The Plot of a Concubine's Revenge

Chapter 14 Sisters' Deliberation

“This ...... this was never done by my family's Yu'er!” The Fifth Mistress rounded her eyes, her tone full of astonishment and eagerness, as if she was making a final defense for Ren Yaoyu's innocence, trying to clear her name.

A hint of disappointment flashed through Old Mrs. Ren's eyes, her voice low but with unquestionable determination, “She has admitted it herself, what are you still defending her for?” Her words were like a heavy hammer, smashing into the fifth wife's heart, causing her to be instantly speechless, as if she had been hit on the head and didn't know what to do.

“Grandmother, I really didn't do it!” Ren Yaoyu's face was full of tears, aggrieved like a child who had been wronged by the heavens, her voice was choked, but at this moment appeared incomparably firm, as if she was proclaiming her innocence to everyone, trying to impress everyone present with her tears and choked voice.

Ren old lady, however, seems to be iron hearted, not even look at her a glance, face to Gui ma ma commanded: “Put the eighth young lady to the ancestral hall, a young age so disrespectful, malicious, this is not going to be good?” The ancestral hall is an extremely serious place in the Ren family, even the elders of the family rarely set foot in it on weekdays, not to mention letting the juniors go to think about their mistakes, the severity of this punishment is evident in the wrath of Old Madam Ren at this moment, as if she wants to lock up Ren Yaoyu in an eerie place to let her reflect on her mistakes.

Fifth Mistress was so frightened that she immediately knelt down and pleaded, “Mother, the day is so cold, there isn't even a heater in the ancestral hall, what if Yu'er freezes and gets sick?” Her eyes were full of worry and anxiety, as if Ren Yaoyu was in the middle of the freezing weather at the moment, and could be frostbitten at any time, with a few tremors in her voice, she seemed to be pleading with Old Madam Ren to have mercy and let Ren Yaoyu off the hook this time .

“I am letting her go to think about her life! It's not like I'm letting her enjoy her happiness!” Old Madam Ren was not moved, her voice was cold and hard, as if emphasizing that her decision could not be changed, Ren Yaoyu's life and death did not seem to matter to her, what mattered was to make her understand her mistake and accept the punishment she deserved.

The Fifth Mistress wiped her tears, her voice choked with emotion: “Mother, last time Yu'er was sick, my grandmother was so worried that she couldn't eat or sleep, and in the end, she even personally sent the sisters around her to come and see her before she felt relieved. Daughter-in-law is not heartbroken that she suffered from this flesh and blood, she just doesn't want the elders to worry.” In her words, she subtly brought out her grandmother, Mrs. Ren's aunt, this grandmother's position in the Ren family was quite special, every time the fifth wife brought her out, it always played some role, as if reminding Mrs. Ren that she wasn't alone, and that there was a powerful backer behind her.

As expected, although her face is still not good, but she is frowning, seemingly weighing something, Ren Yaoyu's fate seems to be hanging by a thread at this moment, the fifth wife's tears and pleading made her heart ripple, but did not completely change her decision.

Seeing this, Ren Yaohua's mouth overflowed with a sarcastic cold smile, and she was about to open her mouth to say a few words, but she was pulled by Ren Yaoyu's clothes from behind by the quick eye of Ren Yaoyuqi who was standing next to her. Ren Yaohua turned her head angrily, Ren Yaoqi gave her a wink, signaling her to stay calm, as if telling her that it's not the time to be impulsive, but to calmly deal with the situation in front of her.

Originally, Ren Yaohua did not want to ignore her, but she saw the First Mistress suddenly speak softly, ''Fifth younger sibling's words are not appropriate. It's well known that Elder Taijun Lin loves her great-granddaughter, but our Elder Mistress has always favored her juniors as well. Today's punishment of Yu'er is only out of the elder's desire for the younger generation, and is not a deliberate attempt to make things difficult.” Her words not only maintained the authority of Old Mrs. Ren, but also skillfully resolved the embarrassment of the Fifth Mistress, worthy of being the head mother of the Ren family, smooth and appropriate, as if she was using her wisdom and eloquence to balance the power pattern of the Ren family.

Old Mrs. Ren's face looked better as she nodded her head and said, “It's still the oldest daughter-in-law who has a clear head.” She was quite satisfied with the First Mistress's words, as if she had found a step down, Ren Yaoyu's fate seemed to have turned around again, but the Fifth Mistress's heart was still hanging a big stone, not knowing when it would fall to the ground.

The Fifth Mistress glanced at the First Mistress, her heart full of doubts. Although the Ren family is clearly the first wife in charge, but by virtue of the old lady's favor, she is also in charge of a few real power in the house. The first wife is good natured, she has never been able to let it, encountered anything is also always play the role of mud. But today, I don't know why, didn't help her speak, as if it is intentionally neutral, let the fifth wife feel a trace of uneasiness .

The fifth wife is pondering, the first wife has already quickly walked to her side, whispered to advise: “The old lady is angry, you just soften first, ask for a favor also have to wait for her old man anger subsides before doing, otherwise will not make a mistake?” Although she said this in a low voice, but also can let the surrounding people hear, not only publicly persuade the fifth wife, seems to be biased in favor of her, but also do not let the old lady to her behavior, as if she is using her wisdom for the fifth wife to point out a clear road, let her know how to plead in front of Mrs. Ren to achieve the best results.

The Fifth Mistress knew that she had a point, so she reluctantly pressed on, thinking of another idea for later, but in her heart, she was secretly calculating how to make Elder Mrs. Ren change her mind and save Zhi Yaoyu.

Sister Gui asked the maid to help Ren Yaoyu, who was in tears, to go out. Because Mrs. Ren was in a bad mood, everyone retreated for the time being, and the storm in the Ren family came to an end for the time being, but the fate of Ren Yaoyu was still unknown, and the Fifth Mistress's heart was filled with worry and anxiety.

When Ren Yaoyu returned to Ziwei courtyard with her maids, she saw Ren Yaohua standing under the eaves of the east wing, as if she was looking at her side, but also as if she was admiring the ice hooks hanging upside down on the pomegranate tree in front of the door. The ice hook was crystal clear, shining brightly under the winter sunlight, as if it was a carefully carved work of art by nature, Ren Yaohua's gaze lingered on the ice hook for a moment, seemingly pondering something .

Ren Yaohua's footsteps lurched, and instead of heading towards the corridor connecting the west wing, she turned towards the direction of the west wing. When she almost walked to Ren Yaohua's side, Ren Yaohua skimmed her head and gave her a cold look, “Come in for me.” Saying that, she turned around and headed for her room, her tone carrying a few hints of command and impatience, as if declaring her authority and status .

Ren Yaohua smiled faintly and followed her in without haste. Ren Yaohua's house was decorated similarly to Ren Yaohua's, only that Ren Yaohua seldom came here, so it was still very unfamiliar. Inside the house was exquisitely furnished, there were several famous paintings and calligraphy hanging on the wall, all kinds of books were neatly placed on the bookshelves, there was also an ancient zither by the window, the strings of the zither gently trembled in the breeze as if it was telling something, as Ren Yaohua's eyes swept through the house, her heart had a hint of understanding of Ren Yaohua's living environment.

Ren Yaohua walked straight to her inner room and sat on the kang, she didn't entertain Ren Yaohua, she just looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze, as if she was waiting for something, wanting to find out some secrets from her.

Ren Yaoqi didn't care about her gaze, she sat on the other side of the kang table, her hands gently resting on her knees, her expression calm, as if she was not involved, but in her heart, she was thinking about how to discuss with Ren Yaohua about what to do next.

“Do you have someone in the outer courtyard?” Ren Yaohua knew that Ren Yaohua was waiting for her to explain, but she didn't open the door to that matter, instead she asked a seemingly unrelated question first, her voice was calm, but it was permeated with a few deep meanings, as if she was testing Ren Yaohua's cards and strength.

Ren Yaohua narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze sharp, as if she was trying to probe any secrets from Ren Yaohua's words, “What do you mean?” She asked rhetorically, with a few hints of caution and suspicion in her tone, as if questioning Ren Yaohua's intentions, her heart feeling a hint of uneasiness at Ren Yaohua's sudden question.

“If you don't want others to implicate you in this matter today, you should hurry up and send someone to investigate this Six An Family's that came out of nowhere, as well as the dog from before.” Ren Yaohua said unhurriedly, with a bit of certainty and calmness in his voice, as if he had already had a plan in mind, and had a clear understanding of the ins and outs of this matter in his heart .

Ren Yaohua heard something in Ren Yaohua's words, her brows furrowed, a glint flashed in her eyes, “What does this matter have to do with me?” She asked rhetorically, with a few moments of skepticism and disbelief in her tone, seemingly questioning why Ren Yaohua involved her, feeling a hint of dissatisfaction in her heart towards Ren Yaohua's accusation .

“Right now there is no involvement, but there might be one soon. Someone is not willing to let go of this good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. On top of that ragdoll, the old lady's eight characters weren't written on by Ren Yaoyu at all.” Ren Yaoyu said softly, her voice was low, but her words were pearl-like, as if she was lifting a layer of fog for Ren Yaohua, letting her see the truth behind this matter.

Ren Yaohua was stunned at her words, she was after all a smart person, after careful thought she felt that there was indeed something fishy about this matter. Ren Yaoyu's nature is known to her, it is still possible to make a curse to disgust her, but she really doesn't have the guts to harm the old lady, even though she often complains about the old lady in private.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)