Ren Yaoting thought back: "When I secretly entered the backyard, I happened to see the door of the main hall in the backyard was open. As I approached, I noticed an old woman burning incense. Afraid of being discovered, I didn’t dare get too close, but I could vaguely see two or three rows of ancestral tablets placed on the altar."
"You say they weren’t the Han family’s tablets? Did you see the characters on them clearly?" Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi felt that if they could identify which family the tablets belonged to, Han Dongshan’s background might become clearer.
Ren Yaoting frowned as she recalled: "Although candles were lit in that hall, it was still somewhat dim. Just as I was about to take a closer look, the old woman seemed to hear something and suddenly turned her head in my direction. I was so frightened that I quickly hid behind a pillar in the rear wing, so I only saw one character... 'Qu'... yes, the surname on the tablet was 'Qu'!" At this point, Ren Yaoting asked with some confusion, "Why would the Han family worship the Qu family’s tablets? Does the Han family have any relatives surnamed Qu? Or was the original owner of this house surnamed Qu? But that doesn’t make sense either—how could the original owner give their ancestors’ tablets to someone else to worship? And the Han family wouldn’t need to do that."
"Qu?" Ren Yaoqi pondered silently. Han Dongshan would certainly not worship another family’s tablets, so Qu was likely his original surname.
As far as she knew, there didn’t seem to be any prominent families surnamed Qu near Yan Prefecture in recent decades.
Han Dongshan was around fifty years old this year, so if he was surnamed Qu and a native of Yanbei, there should have been news of the Qu family in Yanbei fifty years ago. Or perhaps Han Dongshan was just from an ordinary, humble background?
Ren Yaoting complained on the side: "When do you think my foot injury will 'heal'? And my mother is sure to ask about it."
Ren Yaoqi temporarily set aside her thoughts: "Didn’t they say the injury isn’t serious? A few days of rest should be enough. As for today’s incident of you barging into the Han family’s ancestral hall, you must never let anyone else know. If the elders find out, they’ll surely think you’re unreliable and unfit for important responsibilities."
This accusation was serious. In prominent families, when selecting a wife for the eldest son or grandson, dignity and reliability were among the most important qualities.
Although Ren Yaoting was still young, she was quite sensitive to such matters now. After pondering the words, she understood and nodded: "I won’t tell anyone else. Fifth Sister, you won’t say anything, will you?"
Ren Yaoqi smiled: "If I were going to say anything, why would I remind you?"
Ren Yaoting was very satisfied and affectionately linked arms with Ren Yaoqi: "Fifth Sister, you’re so kind."
The Ren family and the Han family weren’t far apart, and the carriage soon arrived at the Ren residence. Second Madam Ren, having received word from the maidservant who returned earlier, was worried that Ren Yaoting might actually be injured and had already sent her trusted matron to greet them.
Ren Yaoting was surrounded and escorted back to the East Mansion. Before leaving, she didn’t forget to say to Ren Yaoqi: "Fifth Sister, I’ll be resting at home these days and won’t be able to go out. When you have time, come visit me at the East Mansion."
Ren Yaoqi agreed with a smile and returned to the West Mansion with Ren Yaohua and the others.
Upon arriving at Purple Magnolia Courtyard, Ren Yaohua asked curiously: "Why have you gotten so close to her lately? And how did she manage to sprain her foot in someone else’s residence?"Ren Yaohua understood Ren Yaoting's intentions. With such ambitions, shouldn't she strive to make a good impression on the elders while visiting their residence? Ren Yaohua felt she couldn't quite grasp Ren Yaoting's affected behavior.
Ren Yaoqi smiled and said, "Although Seventh Sister can be difficult to get along with at times, she's actually quite easy to placate. Last time she came to our courtyard, I comforted her properly, and somehow she became very close to me afterward."
Ren Yaohua was somewhat skeptical and glanced sideways at Ren Yaoqi. "How exactly did you comfort her?"
Ren Yaoqi blinked and replied earnestly, "Naturally, by joining her in speaking ill of the people she dislikes."
Ren Yaohua was taken aback for a moment before recalling that at the time, the person Ren Yaoting disliked most seemed to be her...
Just as Ren Yaohua, having figured it out, was about to scold her, Ren Yaoqi had already cleverly retreated several steps away, making a face at her: "Who told you to give a guest who came to visit such a cold look? I was helping to ease the tension between you. Besides, I've already told you, so this isn't speaking ill behind someone's back! It can only be considered a tactful and indirect strategy! You should have the magnanimity of an elder sister and not lose your temper scolding me!"
With that, Ren Yaoqi very wisely took her own people and made her escape.
Ren Yaohua watched Ren Yaoqi's figure running far into the distance, gritting her teeth in anger.
The maids behind her, seeing Ren Yaohua angry, for some reason didn't feel the usual tension they had when witnessing the sisters at odds. Instead, they found it somewhat amusing how the Fifth Miss now always deliberately provoked the Third Miss like this, so they all stifled their laughter and looked down at their feet.
Although Ren Yaohua felt angry, it wasn't the same kind of anger as before, where she wanted to slap Ren Yaoqi twice upon seeing her. Instead, she felt a sense of pent-up frustration and helplessness, with nowhere to vent her anger.
After returning to her room and changing her clothes, Ren Yaoqi went to the main quarters to find Nanny Zhou. She wanted to ask Nanny Zhou about the Qu family in Yan Prefecture.
Although Nanny Zhou had followed her maternal grandparents from the capital to Yanbei over a decade ago, after arriving in Yanbei, the people of Xianwang Residence must have thoroughly investigated the circumstances of the various prominent families in Yanbei. The more difficult life became, the more cautious one needed to be.
"The Qu family?" Nanny Zhou mentally sifted through the prominent families she knew in Yanbei but couldn't recall such a family for the moment.
Ren Yaoqi reminded her from the side, "They were likely a prominent family in Yan Prefecture about forty or fifty years ago. Later, they might have suffered some disaster that brought ruin to the household."Nanny Zhou thought carefully again and shook her head. "This servant does not remember such a family. However, most of the families I know are those that are still prominent in Yanbei today. I may not be aware of some families that have already declined. You must know that forty or fifty years ago, Yanbei was a time when the Liao bandits ran rampant. Many prominent families who couldn't escape back to the south in time suffered disasters, and quite a few were wiped out by the Liao people. The current prominent families like the Yun Family and the Qiu Family also moved back only after the old Yanbei forces drove the Liao people out of Yanbei. For example, the Lei Family, which has recently moved from Muzhou to Yan Prefecture and is currently being discussed outside, was once a great family on par with the Yun Family, an old aristocratic family with a longer history than the Qiu Family. However, the Lei Family hasn't been seen for decades and only recently was heard to be moving back. There are also many families who refused to leave back then and have even lost their ancestral graves."
The Lei Family? Ren Yaoqi thought carefully but didn't seem to have any impression. Presumably, the old aristocratic families from back then had declined significantly after so many years of displacement and migration, which is why she had no impression of them.
Ren Yaoqi then let it go. After thinking for a moment, she asked softly, "Nanny, do you know if the Ren Family offended any families or had any conflicts with anyone decades ago?"
Upon hearing this, Nanny Zhou was startled and looked at Ren Yaoqi. "Fifth Miss, why are you suddenly asking about this? Has something happened?"
Ren Yaoqi shook her head. "I just accidentally heard some things about a family named Qu. A descendant of the Qu Family seemed to have said a few unpleasant things about our Ren Family, so I was curious and asked."
Nanny Zhou, however, was dismissive. "If we're talking about families who hold grudges against the Ren Family, there should be quite a few. The Ren Family is not a charity but started with mining. Every year, many people die in the Ren Family's coal mines. If these people's families hold some grievances against the Ren Family, it's not strange."
Ren Yaoqi felt that the matter of the Qu Family was not so simple. If Han Dongshan truly had a grudge against the Ren Family, it must be an irreconcilable, deep-seated hatred. The ancestral tablets of the Qu Family mentioned by Ren Yaoting made Ren Yaoqi feel very uneasy.
Seeing Ren Yaoqi deep in thought, Nanny Zhou knew she was still thinking about the Qu Family matter and said, "This servant remembers there is an old nanny in her seventies at the estate, who was sold into the Ren Family early on. I heard she is a native of White Crane Town and sold herself into servitude because her family was killed by the Liao people. When Madam and I lived at the estate, I often heard her telling some old stories from decades ago to the young maids at the estate. If the Qu Family you mentioned really existed, this old nanny might know."
Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi's eyes lit up. "How is this nanny's health? Can she be invited into the mansion?"
"She did heavy labor when she was young. Now that she's old, although she only handles lighter tasks, her health is still very good. She can still eat five or six large steamed buns in one meal. If Fifth Miss wants to invite her into the mansion, it should be possible."
Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment and said to Nanny Zhou, "Then find a way to help me invite her in. I have some things I want to ask her."
The Ren Family mansion generally does not keep elderly maids, and younger ones might not remember things from forty or fifty years ago.Nanny Zhou nodded in agreement. "This servant will send someone to the estate tomorrow. First Madam likely won't mind such minor matters."
"Thank you, Nanny," Ren Yaoqi said happily.
Nanny Zhou quickly replied that she didn't dare accept such thanks.
As the two were speaking, Madam Li's senior maid Xier hurriedly lifted the curtain and entered. Seeing Nanny Zhou and Ren Yaoqi there, she quickly approached and whispered, "Nanny, there's a commotion outside."
Nanny Zhou frowned. "What nonsense! What kind of commotion?"
Xier glanced at Ren Yaoqi and lowered her voice even further. "It's Fifth Master and Madam Lin. Just now, a small blue-curtained sedan chair arrived outside the mansion with a woman inside. The matron accompanying the sedan claimed they were looking for Fifth Master, and the woman inside is... is Fifth Master's... mistress."
So early today~^^
Wishing all dear readers a happy "Children's Day"~
No matter how old you are, always keep a heart as easily satisfied and joyful as a child's~.
(To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian () to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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