Scheme of the Official Descendant

Chapter 5 (Part 1): Prevent

“I am your official elder sister, your concubine mother’s master! You asked what I am? After not seeing you for a year, have the etiquette you learned been fed to the dogs? Concubine Fang, is this the result of your upbringing?” Ren Yaohua sneered.  

“Third Miss, please forgive. It’s this concubine servant who neglected to discipline her properly.” Concubine Fang’s voice was low and gentle. She had a very humble attitude, “Ninth Miss, quickly apologize to Third Miss.”

Ren Yaoying seemed to be a cat which tail had been stepped on as she jumped up. “I don’t want to apologize to this kind of vicious person. She wanted to harm Sixth Elder Brother to die. She even beat and lambasted us. Concubine Fang, let’s leave!”  

“Ren Yaoying, repeat what you said just now one more time.” Ren Yaohua coldly said.

“Fine, what’s there to be scared of? I can just say it. You…mmm…mmm…”

“Third Miss, I beg of you to please spare Ninth Miss for running her mouth off. She’s still young and not sensible, everything is this concubine servant’s fault. This concubine servant will kneel to you.” Concubine Fang anxiously implored while she covered Xie Yaoying’s mouth to prevent her from infuriating Ren Yaohua further.

“Concubine mother——” Ren Yaoying bawled. The situation sounded plaintive.

Ren Yaoqi glanced outside the door. The servant girls and old female servants brought by Concubine Fang were still standing outside. She felt a little headache coming.

She pondered for a while and still decided to lift the curtain.

Concubine Fang in the east secondary room was kneeling ramrod straight in front of Ren Yaohua with her head hung down. Ren Yaoying was beside her, desperately trying to pull Concubine Fang up but Concubine Fang broke free of her.

Ren Yaohua stood before the heatable brick bed and looked at them coldly. Wet Nurse Zhou glanced at Concubine Fang, then at Ren Yaohua and wanted to say something but hesitated.

Sixth Young Master, Ren Yihong frowned as he stood beside the curtain as if he wanted to move forward but did not know what he could do and found things difficult.

The few people at the side had also noticed that Ren Yaoqi had come in.

“Fifth Miss, your face——” Concubine Fang immediately saw the injury on Ren Yaoqi’s face with one glance and could not refrain herself from exclaiming lowly.

Ren Yaoying also stared at the five fingerprints on the left side of Ren Yaoqi’s face in astonishment. Then, she gave a cursory glance at Ren Yaohua and told Concubine Fang, “Fifth Elder Sister must have been hit by Third Elder Sister!”  

Her confident tone that she was certain of it sounded a little like she was gloating over someone’s misfortune.

“What did you come here for?” Ren Yaohua asked with a cold face.

Ren Yaoqi glanced at Ren Yaohua before she went over to support Concubine Fang to stand up, “Mother asked me to come tell Concubine Fang. She said that she has just drunk medicine and she doesn’t have sufficient vigor to meet you all. She already knows about Sixth Younger Brother and Ninth Younger Sister filial piety and she also appreciates it. The snow is heavy and the wind is frigid today, on top of that, the road is slippery, she hopes that Concubine can bring Sixth Younger Brother and Ninth Younger Sister back earlier to rest. Otherwise, if they catch a cold due to this, even if Concubine doesn’t feel sorry for them, she as a mother will feel her heart ache for them.”

Concubine Fang’s body stiffened. She rapidly glanced at Ren Yaoqi, then looked towards Ren Yaohua.

Ren Yaoqi also followed Concubine Fang’s gaze to look at Ren Yaohua. When she saw that Ren Yaohua only stood there with a sneer, she proceeded to say, “I didn’t think that Concubine would be this sincere and even kneel here to kowtow to Mother, I will definitely pass this on to Mother.”

Ren Yaoying made a racket, “The one my concubine mother knelt to is not…”

Ren Yaoqi rapidly interrupted her words. “Who else can Concubine be kneeling to if not Mother? There is only Third Elder Sister, Sixth Younger Brother, Ninth Younger Sister and Wet Nurse Zhou. Third Elder Sister, Sixth Younger Brother, Ninth Younger Sister, although you all are Concubine’s master in name, Concubine Fang is after all a concubine Father properly carried into the residence. Moreover, she has contributed meritorious service in bringing up the descendants. She is considered half a senior, so it’s not reasonable and not fair for her to kneel to any one of you. If outsiders were to know about this, wouldn’t they say that you all are insolent?”  

Everyone present had a change of expression simultaneously.

Concubine Fang seemed to want to speak but Ren Yaoqi did not give her the chance, “Furthermore, even if the few of us are children and don’t understand these reasonings, Concubine has always been complimented by Paternal Grandmother as educated and reasonable, has a benevolent heart and lofty morals. Could it be that she doesn’t understand this reasoning? If the one she kneels to is you all, wouldn’t that be purposely committing injustice to you all? I don’t believe that Concubine Fang would do such a thing, am I right, Concubine?”

Ren Yaoqi let go of the hand she used to support Concubine Fang. She stood up and turned her head to smile at her, with an appearance that she had great trust in her.

Concubine Fang lowered her head and slowly moved her knees as she turned her body around. She faced the west secondary room and deferentially kowtowed three times in the direction of Née Li’s bedroom.

After she finished kowtowing, Concubine Fang stood up by herself and lightly brushed off the dust on her tender yellow satin leather dress. Only then did she raise her head to look at Ren Yaoqi and gently said, “What Fifth Miss said is right. The one this concubine servant knelt to is Madam and not someone else.”

Concubine Fang concealed the probing gaze towards Ren Yaoqi very well and Ren Yaoqi also pretended that she did not see it. She still put on an appearance that she was familiar with her and said livelily, “Since it’s like this, then Concubine should go back with Sixth Younger Brother and Ninth Sister. Wet Nurse Zhou, quickly dispatch a few old female servants to carry lighted lanterns for Concubine Fang and the others. The road outside is slippery. You have to ensure that they support them properly.”    

Wet Nurse Zhou was in a daze for a moment before she glanced at Ren Yaoqi, then glanced at Ren Yaohua who had a cold face and did not utter anything. In the end, she still lowered her head and replied with an affirmative. She bowed to Concubine Fang. “Concubine, Sixth Young Master, Ninth Miss, this servant will let people send you all back.”

Concubine Fang nodded at Wet Nurse Zhou and told Ren Yaohua, “Third Miss, this concubine servant will come over to wait on Madam early tomorrow morning.” After she finished speaking, with no hesitation, she brought her pair of son and daughter to leave.

Wet Nurse also followed them to leave.

Ren Yaoqi’s eyes followed that delicately beautiful yet straight figure of Concubine Fang as she walked out of the principal room. Although her lacquer black eyes still carried a smile, they were as serene as the surface of the lake on a winter day, profound and with no ripples.

Ren Yaohua’s gaze had been staring at Ren Yaoqi’s face all the way from the start as if she wanted to see a flower from her face.

“Ren Yaoqi, what do you mean by this?”