"Does Third Uncle know about this?" Ren Yijun asked.
Ren Yaoqi shook her head: "My father is unaware."
Ren Yijun nodded understandingly: "That makes sense. With Third Uncle's temperament, if he had known earlier, he wouldn't have remained inactive."
Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi looked at Ren Yijun: "Then what does Third Brother plan to do?" Ren Yijun's nature was actually somewhat similar to Ren Shimin's, carrying an inherent pride and his own moral compass.
From Ren Yijun's tone, Ren Yaoqi sensed he intended to take some action. She hadn't forgotten how Ren Yijun had looked when he led her to smash the Ren Family Ancestral Hall years ago. When this third brother became determined, he feared nothing.
After a moment of silence, Ren Yijun said coldly: "Even if my father doesn't know everything about this matter, he certainly isn't completely ignorant. Whether my eldest brother knows is still unclear. After returning, I'll first discuss it with Eldest Brother. If he is also unaware, we will go together to confront Father." Ren Yijun glanced at Ren Yaoqi, "Although I believe what you say, this matter is of great importance. I still need to verify it further."
Ren Yaoqi said: "Not many people likely know about this. Apart from the Han Family, Eldest Master might have heard part of it from the Old Master."
Ren Yijun quietly clenched his fist: "I will get to the bottom of this! If what you say is true, then neither the Ren Family residence nor that hidden treasure—wherever it may be—rightfully belongs to the Ren Family. The Ren Family's downfall to this state is entirely self-inflicted and deserves no sympathy!"
Looking at Ren Yijun's expression, Ren Yaoqi felt somewhat relieved, but she also knew that Ren Yijun was not the head of the Ren Family. His decisions could not stop the choices made by the family's leader.
"Third Brother, Han Yunqian has promised not to move against the Ren Family for three years. So, the Ren Family actually still has these three years to accumulate some strength in hopes of making a comeback, to avoid being in dire straits when the Han Family acts after three years."
This was also why Ren Yaoqi had asked Han Yunqian to give the Ren Family a breathing space. The Han Family would certainly reclaim what was rightfully theirs, but Ren Yaoqi wanted to give people like Ren Yijun a chance to find a way out. After all, the Ren Family was not completely destitute yet.
However, Ren Yijun shook his head: "The enmity between the Han and Ren Families must be resolved quickly. If my father disagrees, I can only follow Third Uncle's example and leave the Ren Family with my wife. I cannot let my future children live bearing such a burden of sin."
Madam Qi looked at Ren Yijun. Though she didn't speak, the gentle smile on her face showed she had no objection to his decision. She softly touched her abdomen. Though they had no children yet, she firmly believed they would have them someday. Rather than living in constant anxiety within the Ren Family, however comfortably, she would prefer to leave with Ren Yijun. With their own hands and feet, they could surely support themselves and their children. The atmosphere in the Ren Family was truly unsuitable for raising a child.
Looking at Ren Yijun and Madam Qi, Ren Yaoqi sighed softly and did not try to dissuade them further. Ren Yijun was stubborn by nature. Once he decided on something, like her father, no one could stop him.Ren Yijun had originally come to ask Ren Yaoqi about the family's well-digging matter. Now that he had his answer, he didn't linger in Yunyang City. Ren Yaoqi invited them to stay for dinner before leaving, but Ren Yijun refused to listen and dragged Madam Qi away.
As soon as Ren Yijun returned to the Ren Family, the household inevitably experienced another upheaval.
Ren Yijun first went to see his elder brother, Ren Yiyan.
Although Ren Yijun wasn't particularly close to his elder brother, he knew Ren Yiyan was an upright person who likely knew nothing about the feud between the Han Family and the Ren Family. Otherwise, Ren Yiyan wouldn't have repeatedly suggested selling the Ren Family's estate.
After finding Ren Yiyan, Ren Yijun told him what he had heard from Ren Yaoqi. Ren Yiyan was just as shocked as Ren Yijun had been, and he couldn't bring himself to believe it was true. He refused to accept that his respected grandfather and father could have done such a thing.
Ren Yijun sneered coldly, "I don't want to believe it either. In that case, let's go ask Father for the truth!"
With that, Ren Yijun pulled Ren Yiyan toward their father's study. Ren Yijun had always been in poor health—tall but pale and frail. Yet now, he dragged the robust Ren Yiyan along with swift, determined steps.
Master Ren the Elder happened to be at home that day, handling some official matters, so the two brothers found him in his study.
The somewhat indecisive Ren Yiyan tried to stop Ren Yijun before entering the study, wanting to go back and think things over carefully. But Ren Yijun wouldn't allow him to evade the issue and pulled him inside.
Ren Yijun dismissed the attending page, then poured out the words he had been rehearsing the entire way. At first, Ren Yiyan kept trying to intervene, but eventually, he fell silent.
Master Ren the Elder stared at his two sons, taking a long moment before finding his voice. "Where did you hear this?"
Ren Yijun fixed his gaze on him. "Never mind where we heard it. Just tell us whether it's true or not. Are you having all this construction done to find that ill-gotten wealth?"
Master Ren the Elder replied angrily, "Don't talk nonsense!"
But Ren Yijun saw a flicker of evasion in his father's eyes, and his heart sank. "Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, you know the truth."
Under Ren Yijun's intense stare, Master Ren the Elder felt both uncomfortable and embarrassed. He stiffened his expression and said sternly, "With the Ren Family in such a state, instead of thinking about how to help me revive the family, you listen to others' provocations and question your own father? Who gave you the nerve?"
Ren Yiyan lowered his head, but Ren Yijun remained calm. "I just want to know the truth! Father, as descendants of the Ren Family, we have the right to know. What did Grandfather say to you on his deathbed? Can you tell us?"
Ren Yiyan glanced at Ren Yijun in surprise. Given Ren Yijun's fiery temper, he had expected him to argue with their father, especially since he could sense Ren Yijun's anger. He hadn't expected Ren Yijun to ask the question so calmly.
Master Ren the Elder looked at his son, whose tone was composed but whose presence remained aggressive. He felt a mix of anger, exhaustion, and a hidden trace of guilt deep in his heart.Master Ren the Elder couldn't help but recall Old Master Ren's words to him, remembering his own shock when he first heard of this matter. Yet as the head of the Ren Family, he could not stand by and watch the family fall. There were certain things he had to do.
Thus, Master Ren the Elder gradually calmed himself. "When the day of my death arrives, I will naturally tell you what needs to be told. Now, all of you, get out of my study. I have many matters to attend to and no time to indulge your madness."
Ren Yijun shook his head, his gaze both mocking and sorrowful. "If you refuse to speak, I can only assume you are silently admitting it."
In truth, Ren Yijun had hoped his father would firmly deny it, but Master Ren the Elder's evasion sank his heart to the depths. If what he had just said were not true, given his father's temperament, he would never have simply driven them out—he would have taken a stick and beaten him severely.
"Since you refuse to acknowledge it, I will go to the ancestral hall and ask Grandfather and Great-Grandfather. They say the ancestors have spirits in heaven. If they refuse to answer me, I will smash all the ancestral tablets in the hall." After coldly uttering these words, Ren Yijun turned and rushed out of the study.
Both Master Ren the Elder and Ren Yiyan were momentarily stunned. It was Master Ren the Elder who recovered first, chasing after him while shouting sharply, "Stop him! Stop this unfilial wretch!"
Just as Ren Yijun understood his father, Master Ren the Elder understood his son. Others might dismiss Ren Yijun's words as mere anger, but Master Ren the Elder knew that this rebellious son was fully capable of carrying out such an act.
However, under Madam Qi's recent training, Ren Yijun had become surprisingly swift. He quickly dashed out of the courtyard. As for the maids and servants, even if they heard Master Ren the Elder's orders, none dared to truly block his way.
It was no joke—Third Young Master's precious body had been carefully nurtured with countless rare medicinal herbs since childhood. If they accidentally injured or made him ill, First Madam would surely take their lives. Thus, they only made a symbolic effort to stop him, though their shouts were loud.
Seeing the situation escalating, Ren Yiyan hurriedly gave chase as well.
Ren Yijun truly ran to the Ren Family's ancestral hall.
If Ren Yaoqi were here, she would surely sigh at how similar today's scene was to the past. Back then, Ren Yijun had dragged her along in a furious rage to smash the Ren Family's ancestral hall. This time, Ren Yijun had not come because of his third uncle's tragic death, but he had still come to the ancestral hall out of dissatisfaction with the Ren Family's head and elders.
Some things were perhaps destined by fate.
For Ren Yijun, breaking into the ancestral hall was effortless, as no one had anticipated his intentions. He stood before the ancestral tablets of the Ren Family, staring for a long while, lost in thought. Light slanted in through the perpetually closed doors, illuminating only the lower half of his body, his tightly clenched fists, and the dust swirling and filling the entire room.
Master Ren the Elder's furious voice echoed from the entrance, mingled with Eldest Young Master Ren Yijun's attempts to dissuade him. First Madam, having somehow heard the commotion, seemed to be speaking outside the door as well.Ren Yijun did not turn his head. As the clamor drew closer, he stepped forward slowly, then overturned the altar table before the ancestral tablets with a single motion. The incense burners, candle holders, and offerings on the table crashed to the ground with a deafening sound. Outside, the noise seemed to quiet momentarily at the sound, before footsteps hastened even more swiftly toward the ancestral hall.
Ren Yijun’s temperament had always carried a certain gloominess. Many in the Ren Family feared this third young master, who seldom spoke yet possessed a notoriously foul temper. Still, no one had expected he would truly dare to smash his own family’s ancestral hall.
Ren Yijun picked up one of the ancestral tablets from the altar, lowering his gaze to read the characters inscribed upon it.
After posting this, I shyly slip away…
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