Ren Yaoyin truly had a clever scheme.
Ren Yaoqi felt she should be angry at being plotted against by her own sister, yet her heart remained calm. She simply couldn't understand where Ren Yaoyin got the confidence that if Xiao Jinglin didn't marry Yun Wenting, it would be her turn.
In her previous life, hadn't Ren Yaoyin only become Yun Wenting's concubine?
Thinking of this, Ren Yaoqi realized she truly couldn't remember who Yun Wenting's legal wife was in her past life. Logically, she should have heard some news about the eldest son of the Yun Family getting married. Could it be that Yun Wenting never took a legal wife before she left Yanbei in her previous life, only taking Ren Yaoyin as a concubine?
If Ren Yaoyin was aiming for this, then she might indeed have a chance. After all, even if the legitimate daughter of the Ren Family's eldest branch couldn't become the legal wife of the Yun Family's eldest son, being taken as a respectable concubine by the Yun Family would still be considered a slight.
Unfortunately, after leaving Yanbei in her previous life, she never paid attention to Yanbei affairs again, so she didn't know how long Ren Yaoyin's schemes managed to keep the position of mistress in Yun Wenting's household vacant.
Ren Yaoyin was still earnestly trying to persuade Xiao Jinglin to go to Autumn Swan Courtyard.
Ren Yaoqi no longer wanted to watch her performance. She lifted the beaded curtain of the inner chamber and walked out: "Fourth Sister, thank you for your concern."
Ren Yaoyin was stunned when she saw Ren Yaoqi: "Fifth... Fifth Sister, how did you..."
Ren Yaohua was also taken aback when she saw Ren Yaoqi emerge from the inner chamber. After regaining her composure, she immediately bypassed Xiao Jinglin and walked toward Ren Yaoqi, looking her up and down. Seeing she was unharmed, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, but anger showed on her face as she pointed at Ren Yaoqi's nose and scolded: "Ren Yaoqi, are you only three years old this year? What did you provoke Wu Yiyu for when everything was fine!"
Ren Yaoqi knew Ren Yaohua was genuinely worried about her today, which had thrown her off balance; otherwise, she would have been more guarded against Ren Yaoyin. Ren Yaoqi took the opportunity to grab Ren Yaohua's hand, which was pointing at her nose, and shook it pleadingly: "Third Sister, I'm fine, don't worry."
Ren Yaohua coldly pulled her hand back, saying disdainfully: "Who's worried about you! If it weren't for fearing I couldn't explain to Mother when we return, who would care whether you live or die!"
Ren Yaoyin's expression shifted rapidly. Realizing Xiao Jinglin had been observing her, she forced a relieved smile: "Fifth Sister, it's good you're safe. Third Sister and I were both startled earlier."
Ren Yaohua now remembered Ren Yaoyin and asked suspiciously: "Didn't you say someone saw Fifth Sister being tricked away by Wu Yiyu's people?"
"I..." Ren Yaoyin's mind raced, trying to find a suitable explanation to brush off Ren Yaohua.
But Ren Yaohua seemed to recall something and looked at Ren Yaoqi, who simply watched Ren Yaoyin calmly without speaking. Ren Yaohua had only been distracted by concern earlier, allowing Ren Yaoyin to use her as a pawn, but she wasn't foolish. She narrowed her eyes slightly, scrutinizing Ren Yaoyin: "Fourth Sister, could it be that you deliberately lied to me?"
Ren Yaoyin denied it: "Third Sister, what are you saying? What good would lying to you do me? I was just misled by someone and acted in haste..."Xiao Jinglin, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke up, cutting in: "The benefit is to make me and Wu Yiyu fight over Yaoqi, ending in mutual destruction. Wu Yiyu said you were infatuated with Yun Wenting—it seems she wasn’t wrong."
Ren Yaoyin stiffened entirely, but almost immediately, she took a deep breath and said with some anger, "Commandery Princess, I have always respected you as a woman who rivals men in courage, but I never thought you would be someone who speaks so recklessly! You say I deliberately framed you—do you have evidence? If you have no evidence, even if you are a commandery princess and I am merely the daughter of a humble merchant, I will not accept this!"
Ren Yaohua glanced at Ren Yaoyin, then looked toward Xiao Jinglin.
Just as Ren Yaoqi was about to speak, Xiao Jinglin stopped her with a look, then coldly stared at Ren Yaoyin and said, "You want evidence? Witnesses or physical proof? The witness is the maid arranged by Wu Yiyu who secretly met with you to lure Yaoqi to Autumn Swan Courtyard. The Yanbei Prince’s Mansion has many ways to make someone speak the truth—don’t forget, this is the territory of the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion, and Wu Yiyu is no match for the Xiao family. As for physical evidence..."
At this point, Xiao Jinglin looked at Ren Yaoyin with a hint of amusement. "Does Yun Wenting’s poem count?"
Ren Yaoyin’s expression changed.
Imitating Xiao Jingxi’s manner, Xiao Jinglin smiled faintly. "If Wu Yiyu could get her hands on it, why wouldn’t I be able to?"
Ren Yaoyin never imagined that the poem she thought was a secret between her and Yun Wenting would be known by so many people, even becoming a means for others to threaten her repeatedly.
By now, Ren Yaohua understood everything. Recalling how she had also been used by Ren Yaoyin, she felt a surge of anger, her eyes reddening. Without a word, she strode over to Ren Yaoyin and slapped her hard across the face.
Ren Yaoyin was stunned by the blow, nearly falling to the ground. Unfortunately, Ren Yaohua had never been one to show mercy. Without uttering a word, she yanked Ren Yaoyin upright and then unleashed a flurry of slaps across her face.
The sound of "slap—slap—slap—" echoed repeatedly in the room.
Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jinglin were both shocked, and even Xiao Jinglin’s two maids, who prided themselves on being tough, were frightened.
Ren Yaoqi was the first to regain her composure. She hurried over to pull Ren Yaohua back. "Third Sister, stop hitting her, or people will come to watch the commotion later."
Ren Yaoqi hadn’t expected Ren Yaohua’s reaction to be so intense. She could barely hold her back as Ren Yaohua tore Ren Yaoyin’s hair loose.
Xiao Jinglin wasn’t sure whether she should step in to break up the fight or pretend she saw nothing. However, she gained a new understanding of Ren Yaoqi’s elder sister today. If this girl followed her onto the battlefield, she would undoubtedly be a formidable force. Finally, out of genuine admiration for brave women, Princess Xiao kindly reminded her with an expressionless face and a soft voice, "Don’t hit her face anymore..."
Ren Yaohua finally stopped, while Ren Yaoyin lay collapsed on the floor, unable to speak. Both sides of her cheeks were swollen, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth where her lips had been cut. Her once-beautiful face was now a pitiful and unrecognizable mess."You being shameless is one thing, but to even scheme against your own blood sister and use her as a stepping stone! Ren Yaoyin, have you no shame? Has your conscience been eaten by dogs? Someone like you is a waste of grain just by being alive, and whichever family you marry into will be thrown into chaos! I advise you to steer clear of that so-called Eldest Master Yun from now on—do his family a favor and accumulate some blessings for them. He’ll thank you for it!"
Ren Yaohua had always been eloquent, and Xiao Jinglin, along with her maids Hongying and Hongxiao, were left stunned. It was their first time witnessing such a scene.
Ren Yaoqi held onto Ren Yaohua while frantically signaling to Xiao Jinglin, who was listening with great interest.
Xiao Jinglin had no choice but to order Hongying to step forward and help Ren Yaoyin up.
This was the first time Ren Yaoyin had suffered such humiliation. Even when Wu Yiyu had struck her earlier that day, she hadn’t been this brutal. Now, Ren Yaoyin couldn’t even stand on her own, leaning almost all her weight on Hongying.
The sense of disgrace made Ren Yaoyin wish she could faint and never wake up again. She trembled with hatred toward Ren Yaohua for her viciousness, and every word Ren Yaohua spoke pierced her heart like a knife, leaving her bleeding and in agony.
But more than anything, she felt a hopeless rage, realizing that her plan had been exposed by Xiao Jinglin and that her path forward would likely become even more difficult.
Seeing Ren Yaoyin’s pitiful state finally cooled Ren Yaohua’s anger somewhat.
Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoqi’s mother, Madam Li, was timid and non-confrontational. As the eldest daughter, Ren Yaohua had no choice but to fight on her mother’s behalf. She had grown accustomed to being the protector of the third branch of the family and couldn’t bear to see others bully her mother and sisters just because their mother had lost influence. That was why she was so furious when Ren Yaoqi was framed by Ren Yaoyin and she herself was used as a pawn.
"You stay here. I’ll take her back to Grandmother to demand justice!" Ren Yaohua said to Ren Yaoqi.
"I’ll go back with you. There’s nothing for me to do here anyway."
Ren Yaoqi knew Ren Yaoyin’s cunning nature. If they returned to the Ren Family and faced Old Madam Ren, Ren Yaohua might easily be framed by Ren Yaoyin. By going back, Ren Yaoqi could at least find a way to corner Ren Yaoyin and leave her with no defense. Moreover, Ren Yaohua had laid hands on Ren Yaoyin, and no matter how much Old Madam Ren doted on her, she couldn’t ignore the dignity of the eldest branch.
Ren Yaohua frowned. "You should stay. What will it look like if we both leave? Besides, you and the Commandery Princess made quite an impression today. Perhaps tomorrow..."
Just as Ren Yaohua was speaking, they heard a matron requesting an audience outside. Both Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoqi fell silent.
Xiao Jinglin glanced at Ren Yaoyin’s condition and, after a moment’s thought, instructed Hongying to go out and see.
Hongying returned after just a short while, bringing the matron who had been waiting outside with her. Ren Yaoqi looked up and recognized her as the same steward matron who had carried Silly Girl over at the Rare Treasures Garden the day before—she seemed to be one of Xiao Jingxi’s people.
The steward matron entered and, without glancing elsewhere, bowed respectfully. "Commandery Princess, Fifth Miss Ren, my master has sent me to escort Fourth Miss Ren back."
Ren Yaoqi was taken aback and looked at Xiao Jinglin, while Ren Yaohua was even more confused.
Xiao Jinglin glanced at the steward matron. "Did he say anything else?"The stewardess said, "Our mistress also instructed that Hongying and I should go to the Ren Family Villa to meet with Old Madam Ren. Regarding what Fourth Miss Ren did today, the Yanbei Prince's Mansion will not pursue the matter further out of consideration for Fifth Miss Ren and the Commandery Princess. However, our mansion hopes that Old Madam Ren will properly discipline Fourth Miss Ren. If such an incident occurs again, the Yanbei Prince's Mansion will definitely impose severe punishment without leniency. As for Fifth Miss Ren and Third Miss Ren, they are to remain at the hot spring villa and depart tomorrow along with the other young ladies, to avoid all three young ladies of the Ren Family leaving at once, which might lead outsiders to speculate and spread unfavorable rumors."
The implication was to remove Ren Yaoyin without alerting others, thus preserving the Ren Family's dignity.
To thank everyone for your pink votes and tips, there will be an extra update today～o(∩_∩)o
The update will likely be around two o'clock, so no need to wait—you can read it tomorrow morning～.
Lastly, I continue to ask for pink votes～^^~
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