Time Travel: The Noble Family
Chapter 514 - 193 Threats

Chapter 514: 193 Threats

Li Guoxing returned to the backyard with a solemn expression on his face and from afar, he could see the lights of the Main Courtyard still on. This was a habit Lady Li had developed since their marriage—she would leave the light on for Li Guoxing at night unless he sent a message saying he would not be coming over.

Upon hearing the familiar footsteps, Lady Li stood up and, upon seeing the expression on Li Guoxing’s face, hurriedly asked, "Old Master, what’s wrong?"

Li Guoxing did not disclose the incident he had just experienced and instead asked, "You have also met Yueyao a few times. What do you think of that child?"

Lady Li was surprised and did not understand why her husband suddenly asked this. After thinking for a moment, she said, "The child is quite sensible, what’s the matter? Is there something inappropriate with Yueyao?"

Li Guoxing shook his head and said nothing more.

Yueyao had been in the studio when she heard some rustling noises outside, guessing it was Xiang Wei returning. Indeed, she heard Nanny Hao’s voice.

Nanny Hao saw Xiang Wei emerging from the room and said with a smile, "Miss Xiang Wei, why are you up again?" She had thought that Xiang Wei had gone out on business and wouldn’t return until daybreak, but here she was back after just a little more than one shichen.

Xiang Wei laughed and said, "I couldn’t sleep and wanted to check on the young lady."

Upon seeing Xiang Wei, Yueyao eagerly asked, "How did it go?"

Xiang Wei revealed the contents of the box to Yueyao and shared her speculation, "That booklet, it might be a ledger." With Xiang Wei’s extensive experience and Lian Dongfang’s urgency to retrieve the booklet, she guessed that it could very likely be a secret account book from Lian Dongbo’s ventures in Jiangnan; because of this, Xiang Wei did not dare to touch the booklet.

Yueyao paused for a moment, quickly dismissed the speculation, and said, "Impossible, why would my father keep a ledger in a box? It can’t be a ledger."

Xiang Wei was conspiratorial in her thinking, considering it possible that the booklet contained evidence of some officials in Jiangnan secretly colluding, which had been collected by Lian Dongbo but he had been murdered before he could hand it over.

Yueyao’s face turned pale upon hearing this speculation, but she quickly regained her composure and shook her head, "Impossible. This item couldn’t be a ledger, and it couldn’t be evidence of those officials’ crimes. Even if my father had collected evidence against those offending officers, he wouldn’t have stored it alongside silver. There must be another mystery to this booklet."

Convinced by Yueyao’s reasoning, Xiang Wei thought for a moment and said, "We’ll know whether it is or not once we get our hands on it."

Yueyao’s expression grew somewhat heavy.

Lady Mo, after taking her morning meal, asked Granny Lau, "Is there any activity in Lanxi Courtyard?" If that girl was up to something, it would definitely be at night.

Granny Lau shook her head and said, "No, it’s as usual." Aside from people from Lanxi Courtyard coming to pick up things as they normally did, there had been no unusual movements, not even Nanny Deng visiting the back courtyard.

Lady Mo shook her head and said, "I’ll be visiting Li Mansion in the afternoon; have someone keep an eye on that girl. I don’t believe she can stay this composed." As soon as Yueyao made a move and slipped up, the Old Master would surely believe her.

Not long after breakfast, a young servant from the Li family came over. The young servant relayed Li Guoxing’s message, saying, "Old Master Lian, my master said that after he leaves court, he will invite Lord Ma to the mansion, and at that time, he asks that Old Master Lian and Miss Lian come as well." The implication of his words was that no one else should come.

Lian Dongfang’s gaze was dark. Now that the item was in Li Guoxing’s hands, the decision was his to make; all he hoped for was a smooth retrieval of the item.

In the back courtyard, Granny Lau addressed Lady Mo, saying, "Madam, Nanny Gu has arrived." Nanny Gu was someone Lady Mo had sought out herself. Nanny Gu used to be Yueyao’s wet nurse and was one of the people Yueyao trusted most, likely knowing about the matter.

After leaving Lian Mansion, Nanny Gu’s life had not been easy. The silver Yueyao gave her was a fortune in the eyes of servants, but with the high cost of living in the Capital City, it amounted to very little. Nanny Gu had quickly spent all her ready silver on a house in a civilian area of the Capital City.

Not wanting to sit idle, Nanny Gu pawned all the jewelry Yueyao had rewarded her and all her saved items. She used the collected silver to set up a small stand, earning some household money through small business.

If it were just about living, a small stand could maintain her livelihood. Unfortunately, her son still needed education, which was expensive. Stationery, books, ink stones, everything cost money including the tutor payment, and relying on the income from the stand was like fighting fire with cups of water.

These past few years Nanny Gu had been able to keep going only because she still had some savings. However, her savings were nearly depleted, and it wouldn’t be long before her son’s education would have to be abandoned. For her son’s future, Nanny Gu thought of seeking help from Yueyao again, hoping that Yueyao would be gracious.