CH 105

Chapter 105: Decided to Cut One’s Flesh and Feed It To the Eagles

Seeing her obstinacy, Old Madam Ren didn’t bother to lecture her, so she waved her hand for the maids to pull Ren Yaoyu out.

Kang also went out with the support of Matron Gui.

Old Madam Ren returned to the house with a cold face. Only Ren Yaoqi, Ren Yaohua, and Ren Yaoyin were in the room, and all three of them had the good sense not to open their mouths and speak.

Seeing that Old Madam Ren ordered her most senior maid Jinlian to come in to instruct something, Ren Yaoyin invited Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoqi to go to talk in the small pavillion where she lived, and Old Madam Ren waved her hand and let them go.

>> Small Pavilion

Not long after Ren Yaoqi followed Ren Yaoyin, she heard someone hurry in, followed by Ren Shijia’s voice from outside.

Ren Shijia was now nine months pregnant and would give birth in less than a month. Because this birth was hard-won, Ren Shijia was very careful on normal days, usually only staying in her yard and not coming out easily. Old Madam Ren felt heartache for this daughter, so Old Madam didn’t ask her to pay respects. Instead, the Old Madam was the one who went to see her every two days.

Ren Shijia came here with her big belly right now must be because of Ren Shimao and Lin’s affairs. Ren Shijia and Ren Shimao were the closest in age, and they had been close since childhood. Later, Lin married into the Ren Family, and she married into the Lin Family. The relationship between the three of them became even closer.

Seeing that she came here amidst her pregnancy, Old Madam Ren hurriedly asked the maids to help her sit down, and reprimanded, “What are you doing here in such a hurry! Be careful with your baby!”

Sure enough, Ren Shijia said, “I’m here for the Fifth Brother and the Fifth Sister-in-law. Yesterday, the Fifth Brother was drunk and ran to my place. I sent two servants to send him back, but I didn’t expect to be turned away by Fifth Sister-in-law.”

Old Madam Ren snorted softly, of course she knew about it. Originally, she thought that after being angry all afternoon and all night, Lin should have already changed mind, but Lin unexpectedly was still so obstinate. In the end, she asked someone to call Ren Shimao to live in the wing of Ronghua Courtyard.

“I sent a maid to visit Fifth Sister-in-law. I heard that her eyes were swollen like walnuts from crying all night, and she hasn’t eaten today. I was a little worried, so I went over to check on her just now. Inexplicably, she is directing maidservants all around to pack up her things, saying that she wanted to return to her natal home,” Ren Shijia was worried about her Brother and Sister-in-law.

Old Madam Ren was indifferent when she heard that, only calmly commented, “If you can go back to live in your natal house, she can naturally go back to her natal house, otherwise won’t it appear that our family is mean to the daughter-in-law? We persuade her but she will not listen, so just let the people of the Lin Family advise her, maybe she will finally understand.”

“But this matter is still Fifth Brother’s fault after all. If Fifth Sister-in-law goes back just like this, I’m afraid that Lin Family will have a problem with the Ren Family,” Ren Shijia was still a Madam of the Lin Family. The Eldest Branch and the Second Branch hadn’t been separated, so no matter what, she would not let the Lin Family and Ren Family fall out now.

Old Madam Ren understood her daughter’s worries and comforted her, “Don’t worry about this matter, I have my arrangements. I already sent someone to deliver a message to the Lin Family early this morning and said that I would let Shimao go over to apologize in a couple of days. However, according to the nature of the Lin Family’s Eldest Old Madam, she will probably send someone over later, and may even meet up with your Fifth Sister-in-law.”

Ren Shijia froze, “Mother, you’ve already sent someone to the Lin Family? I thought you…”

Ren Shijia thought that Old Madam Ren had a problem with the Lin Family and Lin Clan because of her, so she deliberately disgraced the Lin Clan and the Lin Family.

“No matter what, this facade still needs to be done.” Old Madam Ren said.

She may discreetly annoy the Lin Family. But with so many interests at stake between the Lin and Ren families throughout the years, it was impractical to turn the other cheek now. They still had to give face to the Lin Family. This was something that Old Master Ren had frequently told her.

Ren Yaoqi, Ren Yaohua, and Ren Yaoyin were sitting peacefully and quietly in the small pavillion. Because it was almost summer and the weather was warming up, to ventilate the house, the heavy cotton curtains used in autumn and winter were removed and replaced with light-colored muslin curtains, so it wasn’t difficult to hear the mother and daughter’s voices from there.

Because Old Madam Ren didn’t think to send away the granddaughters inside, they were content to silently listen to the faint sound of the dialogue outside.

Ren Shijia asked, “Mother, do you really want to let that Kang in?”

Old Madam Ren was not pleased and said, “Why do you care about all this? Even if she stays, she’s just a concubine, it is not anyone’s business!”

Ren Shijia cast a sidelong look at her mother. She didn’t believe that the Old Madam didn’t care about these things when she was young. Didn’t their family have no concubine?

Old Madam Ren didn’t know her daughter’s slander, so she changed the topic, “Instead of worrying about other people’s idleness, you should think about your own affairs. What do you think about the candidates I told you about?”

Ren Shijia knew that Mrs. Ren was asking about her picking up a concubine for Lin Kun, and her face collapsed. These days, because she was about to give birth, Old Madam Ren didn’t mention that matter again to not make her feel bad. But she still said sullenly, “Didn’t you say that you want to help me choose? Mother’s vision has always been good.”

Old Madam Ren nodded, ”That Jinlian girl who serves me is good. She has a good and unobtrusive appearance and a gentle nature. Her mother and father are all decent people, and she has a younger brother who works as a clerk at the coal warehouse in Tongzhou. If you think she can be trusted, transferred her brother from Tongzhou back to Yunyang City as a vice steward under you in a few years. Their family’s future will depend on you. You are equivalent to her natal family, so she will naturally be obedient to you. Then there is a junior maid called Qingliu, who is fourteen years old. Her mother was a second-class maid in my courtyard when she was young, but when she passed away early, her father married another. Her stepmother was a formidable one, so she is closer to her brother and sister-in-law who brought her up.”

Ren Shijia listened quietly, repeating the same sentence over and over again, “Which one does Mother think is better?”

Old Madam Ren sighed, “Both are good, but it still depends on whether you give birth to a male or female this time.”

Ren Shijia touched her abdomen and looked up in disbelief, “What does this have to do with my child?”

Old Madam Ren glared at her, ”How is it not relevant? Do you think that I spent so much effort to pick a concubine for you to deliberately add to your worries? I do it for you and the child in your belly! If you give birth to a girl, then pick Jinlian. She is seventeen this year and will be pregnant as soon as she enters the door, so she can give you and your husband a boy as soon as possible and shut up the mouths of others. If you give birth to a boy, then pick the younger Qingliu. Take her by your side for a few years first, don’t let her get pregnant for the time being. Wait for your child to be older before letting her give birth to a child, so later her child can become your son’s helper in the future!”

It turns out there were so many twists and turns in choosing a concubine? Ren Shijia couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed, and she also appreciated Old Madam Ren’s good intentions. Only a real mother would plan like this for her daughter.

Ren Yaoqi who heard these words in the inner room unconsciously sighed.

Because of what Old Madam Ren and Old Master Ren did in her last life, she thought that they only had interests in their hearts and had no feelings for their children and grandchildren. However, after listening to Old Madam Ren’s plans for Ren Shijia today, she realized that Old Madam Ren might not be completely cold-blooded towards her children, and that she would still try to plan for her children without offending the interests of the Ren Family.

Outside, Old Madam Ren and Ren Shijia talked for a few more sentences. Suddenly she seemed to remember that there were still three granddaughters in the small pavillion, so she stopped talking and called Matron Gui to come in and lead Ren Yaoqi and the others out.

When the three of them came out, Ren Shijia’s face was a little embarrassed, but Old Madam Ren’s face remained unchanged. She instructed Matron Gui to send them out.

As soon as her niece left, Ren Shijia complained in a low voice, “Mother, the children are still here, didn’t they hear everything we said?”

Old Madam Ren, however, didn’t care, ”What children? They are not young anymore. The Third Girl and the Fourth Girl will soon be talking about the in-laws, they should learn about these things slowly”

Suddenly Old Madam Ren glared at Ren Shijia, pointing her forehead, “I am now regretting that I spoiled you back then, won’t let you know this, won’t let you know that. I always thought that you are still young and it’s not good to teach you some things too early, But in the end, you have this kind of temperament! I understand that when I was raising my daughter, I didn’t want her to worry about anything, but after I married my daughter, I had to worry about everything for her! How can I live such long life?”

It turned out that Old Madam Ren had not really forgotten that there were three granddaughters still in the inner small pavilion. The reason why she didn’t send them out was because she thought that Ren Yaoyin and Ren Yaohua were getting older, and that it was time for them to learn the tricks of the inner house.

Some topics were difficult to teach now, but letting children learn by ear was also not an option.

Old Madam Ren only remembered when she was older what her mother told her. Unfortunately, she didn’t pass it to her only daughter, so she still had to worry about at her age.

Ren Shijia initially came to talk to Old Madam Ren about the matter between Ren Shimao and Lin, but unexpectedly Old Madam Ren changed the topic.

When the three of them, Ren Yaoqi and her sisters, came out of the Ronghua Courtyard, they heard some maidservants quietly discussing that the Fifth Madam had ordered a carriage to be prepared and was about to take the Eighth Miss back to her natal house.

She was not taking her son with her because he had to study in the outer courtyard and Master Ren was more strict with the grandsons.

“The Fifth Master is really a good-natured person. He softly begged the Fifth Madam to stay in public, but the Fifth Madam pointed at the Fifth Master’s face and scolded him without showing any sympathy. The Old Madam didn’t say anything, so no one dares to go up and stop Fifth Madam.”

When the servant who was speaking glanced up and saw several Young Misses come out, she was so terrified that she instantly shut up and stepped aside with her hands tied.

Ren Yaohua scolded softly, “Don’t you all have work? Are you so free that you come out and gossip?”

Numerous maidservants hurriedly apologized and withdrew.

After parting with Ren Yaoyin, Ren Yaohua asked, “Did Grandmother really not stopping Fifth Aunt? If she just went back like this, won’t the Lin Family have any objections?”

Ren Yaoqi smiled, “What do you think? Didn’t grandmother ask us, the Ren Family, to set an example first? The Ren Family has been so considerate in their plans for the Lin Family’s heir, so how can the Lin Family be so mean as to help their daughter who married out to be unreasonable?”

This was also why Old Madam Ren brought up the subject of the Ren Family preparing a concubine for Lin Kun in the main room. It was intended to close the Lin Family’s mouth. Now there was nothing for Old Madam Ren to feel sorry about, even if the Lin Family sent someone.

Why was her daughter able to tolerate it, but other people’s daughters could not tolerate it? She automatically ignored the fact that Lin had already given birth to a pair of children.

Kang was accepted into the Ren Family so easily because she appeared at precisely the right time. Old Madam Ren was enraged with the Lin Family; her daughter had been through so much that she felt compelled to add to the Lin Family’s anguish.

If even these were calculated by someone, then the person responsible for Lin’s demise was far too frightening.

Ren Yaohua told Ren Yaohua what she had thought of in detail. Ren Yaohua felt incredulous, ”Are you saying that it’s very likely that Concubine Fang designed all of this? How is this possible? Have you overestimated her?”

Overestimated? Ren Yaoqi unconsciously smile bitterly.

She didn’t know whether she overestimated Concubine Fang or not. She only knew that in her last life, the Ren Family had all fallen on hard times, but Concubine Fang managed to abandon the broken ship which is Ren Family in time to find a way out for herself and her two children. Based on this point alone, Concubine Fang was an existence not to be underestimated.

Ren Yaohua still didn’t believe it, “But she is just a concubine. If she’s really so good how come she only ended up as a concubine?”

Ren Yaoqi thought that if she wanted not to suffer from Concubine Fang’s hidden scheme in the future, Ren Yaohua needed to realize how terrifying the enemy she despised was.

“The weather is nice today, Third Sister. How about we go for a walk in the yard?’ Ren Yaoqi suggested with a smile.

Although Ren Yaohua didn’t understand why Ren Yaoqi had such leisure to go for a walk today, she still didn’t refuse and nodded.

Ren Yaoqi ordered behind her, “You all go back first, just leave Xiangqin and Pingguo behind. Taking a walk in the yard of your own house with a bunch of people dragging behind spoils the mood.”

So except for the two maids, the rest of the maidservants were sent away.

Ren Yaohua glanced at Pingguo standing side by side with Xiangqin, and asked, “Is this the maid you picked out? Why doesn’t she look very clever?”

Ren Yaohua picked a maid who was smart and witty, but Ren Yaoqi didn’t think that a maid must be perfect to be useful.

However, everyone had their own habits, so Ren Yaoqi didn’t explain anything, she only told her, “She’s calm and quiet, but she’s not dumb.” She herself was satisfied with Pingguo as a maid.

It was just Ren Yaohua’s casual observation, so after Ren Yaoqi said so, she also stopped picking on that maid.

Xiangqin who was following behind secretly made a face towards Pingguo. Pingguo was so honest, making Xiangqin feel that this maid was as boring as her master said.

“Third Sister, you just said that if Concubine Fang was really as powerful as I said, she wouldn’t be a concubine. That’s because you reversed cause and effect.” Only when standing in the lotus pond that Ren Yaoqi softly explain.

At this time of the year, although there were no lotus flowers in the pond, the lotus leaves were already covering the pond. The warm wind blew, and green waves were rising and falling in front of the eyes. It made people feel refreshed.

Ren Yaohua was in a good mood, but after hearing this, she shifted her gaze toward Ren Yaoqi and letting her continue.

“Concubine Fang’s situation today is already the best end she could have plotted with her power back then. You should have heard of what happened to the other concubine daughters of Grandaunt.”

Ren Yaohua thought about it and was unimpressed, “I know that there are a few concubine daughters of Grandaunt who didn’t marry well, but there were those who married into the main family, right? Isn’t it better than being a concubine for our family?”

Ren Yaoqi lost her smile at her words and blinked, “Third Sister, are you… using a gentleman’s heart for a villain’s belly?”

>> Using a gentleman’s heart for a villain’s belly

Ren Yaohua glared at her, “Stop speaking nonsense!”

Ren Yaohua shook her head, “There are many kinds of women in this world, there are those like you who feel that status is most important, and there are those like Concubine Fang who feel that getting benefits is the most important thing.”

Ren Yaohua had no way to refute this sentence. Marrying a poor or unpleasant person as a main wife versus marrying a decent and wealthy person as a concubine, different people have different choices.

“The reason Concubine Fang has comfortable life is because she has a dependable brother. I heard that her brother Fang Yacun was just promoted to the sixth rank titled ‘Zhoutong’ in Chuzhou a while ago, and is very much appreciated by his superiors. He is expected to be promoted again in the next two years.”

“I also heard that he was promoted, but it is just as a local deputy in the south, what does it have to do to us?”

Ren Yaoqi knew about the Fang Family’s affairs, some of which she asked Matron Zhou, some of which she remembered from her previous life.

“But you forgot the relationship between the Fang Family and the Ren Family. Now that the Ren Family wants to open a coal warehouse in the south, it is necessary to deal with the local government. Although Zhoutong is not a chief official in the state, he has real power. This Fang Yacun is not an incompetent person, I am afraid that in a few years, he will be the one who has the final say in the Fang Family. Grandaunt now is old and her own son is muddled. If you think she is still in charge of the Fang Family right now, just wait for a few more years.”

After Ren Yaohua heard this, she thought about the relationship carefully, and found that what Ren Yaoqi said was not unreasonable.

“Fang Yacun was chosen by Grandaunt in the first place because of Concubine Fang’s choice. If she hadn’t taken the initiative to marry the Ren Family as a concubine, and deliberately let Grandaunt hold her in the palm of her hand, how could Grandaunt be at ease to plan for Fang Yacun? Concubine Fang was also a skilled schemer back then, but due to their status, these siblings can only live on the will of Grandaunt.”

“It can be said that without Concubine Fang, there would be no Fang Yacun today, and today, Fang Yacun is Concubine Fang’s biggest backer. Presumably, Grandfather and Grandmother also saw clearly the future situation of the Fang Family, so they would be tolerant of Concubine Fang and let her be in the Ren Family. Concubine Fang’s younger brother is likely to be the head of the Fang Family in the future. The coal warehouses of our Ren Family in the south are all related to the Fang Family.”

Ren Yaoqi also couldn’t figure out why Concubine Fang was able to monopolize a courtyard as a concubine, manage the affairs of the Third Branch instead of Li, and show her face in front of the guests during festivals.

It was only later that she figured out that it wasn’t that their grandparents were out of their wits, nor was Concubine Fang likable, but that the interests of the Ren Family and the Fang Family were involved.

As long as the Fang Family did not fail and Fang Yacun took over the Fang Family smoothly, then Concubine Fang would not fail in the Ren Family.

Ren Yaohua thought about it slowly and gradually figured it out. Her forehead was rarely sweating, but it was now. Then she murmured, “Is that so?”

Ren Yaoqi sighed, ”This reminds me of a story of cutting meat to feed an eagle. A young man struggling to survive in the chaotic world picked up an eagle chick. He barely survives himself, and there are no extra rations to feed the eagle, so every day he cut his own flesh to feed the eagle. Later on, this eagle gradually grew up, and even became a divine eagle. Not only the eagle saved the young man from the tiger’s mouth several times, but also became his surefire weapon when he went into battle.”

Looking at the distant blue sky, Ren Yaoqi slowly said, “You can get it if you dare to give it up, but how many people in the world can have the courage of this young man to cut his own flesh and feed it to the eagle?”

“Concubine Fang,” Ren Yaohua frowned and spat out a name.

After a long silence, Ren Yaohua said, “If she has such a heart, how can be an ordinary concubine from the Third Branch of the Ren Family satisfy her?”

Ren Yaoqi did not answer.

In the last life, Concubine Fang became the de-facto head of the inner courtyard of their Third Branch. Unfortunately, the Ren Family fell into bad luck not long after, and Concubine Fang had no chance to get anything from the Ren Family.

But she knows that for an ambitious person, her desires were endless. This desire would drive her to keep fighting and grabbing, and all obstacles in her way would be swept away.

Ren Yaoqi originally thought that pulling Lin into the game and letting Lin and Concubine Fang face each other might divert Concubine Fang’s attention. She didn’t expect that Lin would be taken care of so quickly after facing Concubine Fang.

This also reflected Concubine Fang’s scheming and mobility from the side. Presumably, Fang Yacun still felt guilty and grateful for this sister, and his help must be greatly indispensable in this.

“It was me who thought too simple,” Ren Yaohua said softly. “When Fifth Aunt was unlucky, I still gloated about it. Thinking about it now, we can’t just let Fifth Aunt lose like this.”

Ren Yaoqi pleasantly surprised by such exclamation. Ren Yaohua wasn’t foolish, but she preferred to act on her own preferences and couldn’t afford to endure any losses or frustrations. It was a huge step forward for her to even consider assisting Lin, whom she despised, in putting a stop to Concubine Fang. It wasn’t in vain that Ren Yaoqi summoned her there and spoken so much to her.

“Then how do you want to help Fifth Aunt?” Ren Yaoqi asked with a smile.

Ren Yaohua thought about it and shook her head, “What kind of help did we talk about here? And I’m not really helping her, I’m helping ourselves.”

Ren Yaoqi was relieved that Ren Yaohua could understand this point, this was also the purpose of her specifically saying this to her today.

Ren Yaoqi said, “There’s no need to rush, Not only for Grandmother and Fifth Aunt, the Lin Family and Ren Family also need a buffer and a period of calm. After all, the interests of both families are still involved.”

“Wouldn’t that make it even more complicated?”

Ren Yaoqi was shaking her head, “Once interests are involved, everything can become complicated or everything can become simple. On the contrary, if it’s just a simple matter of preference, it will be much harder to deal with.”

Ren Yaohua was a little confused by these words, but she could hear that this meant that it should not be without a solution, and somehow felt relieved.

Ren Yaoqi didn’t explain much, and only said, “Doesn’t Fifth Aunt want to go back to her mother’s house? Then let her go back first. According to her nature, staying in the mansion at this time will only give people an opportunity to take advantage of her.”