However, Lin Shi didn’t know that when someone finds you pleasing to the eye, whatever you do is forgivable. Conversely, when someone finds you displeasing, your explanations will only make them more disgusted.

Moreover, Old Madam Ren had already determined that her granddaughter Ren Yaoyu was malicious at heart and sinister, so Lin Shi’s defense of her daughter could only have the opposite effect.

In the end, Old Madam Ren could no longer bear it and flew into a rage, ordering that Ren Yaoyu be tied up and taken to the ancestral hall to receive family punishment.

Any family with deep foundations has family rules, and where there are family rules, there inevitably exists family punishment. Although the Ren family’s history wasn’t particularly long, the proper facade had already been established when the previous family head, Ren Baoming, was alive.

The Ren family’s instrument of punishment was no different from those of other great families in Yanbei – an ironwood rod as thick as an adult’s wrist, flat and round, about four feet long, naturally lustrous without needing lacquer. This rod, like the ancestral tablets, had been enshrined in the ancestral hall for years. Generally speaking, its deterrent significance was greater than its practical use – it was something that struck terror into the hearts of all the family’s children upon hearing of it, transcending the ordinary fear a simple wooden rod might inspire in children.

So when Ren Yaoyu heard that the legendary family punishment would be invoked, she was so frightened that her legs went weak on the spot. Looking at her grandmother’s stern attitude from her lofty position, she even thought her life was forfeit.

Lin Shi’s fear of family punishment was naturally different from her daughter’s fear, but she also understood the gravity of invoking it. After all, since the previous family head had established this punishment, that wooden rod had never actually been used. She didn’t want her daughter to become the first in the Ren family to break this precedent.

So Ronghua Garden erupted in chaos again, until Fifth Master Lin Shi Ren Shimao received the news and begged First Master Ren to invite Old Master Ren back.

It must be said that people’s hearts are inherently biased. Concubine Kang’s miscarriage meant Fifth Master Ren had lost an heir, and to say he wasn’t saddened would be false. But no matter how tenderly Ren Shimao had promised Concubine Kang that he wouldn’t mistreat her or the child in her belly, when the crucial moment came, the distinction between close and distant family immediately became clear.

Compared to the unborn child in Concubine Kang’s belly, Fifth Master Ren was more concerned about his eldest daughter. Although everyone said Ren Yaoyu was the culprit who caused Concubine Kang’s miscarriage, Ren Shimao was unwilling to think maliciously of his and Lin Shi’s beloved daughter. He unconditionally believed Lin Shi’s account – that Ren Yaoyu had accidentally bumped into Concubine Kang.

After Old Master Ren learned of this matter, he thought about it and decided to return to the inner courtyard. Old Madam Ren had been very dissatisfied with the Lin family recently because of Ren Shijia, and thus had been taking out her anger on Lin Shi. Old Master Ren had been turning a blind eye for unknown reasons, but his stance representing the Ren family toward the Lin family hadn’t changed at all.

Recently, the various prestigious families in Yanbei appeared calm on the surface. However, many people sensed that this calm was like a frozen river in winter – smooth and waveless on the surface, but with turbulent deep currents beneath the ice. When spring came and the ice broke, flood season would arrive.

So during this period of somewhat unpredictable circumstances, Old Master Ren didn’t want to truly antagonize the Lin family.

However, Old Master Ren never interfered in inner courtyard matters. At this point, it would be inappropriate to overturn Old Madam Ren’s decision and embarrass her, so after returning to the inner courtyard, he went directly to the study in Ronghua Garden. No matter how much Ren Shimao pleaded, he didn’t show his face.

When Old Madam Ren received news of Old Master Ren’s return, Ren Shijia sent a servant woman from her side to plead for Ren Yaoyu and Lin Shi. She was still in confinement and couldn’t leave easily, but still showed her concern for the Lin Shi mother and daughter.

Old Madam Ren originally didn’t want to pay attention to her daughter’s pleas, but after learning that Old Master Ren had returned, she thought for a moment and changed her decision. She ordered that Ren Yaoyu be temporarily confined to the ancestral hall with no visitation allowed, and after today’s matter was thoroughly investigated, punishment would be decided.

Lin Shi was temporarily confined to her own Liuli Courtyard. Since Ren Yaoyu had caused such a disaster, and whether she did so under Lin Shi’s instigation was still uncertain, Lin Shi was implicated by association.

Even so, the Lin Shi mother and daughter temporarily breathed a sigh of relief. The two words “family punishment,” precisely because they were rarely used, were extremely terrifying.

On the surface, Old Madam Ren was doing her daughter a favor, making Lin Shi feel grateful to her sister-in-law Ren Shijia. In reality, however, this was the tacit understanding between Old Madam Ren and Old Master Ren as husband and wife. She knew Old Master Ren wouldn’t return without a reason. Since he had been invited back by their son, although he hadn’t come to the main room to interfere in this matter, he had hinted at his meaning.

It must be said that Old Madam Ren was a wise person. She immediately set aside her likes and dislikes to firmly follow Old Master Ren’s wishes, doing so in a way that wasn’t easily detected while also giving her daughter considerable face.

Fifth Master Ren’s choice at the critical moment softened Lin Shi’s attitude, who had originally hated him to the bone. When Fifth Master Ren insisted on escorting her back to Ziwei Courtyard, Lin Shi didn’t refuse as firmly as usual. Later, when maids from Liuli Courtyard were gossiping, they quietly mentioned that Fifth Master Ren had accompanied Fifth Madam to the confined main room and hadn’t been driven out by Fifth Madam. In the end, people heard Fifth Madam crying in the room and Fifth Master Ren’s careful words of comfort.

This confinement unexpectedly confined both husband and wife – one involuntarily, the other willingly.

At this time, Concubine Kang was lying in the west wing of Liuli Courtyard, having nearly lost half her life. But at this moment, both Fifth Master and Fifth Madam chose to selectively ignore this fact.

No one knew what feelings Concubine Kang harbored as she lay on that pearwood canopy bed in the west wing of Liuli Courtyard. Just as Concubine Kang had calculated everything, she could not ultimately calculate men’s hearts.

Meanwhile, at the Eastern Residence, after Ren Yaoting returned, she first went to see her mother.

Upon seeing Su Shi, Ren Yaoting’s eyes immediately reddened, and she threw herself into Su Shi’s arms, refusing to let go. She had truly been frightened today. Her forced composure outside was merely due to saving face through stubborn endurance. Seeing her mother made her feel even more that she had been wronged today.

Strictly speaking, Su Shi had a cold temperament and couldn’t be considered a loving mother, but that was due to her natural disposition. Toward her only daughter, Su Shi still loved her from the bottom of her heart.

Seeing Ren Yaoting like this, Su Shi felt heartbroken. She didn’t immediately ask her daughter about what had happened, but patiently held and comforted Ren Yaoting for a long time. She had someone bring the calming tea that had been prepared earlier and personally fed it to Ren Yaoting, finally coaxing her to rest on the soft couch in her main room.

After comforting her daughter, Su Shi gestured for Nanny Yang, the trusted nanny who had gone to fetch her daughter, to take the two personal maids who had served Ren Yaoting today to the adjacent side room.

Su Shi quietly listened as the two maids recounted today’s events. Her usually calm brows furrowed slightly, inexplicably taking on a trace of coldness and killing intent. Her appearance was quite ordinary, but this expression added several touches of distinctive charm to her face, different from ordinary boudoir ladies. However, Su Shi rarely showed such expressions before outsiders, which showed that everyone present was among her trusted confidants.

“Does the Kang woman pass through that garden at that hour every day?” Su Shi’s tone was flat and calm, her face having returned to its usual placid state.

Nanny Yang lowered her head: “This servant has inquired – it is indeed so. Not only that, but Eighth Miss also often strolls through the garden at that hour on her return, so the two have encountered each other there several times. Arguments are common occurrences. Usually, it’s Eighth Miss who, when in a bad mood, deliberately humiliates and berates Concubine Kang.”

Su Shi looked thoughtful, then shifted her gaze to the two maids standing with hands clasped at their sides, saying mildly: “Does Ting’er also know that Ren Yaoyu frequently appears in the garden at that time?”

The two maids exchanged glances, and the slightly older one stepped forward to speak carefully: “Miss originally didn’t know, but when she went with Fifth Miss to catch butterflies outside the garden near Liuli Courtyard last time, she happened to see the Kang woman and Eighth Miss arguing, so she took note. Because she discovered that the arguments between the Kang woman and Eighth Miss seemed to happen more than once, Miss even inquired about it. However, this servant observed that Miss was only asking out of curiosity at the time and didn’t mention it again afterward.”

Su Shi raised her eyebrows slightly: “Did Ting’er deliberately choose that hour to catch butterflies near Liuli Courtyard because she was angered by Ren Yaoyu in Ronghua Garden today?”

“This…” The maid looked up at Su Shi hesitantly: “This servant observed that Miss was indeed somewhat pleased when she heard Eighth Miss and Concubine Kang arguing in the garden.”

What Ren Yaoting had said in front of Ren Yaoyu and Concubine Kang at the time did have some meaning of fanning the flames and fearing the world wasn’t chaotic enough. However, when facing Old Madam Ren earlier, Ren Yaoting hadn’t confessed to those few provocative words she had spoken, only vaguely indicating that she had gone to mediate.

Ren Yaoting rarely suffered losses in the Ren family, so she was quite dissatisfied with how Ren Yaoyu had squeezed her out today. She knew that if the conflict between Ren Yaoyu and Concubine Kang escalated, it would result in Ren Yaoyu being punished.

However, if one were to say that Ren Yaoting had harbored particularly malicious thoughts, that wouldn’t be quite accurate either. She simply wanted to watch Ren Yaoyu be scolded by her elders – it was childish scheming. She hadn’t expected that Ren Yaoyu would dare to physically attack Concubine Kang.

So the reason Ren Yaoting was so frightened was actually because she feared she bore some responsibility for this incident.

Although the maid couldn’t speak directly, she had hinted at this when explaining the situation to Su Shi earlier, which was why Su Shi asked this question.

How could Su Shi not understand her daughter? That’s why she didn’t ask Ren Yaoting directly but questioned the maids instead. This was more conducive to making the correct judgment.

After a long silence, Su Shi finally said mildly, “This matter probably isn’t as simple as it appears.”

Clever people always have the habit of overthinking.