Aristocratic Family - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Heirs

Lian Yueyao looked at the three young ladies in front of her and thought that the main house had many children, not only three daughters but also two legitimate sons and three illegitimate sons. The eldest cousins, Lian Tingli and Lian Tingyi, were legitimate sons born to Madam Mo. Both of them were handsome and talented, praised by great Confucian scholars. In her past life, both of them had promising futures.

As for the three illegitimate sons, one died early, one was adopted by the second branch, and only Lian Tinglun, born to Concubine Su, grew up safely.

Lian Yueyao murmured, “If only I had a brother.” The main house had five sons, while the second branch had none and had to adopt one from the main house.
If only she had a brother…

Hua Lei, as Lian Yueyao’s personal maid, stood close by and had good hearing. She heard Lian Yueyao’s murmurs clearly and her eyes flickered.

Lian Yuebing saw Lian Yueyao’s dazed expression and walked over, taking Lian Yueyao’s hand. She smiled and said, “Third Sister, what’s wrong with you? Why are you so lost in thought?”

Lian Yueyao was immersed in her own thoughts and was startled by Lian Yuebing’s face. She used all her strength to push Lian Yuebing away, and Lian Yuebing fell to the ground.

Lian Yueyao heard Lian Yuebing’s scream and immediately regained her composure, realizing she had overreacted. She quickly thought of a way out and fainted to the ground. If she didn’t faint, she would have to explain herself. At that moment, she couldn’t explain it clearly.

The people in the room were shocked, and even Old Lady Lian was frightened. Zheng Mama quickly ordered the servants to lift Lian Yueyao onto the bed and sent a maid to call the doctor.

The doctor was Dr. Tang, whom the Lian family often used. After taking Lian Yueyao’s pulse, he said, “The third young lady fainted due to extreme shock. Old Lady Lian, the third young lady has been overthinking and is mentally exhausted. Now that she’s been shocked, she needs to rest a lot. I’ll prescribe a formula to help her recover. Otherwise, she might develop a chronic condition.” It would be bad if a young lady developed a chronic condition.

The doctor was the one the Lian family had always used, and he knew Lian Yueyao’s situation better than anyone else. Therefore, his words carried a lot of weight.

Old Lady Lian was taken aback, “Shock?” The child was fine just now, how could she be shocked just by Lian Yuebing touching her?

The doctor shook his head. He didn’t know what kind of shock the third young lady had experienced, but he knew she had been shocked. After prescribing medicine, he went to examine Lian Yuebing.

She just had a slight abrasion on her palm, so he applied some ointment, “Don’t touch cold water, and apply ointment for the next few days. Otherwise, it might leave scars.” For a young lady from a noble family, even a small scar on her hand was a big deal.

Lian Yuebing heard this and was so angry that she burst into tears.

Old Lady Lian rewarded the doctor with a generous gift. She turned back to the others, puzzled, “What exactly happened? How could she be shocked just like that?”
Zheng Mama shook her head, also indicating that she couldn’t understand. Everyone had witnessed the scene clearly: the third young lady was just touched by the second young lady and became shocked, which was really inexplicable.

Although Old Lady Lian had seen many things, she was still skeptical. However, she wouldn’t think that her granddaughter was possessed by evil spirits without a good reason. Of course, there was something unusual about Lian Yueyao’s behavior, but it wasn’t extremely abnormal, just a bit strange, “Let’s investigate and find out what’s going on. What kind of nightmare did Yue Yao have that night?” Since that nightmare, the child’s behavior had been strange.

Lian Yueyao pretended to faint to avoid everyone’s questioning. Now, she lay on the bed, telling herself to calm down, to calm down. However, she knew she needed time to adjust. Otherwise, her behavior would definitely be considered as being possessed by evil spirits.

Lian Yueyao felt better and slowly opened her eyes. Old Lady Lian saw her wake up and breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad she was awake, and it seemed like the child needed to be nourished well.

Lian Yueyao looked at Lian Yueying and Lian Yuehuan by her bedside and said weakly, “Eldest sister, I was just thinking about my parents, and when second sister called out to me, I was startled. Please tell second sister that it wasn’t intentional. I’ll go apologize to her right now.” She made a move to get up, but Lian Yueying pressed her back down.

Lian Yueying immediately accepted Lian Yueyao’s explanation. Everyone knew that Lian Yueyao spent her days copying scriptures in the Buddhist hall and was pure-hearted, “Don’t think too much about it, just focus on recovering. I’ll talk to second sister for you.”

Lian Yueyao nodded weakly, “Thank you, eldest sister and fourth sister for visiting me.” Her pale complexion made people feel sorry for her.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two of them left.

Lian Yueyao lay in bed for a while and then told Old Lady Lian that she wanted to return to Lanxi Courtyard. She didn’t want to disturb Old Lady Lian’s peace. Old Lady Lian initially disagreed, but Lian Yueyao was insistent. Everyone knew Lian Yueyao’s temperament, and when she was stubborn, even ten oxen couldn’t pull her back.

Old Lady Lian thought for a moment and finally agreed reluctantly. This child was just like her father, stubborn.

At this time, Lian Yuebing was in the main courtyard, pouting in anger, “Mother, I don’t know what’s wrong with third sister. When I just touched her, she pushed me and hurt my hand. I’m still angry with her, but she fainted instead.” If her hand was scarred, it would ruin her life.

Madam Mo was also puzzled and didn’t know what had happened. However, at this moment, she naturally comforted her daughter, “Don’t be angry, it was just an accident. As an older sister, you should be more generous and go visit third sister.” Lian Yuebing refused to go and complained about her hand hurting. Madam Mo knew she was pretending but couldn’t do anything about it.

After returning to Lanxi Courtyard, Lian Yueyao lay on the bed. She wanted to take a few days to sort out her thoughts and couldn’t let things happen like this again.

Before she could think further, Hua Lei mentioned what Lian Yueyao had said earlier. Hualei whispered, “Young Lady, forgive me for being bold. Although Young Master Tingzheng’s origin isn’t good, he’s still your brother, related to you by blood. You shouldn’t say such things.” After all, a cousin is just a cousin, and how can they compare to one’s own brother?

Lian Yueyao was confused for a moment. What Young Master Tingzheng?
What brother?

Lian Yueyao didn’t react at first. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she remembered. She had a brother, an illegitimate brother. Because his mother was of too lowly a status, he was deliberately forgotten. Over the years, she had forgotten.

Her illegitimate brother’s mother was a beautiful government slave. Tingzheng’s birth was a result of a mistake. At that time, her father went out to socialize and got drunk. A woman served him, and under normal circumstances, the woman would have been forced to take medicine. However, despite being forced to take the medicine, the woman still got pregnant.

Her father didn’t want the child. He wouldn’t agree to have his eldest son’s mother be a lowly government slave. It would affect his reputation and his son’s future. He absolutely wouldn’t allow it. So, he sent someone to force the woman to take abortifacient medicine. But for some reason, the medicine didn’t work, and the child wasn’t aborted.

Her mother said it was fate, that heaven wanted the child to be born. If they forced the abortion, it might harm her father’s future lineage. So, her mother persuaded her father to keep the child. However, her father didn’t allow the woman to enter the main house. Her mother knew that if this matter was exposed, it would harm her father’s reputation. Therefore, she arranged for the woman to live in a separate courtyard.

As her father approached the age of thirty without any heirs, her mother was worried. She secretly sent someone to the manor to see the child who had been raised there since birth. The person sent back reported that the child’s appearance was similar to her father’s. If her father had a child, he would definitely let him grow up on the manor. No matter what, the child’s mother’s lowly birth was a significant obstacle. However, he was her father’s only son now. After careful consideration, her mother decided to bring him back.

Although her father was unwilling, at the age of thirty, he only had this one child. He had no choice but to accept him. The child was named Tingzheng, with the full name Lian Tingzheng.

Her mother wanted to register him under her own name, but her father refused. He still wanted a legitimate son. Moreover, when he saw that the child was dull and foolish, he disliked him even more.

In the end, her mother registered Tingzheng under the name of a deceased concubine. The deceased concubine was a virtuous and respectable woman from a good family, and registering him under her name would be beneficial for the child’s future.

Her mother saw how much her father disliked him and didn’t bring him to the courtyard again. She handed him over to another concubine named You to take care of him, with instructions to serve him well.

Unexpectedly, shortly after the child came home, her mother discovered she was pregnant. This was a significant joy for the family.

When they were in Jiangnan, Lian Yueyao didn’t see her illegitimate brother due to her father’s dislike. After returning, for some reason, her grandmother didn’t manage Tingzheng’s affairs; instead, she let Madam Mo take care of him. Madam Mo arranged a courtyard for Concubine You to care for Tingzheng.

Lian Yueyao remembered that in the month her grandmother passed away, Tingzheng had a high fever. Concubine You and the servants around her were negligent. By the time they discovered it and called for a doctor, it was too late.When she learned of Tingzheng’s passing, she felt a brief moment of sadness. After all, Tingzheng was her father’s only son. However, she hadn’t spent much time with him, and their bond was weak. Given her upbringing, which emphasized pride and nobility, and with Gu Mama constantly reminding her of Tingzheng’s lowly origins, her sadness was limited.

Around that time, Madam Mo told her that her uncle had agreed to adopt a child to carry on her father’s lineage, so her father’s family line wouldn’t be cut off.

With Madam Mo’s promise, her last bit of sadness disappeared. Looking back, she realized she didn’t even know what her half-brother looked like.

Lian Yueyao smiled bitterly, thinking she was foolish. No matter how humble his origins or how foolish he was, her brother was still a person connected to her by blood, someone she could truly rely on. It was different from adopting someone unrelated by blood.

Lian Yueyao clenched her fist and then relaxed it. This lifetime, she wouldn’t neglect her brother like she did in her past life, allowing him to die young.

She would keep him by her side and educate him personally. Even if he didn’t become a great talent, she would ensure he grew up safely and continued their father’s lineage, rather than adopting someone from the main house. She wouldn’t let them brazenly take over the second house’s entire family wealth.

If Madam Mo really didn’t care about face, and given that the second house had heirs, Lian Yueyao wouldn’t hesitate to clash with the main house and move out if necessary.