Granny Gui handed two pouches to Granny Duan and Hongying. Hongying, who had long accompanied the Commandery Princess and rarely entered the inner courtyards of other households, instinctively raised her hand to refuse the tip from the Ren Family. Granny Gui’s expression couldn’t help but turn awkward.
Granny Duan glanced at Hongying and gave her a meaningful look. Recalling the long-forgotten rules of inner household etiquette she had once learned, Hongying finally did not refuse again, allowing Granny Gui to carefully slip the pouch into her sleeve.
Both Granny Gui and Old Madam Ren breathed a sigh of relief.
It was not easy to meet the stewardess of the Prince’s Mansion or the Commandery Princess’s personal maid. If given the chance to interact, it was only natural to treat them well. Even if they might not be of use in the future, it was still good to establish a favorable connection.
As soon as Granny Duan took the pouch, she knew the Ren Family had given a generous reward, yet her expression remained unchanged, as if she had received the most ordinary tip.
However, after taking a few steps, Granny Duan suddenly halted, turned to Old Madam Ren, and said meaningfully, “They say that even among dragons, each of the nine sons is different. Speaking of which, I have met both the Fourth and Fifth Young Misses of your household. I won’t comment on the Fourth Young Miss, but the Fifth Young Miss is well-educated, sensible, and exceptionally talented. She gets along with our Commandery Princess as if they were one person. Not only does the Princess Consort like her, but even Lady Xu, the wife of the headmaster of Yunyang Academy, holds her in high regard. Lady Xu not only instructed her in the qin but also gifted her with her own collection of qin scores. Lady Xu is someone even our Princess Consort respectfully addresses as ‘Teacher’! Having served in the Prince’s Mansion for decades, I dare say I have some insight. The Fifth Young Miss of your household is destined for great things in the future! Take today’s incident, for example. If it weren’t for the Fifth Young Miss’s face, how could our Prince’s Mansion tolerate others bullying the Commandery Princess?”
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Ren was first startled, but upon careful thought, she felt a surge of joy. She had originally feared that after today’s incident, even if the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion did not pursue the matter further, they might still harbor displeasure toward the Ren Family. Thus, even though Granny Duan had indicated that the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion would not pursue the matter involving the Ren Family and Ren Yaoyin, Old Madam Ren’s heart remained unsettled.
If the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion showed even the slightest hint of displeasure toward any family, that family would undoubtedly lose its standing among the noble families of Yanbei—a consequence the Ren Family could not afford.
But now, hearing Granny Duan speak of Yaoqi with such praise meant that the Princess Consort and Commandery Princess’s attitude toward Yaoqi remained unchanged. As long as Yaoqi could continue to please the Princess Consort and Commandery Princess, there was still a chance to salvage the Ren Family’s image in the eyes of the Princess Consort of Yanbei. Moreover, the high regard of the wife of the headmaster of Yunyang Academy for Yaoqi would also give the Ren Family face among the noble families of Yanbei in the future.
Thinking this, Old Madam Ren couldn’t help but feel somewhat relieved, though she smiled and said, “It is her good fortune that the Princess Consort and Commandery Princess like her. That child, Qi’er, has always been well-behaved and sensible at home.”
Granny Duan smiled faintly. “Indeed, it is good fortune—and also good fortune for you, Old Madam.”
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Ren’s smile grew even brighter.
After personally escorting Granny Duan and Hongying out, Old Madam Ren asked Granny Gui, “Were the tip pouches sealed with extra silver?”Granny Gui hurriedly said, "This servant took the liberty of replacing the twenty taels of silver reward with that mutton-fat jade toad and that jadeite thumb ring. I saw that Hongying girl last time when she came to our mansion with the Commandery Princess—she’s the head maid in the Commandery Princess’s chambers. As for that Granny Duan, judging by her attire and demeanor, she must be a favored stewardess by the Princess Consort’s side. I was afraid they might look down on such a small monetary reward."
Old Madam Ren was not displeased; instead, she nodded in approval. "Very good, you’ve thought this through carefully. They are people who have influence in front of the masters of Yanbei Prince’s Mansion. It’s fine to give a heavier reward—I was only worried it might be too light."
Granny Gui observed Old Madam Ren’s expression and asked cautiously, "Then how should we deal with the Fourth Young Lady?"
Old Madam Ren’s previously smiling face immediately darkened. She said coldly, "That fool! Our entire Ren Family nearly suffered because of her foolish actions. And here I thought I had nurtured her so diligently, investing the most effort in her. Her grandfather and I had been planning wholeheartedly to marry her into the Qiu Family—is this how she repays me?" The more she spoke, the angrier she became.
Granny Gui quickly stepped forward to soothe her while carefully probing, "Old Madam, please calm your anger. Given the Fourth Young Lady’s current state of mind… is she still suitable to marry into the Qiu Family?"
Old Madam Ren fumed, "I originally favored Hua'er more… Forget it. First, have her locked in the woodshed. I don’t want to see her now. Starve her for a day or two to clear her mind and see if she still has the energy for wild thoughts. As for other matters, we’ll discuss them with the Master after we return."
Earlier, when Old Madam Ren had mentioned invoking family discipline in front of Granny Duan and Hongying, it was mainly to demonstrate the Ren Family’s stance on the matter.
The Ren Family’s "family discipline" was an ironwood rod about the thickness of an adult’s wrist, flat and oval-shaped, approximately four feet long, polished to a glossy sheen without needing paint. It was always enshrined in the ancestral hall of the Ren Family’s main residence and naturally had not been brought to this villa.
Old Madam Ren had also threatened to discipline Ren Yaoyu with the family rod before, but in the end, she hadn’t actually done it. In truth, due to the particularities of women, aristocratic families rarely actually administered corporal punishment to the young ladies of the family.
Firstly, being beaten would make it difficult for a woman to maintain face among her peers and servants. Secondly, there was the risk of affecting fertility after marriage, which would be undesirable.
When they returned to the main room, Ren Yaoyin was still kneeling motionless on the floor, not saying a word, lost in thought. She only slowly raised her head when she heard the commotion.
Having been beaten by Ren Yaohua, who had shown no mercy, her cheeks had swollen even more noticeably after being exposed to the wind, making her appearance truly pitiful.
Old Madam Ren hadn’t looked closely before, but now, seeing her clearly, she was startled.
"Grandmother…" Ren Yaoyin choked out, her speech slightly slurred due to her swollen face.
Hearing her call out, Old Madam Ren’s anger flared up again. "Don’t call me that! Tie her up and take her to the woodshed!" The latter command was directed at Granny Gui.
Granny Gui hurriedly acknowledged and went out to summon help.
Ren Yaoyin wore an expression of sorrow and despair. "Grandmother, your granddaughter truly had no intention of harming Fifth Sister or the Commandery Princess. I’ve been wronged."
Old Madam Ren didn’t even look at her, her voice icy. "Yanbei Prince’s Mansion went to such lengths to wrong you? Your face is truly that grand! Even if you were wronged, since Yanbei Prince’s Mansion has convicted you, you have no choice but to accept it!"Old Madam Ren's words choked Ren Yaoyin's subsequent defense in her throat. She stared blankly at Old Madam Ren for a moment.
Granny Gui had already entered with two maidservants. She glanced at Old Madam Ren, then walked over to Ren Yaoyin, bending down and saying, "Fourth Miss, let this servant help you up."
Ren Yaoyin snapped back to reality. She gave Old Madam Ren one last look, a faint, almost imperceptible mocking smile curling at the corner of her lips, her eyes cold and desolate.
She shook her head, avoiding Granny Gui's hand, and slowly rose to her feet on her own. After straightening her collar, she bowed to Old Madam Ren, straightened her back, and walked out.
Granny Gui hurriedly led the others to follow, but Old Madam Ren, seated at the head of the room, was preoccupied with thoughts of the marriage alliance between the Qiu Family and the Ren Family, paying no further attention to Ren Yaoyin.
In her heart, Old Madam Ren still favored Ren Yaohua the most among her granddaughters. Thus, according to her wishes, she would have preferred Ren Yaohua to marry into her maternal family. However, Old Master Ren, considering that Ren Yaoyin was the eldest legitimate granddaughter of the main branch and that the Ren Family would one day be handed over to the main branch, favored Ren Yaoyin for the match.
Now, not only did Ren Yaoyin not wish to marry into the Qiu Family, but she had also committed such a disgraceful act due to her affection for the eldest son of the Yun Family. Old Madam Ren was even more unwilling to let Ren Yaoyin marry Qiu Yun, but what about Old Master Ren's stance...
Old Madam Ren's mind began to churn with thoughts.
Now, to speak of another matter.
At that time, Yun Qiuchen had just left the courtyard of the eldest daughter of the Guo Family and was planning to visit Jiang Yuan Niang on the way. Unexpectedly, she encountered Jiang Yuan Niang's maid, Qiuxiang, halfway.
After listening to Qiuxiang's explanation, Yun Qiuchen thought for only a moment before following Qiuxiang toward the Autumn Swan Courtyard.
The Thousand Gold Banquet was hosted by the Yun Family. Now that Jiang Yuan Niang's chief maid had come to her for help, it would be unreasonable for her to ignore it. Moreover, Jiang Yuan Niang was already Old Madam Yun's chosen granddaughter-in-law, and Yun Qiuchen also wanted to establish a good relationship with her.
Additionally, Yun Qiuchen believed that Wu Yiyu and Jiang Yuan Niang had no grievances between them, so nothing major should happen.
If Eldest Miss Yun had known what kind of scene she was about to face, she would never have followed Qiuxiang so readily.
What Yun Qiuchen did not know was that Yun Qiuping and Yun Qiufang, returning from elsewhere, saw from a distance that Yun Qiuchen had suddenly changed direction toward the northwest corner after meeting a maid. They found it strange, as they recognized the maid as Jiang Yuan Niang's chief maid.
The anxious expression on the maid's face as she spoke to Yun Qiuchen further surprised the two. In the end, Yun Qiufang insisted on pulling Yun Qiuping along to secretly follow them.
When Yun Qiuchen arrived at the Autumn Swan Courtyard, she was naturally stopped by two of Wu Yiyu's maids. However, Yun Qiuchen was not Wu Yiyu; she had several maids and servants with her. The expressions on Wu Yiyu's maids' faces made Yun Qiuchen feel that something was amiss.
Seizing the opportunity, Qiuxiang cleverly bypassed the two maids and ran into the courtyard, saying, "This servant will go in to inform Eldest Miss Yun."
The two maids tried to pull Qiuxiang back, but Jiang Yuan Niang's other maid immediately stepped forward to block them. Taking advantage of the chaos, Yun Qiuchen led her people inside.
Yun Qiufang and Yun Qiuping, who had been secretly following Yun Qiuchen, were even more confused. They wanted to move closer to hear more, but they were unexpectedly stopped by two maidservants who seemed to appear out of nowhere.Yun Qiufang had initially followed out of curiosity, but now, being stopped, she grew somewhat displeased: "Who sent you? Why are you blocking us? We came with Elder Sister—why didn’t you stop her?"
I had planned to add an extra update, but due to some unexpected circumstances, it didn’t happen.
Staying up too late has become unbearable—I’ll definitely add an extra update tomorrow～(^o^).
OpenNovel