Scheme of the Official Descendant

"Auntie, what's wrong with Mrs. Lin San?" Kumquat asked curiously.

Aunt Fang came back to her senses, and smiled softly at her, "It's nothing, I just remembered one thing."

Aunt Fang is kind, she never loses her temper with those who serve her.

At any time, she is kind and considerate, a woman as gentle as water, so the maids and women around Aunt Fang are very dedicated to her.

"Serve the pen and ink, I have a letter to write." Aunt Fang sat for a while, then finally got up and walked to the study.

Jinju persuaded: "Auntie, it's already late, you need to watch your eyes carefully."

Aunt Fang shook her head: "It's okay."

Aunt Fang knew that her younger brother would be promoted soon, and she also hoped that Fang Yacun could come to Yanbei, so that her position in the Ren family would be more stable in the future.

Fang Yacun mentioned a few things about the officialdom to her in a letter. This time her sister-in-law came to Yanbei because she had inquired about the residences and preferences of various officials in advance. This time, several rich prefectures and counties in Yanbei were vacant and there were five or six vacancies, but there were more than five or six people competing for these seats. Fang Yacun had mentioned to her in the last letter that an in-law of the Su family also wanted to come to Yanbei.

Aunt Fang is a smart person who knows everything. There must be a reason why the second wife, Mrs. Su, helped Mrs. Lin this time without any reason. Now it seems that the biggest and most probable reason is that Mrs. Su wants to connect with Mrs. Lin's third wife for her natal sister-in-law.

Aunt Fang is very fortunate to have learned about this matter now, so there is still room for things to turn around. She needs to tell her younger brother about the intention of the Su family as soon as possible so that he can prepare earlier.

Things are finally moving in the direction Ren Yaoqi hoped for, and this is just the beginning, and as long as everything has a beginning, everything will be easy to handle.

The Ren family decided to set off for Yunyang City on the day of the Duanyang Festival. Anyway, it is more than an hour's journey, which is not too far away.

Ren Shijia went back to Yunyang City with the Ren family this time, and she happened to finish her confinement, so it didn't look like she was hiding at her natal home. Going back this time can also catch up with the full moon banquet prepared by the Lin family for Brother Cen. So this time, Mrs. Ren will stay at the Lin family for a few more days.

This time Mrs. Ren stayed at home, and Mrs. Ren took her grandchildren there. Originally, Old Madam Ren planned to keep Fifth Madam from taking her and Ren Yaoyu, but she changed her mind somehow. As for the third wife, Mrs. Li, Mrs. Ren has always refused to take her out.

"Grandmother said today that Aunt Fang and Ren Yaoying will also go together." Ren Yaohua said to Ren Yaoqi when she was greeting Mrs. Li in the evening.

"Because that Mrs. Fang is coming?" Ren Yaoqi raised her eyebrows slightly, not surprised.

"Yeah." Ren Yaohua was not in a good mood, her face was cold.

When they were about to part, Ren Yaoqi heard her say forbearance and reluctance: "Who is the concubine of the three concubines, and who is the serious wife! This is the so-called rule of our Ren family? It's really ridiculous!"

Ren Yaohua didn't want to hear the answer from anyone when she said this, after she finished speaking, she walked away with a stiff back. Ren Yaoqi stood in the courtyard and watched her figure gradually disappear into the shadows of the corridor, only the dark red skirt appeared and disappeared under the light of the lantern in the maid's hand, and disappeared at the corner door in front of her after a while .

The second day is the Duanyang Festival, and everyone in the Ren family is preparing for the trip.

Although Mrs. Li didn't go, she was busy packing things for sisters Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua.

The daughter was fighting for Li's injustice, but Li was already used to it, and didn't mind being left at home, but seemed to be in a good mood.

Seeing that Ren Yaohua has been sullen and unhappy for the past few days, it seems that if she is provoked by a small matter, she will explode.

Ren Yaoqi was worried that she would not be able to control her temper, so she finally pulled her aside and persuaded her with a smile: "Sister San, why are you vomiting here? You have been vomiting for a few days and you should stop Yes. As long as mother is happy, isn't it all right?"

Ren Yaohua got angry when she heard it: "As long as mother is happy! I don't believe she is really happy! I went to beg my grandmother yesterday, but she changed the topic just as I opened my mouth."

Although Ren Yaohua looked very angry on the face, there was grievance in his voice.

Ren Yaoqi knew her temper, and when she saw that she was angry at her, she was not angry. Instead, she smiled and said, "I don't think my mother seems to be forced to smile, because...won't father also go this time?"

Ren Yaohua was taken aback for a moment, and her furious look turned into a daze.

"So I think it's fine if my mother doesn't go this time. You know my father's temperament. Once he starts painting and eating, he can forget to the end of the world. Even if my mother went to Yunyang City with us, she I will miss my father too." As he spoke, Ren Yaoqi blinked at Ren Yaohua with a teasing look, "Third sister, you are so old and still can't do without your mother, are you ashamed!"

"I, I'm not..." Ren Yaohua subconsciously tried to defend herself, but when she saw Ren Yaoqi's smirk, she realized that she was being teased by her sister.

"You know how to talk nonsense!" Ren Yaohua waved her sleeves and put on the posture of the eldest sister. After thinking about it, she asked uncertainly, "Is father really not going?"

Ren Yaoqi nodded: "Of course, I asked. Otherwise, you can ask your mother?"

Seeing that Ren Yaohua's expression finally looked better, Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but pursed her lips and smiled.

Whether he goes to Yunyang City or not is actually not that important to Li Shi. Could it be that Li's going can reveal his identity as the main wife in front of Aunt Fang? Even if Mrs. Li is wronged, it will only be for Ren Shimin.

So when Ren Yaohua was furious about this matter, Ren Yaoqi secretly asked Yuan Dayong to help her buy an old painting from a down-and-out scholar.

Ren Yaoqi knew the source of every beloved painting in Ren Shimin's hands in the previous life. Originally, this painting was to be bought back by Ren Shimin's steward this autumn as a tribute to him. Ren Yaoqi bought this painting in advance return.

Because Ren Shimin has a hobby, every time he gets a good painting, he will spend half a month carefully pondering it, and then copy it by himself.

Sure enough, Ren Shimin couldn't move his feet when he saw the painting. The Dragon Boat Race on the Dragon Boat Festival was just a flash in the mind of the third master. He will not neglect his own heart for the sake of Yanyun. So the third master waved his hand, Yunyang City Lord will not go, and Master wants to retreat and paint at home.

In this way, Mrs. Li is happy, and Aunt Fang is depressed.

If Auntie Fang and Ren Shimin went to Yunyang City to watch some dragon boat races, the main wife, Mrs. Li, would be left at home instead. People would naturally speculate about the status of the third wife and concubines of the Ren family, and Mrs. Li would inevitably be looked down upon. As for Aunt Fang, it is more convenient for her to visit Yunyang City with the treatment of the main wife.

Now that Ren Shimin has put down his pick, it is not so convenient for Aunt Fang to do things.

In the afternoon, the old lady Ren sent someone to find Ren Shimin, and wanted him to go to Yunyang City with him. After all, this is an annual event. All the famous and respected people in Yanzhou will go there, and the men can drink and drink. Share family bonds.

But who is the third master, the third master will not go if he says not to go, and the cow will not go, no one can force him, and finally he just lay down in the main room and pretended to be sick. The old lady Ren was very angry, but there was nothing she could do about him.

Mrs. Li cooperated and served in front of the third master's bed, serving water when thirsty and food when hungry, doing her best.

Now even Ren Yaohua is also happy, her face that has been smelly for several days finally cleared up, she bent her mouth to watch the maids pack up their things.

Ren Yaoqi was also in the room watching the maids packing things, saying she was watching, but in fact Madam Xu was instructing the maids, and she read on the crooked kang.

Just at this moment, Nanny Zhou came over.

Seeing Nanny Zhou coming now, Ren Yaoqi thought that something happened to Ren Shimin and Mrs. Li in the main room, so she couldn't help but put down the book in her hand and sat up from the kang.

Nanny Zhou came forward to salute, but whispered: "Miss Fifth, Mrs. Luo is here."

Ren Yaoqi didn't react when she heard the name: "Mrs. Luo?"

"It was the old lady in Zhuangzi you said you wanted to meet a while ago." Nanny Zhou explained in a low voice.

Ren Yaoqi remembered immediately.

It's the woman who lives in Zhuangzi. Last time, Ren Yaoqi asked Nanny Zhou about the Qu family. Nanny Zhou said that there was an older woman living in Zhuangzi who knew everything about Baihe Town very well. .

It should have been invited a long time ago, but the woman surnamed Luo was bitten by a wild dog outside Zhuangzi a while ago, so she delayed. Ren Yaoqi also temporarily put this matter aside because of these messy things in the Ren family.

"Where are people?" Ren Yaoqi asked.

"Right now, the whole house is busy. I asked the little servant girl to take her to eat and rest. After all, I am old, so I am afraid that something will happen. Do you want to see her now?"

Ren Yaoqi thought for a while: "Let her rest first, and bring her to see me later."

"My servant originally told the people in the Zhuangzi to wait for her to recover from her injuries before bringing her here. I thought it would take a few more days. I didn't want to catch up with you asking for Yunyang City. This is due to my poor arrangement." Mother Zhou pleaded guilty.

Ren Yaoqi waved her hand and said comfortingly, "It's okay, I just want to ask her something. It doesn't matter if you come early or late."

Nanny Zhou went down to make arrangements, and Ren Yaoqi asked her to bring the woman surnamed Luo over after dinner.

Mrs. Luo is in her seventies and has been working on the Zhuangzi. Her hair is gray, her complexion is tan, and her face is full of wrinkles. She walks with a limp, but she seems to be in good spirits.

The one supporting her was an eight or nine-year-old girl, she was pretty but her complexion was too dark, she was wearing a double braid, wearing a red coarse cloth shirt, and her eyes were lively.

Seeing that Ren Yaoqi's gaze stayed on the little girl, Nanny Zhou hurriedly said: "This is the granddaughter of Mrs. Luo. The granddaughter and grandson depend on each other for life. Mrs. Luo was worried about leaving her on the Zhuangzi, so she brought her here together."

Although it was a little strange that Mrs. Luo was so old and her granddaughter was still so young, Ren Yaoqi didn't ask any more questions, and nodded with a smile, and asked Sang Li to get a stool for Mrs. Luo to sit on without Mrs. Luo's gift.

Mrs. Luo confessed her guilt, and carefully sat down next to half of the stool, not daring to speak first. The little girl who followed her was a little curious about the things in the room. Seeing that her grandmother was reserved but did not dare to be presumptuous, she stood neatly next to Mrs. Luo behind her.

Ren Yaoqi said gently to the little girl: "You can follow this Sister Sangsan to have some snacks first?"

The little girl glanced out of the corner of her eye at the red lacquer inlaid mother-of-pearl octagonal food box on the table, which contained mince pies, candied ears, bean noodle cakes, honey twists, candied lotus seeds, sunflower seeds, etc., and swallowed. Then he glanced at his grandmother and didn't move.

Mrs. Luo patted her hand lightly: "Listen to the master and go."

Mulberry picked up the red lacquer and mother-of-pearl eight-edged food box and waved at the little girl, leading her outside.

Mrs. Luo watched her granddaughter leave step by step, shook her head, and said to Ren Yaoqi: "Miss, don't blame me, the kid grew up in the countryside, and has never seen anything in the world."

Ren Yaoqi smiled slightly: "I look very good, and her body is also strong. She usually goes to work with you?"

A deep wrinkle appeared on Mrs. Luo's face: "This child has a good heart. She just wanted to help me with my work when she was just learning to walk. She followed me to help me when I did anything on weekdays. I have no children in my life. Girl, when you get old and pick up a treasure, this life is worth it."

Ren Yaoqi was taken aback, it turned out that the little girl was not the granddaughter of Mrs. Luo.

Mrs. Luo seemed to know what other people were thinking, and said, "I picked this child up on Tian Kan'er seven years ago. It was only six or seven months old at that time."

Nanny Zhou was a little surprised: "So she is only seven years old? I thought she was nine years old."

The little girl has a strong body and a tall stature, and she looks very clever, about the same as a child of eight or nine years old.

"No, she has a lot of appetite! Fortunately, she can work by herself, otherwise I wouldn't be able to support her." Mrs. Luo shook her head and laughed.

Ren Yaoqi looked at Mrs. Luo on the side, this woman was very old, and her appearance was no different from that of ordinary peasant women who worked in the fields all year round, but Ren Yaoqi felt that her words and actions were not as vulgar as those peasant women outside. Even her adopted granddaughter knows how to behave.

"Has Nanny Luo been at our Zhuangzi all this time? Where is the family?" Ren Yaoqi asked.

Luo Pozi squinted her eyes and thought for a while, before she said: "The slave girl is from the suburbs of Baihe Town, and her parents died of starvation during the disaster year, so she has been working on the Zhuangzi since she was a child, but the Zhuangzi did not belong to the Ren family."

"Oh? Which family did the Zhuangzi originally belong to?" Ren Yaoqi asked.

Several big estates of the Ren family were bought when Bao Ming, the former director of the family, was around, and they were bought almost together with the house of the Ren family.

"Before the Ren family, the Zhuangzi belonged to a Tang family." Mrs. Luo said.

Ren Yaoqi remembered that this house was also bought from a family named Tang. It may be that when this family bought the ancestral house, they also bought the Zhuangzi under their name to the Ren family. This is very common. matter.

Seeing that Ren Yaoqi was asking Mrs. Luo, Mother Zhou thought for a while, and called out all the maids and women in the room, but she stayed in the room to guard herself.

"I don't know if Nanny Luo remembers a family named Qu? It should be a wealthy family in Baihe Town decades ago, but for some reason, the family fell into decline." Ren Yaoqi looked at Mrs. Luo and asked softly. road.

Luo Pozi squinted her eyes and thought about it again. This seemed to be her usual expression when thinking about things: "I have never heard of such a rich family."

Ren Yaoqi couldn't help frowning: "Is there really no one? Think about it again?"

Luo Pozi really thought about it again, but still shook her head: "No. Are you sure Miss is from our neighborhood of Baihe Town? Could it be from another place?"

Ren Yaoqi couldn't help feeling a little disappointed, and nodded, "Maybe I misremembered." After thinking about it, she asked again, "In my grandfather's generation, did the Ren family ever get along with any other family?"

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Luo glanced at Ren Yaoqi, and smiled apologetically, "Miss, what are you talking about, the Ren family has always been friendly and friendly..."

Nanny Zhou stood beside Ren Yaoqi and interrupted in a cold voice: "Grandma Luo, our Fifth Young Lady came all this way to find you not to listen to your nonsense. You can answer whatever you ask, Well, the lady will reward you with silver, and then take you and your granddaughter back home properly."

Mrs. Luo paused, looked at Nanny Zhou and then at Ren Yaoqi, who was smiling and silent, and thought for a long time before deliberating: "If it doesn't fit...it's not true. Back then, Ren's family bought a few from Xishan. A coal kiln was built on the top of a mountain, and there was a lawsuit with a nearby mountain owner, because the owner of the mountain wrote a petition to the county lord to sue the Ren family for digging the coal kiln to the bottom of his hill, but later the Ren family paid a high price for the mountain. The owner’s mountain was also bought, and the two families reconciled. In addition, a coal mine collapsed one year, and many people were buried. The son of a family took the lead in making trouble, and was finally arrested by the government. He ran away during the escort, and before leaving, he even said that he would be at odds with the Ren family, but after so many years, no one showed up, it must have turned into a pile of loess."

Ren Yaoqi listened quietly, making mental judgments.

Mrs. Luo went on to mention a few other families, all of whom had a big or small feud with the Ren family decades ago. In the end, Mrs. Luo racked her brains and couldn't think of anything, she looked at Ren Yaoqi helplessly and said with a smile: "Miss, this servant only remembers so much."

Ren Yaoqi looked out the window, it was already past the time to light the lanterns, the lanterns were lit outside the yard, and candles were lit inside the house.

"Let's come here first today, you go back and rest first." Ren Yaoqi smiled and served tea, signaling Zhou Nanny to send people out first.

Nanny Zhou sent Mrs. Luo out to the maid, who took him to the outer courtyard to rest, then turned around and came back.

"Miss, will this woman still stay at the house?"

Ren Yaoqi was leaning on the kang thinking about something, when she heard the words, she raised her head: "Well, let her stay in the mansion for now, and make plans when I come back from Yunyang City."

She always felt that she could ask something from Mrs. Luo, but she was leaving for Yunyang City early tomorrow morning, so Ren Yaoqi didn't have time to question her carefully today.

"The slaves will arrange their grandparents and grandchildren to live in the outer courtyard first. The young lady will rest early today, and she will leave as soon as tomorrow Maoshi arrives." Madam Zhou stepped back after ordering, telling the maids to come in and serve Ren Yaoqi wash up. RS