The Plot of a Concubine's Revenge

Chapter 12: Irrefutable Evidence: The Stir in Ronghua Hall

In the Ronghua Hall of the Ren family, the truth often lies hidden beneath layers of fog, and today, it seems that a sudden gust of wind is about to clear away the mist.

The words of the woman from Liu'an's house caused ripples like a stone thrown into a tranquil lake. Everyone's gaze turned to the two maids kneeling on the ground, their faces so drained of color that it seemed as if all the blood had been drained from them.

The matriarch's brows were tightly furrowed. Her voice, though not severe, carried an undeniable authority in the strict confines of Ronghua Hall, where any transgression could lead to severe punishment. "Have you heard clearly? Confess the truth!" Her words conveyed an unquestionable command.

Aunt Wu's gaze was as sharp as a blade. She glanced at the woman from Liu'an's house, a glint of sharpness in her eyes, and suddenly asked Aunt Gui with a smile, "If that's the case, then the bundle must have been found? Why not bring it out and see what's inside?" Aunt Gui's face showed some difficulty, and her response was hesitant: "Replying to Aunt Wu, I have sent people to search, but it has not been found yet."

Aunt Wu's anger was palpable. She turned to the matriarch with a sense of grievance and said, "Mother, I know you have always favored Yaohua and Yaoyin over Yu'er. I always teach Yu'er that her elder sisters are older and should be more favored. Yu'er has always been sensible, treating her sisters with humility and courtesy, never harboring resentment. I know her quiet nature is not pleasing, but she shouldn't be bullied by every Tom, d**k, and Harry, right? These baseless accusations are just the embellishments of a senile servant trying to curry favor and get a reward by sowing confusion. How can we believe them so easily? These maids, though simple, are Yu'er's personal attendants. It's unjust to label them as thieves without any evidence, and how will Yu'er be able to hold her head high in the house and among her siblings?"

As Aunt Wu spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, her sorrow seemingly ready to overflow. The matriarch's face showed displeasure, and she lightly scolded, "Enough! I haven't said anything yet! I'm just questioning the maids and the old woman! Crying like this in front of the younger generation is unbecoming!"

Aunt Wu took out her handkerchief to wipe her tears, but her tone remained somewhat aggrieved: "You haven't even asked clearly and have already convicted Yu'er's maids. It's obvious that you believe the ramblings of this old woman. If you really don't favor Yu'er, I will take her back and send her to her grandmother in Yunyang City! You can keep Yaohua to keep you company. She is eloquent and clever, and you have always been fond of her."

"Mother... I don't want to go to my grandmother's house..." Ren Yaoyu gently tugged at Aunt Wu's skirt, her face full of grievance.

Aunt Wu gently pushed her daughter away and scolded, "Who asked for your quiet nature that doesn't please the elders!"

Ren Yaoyu felt wronged and kept wiping away her tears.

Seeing this, the matriarch's forehead veins pulsed with anger, and she finally slammed the table in rage, "Who said to send Yaoyu to Yunyang City! She is my granddaughter of the Ren family, and she's not going anywhere!"

The first lady of the Ren family saw that the situation was getting out of hand. If she didn't step in now, the matriarch would blame her later for not helping. So she went forward to pull Aunt Wu and her daughter, gently saying, "Who said the matriarch doesn't love Yu'er? If she didn't care for this granddaughter, would she have taken Yu'er by her side to discipline personally?" She then comforted Ren Yaoyu in a soft voice, "Good girl, be obedient and don't listen to your mother's angry words. Who in the house doesn't like you for your humility and liveliness? Calm your mother down."

Seeing the first lady trying to mediate, Aunt Wu knew when to stop and gradually stopped speaking, but her eyes still glanced at the woman from Liu'an's house.

Having been sisters-in-law for many years, the first lady knew Aunt Wu's temperament well and took the initiative to speak for her to the matriarch, "Mother, what the fifth sister-in-law said does make sense. It's possible that the old woman made a mistake in the early morning. Let Aunt Gui take a look at the valuables in the house and see if anything is missing. If nothing important is missing, then it's probably just a misunderstanding."

Aunt Wu agreed at this moment, "I also agree to have the valuables in the house checked. Let's see if it's Yu'er's maids who are disloyal or if this cunning old woman is lying!"

The first lady looked at the matriarch for her decision.

The matriarch turned and instructed Aunt Gui, "You take people to check according to the list."

Aunt Gui went to do it.

About half an hour later, Aunt Gui returned with several senior maids.

"Reporting to the matriarch, we have checked all the items in the house against the register and found no missing items."

Aunt Wu was immediately furious, pointing at the anxious woman from Liu'an's house and scolding, "You ungrateful servant! Do you think our Yu'er is easy to bully because of her gentle nature? You don't slander others' personal maids, but you have to slander Yu'er's! Isn't this slapping my face?"

Seeing that all the trouble resulted in such an outcome, the matriarch's face also looked bad. She was about to speak when the woman from Liu'an's house, who was scolded by Aunt Wu to the point of wanting to hide her head back into her neck, quickly knelt down and hastily defended herself to the matriarch.

"Matriarch, please be clear, I dare not lie to you. I did see it, and I dare not utter a word of falsehood."

Aunt Gui frowned and whispered, "Without evidence, how can you expect the masters to believe you? I even trusted you and reported the matter for you, and now I will be implicated because of you."

Upon hearing this, the woman from Liu'an's house seemed to**** something and hastily said, "I have a way to find evidence."

Aunt Wu was furious, grinding her teeth, "Are you trying to deceive the masters again?"

The woman from Liu'an's house shook her head like a rattle-drum: "No, no. I know of an old woman in the outer courtyard who has a dog with an extremely sensitive nose. A few days ago, her husband was robbed of his purse when he went out of the house, and the dog led people to find the purse in a broken alley five streets away in a household."

Everyone was surprised to hear this.

The matriarch asked, "Is it really that effective?"

"Whether it's effective or not, you can let your maid try it out. I will go to the outer courtyard to borrow the dog. Let it sniff the scent of the two girls and follow it to the garden. It will definitely lead us to the right place," the woman from Liu'an's house guaranteed.

"Absurd! If so many servants can't find it, what use is an animal? Are humans really worse than that animal?" Aunt Wu disdainfully opposed,

The woman from Liu'an's house hurriedly said, "I can guarantee it will work. If it really can't find it in the end, I am willing to accept the punishment."

"Mother..."

Before Aunt Wu could say anything more to the matriarch, the first lady looked at the matriarch and gently persuaded, "Since this old woman dares to assert this, let her try. If she can't find it, it will clear the names of the two maids, and Yu'er's face will be preserved. As for this lying old woman... then we will beat her and sell her out, so that no one dares to casually talk nonsense in front of the matriarch in the future."

Aunt Wu wanted to say something more, but the matriarch had already spoken: "Let her go! See what tricks she can pull. Yu'er is my granddaughter, and I will naturally take charge for her. No one can casually splash dirty water on her maids!"

"Thank you, matriarch." The woman from Liu'an's house was overjoyed, kowtowed to thank for the favor, and then left.

"Should I follow and see?" Aunt Gui asked for instructions.

The matriarch nodded and let her go.

About two quarters of an hour later, the people in the room heard the sound of a dog barking from outside. From the sound, it was clear that it was a large dog.

The younger generation in the room were all somewhat curious and turned their heads towards the door curtain, but unfortunately, they couldn't see anything because it was