Aristocratic Family - Chapter 13

Chapter 13 : Ancient Books

Madam Mo didn’t know what Yueyao was up to, but she didn’t think much of it. Even if Third Young Lady was being manipulated by someone, it wouldn’t hurt to let her educate the foolish boy. This idiot wouldn’t cause any trouble. However, Madam Mo did feel a sense of unease, as if she was losing control over Yueyao.

Madam Mo’s thoughts were racing, but her expression remained calm. She gently handed Yueyao a handkerchief to wipe away her tears and spoke softly, “Silly girl, this isn’t your fault. Those servants are just lawless. Don’t worry, I’ll punish them severely so they won’t dare to cause trouble again.”

Yueyao suppressed her disgust and showed a grateful expression, “Thank you, Madam. I’ll have to trouble you with Tingzheng’s matters.”

Madam Mo saw that Yueyao’s emotions had stabilized and said, “Yueyao, your body is weak, and you can’t take care of Tingzheng by yourself. He’s five years old now, and it’s time for him to start his education. He can’t stay in the inner chambers forever. I’ll prepare a courtyard for him in the front mansion, and he’ll live there. Don’t worry, I’ll choose the most suitable maids and servants for him.”

Yueyao thought to herself, “As expected.”

She said, “I’ve already discussed this with grandmother, and Tingzheng will stay with me for now. He’s never learned anything before, and Madam knows he’s not very clever. I’m worried about sending him out now. I want to teach him to read and write first. After a year or so, when he’s learned a few characters, it won’t be too late to send him to school.”

If Tingzheng was sent out like this, it would be strange if he could fit in. He might lose his confidence and become even worse than he is now. It’s better to let her educate him and cultivate him for a year. Then, she could find an academy for him to attend. She didn’t expect him to achieve greatness; she just wanted him to grow up safely and support the second branch of the family.

Madam Mo saw that Yueyao was bringing up the old lady, and she couldn’t say anything more. She thought for a moment and said, “Yueyao, are you really sure you can take care of Tingzheng? Can your body handle it? The doctor said you need to rest well.”

Madam Mo felt that something was off. Usually, Yueyao would listen to most of what she said. If she didn’t listen, Gu Mama would persuade her, and then she would follow Madam Mo’s wishes. Now, this girl seemed to be making decisions on her own. And according to the news, she had started to dislike Gu Mama. What had changed Third Young Lady so much in such a short time?

Yueyao’s expression was firm, “Madam, I’ll take care of myself and definitely take care of my brother. I won’t worry grandmother. Please rest assured, Madam.” Listening to you would be like falling into a pit.

Madam Mo gently stroked the strands of hair on Yueyao’s forehead and said warmly, “Since you’ve decided, Madam won’t persuade you anymore. If you need anything, just send a maid to tell me. Don’t make yourself uncomfortable.”

Yueyao bowed and said without pretension, “My brother’s previous clothes were either too short or broken. They’re all tattered and can’t be worn. I’d like to ask the seamstresses to make a few more sets of clothes for Tingzheng.”

When Yueyao finished speaking, the surrounding area was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Madam Mo’s expression froze. What did Yueyao mean by “tattered and can’t be worn”? As the mistress of the household, Yueyao’s words implied that she had failed in her duties. This girl knew how to imply criticism without directly saying it. She had indeed grown up.

Madam Mo was angry in her heart, but her expression didn’t show it. She agreed, “I’ve already instructed the seamstresses to make clothes for Tingzheng. Other things will be sent over later. However, it will take at least two to three days to make the clothes. I’ll find some clothes that your older brothers wore when they were young and send them over. You can make do with them for now. What do you think?”

Yueyao’s expression clearly showed her displeasure. There were many people in the sewing room, so why did it have to take a few days to deliver the clothes? She could have the maids make two sets of clothes for Tingzheng with tonight’s dinner money, so why wait for several days?

Moreover, why should Tingzheng wear clothes that her brothers had worn? Yueyao felt a chill in her heart, but she could only think about it and not express it on her face.
She said, “Thank you, Madam, for taking care of Tingzheng. But the clothes aren’t necessary. I’ve already asked the maids to make clothes for Tingzheng. They’ll be ready in two hours.”

Although Yueyao didn’t show her displeasure, her expression was still indifferent. The surrounding maids and servants all lowered their heads.

Madam Mo’s expression turned ugly. This girl was too ungrateful. It was as if Madam Mo didn’t care about Tingzheng at all. “The clothes from the sewing room take time to make. I’ll hurry them along. I’ll also make two sets of clothes for you.”

Yueyao’s face showed a hint of a smile, “Madam, I have many clothes, and I won’t wear them all out soon. You don’t need to make any for me.” She wasn’t ready to clash with Madam Mo yet.

Madam Mo smiled, “It’s only right. You’ve been back for a while, and you haven’t made many new clothes. It’s almost autumn, so you should have two new sets made.”

Yueyao chuckled, “Madam, it wouldn’t be good if I had new clothes and the other sisters didn’t. Let’s forget about it.” If Madam Mo wanted to make clothes, she could do so. After all, the money would come from the public funds.

Madam Mo assured Yueyao that all the sisters would have new clothes made, and Yueyao didn’t pursue the topic further. At that moment, Hua Lei brought Yueyao a bowl of ginseng porridge.

Yueyao used to dislike tonic food, but now she not only walked more but also didn’t miss a single dose of tonic. Her body was too weak, and she needed to recover as soon as possible. However, when she saw the ginseng porridge, she frowned. She needed to take tonics, but not ginseng.

Madam Mo said lovingly, “Yueyao, take good care of yourself from now on. If you need anything, send someone to tell Aunt. You can’t be wronged, no matter what.”

Yueyao felt annoyed in her heart. No matter what Madam Mo said, Yueyao’s nature was still hard to change, and that was her pride and aloofness. Previously, this pride and aloofness were on the surface, but now they were hidden inside.

Madam Mo finally got to the point, “Yueyao, Tingzheng doesn’t have anyone to take care of him. The people taking care of Tingzheng, especially the housekeeper’s mother, must be carefully selected. The young servants also need to be carefully chosen. If a mischievous or ignorant one is chosen, it could ruin the young master, and it would be impossible to shirk responsibility.”

Yueyao had been wary of Madam Mo’s visit from the start. After listening to Madam Mo’s words, she couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. As expected, Madam Mo wanted to arrange her own people around Tingzheng. Yueyao needed to have trusted people around Tingzheng, absolutely not those arranged by Madam Mo.

If Madam Mo arranged them, who knew what would happen? Maybe Tingzheng would be ruined or even die young, leaving only her.

Yueyao thought that she needed to find a suitable opportunity to use the people her mother had brought as dowry. But before that, she needed to get the household contracts of these people. She couldn’t let Madam Mo hold the contracts again. Fortunately, with her grandmother watching over her, the maids serving her closely were all brought back from Jiangnan, except for some rough servants. The contracts of the maids like Mu Qiu, Hua Leu, and Dong Qing were in Yueyao’s hands.

Yueyao’s mind was racing, but her expression didn’t show it. She said sincerely to Madam Mo, “Madam, I already have someone in mind for the position. I’m about to discuss it with grandmother. As for the maids and young servants, let’s wait a few days. Madam, I’ve been neglecting my brother, and I don’t know his personality yet. I want to get to know him better before choosing suitable people for him. So, these matters will have to wait for a while.”

Madam Mo was filled with suspicion. Was Yueyao guarding against her, or had she really taken a liking to the foolish boy?

Either way, it didn’t bode well for Madam Mo, “Our Yueyao is like a little adult, thinking so thoroughly.”

Yueyao’s expression turned somber when she heard this, “An elder sister is like a mother. If I don’t take care of Tingzheng properly, I’ll be unworthy of our parents’ spirits.”

With the conversation having reached this point, Madam Mo couldn’t do much. Moreover, this was something that her mother-in-law had agreed to. If Third Young Lady didn’t change her mind, Madam Mo couldn’t do anything about it.

After Madam Mo fell silent, Yueyao brought up another matter, “Madam, I’d like to invite Dr. Tang to come and take a look at Tingzheng. He’s too weak and needs to be nourished.”

Madam Mo naturally agreed.

After Madam Mo left, Yueyao’s expression turned cold as she led Tingzheng into the house. From now on, she would have to wear a mask when dealing with Madam Mo.

Hua Lei and Dong Qing went to the storeroom and finally found the blue satin Yueyao had mentioned. They took it out and had the maids who were skilled in needlework start cutting and sewing. Yueyao required the clothes to be finished by night.

Hua Lei walked over to Yueyao and said, “Young lady, the storeroom needs to be organized. There are too many things, and it’s a bit messy. If we don’t organize it, I’m worried that things might get lost without us knowing.”

The things in the storeroom were half of the second madam’s dowry, and the other half were transported back from Jiangnan. Many things had been transported back from Jiangnan, and half of them belonged to the public. The old lady had also sent many things to Lanxi Courtyard, and these things were worth a lot of money.

When Yueyao heard about the lost items, a fierce glint flashed in her eyes, but it was so quick that Hua Lei thought she must have imagined it. Hua Lei convinced herself it was just her imagination; the young lady wouldn’t have such an expression.

Yueyao remembered that after her grandmother’s death, Madam Mo had subtly suggested organizing the storeroom. At the time, Yueyao hadn’t paid much attention to it and had agreed without much thought.

She had let Gu Mama take charge of organizing the storeroom, and later, all those things had ended up in Madam Mo’s hands. Yueyao didn’t have much impression of the gold, jewels, antiques, and paintings, and she had never cared much about them. What she couldn’t forget were the precious books.

Her memory was so vivid because when she realized what had happened, those things were all gone. Gold could be bought, but rare ancient books were priceless. Money could be earned back, but once those books were gone, they couldn’t be bought back with all the money in the world.

Hua Lei saw that the young lady had fallen into deep thought again and thought she might have said something wrong, “Young lady, Young lady…”

Yueyao snapped back to reality, and a cold light flashed in her eyes. These ancient books must be preserved and passed down. Giving them to Madam Mo would be a waste. If Yueyao’s guess was correct, Madam Mo had probably taken those rare books to give to others.

Many officials in the government coveted such things, and Yueyao’s father had also obtained many rare books through such means. As long as her grandmother was alive, Madam Mo wouldn’t dare to move against Yueyao. But once her grandmother was gone, Madam Mo would definitely try to get those books from Yueyao.

Yueyao didn’t think about hiding it; it would be impossible to keep it a secret anyway. The list of her mother’s dowry was still with her grandmother (her mother’s dowry also included ancient books).

If they really wanted to preserve them, there was only one way: to hide them in a place where Madam Mo couldn’t find them. That way, Madam Mo would be powerless.

Yueyao thought that she didn’t know where would be the safest place for now. But after getting rid of Gu Mama, the troublemaker, she could slowly plan.

As Yueyao thought of this, a mocking smile flashed across her lips and disappeared instantly. Her father must have known Madam Mo’s true nature and entrusted half of the family assets to Uncle Li when he was critically ill, as a precaution. He then divided the remaining half into two portions, one for Yueyao to keep and the other for her grandmother. This wealth wouldn’t fall into the hands of the main family until after her grandmother’s passing.

Now, Gu Mama knew that Yueyao had money given by her father, but she didn’t know exactly how much Yueyao had. No matter what, Yueyao wouldn’t tell a housekeeper about her financial situation. Last time, she was tricked out of her money by Madam Mo.

The situation was beyond Yueyao’s control, and she couldn’t avenge herself now. Her brother and she still relied on the main family, sharing both the glory and the loss. If the main family fell, they would fall with it.

Last time, Yueyao had no way out and harbored resentment, which led to the downfall of the Lian family. But now, she couldn’t do that. If the main family was ruined by her, there would be no place for her and her brother in the world.

No one would take in someone who had destroyed their own family. Moreover, if the Lian family was ruined again by her, she wouldn’t be able to face her father and the ancestors of the Lian family in the afterlife.