Time Travel: The Noble Family
Chapter 516 - 194 Shelter from the wind

Chapter 516: 194 Shelter from the wind

After seeing Nanny Gu, Yueyao’s mood was evidently off. She realized her behavior was inappropriate, so she entered the Small Buddhist Hall.

Xiang Wei found it odd that if it was a traitor’s item, why would there be anything worth caring about? She wondered why Yueyao seemed so downhearted.

At the side, Nanny Gu explained, "Miss Xiang Wei, our young lady used to trust Nanny Gu very much. Nanny Gu was in charge of everything in the courtyard. Even if Nanny Gu betrayed her, the young lady does not forget past kindness." Nanny Gu meant that Yueyao was a person who valued relationships deeply.

Xiang Wei did not express any opinion.

At the beginning of the You hour, Lian Dongfang took Yueyao to the Li family.

The Li family’s servants led the two to the Li family’s living room; Li Guoxing was unwilling to let Lian Dongfang discuss the matter in his study.

Upon arrival in the living room and seeing Ma Chengteng already waiting, Lian Dongfang stepped forward, "Brother Ma." He did not mind falling out with Li Guoxing, as their animosity stretched back to their youth, but he had always had a good relationship with Ma Chengteng and did not wish to turn hostile now.

Ma Chengteng looked at Lian Dongfang coldly and said, "Brother Li says you intend to take away the money that Dongbo stored with him?" Ma Chengteng was already dissatisfied with the Lian family, and now his dissatisfaction had reached its peak.

Lian Dongfang immediately said, "Brother Ma misunderstands, I merely wish to retrieve our family heirloom. The money should naturally go to Yueyao." It was certain that a substantial amount of money was being kept with Li Guoxing, and it was impossible to claim he had no interest in it. However, what he desired most was that list. The money was secondary—if it could be obtained, good; if not, he would not force the issue.

Ma Chengteng’s cold sneer continued, "If the box truly contains your Lian family’s heirloom, you may take it, but the money inside cannot be touched. It would be safer with Brother Li. When Yueyao marries Tingzheng, it can be brought out then. If you don’t trust Brother Li and me, you can add another lock yourself, and keep that key."

Lian Dongfang shook his head, "I do not need that key, give it directly to Yueyao for safekeeping."

Yueyao was surprised to see Li Guoxing wearing court attire.

Li Guoxing stepped out and addressed them, "Brother Ma, bring the key over! Let’s see if the box indeed contains the Lian family’s heirloom. After he has seen it, I still need to go to the Yamen."

Ma Chengteng nodded, took a key out of his sleeve, and opened the box.

Lian Dongfang stared unblinkingly at the contents of the box. When he saw it held only silver notes and a bead necklace, his pupils shrank.

Ma Chengteng watched Lian Dongfang’s expression and said with a cold smile, "You’re not suggesting Brother Li and I have already unlocked it and hidden your Lian family’s heirloom?"

Li Guoxing said coldly, "The items are here, what do you want to do now?"

Lian Dongfang was a little dazed, staring at Li Guoxing. He would like to accuse Li Guoxing of foul play, but there was no evidence. No one knew what was actually placed inside the box.

Ma Chengteng, understanding Lian Dongfang’s implication, directly asked Yueyao, "Yueyao, did your father mention putting the Lian family’s heirloom in this box?" Ma Chengteng didn’t believe a word from Lian Dongfang; the Lian family’s heirloom would only be passed to the eldest legitimate son, not to a second son.

Yueyao shook her head, "On his deathbed, my father told me that he placed a sum of money with Uncle Li, for use when my brother and I marry in the future. He didn’t mention any heirloom. Even if my father had possession of the family heirloom, he would surely return it to the Lian family, not keep it for himself. Uncle, there must be some mistake."

Upon hearing these words and seeing Li Guoxing’s repulsive expression, Lian Dongfang felt like vomiting blood in disgust.

Ma Chengteng counted the stack of silver notes on the table and then said to Yueyao, "Yueyao, there is a total of 120,000 taels of silver here, all in Huitong Money House silver notes. This money will not be given to you now; it will be given to you when you and Tingzheng get married."

Yueyao nodded repeatedly, "Alright."

Lian Dongfang reached out and picked up the bead necklace from the table; he wanted to see if there was any mystery to it. He hoped to find a clue from it.

Li Guoxing said with a mocking smile, "You’re surely not claiming this bead necklace is your family heirloom, are you?"

Yueyao hurriedly said, "Uncle, my father found this necklace in Jiangnan. I remember when my father acquired this necklace, he told me it would be part of my dowry. Uncle, this necklace is definitely not the Lian family’s heirloom."

Lian Dongfang glanced at Yueyao, his eyes flashing with annoyance. It seemed true as Lady had said, this girl harbored trickery, and both father and daughter were unfaithful to their kin.

Ma Chengteng, recognizing the true value, exclaimed in surprise, "This bead is carved from divine wood, it’s a fine item." Such a treasure is hard to come by, and he wondered how his brother-in-law managed to find it.

Li Guoxing asked Yueyao, "Do you want to take the bead back now or put it back in the box?"

Yueyao’s uncle, Lian Dongbo had mentioned that it should be part of her dowry, a claim Yueyao made thoughtlessly as she was unaware that it was made from sandalwood. She only felt that if her father had kept it in the box, it certainly must be something special. Now that she had heard Ma Chengteng say it was carved from divine wood, how could she possibly take it back? With Uncle Ma showing interest, she wouldn’t be able to keep it safe if she took it back. Yueyao shook her head and said, "Better to put it back in the box."

Ma Chengteng locked the item back in the box and handed the key to Yueyao, saying, "You keep the key. Just let me know when you need money."

Yueyao accepted the key with equanimity.

Lian Dongfang’s expression kept changing. At this point, he could do nothing if he didn’t trust Li Guoxing. It also seemed impractical to believe that Ma Chengteng and Li Guoxing had colluded to swallow the ledger. Lian Dongfang felt a throbbing headache; where on earth could the ledger be?

Turning to Lian Dongfang, Ma Chengteng said, "I would like Yueyao to stay at my mansion for a while, and I will send someone to fetch her tomorrow." If possible, Ma Chengteng hoped Yueyao would stay at the Ma’s Mansion permanently.

Lian Dongfang had no position to oppose, but his disdain for Yueyao grew. How could the Lian family produce someone who worked against their own, he lamented, recalling how he had once staunchly defended her.

Yueyao kept her head down, pondering how she could make a permanent stay at the Ma’s Mansion a reality. However, no matter how hard she thought, killing numerous brain cells in the process, she couldn’t come up with a suitable plan.

When Lian Dongfang left the Li family, Li Guoxing didn’t even come to the door, but rather had a young servant see him out directly.

As soon as Yueyao returned to Lanxi Courtyard, she ordered her people to pack up immediately. She didn’t want to stay in this place for another moment and leaving sooner was for the better.

Xiang Wei said with a smile, "Miss, Lord Ma truly cherishes you."

Yueyao’s face showed no signs of joy or sorrow, and upon returning to her room, she sat on the bedside, lost in thought. The burden that had been pressing on her heart had finally been lifted. In her past life, it was because of this very issue that Uncle Li’s reputation was tarnished, and she died with guilt over how she treated Uncle Li. This time, it would be different.

Xiang Wei asked with a smile, "What are you thinking about?"

Yueyao replied with a smile, "I’m worried that they might harm me, make me disappear. Xiang Wei, are you certain you can protect me? If there’s not enough assurance, I’ll need to choose someone else to stay by my side. My life depends on this, and I need you to answer me honestly." The only thing Yueyao was grateful for now was that her grand uncle and the Lady family were still concerned about their reputation and dared not openly trouble her; otherwise, she would have been long reduced to bones.

Xiang Wei laughed and said, "Rest assured, I can protect you within the Inner Courtyard."

Yueyao nodded. Being protected in the Inner Courtyard was enough for the moment; as for the outside, her grand uncle and the Lady family were not yet desperate enough to hire assassins.

Lady family felt disappointed upon hearing there was no ledger, but when she heard about the silver note worth one hundred and twenty thousand taels in the box, a greedy look flashed in her eyes. With the thirty thousand taels in ready silver Yueyao had, that amounted to one hundred and fifty thousand taels in total. The thought of such a large sum of money made the Lady family’s heart race. If Yueyao were to die, the Ma family could at most reclaim Madam Ma’s dowry, and all the rest of the money would belong to the Lian family.

Upon seeing the Lady family, Lian Dongfang said, "Third Girl will be staying at the Ma’s Mansion for a few months starting tomorrow; make sure you settle everything properly."

The Lady family was taken aback, then replied, "Alright." As soon as Lian Dongfang returned to the front courtyard, the Lady family immediately summoned Maternal Aunt Su.

Upon arriving at the main house, the Lady family said, "I want to get rid of Third Girl; do you have any undetectable methods?" It was Yueyao who was to be eliminated, Tingzheng could be dealt with slowly and in time.

Maternal Aunt Su’s face turned pale, "Madam, it must not be done. Third Young Lady has grown powerful, and acting now won’t just fail to remove her, but may instead backfire on us." Even if they truly wanted to get rid of the Third Young Lady, they needed a subtle, untraceable method that wasn’t as simple as plainly killing her. In the past, there would have been many ways to take out the Third Young Lady without leaving a trace. But now, with Yueyao having an unknown maid by her side, they absolutely couldn’t act rashly without determining the maid’s identity.

The Lady family’s expression turned cold as she demanded, "What do you mean by that?"

Maternal Aunt Su shared her suspicions about Xiang Wei, "Madam, I suspect that this Xiang Wei is no ordinary person. She is probably a master invited by the Third Young Lady from the Marquis Jingning’s Residence." The reason for summoning a master was evidently to protect herself; the Third Young Lady was taking precautions against Madam possibly harming her.

Frowning, the Lady family contested, "These are all your speculations. Besides, I’ve seen that maid, and she looks so delicate and weak, where would she have martial skills? Moreover, the people from Lanxi Courtyard report that this maid spends her days embroidering in the room and accompanying Yueyao in the study, nothing unusual." Mainly because Xiang Wei’s appearance was very deceiving.

Although Maternal Aunt Su had not met Xiang Wei, she instinctively felt that Xiang Wei was an obstacle, "Madam, think about Third Young Lady’s character. She is reserved and has a deep sense of caution, why would she suddenly want a maid from Marquis Jingning’s Residence to be by her side? Madam, we must not act before we clarify Xiang Wei’s background."

Considering that Yueyao would be going to the Ma’s Mansion the next day, the Lady family realized there was no rush and remarked, "She’s going to the Ma’s Mansion and will surely be there for another two or three months, giving us plenty of time to investigate this maid’s background." For a method subtle enough to leave no trace, they needed time to prepare.