"mother--"
The eldest wife hurried forward and pulled Lin back, saying, "Fifth sister-in-law, why are you so confused? Although you were once a daughter of the Lin family, you are now a wife of the Ren family. As the saying goes, family disgrace should not be made public. How can you let your family interfere in such matters? Isn't this clearly telling your family that you have been wronged by your husband's family?"
The eldest wife glanced at the old lady and said, "Besides, the elders in your mother's family are naturally all good, but... those maids aren't necessarily all good. Do you still remember that Nanny Chen who used to be by your side?"
Lin was stunned, as if she remembered something, and her face turned pale.
As the most favored daughter of the Lin family, how could Lin not be accompanied by a powerful dowry of maids and servants when she got married? This Nanny Chen was the one her mother had carefully selected for her.
Nanny Chen was indeed capable, and everything she knew about Concubine Fang was heard from Nanny Chen.
But a few years ago, Nanny Chen was caught cheating on a man, even secretly letting him into the inner courtyard for an affair. This incident nearly ruined her reputation, but it was Old Madam Ren who finally resorted to ruthless tactics to help her. Because of that incident, several of the maids and servants around her were either killed or sold.
The Lin family also felt guilty about this matter and did not dare to send anyone over again.
Fortunately, Mrs. Ren loved her very much, and she had never suffered any harm in the Ren family, so the Lin family was relieved.
Now that she heard the eldest wife mention this matter, Lin naturally felt very uncomfortable and no longer dared to go back to her parents' home to ask for help.
"What are you still standing here for? Didn't you hear what I said?" Old Mrs. Ren drove them away with a cold face.
"Yes, mother. I'll take my fifth brother's wife out right now." The eldest wife said respectfully, and then pulled the aggrieved fifth wife out.
Just then, Aunt Gui came running back, her face full of joy, saying, "Madam, the Third and Fifth Masters are back! The carriage is already at the door!"
Old Madam Ren's expression brightened considerably. "Third and fifth sons are back? Aren't they blocked by heavy snow? Will they be delayed for a few days?"
The Zhou Dynasty did not prohibit people from merchant families from taking the imperial examinations. When the second old master of the Ren family was young, he had dreamed of taking the imperial examinations to bring honor to the family. Unfortunately, he failed repeatedly and finally only passed the examination to become a scholar.
Fortunately, by his generation, the Ren family was not short of money, so Old Master Ren spent a lot of money to help his younger brother get an official position. Although he did not have a proper job, he became the president of a large chamber of commerce in the capital of Yanbei.
The eldest son of the second old master, Ren Shiyuan, was the second child in the Ren family. He stayed in Baihe Town to take care of his mother. The fourth son, Ren Shixu, was in Beijing with the second old master. He married the daughter of a fifth-rank official in Beijing, and with the help of his wife's family, he got a job in purchasing in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Ren Shimao, the fifth master of the eldest house, would spend several months every year with his uncle in the capital, learning the social etiquette of officialdom.
The third master, Ren Shimin, was something of an anomaly within the Ren family. He disliked business and officialdom, preferring instead to elegant pursuits like poetry, painting, playing the zither, and swordplay, comparing himself to the elegant scholars of the Wei and Jin dynasties. He had been away from home for half a year, having traveled to Beijing to attend the city's five-yearly painting conference.
Today, the two brothers returned home together. This chapter has been read (please click on the next chapter to continue reading!)
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