Wujing's words caused Ren Yaohua's expression to turn cold.
"Who is it?"
"That Madam Liu'an came from the estate not long ago. She and the old woman Xu on duty at the outer gate are sisters-in-law."
"Old woman Xu from the gatehouse?" Ren Yaohua was taken aback, exclaiming in surprise, "Ying'er's mother-in-law?"
Wujing nodded: "Exactly. The dog Madam Liu'an brought in today was borrowed from Old Woman Xu."
Upon hearing this, Ren Yaohua's expression changed unpredictably. Suddenly, she turned and glared at Ren Yaoqi: "You actually guessed right! With this, Fifth Aunt will find it hard not to suspect me."
"This connection Fifth Aunt will soon uncover as well." Ren Yaoqi smiled, looking at Ren Yaohua.
Ren Yaohua narrowed her eyes and took a few steps around the room.
"How is Ying'er's relationship with her mother-in-law?" Unlike Ren Yaohua's anxiety, Ren Yaoqi inquired about an unrelated matter.
Wujing hurriedly replied: "That day, I heard from Sister Zhu'er that Sister Ying'er is quite fortunate. Her in-laws hold her in high regard, and her husband is honest and dutiful. Sister Ying'er has always been the one to call the shots at home."
"Call the shots?" Ren Yaoqi raised an eyebrow slightly, carefully pondering these words.
"Hah!" Ren Yaohua sneered, "What a fine 'calling the shots'!"
Ren Yaoqi glanced at Ren Yaohua and smiled: "If it weren't so, how could this false accusation be pinned on you? It must be that you secretly instructed your former maid to mobilize her family to stand up for you."
"What should we do now? We can't just stand by and let that wretch succeed, hiding in the shadows to reap the benefits, can we?" Ren Yaohua gritted her teeth.
"As for a solution... naturally, there is one." Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment and said slowly.
Ren Yaohua glared at her.
After leaving the main room, Ren Yaoqi summoned Nanny Zhu.
When Madam Li and Ren Yaohua went to the estate, the highest-ranking stewardess in Purple Magnolia Courtyard was Nanny Zhu, which had made her quite proud for a while.
But ever since Ren Yaohua returned, she had been unable to meddle in any affairs of Purple Magnolia Courtyard. Therefore, these past few days had been extremely difficult for Nanny Zhu; she had even considered seeking help from Concubine Fang.
However, Concubine Fang had been unavailable these days, reportedly having caught a cold and feeling unwell.
"Nanny, why do you look so listless?" Ren Yaoqi examined Nanny Zhu for a moment, frowning.
Nanny Zhu glanced around, then leaned close to Ren Yaoqi, tears and snot flowing: "Oh dear! Miss, you have no idea! These past few days have been hard for this servant too! That Third Miss dislikes you, so how could she treat us loyal servants of yours kindly? Just yesterday, for example, the steward brought out several plum vases from the storeroom. I noticed one in a sky-blue misty rain color that you once wanted to place in the hall for arranging plum branches in winter. But the steward said this plum vase was brought out for Third Miss. I pleaded politely several times, only to be humiliated by a few cunning maids around Third Miss in the end! This old face of mine..."
Ren Yaoqi was furious: "How outrageous! Ren Yaohua truly goes too far!"
Nanny Zhu stole a glance at Ren Yaoqi and, seeing her indeed filled with anger, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.She heard from the maids in the courtyard that these past few days, the relationship between Third Miss and Fifth Miss was not as tense as before. However, she knew Ren Yaoqi's temperament best—especially after being slapped by Ren Yaohua—there was no way she could swallow this anger.
"Exactly! You are also the legitimate daughter of the madam, yet in Third Miss's eyes, you are even less than a concubine-born sister!"
Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
Nanny Zhu was taken aback, somewhat puzzled. "Miss?"
Ren Yaoqi beckoned Nanny Zhu closer, and Nanny Zhu leaned in.
"Nanny, don't worry, I will help you vent this anger! Originally, I wanted to endure it for Mother's sake, but I never expected Ren Yaohua to act so arrogantly just days after returning. She hits and scolds me as she pleases—I can't bear it any longer. I must send her back to the estate to ease the hatred in my heart!"
Nanny Zhu's face lit up with joy, and she quickly asked, "Then, Miss, do you have a plan?" No wonder there had been no commotion these past few days—Fifth Miss had been waiting for an opportunity.
Ren Yaoqi nodded. "Of course. Today, I discovered a secret about Ren Yaohua!"
"What secret?" Nanny Zhu was startled.
Ren Yaoqi smiled. "You know what happened in Grandmother's courtyard today, right? Eighth Miss has been confined."
Nanny Zhu thought for a moment and cautiously replied, "I heard it was because two maids serving Eighth Miss brought something unclean into the inner courtyard?"
"Actually, it has nothing to do with Eighth Sister at all. It was Ren Yaohua scheming behind the scenes!" Ren Yaoqi insisted firmly.
Nanny Zhu's eyes shifted. "Miss, are you certain about this?"
Ren Yaoqi glanced sideways at Nanny Zhu. "Absolutely true. I heard that the old woman who slandered Eighth Sister this morning was one of Ren Yaohua's people. If I go and tell Fifth Aunt about this, do you think Fifth Aunt will let her off? She just returned and already plotted against her own sister—Grandmother will surely send her back to the estate! This time, it won't be so easy for her to return to the mansion."
Nanny Zhu pondered for a while, thinking that with Madam Lin's temperament, she would indeed not let Ren Yaohua off easily.
"Miss is right. Once Fifth Miss is gone, you will still be the most important in this courtyard!"
Thus, Ren Yaoqi took Nanny Zhu to Madam Lin's courtyard.
Madam Lin had just secretly returned from the ancestral hall after visiting Ren Yaoyu and was worrying about how to get her daughter released. Hearing that Ren Yaoqi had come, she found it strange.
After Ren Yaoqi finished paying her respects, Madam Lin couldn't be bothered with pleasantries and said directly, "You are quite the rare visitor."
Ren Yaoqi knew that Madam Lin had never liked them, so she got straight to the point, repeating what she had told Nanny Zhu earlier.
Sure enough, after a moment of stunned silence, Madam Lin gritted her teeth in hatred. "Ren Yaohua! How dare she!"
Ren Yaoqi shared Madam Lin's anger. "What wouldn't she dare? You don't know, ever since she returned, I've been bullied terribly by her! Not only did she slap me for no reason, but today she also called me over and scolded me harshly! I, Ren Yaoqi, am sworn enemies with her!"
Seeing her even more agitated than herself, Madam Lin calmed down a bit and glanced at her. "But why would Ren Yaohua do this?"
"Of course, to drive Eighth Sister out of Glory and Splendor Courtyard so she can move in herself!"Madam Lin frowned, stroking her teacup thoughtfully for a moment. "Where did you learn all this?"
Ren Yaoqi seemed hesitant upon hearing this, glancing subtly toward Nanny Zhu. Nanny Zhu gave her an encouraging wink, and Ren Yaoqi cleared her throat softly. "Oh, this... this is something I overheard from Ren Yaohua's maid."
The interaction between mistress and servant caught Madam Lin's eye, leading her to another thought.
Could it be that Ren Yaoqi had actually heard this from Nanny Zhu?
"Is this the Nanny Zhu by your side?" Madam Lin's gaze swept over Nanny Zhu several times.
Nanny Zhu hurriedly lowered her head, assuming a respectful posture.
Ren Yaoqi nodded, somewhat carelessly. "Fifth Aunt, if you have anything to say, please speak freely. Nanny Zhu is my confidante and helps me a great deal in daily matters."
Hearing this, Madam Lin merely smiled, took a sip of tea, and offered no further comment.
Who Nanny Zhu truly served, Ren Yaoqi might not know, but Madam Lin certainly did.
"Fifth Aunt? When will you go and expose Ren Yaohua before Grandmother?" Ren Yaoqi asked eagerly.
"Oh, that... there's no rush yet. I still need to verify some things," Madam Lin replied dismissively.
Ren Yaoqi glanced at Nanny Zhu again and said, "Yes, yes, this is a serious matter. It’s best to investigate it yourself. This Madam Liu'an is Ying'er's aunt, and Ying'er is my mother's person. When she was in Purple Magnolia Courtyard, she always obeyed Ren Yaohua the most. You can easily find out about this with just a little inquiry!"
Madam Lin listened somewhat distractedly but shifted to another topic. "It’s been a while since I’ve seen your mother. What has she been busy with lately?"
Ren Yaoqi replied, "My mother has been ill these past few days and hasn’t left the house."
Madam Lin smiled, her tone carrying a hint of meaning. "Oh... ill again? That does sound like her."
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