The Grand Concubine of the Yanbei Palace was also known as the Old Princess. The Grand Concubine disliked being called Grand Concubine Li, because if she were called Grand Concubine Li, her rival, Concubine Yun, who was only half a rank below her, would also become Grand Concubine Yun, and the difference between the two would be lost in the titles. Therefore, the Grand Concubine allowed herself to be called the Old Princess, while Concubine Yun was called Old Madam Yun, making the difference immediately apparent.
Birthdays happen every year, and celebrations are held every year; there's nothing unusual about them. However, this year seemed a little different, as the Prince of Yanbei had written a memorial early in the morning, requesting permission for the Crown Prince, who was being held hostage in Kyoto, to return to celebrate the Dowager's birthday.
Since childhood, the Crown Prince of Yanbei, Xiao Jingkang, had been summoned to Kyoto as a hostage by the imperial court. Since then, he had rarely returned to Yanbei, even his marriage being arranged solely by the imperial court. This time, thanks to Concubine Li's survival, the Crown Prince requested permission to return to Yanbei, a truly joyous occasion for the people of Yanbei.
Ren Yaoqi was somewhat surprised to hear this, as she didn't remember Prince Xiao returning to Yanbei at this time in her previous life. Furthermore, due to the Ningxia incident, the situation between the imperial court and Yanbei was already extremely dangerous. With the involvement of Prince Xian's palace, wouldn't the imperial court be afraid of letting the prince return to the mountains? Wouldn't it be difficult for the prince to return to Yanbei?
Lei Ting just mentioned it casually, and then talked to Master Ren San about the book revision, so Ren Yaoqi didn't think about it any further.
After dinner, the sisters Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoqi went aside to talk privately. Ren Yaohua told Ren Yaoqi about Xiao Qiao's affairs. Ren Yaoqi just reminded Ren Yaohua to pay attention to Xiao Qiao's movements to see if she had any contact with people outside. She didn't say much else.
Ren Yaohua and Lei Ting stayed until dinner was over before returning home. Lei Pan'er was the most reluctant to leave. There was a pomegranate tree in the Ren family's backyard, bearing fruit. Lei Pan'er had the maids pick all the pomegranates from the tree. Although the fruits weren't particularly sweet, the little girl had a blast. She was also told to keep the pomegranates for her next year. Lei Pan'er was bright and lively, and everyone in the Ren family disliked her. Even the Third Master Ren gave her a Tianhuang stone seal with a flower and bird pattern that he had carved himself.
Li and Ren Yaoqi personally escorted Ren Yaohua out of the second gate, and only returned to the inner courtyard after their carriage had left. However, just as they reached the Chuihua Gate, they saw Ren Yihong approaching with a strange young man.
Seeing Li and Ren Yaoqi, Ren Yihong hurried forward to greet them. Ren Yihong had also come to see his brother-in-law Lei Ting before, but was later sent to the outer courtyard by Master Ren San to study.
"Mother, this is my student Meng Shilin. My father asked me to bring him here. He said he has something to give to Brother Shilin." Ren Yihong saw Li looking at the young man next to him and hurriedly explained.
Meng Shilin quickly bowed to Li and called her "Master's Wife".
Ren Yaoqi also took a look at the young man. He saw that while his appearance was ordinary, he possessed a refined demeanor. His every gesture exuded the air of a scholar. He was very calm when meeting Li and Ren Yaoqi, yet politely avoided even glancing at Ren Yaoqi's face. His balanced demeanor suggested a well-educated man. His clothes, while not particularly poorly made, looked worn, as if they had been washed many times.
"Is your surname Meng?" Li smiled kindly at Meng Shilin and asked casually.
The Meng family was also a large family in Yanbei. The aunt of Guo Yujiao, the eldest daughter of the Guo family, was the current head of the Meng family. When Li heard that his last name was Meng, she assumed that he was a member of the Meng family.
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