Time Travel: The Noble Family

In the Great Yuan Dynasty, the 38th year of Emperor Zhengxi's reign, in front of the residence of the Lian family, with the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works at its head, carriages and horses were bustling, and people were coming and going, creating quite a lively scene.

The ancestors of the Lian family had produced several Palace Graduates and Juren, and among them were two Top Scholars, one of whom was the grandfather of Old Master Lian, who later became a Senior Grand Secretary of the First Rank. Old Master Lian's father was the Second Place Scholar, and his brother was a Tanhua. The three generations of the Lian family were celebrated tales in the Capital City.

Today was the 60th birthday of the Old Madam of the Lian family, and everyone was there to celebrate her longevity. Dressed in a red Five Blessings Longevity Jacket and a deep red six-paneled skirt with golden Three Gold Items on the collar, Old Madam Lian's hair was neatly arranged, surrounded by pearls and jades, giving her a benevolent and wealthy appearance.

Old Madam Lian was chatting and laughing with the guests when a maid, dressed in a red damask jacket, entered and whispered something into her ear. Old Madam Lian furrowed her brows, clearly upset by some bad news. However, she quickly turned back to the guests and continued chatting merrily as if nothing had happened.

Shortly after, a commotion was heard from outside. A maid rushed in and said, "Old Madam, something terrible has happened! A madwoman has taken Young Master Lin hostage!"

Old Madam Lian felt her heart lurch. The Young Master Lin the maid was referring to was the son of Lian Yuebing, who had married into Marquis Luyang's household. Though Yuebing was a stepmother, the son born from the original marriage had passed away, and now Young Master Lin was the uncontested successor to the Marquis' title.

Old Madam Lian immediately headed to the scene, followed by others. Upon arriving, everyone saw a woman with several long, worm-like scars on her face holding a sharp dagger to Young Master Lin's throat. A slight increase in pressure, and the boy's life would be at risk.

Lian Yuebing cried out, "Who are you? Why have you taken my child hostage?"

The woman holding the dagger sneered, "Oh, Lian Yuebing, have you already forgotten me? It's only been a decade or so. Even with all your important duties, how could you forget your sister?"

After scrutinizing the woman intently, Yuebing was horror-stricken, "You... you're Yueyao? How is this possible; weren't you dead?"

Old Madam Lian gloomily looked at the woman with the knife, "Someone, seize her for me."

Hearing Old Madam Lian's order, Yueyao pressed the sharp edge slightly into the child's delicate skin and said coldly, "Anyone who dares come closer, I will take his life." Yueyao was certain that Lady Ma wouldn't dare to make a move.

Lian Yuebing clutched Old Madam Lian's arm and pleaded desperately, "Mother, you can't, Mother, she will hurt Lin'er."

Old Madam Lian glared at Yueyao hatefully. She wanted to gag the woman to stop her from speaking out of turn, worried she might reveal too much. But she also had to consider the child in the woman's hands; Lin'er was the only heir to Marquis Luyang. If anything were to happen to him, the Lian family would surely face Marquis Luyang's wrath. She felt as if she was caught between a rock and a hard place.

Yueyao saw Old Madam Lian's expression, "Lady Ma, you too have days like these. Do you now know what fear is?"

Old Madam Lian fixed Yueyao with a stare that could kill. If looks could indeed kill, Yueyao would have died many times over.

Lian Yuebing, seeing her son's neck covered in blood, pleaded earnestly, "Sister Yueyao, ever since we were children, I have let you have your way in everything. I always treated you like a real sister. For all the sake of our past, please don't harm my child. I'm begging you."

Yueyao looked at Yuebing, "Lady Ma, do you hear your daughter's pleas? How did I beg you that day? And how did you treat me?"

Old Madam Lian said coldly, "It would be better if your issue were with me, so there's no need to involve an innocent child. Let the child go, will you?" If not for the child held by Yueyao, the Old Madam would have ordered to kill the woman on the spot.

Yueyao looked unwaveringly at Old Madam Lian and a smile flashed across her face, a smile that made Old Madam Lian feel a chill, "Now you speak of innocence? Lady Ma, heaven watches what we do. You seized all the wealth of the second branch to pave the way for your children, used my marriage prospects to elevate your own children, and when I was no longer of use, you diabolically sold me to a merchant Zhou Shu in Sea City as his concubine, announcing to others that I had died of illness. People say that the most poisonous is a woman's heart, but yours is even more venomous than that of a scorpion."

As Yueyao finished speaking, the scene erupted into an uproar. The entire wealth of the second branch, considering that the Second Old Master of the Lian Family had been a Salt Censor and amassed considerable wealth over several prosperous years in a lucrative posting... And Lian Dongbo's wife, Madam Ma, who hailed from the noble Ma Family as the legitimate eldest daughter, was once celebrated with a ten-mile bridal procession.