The Ren Family and the Han Family were now like a young man with affection and a maiden with intent. Both sides had reached an unspoken understanding regarding the marriage alliance. If nothing unexpected occurred, they would soon exchange tokens to formalize the engagement.
The first to lose composure and step forward was Ren Yaoting from the Eastern Mansion.
On the second day of the Han family's visit, Madam Liao, the elderly lady of the Eastern Mansion, came over.
Madam Liao arrived quite early, just as the younger generation from the Western Mansion had finished paying their respects to Old Master Ren and Old Madam Ren at Glory and Splendor Courtyard and were about to leave. The gatekeeper came to report that Madam Liao had arrived with Seventh Miss.
The Ren Family had not formally divided the household, so the Eastern and Western Mansions were still considered part of the same estate. Although a long floral wall separated the two mansions, there were arched doorways built into it. Yet, whenever Madam Liao visited the Western Mansion, she never used those passages. Instead, she insisted on entering through the main gate and having the gatekeeper announce her arrival.
Madam Liao and Madam Qiu had been at odds since their youth, engaging in countless rounds of open and covert conflicts. When Ren Baoming, the previous head of the Ren Family, was still alive, he placed great emphasis on respecting seniority and order. Thus, no matter how the two sisters-in-law quarreled, whenever their disputes reached the elders, Madam Liao was always deemed at fault. This left her deeply resentful toward her father-in-law.
Before Ren Baoming passed away, he left a final instruction that the eldest and second branches of the family were not to divide the household. Madam Liao agreed obediently at his sickbed, but as soon as the seventh-day mourning period for her father-in-law ended, she found an excuse to have a major quarrel with Madam Qiu. She then moved with her son to the Western Garden, separated by the floral wall. Although she never explicitly mentioned dividing the household, the two branches had lived separately for many years, with the eldest branch only providing a monthly allowance to the Eastern Mansion to cover their living expenses.
Madam Liao also insisted that anyone from the Eastern Mansion visiting the Western Mansion must use the main gate and was forbidden from passing through the floral wall between the two mansions. The Second Old Master Ren was often away from Yanbei and had written several times to admonish her, but to no avail.
On the Western Mansion side, Old Master Ren saw that she was only making a fuss and allowed her to have her way. After all, the estate was large and already divided into Eastern and Western Mansions, so no renovations were needed. In fact, separating Madam Liao and Madam Qiu brought much more peace to the Ren Family.
When the younger generation of the Ren Family saw Madam Liao arrive, they all bowed and greeted her respectfully. Madam Qiu wore a polite smile and asked, "What brings you here today?"
Although Madam Liao was from Yanbei, she was not tall and was somewhat plump, giving her a prosperous appearance. Hearing Madam Qiu's words, she forced a smile and first greeted Old Master Ren, addressing him as "Eldest Uncle."
"You haven't eaten yet, have you? Eldest daughter-in-law, bring two more sets of bowls and chopsticks," Madam Qiu instructed her daughter-in-law. Seeing that Madam Liao did not refuse, she then said to Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoyin, "You may return to your own courtyards for your meals today."
Madam Liao glanced at Ren Yaohua and nodded. "I came today to discuss something with my elder brother and sister-in-law. It’s just as well for them to leave first. Ting'er, you should step out too."
Ren Yaoting had been quietly following behind Madam Liao. As Ren Yaohua passed by her, she looked over, her eyes chillingly cold.
Hearing Madam Liao's words, she softly acknowledged and followed the others out.
"Third Sister, I have something to say to you," Ren Yaoting called out to Ren Yaohua.Ren Yaohua had sensed Ren Yaoting's hostility earlier and had a vague understanding of the reason behind it. However, she herself was not one to tolerate such behavior, so upon hearing Ren Yaoting's words, she felt extremely irritated and coldly replied, "I need to go back for a meal first. If there's anything, we can talk about it when I have time."
With that, she turned and walked away without looking back.
Ren Yaoting stared intently at her retreating figure, biting her lower lip so hard it turned pale.
Once the onlookers had dispersed, Madam Liao sat down and spoke up, "I recall that Elder Brother once sternly reprimanded me, saying the Ren Family does not split households?"
"What do you mean by that, Sister-in-law?" Old Master Ren frowned in surprise, somewhat confused as to why Madam Liao was bringing up old matters again.
Madam Liao sneered slightly, "Since there's no split, how is it that we in the East Mansion knew nothing about such a significant matter as the Han and Ren families planning to form a marriage alliance? I also heard that the Ren Family intends to partner with the Han Family to operate a salt field? Hah, could it be that when there's something good, it only concerns your West Mansion?"
Upon hearing this, Old Master Ren shook his head helplessly, "Regarding the salt field, I wrote to inform Second Brother, and he agreed as well. Since the elder and second branches have not split, any benefits the Ren Family gains are shared by both branches. Your words, Sister-in-law, are truly unreasonable. As for the marriage alliance between the Ren and Han families, both families have merely expressed interest, and nothing has been finalized yet."
Madam Liao was displeased by this response, "I'm being unreasonable? Fine, if that's the case, our East Mansion also has eligible young ladies. Since you insist that East and West are one family, it shouldn't matter whether the bride comes from the East or West Mansion. Let our East Mansion's young lady marry into the Han Family instead."
With that, Madam Liao glanced at Madam Qiu, "Back then, your eldest daughter secured that advantageous marriage with the Gu Family, and later your second daughter married into the Yan Family in the capital. Yet for our East Mansion's eldest grandson, you arranged a match with such a destitute family, and the young lady was even ill-fated. If it weren't for the series of misfortunes that befell her family before the wedding, I would still be in the dark. I won't demand an explanation for that matter, but this marriage with the Han Family must be conceded to us by the West Mansion."
Madam Qiu had endured for a long time, and upon hearing this, she was so angered that her liver ached. Unable to hold back, she retorted, "When the marriage with the Gu Family was arranged, did the West Mansion have any eligible young ladies? Should we have made the Gu Family's second young master wait seven or eight years to marry? As for the marriage with the Yan Family, didn't Second Brother send a letter begging me to let Yaoqin become a second wife? In recent years, haven't Second Brother and Shixu prospered in the capital with the Yan Family's support? And as for Yilin's marriage, we consulted both Second Brother and you before finalizing it. Why didn't you voice your opposition then? Before the Liu Family's misfortunes, who could have predicted that their young lady had such an ill-fated destiny? Sister-in-law, you should know your limits when making baseless accusations."
Upon hearing this, Madam Liao curled her lips in disdain. She was unwilling to be left speechless by Madam Qiu's rebuttal but couldn't think of a suitable retort for the moment.
Old Master Ren was well aware of both women's temperaments and knew he couldn't let them continue arguing, or it would never end. He stepped in to mediate, "Enough, both of you, say no more."He said solemnly, "The marriage proposal between the Han Family and the Ren Family was initiated by the Han Family. From the beginning, Old Master Han and Madam Han had their eyes on Yaohua. Moreover, only Yaohua and Yaoyin are closest in age to the young master of the Han Family. As for Yaoting's marriage, I will keep it in mind and ensure she is not wronged when the time comes. They are all daughters of the Ren Family; I would never favor one over the other."
Madam Liao had come today because last night she overheard several maids in her granddaughter's courtyard discussing the marriages of the young masters and ladies from the East and West Mansions. They said all the good matches were being taken by the West Mansion, implying that in the future, the West Mansion would feast while the East Mansion might not even get a sip of broth. They also spoke of how wealthy the Han Family was and how outstanding their young master was. Even though the East Mansion had suitable young ladies, the West Mansion had not even consulted them before finalizing the engagement.
After hearing this, Madam Liao could not sleep.
She was not particularly shrewd or formidable, but she had spent her entire life competing with Madam Qiu. She could tolerate anything except seeing Madam Qiu outshine her or gain more advantages than she did.
Thus, after the previous head of the Ren Family passed away, even though she knew Madam Qiu, as the eldest daughter-in-law, held authority over the household affairs, she went to great lengths to draw a clear line with the main branch, unwilling to live under Madam Qiu's shadow.
Upon hearing Old Master Ren's words, Madam Liao sneered, "Who can say for certain what will happen in the future? I am not so easily fooled."
Seeing her stubbornness, Old Master Ren could only reply patiently, "Then what do you propose, sister-in-law? The marriage with the Han Family cannot be decided solely by us. The Han Family's preferred candidate is indeed the third young lady."
Hearing this and glancing at Madam Qiu, who had turned her head away, Madam Liao pondered for a moment before an idea struck her. She smiled and said, "I am not necessarily insisting on marrying into the Han Family. I know there is a young master from the Yun Family staying with our Ren Family. The Yun Family might very well be interested in forming a marriage alliance with us. Moreover, the Old Madam of the Yun Family and your wife are cousins... If you truly have no ulterior motives, as you claim, why not find a way to arrange a marriage between our East Mansion and the Yun Family?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Qiu could not help but sneer. What a clever scheme. She was about to speak when Old Master Ren shot her a warning glance. Gritting her teeth, Madam Qiu turned her head away as if she had not heard.
Old Master Ren said gently to Madam Liao, "I will carefully consider what you have proposed, sister-in-law. If the Yun Family indeed shows interest in the future, it will make no difference whether the bride comes from the East Mansion or the West Mansion."
Madam Liao, however, looked at Madam Qiu, who was visibly seething with anger, and smiled. "Do you truly mean that, Elder Brother?"
Old Master Ren straightened his expression. "Have I ever spoken empty words?"
Madam Liao chuckled. "Of course not. Then why not give me a firm promise today? If the marriage with the Han Family cannot go to our West Mansion, then in the future, if the Ren Family ever discusses a marriage alliance with the Yun Family, only the young ladies from our West Mansion may marry into their family. How does that sound?"
"Isn't this just unreasonable?" Madam Qiu fumed.
Old Master Ren, however, waved his hand. "Let it be settled as such."
Madam Qiu was so infuriated that her chest tightened, and she nearly fainted.
Madam Liao, on the other hand, smiled and, no longer causing trouble, stood up briskly. "In that case, I will not disturb your meal any longer."
After Madam Liao left, Madam Qiu, who had been trembling with anger moments before, calmed her furious expression and immediately regained her composure.Old Master Ren glanced at her with some surprise.
Madam Qiu casually instructed the maids to replace the meal with a hot one, saying, "I know her temperament all too well—she simply can't stand to see me pleased. If I don't let her vent her anger, she won't leave."
In her heart, Madam Qiu felt a touch of disdain. With a mind like Madam Liao's, who couldn't even control her own daughter-in-law, she was only fit to be used as someone else's pawn. Madam Qiu had never taken Madam Liao seriously in the first place.
As for the marriage proposal with the Yun Family, it was still far from settled. Even if it were to come to fruition in the future, Old Master Ren might have agreed, but she certainly hadn't. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come to Qidian to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
OpenNovel