The Plot of a Concubine's Revenge

Chapter 11: Confrontation: The Hidden Truth

In the Ronghua Garden of the Ren family, every corner might conceal secrets unknown to others, and today, these secrets are about to be revealed.

Ren Yaoqi's thoughts were preoccupied with memories from the past, when she had just recovered from an illness and overheard a conversation that now seemed to be the key to uncovering the truth. The conversation between Aunt Zhu and Jin Ju about the maids' private money being confiscated and the real reason for selling those two maids pointed to an unsettling fact: the inner workings of the Ren family were far more complex than they appeared on the surface.

The sneer from Jin Ju and the sigh from Aunt Zhu both hinted at the hidden dealings within Ronghua Hall. And Ren Yaoqi was well aware that the truth behind this might be even more astonishing than what she knew. She also remembered that the real reason Ren Yaohua had angered the matriarch was because the scheme to frame Ren Yaoyu was exposed, and all of this was related to the conversation she had overheard by chance.

Jin Ju, a maid of Aunt Fang, had a twin sister, Jin Lian, who was a first-class maid in the matriarch's room. This fact made Ren Yaoqi suspect that the mastermind behind this incident might be related to Jin Lian.

As Ren Yaoqi was immersed in these chaotic thoughts, the matriarch had already spoken from her seat: "Bring in the two maids outside, and also bring in the old woman from before." Aunt Gui hurriedly went to comply, and soon, the two maids who had been kneeling outside were brought in, supported by four sturdy old women.

Perhaps due to kneeling outside for a long time, both maids were so cold that their faces turned blue, and they could hardly stand. As soon as the old women let go, they fell to the ground. The matriarch looked at them and said, "When Aunt Gui questioned you before, you refused to speak. Now that you've been kneeling for a while, you should be more clear-headed."

Aunt Wu, with a stern expression, also scolded, "Someone saw you secretly taking something out of Ronghua Hall this morning. Now, in front of the matriarch, tell the truth. Don't end up involving your Eighth Miss in your blame. You know my character; I can't tolerate slaves who deceive and betray their masters! If you think the matriarch is kind and persist in your folly, I won't let you off even after leaving Ronghua Hall!"

Aunt Wu's words were spoken with great moral indignation, but the two maids, upon hearing this, buried their heads even deeper, and their knees trembled unconsciously. Ren Yaoqi glanced at Aunt Wu, could it be that Ren Yaoyu really did something to anger the matriarch? Aunt Wu's words were clearly a covert warning to the maids to think carefully when speaking, and if they dared to involve Ren Yaoyu, she would not be lenient.

The matriarch lifted her eyelids and glanced at Aunt Wu, then looked at the two maids: "I'll give you another chance." One of the maids stammered, "Replying to the matriarch, we, your maids, did not, did not take anything out of Ronghua Hall."

The matriarch then ignored them, and the atmosphere in the room became somewhat strange. The two kneeling on the ground were trembling, and their rigid posture clearly showed their fear. Ren Yaoyu was also very uneasy, tightly clutching her own sleeves. Everyone else sensed the matriarch's displeasure at this moment and did not dare to speak.

"Mother..." Aunt Wu looked at her daughter and had to step forward. Just at that moment, Aunt Gui lifted the curtain and entered, followed by an old woman dressed in a semi-new crow-colored cotton jacket.

"Reporting to the matriarch, the woman from Liu'an's house is here," Aunt Gui stood respectfully beside the Luohan bed. Everyone's gaze turned to the old woman who was somewhat nervously kowtowing to greet. When she got up, Ren Yaoqi also took a close look at her and indeed had no impression of her.

Aunt Wu looked at the woman from Liu'an's house with a very critical eye and was the first to question: "Where are you from, old woman? You look so unfamiliar." The woman from Liu'an's house shrank her head and rubbed her hands, glancing at Aunt Gui. Aunt Gui quickly explained, "She was originally in charge of tea and water in the outer courtyard's affairs office. Because the two old women sweeping the courtyard in Ronghua Hall broke their waists while cleaning the frozen snow yesterday, the matriarch let the steward outside newly assign someone to temporarily replace the work of those two old women."

"So it's from the outer courtyard," Aunt Wu said to the matriarch with a smile, "Mother, this old woman from the outer courtyard is confused about the directions on her first visit to the inner quarters, and with all these young maids dressed in indigo cotton jackets, it's only natural for her to make a mistake." The matriarch waved her hand to stop Aunt Wu and asked the woman from Liu'an's house, "Are the two people you saw this morning here?"

The woman from Liu'an's house looked around, her gaze settling on the two maids kneeling not far to her right, and pointed at them with her thick, short fingers, "Replying to the matriarch, they are here. It's these two girls." "Are you sure? These are the ones attending to the Eighth Miss," Aunt Wu frowned.

The woman from Liu'an's house timidly glanced at Aunt Wu, moved closer, and scrutinized the two maids up close before nodding to the matriarch, "Your maid is certain, it's these two girls. At that time, your maid was using a stick to knock the icicles under the eaves, and the icicle fell into my neck, so I hid in the tea room next door to clean up. They passed by the door of the tea room at that time, and one of the girls had a mole the size of a soybean on her right cheek."

One of the two maids kneeling on the ground indeed had a mole on her face. "Did you see what they were carrying?" the matriarch asked coldly. The woman from Liu'an's house rubbed her hands, shaking her head in embarrassment, "It was a bundle wrapped in an autumn fragrance colored satin, which they held carefully in their arms. Your maid did not see it, only heard the girl with the mole tell the other to go ahead and prop open the door of the room. Your maid felt something was wrong, so I followed them quietly, and later saw them take the bundle to the garden. I also heard them discussing that the masters were about to get up and decided to hide the things first, and deal with them when they had time in the morning."

With the testimony of the old woman from Liu'an's house, the secrets of the Ronghua Hall in the Ren family gradually emerged. Ren Yaoqi knew that this confrontation was just the tip of the iceberg, and more truth was hidden behind this prosperity. And she must be even more careful to avoid being drawn into this family power struggle.