When Ren Yaohua heard this story, she snorted coldly and said: “Beautiful wife and lovely concubines, enjoying the blessings of having multiple wives? I think this man is an ungrateful hypocrite! You didn’t make up this story, did you?” Ren Yaohua looked at Ren Yaoqi with obvious suspicion and disdain in her eyes.

Ren Yaoqi coughed lightly: “Of course not.” She had never watched such nonsensical plays, and even if she wanted to make one up, she couldn’t.

Ren Yaohua frowned: “With such a play, will people outside really forget the previous rumors?” Although she usually acted as if she didn’t care at all, in reality, as a woman, who would truly be completely indifferent to their reputation?

Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment: “This is just making a good start. However, time reveals a person’s true character, and they will gradually understand. In the future, you must also try to control your temper. If you want to scold someone, that’s not impossible, but your reasons must be solid, with conclusive evidence, and you absolutely cannot act according to your whims.”

Ren Yaohua’s nature was strong and decisive. Ren Yaoqi didn’t want to put a false shell of gentle virtue on her, as this would make Ren Yaohua’s future life very tiring. Any time she couldn’t control her temper could cause people to doubt the gentle image she had worked so hard to establish, thus becoming a weapon for others to attack her. Therefore, Ren Yaoqi wanted outsiders to see an upright and dignified Ren Yaohua.

Not all families wanted a gentle and graceful daughter-in-law. Ren Yaohua’s serious and dignified nature better suited the image of a mistress of a large household.

Those rumors couldn’t be eliminated, but they could be guided to transform originally harmful gossip into something beneficial, gradually making outsiders understand that Ren Yaohua was indeed a strict person who followed rules, and those rumors weren’t entirely groundless.

However, Ren Yaohua would never scold people without reason. She wasn’t willful and reckless, but upright and rule-abiding. Her strictness toward her sisters wasn’t because she was proud and difficult to get along with, but because she was the eldest sister and needed to maintain the dignity befitting an eldest sister.

However, these things couldn’t be accomplished by Ren Yaoqi’s efforts alone; she still needed Ren Yaohua’s cooperation.

In Ren Yaoqi’s heart, it wouldn’t be difficult for Ren Yaohua to achieve these things, because this was already her natural character.

Ren Yaohua understood Ren Yaoqi’s meaning. She gradually realized in her heart that this sister cared about her very much. However, on the surface, she still awkwardly turned her head away and pouted: “When have I ever scolded people without reason or acted willfully?”

Ren Yaoqi looked at her and smiled without contradicting her. Anyway, she would keep a good watch over Yaohua in the future and not let her act impulsively. Actually, after spending time together, she knew that Ren Yaohua wasn’t a stubborn person. If she truly did something wrong and you pointed it out to her, she would seriously correct it privately and try not to make the same mistake a second time. This was quite rare for such a proud person.

Ren Yaohua had many good qualities that Ren Yaoqi hadn’t discovered in her previous life. This was already a regret from her past life, but fortunately, this regret wouldn’t continue.

Meanwhile, when Old Master Ren and Old Madam Ren learned that someone who was supposed to be dead had suddenly come back to life, they were greatly shocked. Old Master Ren even sent people to contact Meihong, wanting to see what this woman was trying to do and whether she had come back for revenge. Unexpectedly, Meihong acted as if she didn’t remember the Ren family at all. She insisted that her maiden name was Chen and her given name was Fujie, and that she was from Jiangnan. Her determined manner left the people sent by the Ren family completely bewildered, unable to tell what was true or false.

The Ren family also investigated her so-called fiancé but couldn’t find even the slightest flaw. Old Master Ren thought he was seeing ghosts, and Old Madam Ren even started eating vegetarian meals for several days.

This matter was simply bizarre. Later, when public opinion began to turn in favor of Ren Yaohua, Old Master Ren also suspected whether Li Shi from the third branch had secretly orchestrated something. However, Old Madam Ren called Li Shi over to interrogate her several times, but found no flaws. Finally, Old Master Ren couldn’t help but wonder if Li Shi’s maternal family, Prince Xian’s side, had secretly done something, although he felt this possibility was really unlikely.

Not long after, that courtesan indeed left Baihe Town openly with an elegant and upright man who came to fetch her, never to return. This matter became an unsolved case for the Ren family, and Old Master Ren never figured out what had happened until his death.

After this storm passed, the Ren family began to experience unprecedented tranquility.

Ren Yaoying had gone far away to Jiangning, and the Lin Shi couple were punished with confinement for reflection. Concubine Fang, after being sent back to Fangzhi Courtyard that day, never appeared in public again. After she woke up, she saw no one except her personal maid and Nanny Yu. Even when Ren Yaoying and Ren Yihong came to visit, they were turned away.

Xueli, who had previously informed on Lin Shi, was later summoned by Old Madam Ren once, but still couldn’t escape the fate of being sold out of the Ren family. Fortunately, she didn’t suffer any physical punishment.

However, Ren Yaoqi had prepared early. After Xueli was taken away by the matchmaker, she arranged for Zhu Ruomei to buy her back. She temporarily lived with Zhu Ruomei’s mother and sister at the Zhu family. Ren Yaoqi still gave her a senior maid’s monthly allowance and additionally rewarded her with several gold jewelry pieces and some silver.

Xueli was a clever, flexible, determined, and ambitious girl. After leaving the Ren family, she wasn’t disappointed or discouraged. She knew this period was also a test for her, and she would eventually return to Third Miss’s side. Having come from a poor background, after going to the Zhu family, she never put on airs as a senior maid from a young lady’s service. Every day, she competed to help Sister-in-law Zhu with work.

Such a girl with good looks, good character, who was hardworking and well-mannered, made Sister-in-law Zhu beam with joy every day when she saw her. She treated her even more kindly than her daughter.

Meanwhile, Sun Shiniang, who had been sent to the outer courtyard by Ren Yaoqi’s schemes, hadn’t caused any more trouble since Concubine Fang had quieted down.

Seeing that those two paintings were about to be completed, Sun Shiniang had no excuse to stay at the Ren family any longer. This afternoon, when Ren Yaoqi went to the Lingxian Pavilion to watch Fifth Master Ren add the final touches to those two beauty paintings, she saw Sun Shiniang talking with someone in the covered walkway not far away just before reaching the pavilion.

“Eh? Is that Nanny Xu? What is she doing here?” Sangshen pointed at the woman whose body was half-hidden by Sun Shiniang.

Ren Yaoqi looked carefully and saw that the person talking with Sun Shiniang was indeed her housekeeping nanny, Nanny Xu.

Ren Yaoqi frowned. Did these two know each other? How come she had never heard Nanny Xu mention it? However, seeing how the two were talking openly in broad daylight, it didn’t seem like they had any unspeakable secrets.

But remembering things from her previous life, Ren Yaoqi still became alert.

When they walked over, Sun Shiniang and Nanny Xu also saw her and quickly stopped their conversation to curtsy to her.

Ren Yaoqi remained composed on the surface, smiled, and nodded: “Why is Nanny Xu here?”

Nanny Xu quickly lowered her head and replied: “This servant and Madam Sun are old acquaintances. I came to ask her about an old friend.”

Ren Yaoqi glanced at Nanny Xu, whose face showed no signs of evasion or unease. However, Sun Shiniang’s face showed a hint of a mocking smile, which she quickly suppressed.

Ren Yaoqi felt thoughtful but didn’t linger here. After nodding slightly, she left directly. Both Nanny Xu and Sun Shiniang bowed to see her off.

When Ren Yaoqi arrived at Lingxian Pavilion, Third Master Ren had already been there for a while, seriously and carefully mixing the colors needed for the day. Ren Yaoqi stood beside him watching for quite a while before he noticed, saying joyfully: “Yaoyao, in two more days this painting will also be completed. Master Xu from Yunyang Academy somehow heard that I was restoring these two paintings and specially sent me a letter, saying that after completion, he hopes I can bring the paintings to Yunyang City for him to see.”

Although Master Xu Wanli from Yunyang Academy wasn’t particularly skilled at painting, he was a renowned connoisseur. Third Master Ren still greatly respected such scholars with real knowledge and hoped to gain his recognition, so he had been even more dedicated to restoring these two paintings recently.

Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but laugh seeing her father as happy as a child who had received an elder’s approval.

Ren Shimin’s work on restoring ancient paintings was something Ren Yaoqi had mentioned when delivering the restored musical scores to Madam Xu. Ren Yaoqi knew that Ren Shimin had devoted his entire life to painting. She didn’t think it was bad that her father didn’t understand mundane affairs. At least he was cleaner and purer than most people in the Ren family. She only hoped that in this life, he could continue to focus on what he loved and live peacefully and happily.

Ren Shimin also had his advantages. Self-admiring isolation within the small world of the Ren family would ultimately only drag him down into the family’s filth. She hoped he could step out of here and enter the public eye.

Ren Shimin didn’t care about reputation, but often it served as a very useful protective umbrella.

“Father, when the painting is finished, Manager Sun will leave too, right?” Ren Yaoqi asked casually.

Actually, Sun Shiniang could only help during the earlier phase of repairing the backing and remounting. The actual painting restoration work had always been insisted upon by Ren Shimin himself.

Ren Shimin nodded while picking up his brush: “Mm, she’ll leave in a couple of days.”

Ren Yaoqi breathed a sigh of relief, but unexpectedly, Ren Shimin continued: “By the way, she asked me to find a position for her husband.”

Ren Yaoqi frowned: “Oh? Isn’t her husband back in their hometown?” She remembered that Sun Shiniang’s husband had broken his leg and was now living with their daughter in their ancestral home.

Ren Shimin said, “She says she wants the family to be together. Although her husband broke his leg, he used to be a manager and can read and calculate.”