Time Travel: The Noble Family-Chapter 102 - 47: Persuasion

Chapter 102: Chapter 47: Persuasion

Ma Chengteng knew that Nanny Deng had something to tell him. He dismissed everyone else at once,

Nanny Deng knelt on the ground. As soon as Ma Chengteng saw this gesture, he knew she had something to say. Ma Chengteng was very tired, “Just speak if you have something to say!”

Ma Chengteng was a scion of a noble family, and he was not lacking in reputation outside. However, he had a flaw, which was that he never dealt with domestic affairs. He was unwilling to meddle in matters of the inner courtyard. Before the Old Madam passed away, she had spoken, forbidding Lady Cheng from touching the accounts of the outer courtyard, and furthermore, forbade her from meddling in Ma Peng’s affairs. Ma Chengteng had agreed to all these demands. So, Ma Peng’s expenses were all covered by the outer courtyard. Lady Cheng couldn’t control Ma Peng at all. This was also the reason why Granny Liu could stand up to Lady Cheng, why the Old Madam of the Lian family not only looked down on Lady Cheng, who used schemes to marry and then sought to harm the legitimate child after marriage, but now was enjoying the fights with the servants. As a family of scholars, they especially despised this kind of behavior. Of course, if the Ma Family had no rules and was unruly, the Old Madam would look down on them just the same.

Ma Chengteng was in charge of the affairs of the outer courtyard, which was one thing, but the inner courtyard’s matters were truly something he did not want to get involved in. He would rather spend his free time going out with friends, or composing poetry. Yet, the inner courtyard frequently caused problems, which annoyed him endlessly. Most of the time, he turned a blind eye. It seemed that after the autumn imperial examination, he would have to settle a marriage for his son. By marrying a capable daughter-in-law, he would save himself some troubles.

Nanny Deng had been puzzled before, but the young lady’s explanation, as well as the recent events, made her realize that dealing with Lady Cheng would require drastic measures. With Lady Cheng around, the young lady would not be able to rely on her maternal family, “Old Master, in principle, family affairs are not for a servant like me to comment on. But the young lady has been worried about Brother Zheng, concerned about her natal family. Now, the Eldest Young Master is grown up, and it’s time you found a wife for him who can manage the household,” she said. Speaking more would embarass Ma Chengteng, but this was something that could be discussed properly.

Ma Chengteng waved his hand, “I have plans for this matter, you may leave!” Once there was no one left in the study, Ma Chengteng picked up his brush to write, but he couldn’t produce a single character even after a long while.

...

The next day, Yueyao received news that Cheng Lizi had been sent away. This time, she would likely not be able to set foot in the Ma Family’s door again.

Yueyao was having breakfast with Brother Zheng, ready to bid farewell to her uncle after finishing the meal. Lady Cheng had been confined to the Buddhist hall, so naturally, there was no need for her to pay respects anymore. Yueyao didn’t care at all about the chaos she had caused. However, before breakfast was over, Ma Peng came over.

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Yueyao stood up with a smile, “Cousin, you’ve come.”

Yueyao’s gentle smile calmed Ma Peng’s flustered mind, “I just came to see how my cousin is doing.” Mainly because Nanny Liu had told him that this time, they owed much to Miss cousin. He wanted to come and thank Yueyao, but facing the little Yueyao, he didn’t know how to start.

Yueyao glanced at Brother Zheng, “Tingzheng, your sister has something to discuss with cousin. Finish eating and then wait for me in the room.” She didn’t want Brother Zheng to know about their matter.

Ma Peng and Yueyao went to the study, and once he saw that the room was empty, he said to Yueyao, “Nanny Liu told me everything, I want to thank you for this matter.” And with that, he bowed deeply. If not for Yueyao, he feared that he would have been saddled with a reputation for private dealings.

Yueyao didn’t understand why Granny Liu had to tell her big cousin about this matter, “Big cousin, mother has always been very concerned about you, and hopes you are well. Nanny Liu reached out to Nanny Deng, and thinking of mother worrying about you daily, hoping you are well, hoping the Ma family is well, I agreed to let Nanny Deng be the witness.” Yueyao attributed everything to Nanny Deng.

Ma Peng knew Yueyao had not personally intervened in the matter, “I know, I know aunt loves me very much.” This was true. Before Yueyao’s mother married, she always took good care of him. Even after her marriage, every time gifts were sent to the Ma family, there was always a separate gift for him. Even after moving to Jiangnan, his yearly gift never ceased. Ma Peng had always kept this kindness in his heart.

Yueyao didn’t want to talk more about this matter but talked about the upcoming imperial examination instead, “Cousin, it is almost time for you to enter the examination. If you really can’t focus on reading, don’t force yourself. It might be good to go out and clear your mind.” Although Yueyao had never experienced such an exam, seeing Ma Peng’s nervous demeanor, she felt it was not good.

Ma Peng hesitated. His performance in the past was already poor, and if he didn’t make an extra effort in these last few days, it would likely be even worse. But these days, he really couldn’t bring himself to study. His head ached everytime he tried to read.