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Ren Yaoqi was extremely surprised upon hearing this news. She asked Ren Shimin for the letter Ren Shimiao had written back and read it carefully.
Ren Yaohua also hadn’t expected that Madam Lin and Ren Yaoyu, who had been acting so smug and arrogant before leaving, would encounter such a situation just one month after departing Yanbei.
Although she deeply disliked Madam Lin and didn’t care for Ren Yaoyu either, they were still family after all. No matter how much Ren Yaohua detested them, she had never wished for anything bad to happen to them.
“Well? Did the letter mention what illness it was?” Ren Yaohua asked Ren Yaoqi.
Ren Yaoqi shook her head, while carefully reading Ren Shimiao’s detailed description of the symptoms Madam Lin and Ren Yaoyu had shown when they fell ill. Ren Shimiao had provided a very thorough account of the mother and daughter’s condition so that Ren Shimin could help him find a doctor who could understand the situation early on.
As she read, Ren Yaoqi said, “At the beginning of the illness, only small bumps the size of prickly heat appeared on their faces. The doctor who examined them said it was caused by not being acclimated to the local environment. After taking a few doses of medicine, they thought the bumps would disappear on their own after a while. Unexpectedly, the bumps worsened and eventually festered. Now, there isn’t a single spot of healthy skin left on their faces and necks.”
As she spoke, Ren Yaoqi furrowed her brows.
Hearing this, Ren Yaohua’s expression also turned serious. After thinking for a moment, she asked Ren Yaoqi, “Why did it all break out on their faces? Do you think it could be…”
Ren Yaohua wanted to ask if Concubine Fang had a hand in it.
Back then, it was Madam Lin who had slashed Concubine Fang’s face, leaving Concubine Fang too afraid to show herself in public ever since. Ren Yaohua had overheard servants whispering that once, a maid who had brought wash water to Concubine Fang forgot to leave promptly and ended up seeing Concubine Fang without her veil. She was so frightened by the scars on Concubine Fang’s face that she nearly fainted. This showed just how severe Madam Lin’s slashes had been.
The severity of Madam Lin’s attack was matched only by the depth of Concubine Fang’s hatred.
Ren Yaohua believed that, given Concubine Fang’s temperament, she would definitely seek revenge on Madam Lin.
Surprisingly, however, ever since Concubine Fang was injured, she had confined herself to her courtyard. For such a long time, not only had she not sought revenge, but she had hardly even stepped out of her room. It was as if she had forgotten how her face had been injured.
Meanwhile, Fifth Madam Lin had gradually shifted from trembling with fear after the incident, too afraid of Concubine Fang’s retaliation to leave her courtyard, to recently becoming active again in the social circles of the madams of White Crane Town.
Ren Yaohua had almost thought the matter was going to be quietly swept under the rug.
But this time, with Madam Lin and Ren Yaoyu’s illness breaking out on their faces, Ren Yaohua’s first thought was whether they had been targeted by Concubine Fang in revenge.
Yet, if it really was Concubine Fang, how on earth had she managed it?
Before Ren Yaohua could voice her thoughts, Ren Yaoqi already understood what she meant, because she had considered the same possibility. This was exactly the kind of thing Concubine Fang was capable of.
Seeing that Ren Yaoqi remained silent, Ren Yaohua added, still puzzled, “If it really was her, she’s been incredibly patient, hasn’t she? There’s been no movement from her for two years.”Ren Yaohua knew that if Madam Lin's face had been ruined while she was still in the Ren Family, others would inevitably suspect Concubine Fang due to her past enmity with Concubine Fang. However, Madam Lin’s misfortune occurred after leaving Yanbei. What reason would anyone have to suspect a concubine who rarely left the inner courtyard?
Ren Yaoqi had suffered at the hands of Concubine Fang before and knew she was an extremely patient person. As long as it served her purpose, she was willing to lie low not just for a few years, but even for decades if necessary.
With a quiet sigh, Ren Yaoqi reminded Ren Yaohua once again, "That’s why I always tell you not to confront her or Ren Yaoying directly. When it comes to cunning and ruthlessness, you will never be her match."
Ren Yaohua took the letter from Ren Yaoqi and read about the tragic state of Madam Lin and Ren Yaoyu. She couldn’t help but feel a lingering fear, her expression turning grim as she said, "Should I be grateful that she has shown me some mercy over the years?"
Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi recalled Ren Yaohua’s fate in her previous life. For someone like Ren Yaohua, ruining her face wouldn’t truly destroy her. Instead, Concubine Fang had ultimately destroyed what she cherished most—her pride, the only thing she had left.
To deal with an enemy, one must strike at their most vulnerable point. This was Concubine Fang’s motto.
Thus, when targeting Madam Lin, Concubine Fang first went after Ren Shimiao, because Madam Lin’s greatest pride in life was having married a husband who was wholly devoted to her and never wavered in his loyalty. This was how Concubine Kang came into the picture.
And now, she had chosen to make Madam Lin and her only daughter suffer the same pain she had endured before dying far from home.
Ren Yaoqi sighed softly and said nothing.
Ren Yaohua continued, "Although these are just our speculations, I can’t help but feel it must be related to her. How do you think she did it? Poison? And how was it administered?"
Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment. "If it really is related to her, it must have been poison."
She carefully considered the description of Madam Lin and her daughter’s condition in the letter and said thoughtfully, "As for how the poison was administered, I suspect it was either in their food or something they used daily."
"If it was in the food, why were Fifth Uncle and Fifth Brother unaffected? When traveling, they would have shared meals together, wouldn’t they?" Ren Yaohua analyzed seriously.
Ren Yaoqi nodded in agreement. "You’re right. I don’t think it was on their clothes either, because only their faces were affected, not their bodies." She paused, then asked Ren Yaohua, "If you had small bumps on your face and had to go out, what would you do?"
Ren Yaohua thought for a moment. "Apply a thick layer of powder to cover the rash?"
Ren Yaoqi nodded, recalling how Madam Lin and Ren Yaoyu’s condition had worsened later on.
Initially, it was just small bumps the size of heat rash. Madam Lin and Ren Yaoyu were both extremely concerned with their appearance and loved beauty. Since they were traveling, they would have applied extra powder to conceal it. However, the symptoms on their faces only grew worse.
Ren Yaohua immediately understood. "You mean, if she used poison, it was most likely in the cosmetics they used?"Ren Yaoqi nodded, stood up, and said to Ren Yaohua, "I'm going to find Father now and ask him to remind Fifth Uncle in his letter. If it really is poisoning, finding the source of the poison now might still save Fifth Aunt and Eighth Sister."
Ren Yaoqi shared the same thoughts as Ren Yaohua. She didn’t like Madam Lin either, and she was even willing to give her a small lesson if the opportunity arose. However, that didn’t mean Ren Yaoqi could stand by and watch them die.
When lives were at stake, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t pretend to be ignorant after guessing the cause of their "illness." Otherwise, how would she be any different from someone like Concubine Fang?
Hearing that there might be a chance to save them, Ren Yaohua immediately nodded. "Yes, go quickly."
Ren Yaoqi went to the study to find Ren Shimin.
She didn’t outright claim that Madam Lin and Ren Yaoyu were definitely poisoned. Instead, she told Ren Shimin that she had once read in a book about someone whose poisoning symptoms resembled prickly heat, similar to what happens when one is unaccustomed to a new environment. Since the doctors treating Madam Lin and Ren Yaoyu couldn’t pinpoint the cause of their illness, perhaps it was worth considering another possibility—whether they might have accidentally ingested or come into contact with something toxic during their journey without realizing it.
After hearing this, Ren Shimin felt Ren Yaoqi’s reasoning made sense and immediately wrote another letter to Ren Shimiao, urging him to have the doctors investigate the possibility of poisoning.
As Ren Shimin wrote the letter, Ren Yaoqi reminded him, "Father, ask Fifth Uncle to check the food they ate during those days and the daily items used by Fifth Aunt and Eighth Sister. Those things should be kept and not discarded. If it really is poisoning, identifying the source might still save Fifth Aunt and Eighth Sister."
Ren Shimin added Ren Yaoqi’s reminder to the letter and had it promptly delivered to Ren Shimiao.
By the time Ren Shimiao received Ren Shimin’s letter, he had already arrived in Zhending. He immediately began personally investigating the food they had consumed during the journey and the daily items used by Madam Lin and Ren Yaoyu.
At this point, the condition of Madam Lin and Ren Yaoyu was already quite dire. Whether they could survive and return to Yunyang City was uncertain.
Especially Ren Yaoyu, who, due to her young age and early onset of symptoms, was struggling to hold on. She hadn’t eaten for several days. Ren Shimiao was so anxious that he personally tried to feed his daughter porridge with a spoon, but Ren Yaoyu could no longer even swallow. The doctor judged that she was already in critical condition. Ren Shimiao, a grown man, would sit by the bed, holding a bowl of porridge, and weep uncontrollably as he looked at his wife and daughter.
Fortunately, Madam Lin’s condition was slightly better, and she remained somewhat conscious. Seeing Ren Shimiao crying over her, she forced herself to swallow food and medicine, though her tears never stopped, a sight that was heartbreaking to witness.
Because of this, Ren Shimiao regarded Ren Shimin’s letter as the last ray of hope to save his wife and daughter. His investigation was meticulous, leaving no stone unturned—not even the combs they had used.
In the end, Ren Shimiao indeed found the problem in the face powder used by the mother and daughter.
Both Madam Lin and Ren Yaoyu had been using cosmetics brought from the Ren Family.Madam Lin loved beauty, and Ren Yaoyu took after her mother, caring deeply about clothing and appearance from a young age. The rouge and face powder used by the mother and daughter were of the finest quality—peach blossom powder sold at the most famous rouge shop in Yunyang City, Hua Xiangrong. It cost five taels of silver per box.
Many noble ladies and young misses in Yanbei used this peach blossom powder, and even some madams in the capital had their families purchase it upon hearing of its reputation. Thus, this powder was quite presentable even if taken to the capital. Before leaving, Madam Lin had someone buy six boxes from Hua Xiangrong, intending to gift one each to the Fourth Madam and Sixth Miss Ren Yaofeng in the capital.
No one expected that the issue would lie with these boxes of peach blossom powder.
The chapter title in the previous chapter was incorrect; it should have been Chapter 312... 〒_〒
The author will ask the editor to fix it tomorrow when they start work... Please ignore it, dear readers...
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