The farce temporarily came to an end after Concubine Kang threw herself against the pillar.
Next door in the main room, chaos reigned as Granny Gui directed a crowd of maids and servants bustling about to clean up the aftermath. From the commotion outside and the heavy, suppressed breaths of the young maids, it was clear that Concubine Kang had struck the pillar with considerable force.
Strangely, Concubine Kang’s own sister-in-law, witnessing such a tragic scene, showed no sympathy. Instead, she muttered indignantly, “Here she goes again with the ‘bitter flesh’ trick, as if no one has ever seen an opera troupe perform! What a disgrace!”
Old Madam Ren had Concubine Kang carried out and dismissed Concubine Kang’s sister-in-law, arranging for her to be sent to the outer courtyard.
Old Madam Ren’s head maid, Shanhu, entered the eastern side room and announced that the old madam wanted the three Ren sisters to come out.
When the three sisters emerged, Old Madam Ren was reclining on the Arhat Bed with her eyes closed, resting. The room had already been mostly tidied up. The shattered ornaments and vase fragments had been swept away, leaving only a few empty spots on the display shelves.
The floor was clean, though still damp with water stains. A young maid, trembling, was scrubbing the pillar vigorously. At her feet, a copper basin held water stained red. Everyone else went about their tasks, pretending not to notice.
Old Madam Ren lifted her eyelids slightly and said calmly to the three sisters, “For today, you may return to your own courtyards.”
The Ren sisters said nothing, quietly bowed, and withdrew.
At first, they hadn’t felt much, but as soon as they stepped out of the main room, the warm breeze of early summer gently brushed against them. Ren Yaoqi suddenly recalled the nauseating smell of blood from earlier and couldn’t help but frown slightly.
None of the three sisters spoke. They walked with lowered eyes, each lost in her own thoughts or reflecting on what had just happened.
After leaving Glory and Splendor Courtyard, Ren Yaoyin bid farewell to Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoqi, and they went their separate ways.
Ren Yaohua let out a sigh and said dazedly, “I just saw a few drops of blood splattered on the bamboo curtain. For it to splash that far, Concubine Kang must have struck the pillar with tremendous force. I wonder if she’ll survive.”
Ren Yaohua was still young and had experienced little in life, having never truly witnessed life-and-death situations.
Ren Yaoqi comforted her, “Don’t worry, her life will certainly be spared.”
Compared to Ren Yaohua’s shock, Ren Yaoqi remained much calmer. It wasn’t that she lacked compassion, but she understood people like Concubine Kang all too well. Moreover, she had already experienced too many partings in life and death. Whether she wanted to or not, her heart had grown colder and harder than most.
Ren Yaohua fell silent for a moment. “Was this whole act by the Kang family orchestrated by the Lin Family?”
Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment. “It’s certain they had a hand in it. As for whether the truth is really as the Liu and Kang families claim, that no longer matters.”
Ren Yaohua habitually furrowed her brows. “You mean…”
By now, they had reached the corridor outside the garden. Ren Yaoqi stopped, turned, and walked to the edge of the corridor, facing the garden’s vibrant blooms and lush greenery that nearly obscured the view. “Back then, Concubine Kang was able to enter under those circumstances not only because she chose the right moment but also because our Ren Family is still somewhat different from those truly prestigious families. If something like this had happened in a family like the Yun Family, Concubine Kang could have knelt to death at the main gate and still not have been allowed in.”Ren Yaoqi had lived in the capital for many years in her previous life. Compared to places like the capital, Yanbei’s etiquette and customs were more or less influenced by the surrounding nomadic tribes. Only truly old-established families like the Yun Family had their own set of rules in their conduct.
Take Concubine Kang’s situation, for example. She and Fifth Master Ren had engaged in an illicit relationship without a matchmaker. Strictly speaking, she wasn’t even qualified to enter the household as a concubine. Because prominent families placed great emphasis on bloodlines, Concubine Kang’s pregnancy outside the household was something that couldn’t be clearly explained.
"So, with the scene Kang Jia and the Liu Family made today, whether Concubine Kang is innocent or not, she’s finished?" Ren Yaohua finally understood.
Ren Yaoqi nodded. No matter how clever Concubine Kang was, her background was ultimately too lowly. Having grown up in Yanbei since childhood, she had no understanding of the true rules of prominent families. Concubine Fang was from the south, and while the Fang family had considerable wealth, they still fell short of being considered a prominent family. Moreover, Concubine Fang’s stepmother would never have taught her such things in her youth.
In recent years, the Ren Family had increasingly emphasized their family image, striving to align themselves with prominent families. Given Old Master Ren and Old Madam Ren’s temperaments, it was impossible for them to tarnish their family’s reputation for a woman like Concubine Kang. Old Madam Ren had overlooked this when she allowed Concubine Kang to enter the household, but now someone had come to enlighten her.
"In this situation, the reason Concubine Kang and Concubine Fang lost to Lin Family’s First Madam and Su Shi wasn’t because they weren’t clever or vigilant enough, nor because they weren’t ruthless enough. They lost because of their backgrounds," Ren Yaoqi concluded calmly.
As for whose child Concubine Kang was carrying, it no longer mattered.
If Concubine Kang had indeed become pregnant with the Liu Family’s young master’s child beforehand, as Kang’s sister-in-law and the Liu Family claimed, then her clever scheme to use Ren Yaoyu to kill the child in her womb had now become evidence of her sinister intentions to eliminate all traces.
The child was already gone, and there was no way she could explain it now.
Without even needing to see Old Madam Ren’s subsequent actions, Ren Yaoqi already understood the fate that awaited Concubine Kang. She was all too familiar with the Ren Family’s way of handling such matters.
"They really are... killing without shedding blood," Ren Yaohua couldn’t help but feel shaken.
She had never realized that a baseless accusation or even mere rumors could destroy someone like Concubine Kang.
From Concubine Kang’s actions during her time in the Ren Family, it was clear that this woman was no pushover. If nothing else, her willingness to scheme against the child in her womb and her desperate attempt to prove her innocence today revealed the kind of person she was.
But now, Lin Family’s First Madam might only need to bribe a personal servant of the Liu Family’s young master to spread a few ambiguous, slanderous words, and this formidable woman would become a discarded pawn.
The wars among women in the inner household, though devoid of smoke and fire, often drew blood.
This was the first time Ren Yaohua truly grasped this reality.
Seeing Ren Yaohua’s stunned expression, Ren Yaoqi remained silent, allowing her to reflect on her own. Some things could only be understood through experience. She hoped Ren Yaohua would grow, mature, and learn the rules of survival in the inner household.That afternoon, the sun was still shining brightly, yet somehow a moderate rain began to fall from the clear sky. It came and went intermittently, dragging on for an hour or two. Such showers on sunny days never last long.
Not long after the rain stopped, before it grew dark, Ren Yaoqi received news from Ren Yaohua.
Old Madam Ren had Concubine Kang’s sister-in-law lead the Liu family’s maternal uncle into the mansion, and it was Eldest Master who met with him. They spoke for less than an hour, and no one knew what was said, but the Liu family’s maternal uncle obediently led the Liu family away. When they left, they didn’t utter a single unnecessary word.
Given the Ren Family’s current status in Yanbei, dealing with a small wealthy household like the Liu family didn’t require much effort.
Next was the matter of handling Concubine Kang. When Concubine Kang’s sister-in-law suggested taking Concubine Kang back to deal with her, Old Madam Ren flatly refused. She gave her two hundred taels of silver and sent her away. However, those two hundred taels weren’t so easily taken—before leaving, Concubine Kang’s sister-in-law pressed her fingerprint onto a written document, though no one knew what conditions she had agreed to for the Ren Family.
As for Concubine Kang, it was as if nothing had happened. She remained in her own small courtyard within the Ren Family, recuperating from her injuries. Old Madam Ren hadn’t said how she would be dealt with. To outsiders, it seemed as though the Liu and Kang families were merely poor relatives who had come for a visit, received some benefits, and left happily without making a fuss.
The Ren Family handled the matter decisively and quietly.
Afterward, Ren Yaohua discussed Concubine Kang’s sister-in-law with Ren Yaoqi.
Logically, a daughter from a family like the Kangs would be overjoyed to become a concubine in the Ren Family. Ren Yaohua couldn’t understand why Concubine Kang’s sister-in-law would help outsiders ruin Concubine Kang. What benefit could she possibly gain from it?
In the end, Xiangqin pursed her lips disdainfully and said, "Aren’t Concubine Kang and her sister-in-law on bad terms? What does it matter to her if Concubine Kang is doing well? Not taking the chance to kick her out would be strange enough. These conflicts between sisters-in-law are always messy. ‘Harmony brings prosperity’—it’s easy to say, but how many can actually achieve it? Most people are still scheming over a bit of money, fighting to the death."
Although Xiangqin was later sternly scolded by Nanny Zhou, who had suddenly entered and overheard, everyone knew that her words, though crude, weren’t without reason.
Ren Yaohua didn’t bring up Concubine Kang again. She understood that even though the Ren Family hadn’t taken any action yet, it didn’t mean Old Madam Ren would let go of such a "disgrace" as Concubine Kang. It was only a matter of time before Concubine Kang was dealt with by the Ren Family.
Concubine Kang’s "brave and fearless" collision couldn’t change her fate.
But was Concubine Kang someone to be trifled with? Would she sit quietly and wait for her doom?
Ren Yaoqi said to Ren Yaohua, "Just wait and see. The real show is yet to come."
Ren Yaoqi continued to have someone keep an eye on Concubine Kang.
After waking up, Concubine Kang sent her maid to secretly visit Concubine Fang’s Fangfei Courtyard under the cover of night. Though anxious, she was also cautious and didn’t dare to seek help openly.
Concubine Fang hadn’t been having an easy time these past few days either. She knew she had been framed.As for who was behind the smear campaign, Concubine Fang, with her intelligence, naturally suspected First Madam Lin, who had visited just a few days prior. However, being meticulous, she sent someone to investigate the details of First Madam Lin's visit to the estate. From a gatekeeper's wife, she learned that after First Madam Lin left, someone from the Eastern Mansion had boarded her carriage.
I won't be home tonight, so I'm posting early.
Since I can't stay up late anymore, if you ever see that I haven't posted past midnight, please don't wait up. ^^
(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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