Madam Lin had enjoyed smooth sailing from birth until now. To be outmaneuvered by a concubine she had never even looked upon favorably—how could she swallow such an insult?
She immediately stormed off to the Glory and Splendor Courtyard to lodge a complaint with Old Madam Ren. At the time, Old Madam Ren was having lunch with Aunt Xiao.
Madam Lin paid no heed to the situation. Bursting in, she began wailing and making a scene, accusing Concubine Fang of harboring malicious intentions and scheming to push her own daughter into the spotlight by setting up Ren Yaoyu. In the end, she even dragged Aunt Xiao, who had been quietly sitting to the side, into her tirade.
Old Madam Ren’s face immediately darkened. “How dare you! Who allowed you to throw a tantrum without regard for propriety? You’ve completely disgraced the Ren Family! Get out of my sight!”
Madam Lin had never seen Old Madam Ren speak to her so harshly before. After a stunned moment, she began to cry.
Just then, First Madam arrived after hearing the news and pulled Madam Lin aside to console her.
Aunt Xiao, looking awkward, stood up to take her leave. Old Madam Ren was furious at Madam Lin for her lack of decorum and for causing her to lose face in front of an outsider. After uttering a few polite words to persuade Aunt Xiao to stay, she signaled Granny Gui with a glance to escort Aunt Xiao out.
Understanding Old Madam Ren’s intention, Granny Gui quietly instructed the senior maid Jinlian to fetch some silver, then accompanied Aunt Xiao out with a smiling face.
Once the outsider was gone, Old Madam Ren erupted. “It is because I have indulged you too much that you have lost all sense of propriety! Starting today, you will go to the ancestral hall and reflect on your actions behind closed doors, just like Yu’er! You may come out only when you have understood your mistakes!”
Madam Lin felt deeply wronged. The reason she dared to act so recklessly in front of Old Madam Ren was that Old Madam Ren had always treated her like a daughter. On the few occasions when she had been willful, Old Madam Ren had even covered for her in front of her sisters-in-law and the younger generation.
Her mother, Madam Lin, had reminded her many times to be more mindful, warning her that no matter how good a mother-in-law might be, she could never be a real mother, and that she should act more cautiously in her husband’s family. Madam Lin had always dismissed such advice.
“Mother, if it weren’t for that wretched Fang Yaru scheming against my Yu’er, why would I be so frantic?” Madam Lin softened her tone, speaking through tears.
But Old Madam Ren was so angry she slammed the table. “What ‘wretched’? Even if she hadn’t married into our Ren Family, she would still be your cousin! You say Madam Fang framed Yu’er, but do you have any witnesses or evidence? Yu’er has already admitted that the doll came from her own hands!”
Madam Lin was left speechless. She truly had no evidence to present.
Yet she had dealt with Fang Yaru for over twenty years and understood her character better than the elders did. If anyone claimed Fang Yaru had no involvement in this matter, she would never believe it, even if it cost her life.
Why was it that everyone else suffered misfortune while she alone reaped the benefits? This scenario had played out countless times in Fang Yaru’s life—she had always climbed higher by stepping on others.
“Have someone clear the table. I’ve lost my appetite!” Seeing her remain silent, Old Madam Ren concluded she was being unreasonable and grew even more furious.
First Madam noticed that the table of vegetarian dishes was largely untouched and cautiously tried to persuade her otherwise.
Meanwhile, Madam Lin, unwilling to give up, pleaded, “Mother, I have no complaints about being confined to the ancestral hall. But Yu’er is frail—could you allow her to return first? As for the evidence you mentioned… I… I don’t have it for now, but I will send word to my maiden home and have my mother dispatch a capable matron. I refuse to believe we cannot uncover whether that doll was tampered with!”Old Madam Ren’s temple throbbed with a visible vein. “First Madam! Lock her up in the ancestral hall! Anyone who dares leave the manor without my permission will be beaten to death with clubs if discovered!”
“Mother—”
First Madam hurried forward to pull Madam Lin aside, whispering, “Fifth Sister-in-law, how could you be so foolish? Though you were once a daughter of the Lin Family, you are now a woman of the Ren Family. As the saying goes, family scandals should not be aired in public—how can you involve your natal family in such matters? Isn’t this clearly telling them you’ve been wronged in your husband’s home?”
First Madam glanced at Old Madam Ren and added, “Moreover, while your elders in the Lin Family may be perfectly good, the maids and matrons they send are not necessarily all virtuous. Do you remember that Granny Chen who once served by your side?”
Madam Lin froze, as if recalling something, her face paling.
As the most cherished daughter of the Lin Family, how could she have lacked capable dowry matrons and maids when she married? This Granny Chen had been meticulously chosen by her mother.
Granny Chen was indeed capable; everything Madam Lin knew about Concubine Fang had come from Granny Chen’s lips.
Yet a few years ago, this Granny Chen was discovered having an affair with a man and had secretly brought him into the inner courtyard for illicit encounters. The incident nearly tarnished Madam Lin’s reputation as well, and it was Old Madam Ren who had intervened with ruthless measures to clean up the mess. Because of that, several of her matrons and maids either died or were sold off.
The Lin Family, feeling at fault over the matter, dared not send any more people afterward.
Fortunately, Old Madam Ren had shown her great affection, and Madam Lin had suffered no real disadvantage in the Ren Family, so the Lin Family had set their minds at ease.
Now, hearing First Madam bring up this incident, Madam Lin felt deeply uncomfortable and no longer dared to speak of returning to her natal family to seek help.
“Why are you still standing here? Did you not hear my words?” Old Madam Ren said coldly, shooing them away.
“Yes, Mother. I’ll take Fifth Sister-in-law out now,” First Madam replied obediently, then pulled the aggrieved Madam Lin away.
Just then, Granny Gui hurried back, her face beaming with joy. “Old Madam, Third Master and Fifth Master have returned! Their carriage has already arrived at the gate!”
Old Madam Ren’s expression softened considerably. “Third and Fifth have returned? Weren’t they delayed by heavy snow and expected to be a few days late?”
In the Great Zhou dynasty, merchants were not barred from participating in the imperial examinations. The Ren Family’s Second Old Master Ren had once aspired to pass the exams and bring glory to the family in his youth. Unfortunately, he repeatedly failed, ultimately only achieving the rank of xiucai.
Fortunately, by his generation, the Ren Family was not short on wealth. Old Master Ren spent considerable sums to secure an official position for his younger brother. Though it was not a formal government post, he became the head of a major merchant guild established by Yanbei in the capital.
The eldest son of the Second Old Master, Ren Shiyuan, ranked second among the Ren Family’s younger generation, remained in White Crane Town to care for his mother. The youngest son, Ren Shixu, ranked fourth, accompanied the Second Old Master in the capital. He married the legitimate daughter of a fifth-rank capital official and, with the help of his wife’s family, secured a position as a procurement officer in the Imperial Household Department.
Fifth Master Ren Shimiao of the main branch spent several months each year in the capital with his uncle, learning the ways of officialdom and social interactions.Third Master Ren Shimin was considered an anomaly within the Ren Family. He neither enjoyed commerce nor held interest in officialdom, instead devoting himself solely to refined pursuits such as composing poetry, painting, playing the qin, and sword dancing. He fancied himself a free-spirited scholar of the Wei and Jin dynasties. This trip to the capital was for the quinquennial painting exhibition, and he had already been away from home for half a year.
Today, the two brothers returned together.
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