Chapter 32: Uncle's Family

Brother Zheng knew he was going to visit his uncle's house and was somewhat worried that his uncle might not like him. Lian Dongfang's behavior had already made him somewhat sensitive.

Yueyao stroked Brother Zheng's head and smiled as she said, "Don't worry, your uncle will definitely like you." Aside from those two reasons for the visit to Ma's Mansion, she needed to speak with her uncle about listing Brother Zheng in the family register under his mother's name. That way, Brother Zheng's status would be confirmed.

Brother Zheng was worried, but he obediently nodded anyway.

Lady Lian knew that the siblings had gone to the Ma Family. Regarding the Ma family's sudden arrival to take them away, and how readily Third Girl had agreed, Lady Lian felt something was amiss: "In the past when Ma's family came to pick someone up, Third Girl always made excuses. This time she agreed so smoothly. Have people keep a close watch, and not let any mishaps occur, lest Lian family's reputation is tarnished." That was one thing, and the other was to not let anyone be deceived by Ma's family, especially that Lady Cheng, who really did not inspire confidence.

Nanny Lau said with some concern, "Recently, Third Young Lady's behavior has become increasingly strange. But we cannot intervene in Lanxi Garden. Madam, should we..."

Lady Lian waved her hand: "We must not rush. Now that Old Madam is on top and watching, we cannot do anything. We should wait!" Despite her anxiety, with the Old Madam present, it was safer to take it slow. After all, they could not escape anytime soon.

Nanny Lau thought for a moment and then said, "Madam, we should still have someone follow them!" If the Maids cannot keep up, let a servant manage it.

Lady Lian considered it and then nodded.

One should not dress too plainly when being a guest, but not too brightly either, since she was still in mourning. After much deliberation, Yueyao finally chose an appropriate outfit.

Once the two were ready, they went to the Upper Chamber to greet the Old Madam. Since the person who came to pick them up was Ma Family's Chief Steward, Old Madam had no worries. After a few words, she let them go. Only then did they follow the person to the carriage.

Since Ma Family's Nobility Title had reached its peak, the Marquis' household returned the residence back to the Imperial Court. The family had moved to a different residence, originally a summer retreat of the first Lady of the Marquis's Mansion. The residence covered more than twenty acres, which was quite large even for Capital City.

Seeing Brother Zheng's nervous expression, Yueyao smiled and said, "Tingzheng, don't worry. Uncle will like Tingzheng a lot."

Brother Zheng nodded, but his tightly clasped hands still betrayed his nervousness. Yueyao didn't say much more, just patted the back of his hand.

The carriage entered a wide and neat street, Yueyao lifted the carriage curtain, and along the street, all the residences had parapets made of exposed bricks, stretching a full hundred meters. Everyone living here was of notable nobility, and not a single commoner walked the street. Security here was top-notch.

Yueyao lifted the curtain. She saw two White Jade lions squatting at the entrance, a vermillion gate adorned with a plaque that read "Ma's Mansion."

Yueyao's uncle, Ma Chengteng, held a position in the Ministry of Rites, serving as a Fourth Rank official. Although the Ministry of Rites was not a vital department, as the saying goes, 'a high rank can crush one to death.' Moreover, the Ma family had extensive connections. This was the true reason Old Madam agreed to let Yueyao come; no matter what, the relationship with these relatives needed to be maintained. No one could guarantee that they might not need to rely on others in the future.

Upon arriving at Ma's Mansion, Yueyao saw four people dressed in azurite garments standing at the front door. As the carriage stopped, the leader said, "The Cousin Miss and Young Master (cousin) have arrived."

The main gate did not open; people came and went through the side doors on the east and west corners. The carriage headed toward the western corner door and soon stopped after entering the residence.

A Servant Woman dressed in indigo, sporting a golden hairpin, approached, lifted the curtain, and said, "Cousin Miss, we have arrived."

Yueyao, leading Brother Zheng, got out of the carriage and saw four young servants carrying a sedan chair. The old nanny, seeing Yueyao also brought a boy, was initially startled, then smiled and said, "I never expected the cousin Miss to bring the Young Master (cousin) too. Any lack of preparation is the servant's fault. Please could Cousin Miss and Young Master (cousin) wait a little longer?" Actually, the Servant Woman must have known. Just by asking, one would know that currently, Yueyao was personally educating Brother Zheng. Coming to visit her uncle's house, how could she not bring her brother along? That would be equivalent to not recognizing her brother.

Ma Yuan stood to one side without speaking. He was the chief steward of the outer courtyard; unless something was really unacceptable, he did not get involved in the affairs of the Inner Courtyard.

Yueyao looked at the Servant Woman; she was Lady Cheng's most trusted old nanny, Old Lady Chen. Yueyao sneered inwardly. Now that she was personally teaching Brother Zheng and keeping him by her side, how could she possibly not bring him along to her uncle's house? It was clearly a challenge, thinking because she was young she would be easy to fool. Yueyao held contempt in her heart, but her expression remained calm. "It's not an issue, Tingzheng and I can share the sedan chair." Let's see who ends up embarrassed in the end!

Old Lady Chen's smiling expression disappeared instantly as she stiffly said, "Miss, how could you..."

Yueyao, however, ignored her completely and pulled Brother Zheng into the sedan. Old Lady Chen's face showed annoyance—this Cousin Miss thought too highly of herself. Presently, of the two ladies staying in the mansion, who did not treat her with great respect?

Ma Yuan was somewhat surprised; he did not expect the Cousin Miss to be unlike the rumors. She seemed to have proper intentions. But that was good, as those with proper intentions are not easily fooled. Ma Yuan was the Chief Steward of the outer court and was only responsible for receiving guests. He left after reaching the secondary gate.

Entering the courtyard, bypassing the screen wall, and entering through the Chuihua Gate, they passed galleries on both sides and went around two small halls to finally see the main building of the courtyard. There were five main rooms and three wing rooms in the yard. The intricate carvings made the house look delicate and meticulous. On both sides, the galleries held various colored pots.

Yueyao got out of the sedan with Brother Zheng and, holding his hand, seeing that he was somewhat nervous, she smiled and said, "Don't be afraid, this is uncle's home. It's just like our own home."

Old Lady Chen following behind displayed a look of contempt. What did she mean by just like their own home? This place belonged to the Ma family, not the Lian family. Moreover, this child was the son of a lowly servant. If Madam hadn't received Old Master's instructions, she would not have cared to serve him! Of course, these thoughts were only kept to herself. The Old Master valued this niece very much. They absolutely had to maintain appearances.

While Old Lady Chen was thinking, she saw Yueyao glance at her. Old Lady Chen's heart skipped a beat; that piercing gaze seemed as if Yueyao could see through her thoughts. But looking again, she saw Yueyao quietly talking to Young Master (cousin). Old Lady Chen sternly told herself it must have been a trick of the eye.

Yueyao looked around the courtyard, feeling utterly foreign. In her previous life, under the strong insistence of Ma Chengteng, Yueyao, out of mourning, had stayed in Ma's Mansion for two days. However, she was mocked by Ma Linlin, who said she was loitering around unwilling to leave. There was also Eldest Cousin-in-law, Cheng Lizi, Lady Cheng's niece, who hinted and squeezed her in conversation. Back then, her pride didn't allow her to tolerate such insults; she hardly stayed for two days before causing a scene to return home. Even when the uncle allowed Ma Linlin and Cheng Lizi to apologize to her, she still went back to Lian Mansion, and after the uncle's death, she had only returned for the mourning. Since then, she had not stepped foot in Ma's Mansion again, making the place feel very unfamiliar to her.

Two maids waiting at the writing desk, dressed in red and green, saw Yueyao and smiled saying, "Quick, go inform the Old Master and Madam, Miss Cousin and Cousin Miss have arrived."

Yueyao came back to her senses and smiled, "Thank you so much, sisters." Seeing Brother Zheng was somewhat nervous, she leaned down to whisper a few words to him before leading him into the main hall.

Upon entering the living room, they saw on the main wall a black Phoebe frame inlaid with mother-of-pearl and a marble surface. There was also an incense burner inlaid with a coral stone pattern, flanked by armchairs of the same style, topped with large red brocade cushions with gold sprinkles. On the floor, eight Phoebe armchairs lined up, each covered with a floral cushion.

Seeing the extravagant clothing and jewelry of the servants and maids, and then observing the furnishings of the room, Yueyao only sighed. The Marquis' household was exactly like this, yet it still considered itself a Marquis' household. The uncle was not adept at running affairs, living off dwindling resources. No wonder after the uncle's death, the Ma Mansion quickly declined.

While Yueyao was reflecting, she noticed a man wearing deep azurite soft satin clothes sitting in the seat of honor, somewhat lean, but looking healthy. Yueyao, observing the man in the high seat resembling her mother, felt tears welling up in her eyes.

Yueyao knew her uncle truly loved her. He was her mother's older brother, and due to a great age difference between him and her mother, he cherished her immensely. Her mother had died early, and the uncle treated her much like his own daughter, overseeing her upbringing. If it weren't for his early death, having her uncle as her backer, Lady Lian wouldn't dare treat her so poorly.

Yueyao, holding back the sour feelings in her eyes, pulled Brother Zheng down with her to kneel and said, "Yueyao, Tingzheng pay respects to uncle and aunt." Proper manners were essential, and one couldn't give others the slightest reason to gossip when away from home.

Ma Chengteng pulled them up and seated them next to him, saying, "In the blink of an eye, you've grown so much!" As he looked at her, who resembled his sister held within his palms, Ma Chengteng felt immensely saddened.

This time, Yueyao's skin was much thicker than in her past life. Hearing her uncle's choked voice, she disregarded any etiquette and hugged Ma Chengteng, crying very sorrowfully.

Ma Chengteng, initially stunned by Yueyao's disregard for etiquette—since they were always so concerned with proper conduct—was surprised when Yueyao embraced him, as not even his own children had hugged him like that before.

However, very quickly, anger appeared in Ma Chengteng's eyes. This meant that his niece had been mistreated and had suffered in the Lian family. Having suspected this ever since he received Yueyao's letter, seeing his niece crying so sorrowfully now only confirmed his suspicions.

Seeing Yueyao crying, Brother Zheng started crying too.

Ma Chengteng, with red-rimmed eyes, felt immensely guilty. His sister only had this one blood relative, and he hadn't taken good care of her. He wondered how his sister would blame him from the heavens.