The Ren residence had been bustling since the afternoon. Due to the suddenness of this wedding, the Ren family had made no preparations whatsoever beforehand. Old Madam Ren and First Madam Ren had no intention of holding a grand ceremony either—all rituals and formalities were kept as simple as possible. Not even guests were invited, only a few close relatives of the Ren family.
After all, no one knew whether this joyous occasion would ultimately turn into a funeral—an extremely inauspicious prospect.
While the Ren family was busy with the external arrangements, Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Perhaps because Concubine Fang and the Han family's actions had been so pervasive, Ren Yaoqi often suspected that events happening around her were orchestrated by others. Even Ren Yijun's sudden severe illness made her wonder if there was some conspiracy at play.
Now that the affairs of Concubine Fang's Fangfei Courtyard were also under the management of Purple Magnolia Courtyard, Ren Yaoqi instructed Nanny Zhou to keep an eye on Concubine Fang's movements. Still uneasy, Ren Yaoqi summoned the maid Nanny Zhou had arranged in Fangzhi Courtyard for questioning and learned that Concubine Fang had not left her room these past days. Even Nanny Yu and the senior maid Jinjú, who attended to her daily needs, had hardly stepped out of the courtyard.
Ren Yaoqi also asked Nanny Zhou to investigate the sorceress First Madam had invited into the residence and the background of the bride brought in for the "auspicious wedding" to cure Ren Yijun.
Nanny Zhou was quite capable, and by evening, she had news.
"Fifth Miss, I have thoroughly investigated that woman and found no issues. In fact, she has quite a good reputation in Yan Prefecture. Although she inevitably engages in some charlatanry to make a living, she has never done anything truly wicked. Over a decade ago, the stepmother of a wealthy family in a neighboring town secretly approached her, wanting her to perform rituals to harm the legitimate son left by the first wife. The woman refused and even quietly informed the son's wet nurse to be wary of the stepmother. Later, when the legitimate son grew up safely and learned of this, he sought her out and gave her a considerable sum of silver. Her good deed from back then became widely known. The reason First Madam invited her into the residence to exorcise evil spirits for Third Young Master was because she had inquired about this woman's character and found it to be decent—she wouldn't harm people recklessly for money."
Wang Shi, First Madam, had always been cautious, and Ren Yaoqi believed this.
"As for the girl sent in for the auspicious wedding, her surname is Qi, and her given name is Yuegui. She lives in Dongxiang Village, thirty li outside White Crane Town. Her great-grandfather was once a local gentry in that area, known for his philanthropy and good reputation. By her grandfather's generation, the Qi family divided their property. Her father was the second son and received over ten mu of fertile land, making him a minor landowner in Dongxiang Village. She has an elder brother and two younger brothers, all born to the same mother, so the family structure is relatively simple."
Ren Yaoqi frowned slightly. "Since the Qi family has no financial worries and she is their only daughter, they should value her highly. Why would they send her for an auspicious wedding?"Nanny Zhou sighed, "Fifth Miss, you may not know this, but the Qi family values sons over daughters. They hold their sons in extremely high regard, while daughters... Miss Qi has been doing farm work since childhood and never received much education. Recently, Miss Qi's youngest younger brother got into a fight with a cousin from her uncle's family. That cousin accidentally slipped into the river and drowned. The Qi clan head then demanded that Miss Qi's family compensate half of their farmland to this uncle's family, otherwise the uncle would report it to the authorities. Miss Qi's family only has a little over ten acres of land in total. Among her three brothers, only the eldest is married, while the other two younger brothers have yet to wed. If they lose this land, not only will the family struggle to make ends meet, but it will also become difficult for the two younger brothers to marry in the future."
Ren Yaoqi now understood and remarked sarcastically, "So the Qi family decided to sell their daughter?"
Nanny Zhou gave Ren Yaoqi a strange look. Fifth Miss's temper had improved quite a bit lately, so why did she seem angry upon hearing about the Qi family's situation?
Of course, Nanny Zhou didn't know that, as a woman who had also been betrayed by her family for their own interests, Ren Yaoqi always felt a lingering sense of injustice in her heart.
"I heard that originally, there was a middle-aged man in East Village Town who had lost his first wife and wanted to marry Miss Qi as a replacement. Although this man had considerable wealth and no sons, and promised a generous betrothal gift, the Qi family was somewhat tempted. However, later on, the Qi family somehow found out that this man had secretly... ahem, been involved with a widow in the village while his wife was seriously ill, ultimately causing his first wife to die of anger. When Miss Qi learned of this, she threatened to shave her head and become a nun, saying she would rather never marry. But how could the Qi family allow her not to marry? In desperation, Miss Qi declared that she would rather marry a dead man and remain a widow for life. Her words happened to be overheard by this spirit medium, so when it came time to arrange a wedding to ward off bad luck for Third Young Master, the spirit medium thought of Miss Qi. After calculating their birth characters, they turned out to be a perfect match. When the spirit medium asked the Qi family for their opinion, they were already struggling with Qi Yuegui's marriage prospects. Upon hearing that it was the Third Young Master of the Ren Family in White Crane Town, and that she would be married as the principal wife in a grand sedan chair with a betrothal gift substantial enough for them to buy dozens more acres of fertile land, how could the Qi family refuse? As for Miss Qi, since she had spoken those words earlier, she had nothing more to say."
From the sound of it, the Qi family didn't seem to have any ulterior motives; otherwise, the schemer would have been too cunning. As for what kind of person Qi Yuegui was, Ren Yaoqi couldn't judge yet. In any case, she had never heard of such a person in her previous life.
The night passed quickly. Ren Yijun's wedding took place at Shen hour (3–5 p.m.) the following day. Due to the unusual nature of this wedding, Ren Yaoqi, as an unmarried girl, had to stay in her own courtyard.
The sound of music and celebration from outside somehow only evoked a sense of desolation and sorrow. No one in the Ren Family showed any signs of joy, not even First Madam, who was marrying off her son that day—she looked exhausted and without a trace of a smile. Old Master Ren and Old Madam Ren didn't even make an appearance.
This cold and silent wedding finally came to an end late into the night.Ren Yaoqi had been keeping a close watch on Ren Yijun's condition. First Madam had summoned every available physician, all of whom agreed that Third Young Master's long-suppressed melancholy, compounded by a severe chill, had triggered underlying health issues. His refusal to eat or drink, and even vomiting up any medicine forced upon him, led one hesitant physician to suggest that Third Young Master had lost the will to live. Enraged, First Madam immediately drove the physician out.
Ren Yaoqi refused to believe Ren Yijun no longer wanted to live. How could someone so proud and unrestrained—the very person who had urged her to resist during her darkest moments, the one who dared to smash the ancestral shrine—succumb to such despair?
Yet she couldn't help but wonder: aside from that rebellious third brother who once led her to destroy the ancestral shrine, how well did she truly know Ren Yijun?
He harbored grand ambitions, yet his frail body rendered them unattainable. He despised the pity and disdain in others' eyes, so except for his third uncle, Ren Shimin, who treated him as a normal person, he was harsh and difficult toward everyone else.
Recalling the mix of excitement and hidden loneliness in Ren Yijun's eyes on the day they escorted Third Master Ren back, Ren Yaoqi felt a sense of uncertainty.
Nevertheless, she resolved to try. She decided to send someone to Yunyang City the next day to request the Princess Consort of Yanbei to dispatch a skilled physician for Ren Yijun. The Yanbei Prince's Mansion employed several highly accomplished doctors, renowned not only in Yanbei but throughout the entire Great Zhou dynasty.
However, early the next morning, before Ren Yaoqi could send anyone to the Yanbei Prince's Mansion, news arrived that Third Young Master had managed to take his medicine that morning.
This news delighted Ren Yaoqi beyond measure.
Not only Ren Yaoqi, but First Madam, who had feared her son was already halfway to the grave, wept with joy. She hurried to Ren Yijun's courtyard at dawn, personally overseeing him drink a bowl of medicine and finish a bowl of plain congee, then repeatedly bowed westward in gratitude.
Ren Yaoqi also went to visit Ren Yijun.
Upon entering his courtyard, she immediately noticed a figure kneeling beneath the eaves of the main hall. Drawing closer, she saw it was an unfamiliar girl of about fifteen or sixteen.
The girl's complexion was slightly tanned, with a few freckles dotting her face, yet her features were delicate and pretty, with a particularly charming small, upturned nose. She wore bright red clothing, but from her chest down to her skirt was stained with something dark and wet, and she carried the distinct scent of medicine.
Noticing Ren Yaoqi's gaze, the girl turned to look at Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua. Her eyes, though not large, were clear and spirited. She grinned at them before lowering her head again, resuming her kneeling posture.
"What is this…?" Ren Yaohua frowned in confusion.
A quick-witted maid by the door whispered, "Third Miss, Fifth Miss, this is the newly wed Third Young Madam."
"Third sister-in-law?" Ren Yaohua widened her eyes, staring at the kneeling girl.
"Ah…" The girl blinked, responding somewhat sheepishly.
Two maids nearby couldn't help but giggle.
Ren Yaohua: "…"
Ren Yaoqi asked, "Why is Third Sister-in-law kneeling here?"
Qi Yuegui smiled shyly. "I made a mistake and am being punished by kneeling." After saying this, she refused to elaborate further.Ren Yijun's maid was quite familiar with Ren Yaoqi. Knowing she had a good relationship with the third young master, she whispered, "It was First Madam who made the third young madam kneel."
Ren Yaoqi was somewhat curious about how this newly married third sister-in-law had managed to offend her mother-in-law on the very first day, especially since Ren Yijun's condition had improved right after she married into the family.
First Madam was not someone who would lose her temper without reason. Even toward the eldest young madam, who had never borne children, the madam rarely embarrassed her in front of outsiders and had always treated her with kindness.
However, Ren Yaoqi thought it inappropriate to ask more questions here, so she nodded to Qi Yuegui and walked into the inner room with Ren Yaohua.
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