Chapter 279: Chapter 107: Ma Chengteng’s Fury Chapter 279: Chapter 107: Ma Chengteng’s Fury Nanny Hao was mistaken; the letter Yueyao sent out was not for the Ma Family, but for the Li family. Lady Li, upon hearing that someone from the Lian Mansion had sent a letter, knew it was from Yueyao. She hesitated for quite a while, looking at the letter addressed to her husband, but ultimately decided to open it and read.
Lady Li pressed her temples and asked her trusted maid, “Do you think we should give this letter to the Old Master?” Even she was hesitant. In truth, Lady Li didn’t want to hand over the letter to her husband. The Lian family wasn’t related to theirs by blood, and the main branch of the Lian family didn’t quite get along with them; her husband would just get unnecessarily troubled upon knowing its contents.
After thinking it over, the maid replied, “Madam, it’s still necessary to inform the Old Master. If we don’t and he finds out later, he’ll be angry. I believe the Third Young Lady of the Lian family is a sensible person, and she wouldn’t let the Old Master or you be troubled.”
After pondering for a moment, Lady Li nodded. When her husband returned from his duties, Lady Li handed over the letter to Li Guoxing.
Li Guoxing opened the letter and shook his head, saying, “This child, she really has it tough.” Others might slack off when they have the chance, but Tingzheng fears falling behind in his studies, such a diligent child is truly deserving of affection.
Yueyao wrote to the Li Mansion not to lament her miseries or to seek help, for such behaviors once exposed, would be considered as stooping low. She simply stated in her letter that Tingzheng, after the end of the Mourning period, would resume school as usual. Yueyao explained that during this time Tingzheng had fallen behind a lot in his coursework and hoped the teacher could assign him additional studies, so when he returned to class, the load would not be too overwhelming.
If it were possible, Yueyao wished she could send Tingzheng to the Li family right now, to spare him from staying in the Lian family’s den of wolves any longer. But she couldn’t do that, she had to observe the full Mourning period, and only after her granduncle had buried her grandmother could she let Tingzheng continue his studies at the Li Mansion.
Lady Li expressed surprise, “Wasn’t it about some rumors?”
Li Guoxing asked puzzledly, “What rumors?” Caught up in government affairs, he had no time to follow such gossip. Lady Li didn’t want to upset her husband with the unpleasant matter either since he couldn’t do anything other than getting angry, as it was someone else’s family affair after all.
After reading through the letter carefully, Lady Li was very surprised. She had thought that Yueyao might share her grievances with her husband or ask them for help, but there was not a word about such things in the letter. Once she finished reading it and thought about the rumors, she felt a profound sense of sympathy for Yueyao.
Seeing the expression on his wife’s face, Li Guoxing asked, “Tell me what’s wrong, is it that the children are not doing well at the Lian Mansion?” Judging by his wife’s demeanor, it certainly seemed like bad news.
Sometimes not complaining can be more effective. The content of Yueyao’s letter was about Tingzheng’s affairs, and without mention of the rumors, it didn’t raise much concern. But knowing the rumors and then reading this letter made things seem amiss. The Old Madam had passed away merely twenty days ago; it was too soon to be talking about matters after the Mourning period. Li Guoxing was sure there was more to this situation, and it was no trivial matter.
Lady Li also felt pity for the two children, but this matter wasn’t something her family could intervene in, so she said, “Now, everyone’s spreading that Yueyao and Tingzheng both brought about their father’s and mother’s deaths, and now they have allegedly caused Old Madam Lian’s death. Ah, who knows who’s spreading such heartless rumors?”
Yueyao didn’t include Tingzheng in the rumors, but Peng Chun had done so behind Yueyao’s back. The reason was simple: by linking the two together, the harm done to Yueyao was greatly lessened. And, in any case, the rumor wasn’t entirely false – if anything, Tingzheng was deemed to have even tougher luck. Right after birth, his mother passed away; shortly after returning to the main house, both Madam Ma and Lian Dongbo passed away; and then the Old Madam. If anyone, claiming Tingzheng as the Jinx would be more fitting, but peculiarly, such rumors, when compared to a boy, seemed to cause significantly less harm.
After hearing this, Li Guoxing slammed his hand onto the table, exclaiming furiously, “Nonsense, complete nonsense!” Li Guoxing, educated in traditional Confucianism, did not believe in superstitions.
Influenced by her husband, Lady Li didn’t believe such things either. But that didn’t stop people from believing them; the rumors were spreading far and wide, claiming Yueyao and Tingzheng to be cursed siblings.
After his bout of anger, Li Guoxing quickly calmed down. He knew he wasn’t in a position to meddle in this affair, but that didn’t mean others lacked the standing to do so.
Meanwhile, that very day, the rumors took on a new twist. After spreading that both children were Jinxes, they almost met their untimely deaths. It was puzzling that no sooner had the rumors about their being Jinxes circulated than there was talk of the children nearly perishing. Soon someone suggested that the malicious rumors were spread by someone coveting wealth, aiming to capitalize on the hefty dowry that was in Yueyao’s possession from her mother and the substantial fortune left by the Second Old Master of the Lian Family. If the two children were gone, the large sum of money would naturally end up in the mastermind’s hands. To confuse matters, they also included the possibility of enmity between someone and the siblings.