When Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua heard about this matter, the news had already spread among the servants of the Ren Family.
Ren Yaoqi summoned Nanny Zhou: “Who is the maid they’re talking about?”
Nanny Zhou was also overwhelmed by this matter. Having assisted Madam Li in managing the inner courtyard of the third branch for over a decade, she was well-versed in personnel matters and immediately replied, “It should be a third-class maid from the courtyard when Third Miss and Madam hadn’t yet moved to the estate, named Meihong.”
At Nanny Zhou’s mention, Ren Yaohua also recalled, frowning, “Meihong? Her?”
Ren Yaoqi had no recollection of this name at all. What was two years ago in their eyes was over a decade ago for her, and it involved a third-class maid who had never served closely. Purple Magnolia Courtyard had four masters, and there were at least twenty or thirty second- and third-class maids combined, with several batches being released every few years.
“Third Sister remembers her?”
Ren Yaohua thought for a moment: “Originally, as a third-class maid who didn’t serve closely, she wouldn’t have caught my attention. But she always liked to hover around me for no reason. At first, I thought she was diligent and eager to please me as her master. However, once, several other maids in the courtyard saw her currying favor with Concubine Fang. Disgusted by this, I found an excuse to have the steward sell her off.”
Maids were divided into ranks and assigned specific duties. In principle, a third-class maid couldn’t approach the masters without special circumstances. Meihong’s overly eager behavior had already drawn Ren Yaohua’s attention, and after she was seen interacting with Concubine Fang, Ren Yaohua assumed she was Concubine Fang’s person.
Everyone knew that Third Miss Ren Yaohua despised Concubine Fang the most, and anyone associated with Concubine Fang faced dire consequences in her eyes.
Ren Yaoqi, however, shook her head: “I think you acted rashly in this matter. Someone like Concubine Fang is extremely cautious in her actions. If Meihong were truly her person, how could she let others see them together? And not just one or two, but several people. I believe this maid was indeed clever and ambitious, but currying favor with Concubine Fang might not have been her intention.”
Nanny Zhou sighed: “This old servant also advised Third Miss back then. Meihong, a third-class maid, constantly schemed to catch the masters’ attention and even succeeded in making Third Miss notice her. This could have aroused jealousy among other third-class maids in the courtyard, making it possible for her to be framed. After all, everyone knew Third Miss hated those who betrayed their own.”
Ren Yaohua now recalled this and felt she had acted somewhat rashly at the time. She had just suffered a setback at the hands of Concubine Fang and was quarreling with Ren Yaoqi every other day, so Meihong happened to walk right into her line of fire.
“At the time, I thought it was better to punish wrongly than to let anyone slip away, treating it as a warning to others. But is that woman really Meihong? Nanny, do you know where Meihong was sold back then?”
Nanny Zhou thought carefully: “Maids dismissed from the mansion were handed over to matchmakers and were generally not sold in neighboring prefectures or counties. As for exactly where she was sold, we’d have to ask the matchmaker who handled her sale. However, since Meihong hadn’t committed any major offense, Madam, fearing you might have wronged an innocent person, instructed me to tell the matchmaker to try to sell her to a good family as a maid.”Therefore, where a maid is sold after being expelled depends on her former master's household. If the former master shows mercy and gives instructions, the maid's fate will be much better. For instance, Chuner, who previously spilled wine on Ren Yaoqi's skirt, did not have such good fortune. After Nanny Zhou learned the full story, she was also angered by her and instructed the matchmaker to sell her to a harsh, bitter place to suffer.
When Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua heard Madam Li's discreet instructions, they were not surprised. Madam Li was not a cruel person; on the contrary, she was kind-hearted.
Ren Yaohua sneered, "So, regardless of whether that woman is Plum Blossom or not, this was specifically targeted at me?"
Ren Yaoqi also believed this might be Concubine Fang's backup plan.
"However..." Ren Yaohua raised an eyebrow, "If this scheme was aimed at me, why didn't she use Chuner, who was just expelled from the Ren Family, instead of Plum Blossom, who left the Ren Family so long ago? Wouldn't using Chuner be much simpler? Many in the Ren Family recognize Chuner, while Plum Blossom has been gone for over two years. Moreover, she was still young when she left, so her appearance must have changed."
Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment and said, "First, the Li Family just caused a stir recently. Using Chuner would be too obvious and could easily implicate Concubine Fang. Besides, even if you wanted to sell Chuner to such a place, how could you sell her to White Crane Town right under your own nose? Plum Blossom has been gone for over two years, so it's possible she was resold and brought back. Second, Chuner was previously the personal maid of Ninth Sister. If she were sold to such a place, would Ninth Sister's reputation remain untarnished?"
What if Chuner exposed some of Ren Yaoying's private matters in such a setting? Would Ren Yaoying ever be able to marry in her lifetime?
Nanny Zhou said, "What should we do now? We can't just let these rumors continue to spread, can we?"
Ren Yaohua sneered, "Since she went to such lengths to set up this scheme, how could she possibly let me escape easily? Just wait and see—this matter has likely already spread. What is there to fear? At worst, I'll grow old and die within the inner courtyard, but that mother and daughter should beware! After all, I already have such a 'vicious' reputation. Why should I hold back in dealing with them?"
Upon hearing this, Nanny Zhou couldn't help but feel a jolt of alarm: "Third Miss, that absolutely must not happen!" She then looked at Ren Yaoqi, "Fifth Miss..."
Ren Yaoqi offered Nanny Zhou a reassuring smile but turned to Ren Yaohua with a cooler expression: "Third Sister, what is your status, and what is hers? Mutual destruction? Is she even worthy? What did you say to me when we faced Ninth Sister before? And this is all you're capable of?"
Ren Yaohua glared at Ren Yaoqi upon hearing this, but Ren Yaoqi remained unmoved: "You're admitting defeat at the very start, and you won't even let others say it?"
"I am not admitting defeat!" Ren Yaohua retorted angrily.
Ren Yaoqi shook her head and said leisurely, "In my eyes, a draw means you've lost! You are the legitimate daughter, and she is a concubine. Do you think a general and a nameless soldier dying together is a victory?"
Ren Yaohua was taken aback by this, and her anger faded as she found herself both amused and exasperated: "What kind of messy analogy is that?"Ren Yaoqi looked at Ren Yaohua seriously and said, "Third Sister, you must live well, and live better than her. Only then can you be considered the winner! Once a person dies, there is nothing left, so what is there to talk about winning or losing?"
This was not the first time Ren Yaoqi had heard Ren Yaohua say something like "perish together" if forced into a corner. This was not what she hoped to see.
Ren Yaohua looked at Ren Yaoqi, her lips trembling as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. Then she turned her head away, snorted coldly, and said in an unfriendly tone, "As if I need you to tell me that!"
Nanny Zhou watched the two sisters from the side and, for some reason, felt her eyes grow slightly sore. She couldn’t help but turn away, lift her sleeve to wipe the corner of her eye, though her heart was filled with deep joy.
Just then, Wujing came in to report that a young maid from Old Madam Ren’s courtyard had come on Old Madam Ren’s orders to invite Third Miss to Glory and Splendor Courtyard.
Ren Yaohua nodded to Wujing and then said to Ren Yaoqi, "It’s probably because Grandmother found out about Meihong’s matter. Going over now will definitely mean a scolding."
Ren Yaoqi was not surprised that this matter had reached Old Madam Ren’s ears. If the maids and nannies of the Ren Family already knew, and Old Madam Ren was still unaware, she would have failed as the head of the Ren Family’s inner household.
Since Old Madam Ren already knew, the Ren Family would surely take measures to stop the rumors. However, if Ren Yaoqi could think of this, the person behind the scheme could not have failed to consider it.
Or perhaps the Ren Family’s reaction and countermeasures were also within her expectations and calculations?
Thinking this, Ren Yaoqi said to Ren Yaohua, "At this time, calling you over, I suspect it’s about this matter. I’ll go with you."
Ren Yaohua frowned, "I’m going to be scolded. What are you going for?"
Ren Yaoqi shook her head, "You go and take your scolding. I’m going to see how the Ren Family plans to respond. The enemy plans three steps ahead for every move they make. If you want to win, you have to plan even further ahead, otherwise you’ll always be on the defensive."
When Ren Yaohua heard Ren Yaoqi’s first sentence, the corner of her mouth twitched, but after hearing the latter part, she couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.
When the two sisters arrived at Old Madam Ren’s courtyard in Glory and Splendor Courtyard, they indeed saw Old Madam Ren in a rage.
Seeing Ren Yaohua enter, Old Madam Ren showed no pleasant expression this time. Pointing at her, she scolded, "Look at the fine mess you’ve caused again!"
Glancing over and seeing Ren Yaoqi follow in, she couldn’t help but frown, though she didn’t chase her away. Instead, she continued berating Ren Yaohua, "I’ve told you long ago, you need to change that temper of yours! She was just a maid. If she offended you and you wanted her to suffer, that’s fine—just hand her over to the punishment nannies. But you had to make such a spectacle of it! What good has it done you now? You’ve nearly shamed the entire Ren Family!"
After Old Madam Ren finished scolding, Ren Yaohua replied somewhat indignantly, "Grandmother, back then, I just didn’t like that maid, so I had the matchmaker sell her to another family. I really didn’t order her to be sold to a bad place! If you don’t believe me, call the matchmaker who took her away and ask her?"
Old Madam Ren couldn’t help but be half-convinced and half-doubtful. However, upon second thought, Yaohua was not one to lie easily. She had also inquired about it—back then, Yaohua had only instructed to have the maid sold, without even having her beaten. If the maid had truly committed some grave offense, given Yaohua’s temperament, she wouldn’t have let her off without some physical punishment."Could it be that I mistook the person?" Old Madam Ren's expression remained somewhat unpleasant.
"Grandmother, did you find that servant who claimed to have seen Meihong to question her?" Ren Yaohua asked.
Old Madam Ren replied irritably, "Of course I questioned her! And there was more than one person who saw her! Two servants encountered her while out buying needles and thread, and both insisted she looked exactly like that maid you drove out."
Thank you to dear a_lily524 for the Heshibi reward yesterday. Then today when I went to look for the post, I found that... that post seems to have been swallowed by Dianniang... 〒_〒... Dianniang occasionally gets a bit temperamental, it's really frustrating...
There's another chapter today, but it will definitely be after 12 o'clock, so don't wait for the update, everyone go to sleep early.
Finally: Sincerely asking for pink votes... my ranking has dropped, so sad... 〒_〒.
OpenNovel