Aristocratic Family - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Old Lady’s Thoughts

In the Yisong Courtyard, the maids and servants walked quietly, making no noise. The atmosphere was extremely serene.

The Old Lady leaned against a blue satin pillow, listening quietly to Zheng Mama’s recounting of the events that had taken place in the Lanxi Courtyard.

After listening, the Old Lady fell into deep thought. After a long while, she looked puzzled, “Is Third Girl guarding against Madam Mo? Did someone speak ill of Madam Mo to Yueyao?” This child had always been single-minded, only caring about copying scriptures and ignoring everything else. Suddenly becoming clever was surprising.

Zheng Mama shook her head, “The few people serving Third Young Lady since she returned to the capital aren’t the type to gossip.”

The Old Lady’s expression suddenly changed, and she gripped the Buddhist beads tightly. Zheng Mama was startled by the Old Lady’s reaction, “Old Lady, what’s wrong?”

The Old Lady looked at Zheng Mama, “Third Girl said that Second Madam appeared to her in a dream, telling her to take good care of Tingzheng. How much of that do you think is true?”

Zheng Mama looked surprised, “I’d say it’s entirely true. Third Young Lady hasn’t mentioned Young Master Zheng since she returned. It’s said that when they were in Jiangnan, Second Master didn’t even let them see each other. You know that Second Master doesn’t like Young Master Zheng. Old Lady, are you suspecting that Third Young Lady is lying?”

The Old Lady shook her head, “That girl is straightforward. She’s been copying the Classic of Filial Piety every day since she returned, barely leaving the courtyard. Why would she suddenly think of Young Master Zheng and lie to me about this?”

The Old Lady believed that Yueyao’s claim of her mother appearing in a dream was genuine. Although it was a bit unbelievable, it showed that the mother was virtuous and cared about her son’s descendants.
The Old Lady was willing to believe it.

Zheng Mama couldn’t understand Yueyao’s situation either. The Old Lady’s health wasn’t good, and she was now in a state of being outwardly strong but inwardly weak. The Old Lady had always believed that the First Madam was cruel and had tightly controlled the inner courtyard, not letting go of anything. In the past two years, due to her poor health, she had to let go of many things. However, on the surface, the Old Lady still hadn’t let go.

Zheng Mama truly believed that the Old Lady was overthinking. The First Madam was kind-hearted and had managed the household well, both inside and out. She was also very filial to the Old Lady, never missing a single day of paying respects for over a decade. Unfortunately, the Old Lady didn’t like her and had always been wary of her.

The Old Lady shook her head, “I thought that with Third Girl’s nature, no matter how much I said, she wouldn’t listen. I don’t have much time left, and I didn’t want to cause more trouble. Let Madam Mo do as she pleases. After all, Second Madam has arranged a good marriage for Third Girl. After Third Girl comes of age, she’ll marry into the Shen family. Shen Qian is now a fourth-rank official, and the Shen family is full of talented people. Shen Qian has a wide network in the government, good relationships, and a bright future. This is beneficial for the eldest son’s career, and Madam Mo won’t mistreat Third Girl openly for the sake of the eldest son and their children’s future. But I didn’t expect Third Girl to start guarding against Madam Mo. I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing.”

A good thing would be that Third Young Lady wouldn’t live a muddled life after opening her eyes. A bad thing would be that Third Young Lady’s life wouldn’t be peaceful. The Old Lady had watched Madam Mo coldly for many years and knew her roots best.

Zheng Mama didn’t understand why the Old Lady sighed, “Old Lady, is there something wrong?”

The Old Lady smiled bitterly, “If it really was Second Madam’s dream, do you think she would only tell Yueyao to take care of Tingzheng? What kind of person is Madam Mo? How could Second Madam not know?”

Second Madam was such a wise person, how could she not detect the viciousness in Madam Mo’s heart?

Zheng Mama was stunned, “This…” This was too inconceivable.
The Old Lady was silent for a moment, then said, “I don’t care about Tingzheng because he’s of humble birth and not clever. I let Madam Mo take care of him because Madam Mo won’t neglect him for the sake of her reputation. When Tingzheng grows up, Madam Mo will give him a wife for her own reputation’s sake, and he’ll live a stable life. But I didn’t expect Third Girl to notice, and I don’t know if it’s good or bad.”

She would rather Yueyao remained unaware, knowing nothing, and living like that. The means of the inner courtyard were endless, and only she could suppress Madam Mo now. Once she passed away, Madam Mo would be the dominant one in the inner courtyard. Although that girl was clever, how could she compete with Madam Mo?

Zheng Mama hesitated, “Old Lady, Third Young Lady is still a bit young. If she clashes with the First Madam, it won’t be good for her.” If she offended the First Madam, her life would be difficult. It would be better to tolerate and endure. Moreover, the First Madam had performed well in recent years.

The Old Lady’s eyes flashed with cold light, “Madam Mo is a ruthless person. If I hadn’t seen through her true nature by chance, I would have been deceived by her facade. I’m not even willing to mention the things she’s done. If it weren’t for my suppression, the Lian family would be in a terrible state by now.”

Zheng Mama lowered her head. She could listen, but she couldn’t speak ill of the mistress.

The Old Lady’s eyes showed fatigue, “Second Brother had been an official for many years and had accumulated a rich family fortune. Second Brother’s wife’s dowry was also generous. In the past, Third Girl was dull, so I had to resort to underhanded means. But with Madam Mo’s vicious nature, I couldn’t rest easy. You’re right, though, Third Girl’s parents are gone, and she’ll have to rely on the main family. If she clashes with Madam Mo, she’ll be the one to suffer.”

Before, Third Young Lady didn’t know anything and wasn’t involved in managing anything. This matter wasn’t good, but it wasn’t too bad either. Now, however, it made her worried.

Zheng Mama thought for a moment and said, “Old Lady, no matter what, Third Young Lady isn’t the First Madam’s biological child, and her marriage has already been arranged. When the time comes, she won’t even need to prepare her dowry. The First Madam won’t treat Third Young Lady too badly. You can’t imagine how bad it could get, Old Lady, isn’t that right?”

With Second Madam’s dowry, Third Young Lady would have enough to marry into the Shen family with dignity.

The Old Lady shook her head, fearing that Madam Mo’s greed would lead her to covet Second Madam’s dowry, which was a large sum of money. Third Young Lady hadn’t cared about these things before, but now that she’s paying attention, she’s not someone to be easily deceived. They say daughters take after their mothers, and Madam Ma wasn’t someone to be trifled with.

Third Young Lady was young and naive, having never experienced the complexities of human nature. However, she’s intelligent, and with the Ma family’s backing, if she really clashes with Madam Mo, regardless of who wins or loses, the Lian family’s reputation will suffer. Many noble families have been ruined by the conflicts in the inner courtyard.

Zheng Mama hesitated, “Old Lady, the First Madam shouldn’t…”

The Old Lady’s expression turned sarcastic, “Even you were deceived, which shows her self-restraint. A leopard can’t change its spots. I’ve been watching her for years, and if I hadn’t kept her in check… Hmph. I didn’t agree to this marriage at first, but the Old Master insisted. Now I’m old and still have to worry about these things.”

Who would want to worry about these things at her age?
She should be enjoying her life, taking care of her grandchildren. But she couldn’t trust Madam Mo, so she had to take care of everything herself. She even went to great lengths to have the Old Master teach the eldest grandson and personally taught the second grandson, fearing that Madam Mo would corrupt them.

Despite her efforts, she was still worried that Madam Mo’s actions would bring disaster to the Lian family. (You old lady really has foresight)

Zheng Mama didn’t know what to say. She had always known that the Old Lady didn’t like the First Madam, thinking it was a necessary struggle between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law. But the Old Lady’s concern about the First Madam went to this extent. She wondered if the Old Lady was just being overly anxious.

The Old Lady saw Zheng Mama’s expression and said, “Don’t think I’m just alarmist. Madam Mo only looks at immediate benefits and never thinks about the future. She’s reckless and doesn’t know the consequences. If someone she hates gains power, the Lian family will be in big trouble. You know, those who have nothing to lose are fearless. The Lian family is a scholarly family with a hundred years of reputation. If any scandal breaks out, our reputation will be ruined, and we won’t even have a place to stand. I’ll be ashamed to face our ancestors in the afterlife.”

Just then, footsteps were heard outside. The medicine was brought in. Zheng Mama took the medicine tray and said, “Old Lady, please take your medicine.”

After the Old Lady took her medicine, Zheng Mama comforted her, “Old Lady, don’t worry. The First Madam will treat Third Young Lady well for the sake of the eldest son, second son, and second daughter.”

The Old Lady closed her eyes and didn’t say anything. She had never liked the First Madam and had only tolerated her because she seemed respectful and filial. But now she knew the truth – the First Madam had married into the Lian family for the sake of a rich dowry and had even persuaded her mother to sell her half-sister to a merchant family. And not as a primary wife, but as a concubine. This kind of person would do anything for their own benefit, and the Old Lady couldn’t stand her.

She was worried that the First Madam would sell her own granddaughters for benefit. The Mo family might get away with it, but the Lian family couldn’t.
A scholarly family like theirs couldn’t afford to have their daughters married to merchants without damaging their reputation and affecting the future of their sons.

Zheng Mama didn’t mention Madam Mo again and said with a smile to comfort the Old Lady, “Old Lady, even if the First Madam doesn’t care about face and treats Third Young Lady poorly, there’s still the Old Master. You should relax and focus on recovering from your illness. Don’t think about these things. Everything will be fine.”

After the Old Lady finished her medicine and lay down, she said, “I hope I’m just being overly anxious. But it’s still better to be prepared. I need to think about the future of these two children. The eldest son is focused on his official career and doesn’t care about the inner courtyard. Madam Mo… Ah, if only I had refused this marriage back then. Regret medicine is the one thing that doesn’t exist in this world. Now, I just hope I have enough time. I don’t ask for these two children to be extremely wealthy or successful. I just hope they can grow up safely, get married, and have their own families. That way, I’ll be able to face my son in the afterlife without any regrets.”

Yueyao didn’t know that the Old Lady was already thinking about her future. At this moment, her entire focus was on Tingzheng.

Tingzheng had lice in his hair, and it was infested. The maids were worried that Yueyao would be disgusted, but instead, she helped catch the lice.

After a lot of effort, the maids finally managed to get rid of most of the lice. Just then, someone sent by Madam Mo arrived with clothes. They brought two sets of clothes, one in dark green and the other in bright blue.

Yueyao frowned tightly when she saw the bright blue clothes. They were still in mourning, and it wasn’t suitable to wear such vibrant colors. She didn’t know what Madam Mo was thinking. But she couldn’t show any dissatisfaction on her face, or she would be accused of not being grateful.

The clothes for the maids hadn’t been made yet, so Yueyao had to let Tingzheng wear the dark green clothes for now.

Although Madam Mo said the clothes were old, they were actually quite new. Tingzheng looked a bit loose in them because he was too thin. But even so, he looked like a different person after changing into new clothes.

Yueyao was stunned by Tingzheng’s new look. With his fair skin and bright, peach-shaped eyes, he would definitely be a handsome young man when he grew up.

Yueyao touched Tingzheng’s head, thinking that it wasn’t necessarily a good thing for him to be so handsome. She couldn’t help but worry about his future. But she quickly pushed those thoughts aside.

Tingzheng held onto Yueyao’s sleeve, carefully calling out “Sister.” From the moment he met Yueyao, he felt like he was dreaming. He was worried that everything would disappear in an instant, and he would be back in the small courtyard, being scolded by the old women and concubines.

Yueyao knew Tingzheng was scared and spoke softly, “Sister promises Tingzheng that she will never abandon him again. Don’t be afraid, Tingzheng. Sister will take care of everything. If anything happens, just tell Sister, okay?”

Tingzheng nodded obediently.

Muqiu and Hualei brought over some red bean cakes. Yueyao casually took one and handed it to Tingzheng.
Tingzheng shook his head and pushed Yueyao’s hand away, “Sister, you eat.”

Yueyao smiled and took another piece, “Let’s eat together.” But her eyes were filled with tears. Tingzheng might not be clever, but he was pure-hearted. She had neglected him in her previous life, and he had died young. It was all her fault.

Tingzheng didn’t know why Yueyao was crying again and wiped away her tears, “Sister, don’t cry. Sister, don’t cry.” He didn’t know how to comfort Yueyao.

Hualei and Muqiu didn’t know what Yueyao was crying about and thought she was feeling guilty for neglecting Tingzheng in the past, “Miss, what’s past is past. Just take care of him from now on.”

It took Yueyao a long time to calm down.
—
TL : If you guys can notice, there is sometimes a text in bracket, it’s not my work, the author does that, maybe this author likes making running documentary(apart from few early chapters, I haven’t come across any other), I see no need to remove it as it’s in the raws and the story belongs to the author. It’s not much so if you don’t like it, just ignore it.