Time Travel: The Noble Family
Chapter 397 - 138: Letter_3

Chapter 397: Chapter 138: Letter_3

Zhuang Ruolan stood up and said, "My back is a bit sore, help me back to my room." This was actually Zhuang Ruolan’s subtle way of asking Loo Ying to leave.

Loo Ying was taken away by the maid beside her.

Yueyao followed Ma Peng to the study and handed over both the letters and the paintings to him.

Upon hearing that Yueyao wanted him to deliver the letter to Guan Jingshuo, Ma Peng refused before Yueyao could explain the origins of these items, "Cousin Miss, if someone finds out that you’re secretly writing letters to the Heir to Marquis Yongding, no matter what you write, your reputation will be damaged." This was because Ma Peng believed in Yueyao’s character, otherwise, others would definitely accuse Yueyao of passing messages in secret.

It was no wonder Ma Peng thought so; after all, sending letters to a young man—and one who was a famous scholar of the Capital City at that—would naturally lead to speculation.

Yueyao quickly explained, "Cousin Brother, these are not letters I wrote. They are from Aunt Yun to my mother, and the Heir to Marquis Yongding said he did not have any of Aunt Yun’s calligraphy, so he asked me to give these letters to him."

Seeing the recipient’s name on the envelope was his aunt’s, Ma Peng also believed Yueyao’s words. However, he was puzzled, "Cousin Miss, when did you meet the Heir to Marquis Yongding?" The Heir to Marquis Yongding’s literary fame was known to everyone in the Capital City, but because of health reasons, he lived in seclusion and seldom left his home. Ma Peng did not understand how Yueyao could have encountered the Heir to Marquis Yongding.

Yueyao recounted her chance meeting with Guan Jingshuo at Zhaohua Temple, "The Heir to Marquis Yongding, knowing that my mother and Aunt Yun were Sworn Sisters, specifically spoke to me. He seemed to really miss Aunt Yun, so I wanted to give him these few letters and paintings. But if I had someone else deliver them, it would definitely cause trouble, so I was hoping Cousin Brother could relay them on my behalf."

Ma Peng thought Yueyao was too soft-hearted, but also saw it as a good thing that Yueyao thought to have him relay the items. That was certainly better than her personally having someone send these things to the Heir to Marquis Yongding. He replied, "Yueyao, I’ll help you this time, but there must not be a next time." If people found out, they’d surely say they were secretly exchanging messages. Once a young lady’s reputation was tarnished, it would affect her for a lifetime.

Yueyao nodded, knowing there would not be a next time.

On the carriage, Yueyao remembered Loo Ying’s behavior and found it strange, asking, "Nanny Deng, isn’t cousin-in-law being a little too generous with Loo Ying?" Judging by Loo Ying’s attire, it must have cost a considerable amount of silver. Of course, Yueyao knew that Ruo Lan was not stingy, but this seemed beyond normal. Something unusual indicated a problem.

Nanny Deng shook her head and said, "Miss may not know, but Second Great Aunt went to her own manor, leaving Cousin Miss alone in the mansion." For some reason, Lady Xiao Ma went to her own manor. However, after Lady Xiao Ma left, Loo Ying’s treatment drastically improved.

Yueyao smiled, interpreting this as some kind of agreement between her cousin-in-law and aunt. What wouldn’t parents do for their children? Her aunt only had Loo Ying as a daughter and was willing to make compromises for her. Unfortunately, Yueyao shook her head, no matter how hard her cousin-in-law tried, it would be very difficult to straighten out Loo Ying. Her character was already shaped, and from today’s behavior, it was clear that changing her would be extremely difficult.

Zhuang Ruolan held onto the album left by Yueyao. The ink on the album was still fresh, clearly having been written not long ago. Zhuang Ruolan thought for a moment and told Cai Yun to put the album away. This thing couldn’t be acted on for now; it was best to wait until after she had given birth.

Ma Peng was also cunning; he did not send the items directly to Guan Jingshuo but had them delivered to Heping’s home instead. Regardless, even though Heping, as Guan Jingshuo’s young servant, would attract attention, it definitely wouldn’t be as much as Guan Jingshuo himself.

When the letter arrived at Heping’s home, before Heping even saw it, his mother opened it. Heping’s mother couldn’t read, but she recognized one of the two ladies in the painting as the former Madam and hurriedly had her husband deliver the items to Guan Jingshuo.

Guan Jingshuo’s hands trembled as he held the painting and letters. He had waited patiently for so long and now finally received them, but he didn’t have the courage to open them when the moment came.

Heping, without any warning from his mother, didn’t know that the items had nothing to do with Yueyao. He thought they were letters and paintings Yueyao had sent to Guan Jingshuo. Heping was extremely anxious and reminded, "Heir Apparent, the Third Miss of the Lian Family is already engaged. How could she possibly correspond with the Heir Apparent? Heir Apparent, you must control yourself!" In the past, Heping thought the Third Miss of the Lian Family was a suitable match, but now it seemed he might have been wrong. She had a husband’s family and yet let someone deliver items to their own Heir Apparent; what was she thinking?