This outing was the first step for Li Shi to enter the circle of madams at Yunyang Academy. Although Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua’s moods were affected by seeing Zeng Kui, overall this trip to White Dragon Temple was still fruitful.

However, after returning home, the steward came up to report to Li Shi about Ren Yaoying’s matter.

Upon hearing that Ren Yaoying had been picked up by the Zhou family’s carriage shortly after they left, Li Shi was surprised and couldn’t help but frown.

Nanny Zhou had gone out with Li Shi this time, so when she returned and heard that the steward had just let Ren Yaoying go out on her own like that, she scolded, “With the master and madam both away from home, who gave Ninth Young Miss permission to go out as she pleased! What if something had happened?”

That steward later also felt increasingly uneasy about it, and couldn’t help but break out in cold sweat, “But the people sent by the Zhou family said they had already sent someone to White Dragon Temple to ask the madam for permission.”

Nanny Zhou said coldly, “Oh? So you received the madam’s order allowing Ninth Young Miss to board the Zhou family’s carriage?”

“No…”

“Then tell me, who is your master? The Zhou family people?”

“I…”

“Enough, first send someone to the Zhou family to bring Ninth Young Miss back. If she’s perfectly fine, you come back to receive punishment. If something happened to her, you don’t need to come back at all.”

The steward immediately withdrew.

Ren Yaohua frowned, “Mother, you’re too indulgent with her. Since in her heart we’re all ill-intentioned people anyway, why do you need to consider so much and give her face? Would she even be grateful?”

Li Shi sighed, “She’s just a child. How can I argue with her? Forget it, this time she was so improper. When she returns, I’ll give orders to confine her to her quarters and won’t let her go out freely in the future.”

Ren Yaohua complained, “Grandmother clearly knew that Concubine Fang doesn’t get along with you, yet still let her come along. If you manage her, she resents you for being too harsh on concubine daughters. If you don’t manage her, she’s always causing trouble. Since this time she didn’t understand propriety and made a mistake, Mother, you should just keep her confined all the time, to prevent her from going out and causing you trouble.”

Regarding this concubine sister Ren Yaoying, Ren Yaohua never minded being the villain. If she were Li Shi, she definitely wouldn’t leave Ren Yaoying any freedom at all, keeping her confined to see what crooked schemes she could still hatch.

After an hour, Ren Yaoying was finally brought back by people the steward had sent to fetch her.

Fortunately, this time she had indeed gone to the Zhou family and hadn’t wandered around elsewhere.

Ren Yaoying glanced at Li Shi, then looked at Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoqi, then stepped forward to pay her respects, after which she stood without saying a word.

Li Shi said in a relatively gentle tone, “Yaoying, don’t you know the rule that you must get the consent of your elders at home before going out?”

Ren Yaoying lowered her head. “Mother, you weren’t at the residence. Father went to the academy. The Zhou family people said they had already sent someone to White Dragon Temple to ask for your permission, so I went.”

Li Shi frowned, “But I didn’t see anyone from the Zhou family.”

Nanny Zhou said, “Ninth Young Miss, even if the Zhou family sent someone to ask the madam for permission, you should have waited for the madam to send someone back to tell you that you could go out before you could go out. Hasn’t anyone taught you these rules before?”

Ren Yaoying bit her lip.

Li Shi sighed, “Go back and copy the Classic of Filial Piety twenty times. Also, in the future, without permission from me or your father, you cannot go out on your own.”

Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoying couldn’t help but say, “What if the Zhou family sends someone to fetch me again? Mother, would you agree to let me go out?”

As Ren Yaoying spoke, she unconsciously covered her chest, where inside her clothing was a jade magnolia pendant. It wasn’t her item, but something Zhou Wen had secretly slipped into her hand today. Zhou Wen said that next time, he would have Zhou Rong come to fetch her to the Zhou family.

She hadn’t agreed to him at the time, but if Li Shi said she wouldn’t let her go to the Zhou family anymore, she felt somewhat reluctant.

Zhou Wen liked her – she was clear about this in her heart.

Zhou Wen wasn’t bad-looking and had some learning. He would also think of ways to please her, so Ren Yaoying was somewhat moved. But Ren Yaoying thought, how good it would be if Zhou Wen’s family background could be even better!

She had gradually inquired about the Zhou family’s circumstances. The Zhou family’s foundation in Yunyang City could only be considered middle-class, and their family wealth was far inferior to the Ren family. Although Zhou Wen’s father worked at Prince Yan’s mansion, he was only a minor clerk with no real power, and wouldn’t have much room for advancement in the future.

According to Zhou Rong, when Madam Zhou married into the family, her dowry was quite substantial, but most of Madam Zhou’s dowry would accompany Zhou Rong when she married out. Even that small estate at the hot spring villa was to go to Zhou Rong. Apart from Zhou Wen as a person, the Zhou family had nothing worth coveting. This was the conclusion Ren Yaoying had drawn from Zhou Rong’s words.

Today Zhou Wen had tentatively told her that his mother was already looking for wife candidates for him, but he wanted to wait until after taking the provincial examination next August before considering marriage. After saying this, he had given her that jade magnolia flower.

Ren Yaoying hadn’t directly refused at the time.

She thought that if Zhou Wen could achieve good results in the provincial examination and then smoothly pass Yanbei’s metropolitan examination, his prospects might not be bad. After all, Zhou Wen seemed very confident when talking about these things, and she had secretly inquired with Zhou Rong – Zhou Wen was indeed well-liked by the teachers at Yunyang Academy.

Ren Yaoying was still young now, and it wasn’t yet her turn for marriage discussions, so she felt there was no need to reject Zhou Wen so early. Setting aside factors like family background, Ren Yaoying still had quite a good impression of Zhou Wen, who was eloquent and quite good-looking.

Ren Yaohua said coldly from the side, “Can’t you understand? Because today you went out without getting permission from your elders, you’ve already been confined to quarters! You can’t go anywhere except your room!”

Ren Yaoying looked at Li Shi in disbelief, “Mother, you want to confine me to my quarters?”

Li Shi said, “Wait until you’ve learned proper behavior before going out.”

Ren Yaoying said with reddened eyes and indignation, “Mother, just because I’m concubine-born, you can trample on me like this? Third Sister and Fifth Sister live in large rooms and can go out with you. I, this concubine daughter, live in servants’ quarters, which is fine, but now I’m not even allowed to go out? If you truly dislike me this much, just send me back to Baihe Town! With my grandmother and my mother there, at least I could have a full meal!”

“Outrageous!” As Ren Yaoying spoke more and more excessively, even Li Shi couldn’t bear to listen anymore and couldn’t help frowning as she shouted to stop her.

“Ren Yaoying, has anyone starved you here? Don’t tell me the food sent to your room was all fed to dogs? You made a mistake, so you made a mistake. Just obediently accept your punishment. If you continue to be unreasonable and bark wildly in front of my mother, I’ll have someone come teach you proper behavior, lest you embarrass us by not understanding any manners that your concubine mother taught you! Someone! Take her back and watch over her. If she dares step out of her room, break her legs!” Ren Yaohua said with a cold laugh.

Ren Yaoying said angrily, “You wouldn’t dare!”

Ren Yaohua smiled, looking at her with a sinister tone, “Why don’t you try and see if I dare! Breaking someone’s legs isn’t something I’m doing for the first time. You and your concubine mother know this very clearly, don’t you? Didn’t you make a big publicity campaign about it back then?”

“You…”

At this moment, a male voice suddenly appeared at the doorway: “What’s going on? Making such a racket – what does this look like!”

Everyone turned to see Ren Shimin walking in with a cold expression.

“Is this how you’re educating them? Each one shouting and yelling?” Ren Shimin said to Li Shi.

Li Shi lowered her head and admitted her fault.

Ren Yaoying immediately started crying, “Father, you must stand up for me!”

Ren Shimin found her wailing annoying. He looked at everyone present, then pointed to Ren Yaoqi, who hadn’t spoken, “Tell me what happened.”

Ren Yaoqi explained how Ren Yaoying had gone out today without asking Li Shi’s permission.

Ren Shimin asked Li Shi, “I remember you were supposed to go to White Dragon Temple today?”

Ren Yaohua said, “Ninth Sister said she felt unwell, so she wasn’t going. Mother even called a physician for her. But as soon as we left, Ninth Sister’s illness was cured, and she got on the Zhou family’s carriage.”

Ren Shimin looked at Ren Yaoying, “You feigned illness?”

Ren Yaoying sobbed while saying, “I… I knew Mother and my sisters didn’t like me. I didn’t want to go along and be unwelcome, I…”

“I asked whether you feigned illness!” Ren Shimin said somewhat impatiently.

Ren Yaoying just kept crying without speaking.

Ren Shimin glanced at her, then turned to Li Shi, “Find a nanny to properly teach her manners. Until she learns proper behavior, don’t let her step out of her room.”

Li Shi lowered her head in acknowledgment. Ren Yaoying cried even louder, with indescribable grievance in her voice.

Ren Shimin looked at Ren Yaoying, “I know you grew up with your concubine mother, and in your conduct, you may have learned some of her ways. I very much dislike this, so you must change for me. Otherwise, you should go back to Baihe Town, but don’t tell people you’re Ren Shimin’s daughter anymore.”

Ren Yaoying was frightened by Ren Shimin’s last statement and even forgot to cry.

Did Father mean he wanted to sever relations with her?

Ren Yaohua gave Xi’er a look. Xi’er understood and stepped forward to ask Ren Yaoying to leave. Seeing that Ren Yaoying didn’t react, Xi’er had to help her out together with Que’er.

After Ren Yaoying left, Ren Shimin looked at Ren Yaohua again, frowning, “I heard your voice from outside. You should also learn proper behavior!”

Ren Yaohua, seeing that Ren Shimin had disciplined Ren Yaoying, was in a good mood. Being scolded by Ren Shimin like this didn’t make her angry, but rather she obediently agreed.

Seeing her like this, Ren Shimin said nothing more. The main reason Ren Shimin disciplined Ren Yaoying was because she had lied, which Ren Shimin greatly disliked. Although Ren Yaohua’s temperament didn’t suit Ren Shimin’s preferences, at least her character hadn’t gone astray.

Third Master Ren’s requirements for his children weren’t high.

Both times he disciplined Ren Yaoying were because of character issues.

From this day on, Ren Yaoying was confined to her quarters. Since it was Ren Shimin, her father, who had personally given the order, no one dared say anything.