The Ren residence had been busy since the afternoon. Because the wedding had come so hastily, the Ren family hadn't made any preparations. Old Madam Ren and First Madam Ren hadn't intended for a grand ceremony, keeping all the ceremonies and etiquette as simple as possible. They hadn't even invited guests, only a few close relatives.
After all, no one knows whether a happy event will turn into a sad one in the end, which is very unlucky.
The Ren family was busy outside, but Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but worry.
Perhaps it was because Aunt Fang and the Han family's actions were too pervasive, Ren Yaoqi always suspected that what happened around him was a scheme. Even when Ren Yijun suddenly became seriously ill, Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but think of it as a conspiracy.
Now the affairs of Fang Niang's Fang Fei Courtyard were also under the management of Ziwei Courtyard, so Ren Yaoqi asked Madam Zhou to keep an eye on Fang Niang's movements. Worried, Ren Yaoqi called the maid assigned by Madam Zhou to Fang Zhi Courtyard to question her, only to learn that Fang Niang had not left her room in recent days. Even Madam Yu and the head maid Jin Ju, who took care of her daily life, had hardly left the courtyard.
Ren Yaoqi also asked Madam Zhou to help investigate the details of the fortune teller invited into the mansion by the eldest lady and the person she found for Ren Yijun to bring good luck.
Nanny Zhou was also a capable person, and she brought the news in the evening.
"Fifth Miss, I have thoroughly investigated that old woman and have found nothing wrong with her. She even has a very good reputation in Yanzhou. Although she has to pretend to be a ghost to make a living, she has never done anything that harms the world. More than ten years ago, the concubine of a wealthy family in the nearby town wanted to use witchcraft to harm the legitimate son left by the original wife. They secretly found her and wanted her to set up an altar to cast a spell, but the old woman refused. She also secretly revealed this to the legitimate son's wet nurse, asking her to be careful of this concubine. Later, when the legitimate son grew up safely, he learned about this and specially found her and gave her a lot of silver. Her good deeds back then also spread. The reason why the eldest wife asked her to come to the mansion to exorcise the evil spirit for the third young master was because she had heard that this old woman had good character and would not harm others for money."
The first wife, Mrs. Wang, has always been cautious, and Ren Yaoqi believes this.
"As for the girl sent here for the wedding, her surname is Qi, and her maiden name is Yuegui. She lives in Dongxiang Village, thirty miles away from Baihe Town. Her great-grandfather was a local squire, known for his generosity. During her grandfather's generation, the Qi family split up, and her father, the second son, was given over a dozen acres of fertile land. Even so, he was considered a small landowner in Dongxiang Village. She has an older brother and two younger brothers, all born from the same mother, so her family is quite small."
Ren Yaoqi frowned slightly: "Since the Qi family has no worries about livelihood and only has one daughter, they should treat her with great care. Why would they send her here to bring good luck?"
Nanny Zhou sighed, "Fifth Miss, you may not know this, but the Qi family is somewhat patriarchal. They value sons highly, but daughters... Miss Qi has been working in the fields since she was young. She hasn't been to school much. A while ago, Miss Qi's youngest brother had a fight with a cousin from her uncle's family. The cousin accidentally slipped into the river and drowned. The Qi clan leader demanded that Miss Qi's family compensate the uncle's family with half of their land, or else the uncle would report them to the authorities. Miss Qi's family only has a dozen acres of land, and of the three brothers, only the eldest brother has married. The other two brothers are still married. After giving away this land, not only will the family's livelihood be difficult, but the two brothers will also have difficulty finding wives in the future."
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