Ren Yaoting’s small face was still somewhat pale as she was being carefully supported by the nanny walking outward. Seeing Ren Yaoqi approach, she forced a smile: “Fifth elder sister, that frightened me just now. I’ve never seen so much blood in all my years.”

Ren Yaoqi tugged at Ren Yaoting’s sleeve and whispered close to her ear: “Seventh younger sister, did you truly see eighth younger sister push Concubine Kang?”

Hearing these words, Ren Yaoting was initially somewhat puzzled, but after thinking it over, her expression turned unpleasant. She shook off Ren Yaoqi’s hand with displeasure: “What does fifth elder sister mean by this? Are you perhaps suspecting that I’m talking nonsense and deliberately framing the eighth younger sister?”

Earlier in Ronghua Garden, Ren Yaoyu had just had a conflict with Ren Yaoting, and then she witnessed Ren Yaoyu pushing Concubine Kang. When she had gone to the garden earlier, she had indeed gone with the mindset of watching the excitement. Now, seeing Ren Yaoqi ask this way, she naturally assumed Ren Yaoqi didn’t believe her.

Ren Yaoqi wasn’t annoyed and only smiled as she explained: “Seventh younger sister, that’s not what I meant. I was just thinking that today in the garden, besides you, there were only Concubine Kang’s two maids. Grandmother has already sent people to fetch the eighth younger sister… I’m afraid you’ll still need to come to the Western Residence later.”

Hearing this, Ren Yaoting was startled, then frowned.

Today, besides Concubine Fang, Ren Yaoyu, Ren Yaoting, and a few maids, no one else was present. Now that Old Madam Ren wanted to hold Ren Yaoyu accountable, and Ren Yaoyu had caused such a huge disaster, given her temperament, she probably wouldn’t readily admit fault. But Ren Yaoting had just insisted before Old Madam Ren that it was Ren Yaoyu who pushed Concubine Kang to the ground, causing her miscarriage.

When Ren Yaoyu argued later, it would be natural for the Western Residence to call her over as a witness. But she had just had a conflict with Ren Yaoyu, so it wasn’t impossible that Ren Yaoyu might insist she was slandering her.

Thinking of this, Ren Yaoting couldn’t help feeling somewhat annoyed. Setting aside Ren Yaoyu’s crazy temperament, Fifth Madam Lin Shi was hardly someone who would take losses lying down. Ren Yaoting felt her coming days might not be very peaceful.

Only now did she somewhat regret that she shouldn’t have waded into these murky waters out of curiosity today.

Thinking this way, Ren Yaoting looked at Ren Yaoqi with some depression: “I should have dragged you along originally, but you were distracted at that time. Speaking of which, the fifth elder sister was quite fortunate today, not getting unlucky along with me.” Ren Yaoting couldn’t help looking at Ren Yaoqi with some suspicion, feeling this was too much of a coincidence.

Ren Yaoqi let her look and smiled frankly: “I also regret not holding the seventh younger sister back then, but no one can predict such things in advance.”

Ren Yaoting only thought about it briefly. What Ren Yaoqi said was right – she couldn’t predict the future, so how could she deliberately avoid the situation knowing something would happen? In the end, it was just her bad luck today to encounter such a bloody incident.

“Regardless, I did indeed see the eighth younger sister push Concubine Kang, knocking her to the ground, and then Concubine Kang started bleeding.” Although Ren Yaoting was somewhat afraid of Ren Yaoyu’s crazed behavior today, she had no good feelings toward Ren Yaoyu and had no position to cover up anything for her. She was telling the complete truth.

Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi sighed softly and said nothing more.

The nanny sent by Su Shi kept her head lowered, carefully supporting Ren Yaoting. She heard every word of the conversation between Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoting but didn’t interject a single word. Only when Ren Yaoqi stopped and said to Ren Yaoting, “Rest well when you return, I won’t see you off further,” did she raise her eyes to glance at Ren Yaoqi.

Ren Yaoqi was completely unaware and watched them leave.

Ren Yaoting’s figure disappeared at the entrance of Ronghua Garden, and Ren Yaoqi also walked slowly toward the courtyard exit. Before she had even left the corridor, she saw Nanny Gui bringing Ren Yaoyu over, followed by Fifth Madam Lin Shi with an anxious expression, trying to maintain composure.

As Ren Yaoqi approached, she could hear Lin Shi instructing Ren Yaoyu: “You must tell Old Madam that you only lightly pushed her aside so she wouldn’t block your path. She fell because she couldn’t stand steady. You must never randomly admit to things you didn’t do!”

Lin Shi’s voice wasn’t lowered but deliberately raised, as if this could convince others or herself. Ren Yaoyu kept her head down without speaking, no one knowing what she was thinking. Nanny Gui and several maids and servants only looked down at the path under their feet, showing no expression.

Hearing footsteps, several people looked up. Seeing Ren Yaoqi approaching, Nanny Gui curtsied properly with perfect etiquette. Lin Shi paused her words, not taking Ren Yaoqi seriously, and continued instructing Ren Yaoyu. Ren Yaoyu seemed somewhat absent-minded at the moment, not even lifting her head to look when someone approached.

They brushed past each other, and Ren Yaoqi had no intention of returning to Ronghua Garden to listen for news, going back to Ziwei Courtyard on her own.

When Ren Yaoyu and Lin Shi arrived at Old Madam Ren’s room, before Old Madam Ren could begin her interrogation, Lin Shi started pleading her daughter’s case.

Watching Lin Shi’s constantly moving mouth, a trace of barely perceptible disgust flashed in Old Madam Ren’s eyes.

Before Lin Shi could finish speaking, Old Madam Ren said coldly, “Did I ask you to come together? Go stand aside!”

Lin Shi’s voice stopped. If this were in the past, she would have reddened her eyes, feeling wronged, but during this period, she had gradually grown accustomed to Old Madam Ren’s harsh treatment. If not for her daughter today, she wouldn’t have come to humiliate herself.

“I’m not yet senile. Even if she doesn’t admit it herself, someone still saw what happened! How does she plan to deny it?” Old Madam Ren looked at Ren Yaoyu, her voice cold and condensed.

Lin Shi held back but still spoke up: “That depends on who you ask. I just questioned several maids around Yu’er after the incident, and they all said Concubine Kang deliberately blocked Yu’er’s path. Yu’er originally only wanted to gently push her aside, but she couldn’t stand steady herself or… anyway, she carelessly fell. As for those few maids around the Kang woman, who knows if they were instructed by someone to frame my daughter!”

Seeing her still trying to argue unreasonably, Old Madam Ren snorted coldly: “Yaoting was also present at the time and saw clearly that it was indeed this wretch who went and struck someone!”

At this point, Lin Shi no longer had that restraint she usually showed when facing Old Madam Ren, retorting: “How can Ren Yaoting’s words be trusted! She just quarreled with Yu’er – she may be deliberately talking nonsense to frame someone.”

So Ren Yaoting’s earlier thoughts weren’t wrong. Everyone in the Ren family knew what kind of temperament Lin Shi had.