Chapter 124: Infuriated

Matron Yang frowned after hearing Su’s remark, “Is Madam saying that our Miss has been tricked by someone?”

Su didn’t answer, her face was impassive. Matron Yang pondered, remembered what Ren Yaoqi said when she sent Ren Yaoting out earlier, and unconsciously said, “As Madam said, this matter indeed contains too much of a coincidence. It was strange that our Miss happened to witness Eighth Miss pushing Concubine Kang. If our Miss wasn’t present at that time, it would be only Eight Miss and Concubine Kang in the garden. Now it was difficult to determine who is actually guilty. Coupled with Eight Miss’ entitled nature, I’m afraid that Concubine Kang won’t get justice even when she is in the right.”

“In the right?” After listening to Matron Yang’s words, Su looked amused.

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Matron Yang instantly froze. Su was about to say something when a little voice from behind the wall stopped her. After listening to it for a moment, Su immediately rose up and walked to the next room. Matron Yang and the two maids also hurriedly followed.

In that room, Ren Yaoting was still sleeping on the soft couch. However, it was obvious that she was not sleeping soundly. Her eyes were still closed, but her eyeballs were turning uneasily under the eyelids, her eyelashes trembling like butterfly wings, and her mouth was constantly talking in her sleep.

Su immediately went forward and held Ren Yaoting’s hand that was tightly tugging on the thin quilt due to her restlessness, her tone was very soft as she called her daughter in a low voice, ”Ting’er? Did you have a nightmare? Don’t be afraid… don’t be afraid.”

Ren Yaoting seemed to hear Su’s call and opened her eyes in an instant. She was stunned for a moment, but then her eyes were focused on Su and immediately jumped into her arms, sobbing heavily, “Mother, there is so much blood! Eighth Sister pushed me, and then I bled a lot like Concubine Kang. Mother, I’m afraid.”

Su’s eyebrows frowned as she heard this, but her tone was still gentle, she gently patted Ren Yaoting’s back, “Good girl, don’t be afraid. It’s just a dream, it’ll be fine when you wake up.”

Ren Yaoting flopped down in Su’s arms and refused to move. Su didn’t say anything, just gently hugged her and coaxed her in a small voice.

“Mother, don’t go, sit here with me, I’m scared.”  Ren Yaoting recalled her horrifying nightmare just now. She begged while pulling Su’s sleeve.

Su nodded and stroked her hair, “Mother won’t go, Mother will stay here with you.”

Only after a while did Ren Yaoting calm and lay down, but her hand was still pulling on Su’s sleeve and not letting go. Su knew that her daughter was frightened. She let Ren Yaoting tug and wrinkle her sleeve.

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Ren Yaoting’s breathing gradually stabilized after some time, but it was unknown if she was truly asleep. Su gently held her hand and didn’t move. Only after she was sure that Ren Yaoting had really fallen asleep, did Su beckon toward one of Ren Yaoting’s senior maids and withdrew her hand, allowing the maid to continue to hold Ren Yaoting’s hand, so that her daughter could sleep more peacefully.

Only after doing this, did Su bring Matron Yang to silently go to the small corner and then talk again.

“Madam, this time Miss was truly frightened.” Matron Yang lowered her voice, worried.

Su did not make a sound, but the ‘thud-thud-thud’ sound of her fingers lightly tapping on the kang table was disturbing.

Matron Yang cast a cautious gaze toward Su. Su appeared relaxed and helpless, but she could tell from her years of experience serving her Madam that Su was truly enraged at the time. So she simply stood there and sensibly didn’t say anything.

After a long time, Su’s fingers finally stopped tapping on the kang table. A few of the servants in the room unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

“Have someone go check on Concubine Kang.” Su suddenly opened her mouth, her tone was very calm. Matron Yang subconsciously obliged immediately, then after some thought, she asked, “Madam, do you think there is something wrong with this Concubine Kang? Before she entered the West Mansion, the Old Madam of the West Mansion must have ordered someone to check her details, otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to enter the Ren Family. Now that she has been allowed in, I think that side has not found any traces.”

Su replied coldly, “Her identity is not a problem, go and check the people close to her before she entered the Ren Family, in addition,” Su paused, then ordered, “Go and check if she has any contact with Jiangning.”

“Jiangning?” Matron Yang pondered for a moment, and suddenly remembered, Concubine Fang was from Jiangning, “Madam, are you suspecting that Concubine Kang has a connection to Concubine Fang?”

The corners of Su’s mouth tugged slightly, but her smile did not reach the bottom of her eyes, “This technique is very familiar, and one cannot help but suspect that it is from the same handiwork.”

Matron Yang was convinced by Su’s words, and immediately became angrier, “If this is really related to her, then Concubine Fang has gone too far in bullying people!  She even used three parties to use our Miss twice. In her eyes, our East Mansion is so easy to bully!”

Su looked indifferent, “I’ve never meddled in the affairs of the West Mansion over the years. I didn’t make a sound the last time she used Ting’er, so I guess that made her think that I would turn a blind eye to some harmless exploits.”

Matron Yang scowled, “How can using our Miss be harmless? And to scare our Miss like this!”

“I think it must be because she’s been living too smoothly all these years.” Su lowered her head and gently stroked the silver silk threads on her skirt.

“This servant has also heard that Concubine Fang’s full brother has been promoted to an official position again. Although the official position is not big, the Ren Family’s business in Jiangnan can rely on him for a bit. I heard that the Old Madam and other Madams of West Mansion all will get a share. She’s used to making trouble in the West Mansion, does she think she can do the same in our East Mansion?” Matron Yang sneered, “Who does she think she is? Cuih!”

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Compared to Matron Yang’s anger, Su’s face was much more calm. “I’ve always appreciated smart people, it’s just… that she shouldn’t have laid hands on Ting’er. Now it seems that if I don’t remind her right now, there’s no guarantee that she won’t use my daughter even more smoothly.”

When Matron Yang saw Su say this, she knew that Su was truly angered by Concubine Kang. Su hated this kind of woman who likes to step on others to climb up, “Madam is right, there are some people who like to get ahead of themselves, didn’t even realize they have fished over the line.”

Su didn’t reply to Matron Yang’s words, but a ray of deep thought inadvertently flashed in her slightly lowered eyes.

She knew very well what Concubine Fang wanted. It is not hard to guess the reason behind the constant bad luck of Fifth Madam Lin. For her East Mansion to be left alone, there must be a temporary balance of power between the various branches of the West Mansion. It made her wonder if she should intervene in the fall of Madam Lin.

After Ren Yaoqi went back to Ziwei Courtyard from Ronghua Courtyard, she immediately went to the main room to find Matron Zhou.

“Help me check if Eighth Sister has drunk any soup or medicine recently, if so it would be great to get the dregs of the medicine.” Ren Yaoqi ordered Matron Zhou in a low voice.

Ren Yaoqi could see Ren Yaoyu’s strange behavior. If Ren Yaoyu is really under some kind of drug like she expected, judging from Ren Yaoyu’s temperament and the properties of the drug, it must have been consumed more than once. Moreover, it had to be taken gradually and orderly so other people won’t notice.

Matron Zhou looked surprised, but she immediately complied and went to arrange the staff without any question.

It began to rain hard outside as Ren Yaoqi emerged from the main room. There had been no warning of impending rain, but when it rains, it pours. Standing on the steps, Ren Yaoqi felt the bean-like raindrops wet her skirt and embroidered shoes.

The good thing is that summer rain comes and goes quickly. It is much more pleasant than the cold and humid winter rain.

The servants downstairs were talking that the rain had come just in time today. The blood stains left by Aunt Kang’s miscarriage in the small garden looked spotless after being washed away, saving a lot of effort to clean.

Concubine Kang was still lying motionless with her eyes closed on the bed in the Liuli Courtyard, it was unknown whether she was actually sleeping or not.

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Because it was a miscarriage, after helping Concubine Kang to stop the bleeding, the doctor’s order was to serve her according to the standard of a woman’s confinement.

The windows of the wing room where Concubine Kang lived were all locked. The sound of heavy rain outside and the damp smell outside the window made it even more stifling.

Even though Concubine Kang’s forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, she still hasn’t opened her eyes.

The whispers of the little maids guarding the door outside trickle in. They talked about the Fifth Master accompanying the Fifth Madam to stay in the main room and never coming out. Fifth Master came to Concubine Kang and checked on her at first, said a few words of relief, and then went to the outer courtyard to look for the Old Master and the Eldest Master.

The people in Liuli Courtyard saw that the Fifth Master had not stepped here for a long time and got along very well with Concubine Kang, so they thought that the Fifth Madam, Lin, had fallen out of favor, and Concubine Kang had captured the heart of the Fifth Master. Such a fuss today made people see clearly the true intentions of the Fifth Master.

This was Liuli Courtyard, and the maids sent to guard the door were also from Liuli Courtyard. Not only did they not lower their voices when they talk about this news, it seemed as if they wanted the person in the room to hear them.

Concubine Kang was sleeping soundly, there was no change in her breathing at all. But the mattress under her was  scratched and messed up.

This burst of rain really came and went quickly. By the evening it had inexplicably stopped, and the air became much fresher.

On the next day, Matron Zhou who was sent to check on Ren Yaoyu’s medication, arrived with news.