Aristocratic Family - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Incident Begins

The 38th year of Emperor Zhengxi of the Great Yuan Dynasty, in front of the mansion of the Right Minister of the Ministry of Works, Lian’s family, there were many carriages and horses, people coming and going, very lively.

The Lian family ancestors had produced many Jinshi and Juren, and also produced two Zhuangyuan(top scorer), one of whom was the grandfather of the old master Lian, who later became a first-rank Grand Secretary. The father of the old master Lian was a Bangyan(second-place winner), and his younger brother was a Tanhua(third-place winner). The Lian family’s three generations in the capital were now a famous story.

Today was the 60th birthday of the old lady of the Lian family, and everyone had come to give her birthday wishes.

The old lady Lian was wearing a red jacket with five blessings and a dark red six-panel skirt, with golden embroidery on the collar, her hair was combed neatly, and she was surrounded by pearls and jade, looking kind and dignified.

Old lady Lian was chatting with the guests. A maid wearing a red jacket came in from outside, walked to old lady Lian’s side, and whispered a few words in her ear. Old lady Lian frowned, and from her expression, it was clear that something bad had happened. However, soon old lady Lian turned back to the guests and started talking with a smile, as if nothing had happened.

After a while, everyone heard a commotion outside. A maid rushed in and said, “Old lady, something terrible has happened! A crazy woman has kidnapped the young master Lin!”

Old lady Lian’s heart sank.
The young master Lin that the maid mentioned was the son of Lian Yuebing, the daughter who had married into the Luyang Marquis’s mansion. Although Lian Yuebing was the second wife, the son of the first wife had passed away, and now the young master Lin was the only one who could inherit the title of the Marquis.

Old lady Lian immediately went to the place where the incident happened.
Others followed behind her. When they arrived at the destination, they saw a woman with several long scars on her face, holding a sharp knife and kidnapping the young master Lin, with the knife tip pressed against his neck. As long as the knife was used with a bit of force, the young master Lin would lose his life.

Lian Yuebing screamed, “Who are you? Why are you kidnapping my child?”

The woman holding the dagger sneered: “How is it, Lian Yuebing, you’ve already forgotten me so quickly? You’re really busy, aren’t you? We were sisters for over ten years, after all.”

Lian Yuebing recognized her and was terrified: “You, you’re Yueyao? How is that possible? You’re not dead?”

Old lady Lian looked at the woman with the knife with a gloomy expression: “Come, take her down for me.”

After hearing old lady Lian’s words, Lian Yueyao’s sharp knife pierced the child’s delicate skin. She said coldly: “If anyone dares to come closer, I’ll take his life.”
Lian Yueyao was very confident, and Mo Shi didn’t dare to move.

Lian Yuebing grabbed old lady Lian’s arm and begged pitifully: “Mother, don’t, mother, she’ll hurt Lin’er.”

Old lady Lian glared at Lian Yueyao fiercely. She wanted someone to gag the woman’s mouth, or she would surely say something outrageous later. However, she was worried about her grandson, Lin’er, who was the only heir of the Luyyang Marquis.
If he died, the Lian family would definitely face revenge from the Luyang Marquis. Now, it was truly a case of being unable to act due to fear of consequences.

Lian Yueyao saw old lady Lian’s expression and said: “Mo Shi, you have this day too. You have a time when you know fear?”

Old lady Lian stared at Lian Yueyao, her gaze so fierce that if it could kill, Lian Yueyao would have died countless times.

Lian Yuebing saw her son’s neck covered in blood and begged pitifully: “Yueyao, sister, I’ve been yielding to you in every way since childhood. I’ve treated you like a biological sister. Please, for the sake of our past relationship, don’t harm my child. I beg you.”

Lian Yueyao looked at Lian Yuebing and said: “Mo Shi, did you hear your daughter’s plea? How did I beg you that day? And how did you treat me?”

Old lady Lian said coldly: “Whatever grievances you have, direct them at me. There’s no need to involve innocent children. Put the child down!” If it weren’t for the fact that Brother Lin was in Lian Yueyao’s hands, the old lady would have ordered someone to kill her on the spot.

Lian Yueyao looked at Old lady Lian’s face without any expression, and a smile flashed on her face. This smile made old lady Lian’s heart feel cold: “You also know about innocence? Mo Shi, heaven sees what people do. You took all the wealth of our second branch for the sake of your children’s future, using my marriage to help your children climb higher. When I was no longer useful to you, you insanely sold me to the merchant Zhou Shu of Haicheng as a concubine. You announced to the outside world that I had died of illness. They say that the hearts of women are the most venomous, and your heart is even more venomous than a scorpion’s.”

After Lian Yueyao’s words, there was a commotion on the scene.
The entire family’s assets of the second branch – this was a huge concept. The second master of the Lian family back then was a salt inspector, a truly lucrative position, and the family’s wealth accumulated over several years was absolutely not a small amount.
Additionally, Lian Dongbo’s wife, Ma Shi, was the eldest daughter of the Marquis Ma family. She was also a famous beauty back then.

At the scene, some people’s eyes turned to the arriving first wife of the Shen family. The first wife of the Shen family felt the gaze of the crowd and her face turned cold: “Miss, you really died of illness back then. Our Shen family didn’t know about it. My uncle-in-law even kept his promise for you…”

The first wife of the Shen family’s words were barely out when Lian Yueyao sneered: “Don’t pretend to be so virtuous here. Your Shen family’s second son caught the eye of the prime minister’s daughter, and I, an orphan, was an obstacle to your second son’s path to success. Your Shen family wanted to cancel the engagement but didn’t want to bear the reputation of being faithless. That’s why you came up with such a vicious plan. It’s just that I’m too foolish and believed in you, Mo Shi, a venomous woman, and suffered injustice without anyone to speak for me.”

Saying this, Lian Yueyao looked at Madam Shen, her eyes flashing with anger: “If the Shen family wanted to marry into a higher family and disdain me, an orphan girl, I have nothing to say. But you destroyed me to achieve your goal. How dare the Shen family claim to be a family of integrity and honesty? You’re shameless to the extreme. If my father knew about this in the afterlife, he would regret saving someone as hypocritical as you.”

The first wife of the Shen family listened to Yueyao’s words, which were like knives, and her facial expression changed repeatedly. She wasn’t very clear about the matter of canceling the engagement. However, she knew that the second master of the Lian family had indeed saved her father-in-law’s life, and the gratitude for saving one’s life was immense. This was also why the Shen family still had dealings with the Lian family after Lian Yueyao’s death.

At this moment, the first wife of the Lian family, Peng Shi, immediately stood up and said: “Miss, what you’re saying is truly unbelievable. Even if the Shen family wanted to cancel the engagement, they could have just arranged another marriage for you. Why would they sell you to a merchant as a concubine? You’re a daughter of the Lian family, do you know what situation you would put the Lian family in with such slander?”

Lian Yueyao smiled sadly and gritted her teeth, saying to the ladies present: “I don’t know what deal Mo Shi made with Zhou Shu. I only know that I was sent to a manor in the countryside by Mo Shi, and soon after, I was married to a man named Zhou Shu, who claimed to be a candidate taking the imperial exam. However, Zhou Shu was not a candidate, he was a wealthy sea merchant. I was just a concubine bought by Zhou Shu. Knowing my fate, I disfigured myself… This face, these scars, were made by my own hands.” After saying this, Lian Yueyao touched the long scars on her face.

The ladies present looked at the face with numerous scars and no longer doubted Lian Yueyao’s words. If a woman wasn’t driven to extreme desperation, she would never disfigure herself.

Peng Shi felt the gaze of the crowd, which was filled with scrutiny and even contempt, and her legs softened. The maid supporting her clearly felt Peng Shi’s trembling. Peng Shi was scared, truly scared. If this matter was confirmed, the Lian family would be finished.
At this moment, Peng Shi looked at old lady Lian, hoping that she could turn the situation around, or else the Lian family would have no place in the capital.

Old lady Lian’s face showed no emotions, and she looked at Lian Yueyao with a stern expression: “Are you done? If you’re done, put the child down.”

Lian Yueyao’s face returned to calmness, and she looked at old lady Lian: “Mo Shi, if I fall into your hands again, I’ll suffer more than death. I’m tired of suffering, I just want to go to the underworld to see my parents.”
After saying this, the sharp knife tip stabbed into the child’s neck. Earlier, it had only scratched the skin, but now it stabbed directly into the flesh.

Lian Yuebing saw blood flowing from the child’s neck and suddenly realized: “Yueyao, I beg you, let go of my child. I beg you, let go of my child, okay? He’s still so young.”

Lian Yueyao listened to Lian Yuebing’s plea and looked up at the sky, murmuring: “Mother, you told me that people’s hearts are treacherous, and I should protect myself well, but I didn’t listen to you. Mother, I’ve fallen to this state, and I don’t blame anyone, I only blame myself for being blind. Father, Mother, I miss you so much.” After saying this, Lian Yueyao let go of the child and knelt on the ground.

This action made everyone around her breathe a sigh of relief. Lian Yuebing held her frightened son, tears streaming down her face.

Old lady Lian saw Lian Yueyao let go of the child and shouted loudly: “Come, take her away. Don’t let her cause more trouble here…” She wanted to have Lian Yueyao taken away and then figure out a way to minimize the damage. Even if it couldn’t be completely eliminated, they should at least try to reduce the harm.

Before old lady Lian’s words were finished, everyone saw Lian Yueyao turn the knife around and stab it into her own heart, then pull it out forcefully. Instantly, blood gushed out like a fountain, and she fell to the ground.

The first wife of the Lian family, Peng Shi, saw this scene and fainted. Peng Shi didn’t faint from being scared, but from the consequences of this incident. She was terrified.

The usually composed old lady Lian saw Lian Yueyao lying in a pool of blood and felt her heart sink. If Lian Yueyao hadn’t died, they could have still found a way to minimize the damage, but now that she was dead, there was no way to eliminate the impact. The Lian family might face a disaster that could destroy them completely.

This incident spread rapidly, and a memorial from the censor reached the emperor, who kept the document without issuing any orders.Not long after, the Left Councilor Li Guoxing, who was Lian Yueyao’s father’s close friend, also submitted a memorial to the emperor.

The emperor still kept the document without issuing any orders.

With the emperor’s attitude, the people below naturally tried to guess the emperor’s intentions. No one else submitted a memorial. Everyone had their own speculations about the reason.

The situation was at a stalemate.

On this day, the wife of the Heir apparent of the Qiguo Duke Mansion, Lady Luo, came to visit her aunt, the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager was extremely intelligent and knew that the emperor was not her biological son, so she wouldn’t be as filial as a real son would be. After the emperor ascended the throne, she usually just enjoyed herself and didn’t get involved in state affairs. Her only hobby was listening to folk stories. The emperor naturally showed a filial attitude towards her, and their relationship was very harmonious.

After hearing about the experience of this woman from her niece, the Empress Dowager felt a thread of compassion for her. With this thread of compassion, she sighed with the emperor for a long time. The implication was that they should take severe action. As a result, the people involved in this case were each given their own fate.