Chapter 169
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Ren Yaoqi went out after having breakfast at the Lin family. Today she was going to Baoping Hutong to visit her grandparents.
The Lei family's affairs had already become a big deal by this time. When Ren Yaoqi's carriage was halfway there, he heard even ordinary peddlers outside talking about this matter.
She was not surprised by the decision made by the head of the Lei family, because the Lei family now had no choice.
If the identity issue of Mrs. Lei is not resolved in time, the Lei family will only face more and more troubles in the future.
"Miss, Baoping Hutong is just ahead. The old lady has sent Aunt Yihong to wait at the entrance of the alley." Xiangqin put down the curtain in her hand and turned to report to Ren Yaoqi.
When Prince Xian came to Yanbei from Kyoto, the court had no means of sending anyone to oversee the area, as it was beyond the control of even the imperial court. Furthermore, due to Concubine Wan's last arrangements, the court was unable to send anyone to oversee the area. Under these circumstances, Empress Dowager Yan naturally wouldn't provide Prince Xian with a place to stay, so Prince Xian and his family spent some time living in a dilapidated temple upon their arrival in Yanbei.
Fortunately, Eunuch Zheng, who was by Concubine Wan's side, came with his men and brought the silver and money that Concubine Wan had prepared early in the morning. In addition, the betrothal gifts offered by the Ren family when they asked to marry the daughter of Prince Xian were also quite a lot. In order to let Li marry decently, Princess Xian bought a large house with five courtyards in Baoping Hutong.
Although it is a house with five courtyards, Baoping Hutong is not a place where wealthy and famous people live. There are only ordinary families with slightly better financial resources living around it. In addition, this house is an old house that has not been renovated for a long time and has been abandoned, so the price is not high.
Ren Yaoqi lifted the curtain and took a look. The alley the carriage had entered wasn't very wide, but it could accommodate two or three carriages side by side. On either side of the alley were the Manzi Gate and Ruyi Gate, both of which were mostly closed. Their facades were small. Some of the gates even had horse tethering stones or stone lions.
Ren Yaoqi began to understand why King Xian's family had chosen this place for their house. There were many people following King Xian, and they all needed a place to stay, so the house had to be big. However, given King Xian's situation, the place he lived in couldn't be too ostentatious.
Guixifang, including Baoping Hutong, is a chain of hutongs that extend in all directions. The hutongs appear to be well-organized but are actually very intricate, making it convenient to escape in case of an emergency.
As Ren Yaoqi walked along, he found the alley to be remarkably quiet. Many courtyards had pomegranate, peach, and gardenia trees planted against the walls, extending beyond them. Unlike the crowded alleys, this place was not noisy and dirty, but instead exuded a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere.
Although the people living here are ordinary people, because it is close to Yunyang Academy, the largest academy in Yanbei, most of the people living here are families of teachers teaching at Yunyang Academy, families of students, or merchants running calligraphy and painting shops and pen and ink shops in the surrounding area.
The carriage stopped in front of a gate with golden pillars and a front eave. This gate was obviously taller and more imposing than the ones we had seen before, if we ignored the stone lion with half an ear missing and the mottled red paint on the gate.
Generally speaking, carriages enter and exit through the side door or corner door, but the side alleys on both sides of this house are very narrow, making it inconvenient for carriages to enter and exit. Therefore, Ren Yaoqi could only get off the carriage at the main gate and then have someone drive the carriage to the back door to enter the yard. As for her, there was no reason for her to go through the back door.
The mottled red-painted door was half open, and Yihong had already bent over and was waiting at the bottom of the steps.
As soon as Ren Yaoqi got off the carriage, she came to greet him and knelt down to salute him.
"Aunt Yihong." Ren Yaoqi returned her half-bow and called out with a smile.
"Knowing that my cousin would come today, the master has been waiting for you. Please follow me, my cousin." Yihong personally helped Ren Yaoqi into the house.
After passing the screen wall, there was a large courtyard. Ren Yaoqi looked around and found that the yard was clean and there was no one in sight.
"It seems very... quiet today?" Ren Yaoqi asked in surprise.
She remembered that the opera troupe of Prince Xian's Mansion usually practiced basic skills here. Some people were warming up their voices, some were practicing horse stance, and some were wielding swords. It was very lively.
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