to old aristocratic families like the Yun and Qiu, they still lacked confidence.

The Ren family’s main residence was located in Baihe Town at the southern foot of the western mountains, over ninety li outside Yunyang City. Though Baihe Town couldn’t compare to the prosperity of Yunyang City, the foremost city of Yan Bei, it flourished due to its position at a crucial north-south transportation hub and had always been a strategically contested location.

This Ren family mansion occupied an extremely vast area, with carved beams and painted pillars, pavilions and towers that were in no way inferior to the gardens of the southern capital.

It was said that this place had once been the ancestral home of a famous aristocratic family who, upon migrating south with their entire clan, had sold the mansion cheaply. It was later purchased by the Ren family head, who moved in after some renovations.

Ren Yaoqi had lived here since birth. Before leaving the Ren family at sixteen, she rarely ventured outside this place that, though aged and decaying with termites breeding within, had been renovated with new tiles and painted walls to appear magnificently wealthy.

After recovering from her illness, when Ren Yaoqi first left Ziwei Courtyard and walked along the winding corridors to survey this mansion again, her feelings were quite different.

To be fair, the previous Ren family head – her great-grandfather – had shown some judgment when purchasing this residence. Setting aside the exquisite and particular buildings, the feng shui and positioning of the entire mansion were excellent.

It was high in the southeast and low in the northwest, backed by the western mountains with the small Bai River in front – this was the “configuration of heaven and earth” sought in feng shui divination. Since the western mountains it relied upon had distant origins and undulated in winding curves, they became the source of “vital energy” for the mansion, making the entire residence a place that stored wind and gathered qi.

The pavilions rose like clouds, the buildings varied in height, arranged with pleasing irregularity, while major and minor paths responded to each other from all eight directions. The family head’s residence, Ronghua Garden, was positioned at the center, laid out like a Taiji yin-yang fish diagram, with the inner and outer courtyards’ eight courtyards forming the pattern of the Eight Trigrams.

When the land is good, the crops flourish; when the house is auspicious, the people prosper.

The person who originally built this mansion must have been an extraordinary feng shui master.

However, such a mansion could accommodate even dragon sons and phoenix grandsons. Though the Ren family could temporarily borrow its fortune, over time, they would ultimately be unable to suppress their noble energy and might be consumed by their influence.

No wonder that several years after she left the Ren family, she had heard people mention the Ren family’s decline and that this mansion had changed hands again.

As for where the other people living in this mansion had gone, she no longer had any interest in inquiring.

Passing through Ronghua Garden’s tall gate adorned with glazed tiles and wall piers, the first thing that met her eyes was the giant Lingbi stone placed in a shallow pool at the center of the courtyard. Because the stone’s shape resembled mountain peaks, it was named “Majestic Mountains Standing Tall.”

It was said this stone had been transported at great expense from Anhui over a thousand li away by the former family head Ren Baoming, and was considered one of the Ren mansion’s remarkable sights.

Circling the Lingbi stone led to Ronghua Garden’s three spacious flower halls, which were usually kept closed and only fully opened during festivals and when entertaining guests. When there were many guests, the eastern and western courtyards on both sides could also be used.

Passing through the hall led to the front courtyard of Ronghua Garden’s main building.

Old Madam Qiu Shi of the Ren family had a peculiar habit – she disliked flowers and trees, finding those colorful plants attracted insects and ants. So the entire courtyard contained nothing but evenly joined blue stone pavement. Only in spring and summer might one catch sight of a bit of green when a blade or two of grass unexpectedly sprouted from the base of walls, but unfortunately, these would be pulled out by the roots as soon as they appeared by the rough servants who swept the courtyard.

Heavy snow had fallen for two days before clearing up. The accumulated snow hadn’t yet melted before being blown into hard ice by the north wind. Ren Yaoqi walked the entire way, choosing paths under corridors or where cotton mats had been laid.

Ronghua Garden’s courtyard, however, was completely clean without a trace of ice or snow, having been swept until only that unchanging expanse of blue stone pavement could be seen.

At this moment, two twelve or thirteen-year-old girls were kneeling prostrate on the blue stone pavement of the main building’s front courtyard.

They wore the indigo blue winter uniforms of second-class maids in the Ren household, kneeling with foreheads touching the ground in proper, devout posture, but their bodies trembled like the few withered leaves hanging from branches – whether from cold or fear was unclear.

As Ren Yaoqi walked past them and stepped onto the stone steps leading to the main building’s platform, she could still hear the sound of them sniffling.

“Those are Fang’er and Hui’er who serve Eighth Miss,” Qingmei, who had been walking a step behind, glanced at the two and quickly stepped forward, covering her mouth in a pretense of secrecy as she reported in Ren Yaoqi’s ear, her excitement at having a good show to watch evident in her voice.

Ren Yaoqi acted as if she heard nothing, standing outside the curtain waiting for the old women to announce her presence inside.

The Ren family’s rules were extremely strict, especially in Old Master and Old Madam’s Ronghua Garden – one could not enter the main room without receiving a response from within. On the day Li Shi returned, she had knelt on this very corridor for over an hour because Old Madam hadn’t given permission for her to enter.

Fortunately, today Old Madam had no intention of tormenting Ren Yaoqi. The old woman at the door quickly lifted the curtain for her: “Fifth Miss, please enter.”

Warm air from inside greeted her face as Ren Yaoqi stepped inside.

Ronghua Garden’s main building faced south with five rooms. The center room served as the main hall, which was currently empty except for two maids standing before the carved moon gate of the right side room.

Seeing Ren Yaoqi enter, the two maids curtsied and lifted the brocade curtain decorated with fortune character patterns. Slight sounds from the right side room drifted out, mixed with the fragrant aroma of griddle cakes.

It was nearly time for Old Master and Old Madam’s breakfast.

The Ren family’s younger generation had to come pay respects on an empty stomach, only returning to their courtyards to eat after serving the elders their meal.

When Ren Yaoqi entered, she saw Eldest Madam Wang Shi leading her eldest daughter-in-law Zhao Shi in arranging the kang table.

On the large kang against the north wall, over a dozen different breakfast items of various sizes had already been laid out, with several maids holding unopened food boxes standing nearby.

Eldest Master Ren Shizhong sat with his sons and nephews in nanmu wood armchairs on the east and west sides, while Third Miss Ren Yaohua, Fourth Miss Ren Yaoyin, and Ninth Miss Ren Yaoying stood beneath the south window.

Though Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoqi lived in the same courtyard, they had never come to or left Ronghua Garden together when paying respects. Previously, when Ren Yaohua was in the Ren family, she spent half of each month living in the warm pavilion of Ronghua Garden’s eastern side room, and even when staying in Ziwei Courtyard, she always arrived earlier than Ren Yaoqi.

Ren Yaoqi surveyed the room and bowed to greet the elders.

Eldest Madam turned to look at her with a smile: “Fifth girl, are you completely recovered? Old Madam was still saying yesterday that you should rest a few more days and needn’t hurry to come for morning and evening attendance.”

Ren Yaoqi lowered her head: “I’m completely well now. It wouldn’t be proper to continue being lazy and not coming.”

Eldest Madam smiled and nodded: “Good child. You mustn’t forget your Concubine Fang’s contribution to your quick recovery. Though your eldest aunt manages the household, all the arrangements for finding doctors and obtaining medicine for you this time were entirely thanks to your concubine mother’s efforts.”

Ren Yaoqi glanced at Eldest Madam, smiled slightly, and lowered her head in acknowledgment.

Wang Shi, the head madam, had a decent reputation in the Ren family – fair in her dealings and clear in rewards and punishments.

She managed what should be managed and turned a blind eye to what shouldn’t concern her.

She didn’t claim credit, so naturally she didn’t need to bear responsibility either.

After finishing pleasantries with Eldest Madam, Ren Yaoqi walked to the south window to stand with Ren Yaohua and the others, curtsying to greet Third Miss Ren Yaohua and Fourth Miss Ren Yaoyin, who were older than her.

Ren Yaohua ignored her as always, while Fourth Miss Ren Yaoyin smiled kindly at her and returned the greeting. Ninth Miss Ren Yaoying, who was younger than her, pouted and reluctantly gave her a perfunctory bow. Ren Yaoqi simply nodded and stood beside Ren Yaoyin.