In truth, the Qiu Family was not at peace either at this time.
Although Qiu Yun's father, Qiu Hongfeng, was the legitimate eldest son of the Qiu Family patriarch, among the grandchildren, there were still two ahead of Qiu Yun in seniority. One was the eldest young master, Qiu Xiang, born to Qiu Xinmin's second son by a concubine, and the other was the second young master, Qiu Lin, born to another legitimate son of Qiu Xinmin.
The eldest young master of the Qiu Family, Qiu Xiang, was already married. Although his father was a son by a concubine, his mother's family was a prominent clan of the first rank in Mozhou. Despite his mother also being born a concubine's daughter, she was deeply favored in her natal family and ultimately managed to secure a marriage for her son with a legitimate daughter of her own brother. Although this young lady had suffered a leg injury in childhood, leaving her with a slight limp, her status was undeniable.
The second young master, Qiu Lin, was also Old Madam Ren's legitimate grandson. Earlier, Old Madam Ren had already arranged a match for him with a young lady from a distinguished family whose status was no less than that of the eldest young master, Qiu Xiang, with the wedding set to take place in two years.
When it came to the third young master of the Qiu Family, Qiu Yun, First Madam naturally could not bear to let him marry a woman whose status was inferior to that of the Eldest Young Madam and the future second young madam. Meanwhile, Old Madam Ren hoped that Qiu Yun's principal wife would at least be of higher status than the wife of the eldest young master, who was born to a concubine's son.
Thus, Old Madam Ren favored the eldest granddaughter of her close childhood friend, the eldest young lady of the Guo Family of Weizhou. On the other hand, First Madam of the Qiu Family was determined for Qiu Yun to marry her own niece from her natal family. First Madam Wei of the Qiu Family also hailed from a prominent family in Jizhou. Her niece was the daughter of her legitimate elder brother, and since childhood, they had been as close as mother and daughter. The niece often visited the Qiu Family as a guest.
On the issue of not marrying a daughter of the Ren Family, this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pair of the Qiu Family were united in their opposition and successfully used their feminine wisdom to overrule Old Master Qiu's opinion. However, when it came to the final candidate, the harmony between Old Madam Ren and First Madam of the Qiu Family began to fray.
It wasn't that Old Madam Ren looked down on First Madam's niece. The girl came from a good family, was lovely in appearance, and had a gentle and pleasing personality. However, Old Madam Ren felt that her relationship with First Madam was too close. Already as intimate as mother and daughter, wouldn't she simply obey her mother-in-law in everything once she entered the household? And Old Madam Ren, the grandmother, was still alive!
Therefore, Old Madam Ren believed it would be better for her to decide the wife for her most beloved grandson. Not only was the eldest young lady of the Guo Family the granddaughter of her childhood friend, but the Guo Family's status was also slightly higher than that of First Madam's natal family. This way, in the future, when standing before the limping eldest young madam of the Qiu Family, she would be able to hold her head even higher.
Thus, Old Madam Ren and First Madam of the Qiu Family began their covert and overt struggles, while the other branches of the family busied themselves watching the spectacle.
Old Master Qiu, perhaps due to his background and personal experiences, was indeed somewhat lacking in capability. Even when it came to matters of the inner courtyard, he often found himself wanting but unable to exert control. On the surface, Old Madam Ren deferred to him, but in reality, when it came to the Qiu Family's domestic affairs, Old Master Qiu had always been led by the nose by Old Madam Ren.
Take this matter of the marriage alliance between the Qiu Family and the Ren Family, for example. Originally, Old Master Qiu had already made a firm decision and issued stern words, but in the end, it came to nothing. Disheartened, Old Master Qiu simply washed his hands of the matter, spending his days solely in the courtyard of his concubine, leaving the outside world to do as it pleased!Qiu Yun returned to the Qiu Family at this time. Despite the third young master of the Qiu Family usually appearing carefree and frivolous, as soon as he returned, he skillfully lightened the mood with his grandmother and mother through playful banter. After listening to the tearful grievances and complaints of the two elders, without seeming to do much, he actually managed to ease the strained relationship between Old Madam Qiu and First Madam Qiu, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pair.
By the time Third Young Master Qiu left the Qiu Family, he had already persuaded his mother to make as many concessions as possible to his grandmother.
Third Young Master Qiu was very clever. He directly told his mother, "You only have me as your son, but Grandmother has more than just me as her grandson. Second Brother is also a legitimate son and grandson, and he ranks ahead of me. Mother, the Qiu Family does not necessarily need me. I know that you plan everything for my sake, and this time you insisted on bringing my cousin into the family because you saw that we grew up together and have compatible temperaments, and you were afraid that Miss Guo, with her strong personality, would be difficult to get along with. This time, I truly made you suffer. Once I marry, no matter who it is, if she dares to treat you poorly, I will immediately divorce her."
These words brought tears to First Madam Qiu's eyes. Although she knew Qiu Yun's talk of divorce was just to please her, wasn't it true that her son was willing to put in the effort to make her happy? Moreover, her son understood her good intentions. But what truly mattered was that Qiu Yun's statement, "the Qiu Family does not necessarily need me," made First Madam Qiu suddenly realize the truth. Although she still felt somewhat unwilling, she no longer dared to openly oppose Old Madam Qiu.
As for Old Madam Qiu, Qiu Yun simply showered her with sweet words and playful affection: "Grandson just told Mother that I don’t like my cousin, which upset her greatly. I still feel a bit guilty about it. Grandmother, I have to return to the academy tomorrow, but seeing you and Mother so worried about my affairs, I can’t even focus on my studies. However, I said it when I was young—my wife, above all else, must be someone you approve of. I trust your judgment, Grandmother. If you don’t like someone, even if she were a heavenly beauty, I wouldn’t marry her. As for my mother, please don’t hold a grudge against her for my sake. I will listen to you in everything."
Old Madam Qiu was overjoyed, and the frustration she had felt with her daughter-in-law immediately vanished. By evening, when the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law met again, harmony had been restored.
Those in the Qiu Family who had been waiting to see the drama unfold now had a deeper understanding of Third Young Master Qiu’s capabilities.
While the inner courtyard of the Qiu Family went from lively to peaceful, the Ren Family remained lively throughout.
After Old Madam Ren sent several letters to Old Master Qiu inquiring about the marriage arrangement without receiving any response, the Ren Family realized that the prospect of a marriage alliance between the Qiu and Ren families was likely not going to happen.
The Gu Family, the marital family of Ren Yaochi, finally sent someone to fetch Ren Yaoyin.As the eldest legitimate daughter of the Ren Family's main branch, Ren Yaochi's marriage prospects were sought with the utmost care. The Gu family, serving as the Jiangning Textile Commissioner in the south, was considered one of the most prominent and influential families, wielding both authority and wealth. Although Ren Yaochi did not marry the eldest legitimate son who would inherit the family estate, her husband was among the capable younger generation of the Gu family, entrusted with substantial responsibilities and well-regarded positions. In recent years, the Ren Family's coal depots in Jiangning had even relied on the support of this son-in-law and his family.
Ren Yaochi was eight years older than Ren Yaoyin. When Ren Yaochi married, Ren Yaoyin was still young, but as full sisters, Ren Yaochi took Ren Yaoyin's matters seriously. She specially sent the matrons and maids she had brought from her maiden home to fetch Ren Yaoyin and brought five fully loaded carts of gifts for the entire Ren Family, ensuring everyone received a share.
Ren Yaoqi received four bolts of Jiangning-produced satin, four bolts of brocaded silk, a box of the latest Jiangnan-style silk flowers adorned with pearls and various gemstones, and a complete set of gold hair ornaments inlaid with jewels.
Ren Yaoqi felt the gifts she received were rather extravagant. Although she had received gifts from this elder sister in previous years, this year's were by far the most valuable.
She inquired with Ren Yaohua and found that Ren Yaohua's gifts were similar to hers, with only slight differences in the styles of the gold hair ornaments.
However, she later learned that Ren Yaoyu, Ren Yaoying, and others received far less valuable gifts—merely two bolts of brocaded silk, two bolts of satin, and a box of stylish but inexpensive ordinary silk flowers, without the gold hair ornaments given to Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua.
Ren Yaoqi then understood that Ren Yaochi was offering an apology for Ren Yaoyin's actions while also making a statement: Ren Yaoyin was her full sister, and she would stand by her.
The Gu family's matrons and maids did not stay long at the Ren Family. They arrived in White Crane Town in the afternoon and left early the next morning at dawn. Naturally, Ren Yaoyin departed with them.
Ren Yaochi had made her stance clear, so Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua naturally had to respond in kind. They cordially went to see Ren Yaoyin off, though they did not actually meet her. In fact, after returning from Yunyang City, no one except Old Madam Ren and First Madam had seen Ren Yaoyin.
Ren Yaoqi's visit was merely a formality; she had no real intention of meeting Ren Yaoyin.
Now that Ren Yaoyin had left, she felt a sense of relief.
Living with threats from all sides was no easy feat, and now at least one of them was gone. She hoped the Ren Family's days would become more peaceful from then on.
Unfortunately, Ren Yaoqi's hopes were not fulfilled. The Ren Family did not truly settle down after Ren Yaoyin's departure.
One day, a matron who had gone out to buy sewing supplies returned claiming she had seen a maid who had once served in the Ren Family.
This maid had previously served in the Third Branch's Purple Magnolia Courtyard. Two years earlier, like Chuner, she had committed an offense that angered Ren Yaohua and was consequently sold off by Ren Yaohua's order.
This in itself was not unusual.When maidservants were sold off, they could be bought by other households. Although local families were unlikely to purchase maidservants or older women who had been expelled by their masters for misconduct, it was possible that uninformed outsiders might buy them at a low price elsewhere and bring them back.
However, according to the older woman who had gone out to buy sewing supplies, the maid’s attire and appearance did not seem respectable. Out of curiosity, she followed the maid for a stretch and eventually discovered that she had entered the well-known red-light district of White Crane Town.
Once this news spread, the maidservants and older women of the Ren Family were astounded, and their gazes toward Ren Yaohua grew even more reverent.
Previously, when someone from the Li Family had claimed that Chuner had been sold to a brothel, most of them had not believed it. But now, someone had witnessed a maid who had been expelled from the Ren Family for offending Third Miss become a courtesan. Even though this maid was not Chuner, it inevitably gave rise to unsettling associations.
Could it be that this maid had truly been sold to a brothel on Third Miss’s orders? If so, Chuner’s fate was surely dire as well.
Additional chapter update, seeking pink votes～〒_〒
Seeking pink votes…
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