Aristocratic Family - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Transmigration Again (Part 1)

Yueyao and Tingzheng took a stroll in the courtyard after dinner. The unique feature of Lanxi Courtyard was that the old master was a true literati and connoisseur, who loved elegance. Therefore, the courtyard not only had orchids but also other flowers and plants.

In the front courtyard, besides orchids, there were plum blossom trees. Behind the courtyard, there was a separate garden filled with chrysanthemums, and near the houses, a small patch of bamboo was planted. During the summer, the bamboo forest was very cool.

It was said that the construction of this courtyard had cost a fortune due to its elaborate design. The flowers, plants, and trees in both courtyards were well-maintained by dedicated gardeners, and they looked lush and thriving. In Yueyao’s opinion, Lanxi Courtyard was actually a small garden, and living here was really nice.

In her previous life, she had been too consumed by sorrow to appreciate these flowers and plants. By the time she had recovered from her grief, she had already moved away. This life, she would stay here until she finished managing the Lian estate.

Hua Lei looked at the empty space on the side of the courtyard and suggested, “Young lady, wouldn’t it be great to build a pergola here with a swing? You could swing leisurely in your free time.”

Chinese pergola/gazebo

Yueyao shook her head. “No need.” Building a pergola and installing a swing was something for children to play with. She was long past that age.

Yueyao planned to focus on her art after the mourning period for her parents was over. She wanted to become skilled enough to make a living from her art. During the mourning period, she couldn’t paint colorful paintings, but she could practice ink paintings as a way to hone her skills.

With that in mind, Yueyao immediately had the servants clean up the storage room. They removed all the tables, chairs, and stools, leaving only a desk. Then, she instructed them to bring in all her painting tools, including the drawing board, easel, rice paper, and various pigments. Although she couldn’t use colored pigments during the mourning period, she could still paint ink paintings.

Yueyao was busy arranging her own quarters when she heard a young maid rush back in a panic. Hua Lei looked at her sternly and asked, “What’s wrong with you? Why are you so flustered?”

The maid replied anxiously, “Young Lady, Fourth Young lady fell while returning from paying respects to the lady. She hit the back of her head and is now unconscious. The doctor has been called.”

Yueyao didn’t believe that Yuehuan, who was already grown up, would fall and get injured like that. “What exactly happened?” she asked. There must be more to the story.

The maid shook her head, indicating she didn’t know. Yueyao suspected that there was more to the incident than met the eye. Given the circumstances, it was essential to visit Yuehuan as a courtesy to their familial relationship.

When Yueyao arrived at Yuehuan’s courtyard, it was chaotic. Maids and servants were rushing in and out, and no one paid attention to Yueyao’s arrival. She was told that the doctor was inside diagnosing Yuehuan.

Yueyao saw Yueying and Yuebing. Yueying looked worried and anxious but otherwise composed. However, Yuebing’s face was pale.

Yueyao’s observation of Yuebing’s expression led her to believe that Yuebing might be involved in Yuehuan’s accident. But Yueyao wasn’t concerned; she knew that Yuehuan would ultimately be fine.

The doctor came out to prescribe medication and instructed the servants to administer it. He reassured them that Yuehuan would be fine once she woke up but hesitated to comment on the possibility of her not waking up, leaving an ominous implication.

The room was suddenly filled with a dark atmosphere. Concubine Su heard the doctor’s words and fainted. Madam Mo stood beside Fourth Young Lady Yuehuan’s bed, tears streaming down her face.

Yueyao looked at the doctor’s expression and thought to herself that Madam Mo was always good at putting on a show. Anyone who didn’t know better would think that her daughter was on the brink of death.

Yueying held a handkerchief and continuously wiped away tears. Yuebing was so overcome with grief that she could barely stand and needed to be supported by a maid.

Yueyao found it strange; she didn’t remember anything like this happening in her previous life. Moreover, with so many maids and servants around, it seemed unlikely that Fourth Young Lady Yuehuan would fall and get injured so severely. It was possible that Yuebing’s tantrum had caused the situation to escalate.

Yueyao smiled to herself, thinking about her previous life. If she were still in her previous life, she would be in the small Buddhist hall, completely detached from such matters.

Yuehuan remained unconscious. Yueyao stayed in the courtyard for a long time, waiting until Madam Mo instructed them to leave before returning to Lanxi Courtyard.

Upon returning, Yueyao didn’t mention the incident and continued teaching Brother Zheng to recognize characters, just as she had the day before. When she saw Hua Lei’s gloomy expression, she asked, “What happened?”

Hua Lei glanced at Yueyao before saying, “Young Lady, Fourth Young Lady’s two personal maids were beaten twenty times with a big board on Madam’s orders. The four second-class maids were also sold.” Hua Lei felt a sense of sorrow, empathizing with the maids who suffered because of their masters’ actions. As a servant, their lives were entirely at their masters’ mercy.

Yueyao listened to Hua Lei’s words and remained silent. She knew that the heavens valued life, but this was truly beyond her control. Even Hua Lei’s own life had been cut short in her previous life due to an accident, and Mu Qiu had been beaten to death by Madam Mo. Now that it wasn’t a matter concerning her own courtyard, she had no qualifications to intervene.

Hua Lei saw Yueyao’s difficult expression and knew she had spoken out of turn. “Young Lady, it’s this servant’s fault. This servant shouldn’t have mentioned such things.” The Young Lady spent her days reciting scriptures and couldn’t bear to hear such matters.

Although she knew that the lives of servants were fleeting and could change in an instant, and she usually remained calm, this time the punished maids included a younger cousin who had grown up with her. Now that the cousin was to be sold, Hua Lei didn’t know where she would end up, and it made her very sad.

Yueyao shook her head. “It’s alright.” However, deep down, she knew that without external help, her own fate wouldn’t be much different from that of these maids. Therefore, she needed external assistance, and this assistance had to make Madam Mo wary.

After calming down, Yueyao looked at Hualei’s expression and asked, “What’s wrong? Do you have a relative involved?” Given the number of people being punished, it was likely that some of Hua Lei’s relatives in the mansion would be affected.

Hua Lei’s face was filled with worry. “It’s my second uncle’s youngest daughter. She’s a second-class maid in Second Young Lady’s courtyard and got caught up in this incident by accident.”

Yueyao knew that Hua Lei’s second uncle was in charge of managing the horses in the outer courtyard of the Lian mansion and was struggling financially. Although he loved his daughter dearly, there was nothing he could do in such a situation except feel sad.

“I’ll have twenty taels of silver taken from the silver chest for you. Consider it a gesture of goodwill,” Yueyao said. This gesture could only be considered Hua Lei’s, not hers. Otherwise, it would be seen as her going against Madam Mo, and even her grandmother wouldn’t forgive her if she knew.

Hua Lei heard the words and immediately knelt down on the ground. “Thank you, Young Lady.” Twenty taels of silver would at least allow her cousin to live a better life, even if it couldn’t redeem her.

The next morning, Hua Lei went to see her second uncle. After Hualei left, Yueyao said to Deng Mama, “Mama, send someone to check if Hua Lei’s second uncle is really trying to rescue his daughter.”

Deng Mama glanced at the direction Hua Lei had gone and understood what her Young Lady meant. Twenty taels of silver was nothing to their Young Lady, but for those struggling outside, it was a considerable amount. If Hua Lei’s second uncle took the money but didn’t do anything to help his daughter, he wouldn’t be worth trusting.

Meanwhile, the unconscious Yuehuan opened her eyes and looked around blankly at the intricately carved bed. She had seen such beds in places she had visited, and they were typical of ancient noble residences.

Yuehuan looked around and saw the room had a screen with a spring scenery painting, an ancient Eight Immortals table and chairs. The room was filled with antique furniture.

Just as Yuehuan was wondering about her surroundings, she saw a young girl in indigo clothing with a maid’s hairstyle calling out. “Sister Hong Mei, the Young Lady has woken up. Quickly go tell Madam that Fourth Young Lady has woken up.”

Yuehuan’s mind went blank. What did it mean by “Fourth Young Lady has woken up”?

The maid saw Yuehuan’s bewildered expression and became worried.
“Young Lady, Young Lady, what’s wrong? Young Lady, please speak!”

Zhou Qing looked at the person in front of her in shock, wearing a long skirt with an outer jacket and a double bun hairstyle.
Typical ancient attire.
Where was she?

At this moment, Zhou Qing had no mind to examine the furniture. Looking at the maid in front of her and then turning to glance at the furniture in the room, a sudden thought flashed through her mind. She couldn’t help but pinch herself hard, and it hurt, very much.

The pain proved it wasn’t a dream. Even if she didn’t read rebirth and transmigration novels, after two years of being bombarded by transmigration dramas, she roughly guessed that she had transmigrated.
Transmigrated to ancient times.
Heaven didn’t let her die, but instead threw her into a corner of ancient times.

Zhou Qing wanted to curse the heavens, if you want people to live again, at least give them a better environment!
She didn’t want to transmigrate to this damn ancient era!

Only brainless people believed that transmigrating to ancient times would make life easier. It might have been possible before the Tang Dynasty, but after the Song Dynasty, especially in the Ming and Qing dynasties, it would be miserable.
Women had to follow the three obediences and four virtues, bind their feet, and endure the misery of men having three wives and four concubines.
Was it even possible to live like that?

Just as Zhou Qing’s mind was filled with confusion, she saw a round-faced woman wearing a loose, wide-sleeved long gown and sporting a round bun hairstyle, looking very kind, walk in.

This woman walked in and hugged her, joyfully calling out “Fourth Girl, Fourth Girl.” Zhou Qing didn’t know how to react to this situation and pretended to faint.

Yueyao was about to have breakfast and then visit Yuehuan. Before she could set out, she heard the maids and servants say that Fourth Young Lady had woken up. However, although she was awake, she had lost her memory and didn’t recognize anyone.

Yueyao heard that Yuehuan now didn’t even recognize people, which made her feel a bit puzzled. What was going on? Everything was different from her previous life.
Amnesia… she had experienced amnesia in her previous life too. However, it was completely different back then.

When she had amnesia, the nun said it was because she didn’t want to recall her past and deliberately forgot. That’s why her memories returned when she saw Gu Mama. But Yuehuan, she lost her memory just because she bumped her head.
This was quite strange.

Yueyao had breakfast and let Brother Zheng practice calligraphy on his own while she took Hua Lei to visit Yuehuan. On the way, Yueyao couldn’t figure out what was going on.

Yueyao even wondered if it was because of her that many things had changed. However, she quickly shook her head, thinking she was overthinking.

Yueyao didn’t go to Furong Courtyard first; instead, she went to the old lady’s Yisong Courtyard. When she arrived at the main room, she saw the old lady and bowed normally. “Grandmother.”

The old lady was pleased to see Yueyao coming to pay her respects every day without fail. She was especially happy to see Yueyao’s complexion improving daily, and she no longer looked as miserable as before. “Did you sleep well last night?”

Yueyao nodded. “Yes, I slept well. Grandmother, I’ll go visit Fourth Sister later. I heard from the servants that she’s woken up but doesn’t recognize anyone.”

The old lady smiled kindly. “Go ahead.” The old lady hadn’t personally visited Yuehuan. As for Yuehuan, being an illegitimate granddaughter, the old lady didn’t have much energy to care about her. She just asked Mama to take a look.

Yueyao arrived at Furong Courtyard and saw Yueying and Yuebing in the hall. She asked anxiously, “Fourth Sister really doesn’t recognize anyone?”

Yueying said with concern, “Yes, Third Sister, Fourth Sister really doesn’t recognize anyone. We don’t know what’s going to happen now.”

Before Yuehuan could say anything, a maid named Hong Yi came out of the room and apologized, “Eldest Young Lady, Second Young Lady, Third Young Lady, our Young Lady has forgotten everything. She’s been frightened and doesn’t want to see anyone right now. Please forgive us, Three Young Ladies.”

Concubine Su had hoped to let Fourth Young Lady recognize some people, but Fourth Young Lady said she had a headache and didn’t want to see anyone, wanting to rest instead. Concubine Su had no choice but to accommodate Fourth Young Lady’s wishes.

After hearing Hong Yi’s words that Fourth Young Lady wasn’t in a state to receive visitors, Yueyao didn’t hesitate and turned around to leave with Hua Lei.

Yueying and Yuebing stayed behind, waiting. Compared to Yueying and Yuebing, Yueyao’s behavior seemed quite cold. As sisters, they should at least show some concern and ask how Fourth Young Lady was doing. Hong Yi looked at Yueyao’s departing back and thought to herself that Third Young Lady was too unfeeling.

As Yueyao walked along the path, feeling the warm breeze on her face and looking at the blue sky, her mood began to relax. She didn’t want to let matters that didn’t concern her ruin her mood. After returning to Lanxi Courtyard from Furong Courtyard, she saw Brother Zheng still diligently studying in the study.

Ever since Yueyao mentioned that Brother Zheng’s talent wasn’t exceptional and that he needed to work harder to compensate, Brother Zheng had been very diligent in his studies, wanting to become an official to protect his sister in the future.

Yueyao felt a sense of comfort seeing Brother Zheng’s hard work. At least she wasn’t alone in this life anymore. Brother Zheng looked up and saw Yueyao, calling out sweetly, “Sister.”

Yueyao smiled gently, stroking his head.