However, Ren Yaoying thought about marrying into the Lei Family and recalled the appearance and talent of the Lei Family head, her heart wavered slightly. At this moment, Ren Yaoying grew even more resentful of her status as a concubine-born daughter. If she were the legitimate daughter, would there be so much trouble? Since Ren Yaohua had fallen out of favor in the Ren Family, Old Madam Ren would surely make her replace Ren Yaohua in the marriage.
Yet, Ren Yaoying also considered that since Ren Yaohua had already lost favor with the elders of the Ren Family, given Ren Yaohua’s temperament, she would inevitably develop a rift with Old Madam Ren in the future. Thus, between her and Ren Yaohua, the Ren Family would certainly choose to support the obedient and well-behaved her rather than the difficult-to-control Ren Yaohua with her bad temper. With the support of her maternal family, which Ren Yaohua lacked, and the tactics she had learned from her mother, once married into the Lei Family, Ren Yaohua might not necessarily be able to suppress her.
Ren Yaoying’s gaze flickered with an inscrutable expression as she looked toward Ren Yaohua, who stood beside Ren Yaoqi. As long as she gained Old Madam Ren’s favor, she could persuade Old Madam Ren to let her stay in the old residence until her wedding. She could also replace all the people around her with her own, using Old Madam Ren’s authority, so she would no longer have to fear Ren Yaohua’s retaliation.
Thinking this, Ren Yaoying grew excited again. This excitement even overcame the fear she had felt toward Ren Yaohua these past days, carrying with it a thrilling sense of satisfaction. She feared Ren Yaohua, but she hated her even more. She dreamed of trampling Ren Yaohua underfoot and grinding her into the dust.
Neither Ren Yaoqi nor Ren Yaohua turned their attention to Ren Yaoying. Ren Yaoqi kept her eyes slightly lowered, while Ren Yaohua fixed her gaze on a famille-rose beauty vase opposite her, her face expressionless.
Old Madam Ren also looked toward Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua. Her gaze swept over Ren Yaohua’s face before finally settling on Ren Yaoqi. “Qi’er, you’ve come just in time today. You should also learn how to select people. It might come in handy for you someday.”
Old Madam Ren’s voice and demeanor were gentle and affectionate as she spoke to Ren Yaoqi, but her words carried a subtle warning, using Ren Yaohua’s situation to caution Ren Yaoqi about the consequences of disobedience.
Ren Yaohua’s last-minute betrayal had thoroughly angered Old Madam Ren and Old Master Ren. Old Master Ren realized that even if Ren Yaohua married into the Lei Family, she might still slip out of the Ren Family’s control, which was why he had come up with the idea of having Ren Yaoying accompany her as a secondary bride. Compared to Ren Yaohua, Ren Yaoying was much easier to control. To gain an advantage over Ren Yaohua, she would have to rely on her maternal family.
Old Madam Ren couldn’t help but think of Ren Yaoqi. Ren Yaoqi’s future prospects were certainly not bad, so she had to be kept firmly under control. She had to make Ren Yaoqi understand that to live well, she must rely on the support of her maternal family.
How could Ren Yaoqi fail to understand the implication in Old Madam Ren’s words? If not for the inappropriate setting, she would have laughed.
Pretending not to grasp Old Madam Ren’s hint at all, she earnestly examined the maids for a moment and smiled. “Grandmother is so thoughtful. These maids are all quite lovely, and I like them at first sight. Why not let the four in the front row go to me, and the four in the back row go to Third Sister?”
The two most beautiful maids stood in the front row, and Ren Yaoqi picked them out as casually as if selecting radishes, grouping them together and taking them away.Old Madam Ren's smile faltered, and she frowned. She glanced at Ren Yaoqi, thinking perhaps this girl was still too young to understand such matters? Old Madam Ren only intended to use this opportunity to admonish Ren Yaoqi today, not actually to let her choose her own dowry maids. Moreover, these maids had been specially selected and brought back under Old Master Ren's orders, with two of them even receiving special training, all for the purpose of being sent to the Lei Family to win over Lei Ting.
The Ren elders' plan was quite clever—they wanted the inner courtyard of the Lei Family entirely under their control.
"I'm just letting you practice choosing, not asking you to take them away now," Old Madam Ren said.
Ren Yaoqi complied gracefully and smiled. "Then I'll wait for Grandmother to choose for me when the time comes."
Seeing her obedient and submissive response, Old Madam Ren was quite pleased.
Ren Yaohua glanced at Ren Yaoqi and, from her smile, detected a faint trace of sarcasm and mockery. This somewhat alleviated her extreme disappointment and anger.
In the end, Old Madam Ren made the decision herself and selected four maids, with the two most outstanding in appearance among them. The Ren Family had arranged for eight dowry maids for Ren Yaoqi, with four still to be chosen from the family's own servants. The four selected today were merely intended as concubines for Lei Ting.
Once the maids were chosen, the Ren Family would thoroughly train them, and none of this had anything to do with Ren Yaohua. From the moment Ren Yaohua uttered the words "break off the engagement" to Lei Ting, the Ren Family had lost trust in her. Even Old Madam Ren, who had once doted on Ren Yaohua, now wished she could be remolded. What use was a disobedient daughter who dragged down her family at a critical moment? If it weren't for the impossibility of changing the bride at this late stage, the Ren Family would absolutely not want Ren Yaohua to marry into the Lei Family.
Old Madam Ren was also very busy. After selecting the maids, she dismissed the three sisters. Throughout the entire process, she paid no attention to Ren Yaohua—this deliberate neglect and disdain was strikingly similar to how Ren Yaoying had once been treated.
Since Old Madam Ren hadn't ordered Ren Yaohua to return to the ancestral hall, Ren Yaoqi took her to Purple Magnolia Courtyard. Along the way, Ren Yaoying deliberately lagged a few steps behind, her eyes shifting uncertainly, unsure whether she was afraid Ren Yaohua would take her anger out on her or if she was scheming something.
However, Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoqi didn't even glance her way. It wasn't until they were about to part ways that Ren Yaoying stepped forward, wearing a look of guilt, and said, "Third Sister, I... I truly didn't know Grandmother would make such a decision. I know you must be unhappy about it. Later, I'll go to Grandmother and tell her I don't want this."
Ren Yaoqi remained silent, but Ren Yaohua finally turned her gaze to Ren Yaoying. She looked at her carefully and intently for a long moment, realizing she could detect a sense of smugness and excitement on this face that was supposedly filled with guilt and sorrow.
Ren Yaoying's expression gradually stiffened under Ren Yaohua's calm and inscrutable gaze.
Ren Yaohua withdrew her gaze, took Ren Yaoqi's hand, and walked past Ren Yaoying. Although Ren Yaohua said nothing, Ren Yaoying inexplicably felt a wave of pressure, so sudden that she couldn't help but take a step back. When she regained her composure, she stared in surprise at Ren Yaohua's retreating figure, feeling both humiliated and resentful. She vaguely sensed that Ren Yaohua had changed in some way but couldn't quite put her finger on it.Ren Yaoqi also glanced at Ren Yaohua and then smiled.
Ren Yaohua shot a look at Ren Yaoqi: "What is it?"
Ren Yaoqi shook her head: "Nothing. I had thought you might make a scene earlier."
Ren Yaohua remained silent for a long while before saying, "Even if I stirred up a storm, could it change our grandparents’ decision in the slightest? Since I refuse to be used by them, they will naturally find someone who can serve their purposes to replace me."
Ren Yaoqi sighed, though inwardly she felt a faint sense of joy and relief. She believed that through this ordeal, Ren Yaohua had truly grown and matured considerably. Though she did not know what Ren Yaohua had pondered during those two days confined in the ancestral hall, she knew the taste of rapid growth was surely unpleasant. And all of this was thanks to Old Madam Ren, an elder who had once held an important place in Ren Yaohua’s heart.
Ren Yaohua did not mention Ren Yaoying becoming a concubine or those beautiful maidservants. These matters were arranged by the maternal family, and opposing them openly now would not change anything. Thinking of Lei Ting’s words, "Wait for me to marry you," her expression softened, yet a glint of determination shone in her eyes.
Ren Yaoqi also refrained from bringing up those topics, as they were not issues in her view. Since the elders of the Ren Family enjoyed stirring up trouble, she would let them carry on.
Old Madam Ren had not given the order for Ren Yaohua to return, so Ren Yaoqi stayed with Ren Yaohua in White Crane Town. The Ren Family had been bustling with activity lately. While external affairs remained unsettled, the Ren Family stubbornly refused to comply with Lei Ting’s demands, causing significant damage to their business.
Old Madam Ren and Ren Yaoying were also very busy. Ren Yaoying now spent almost every day in the Glory and Splendor Courtyard, and Old Madam Ren even had her stay in the warm chamber, intending to personally educate Ren Yaoying during this opportunity.
Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoqi, on the other hand, were quite idle. Apart from morning and evening greetings, Ren Yaohua occupied herself with embroidery in her room, while Ren Yaoqi read, wrote, and painted.
One day, when Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua went to pay their respects to Old Madam Ren, Ren Yaoying subtly and smugly informed Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoqi that Old Madam Ren had already handed over the deeds of the maidservants accompanying Ren Yaohua’s dowry to her.
Upon hearing this, Ren Yaohua’s face showed no expression, but only Ren Yaoqi knew that Ren Yaohua’s heart must be in turmoil. The recent actions of the Ren Family were clearly aimed at completely sidelining Ren Yaohua in the future, elevating Ren Yaoying—who had a grudge against Ren Yaohua—to suppress her. Without the support of her maternal family and without a single trustworthy person by her side, Ren Yaohua’s future predicament was imaginable.
If Ren Yaohua had still held any illusions about Old Madam Ren’s affection, they were utterly shattered at this moment.
Seeing that the timing was about right and the Ren Family’s grand drama had concluded, Ren Yaoqi thought it was time to take Ren Yaohua back to Yunyang City.
To salvage the author’s endangered integrity, the author has decided to deliver a surprise today and extend the tail for the long chapter~
No time announcement, dear readers, remember to check back in a few hours to slay monsters~ Y(^_^)Y
OpenNovel