As soon as Ren Yaoyin finished speaking, Ren Yaohua sneered coldly, "I originally thought Fourth Sister was a rare sensible person, unlike some shallow-minded women who spend their days gossiping and stirring up trouble. It seems today I overestimated you."
Ren Yaohua's words left both Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoyin stunned.
When it came to the relationships among the Ren sisters, Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoyin were actually much closer than Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoqi, who were biological sisters. Although Ren Yaohua's temperament was not easy to get along with, she and Ren Yaoyin had both been raised under Old Madam Ren's care. Since Ren Yaoyin was not difficult to be around, Ren Yaohua treated her quite well.
Thus, not only Ren Yaoyin but even Ren Yaoqi herself had not expected Ren Yaohua to speak so harshly to Ren Yaoyin over these words.
However, Ren Yaoyin was a composed person and quickly smiled, saying, "Third Sister, you've misunderstood me..."
Ren Yaohua interrupted coldly, "There's no misunderstanding. I'm not scolding you for reminding your sisters, but for blindly following hearsay and spreading rumors instead of stopping those gossipers from tarnishing our reputations. You even came to us with your so-called goodwill, echoing those rumors. That day when Second Young Master Yun came, Yaoqi and I were sitting together in the carriage, and we didn't even lift the curtain. Second Young Master Yun merely asked an attendant outside if Grandmother and the others were frightened—a basic courtesy after staying at our estate for some time. Yet you just now kept insinuating that there was something improper between Yaoqi and Yun Wenfang. Fourth Sister, are you accusing my parents of failing to raise their daughters properly, or blaming me, as an elder sister, for not managing my younger sister well?"
Ren Yaohua's stern expression and icy tone carried considerable authority.
Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but glance at her, only to be met with a fierce glare, as if Ren Yaohua intended to settle accounts with her later. Ren Yaoqi thought to herself, how had she never noticed Ren Yaohua's talent for lying with a straight face?
Though glared at, Ren Yaoqi felt a warmth in her heart. Whether Ren Yaohua was protecting her reputation or their parents' dignity, she was indeed standing up for her.
Ren Yaoyin lowered her gaze, concealing a hint of embarrassment from the questioning, then smiled helplessly. "If Third Sister says so, then it truly is my fault. How about I apologize to Fifth Sister and you?" Ren Yaoyin knew that no matter how she defended herself, Ren Yaohua wouldn't listen. Given Ren Yaohua's temperament, any further argument would only lead to an unpleasant outcome, so Ren Yaoyin skipped the explanations and apologized directly.
Only then did Ren Yaohua's expression soften slightly.
Ren Yaoyin then turned to Ren Yaoqi, hesitating for a moment before sighing. "Forget it, Fifth Sister, just pretend I said nothing. This time, I was indeed too rash. I apologize to you." As she spoke, Ren Yaoyin genuinely curtsied toward Ren Yaoqi.
Ren Yaoqi quickly reached out to stop her, forcing a smile. "Fourth Sister, there's no need for that."Ren Yaoyin shook her head, gently patted Ren Yaoqi's hand, gave Ren Yaohua an apologetic glance, then turned and left with her maids and attendants.
As soon as Ren Yaoyin left, Ren Yaohua also turned to go.
Ren Yaoqi hurriedly followed: "Third Sister."
Ren Yaohua paused her steps, held back for a moment, but ultimately couldn't contain her anger. She turned around and pointed at Ren Yaoqi, scolding: "What did I say before? I told you to stay away from that person and not provoke him! You think he's some kind of treasure that you have to rush to compete for? Do you think those idle busybodies in the family are just for show? Don’t end up with nothing and only bring trouble upon yourself! You’ll be crying then! This time, it was only because that day there were only our own servants around, so they had no basis to spread rumors. If there’s a next time, who knows what ugly things they’ll say!"
Although Ren Yaoqi very much wanted to cry out that she was wronged, seeing Ren Yaohua in such a rage, she swallowed her words and stood there obediently, listening to the lecture.
Only after Ren Yaohua had vented her anger did Ren Yaoqi say somewhat aggrievedly: "Third Sister, I’ve tried my best to avoid him. But if he insists on coming to cause trouble for me, what can I do?" Two lifetimes of experience had taught Ren Yaoqi that yielding to Ren Yaohua was wiser than confronting her, and showing appropriate weakness was necessary.
Ren Yaohua snorted: "You ask me what to do? If you hadn’t provoked him, why would he have noticed you!"
Ren Yaoqi looked frustrated: "I really don’t know. Last time, didn’t I ask you if I’d ever met him before? You said no."
Ren Yaohua stared coldly at Ren Yaoqi for a long moment, finding that she didn’t seem to be lying. After a moment of silence, she said: "Stay away from him from now on. If you run into him, walk around him, and don’t be alone!" Although her tone was still not very pleasant, it was no longer as aggressive as before.
Ren Yaoqi quickly agreed. Ren Yaohua pursed her lips, then turned and walked toward the west wing.
When the two were almost at the corridor of the west wing where they lived, Ren Yaohua stopped: "What was Ren Yaoyin trying to do by saying all that today?" Although she had scolded Ren Yaoyin today, she didn’t believe Ren Yaoyin was truly the kind of person who liked to gossip idly.
Of course, Ren Yaoqi didn’t think Ren Yaoyin was that shallow either.
"Could it be that Ren Yaoyin also has feelings for Yun Wenfang..." Ren Yaohua muttered to herself, frowning, but before she could finish, she dismissed the idea herself, shaking her head: "No, I’ve seen Ren Yaoyin interact with Yun Wenfang a few times at Glory and Splendor Courtyard. She didn’t crowd forward like the other sisters, nor did she pay excessive attention to Yun Wenfang. Second Young Master Yun probably doesn’t even remember that there’s someone like her in our Ren Family."
Ren Yaoqi recalled the few times they had encountered Yun Wenfang at Glory and Splendor Courtyard. She couldn’t see anything unusual about Ren Yaoyin either. So Ren Yaoqi thought further.
"Fourth Sister... has she ever met the eldest son of the Yun Family?" Ren Yaoqi mused.
Ren Yaohua turned back at this: "The eldest son of the Yun Family? Yun Wenting?" Yun Wenting was quite famous in Yanbei, the ideal match many young women dreamed of.
Ren Yaoqi nodded.
But Ren Yaohua frowned: "What does this have to do with the eldest son of the Yun Family? She clearly mentioned Yun Wenfang."Ren Yaoqi tilted her head in thought, then said, "What if one day the Yun Family wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Ren Family? Would they have both of their young masters marry daughters of the Ren Family?"
"How could that be possible!" Ren Yaohua glared at Ren Yaoqi.
Her "impossible" did not refer to the impossibility of the Ren Family forming a marriage alliance with the Yun Family—after all, such things were unpredictable. Back then, even though the Yun Family looked down on the Su Family, they still allowed a daughter of the Yun Family to marry into the Su Family. Who could say such a thing wouldn't happen a second time?
What Ren Yaohua meant was that it was impossible for the Yun Family to have both of their young masters marry daughters of the Ren Family. When prominent families formed marriage alliances, they sought to strengthen ties between two clans. No family would repeatedly marry their daughters into the same household.
"You mean..." Ren Yaohua quickly caught on, somewhat stunned. "You're saying Ren Yaoyin has her eyes on Yun Wenting, but she's afraid Yun Wenfang might take a liking to you and persuade the Yun Family elders to marry you into their family, leaving her with no chance at all?"
Ren Yaoqi thought of Ren Yaoyin's choice in her previous life and nodded. She didn’t know how Ren Yaoyin had become Yun Wenting’s concubine in her past life, but Ren Yaoyin wasn’t without alternatives. At the very least, First Madam’s family had once sent someone to fetch Ren Yaoyin, but she hadn’t returned to her maternal grandparents’ home. Although Ren Yaoyin had rarely mentioned Yun Wenting earlier, her tone had subtly shifted whenever she happened to bring him up.
The Ren Family wanted to form a marriage alliance with Old Madam Ren’s maternal family, the Qiu Family, and the elders of the Ren Family favored Ren Yaoyin as the candidate. Ren Yaoqi remembered a time when Ren Yaoyin had inexplicably spoken to her, hinting that she should get closer to Qiu Yun.
At the time, Ren Yaoqi hadn’t understood what Ren Yaoyin was scheming, but now, thinking back, it was likely that Ren Yaoyin herself didn’t want to marry into the Qiu Family, so she was trying to persuade her sisters to take the initiative.
Ren Yaohua habitually furrowed her brows and thought for a moment. "That’s... not entirely impossible. When I came to Yunyang City with Grandmother before, along with Ren Yaoyin, we once met members of the Yun Family, including Eldest Miss Yun and Eldest Master Yun. Two years ago, during Old Master Lin’s birthday celebration, Ren Yaoyin sprained her ankle in the Lin Family’s large garden and happened to run into Eldest Master Yun. It was Eldest Master Yun who sent his servant to fetch a doctor. They must have had some interaction that time."
At this, Ren Yaohua sneered. "No wonder she suddenly abandoned her usual gentle demeanor—she’s just too impatient! She behaves improperly herself and then tries to pin the blame on others. Truly, the dog that barks doesn’t bite; it’s the quiet ones who cause the most trouble."
Seeing her anger, Ren Yaoqi quickly said, "These are just our speculations. We don’t yet know the truth."
Ren Yaohua glanced at Ren Yaoqi. "I’d say it’s almost certain. Haven’t you always been spot-on with your guesses? Why are you suddenly being so modest?"
Ren Yaoqi didn’t take this as praise from Ren Yaohua and could only remain silent.
When it came to a young woman’s reputation, she really couldn’t afford to speak carelessly. Of course, she didn’t dare say this to Ren Yaohua, who was already fuming.
Ren Yaohua didn’t notice Ren Yaoqi’s expression and said bitterly, "Every single one of them is nothing but trouble."
Ren Yaoqi, however, felt no particular emotion about this. She had long been prepared for what her sisters were like."However, no matter how she schemes, if Second Young Master Xiao doesn't marry Yun Qiuchen, the Yun Family will surely find a way to marry the Commandery Princess into their household. As for whether it's the second or eldest young master of Yun... for the Yanbei Prince's Mansion, a son-in-law who cannot lead troops in battle would be more reassuring. Does she really have the ability to make Second Young Master Xiao marry Yun Qiuchen? She only knows how to bully those within her own circle!" Ren Yaohua wasn't foolish either; having figured it out, she couldn't help but sneer.
OpenNovel