Time Travel: The Noble Family
Chapter 531 - 202 Ma Yue Gets Married (Part 1)

Chapter 531: 202 Ma Yue Gets Married (Part 1)

Ever since Ma Linlin returned, Yueyao, apart from visiting Lady family to see Keyue, seldom went out, and Ma Linlin did not take the initiative to go to Begonia Garden either.

Loo Ying was not so lucky, Ma Linlin had now wised up, changed tactics, and no longer openly made things difficult for Loo Ying, who always ended up suffering in silence.

Today, Loo Ying suffered another one of Ma Linlin’s difficulties, yet she did not dare to openly tell her grievances to Zhuang Ruolan, only showing up to pay respects with red-rimmed eyes.

Zhuang Ruolan, however, was somewhat troubled. It was okay when Lady Cheng returned; no matter what happened behind closed doors, Lady Cheng was at least willing to maintain a façade, but this younger sister-in-law had not improved, but become even worse, after spending such a long time in Luzhou. With such a temperament, even if a nurturing nanny were brought over, there was no way to straighten her out.

Cai Yi said with a smile, "Young lady, just let her be!" She’s not the Eldest Young Master’s own sister, Lady Cheng and the Eldest Young Master have many unsavory matters between them, as long as our young lady saves face, that’s enough.

Zhuang Ruolan shook her head, "It’s not that easy. With her behaving like this, I wouldn’t dare to take her out in public in the future, and her marriage will definitely be a troublesome matter."

Cai Yi couldn’t help shaking her head, "The young lady is really too caring. The Eldest Miss has her own mother, and she will also have a legitimate sister-in-law in the future, they naturally will worry about her. Even if you are good to her, she won’t take it to heart. The young lady is just too kind-hearted."

Ruo Lan shook her head helplessly, it wasn’t a matter of whether she was kind-hearted or not, it was something she couldn’t avoid. Ma Yue’s wife was of too low status; Lady Cheng, unpopular in these circles, didn’t get invited out, so it would inevitably fall to her to take Ma Linlin out. With such a character, not to mention those from influential families, even those of equal social standing would look down on her temperament. Having such a girl as a daughter-in-law would be a disaster.

Cai Yun laughed and said, "Young lady, you worry too much, and can’t possibly take care of everything. This matter will naturally resolve itself when the time comes. Young lady, I think you should remind Miss Yueyao. Miss Ying pays her respects to the Madam daily, but Miss Yueyao has only done so on the first day and hasn’t gone since."

Yueyao still carried on in her previous manner, paying her respects to Lady Cheng only on the first and fifteenth days. Just like Yueyao, Loo Ying held the same status and paid her respects to Lady Cheng daily, but Yueyao did not, which made Yueyao’s behavior rather conspicuous.

Zhuang Ruolan frowned slightly, but in the end, she shook her head and said, "Yueyao is a child with her own ideas. Since she’s acting this way, she must have her reasons." Zhuang Ruolan did not believe Yueyao was unaware of the impropriety of her actions, and since she knew but still chose to act this way, she naturally wouldn’t say more.

Cai Yun frowned, pondered for a while, but said nothing more.

Zhuang Ruolan’s wet nurse, Nanny Xin, came in and recounted everything about Ma Yue’s soon-to-be wife, Madam Tang’s situation: "Young lady, this Miss Tang is shrewd and capable, and quite resourceful. She even gets involved in the family business, and in the Tang family, she carries a lot of weight."

Nanny Xin was worried when she learned of this information. After Lady Cheng returned, it was as if she had become a different person, apart from asking about the Second Young Master’s marriage, she didn’t inquire about anything else. It was easy to change rivers and mountains but hard to change a person’s nature, Nanny Xin didn’t believe that Lady Cheng had truly become so easy to talk to. With such a formidable sister-in-law arriving, Nanny Xin felt they would face troubles in the future.

After hearing all this, Zhuang Ruolan was surprised, this future sister-in-law even managed the Tang family’s business, indeed very capable. But with Ma Yue being the way he was, could he really keep such a capable wife under control in the future? The answer was quite obvious, he definitely could not.

Zhuang Ruolan said with a smile, "She is truly intelligent and capable, knowing exactly what to do that is most beneficial for her. Only fools would go against me." If Miss Tang was really as clever and resourceful as the inquiry suggested, then she could actually breathe a sigh of relief. Businessmen value profit above all, and since Miss Tang could get involved in her family business, she would naturally weigh the pros and cons. If she was truly intelligent, she would know that the second branch would rely on their main branch in the future, and it would be in her interest to get along with her rather than fight her. Getting along would bring mutual benefits, whereas fighting would definitely leave the second branch worse off.

Of course, if the inquiries turned out to be just rumors, and if Miss Tang was shallow and short-sighted, she wouldn’t be worried. With her own status and position plainly evident, what could a sister-in-law, who has yet to step into the Duke Mansion, do, regardless of how capable or resourceful? She had seen all sorts of maneuvers within the Duke Mansion; even Madam Bao, who could use filial duties to press her, did not scare her, and all these years she never ended up on the losing side, so why would she fear a Miss Tang?

Lady Cheng didn’t see Ma Chengteng until six days after her return. Ma Chengteng had not let go of what Lady Cheng had done, so he intentionally avoided her to teach her a lesson, but when he saw how thin Lady Cheng had become, he softened a bit. After all, they had been husband and wife for over a decade and there were feelings involved, it made him somewhat sad.

Standing up with a smile, Lady Cheng said, "Old Master, you’ve arrived." As Lady Cheng said this, her fingernails dug into the seams of her flesh.

Ma Chengteng nodded; he had come to inform Lady Cheng about Ma Yue’s marriage, not to reminisce. After explaining briefly, Ma Chengteng left.

As Lady Cheng watched Ma Chengteng’s retreating figure, her eyes filled with resentment. It was bad enough he sent her to suffer in Luzhou, but now he was marrying such a wife to her Yueyue. Ma Peng married a niece from a noble family, while her son could only marry a merchant’s daughter. They were both his sons, but the difference in their treatment was stark. She was full of hatred, grinding her teeth in anger. Yet, Lady Cheng knew very well that she had to keep a low profile now, she couldn’t go against Ma Chengteng as before, as it would only benefit Ma Peng and that woman surnamed Zhuang in the end.

With fierce determination, Lady Cheng said, "We shall see."

After staying for two months at the Ma’s Mansion, half a month before Ma Yue’s marriage, someone from the Lian family came to fetch Yueyao. Yueyao had already prepared an excuse and said, "Tell Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt that I will return after my second cousin’s wedding."

The old nanny was merely the messenger, and having received Yueyao’s message, naturally returned.

Xiang Wei felt something was amiss: "Logically, the Lian family should know that in ten days it’s the second cousin’s big day, why would they call me back at this time? Miss, did something happen at the Lian family, or has Lian Dongfang already found something out?"

Yueyao felt that Xiang Wei was overthinking it, "It shouldn’t be possible for Eldest Uncle to find anything." In theory, this matter should have left no traces.

Xiang Wei was very cautious, "It’s still better to be careful. Have the people who asked you to stay in the mansion pay more attention. If they really intend to plot something, they will definitely leave evident traces."

Yueyao nodded her head.

It was also on the next day that Ma Chengteng summoned Yueyao to his study.

Ma Chengteng handed Yueyao a tightly wrapped item, saying, "This is something Lord Li asked me to pass on to you. Keep it safe." Ma Chengteng had not looked at the thin book himself.

Ma Chengteng didn’t know what was inside the book, but remembering Li Guoxing’s instructions, he suspected that this item was not simple.

Yueyao opened it and was momentarily stunned. It was a poetry collection. Yueyao was perplexed; she wondered why her father had gone to the trouble of placing a poetry book inside a box.

Yueyao didn’t hide it from Ma Chengteng and said, "Uncle, this is a poetry collection, one of my father’s belongings. It must be that Uncle Li wanted to give me a keepsake."

Ma Chengteng also found it strange but didn’t think much more of it.

Yueyao took Xiang Wei back to Begonia Garden and into the study. Xiang Wei then said to Yueyao, "Miss, Lord Li has not looked through this book." It seemed that Li Guoxing was a man of good character.

Yueyao was surprised, "How do you know?" Although she believed that Uncle Li would not scrutinize the contents of the book, Xiang Wei’s words piqued her curiosity.

Xiang Wei smiled, "I tampered with the cover. If it was opened, the pages inside would show signs of it." Clearly, Li Guoxing also knew why she did that.

Yueyao was speechless at Xiang Wei’s actions but then said seriously, "My father has been friends with Uncle Li for thirty years. He entrusted this item to Uncle Li because he trusted him, and I trust him too. Xiang Wei, don’t do such unnecessary things in the future."

Xiang Wei nodded, "Don’t worry, I won’t do it again." Then, after a pause, she added, "Miss, there must be some hidden secrets in this book. You should really think it over and try to decipher them. Perhaps once you find the truth, it will be helpful to you."

Yueyao thought for a moment and then said, "I understand."

Yueyao spent the entire night studying the poetry collection, but unfortunately, she couldn’t find any clues. She put the book aside and concentrated on recalling every word her father had uttered on his deathbed.

Yueyao murmured to herself, "To discover the secrets in the book, I still need to find a box." The box Yueyao referred to was the one Lian Dongbo gave her before he passed away. In her previous life, the box had ended up in the hands of Lady Mo, and afterwards, neither Eldest Uncle nor Lady Mo sought her out, so she believed that the key to decrypting the book must be inside the box.

When Lian Dongfang heard that Yueyao was unwilling to return, his expression was indifferent as he said, "I understand." However, as soon as the old nanny left, his expression darkened considerably.

Initially, he believed that there was no list of names inside the box, but after Lady Mo mentioned that Xiang Wei, who was close to Yueyao, was not of simple identity, he began to doubt Yueyao. He suspected that Yueyao had tampered with the contents, and Li Guoxing had retrieved the item in advance.

A confidant by Lian Dongfang’s side suggested, "Old Master, shouldn’t we find a way to bring the Third Young Lady back home?" Now that she is at the Ma family’s, who knows what is going on.

Lian Dongfang shook his head, "No need. Her reasons are sound and logical. Forcing her to come back now will only raise her suspicions. We will bring her back at the end of the twelfth lunar month." He was determined to get his hands on the list.

There was much to prepare for the wedding, and Lady Cheng was overwhelmed, so she actively asked Zhuang Ruolan for help. Zhuang Ruolan didn’t refuse but suggested that Ma Linlin, Loo Ying, and Yueyao should help as well, "Madam, it’s okay if they don’t understand—they can learn while doing. I will be there to guide them, and with the maids and old nannies helping, nothing will go wrong."

Lady Cheng was reluctant to agree, but Ma Linlin spoke up first, "Sure." Ma Linlin had previously watched Lady Cheng manage the household with ease, thinking it was not difficult at all.

Loo Ying, after a previous incident, was a bit worried, but she didn’t refuse after seeing that Yueyao had also agreed.