Fearing that the Princess Consort and the Yun Family might interfere after Yun Wenfang was found, the Old Princess Consort hurried back to Yunyang City overnight with Xiao Wei and Wu Yiyu to personally oversee the situation.
In truth, with Wu Yiyu’s reputation now tarnished by rumors, it was indeed inappropriate for her to remain at the hot spring villa. The young ladies, who had previously only found the eldest Miss Wu aloof and difficult to approach, now avoided her entirely.
The Princess Consort said nothing, as she still needed to preside over the Thousand Gold Banquet the following day. Aside from the Yun brothers, Yun Wenting and Yun Wenfang, the rest of the Yun Family remained, seemingly indifferent to whether Yun Wenfang would survive after being found by the Old Princess Consort.
After they left, the hot spring villa finally quieted down.
The night passed without incident. The next day was the final day of the Thousand Gold Banquet, with all competitions concluding before noon. The Old Princess Consort, Xiao Wei, and Wu Yiyu were absent, a fact noted by the young ladies present. They exchanged meaningful glances, and many whispered among themselves, making the atmosphere livelier than the previous two days. Few truly focused on the competitions.
After all, in their monotonous lives within the inner chambers, such dramatic events were rare.
Surprisingly, Jiang Yuan Niang, the Eighth Miss of the Jiang Family, who had also been at the center of the rumors, attended that day.
Eighth Miss Jiang wore a light pink embroidered short jacket and a pomegranate-red skirt. Though her features were ordinary, her skin was radiant and translucent, giving her a healthy glow.
Moreover, Jiang Yuan Niang remained composed, speaking and smiling appropriately, showing no signs of distress. Even Guo Yujiao, who had been at the scene the previous day, wondered if Jiang Yuan Niang had escaped with her maid’s help before they arrived, as only Wu Yiyu, Wu Yiyu’s maid, and Jiang Yuan Niang’s maid were seen when they entered.
The onlookers, who had initially come for the spectacle, were now uncertain about the truth of the rumors upon seeing Jiang Yuan Niang’s demeanor.
However, most still believed Wu Yiyu had an inclination toward same-sex relationships, as more than one person had seen her disheveled the previous day, and the story had been embellished as it spread.
While Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jinglin went to freshen up, they overheard two young ladies whispering by a flower bed, discussing the previous day’s incident.
Miss Liu said, “It’s definitely true! Didn’t you notice Third Miss Yun isn’t here today? My cousin is her close friend and heard that Third Miss Yun accidentally stumbled upon Miss Wu’s indiscretion yesterday and was beaten so badly she couldn’t get out of bed. When my cousin visited last night, a maid from Third Madam Yun’s household said Third Miss Yun was unwell and couldn’t receive guests, but she was actually sent back to Yunyang City.”
Miss Gao shook her head, looking disapproving. “How could Miss Wu have such a preference? It’s truly…”
Miss Liu lowered her voice. “Don’t spread this, but I accidentally overheard two maids yesterday. They said that although the border area where the Wu Family resides is peaceful now, decades ago it was constantly at war. Many men died on the battlefield, leaving only women behind…”The two young ladies spoke in such hushed tones that Ren Yaoqi couldn't actually hear them, so all the words above came from the sharp-eared Princess Xiao's serious retelling.
Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi's lips twitched, and she quickly raised a hand to stop Xiao Jinglin: "What nonsense is this?" Weren't all these young ladies supposed to be gentle and demure these past two days? How could they dare say anything in private?
Xiao Jinglin obediently fell silent, while the maids Hongying and Hongxiao couldn't help but laugh beside them.
Although most people's attention wasn't on the Thousand Gold Banquet today, when it came time for Lady Xu to announce the ten winners selected from this year's banquet, everyone's focus returned.
The results were unexpected, yet somehow made sense.
Xiao Jinglin undoubtedly took first place, while Ren Yaoqi came in second.
Ren Yaoqi was actually surprised when she heard this result. In previous years, to make it into the top five, a young lady not only needed exceptional talent but, more importantly, a prestigious family background. Their rankings were essentially based on their families' social standing.
Ren Yaoqi later learned that after Lady Xu nominated her, the Princess Consort didn't object, and none of the other ladies raised any issues. This was because she wasn't recognized as the fifth young lady of the Ren Family but rather as the closed-door disciple of Lady Xu, Ouyang Shi.
Xu Wanli, as the head of Yanbei's highest institution of learning, Yunyang Academy, was highly knowledgeable and influential among scholars. Although his wife wasn't an instructor at Yunyang Academy, Lady Xu herself had exceptional accomplishments in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. In Yanbei, any woman who could read a few characters knew of this talented lady. As her closed-door disciple, Ren Yaoqi's second-place ranking wasn't far-fetched.
The third winner, however, was a surprise—it was actually Jiang Yuan Niang.
Ren Yaoqi wasn't surprised. After yesterday's incident, this was the Princess Consort and the Yun Family's compensation to Jiang Yuan Niang.
Following them were Yun Qiuchen, Guo Yujiao, Qiu Hong, Su Fangfei, Xiao Jingyuan, and two young ladies from Yunzhou and Wuzhou. Wu Yiyu was no longer mentioned; everyone, including the Princess Consort, seemed to have forgotten the existence of the eldest young lady of the Wu Family. Fortunately, the Old Princess Consort and Xiao Wei weren't present, so this year's Thousand Gold Banquet concluded peacefully.
After the banquet ended, the young ladies from each family were arranged to leave the hot spring villa in groups. Ren Yaohua had already spoken with Ren Yaoqi—this time, they would be returning to White Crane Town with Old Madam Ren. She asked Ren Yaoqi to bid farewell to the Commandery Princess after the banquet, then go to Wutong Garden first before joining them at the Ren Family Villa in Yunyang City.
Xiao Jinglin escorted Ren Yaoqi out of Moon Embracing Pavilion: "When are you returning to White Crane Town?"
Ren Yaoqi replied, "Today or tomorrow." Old Madam Ren and First Madam likely wouldn't stay long in Yunyang City, and she herself had been away from White Crane Town for quite some time.
Xiao Jinglin thought for a moment: "Leave tomorrow. I'll bring Silly Girl to see you off."
Ren Yaoqi chuckled: "It's less than a two-hour carriage ride." Still, she didn't refuse Xiao Jinglin's kindness. Being with Xiao Jinglin was always joyful.
When Ren Yaoqi arrived at Wutong Garden, where the Ren Family was staying, she sensed something was off.She first went to see First Madam, but was stopped by First Madam’s maid Qiufen, who said First Madam was discussing matters with Granny Cao and asked Ren Yaoqi to wait in Third Miss’s room for a while.
Ren Yaoqi clearly heard crying coming from First Madam’s room, and Qiufen’s eyes were still red as she spoke, clearly having cried not long before.
Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but feel puzzled—she had never seen First Madam cry before. First Madam had always been dignified and steady. Though not particularly forceful, she still carried the authority of the household’s mistress. Could she still be grieving over Ren Yaoyin’s matter?
Lost in thought, Ren Yaoqi went to find Ren Yaohua. As she passed by the rooms of Ren Yaoyu and Ren Yaoying, she noticed maids peeking out from the windows, who immediately ducked back inside upon seeing her.
When Ren Yaoqi arrived at Ren Yaohua’s room, she saw Xiangqin and Wujing standing by the door, whispering. Upon seeing Ren Yaoqi, they immediately stepped forward to greet her.
Xiangqin’s face bloomed like a flower: “Fifth Miss, you’re truly amazing! This is the first time a young lady from the Ren Family has become the top candidate, and you’re also the second-ranked scholar. We maids will be able to walk with pride outside from now on.”
Wujing secretly rolled her eyes at her from the side.
Ren Yaoqi smiled and asked, “Did something happen today?”
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Xiangqin’s smile faded, and she spoke with rare seriousness: “Fifth Miss, something strange really did happen. But I’m afraid telling you might scare you!”
Just then, Ren Yaohua’s voice rang out from inside the room: “What gossip are you spreading out there again? Get in here now!”
Xiangqin stuck out her tongue and quickly stepped aside to let Ren Yaoqi enter.
Ren Yaoqi glanced at Ren Yaohua and asked curiously, “Did something really happen?”
Ren Yaohua looked at Xiangqin, who lowered her head and retreated with small, quick steps.
Ren Yaohua said, “Yes, it’s Fourth Sister—something happened to her.”
Ren Yaoqi was taken aback: “Fourth Sister? Wasn’t she sent back to the villa in Yunyang City?” Old Madam Ren might have scolded Ren Yaoyin, but with Old Master Ren not in Yunyang City, Old Madam Ren wouldn’t punish Ren Yaoyin too harshly, as she still had to consider the dignity of Master Ren the Elder and First Madam Ren.
Ren Yaohua looked at Ren Yaoqi and, seeing that she truly seemed unaware, frowned and said, “After Fourth Sister was sent back to the villa yesterday, Grandmother had her locked in the woodshed. Early this morning, the old woman sweeping the courtyard heard Fourth Sister’s screams from the woodshed and was so frightened she immediately reported it to Granny Gui, who serves by Old Madam’s side. Afraid something might go wrong, Granny Gui took people with the key to the woodshed. Guess what she saw?”
Ren Yaoqi had a bad feeling: “What did she see?”
Ren Yaohua’s expression turned strange: “Granny Gui saw a nun lying unconscious in the woodshed. Just as she was feeling puzzled, a bold granny stepped forward to look and discovered that the nun was actually Fourth Sister.”
Ren Yaoqi was utterly confused: “A nun? Fourth Sister?”
Xiangqin finally couldn’t help but add in a small, quick voice from the side: “Fourth Miss had her head shaved in the middle of the night yesterday! When she woke up this morning and discovered it, she screamed in fright and fainted! When Granny Gui entered the woodshed, she thought she saw a nun from the convent, but it turned out that nun was Fourth Miss!”Ren Yaohua glared at her angrily: "Do you need to go back and have Nanny Zhou teach you all over again how to speak and pause properly!"
Clearly, this was a bizarre and unsettling matter that had thrown the entire Ren Family into a state of panic. Yet, coming from this unreliable maid’s mouth, why did it somehow take on a strangely amusing tone?
Xiangqin was also aggrieved: Wasn’t I afraid you wouldn’t let me finish? How awful it would be to keep it bottled up inside!
Thank you, dear readers, for your pink ticket support～ The author is overjoyed and will be posting three chapters today～｀（∩_∩）′
The next chapter will likely be up around one o’clock.
Also: Still seeking more pink votes～.
OpenNovel