Chapter 102: The Memorial Tablet

Ren Yaoting thought back, “When I sneaked into the backyard, I happened to see that the door to the backyard hall was open. I got closer and then found an old servant burning incense. Because I was afraid of being discovered by her, I didn’t dare to come closer, and only vaguely saw two or three rows of tablets enshrined above the incense case.”

“You say it’s not the Han Family’s tablets? Did you see the words on the tablets clearly?” After hearing this, Ren Yaoqi thought that if she could figure out which family’s tablet it was, the mystery surrounding Han Dongshan’s information may be solved.

Ren Yaoting frowned as she recalled, “Although there were candles in that hall, it was still a bit dark. When I was about to take a closer look, that woman seemed to have heard something and suddenly turned her head to look over, scaring me so much that I hurriedly hid behind the pillar in the back room. So I only saw a… ‘Qu’ character… Yes, the surname on the tablet is ‘Qu’!” Then Ren Yaoting asked doubtedly, “Why would the Han Family worship the Qu Family’s tablet? Does the Han Family have any relatives with the surname Qu? Or was the original owner of this mansion surnamed Qu? But this doesn’t make sense, how could the original owner give his ancestor’s tablet to someone else to worship? The Han Family doesn’t have to do this either.”

“Qu?” Ren Yaoqi murmured darkly. Han Dongshan naturally wouldn’t worship the tablets of other people’s families, so it was very likely that Qu was his original surname.

As far as she knew, in recent decades there didn’t seem to be any large families with the surname Qu near Yanzhou.

Han Dongshan seemed to be fifty years old this year, so if his surname was Qu and he was from Yanbei, then there should have been news of the Qu Family in Yanbei fifty years ago. Or maybe Han Dongshan was just from an average humble family?

Ren Yaoting complained on the side, ”When do you think this foot injury of mine will ‘heal’? My mother will definitely ask about it.”

Ren Yaoqi withdrew her thoughts for the time being, “Didn’t you say the injury isn’t serious? It’ll be fine after a few days of rest. As for today’s matter of you breaking into the Han Family’s ancestral hall, don’t say anything to anyone. If the elders knew, they would think that you’re naughty and can’t handle big responsibility.”

This was a heavy offense. The most essential thing a large family sought for when marrying their heir or another son in the family was to be dignified and steady.

Ren Yaoting, despite her young age, was becoming increasingly sensitive to such things. So when she heard it, she understood and nodded, “I won’t tell anyone else, Fifth Sister. You won’t tell anyone, right?”

Ren Yaoqi laughed, “If I would tell, why would I remind you?”

Ren Yaoting was very satisfied, intimately holding onto Ren Yaoqi’s arm, “Fifth Sister, you’re so nice.”

The Ren Family and the Han Family were not far from each other, and the carriage soon arrived at the Ren Family. Second Madam Ren had received a report from the servant who came back first. Worrying that Ren Yaoting had really hurt herself, she had long ago ordered her trusty servant to welcome her out.

Ren Yaoting was escorted back to the East Mansion. Before she left, she did not forget to say to Ren Yaoqi, “Fifth Sister, I will be at home for a few days to recuperate from my injuries and can’t leave the house. So visit me in the East Mansion when you have the time.”

Ren Yaoqi answered with a smile, then went back to the West Mansion with Ren Yaohua and the others.

When they arrived at the Ziwei Courtyard, Ren Yaohua asked with a strange look, “Why have you been getting close to her lately? And how come she sprained her foot in someone else’s mansion?”

Ren Yaohua knew Ren Yaoting’s mind. With this kind of mind, shouldn’t she strive to behave in other people’s residences and leave a good impression on the elders? Ren Yaohua didn’t understand what Ren Yaoting was doing.

Ren Yaoqi laughed, ”Although the Seventh Sister is a bit difficult to get along with on a normal day, she is also very easy to coax. It was when the last time she came to our courtyard. Because I comforted her properly, she somehow became close to me.”

Ren Yaohua looked disbelieved, and squinted at Ren Yaoqi, “How did you comfort her?”

Ren Yaoqi blinked and said earnestly, “Naturally, it was by saying bad things to her about the people she hates.”

Ren Yaohua froze, then remembered that the person Ren Yaoting hated the most at that time seemed to be her…

Ren Yaohua who figured it out was about to curse, but Ren Yaoqi had already smartly retreated several steps away from her while making a face. “Who told you to be so rude to the guest? I am helping you guys to ease your relationship. And I’ve already told you, so it’s not badmouthing behind your back! It can only be considered a polite and roundabout tactic! You are a good elder sister, don’t lose your temper and scold me!”

After she said that, Ren Yaoqi very wisely took her people and ran away.

Ren Yaohua looked at Ren Yaoqi’s back as she ran far away, gritting her teeth in anger.

The maids behind her saw that Ren Yaohua was angry. For some reason, they didn’t feel as nervous as they used to when they saw the two sisters fighting; instead, they thought it was amusing that the Fifth Miss was always purposefully bullying the Third Miss like this these days, so they all held back their laughter and looked down at their feet.

Ren Yaohua was indignant. However, it was not the kind of feeling that when she saw Ren Yaoqi she wanted to slap her twice. She just felt exasperated and sullen with nowhere to express her anger.

Ren Yaoqi returned to her room to change her clothing before heading to the main room to find Matron Zhou. She wanted to ask Matron Zhou about the family surnamed Qu in Yanzhou.

Although Matron Zhou had accompanied her grandfather’s family from the capital to Yanbei more than ten years ago, the people of the Xian Royal Family must have painstakingly inquired about the state of the various households in Yanbei after arrived. The more difficult their days were, the more careful one needed to be.

“The Qu Family?” Matron Zhou filtered the big families in Yanbei that she knew in her mind, and she couldn’t seem to recall such a family.

Ren Yaoqi reminded her from the side, “It was a big family in Yanzhou about forty to fifty years ago, and later on, it might have encountered some kind of disaster that caused the family to suffer.”

Matron Zhou thought carefully again and shook her head, ”This servant does not remember such a family. However, this servant only know about the current notable families in Yanbei. For the already fallen family, this servant may not be clear. Miss need to know that forty to fifty years ago, the Khitan thieves were rampant in Yanbei. Many of the big families who came to hide in the South were badly punished, and there were not a few who were wiped out by the Khitans. The current aristocratic families like the Yun Family and the Qiu Family were also just moved back after the previous Prince Yanbei drove the Khitans out of Yanbei. For example, the Lei Family that has just moved from Muzhou to Yanzhou that is being discussed for a while. The Lei Family used to be as famous as the Yun Family. They are a famous old family with a longer family history than the Qiu Family. However, the Lei Family has not shown up for decades, and it was only recently that there is a rumor they would move back. Many families who refused to leave back then no longer even have their ancestral graves.”

Lei Family? After Ren Yaoqi thought carefully, she didn’t seem to have any impression of them. She must have assumed that the old families were not as good as they used to be after so many years of turmoil and migration, which is why she couldn’t recall anything.

Ren Yaoqi also put it down. But after thinking about it, she asked again in a low voice, “Matron, then do you know if the Ren Family has ever offended any family or made a grudge against anyone decades ago?”

Sister Zhou was shocked at her words and looked at Ren Yaoqi, “Fifth Miss, why would you suddenly ask about this? Has something happened?”

Ren Yaoqi shook her head, “I just accidentally heard something about a family surnamed Qu, their descendant seemed to have said a few bad words about our Ren Family, so I was curious to ask.”

Matron Zhou sniffed but was unimpressed, “If you’re talking about families that are disgruntled with the Ren family, that shouldn’t be too few. The Ren Family is not a charity hall, their fame started from building mining company. Every year, many people die in the Ren Family’s coal mine. If these people’s families have some slight words for the Ren Family, it’s not surprising.”

Ren Yaoqi believed that the Qu Family’s situation should not be that straightforward. If Han Dongshan held a vendetta against the Ren Family, it had to be a big one that no one knew about. Ren Yaoqi was troubled by the plaques of the Qu Family recounted by Ren Yaoting.

Seeing Ren Yaoqi’s thoughtful face, Sister Zhou knew that she was still thinking about the Qu Family, so she said, “This servant remembers that there is a seventy-year-old old servant in the village who sold herself to Ren’s Family in her early years. There is a rumor that she was born and raised in Baihe Town, and because her family members were killed by the Khitans, she sold herself as a slave. When this servant and Madam lived in the village, this servant often heard her talking about the old things decades ago with some junior maids in the village. If the Qu Family you mentioned, Fifth Miss, really exists, this old servant might know about it.”

Ren Yaoqi’s eyes lit up, “How is this servant’s health? Can we invite her into the mansion?”

“When she was young, she did rough work. Now that she’s older, although she’s only in charge of light errands, but her health is still extremely good. She can still eat five or six big white steamed buns in one meal. If Fifth Miss wants to invite her into the mansion, it should be possible.”

Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment and said to Matron Zhou, “Then think of a way to help me invite her in. There are some things I want to ask her.”

The Ren Family Mansion generally does not keep servants that are too old, and the younger ones may not remember things that happened forty or fifty years ago.

Matron Zhou nodded her head and replied, “This servant will send someone to the village tomorrow, the Eldest Madam’s side shouldn’t care about these small things.”

“Many thanks, Matron.” Ren Yaoqi said cheerfully.

Zhou was hurriedly saying that she wouldn’t dare.

As the two were talking, Li’s senior maid, Xi’er, hurriedly lifted the curtain and came in. Seeing that Sister Zhou and Ren Yaoyi were here, she hurriedly walked over and whispered, “Sister, there’s a commotion outside.”

Matron Zhou frowned, “Problems just don’t stop coming! What’s going on?”

Xi’er glanced at Ren Yaoqi and whispered, “It’s the Fifth Master and the Fifth Madam who have made a scene. Just now, a small green sedan chair came from outside the residence, with a woman sitting inside. The servant who was accompanying the sedan chair claimed that she came to find the Fifth Master, and the one sitting in the sedan chair is the Fifth Master’s… outer mistress.”