The Plot of a Concubine's Revenge

Chapter 4 Prelude to Conflict

In this ancient mansion, a dead silence enveloped the eaves, with only the sound of snowflakes gently falling, as if nature was whispering. The surrounding maids and grannies held their breaths, a tense atmosphere filled the air, their gazes sneaking glances at Ren Yaoshi and Ren Yaohua from time to time, as if they were waiting for a storm to come.

Ren Yaohua's gaze was like a sharp blade, locked onto Ren Yaoyi. When she saw that Ren Yaoyi just silently covered her cheeks after receiving a slap and didn't fight back, she couldn't help but feel a trace of doubt in her heart. But the repression of these days made her anger take over, and she raised her hand again without hesitation.

Just at this moment, the curtain of the main room gently moved, and a Sister in her forties with a slender figure walked out. Her appearance broke the tense atmosphere, and as soon as she saw the confrontation under the veranda, her face immediately turned grave. She quickly intervened, shielding Ren Yaoshi tightly in her arms, and said seriously to Ren Yaohua, ''Third Miss, we've only just returned to the house today, what do you mean by this? Don't forget that Mistress is still sick.” At the same time, she used her eyes to send a certain message to Ren Yaohua.

Ren Yaohua saw the anxiety and worry in the grandma's eyes, thinking that her mother was still sick, she gritted her teeth and lowered her hand, but her gaze remained cold.

As Ren Yaohua observed all this, she noticed that although Sister Zhou was ostensibly protecting her, she was actually restricting her movements to prevent her from fighting back. Sister Zhou sternly said to Ren Yaoyi, “Fifth Miss, you shouldn't make a scene either, Mistress is sick, go in and take a look at her.” Ren Yaoyi nodded and signaled Sister Zhou to release her.

Sister Zhou had thought that more persuasion was needed, but Ren Yaoyi seemed to accept the result easily, which surprised her a little. She carefully sized up Ren Yaoyi, only to see that her face was expressionless, without too many emotional fluctuations.

Sister Zhou slowly let go of her hand, Ren Yaoyi did not make any other movements, only bypassing Ren Yaohua and lifting the curtain to enter the main room.

The layout of Ziwei Courtyard was unique, the opening was short but the depth was long, although it was a big courtyard with three entries, the main room was only three rooms, but each room was spacious and bright. The bright room in the center was the main hall, the east second room was used for meeting guests, the west second room was the bedroom, and there was also a small clean room, which was convenient for delivering hot water from the backyard.

Ren Yaoqi went directly to the west second room, where there was an exquisite bed, the newly changed red silk tent hung on the bedposts, and on the bed lay a woman in her thirties. Her face was beautiful, but with a sickly pallor, and the “Chuan” lines between her eyebrows made her look a bit old.

“Mother ......” Ren Yaoqi softly walked over to the bedside, looking at this woman who wore sorrow even in her sleep, her voice choked.

Although her voice was small, the woman on the bed seemed to sense something and slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes were charming and moving, extremely similar to Ren Yaohua's eyes.

The woman looked a little sleepy, but when she saw Ren Yaohua, she smiled gently and beckoned for her to come over: ''Period? Come over and let mother see if you have grown taller.”

Ren Yaoyi quickly stepped forward and knelt by the bed, burying her face into Li's chest and crying. Seeing this, Li froze, then gently stroked Ren Yaoyi's head and softly asked, “What's wrong?”

At this moment, the curtain was lifted again, and Ren Yaohua and Sister Zhou walked in. Ren Yaohua saw Ren Yaoyi jumping on Li's body and crying, her anger was burning, she sneered and said, “What can she do? Isn't she just telling you that I hit her again? I thought that after spending a year in the mansion, she would have grown a lot, but I didn't want her to be so unaware of what's going on, and would only rush at people's backs and shoot cold arrows!”

Saying that, she strides forward, pulling Ren Yaoyi's arm, trying to pull her out. Ren Yaoyi's body is already weak, being tugged like this, she accidentally fell to the ground, five fingerprints on the left side of her face were clearly visible.

Li let out a cry of shock and tried to sit up, but collapsed due to her weakness. “Mother-” Ren Yaohua shook off Ren Yaohua's hand and went forward to check on Li.

Ren Yaohua ignored Ren Yaohua and went forward to help Li herself, placing her on the bed and padding her with soft pillows, “Mother, you just drank the medicine, what are you doing up?”

But Li pulled Ren Yaoyi, carefully checking her face, looking at Ren Yaohua reproachfully, “Hua'er, how could you lay such a heavy hand on your sister!”

Ren Yaohua glanced at the five finger prints on Ren Yaoyi's face and coldly said, “If it wasn't for Sister Zhou stopping her, I would have rewarded her with a few more slaps.”

The left side of Ren Yaoyi's face was already red and swollen, Li was heartbroken, Ren Yaohua's words made her a little angry, she frowned and said, “Hua'er! You quickly come over and apologize to your sister!”

Ren Yaohua sniffed and raised her chin slightly, saying contemptuously, “I'll apologize to her? In your next life!”

“Hua'er!” Li helplessly scolded lightly, turning her head to look at Ren Yaohua, who had already collected her tears and was still kneeling in front of her bed, she said in a dilemma, “Phaseer, your sister, she didn't mean it, you ......”

But seeing the shocking redness and swelling on Ren Yaoyi's face, Li couldn't say any more and could only go to discuss with her eldest daughter, “Hua'er, for the sake of my mother, can't you take a step back?”

Ren Yaohua bit her lip when she saw the anxious look on Li's tired face. She didn't want to make her mother sad, but she couldn't do it by asking her to put down her pride to apologize with Ren Yaohua, so she couldn't help but stiffen a little.

“Forget it mother, it's not necessary.” Ren Yaoyi sighed lightly and suddenly looked up at Li and said.

Li was stunned, Ren Yaohua also frowned and looked over, seemingly not believing that the words came out of her mouth. Ren Yaohua propped herself up on the edge of Li's bed and stood up.

She remembered her last life, when she met Ren Yaohua after she got well, she was also slapped by her. Afterwards, when she arrived in front of her mother, her mother also asked Ren Yaohua to apologize, but she felt that her mother was biased in favor of Ren Yaohua, or else how should she have asked her to return those two slaps back, instead of a glib sorry.

When she was young, someone always whispered in her ear that it was because of her birth that her mother was not liked by her mother-in-law in the Ren family, so not only did her grandmother dislike her, but her mother was also disgusted with her, otherwise she wouldn't have favored her older sister every time and condescended to her.

After this kind of thing happened more, Ren Yaohua believed it, so there was always some gap between her and her mother Li. Ren Yaohua called Li “mother”, but Ren Yaohui never called her “mother”. The same as the ninth sister and sixth brother of the concubine.

When Ren Yaohua looked up, she saw Li looking at her cautiously. Seeing her looking over, Li Clan busily said, “Period, period you are the best behaved, much more understanding than your sister.” A tone of comforting a small child.

Sister Zhou on the side also smiled at the right time and opened her mouth, “The slave girl said that just once I saw the fifth young lady, I felt something different, it turns out that she has grown up and understands things, in the future, Mrs. you can rest assured.”

Li nodded her head and said dryly, “Yes.” Thinking about the injury on Ren Yaoyi's face, she busily instructs to Sister Zhou, “Quickly go and use a hot pad to apply a compress and medicine to Yi'er, otherwise it will definitely hurt at night.”

Grandma Zhou looked at Ren Yaohua and then at Ren Yaoqi, somewhat uneasy about letting the two sisters be in the same place, but Li kept urging her, so Grandma Zhou could only rush out.

Only mother and daughter were left in the room, but it was quiet, finally Li's pulled Ren Yaohua to sit on the side of her bed and asked to break the silence: “Yi'er, have you lived well in the mansion this year? Have you been wronged?”

Ren Yaoyi shook her head, “I'm fine, not aggrieved.”

“Oh, you have your father protecting you, she, she wouldn't dare to wrong you.” Li looked at her na na na na.

“Heh!” Ren Yaohua snorted coldly in mockery.

Ren Yaohua lowered her eyes, “Mother, did you just drink the medicine? It's better to rest today, I'll come back to see you tomorrow.” Saying that, she went forward and helped Li to let her lie down.

Li didn't reject her good intentions, but after lying down, she pulled Ren Yaoyi's hand and didn't let go, “Period, let Sister Zhou give you the medicine before you leave, okay?”

Ren Yaoyi nodded and quietly sat by Li's bedside.

Ren Yaohua stood to the side, her gaze with scrutiny coldly falling on Ren Yaoyi.

Li Clan, however, pulled Ren Yaoyi's hand and looked at her and smiled, “Period, you've really grown up.”

At this time, Sister Zhou who had originally gone out came back.

“Didn't I tell you to ask for hot water?” Li asked.

Sister Zhou hurriedly walked over, “Mistress, the hot water slave girl has already ordered it. Auntie Fang is here, saying that she brought Sixth Young Master and Ninth Miss to greet you.”

Li frowned and said wearily, “I'm tired, it's better to let them go back.”

Ren Yaohua, however, snorted coldly, “You've been back for so long and you haven't seen her come to take a look, what are you doing here now. Mother, you lie down.