Chapter 83: Conspiracy to Marry

  "Great, Father and Mother will definitely like it." Xie Fu Yun is the eldest son of the Xie family's main house and also the only son of the main house. Since his grandmother was alive, he had been treated with great care and pampered by his grandfather and parents since childhood, so he often spoke casually.

  Yao Cun Jia smiled and put down half of his heart.

  Xie Fu Yun took her hand, glanced around and said lightly: "Green Lotus, Green Leaf will follow us past, Star, Ruo Fang, you two take good care of the new house, entertain the people brought by Madame, and also, Madame has come from afar, the maids who followed may not know the rules of the mansion, you explain it to them clearly! Once inside the gates of Yu Hua Tang, they are considered my servants, don't do anything that would make others laugh at our household! If anyone loses face for Yu Hua Tang and makes Madame lose face, I won't let it go lightly, understand?"

  Xing'er, if Fang understood the meaning of Xie Fu's words, she quickly knelt down and replied, while Yao Cun Jia secretly glanced at Xie Fu with a complicated expression. On one hand, he was grateful for his support, on the other hand, he felt ashamed that the person he brought had done such a thing!

  "Let's go!" Xie Fu Yun smiled and gently put his arm around her shoulders, walking out until they left the Yu Hua Tang courtyard. The two of them walked ahead, with Green Lotus and Green Leaf carefully following behind.

  "Jia'er can rest assured, no one dares to mention what happened this morning. Xing'er and Ruofang know how to keep the little maids quiet." Xie Fu Yun suddenly leaned in close to her and whispered with a smile.

  Yao Cun Jia's heart warmed up, and she looked up with a grateful smile: "Thank you, sir, for considering me."

  Xie Fu smiled and said: "In the future when there's no one around, don't call me 'master', just call me by my name, or you can also call me 'husband'!"

  Yao Cun Jia let out a snort of laughter and gave him a sideways glance without saying anything.

  Mrs. Xie and Mr. Xie saw their son looking refreshed and joyful, and they were delighted too. They also saw that Yao Cun Jia was dignified and elegant in her demeanor, very much like a lady from a noble family, and they were even more pleased with her. In the grand hall, there was continuous laughter and conversation.

  After going through all that had to be experienced for the whole day, after the dinner party was over and he returned to Yuhua Hall, Yao Cunjia was almost exhausted.

  The maidservants stood in a row, waiting on them with propriety. It was not known what Xing'er and Ruofang said to Lanxiang and the others, but from then on, none of the four personal maids dared to come forward and curry favor again.

  Yao Cun Jia removed her makeup while chatting with Xie Fu Yun, and suddenly caught a glimpse of the luxurious room in the large glass mirror. She felt a slight daze in her heart, knowing that her brand new life had officially begun.

  Yao Cun Jia started a new life in Xie's mansion, while Yao Cun Hui's days continued in the capital city.

  The people who came to congratulate the Xie family arrived on time, and Old Master Yao was overjoyed. The servants in the mansion each received an extra month's wages, and the dignified housekeepers and senior maids were also rewarded with fabric, silk, and other goods.

  Yao Cun Jia is now married and far away, so it's impossible for her to return home after three days. This time, the person from the Xie family brought a generous gift, as well as letters from Yao Cun Jia and Xie Fu Yun. The letter from Xie Fu Yun was just official language, but Yao Cun Jia had written a special one to Yao Cun Hui, revealing their deep sisterly affection. Yao Cun Hui saw it and secretly felt happy for her.

  Taking advantage of Old Master Yao's good mood, Madam Ma ordered Ma Huai'an to go and apologize.

  Ma Huai'an apologized profusely, saying it was a misunderstanding. He said that on that day he was somewhat tired and had stopped to rest for a while in the corridor, but hadn't expected to fall asleep. When he woke up, both doors were locked and he couldn't open them, so he had no choice but to spend the night inside.

  Ma Shi asked the old woman who had closed the door that day some questions, and what she said was consistent with Ma Huai'an's statement, confirming that it was indeed so.

  Mr. Yao didn't want to bother with it, but thinking again that they were relatives after all, and nothing serious had happened, and considering Ma Huai'an's sincere apology, he let the matter drop.

  Yao Lao Ye spared Ma Huai An, but Madam Ma did not spare him.

  He dismissed the attendants and pulled Ma Huai'an to ask questions. "Speak up, what really happened that day? Humph, don't try to deceive me with those words you said earlier, I know they're fake! If you don't tell the truth, then don't come to my place again!"

  Ma Huai'an was stunned, still not daring to reveal the truth that Yao Cunhui had tricked him, not for Yao's sake, nor fearing things would get out of hand, but because he felt it was too humiliating to say it out loud!

  He thought that Ma Huai'an was also a talented and handsome scholar, but he was actually tormented by a young woman to the point of losing face and almost losing his life. If others were to find out, would he still be able to live? Even if the Mas and Old Master Yao didn't say anything, he wouldn't have the face to go to the Yao's house again.

  "You really won't say?" Madam Ma's face turned cold as she raised an eyebrow. She had already been very patient with her natal family!

  Ma Huai thought for a moment and stammered: "Second sister, uh, is getting more and more beautiful..."

  "Second sister? Huier?" Mrs. Ma was stunned by his sudden and inexplicable words, then turned pale with shock, pointing at him in a flurry of anger: "You... you... how dare you! This is outrageous! You actually think that..."

  Ma thought that Ma Huai'an was hiding in the inner house at night, taking advantage of Yao Cunhui's absence, and her face turned white with rage. She shouted: "You shameless thing, you've brought trouble to me again! If Master finds out, he'll break your legs!"

  Mrs. Ma was shocked and frightened, secretly afraid of the consequences. If Ma Huai'an really succeeded, the Yao family would lose all face, and Old Master Yao would be furious! And what about the Yun family? Could they just let it go? As a stepmother and with Ma Huai'an being her own nephew from her maiden family, thinking about these connections made her realize that her own reputation would also be ruined.

  At that time, due to the family's ugly situation being unspeakable, Old Master Yao would not even spare himself, and his own future days would certainly be difficult! Moreover, there was also Fourth Auntie watching with a fierce gaze on the side.

  Ma's anger did not come from one place, the more she thought about it, the more shocked and angry she became, and she severely scolded Ma Huai'an.

  Ma Huai stood with his head bowed, listening silently, his face and heart already filled with shame.

  Scholars always have thinner faces.

  "This matter is over and done with, I warn you to put away your muddled thoughts. If you dare to harbor any more evil intentions, not just the master, but even I won't let you off!" Madam Ma glared at Ma Huai'an, her face sinking as she sternly shouted: "Did you hear me?"

  "Auntie, please calm down! Auntie, please calm down!" Ma Huai'an hastily accompanied with a smile: "Nephew knows his mistake, nephew knew it early on! Nephew swears to never dare do such foolish things again! But auntie, nephew truly admires second cousin, so please, auntie, fulfill nephew's infatuation!"

  Ma Huai'an "thudded" and knelt down in front of Mrs. Ma, looking up at her with a pitiful expression.

  Ma's anger grew, and she coldly said: "Are all the good girls in the world dead? What's so great about that heartless and cunning little girl that you'd treat me like this?"

  Ma Shi couldn't help but feel annoyed. Yao Cun's three siblings were all thorns in her side, and she had never looked at them with a favorable eye, especially Yao Cun Hui. Time and time again, he would quietly put her in her place, and she had long been seething with rage, her teeth itching with hatred. And yet, to her surprise, her nephew from her mother's side actually took a liking to her, even going so far as to say "I truly admire you"! How ridiculous!

  "Aunt, nephew is also thinking for aunt!" Ma Huai continued to persuade with his three-inch tongue: "Aunt, you think about it, as long as the second cousin becomes the nephew's wife, she will be a member of the Ma family. Can't she turn towards the Ma family? Moreover, her relationship with Aunt will become even closer, and there is only benefit but no harm to Aunt!"

  Ma's heart skipped a beat, and for a moment he was stunned. He took a deep glance at Ma Huai'an, and fell into deep thought.

  Ma Huai'an knew she was already moved, so he didn't say anything more and obediently lowered his head to wait.

  "This is a good thing, it's even more beautiful to spread the word." Madam Ma smiled slightly, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

  Not bad, the nephew's words of admiration for Yao Jia's daughter indeed made her feel uncomfortable in her heart, but what he said was not unreasonable! As long as Yao Cunhui became the daughter-in-law of the Ma family, what stance and attitude would she have to oppose herself?

  She's destined to marry, what if she marries into a wealthy and prestigious family like Yao Cun Jia's dead daughter, completely beyond her control? Wouldn't that be letting her off easy? Moreover, I wouldn't be able to bear it myself! It's better to marry her into our maternal family, with my brother and sister-in-law keeping an eye on her, what kind of waves could she stir up then?! Later, I'll give my nephew two beautiful and understanding concubines as aunts, to torment her for the rest of her life!

  "Beautiful thoughts you have!" Mrs. Ma secretly made up her mind, but still scolded Ma Huai'an with a straight face: "Look at you, almost twenty years old and not even a scholar, how can Master marry his daughter to someone like you? The eldest sister married so well, but the second young lady's husband is too mediocre. Wouldn't Master lose face?! Look at Young Master Yun, who became a top scholar at the age of twenty! Stop daydreaming all day, and focus on studying hard for real! I'm really disappointed in you!"

  Ma said with a sigh, and his heart was indeed a little annoyed.

  His father's good luck seemed to have been used up, and by the time it was his older brother's turn, he barely managed to pass the imperial examination as a juren. He served as a county magistrate in a distant place for two terms, and his father pulled many strings and sent gifts to get him transferred to the capital, where he now holds a minor position in the Ministry of Rites with a rank of fifth grade. His second brother was born out of wedlock and had no prospects at all.

  Three nephews have been studying up to now, the best one among them only passed the imperial examination as a juren, and then never passed again. The family had already planned that if he didn't pass in the next session, they would use their connections to get him an official position as a county magistrate. As for the other two nephews, one was not as good as the other!

  Speaking of this young nephew, among the three brothers, he is the best looking and was also the smartest when he was young. The whole family doted on him exceptionally, everyone in the family had high hopes for him, eagerly expecting him to bring honor to his ancestors and make a name for himself.

  Reality is always not as good as expected. When I was young, everything seemed fine, but as I grew up, things didn't turn out so well. People are still smart, and they read books well, and the poems and couplets they write are praised by everyone, but when it comes to actual performance, the results are just average, making the whole family who had high hopes for me furious.