Those nannies had been on tenterhooks, but when Nanny Zhou went over and relayed Ren Yaoqi’s message, they were all overjoyed and deeply grateful to Madam Li, praising her generosity and kind heart.
Everyone knew that among servants in a large household, aside from the head nannies, the maids who served the mistresses closely held the highest status.
Both young ladies of Purple Magnolia Courtyard were legitimate daughters. If the little maids selected at this time proved outstanding, they would be kept as dowry maids. Even if they ultimately did not accompany the bride, when it came time for them to marry, they would be more esteemed than ordinary maids, and the master’s family would also provide a generous dowry.
Moreover, being sent back in disgrace was already a blow, but if someone from their family entered the household again, it meant there was still hope for their future rehabilitation. Other servants would not look down on them or treat them poorly.
As for why Nanny Guan did not receive this favor, after a moment’s thought, they understood and began planning to carefully instruct their own daughters upon returning home.
For this reason, when they were sent away the next day, none of them harbored any resentment toward Madam Li. Instead, they begged Nanny Zhou to allow them to kowtow before Madam Li.
Ren Yaoqi did not intervene further in this matter. Selecting and training maids was not her concern; Nanny Zhou would handle it.
Concubine Fang fell ill again. Madam Li excused her from morning greetings, so she began keeping to her quarters.
Ren Shimin, on the other hand, became busy. He started writing spring couplets and crafting peachwood charms. Of course, Third Master Ren’s couplets and charms were extremely meticulous, from selecting the paper to carving the charms—all done by his own hands. The output was low, making them priceless treasures.
One morning, Ren Yaoqi returned from Ren Yijun’s place.
Ren Yijun enjoyed playing chess with Ren Yaoqi, but the weather outside was bitterly cold, and his health was poor.
Remembering events from her past life, Ren Yaoqi was more tolerant of Ren Yijun’s eccentric temper. Thus, every few days, she would take the initiative to visit him for a game, sparing him the need to brave the wind and snow to go to Purple Magnolia Courtyard.
Walking slowly along the winding corridor, Ren Yaoqi held a small Hetian jade hand warmer with blue floral patterns in her hands.
This palm-sized hand warmer had been forced upon her by Ren Yijun when she was leaving.
Seeing it as a valuable item, she had not wanted to accept it. Ren Yijun, with a dark expression, snatched the hand warmer and threatened to smash it on the ground, startling her into lunging forward to grab it back.
It was the first time she realized that someone could express goodwill in such a... peculiar way.
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but curl the corners of her lips slightly.
When she looked up, however, she saw the chief steward of the outer courtyard, Yang Cheng, leading two people toward her with a respectful, slightly bowed posture. Ren Yaoqi’s steps involuntarily paused.
Walking behind Yang Cheng were two youths around twelve or thirteen years old. The one on the right wore a dark blue cloak with a red fox fur lining, patterned with auspicious motifs. His appearance was refined and proper, clearly that of a well-bred young master from a wealthy family.
The youth on the left wore a narrow-sleeved sable fur robe with exposed trim, holding a horsewhip in his right hand. He was tall and slender, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, his features strikingly handsome. When he smiled, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly to one side—an expression that might seem mischievous on others but on his face was pleasing to behold.
The two youths, who had been strolling leisurely and chatting, were also taken aback when they saw Ren Yaoqi approaching.When Ren Yaoqi regained her composure, she quickly concealed the complex emotions in her eyes.
"Fifth Young Miss," the chief steward greeted Ren Yaoqi with a respectful bow. Seeing that she remained still, he glanced back at the two young men and hurriedly explained, "Fifth Young Miss, this is the Qiu Family's young master, your cousin. The other is his classmate, Young Master Wen."
Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi lowered her gaze and bowed her head slightly, offering them a slow, graceful curtsy.
She remembered them, and the memories were vivid.
Cousin Qiu Yun was the legitimate grandson of Old Madam Ren's elder brother. He was currently studying at an academy in Yunyang City. Since the journey from Yunyang City back to the Qiu Family in Jizhou passed through White Crane Town, Qiu Yun was a frequent visitor to the Ren Family.
The young man beside him, however, was not Young Master Wen, but rather the Yun Family's second young master, Yun Wenfang.
The reason she remembered Yun Wenfang, an unrelated outsider, was because they had once been bitter rivals.
She had heard that some people were simply born incompatible, and she believed she and Yun Wenfang fell into that category. From their very first meeting, they had clashed, and by the time she left the Ren Family, he had dealt her a harsh blow that left a deep impression—one she found impossible to forget.
In her previous life, she could no longer recall the exact time she first met him, but it seemed to have been in this very corridor. After quarreling with Ren Yaohua, she had stormed out of Glory and Splendor Courtyard in a rage. In her haste, she accidentally collided with Yun Wenfang.
Then, in front of everyone, Yun Wenfang let out a frivolous whistle.
That whistle drew muffled laughter from the onlookers and left her utterly humiliated.
Overwhelmed with indignation, she raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face before running off in tears, leaving the crowd behind.
Back then, she was young, willful, and impulsive, never considering the consequences.
As a result, Old Madam Ren confined her to the ancestral hall for half a month, forcing her to spend the New Year in that cold, desolate place.
On New Year's Eve, while laughter and joy filled the air outside, she was not even allowed visitors. When the old maidservant outside forgot to bring her food, she huddled beneath the altar table, shivering from cold, hunger, and fear, weeping quietly.
He somehow slipped in, tugged at her braid, and curled one corner of his mouth into a wicked, devilish grin. "Kowtow to me three times and call me 'good elder brother' three times, and I'll ask Qiu Yun to plead for your release. How about it?"
At that moment, she hated him to the core. Without a second thought, she leaped up and clawed at his face, leaving four bloody scratches on his neck.
In the end, a furious Yun Wenfang was dragged away by Qiu Yun.
Only then did she feel afraid, thinking she would be punished again. Fortunately, her father pleaded with Old Madam Ren that very night, and she was released.
A few days later, she overheard from Qiu Yun's servant that the reason Yun Family's second young master had been living incognito in White Crane Town for so long, even staying through the New Year instead of returning home, was because he had caused major trouble in Yunyang City. He had beaten the brother-in-law of a court official into a state of idiocy and was secretly hidden away by Old Madam Yun.
Old Madam Yun and Old Madam Ren were distant cousins. Old Madam Yun's father had originally been the clan leader of the Qiu Family.
Since the old Qiu clan leader had only a daughter and no sons, he eventually adopted Old Madam Ren's elder brother.
After the old Qiu clan leader passed away, Old Madam Ren's elder brother, Qiu Xinmin, succeeded him as the clan leader.Qiu Xinmin was adopted by the old clan leader when he was nearly twenty years old, by which time Old Madam Yun had already married into Yunyang City. Old Madam Ren’s branch of the family was originally a collateral line of the Qiu clan, so the relationship between the two sides was merely superficial. The connection between Old Madam Ren and Old Madam Yun was even more distant, and they hardly interacted on ordinary days. Therefore, no one expected that Yun family's second young master would come to the Ren Family to lay low.
After learning this news, she quietly leaked the information about Yun Wenfang staying at the Ren Family.
Within a few days, Yun family's eldest young master came to take Yun Wenfang away.
She thought she had been careful and that no one would find out. Unexpectedly, just before he left, he suddenly leaned close to her ear and sneered, "Ren Yaoqi, you’ll regret this! Just you wait!"
She was placed under house arrest by Old Madam Ren and forbidden to step even half a foot outside Purple Magnolia Courtyard.
For the next few years, she rarely left her residence, and thus she and Yun Wenfang remained at peace.
Later, when her father passed away, the Ren Family decided to offer her to Supervisor Lu. As her mother lay critically ill, she instructed Nanny Zhou to pack valuables and secretly help her escape the Ren Family to seek refuge with her maternal grandfather’s family in Yunyang City.
Unexpectedly, while fleeing halfway, she encountered Yun Wenfang riding out of the city on horseback. She knelt and begged him to spare her life, but he still knocked her unconscious and threw her onto the back of his horse.
A long time later, when she awoke again, she was already lying in a carriage sent by the Ren Family to retrieve her, and Yun Wenfang had vanished without a trace.
At that moment, she was utterly despondent, with only one thought in her mind: if she ever encountered Yun Wenfang again in her lifetime, she would make sure he died a miserable death!
Now, with the passage of time, he stood before her once more.
His features were still handsome, his smile roguish, and his dark eyes sparkled like stars on a summer night.
Yet they stirred not the slightest emotion in her.
The hatred of her youth now seemed utterly childish in her eyes.
In this lifetime, she wanted no further entanglement with Yun Wenfang.*************************************
Sorry, everyone, today’s update is so late because I had some matters to attend to…
Thank you to Meimu Panxi YXQ, okeeffe, and Youcaoyiren for your rewards～^^
[bookid=2288861,bookname=《The Scheming Daughter of a Noble House》]
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