Pink 990+
The next day, Ren Shimiao set off back to Yan Prefecture with Madam Lin and the unconscious Ren Yaoyu.
Madam Li had already tidied up the Ren Family Villa in Yunyang City according to Ren Shimin's instructions, ready for Fifth Master's family to move in upon their return.
Ren Shimin and Madam Li weren't unwilling to let the Fifth Branch stay in their new residence, but the Ren Family Villa was spacious, making it more convenient to accommodate the masters of the Fifth Branch along with their maids and servants. Besides, the villa was vacant and unoccupied anyway.
Previously, concerned about letting Ren Yijian stay alone at the villa, Madam Li had brought him over to Treasure Vase Alley when Ren Shimiao sent him back, arranging for Ren Yijian and Ren Yihong to stay together in the side courtyard.
When Ren Shimiao returned, Ren Shimin and Madam Li escorted Ren Yijian over and took their children along to visit Madam Lin and Ren Yaoyu.
Fortunately, the bumpy journey hadn't worsened Ren Yaoyu's condition. The toxins in her body had been mostly cleared, but her body was too depleted to regain consciousness. The physician had warned that this situation was somewhat dangerous: if Ren Yaoyu didn't wake up within a year, even if she could eat, drink, and relieve herself with assistance, she would eventually die from physical exhaustion.
When Madam Li brought Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua in to see Ren Yaoyu, they almost didn't recognize her.
Ren Yaoyu had originally been somewhat chubby, with a fuller figure compared to the other Ren sisters—something she and Madam Lin had always been dissatisfied with. But now, Ren Yaoyu seemed to have shrunk all over. Not only had she lost weight, but her complexion was sallow and waxen, and her hair had turned dry, brittle, and dull.
Although Madam Lin had mostly recovered by now, her face was dotted with scattered scabs, making her look quite unsettling at first glance. Coupled with her gaunt, sunken cheeks, there was no trace left of the charming, coquettish allure she once had as Fifth Madam.
At this moment, Madam Lin appeared to be an ordinary, somewhat unattractive middle-aged woman.
What surprised Madam Li and the sisters Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua was that Madam Lin greeted them with unexpected warmth and spoke in a gentle, calm tone. This left Madam Li and the sisters both flattered and somewhat incredulous.
If they hadn't lived under the same roof for over a decade, they might have suspected this Madam Lin was an imposter.
Ren Yaoqi observed Madam Lin carefully for a while and realized she had genuinely changed. Although her friendly demeanor toward them still seemed a bit unnatural, it was clear she sincerely wanted to mend their relationship.
Madam Li was magnanimous. When Madam Lin treated her kindly, she responded with even greater kindness, completely forgetting the times Madam Lin had bullied her by leveraging Old Madam Ren's favor.
Although Ren Yaoqi was somewhat surprised by Madam Lin's transformation, she didn't harbor deep hatred toward her. If they could truly let bygones be bygones, she could accept it.
After all, it was better to have one more friend than one more enemy.
Ren Yaohua, however, remained somewhat reserved toward Madam Lin. Who knew if Madam Lin might revert to her old ways and start glaring at them again? Ren Yaohua hadn't forgotten the troubles Madam Lin had caused her in the past.In contrast, Madam Lin did not ignore Ren Yaohua despite her lukewarm attitude; instead, she consistently responded with gentle words, earning admiration from others.
Meanwhile, Third Master Ren and Fifth Master Ren, the two brothers, had moved aside to talk privately.
Ren Shimiao first bowed deeply to Ren Shimin: "Third Brother, a great kindness is beyond words of thanks!"
Ren Shimin held his elbow and helped him straighten up: "We are brothers; saying such things creates distance. I’m just glad I could help."
Ren Shimiao said gratefully, "This time, it truly was thanks to your timely letter. Otherwise, Huijun and Yu'er might have..." Every time he recalled his wife and daughter’s near-death state, Ren Shimiao found himself at a loss for words.
Ren Shimin sighed and asked, "Have you investigated the poisoning? Do you know who was behind it?" At the mention of this, Ren Shimiao’s expression immediately turned cold: "These past days, I’ve been too preoccupied with worrying about Huijun and Yu'er’s condition to investigate thoroughly. However, the tampered items were the boxes of pearl peach blossom powder bought from Hua Xiangrong. I’ve already ordered strict surveillance over everyone who had access to those items. If I find out who did this, I... I will definitely..."
Overwhelmed by hatred, Ren Shimiao struggled to find the right words.
Ren Shimin nodded understandingly and patted Ren Shimiao’s shoulder: "If the culprit is found, they must not be let off lightly. If there’s anything I can do to help, just say the word."
Ren Shimiao sighed at this: "Adversity reveals true friendship. Third Brother, thank you so much."
Ren Shimiao recalled the reactions of Old Master Ren and Old Madam Ren when he had sought help from the family earlier, and his heart sank.
The Ren Family had indeed sent medicinal supplies and found doctors for them. Old Madam Ren had even sent people to bring him and Ren Yijian back to Yunyang City for safety. However, their refusal to allow Madam Lin and Ren Yaoyu to return home out of fear that they had contracted a contagious disease, effectively abandoning them to die in a foreign land, had deeply wounded Ren Shimiao.
Intellectually, he could understand his parents’ desire for self-preservation, but emotionally, he could not accept it.
Ren Shimin had some understanding of what Ren Shimiao was thinking, but as a son himself, he could not comment on the matter. Instead, he steered the conversation back to the poisoning: "Do you have any suspects in mind?"
Ren Shimiao was pulled back from his thoughts, but Ren Shimin’s question made him hesitate.
Ren Shimin frowned: "Or do you already have a suspect in mind?"
Ren Shimiao sighed and looked earnestly at Ren Shimin: "Third Brother, if there are any offenses in the future, I hope you can forgive me just this once."
Ren Shimin was puzzled. What offense could Ren Shimiao possibly commit against him?
Ren Shimiao knew that his third brother was straightforward by nature, and beating around the bush would only lead to trouble. So he spoke candidly: "I do suspect someone, but I have no evidence."
"Oh? Who?"
Ren Shimiao paused before saying, "Madam Fang!"
Ren Shimin was taken aback, then frowned thoughtfully: "Madam Fang? Hasn’t she been staying in the Ren Family all along? How could she have carried out the poisoning?"Ren Shimin was not angry that Ren Shimiao suspected his concubine; he simply felt, based on the facts, that even if Concubine Fang had the motive, she lacked the capability to poison Madam Lin’s cosmetics.
Even Third Master Ren, who knew nothing about the inner workings of the household, understood that a woman in the inner quarters had very limited means to act.
Ren Shimiao said, “Huijun bought six boxes of pearl peach blossom powder from the Hua Xiangrong rouge shop in Yunyang City. Later, I had someone examine those six boxes and found that, apart from the two Huijun and Yu'er were using, the other four were also poisoned. This indicates that the poisoner had already poisoned the powder before Huijun and Yu'er started using those two boxes. Since the poisoner didn’t know which boxes they would use, they tampered with every one of them.”
Upon hearing this, Ren Shimin pondered and said, “So you mean the poison was administered before you left White Crane Town?”
Ren Shimiao nodded. “Huijun said she bought those boxes of powder two days before leaving White Crane Town. She and Yu'er started using them the day after she bought them. The physician said that although the poison acts fiercely, it is a slow-acting toxin that requires several consecutive days of use to take effect. The culprit wanted to use this to mislead us into thinking Huijun and Yu'er fell ill after leaving White Crane Town.”
Ren Shimin asked, “What about those boxes of powder? Leaving them behind would serve as evidence. Even though you initially thought they had fallen ill, what if someone realized it was poisoning?”
Just like Ren Yaoqi, who had guessed it might be poisoning based on the details in Ren Shimiao’s letter, Ren Shimin thought his daughter was truly remarkable. However, since Ren Yaoqi had asked him not to mention her to Ren Shimiao, lest the elder feel indebted to her, Ren Shimin refrained from crediting Ren Yaoqi.
Ren Shimiao nodded. “Third Brother makes a valid point, and I thought the same. So I suspect the culprit actually intended to replace those boxes of powder later. However, since Huijun and Yu'er fell ill, I’ve been staying by their side to care for them, and their room has been constantly guarded. The culprit hadn’t had a chance to act by the time you sent me the letter, and afterward, there was no opportunity.”
“Oh? Did you later have the luggage of those around you searched? If it’s as you say, the poisoner should still have six boxes of untampered powder,” Ren Shimin remarked.
Ren Shimiao nodded again. “After receiving your letter, I had everyone who could have accessed the pearl peach blossom powder detained. Before returning to Yunyang City this time, I specifically ordered a thorough search of everyone’s luggage, inside and out. Sure enough, I found six boxes of untampered pearl peach blossom powder.”
When Madam Lin and Ren Yaoyu were both ill, Ren Shimiao, despite knowing they had been harmed, had no time to search for the poisoner. Later, after Madam Lin recovered and Ren Yaoyu could swallow food again, Ren Shimiao finally had the peace of mind to pursue the culprit.
Once again, thank you all for the birthday wishes～o(∩_∩)o.
Last month’s extra updates are almost finished…〒_〒
Because the author, who is buried in debt, feels quite embarrassed, they didn’t write “990+” in the title…Otherwise, people will laugh at the author... covering face...
You all understand in your hearts...
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