Master Ren the Elder and Ren Yiyan involuntarily took several steps back, their expressions filled with disbelief.
Ren Yijun glanced back at the toppled ancestral tablets and said with certainty, "Father, you are lying."
Master Ren the Elder’s face turned pale. "This..."
"Father, how long will you continue to deceive us? Do you dare deny what I just said?"
Master Ren the Elder’s lips trembled, but he could not utter another word.
Ren Yiyan, observing his father’s expression, felt both shock and doubt. Unable to hold back, he called out, "Father?" As a scholar, he adhered to the principle of not discussing supernatural matters. He still hoped his father would refute Ren Yijun’s words, preferring to believe his younger brother was simply causing trouble.
Yet Master Ren the Elder remained silent, as if something were choking his throat, preventing him from denying Ren Yijun’s accusations.
Ren Yijun pressed, "So you admit it?"
After waiting for a long time without any response from Master Ren the Elder, Ren Yiyan’s gaze gradually grew complicated. With disbelief, he asked, "Father, is what Third Brother said true? This mansion, and the Zhai Family..." As he recalled Ren Yijun’s words, a chill ran down his spine.
Master Ren the Elder closed his eyes and finally asked, "How did you come to know all this?"
Was this an admission?
Ren Yijun slowly clenched his fists.
Although Ren Yijun’s behavior had seemed aggressive earlier, deep down, like Ren Yiyan, he had hoped his father would deny everything to the end. He never expected...
"These matters belong to the generation before the last..." Master Ren the Elder’s tone was weary and filled with the weight of time.
Although he had known some of the grudges between the Ren Family and the Zhai Family, the specifics were only revealed to him by Old Master Ren in his final days. After hearing them, Master Ren the Elder had felt uneasy and fearful, but he could not defy his father’s dying wish. He could not stand by and watch the Ren Family’s legacy crumble.
Thus, Master Ren the Elder had originally intended to keep these matters hidden from the younger generation. He only wanted to find the hidden wealth to help the Ren Family overcome its crisis, then bury the secret forever. As for the Zhai Family, he hoped to make amends if the opportunity ever arose.
Upon hearing his father’s explanation, Ren Yijun sneered coldly and retorted bluntly, "You truly indulge in wishful thinking! The Ren Family has taken all the advantages, but have you ever considered the wishes of the Zhai Family?"
Master Ren the Elder closed his eyes, speechless. Exhaustion and weariness made him appear a decade older.
After all, this was his own father. Seeing Master Ren the Elder in such a state, Ren Yijun temporarily swallowed the harsh words he had been holding back. Yet, what needed to be said still had to be said: "Father, we can no longer live in this mansion. Those mines must also be relinquished. If someone wants them, let them have it—consider it returning what rightfully belongs to them."
Master Ren the Elder shook his head. "Your grandfather’s dying wish was..."
Ren Yijun impatiently interrupted, "What nonsense of a dying wish! Did he consider whether his descendants would survive? Did he think about whether they would live with guilt or face retribution? Matters of the living should be decided by the living."Seeing Master Ren the Elder remain silent, Ren Yijun turned to Ren Yiyan and said, “Speak your mind! Even if the Ren Family finds that fortune, would you dare to spend it?”
Ren Yiyan glanced at the Eldest Master, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke with difficulty, “Father, let’s just forget it.”
Ren Yijun’s expression softened slightly, but his next words remained as sharp as a blade, cutting deep into the heart: “Did you hear that? If you still insist on acting willfully, naturally, we cannot stop you. However, I will leave the Ren Family just like Third Uncle and Fifth Uncle! From then on, nothing that happens in the Ren Family will have anything to do with me!”
Under normal circumstances, Ren Yiyan would have tried to dissuade his brother from saying such things, but today, after glancing at Ren Yijun, he said nothing, only frowning deeply and lowering his head in silence.
Ren Yijun looked at Ren Yiyan and said to Master Ren the Elder, “Neither my elder brother nor I will take over the Ren Family’s businesses anymore. In the future, you can hand them over to whomever you please. However, I’m afraid our branch can no longer produce a male heir to inherit the Ren Family. I wonder if our grandfather, who left those final words, would feel that all his efforts ultimately came to nothing.”
Upon hearing this, Master Ren the Elder was stunned.
The East and West branches of the Ren Family had already completely severed ties. In the West branch, among the brothers of the Eldest Master’s generation, the third and fifth had already left the Ren Family, leaving only the Eldest Master’s line. But if both Ren Yijun and Ren Yiyan were to abandon the Ren Family, then the family truly would have no successor.
“You…” Master Ren the Elder glared fiercely at Ren Yijun, then turned his gaze to Ren Yiyan.
Noticing his father’s gaze, Ren Yiyan, who had always obeyed his elders’ commands, remained silent for a moment. In the end, he dared not meet his father’s eyes, making it clear that he stood with Ren Yijun.
Master Ren the Elder closed his eyes tightly, then staggered, nearly losing his balance.
Ren Yijun pursed his lips. “Think it over carefully.” After saying this, he stopped pressing further. He glanced back at the ancestral tablets, a faintly mocking smile curling at the corner of his mouth, then turned and left the ancestral hall without looking back.
Afterward, Master Ren the Elder and Ren Yiyan also left the ancestral hall. The scene outside the hall at that time was something Master Ren the Elder dared not let others know, so he waited until First Madam arrived and instructed her to handle it personally.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Master Ren the Elder and Ren Yijun left, the cloth covering the altar suddenly shifted, and a person crawled out from under the hidden table. She bumped her knee against a tablet on the floor, let out an “ouch,” and sat down.
Realizing where she was, she scrambled to her feet, clasped her hands together, and pleaded with the tablets, “Ancestors, please don’t be angry, don’t be angry! I only wanted to save the descendants of the Ren Family. I heard that doing too many wicked deeds leads to having no heirs, and I was afraid… heh, you understand, right?”
After saying this, the woman swiftly and decisively scrambled out of the ancestral hall, rolling and crawling as if chased by ghosts.
In the end, the incident of Ren Yijun storming the Ren Family Ancestral Hall was suppressed by the highly capable First Madam Ren and did not spread.
From that day on, Master Ren the Elder never slept peacefully again. He often dreamed at night, though no one knew what he dreamed of, and would wake up startled in the middle of the night.The well diggers had all stopped, and the Ren Family returned to a long-lost quiet. For the declining Ren Family, this eerie silence was unsettling. However, Old Madam Ren remained completely unaware of these matters.
Yet, Eldest Master Ren still refused to agree to sell the estate.
Ren Yijun could not stand Eldest Master Ren’s lack of responsibility. After waiting three days, his patience finally ran out, and he instructed Madam Qi to pack their belongings and leave the Ren Family.
Ren Yijun was serious. He was a proud man and did not allow Madam Qi to take even a needle or thread from the Ren Family while packing.
Upon hearing the news, First Madam hurried over to stop them. Faced with her tears, Ren Yijun remained unmoved and simply said, "Although I am leaving the Ren Family, you will always be my mother. When the Ren Family falls in the future, come to Yunyang City to find us, and I will take care of you in your old age."
First Madam had originally hoped to have her eldest son help stop her younger son, but Ren Yiyan did not come. As First Madam was nearing despair, she finally went to see Eldest Master Ren and cried, "With our sons gone, what is the point of holding onto this estate? Sell it, sell it all! Whoever wants it can have it! Without our sons, even if you earn mountains of gold and silver, who will you leave it to in the future? If you don’t sell it, keeping this estate will only tear the family apart! If they leave, I will follow our sons! Do as you please!"
After decades of marriage, this was the first time First Madam had argued with Eldest Master Ren.
After a long silence, Eldest Master Ren covered his face, hiding his eyes, his voice trembling slightly: "Then let’s sell it..."
Upon hearing this, First Madam immediately sent someone to stop Ren Yijun and Madam Qi, who had already passed through the Inner Gate. Learning that Eldest Master Ren had finally compromised, Ren Yijun did not insist on leaving.
Eldest Master Ren sent someone to contact the Gao Family, expressing his intention to sell the Ren Family estate and the few remaining mines in his possession, asking if the Gao Family was interested in taking them over.
Although selling the family property was not Eldest Master Ren’s original intention, his wife and son insisted, and he was exhausted from the turmoil, with no other choice. Remembering that the Ren Family’s legacy would ultimately be destroyed in his hands, Eldest Master Ren did not leave his study for several days.
Before the Gao Family responded, news of the Ren Family selling their property spread, causing unease among the servants, who worried about their own futures.
Then, the most troubling thing for Eldest Master Ren happened: Old Madam Ren somehow learned of the news and began causing a scene in her courtyard, threatening to die.
First Madam had ordered the news to be kept secret, especially from Old Madam Ren, but for some reason, she still found out.
Eldest Master Ren visited Old Madam Ren once. After less than a quarter of an hour of conversation, Old Madam Ren threw a tantrum, hurling a teacup that left Eldest Master Ren’s forehead bleeding.
Old Madam Ren adamantly refused to sell the Ren Family estate and property, believing Eldest Master Ren had gone mad.
In the end, First Madam had Eldest Master Ren helped away and personally went to comfort Old Madam Ren, saying gently, "Mother, please don’t be angry. The master is just confused for the moment. I will go and persuade him again; he will change his mind."
As she spoke, First Madam handed Old Madam Ren a cup of warm tea.Old Madam Ren was finally somewhat appeased by First Madam's coaxing and indeed felt a bit thirsty, so she took the teacup and drank half of it. After finishing, she was about to lecture First Madam a few words, but found she could not even lift her eyelids. In the end, she inexplicably collapsed on her own kang, unconscious.
First Madam bent down to help Old Madam Ren lie down properly, covered her with a quilt, and then calmly instructed the maidservant, "The old madam has been in poor spirits lately and sleeps more often. Take good care of her."
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