The Plot of a Concubine's Revenge

Chapter 6: The Weaving of Power

In the Ren family's deep courtyard, every servant's stay or departure was a move in a chess game, and Ying'er and Zhu'er's homecoming was just the beginning of this chess game.

Between the inner and outer courtyards of the Ren family, an invisible boundary, like a moat, divides the world in two. Ying'er and Zhu'er, who were once maids of honor in the inner courtyard, now crossed that boundary and became ordinary servants in the outer courtyard, their fate, like dandelions blown apart by the wind, beyond their control.

“Sister, you should say that one thing is different from another! Now that we're back, does she still want to be able to extend her hand this far?” Ren Yaohua's voice was as cold as ice, her eyes flickered with determination, “Tomorrow I'll throw out the ones she arranged to come in, and the lackeys who were originally in the courtyard where the wind blew the walls down.”

Sister Zhou, on the other hand, advised in her husky and steady voice, “Third Miss, we've only just returned, so it's better to put this matter on hold for now, right? The people we brought back are still a few, and this Ziwei courtyard still needs people to serve, even if we want to pick new people, or buy them separately, we still have to report to the Old Madam and the First Mistress first. Moreover, to oust people also need to have a reason, not for no reason will be in the yard of the people kicked out, so do not only the lower people cold heart, the old lady side is also not good to deliver.”

Ren Yaohua already hated Auntie Fang in her heart, and raised her eyebrows when she heard Sister Zhou's words, “I'll say it on Grandmother's side, as for the reason? Is that not simple? Lazy, broken mouth, stealing, disrespecting the master ...... master gave them a conviction, they can still refute it?”

“Third Miss ......” Before Sister Zhou could finish her words, she was interrupted by Ren Yaoqi's voice.

“Is Third Sister going to offend all the people up and down this Ren Family before she's willing to give up?” Ren Yaohua's voice was calm, but carried a power that could not be ignored.

Ren Yaohua's cold face and cold eyes looked over towards Ren Yaoyi, Ren Yaoyi turned a blind eye to her anger and said in a faint voice, “Auntie Fang did rearrange quite a few people into the Purple Villa Courtyard, just that apart from Sister Zhu beside me and two personal maids, most of them aren't her own people.”

“Not her people?” Sister Zhou thought for a moment and mused, “It is reasonable to say that it has only been more than a year, and she really isn't that capable ......”

Networking is something that needs to be managed, Sister Zhou has helped Li run her business for more than ten years but she has only gained a dozen or so true believers serving around her, and she has also been sent away for two. The other wives of the Ren family are not vegetarians either, how could they let Auntie Fang sit up too much and ride on top of them?

Ren Yaoshi nodded: “The maids and maids in the Ziwei courtyard now are mostly newly selected from various manors a year ago.”

Ren Yaohua, however, smiled coldly and cast a sidelong glance at Ren Yaoyi: “This courtyard is managed by Aunt Fang, doesn't the selection of people still have to go through her hands? Even if these people didn't have anything to do with her before, after going through her path, didn't they also become her people?”

Although Ren Yaohua had a strong temperament, she was not a stupid person. Although she was not very old, she had her own opinions because she had helped the weak Li Clan with her ideas since she was young.

Ren Yaohua didn't deny it when she heard Ren Yaohua say so, instead she nodded her head in agreement, “Third sister is right, these people went Auntie Fang's way and got such an idle job, so they are all thankful to her, and this year her reputation in the mouths of Ren's subordinates has gotten better and better.”

Li and Ren Yaohua went to the manor, Ziwei courtyard less masters, but the share of regulations is the same as before, Auntie Fang and never deduct, so the Ziwei courtyard of the errand has become the Ren family lackeys recognized as the oil and water of the idle job.

This time, although Ren Yaohua's face was even more ugly, but did not immediately speak out.

The eldest maid, Xi'er, couldn't help but wonder: ''But at first, didn't Miss Fifth say that these people weren't Aunt Fang's people? Now she is saying that they are her people ...... So are they her people or not?”

Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment and softly said, “Although these people are all Aunt Fang's newly picked out from the manor house children, they are all related to the old lady, the first lady, the second lady, the fifth lady's yard's capable maids with some ties. For example, Niu's sister-in-law who manages the key to our courtyard door, her sister-in-law is the old lady's grandmother's eldest daughter-in-law, the Liu'er who manages our courtyard's tea for guests is the first-class maid Qiu Fen's sister, and Liu's mother-in-law who is responsible for the hot water in the backyard was originally a concierge in the outer courtyard of the Ren family, but her niece is now in charge of the books at the fifth wife's courtyard... ...”

Sister Zhou is also considered to be an old man who has rolled and crawled in the backyard, and after listening to just a few sentences, she heard the powerful relationship between them, and her heart was even more shocked.

The maid Magpie was also shocked and furious, “She even used our Ziwei courtyard's errand as a favor to curry favor with the other masters of the Ren family!”

Ren Yaoshi shook her head as she glanced at Ren Yaohua.

Ren Yaohua's lips were pursed tightly, giving her cold face a few stubborn looks, but her eyes were blazing with anger.

“She can certainly please the old madam and the people around the first madam by doing this, but the main purpose is not this.”

When everyone heard this, all their gazes were turned towards Ren Yaoyi.

Ren Yaoqi however looked at Ren Yaohua: “Her purpose is third sister and mother.”

Ignoring several people's stunned eyes, Ren Yaohua continued to say unhurriedly, “She has calculated Third Sister's temperament, knowing that you will not be able to tolerate the people she arranged to stay in Ziwei Courtyard, and will start to clean up the inner courtyard as soon as she comes back. In fact, these people do not have the slightest connection with her, was sent to where are not in her way. The favors she gave out she received as usual, but you are the one who offended the old madam, the first madam, the second madam, and the fifth madam because of it.”

Ren Yaohua is also a daughter of the Ren family, plus Old Madam Ren always has a few favorites for her, so she will always return to the Ren family. Auntie Fang understood this from the beginning, so she never thought that she could drive Ren Yaohua and Li completely out of the Ren family.

She was a concubine, and even if she gave birth to a son, she couldn't be corrected, so what she wanted was to have control of the backyard of the third house.

It was that even if Li and Ren Yaohua returned to the Ren family they could no longer shake her position.

“This despicable and shameless poisonous woman!” Xi'er gritted her teeth and cursed.

Ren Yaohua, on the contrary, gradually calmed down because of her extreme anger, and said word by word in a cold tone, “She'll just wait and see, I'll definitely make her look good!”

Ren Yaohua, however, calmly asked, “How are you going to make her look good? Let her come and set the rules for mother, then take the opportunity to fix her?”

Ren Yaohua raised her eyes and looked at Ren Yaoqi with a sullen face.

Sister Zhou was afraid that the two sisters would quarrel again, and busied herself with rounding up the situation, “Third Miss is also thinking that we've been gone for a year, and the people of the Ren family only know that there is Auntie Fang, and don't know that there's a proper master like Mrs. Ren. I want to take the opportunity to set up rules for Auntie Fang to give Mrs. prestige.”

Ren Yaoqi also didn't want to argue with Ren Yaohua, so he nodded: “The idea is not wrong, but the timing is not right.”

“Oh? How is it not right?” Ren Yaohua raised her eyebrows and said coldly.

Ren Yaohua seriously said, “Didn't I ask Third Sister earlier how to give Auntie Fang a good look? Before you left the house, you did give her a good look a few times, but have you ever wondered why you were able to give her a good look, so that even if she suffered a defeat, she had no place to redress her grievances?”

Ren Yaohua didn't say anything, but Xi'er said, “Of course it's because our third young miss has more face in front of the old madam than Auntie Fang! With the old madam's backing, Auntie Fang naturally wouldn't dare to be reckless when she sees Third Miss.”

Old Mrs. Ren didn't like Li, but she was good to her granddaughter, Ren Yaohua.

When Ren Yaohua pushed Ren Yihong into the water, the old lady also thought that she was young and impetuous, coupled with a slip of the hand, was not intentionally framing the life of her concubine brother, and helped her to put in a good word for her at Master Ren's place.

“Aunt Fang also knows this. So if there comes a day when the old madam she is no longer on third sister's side, what then?”

“How is this possible, the old madam has always loved third young miss, she also sent people to send food to third young miss when we were at the manor.” Magpie was busy shaking her head.

Ren Yaohua and Sister Zhou were silent.

The old madam's side is not short of joyful juniors, nowadays the Ren family is the fourth miss Ren Yaoyin, the first born of the first wife, and the fifth wife's first born Ren Yaoyu are the most favored, and are often left by the old madam to stay in the East Warm Pavilion of the Ronghua Courtyard.

Today, Ren Yaohua and Li went to greet the old lady, the old lady was very happy to see Ren Yaohua, but when Ren Yaohua pleaded for Li's favor, she was rebuked with a cold face.

In the past, in the Ren family, Mrs. Ren would never say a harsh word to Ren Yaohua. Whenever Mrs. Ren gave Li a hard time, with Ren Yaohua at the side, Mrs. Ren would give her granddaughter some face.

“So Third Sister's most important thing right now is not to think of ways to find trouble with Auntie Fang, so that her reputation for being mean and overbearing is purposefully trumpeted to the point where everyone knows about her. Rather, she is trying to consolidate her position in front of the old madam. As long as you're still the most favored granddaughter by the old madam's side, you'll have plenty of opportunities to teach Aunt Fang a lesson in the future if you want to.” Ren Yaoqi pointed out calmly and objectively.

No one noticed the indifference towards Old Madam Ren that was revealed in this calmness of hers