"The Yun family is second, and the Su family is third." Xiao Jinglin reported the results without caring whether the other two people were thinking about it.
She didn't announce which family ranked first, because everyone knew that the first place must be the Yanbei Palace.
However, this was only the first round, and eight of the sixteen participating dragon boats remained. The next round would be a four-choice round.
The second gong was struck not by the King of Yanbei, but by the old man of the Su family. Since the reconstruction of Yanbei, the Su family had once again organized the dragon boat race, so the second gong had always been struck by a member of the Su family.
The outside was still bustling with activity, but Ren Yaoqi was nonchalant. Amidst the clamor, she whispered, "Is this Lei family really the same Lei family?"
Her voice was so soft that it was almost drowned out by the cheers and drums outside, but Xiao Jingxi still heard it clearly.
Although he had tried not to be surprised by Ren Yaoqi, he still couldn't help but be more surprised each time. He looked at Ren Yaoqi with a complicated look. Even Xiao Jinglin, who had been looking out the window, turned around to look at her.
"Why do you say that?" Xiao Jingxi asked.
"I guessed it." Ren Yaoqi looked at Xiao Jingxi calmly.
She was indeed guessing. She had no basis for it.
The Lei family had rapidly accumulated wealth over the past decade, and this was undoubtedly due to the support of the Yanbei Palace, just as it had been for the Han family. However, in a previous conversation with her maternal grandmother, Rong, Ren Yaoqi had sensed that the Lei family was different from the Han family. While the Lei family also owned numerous businesses, they most importantly maintained the habits of an ancient family. The Lei family's masters were not as "diligent" as the Han family's masters. They did not personally manage the businesses and land, despite the Lei family's apparent resourcefulness. Perhaps he secretly made the decisions, but publicly, the stewards were in charge.
Ren Yaoqi dared to bet that the two brothers of the Lei family must be proficient in the so-called "Six Arts of a Gentleman", although most of these things would be of no use after learning them.
The Lei family gave her the impression that they were trying to capitalize on their ancient reputation. Given their past history, it was only a matter of time before they replaced the Yun family as Yanbei's leading family.
Hit the snake at its most vulnerable part. Although Ren Yaoqi was not very familiar with the Han family, she knew how the Han family dealt with their opponents.
Therefore, if the Han family wants to easily resolve the threat from the Lei family, they can only make the Lei family "unjust and unsound."
"It's a pity that this Lei family is that Lei family." Xiao Jingxi said slowly with ambiguous meaning.
Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but frown when he heard this.
Did she guess wrong?
"But... you're not completely wrong." Xiao Jingxi said slowly, and his calm and gentle smile returned to his face. However, this smile made Ren Yaoqi want to punch him and beat him to death.
Although Ren Yaoqi's face was still gentle and soft, Xiao Jingxi seemed to hear the sound of Ren Yaoqi gritting her teeth. For some reason, he felt comfortable and happy in his heart, and the smile on the corner of his mouth couldn't help but have a hint of playfulness.
However, Xiao Jingxi's inexplicable pride did not last long. Xiao Jinglin suddenly interrupted and said, "Lei Ting's grandmother is just a concubine."
Xiao Jinglin's gaze was still outside, he only turned his head to face the two of them, and his words were also calm.
It was as if her reaction was simply "the wind on the river was too strong." She didn't think she had done anything significant, nor did she feel uncomfortable about ruining her brother's career.
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